1971

BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / Rehman Sobhan’s recollections of the road he took towards December 16, 1971

The title of the first of Professor Rehman Sobhan’s two-part memoir suggests that it is about his “years of fulfilment”; the subject matter of its sequel therefore would be about the “untranquil” years that followed.

52nd Anniversary of the Concert for Bangladesh / The unsung heroes who introduced Bangladesh to the world

It is rather astonishing that the government and people of Bangladesh have shown relatively minimal recognition for the two prominent musicians who played a significant role in introducing the country to the world.

“Fragile Things”: How ghosts and spirituality make it into writing

Participants, including the show’s hosts and guests, picked up discarded pebbles, photo frames, children’s artwork, and other knick knacks—all fragile things collected and displayed by the author. 

Can we process trauma through writing?

Iffat Nawaz, together with The Daily Star’s Books & Literary Editor, Sarah Anjum Bari, will discuss the act and impact of processing traumatic memories through writing. 

When the message of Bangladesh’s liberation travelled on two wheels

Jamal Hasan and his three teammates decided to go on a goodwill mission for the fledgling state to thank the people of the world for supporting their Liberation War.

Motherhood, martyrdom and the spirit of female resistance in 1971

Ekattorer Dinguli forces one to acknowledge the dire reality of ethnic and religious violence, and the harsh legacy of colonial oppression and divide that has ruptured the fabric of the South Asian subcontinent since 1947.

War in the waters: Looking back at Operation Jackpot, 1971

Operation Jackpot was the first—and allegedly best—campaign of naval commandos during the Liberation War of 1971, a deadly blow against the Pakistani invasion forces carried out on August 16, 1971.

Poetry, my useless weapon

As bird flocks take wing at the rattle of Sten guns

A fugitive

It was noontime when I arrived home the sun was shining bright

March 23, 2023
March 23, 2023

Reading as a form of resistance: Some anecdotes from the 1971 war

After the war, the library authorities placed advertisements requesting people to return any books from the library that they might have in their possession, but the response was poor. The library's hundred-year-old collection was lost forever.

January 26, 2023
January 26, 2023

Family of feelings: Iffat Nawaz's 'Shurjo's Clan'

Part memoir, part magical realism, this is a story about identity and the idea of home.

December 31, 2022
December 31, 2022

Capturing the war stories of medical professionals

Muktijuddher Chikishsha Itihas captures the stories and struggles of medical professionals during the Liberation War.

December 16, 2022
December 16, 2022

Snapshots from 1971

On this day in 1971, Bangladesh was liberated from the Pakistan occupation forces following a bloody nine-month war. These pictures were taken in December, 1971.

November 18, 2022
November 18, 2022

In Iffat Nawaz’s debut novel, 1971 is not an open wound

Shurjo’s Clan uses magic realism to conjure Shurjomukhi’s freedom fighter uncles, who were martyred in Sylhet’s tea gardens during the 1971 Liberation War, and her grandmother, who took her own life shortly after the 1947 Partition. 

October 20, 2022
October 20, 2022

Contradictions in a book on the Bangladesh Liberation War

A "what it really was" analysis of the 1971 war does not mean the description of the actions of India only. It should also cover their mistakes and failures. The cover of this book claims to be a "definitive story", but its research and narrative are not holistic.

July 28, 2022
July 28, 2022

Mundanities, magic realism, Bangladesh—Shahidul Zahir’s novellas

The personal space is the same as the political sphere, the individual on the same strand as the collective. 

June 23, 2022
June 23, 2022

Manash Ghosh's ' Bangladesh War': Dispatches of independence

Bangladesh War resembles a journalist's diary. Ghosh's tone is neither that of a critic nor a judge.

April 4, 2022
April 4, 2022

Dhaka-Washington ties will flourish further in next 50 years, Biden writes to Hasina

US President Joe Biden has expressed optimism that Dhaka-Washington partnership would flourish further in the next 50 years and beyond.

August 26, 2021
August 26, 2021

The legacy of blood

Henry Kissinger is infamous in Bangladesh for allegedly terming the newly-independent country a “bottomless basket”, but this statement appears to be the least of his crimes against the people of Bangladesh.

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