
Dowel Biswas
Dowel is always thinking about a million things at once and writes to make sense of it all. Feel free to send her your thoughts at [email protected]
Dowel is always thinking about a million things at once and writes to make sense of it all. Feel free to send her your thoughts at [email protected]
Thousands of Bangalees ushered in Bengali Year 1432 at Ramna Batamul on Monday morning, as Chhayanaut’s iconic Pahela Baishakh celebration marked its 58th edition with renewed hope, harmony, and heritage.
As the sun rose over Dhaka, Chhayanaut’s Pahela Baishakh celebration for the Bengali year 1432 began at Ramna Batamul. The theme of Chhayanaut's Pahela Baishakh celebration this year is "Amar Mukti Aloy Aloy" (my freedom lies in light). Through this theme, Chhayanaut aims to convey a message of hope, resilience, and renewal.
As the nation now stands on the cusp of renewal, Pahela Baishakh 1432 arrives at a time when the people of Bangladesh are eager to reclaim their cultural voice—seeking a deeper connection to its identity, heritage, and hope. For centuries, it has been an occasion of collective celebration, resilience, and unity.
Chhayanaut is all set to celebrate Bangla New Year, Pahela Baishakh, with its iconic cultural programme at Ramna Batamul in Dhaka.
Farooki declared that this year’s New Year celebrations would bring together not just Bengali citizens, but also 27 ethnic communities from across the country. “Diversity is our most powerful and beautiful asset,” he said.
Renowned filmmaker and cultural affairs adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki has dismissed concerns that Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is running without leadership following the recent resignation of its Director General, Syed Jamil Ahmed.
Renowned musician and social activist Farzana Wahid Shayan, known for her bold stance on gender inequality and oppression, has once again raised her voice in response to the alarming rise of gender-based violence in Bangladesh. In recent weeks, a wave of brutal incidents, including the rape of eight-year-old Asiya by a relative, has sent shockwaves throughout the nation, prompting widespread outrage and calls for justice.
On her tenth death anniversary today, we remember Suchitra Sen, Bengal’s first female superstar, and a feminist in spirit, who took charge of her own fate and challenged the common norms that surround or define femininity.
The short film has been selected to compete at the festival on January 5. After being declared as a finalist on Wednesday, it will be screened on January 15, informed Arafat Mohsin Nidhi, director of the production, to The Daily Star.
While every alleyway, street and locality has been adorned with posters, the most impressive promotion of this election is perhaps the innovative and catchy songs that are being played at political stalls, through mikes, moving vans and rickshaws.
Founded by Jude Kelly CBE, WOW - Women of the World is an international festival that started its journey in 2021 in Bangladesh. It organises community events nationwide by offering a platform to celebrate the voices of women and girls, whether living within or beyond the margins of society.
Gaudiya Nritya is a Bengali classical dance originating in Gaur, Bengal, the ancient capital of the region. Gaudiya Nritya is a composite art form representing the pre-colonial division of larger Bengal with a unique combination of music, history, poetry, literature, drama and rhythm.
The popular theatre troupe is going to conclude a glorious year with one of its initial plays, eminent thespian Azad Abul Kalam directorial “Koinna”, being staged at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Wednesday (December 13) at 7 PM .
Talented singer Atiya Anisha became a household name in the Bangladeshi film and music industry with her crowd-favorite playback singles like “Cholo Niralay” from the movie “Poran”, “Jadur Ayna” from the web-film “Antonagar”, and more. Recently, she received the Best Singer Award in the female category for the song “Ei Shohorer Pothe Pothe” from the movie “Payer Chhaap”, at the Bangladesh National Film Awards. The talented songstress dropped by The Daily Star for a chat.
To a practised eye, the images, paintings, satirical cartoons and visuals of Palestine, a country with a very rich heritage, art and cultural background and which has been diminished to the verge of destruction, where humanity is barely surviving, did not seem any less or more than what it is: A targeted cultural persecution.
Theaterian’s first production and 14th show of the famous play brought about the torturous despair of existence and set the stage on fire with eclectic performances throughout its 2:30-hour run-time at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s National Theatre Hall on Tuesday.
Recognising the cultural construct of the state, Lubna Marium emphasises that any threat to culture hampers societal progress, national unity, and diversity. To address this, she has spearheaded the establishment of a comprehensive Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory (ICH) through Shadhona.