A treat for art aficionados
The historical background of “Bloody 21st” is passionate and nationalistic. Baseer was one of the protestors of February 21, 1952.
3d ago
The season for shimul blossoms
This tree is almost invisible to us throughout the year until early spring, when its glorious red crown of showy flowers captures our souls.
1w ago
Cleanliness should be your mantra
Cleanliness is next to godliness is a cliched saying we have all heard since childhood but have miserably failed to take heed of this unoriginal saying. Though it means that we must keep ourselves clean, our homes spick and span and our communities unpolluted and dirt-free, sadly, we all know that is not the case.
1w ago
Dos and don’ts of menstrual health and hygiene
Many women nowadays have to work outside of their homes for extended periods of time, often without access to appropriate washroom facilities. This can be difficult to manage when it comes to menstruation. This challenging scenario demands a sanitary napkin that can provide reliable protection for at least 12 hours, allowing them to go about their daily lives without worrying about leakage or discomfort. Finding an appropriate product can be essential to ensure that women can be productive and confident at work.
2w ago
Rising above adversity: In conversation with Nazrul Islam Ritu
Nazrul Islam Ritu is the first transgender elected union parishad chairperson in Bangladesh. The 44-year-old activist and politician was born on 15 June, 1979, and lives in Trilochanpur, Jhenaidah District, where she is the chairman of Union 6.
2w ago
A safe working environment for domestic workers
A child of seven or eight is sent to work because the economic strength of the parents is in dire straits and they cannot afford to feed the child. The sting in this act is so scarred that only a parent can understand the helplessness and void of it all
2w ago
Why I love the season of spring
Spring or boshonto is the last of the six Bangla seasons and happens to fall between winter and summer, spreading over the Bangla months of Falgun and Chaitra (mid-February to mid-April).
Cheat code recipe for chowder
Traditionally, seafood did not suit the deshi palate. We were more accustomed to having freshwater delicacies. Time, however, is changing and we now enjoy delightful, seafood dishes. The following is a recipe of a popular seafood dish, with added cheat codes that make it easier to make.
Winter tea parties to warm up the soul
If you have a veranda decked out with plants and ferns, place two garden chairs and the setting is perfect for a tea. Simply spread the tea table for your spouse and yourself, with just two cups of steaming milk tea and ghee toast, and it is party enough. In this busy metro-life of yours, you two do not have the luxury to spend quality time together let alone enjoy a cup of tea in silence.
Complicated recipes made easy
In this day and age, it’s very difficult to find time to do just about anything, meaning much less time in the kitchen, save for the weekends. But if the mood demands something scrumptious, lack of time is the last thing that will work as an excuse! These recipes are dedicated for those express situations where time is short but craving is not.
The charm of gold jewellery
Jewellery, especially the ones given at weddings, hold special meanings in their intricate designs. Each piece has its own story to tell. The olden ‘tikli’ (the forehead pendant that had the star and moon designs carved up in red rubies and whitish yellow ‘pukhraj’ or yellow sapphire stones) promotes prosperity, wealth, and marital bliss. The lover’s knot or ‘prem fash’ designed chain holds its meaning in the name. ‘Prem’ in Bengali is love, and ‘fash’ means a grip, so as the name suggests, it is a lover’s grip, a treasured design construed in a bangle or chain given to the beloved as a wedding-night gift.
Kebabs, soups, momos and more: Welcome to the bustling street food scene of Mohammadpur
Each street popular for its food has a story to tell. From the narrow lanes of Old Dhaka, the bustling Taltola or Banani 11, to Uttara — they all have their flavour for us to relish. Each experience is richer than the next one but hands down, it's time to re-discover Mohammadpur's street food this winter, for its warmth and vivacity.
Upcycling furniture is a cool concept
Upcycling is the act of taking something no longer in use and giving it a second life and new function. In doing so, the finished product often becomes more practical, valuable, and beautiful than it previously was. While recycling involves the destruction of waste in order to create something new, upcycling creates something new from it in its current state.
Outfit repeating is fashionably trending
Unfortunately, the clothing industry has drilled this idea into our heads that the biggest fashion crime you can commit is to repeat your clothes. It is time to undo and ditch that unsustainable idea promoted by advocates of fast fashion.
The best tea spots you can find
Teas are a joy, be it chamomile, Earl Grey, Makaibari or just good old deshi milk tea. A light sip of hot black tea with a slight squeeze of lemon or brewed heavily in cardamoms and cloves, or frothy milk tea; it makes you happy and keeps you going. So, with the advent of chilly evenings and misty midnights, go for your favourite warm fuzzy brew to add a little liveliness to your day’s itinerary.
5 delicious ilish recipes you must try
The ilish is a versatile fish as it can be used to prepare a variety of dishes. Hilsa is as suitable for preparing delectable dishes on those special occasions, as it is for cooking a regular everyday curry. The hilsa season is almost coming to an end. Now is the time to get your fresh ilish from the bazaars of Chandpur and Mawa. The following are some easy to make recipes with hilsa. Try them out and you will not be disappointed!
The Vogue Behind Loose and Flowy Dresses
Modest and fashion might be two words seldom put together, but changing global perspectives made its popularity a reality. It is by no means a new idea, as people, and women, who preferred to dress modestly have always been around, but the idea to cater to this growing population specifically is only just catching on. Some choose it to comply with religious practices, others for simple personal preference; however, modest fashion is not about the hijab or headscarf alone. It relates to anyone who is partial to loose, flowy clothes, often in multiple layers, like capes, wraps and loose jackets, with the intention of not displaying the shape of their bodies prominently.
6 mango desserts that you must try this summer
The real joy of eating a mango is peeling off the skin and eating it right away, with delicious juice runs down your hand; it might be offensive to many, but a true Bengali would love to eat it that way. However, the civilised way to eat a mango would be to slice it into pieces and have the pulp with a fork. Now that the season is over and we have satiated most of those cravings, we can safely shift our attention to chilled sweet mango desserts for this scorching summer. Mangoes are high in calories; hence, everyone will ask you to keep your mango count in check. But, if you pair it with cool foods like yoghurt, you can have that extra one too. So, no reason to stop the mango binge.
How it feels when you can’t finish reading a book
As I have grown older, my mind is calmer but it’s a void now, empty of any voice.
Cheragali Ceramics Market
Imagine a Doza Market or Bongo Bazar but for ceramics only. If you cross Uttara and drive towards Tongi and Gazipur, you will shortly reach a turn which takes you to Cheragali Ceramics Market tucked inside a dusty, debris piled corner. The narrow alley takes you to the treasure troves.
The other summer fruit— Jaam
While mango has a cemented spot as the king of summer fruits, in its many varieties it also easily overshadows our other seasonal favourites like jaam or the java plum. The festivity around mangoes often makes for a lacklustre season for other bounties of summer. This dark purple, bordering on burgundy, lozenge sized fruit is fleshy, juicy with a hard seed and stains everything it touches a deep purple, including your mouth.
The romance of rain, or not!
Monsoon is dreamy for some and exasperating for others, yet it is the best season in Bangladesh. The rivers are full and abundant with sweet water fish, nature is at its greenest best.
Reeling from the recent price hike
What I failed to realise is that the price hike is a constant thing, it is steadily increasing every month or rather every week it now seems, and never coming down actually.
Digital wellbeing
There is a legitimate reason behind the adage — children not only mimic, but also develop their social mannerisms, ways of interaction and behavioural traits by observing and acquiring information from the adults around them.
Managing household expenditure: A family runs on two wheels
“If you are the bread earner, then I am the butter earner” — rounds with my husband always starts with this sentence. And indeed, it is true!
Eid — then and now
labbayka -llāhumma labbayk, labbayka lā šarīka laka labbayk, inna -l- amda wa-n-ni mata laka wa-l-mulka lā šarīka lak
In conversation with Indian Supermodel Nayanika Chatterjee
She has been under the limelight, on the ramps, and in the media as an Indian supermodel for some 30 odd years. Nayanika Chatterjee is the ideal person to talk to about the changes our society has gone through in regards to portraying women in mass media.
Women at work
There are many issues that plague the development of women in Bangladesh. While the country is celebrating its 50th year of independence, we cannot for surely say that her womenfolk are fully liberated. And there are few pressing reasons to believe so.
BIBI'S dreams
One such graceful person is Bibi Russell, who is in awe with her land and draws inspiration from its people. Everyday villagers are her muse; people toiling in the fields and rubbing off their sweat with the mundane gamcha,
Because ‘boys will be boys’
Rape is the easiest of all crimes and most probably the laxest too in our country.
Understanding tandoori chai
It’s certainly an impressive trick! Small terracotta pots preheated in big tandoor like stoves; milk boiled at a high heat until it becomes all creamy and thick, and tea liquor brewed with sticks of cinnamon.
Silver linings of the year that was
Twenty-twenty was a terrible year. We lost many of our loved ones, respected members of our society; there was a complete lockdown, the economy came to a standstill, many of us lost our jobs.
When weddings are a cosy affair
My father loved match-making and has to his name the success of more than ten successful matches, some of them going strong still, some celebrating their 50th year together! What made him the happiest, however, was those spontaneous weddings he planned.
A Christmas outdoors
Christmas of 2020 should follow the lead and be celebrated on a small scale. Blessing this year’s holiday season is a mild winter cold wave,
Women’s banking for dummies
For me, placing coins in lucky bamboo or money plant pots and to think that money would grow from it, is more or less the right way out to earning and saving money; but alas, if only money grew on plants!
An obliging mother
Once you become a parent, you unknowingly sign a contract for a lifetime of bondage. Imagine the things you had to do or are still doing in that role— that’s enough proof that you are indeed nothing but a puppet in your child’s hands.
Of patriarchy and a need to change
People invariably get hurt by loved ones; whether they meant to do it or not remains another question to ponder on. I am talking about family elders, who should by now know how to conduct themselves in this time and era of all things politically correct.
Ilish fiesta
It was already cloudy when we started early in the morning for a launch ride over the mighty Padma. The unpredictable weather was an impending threat, and our only concern was whether a Kalboishakhi will brew out of nowhere and throw a damper on our day out.
Vibrant hues
There is something about the red and white; it reminds me of Apu and Durga, or Devdas and Paro, and invariably in a Sarat or autumn setting.
Life lessons from the Coronavirus outbreak
And then COVID-19 happened, and everything came to a staggering halt.
A heart of gold
Dr N A M Momenuzzaman, eminent cardiologist at United Hospital, might appear to be very austere and serious, but when you sit to chat with him, you will be proved wrong. The busy physician loves to play the flute, enjoys farming, and takes pleasure in holidaying with friends.
Happy Heart Day
A slight discomfort in the chest, and I immediately imagine an impending heart attack, not thinking twice that it could easily be some other ailment.
Global kitchens
Cosmopolitanism is all about accepting societal norms and cultures from many different countries and being open to different ideas and ways of doing things. From fashion to cuisine, it was been injected into our everyday lives, and truly enough that it has become a staple in our kitchen and experiments with all things food.
Subscribing to newspapers in the new normal
We saw our fathers and grandfathers reading newspapers while having their morning tea. Later, with us, we read the papers in the car on our way to work or during hurried breakfasts.
Normalising the new normal
For how long will I be doing office work plopped in some randomcorner of the house, the rooftop garden or the balcony? For how long will I have meetings in zoom, sitting in my living room?
Plants for interior décor
Plants brighten up our moods and help reduce stress and anxiety; the greens friends make us feel calmer and self-aligned.
A night at the InterContinental
So, all the painting, gardening, cooking, baking and other verbs ending in ‘ings’ that we did to keep ourselves happy and occupied during this lockdown have run dry. We are just tired of inventing ideas and taking up new hobbies to keep a check on our sanity; at least it holds true for me.
My lone battle
A part of my soul is dead, and the other half is dying a slow death. Amid such painful existence, how do I breathe every day and carry on with my duties each day? It’s a question I ask myself continuously.
July 7, 2020
Monsoon gardening tips
Monsoon is the season of beauty in Bangladesh. Everything around you is fresh, rain soaked, and green; even the polluted Dhaka air feels fresh. Our streets, our cityscape, rooftop gardens, the plants in the balconies — all beaming at their brightest.
June 16, 2020
My own Scarborough
I named my herb patch Scarborough Fair, not because I have parsley, rosemary and thyme, but amusingly every time my husband sees me working on the herb bed, he sings this song. And somehow, I grew fond of the lyrics.
June 9, 2020
Nature-bathing
There are times when I am overworked or stressed, and for a relief, I picture myself on the sandy beach of Teknaf, waves crashing in and out, tickling my feet, or walking along the abandoned rail line in Lawachara National Park;
May 19, 2020
The pay cut chain reaction
Normality as we knew it might never come back, and it would only be wise to accept this new normal and act accordingly.
May 19, 2020
Eid day table décor: spreading a positive vibe
But my Eid menu will be very simple — polao or beef tehari, Mughlai chicken korma or beef rezala, and gurer payesh and pantoa for desserts and Eid snacks.
May 12, 2020
Half-hearted lockdown diaries
The story of the humble jilapi starts with the Turkic invaders, even before the Mughals took over the subcontinent. A flour based twirled dessert, the jilapi is dunked in sugary syrup and devoured by the tens, and is the most sought-after sweets during iftar.
May 5, 2020
Cool meals for summer fasts
Similarly, watermelon with mildly salty feta cheese sprinkled with Vietnamese basil is a match made in heaven. Caesar salad, coleslaw, shrimp cocktail, crunchy vegetables wraps in rice paper rolls are all dainty comforting snacks for summer iftars.
April 28, 2020
Catching your breath
Attending conferences, seminars, talks are always a big deal for most of us; we must not only be at our intellectual best, but also at our fashionable finest. After all, first impressions are the lasting ones, they say.
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