July 7, 2022
Keeping mangoes for after summer — Aamshotto
This is how sun-dried, semi-hard Bengali treat loosely translated as mango leather, more commonly known by the local names of aamshotto or aamta, became part of our childhood stories — a way of carrying the sweet bounties of summer into the following months. The entire process appeals to all the human senses like the sight of the leather drying, glistening in the sun, aroma wafting while it cooked and dried, and the instant punch of the sweet smell of a ripe mango whenever one ate it.
June 18, 2022
More to mango than the himsagar: 300 varieties and counting
Small, fragrant and completely yellow when ripe, the Ranipasand mango was named such after being excessively liked by a visiting British royal during the colonial time, local Chapai Nawabganj folklore says.
June 16, 2022
Where the mangoes thrive: Rajshahi to Chapai Nawabganj
Mangoes might feel like just another fruit, but to the people of Rajshahi and its environs, they are a way of life. It is no wonder that the love for mango permeates Bengali culture, as witnessed by literature that is replete with references to magnificent mango trees and the sweet, cool and deep shade under the bountiful boughs, enticing the weary travellers to stop a while. For people like me, enjoying the fruits of nature are an act of devotion.
May 30, 2022
Evolving mosques in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, many new mosques with their edgy architecture are reflecting changes in the populace’s changing mores.
May 26, 2022
VR avatar’s sexual assault in Metaverse: What to blame now?
The incident of sexual assault on the virtual avatar of a female Betatester for Meta’s Horizon World might be baffling to some, and difficult to grasp for others, but for many others, it is a simple demonstration of what social scientists and activists have been saying for years. Sexual assault is never a survivor’s fault, only the perpetrators.
April 14, 2022
What’s the “Dhaka” magic?
There is no doubt that in terms of the public conscious of Bangladesh, being the capital of the country for 50 years, and the administrative headquarters of the region for much longer,
March 22, 2022
Shorno Chef: TV cooking competition for children between 12 and 17
Budding young chefs from across Bangladesh are flexing their cooking skills on Shorno Chef, a new television show jointly created by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and UNICEF.
February 20, 2022
Cox’s Bazar: Ready and waiting for more tourists
Bangladesh’s domestic tourism arguably was born as the beach town of Cox’s Bazar started to be recognised as a holiday destination, and it has been a bustling hub for tourists for many years now.
February 20, 2022
Bangladesh’s well-known haats
“Haat-baar” or the weekly/fortnightly bazaars aka market day are a concept enshrined in the fabric of traditional rural Bengal. In the olden times, artisans and traders of various wares would travel from one region to another,
February 15, 2022
The Ekushey spirit
One spring day, on February 21, 1952, a number of precious lives were lost to a government’s brutal reaction to a simple demand, for the right to include Bangla as an official and national language in a country where the majority of population spoke it as their native tongue.