Sania Aiman

A trip to Darasbari mosque in Chapai Nawabganj

Rajshahi is well known for the various remains of ancient and medieval structures, remnants of a glorious past, dotted all across the region. Darasbari, a beautiful, haunting complex made of red terracotta bricks, is one of those places not often mentioned or even commonly known about except to the locals of the area.

What does heaven look like?

Congratulations to you, my dear countrymen, welcome to heaven. But wait, heaven is…dark? One might be forgiven for thinking that here in Bangladesh at the moment, as cyclical power cuts literally leave millions in the dark for hours, and fuel prices make others see stars. It might become cheaper to buy a vehicle than the actual costs of buying a week’s fuel for it on a consistent basis. So, get walking, go green, when better than now?

Warning signs of a heat stroke

With record breaking heat waves being experienced all over the world, heat stroke is a very real risk that many of us will face even without realising. A heatstroke, also called a sun stroke, is the most serious form of harm caused by exposure to extreme heat, usually indicated by a core body temperature of 104°C. But there are warning signs of a heatstroke in the making, and we can all look out for the following symptoms to help avoid it for ourselves and prevent it in the people around you.

Bored at home? Here’s what you can do

Are you one of those lucky people who get to have really long holidays? Or were you forced to take the mandatory corporate block leave because it will expire? In any case, if you have some hours to fill and are getting bored otherwise, here are some ideas.

Back to work after Eid holidays

The couple of days after Eid holidays are over, in countries like Bangladesh where a large section of urban dwellers rush back to their rural roots for festivals, offices often open up to slow pace of work and a temporarily smaller workforce. For those of us stuck at work because somebody must man the ship, it can get very boring very fast, especially if work pressure is lower than usual. Here is how to make that time a bit more bearable.

Must-try monsoon mango recipes

Mangoes are simply irresistible. Some can devour five of them in the time it takes you to count to four. And they are just as irresistible once you involve them in recipes, some of which has become iconic enough to be considered a staple monsoon dish. Here are just some ways you can take advantage of this delicious fruit in some recipes for this monsoon.

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.

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.

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.

Many new mosques are now being made in Bangladesh with interesting architecture that reflects citizens changing values.

Evolving mosques in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, many new mosques with their edgy architecture are reflecting changes in the populace’s changing mores.

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.

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,

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.

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,

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.

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.

Bay One: the first luxury liner on Chattogram-St Martin’s route

On the road by the river, over a bridge right before the approach to the BIWTA jetty no 15, the glimmering lights around the typical silhouette of a ship comes into view.

Tufan and his art

Art is the original language, and is perhaps one of the more visceral ways of expressing emotions and ideas, after all, ancient mankind chose to paint and draw on caves much before they developed language or scripts.

Wonders of the Doja Market

A bright red lipstick, or a deep kajol to add drama to the eyes is often a go-to for many of us girls. Another sure shot way to lift the mood is to dress up pretty. A flair there a wish here, some shimmer or a snug bold t-shirt with a lovely lace wrap?

Tis the time for Christmas

The easiest thing to do to bring the joy home is to do a thorough clean up of the house and bring in fresh flower blooms.

Colours of Bangladesh

“Green. If you don’t mean Dhaka, but the whole country, I can’t think of anything other than vast lush fields of green crops almost everywhere.” – Mehraz Hossain

Pahela Baishakh 2022: Pahela Baishakh is back

Bangladeshi traits

There is a long and proud history of each nation (mostly) and we as Bangladeshis are strangers to taking pride in ours. Nothing wrong in that. But there are also some quintessentially Bangladeshi character traits that could be seen with a touch of humour or inquiry, if I may.

The back to school business

As schools the world over gear up to reopen after periodic shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bangladesh has kept educational institutes closed for over a year and a half, since March last year. In light of the country’s insufficient health infrastructure, it seems like a sensible decision, even if a bit overcautious.

How not to steal somebody’s work: Plagiarism

In today’s world of free flowing ideas and open content on the web, plagiarism is often a matter of concern, across all industries with a creative element.

What students don’t say

While most alumni of Dhaka University will tell you that they cherish the time spent there, our memories are tinted pink, through our glasses fashioned of nostalgia.

Once upon a time, when I was at DU

A university is often referred to an alma mater, literally a kind and nurturing mother. Just like our relationships with our mothers, each student also has a unique relationship with their university.

The “REAL” alumni debate

It is natural to feel possessive about things we love, and the sentiment applies to people, things and universities, and everything in between.

Secret to Food Safety: The right processing and packaging

Concerns related to safe food processing, packaging and transport, while a constant area of monitoring and innovation, have come to the fore anew due to the Coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world for over a year now.

Kindness to all kinds

One of the silent and often unseen casualties of our towers and glass buildings are the birds of the regions.

The prodigal son of Bangla literature: Michael Madhusudan Datta

While the great playwrights of various cultures wrote drama, Bengal Michael Madhusudan Datta truly lived it in his single-minded, flawed, but ultimately successful odyssey to greatness.

Looking in, through the glass

But being denied an attainable dream, simply for your gender, or some prejudice enshrined in cultural heritage and traditions, can often feel terribly unfair and discouraging. One common manifestation of this phenomena can be termed as the glass ceiling, an amalgamation of the invisible and irrational barriers to women’s growth in the work place.

The young and educated farmer Key to revolutionised agriculture

If you have bought locally grown strawberries, or dragon fruit, or the out of season bottle gourd, and the luscious Thai guava all year round, you are already a beneficiary of the silent agri-revolution happening in Bangladesh.

Women at work

There are multiple aspects to the barriers women face when they decide to work out of the house, be it for need or simply to pursue passions. Despite those facts,

What real women think, what real women do

“A whole generation worked to raise empowered women, but forgot to teach men to live with empowered women.”

The GI factor: Marking what is truly ours

What GI enlistment or tag does is that it allows customers and producers to create trust and confidence on the product’s authenticity and quality in internal or external markets. It helps create a reputation of the product, facilitating fairer prices and access to lager markets for the producers.

Branding Bangladesh, one good brand at a time

With advances in local manufacturing, nearly all aspects of a consumer’s needs are easily met, without compromising on quality or taste! A simple systematic approach could easily demonstrate the sheer development in variety of local manufacturing and its impact on citizen mindset.

Lee cooper - British shoes that fit like a dream

What is better than getting shoes of one international brand in the nearly 200 branches of its eponymous chain shops across the country?

Close to the breast: Discussing breast cancer with Prof Dr Anisur Rahman

October is marked as Breast Cancer Awareness Month globally every year. Then what better time than now to talk to an expert in this field?

Back Home at United Hospital Dr A M Shafique

Conversations during appointments with United Hospital’s doctor A M Shafique usually go in a more serious vein — troubles of the heart that have nothing to do with romance. However, beyond the efficient and busy personas of doctors,

Stress of the Zoom times

One of the programmes that suddenly came to light in the new normal is Zoom. Although just one of such platforms like Teams, Hangout,

The good, the bad, the ugly of distance learning

One of the key changes wrought into the fabric of our lives after the coronavirus outbreak has been regarding education and the prevailing systems of education.

Beni Boonon: Braiding jute and magic

Beni, or braids, invoke in my mind lustrous locks of hair, strands intertwined, to make intricate artistic patterns. The same idea translates to beautifully textured rugs, at Beni Boonon – worked on by 300 women artisans in a cottage industry in Savar.