Fear, loss and isolation
Humans are social creatures. While all animals have a need to communicate, none have quite the same ability or need to organise themselves into communities the way humans do.
2y ago
Citizens’ participation in formulating health policies can be a game changer
In the olden days, in the city best known as a democratic city-state, where, arguably, the concepts of citizenship and democracy emerged, there was something called Ecclesia. Here,
2y ago
Finding the fingerprint of creation
I started to write this on the night that is deemed the holiest night of the holiest month of the year by Muslims.
3y ago
Reflections from a conversation with the Dalai Lama
Is forgive-ness a phenomenon that is learned or is it something that some of us are inherently better at than others?
4y ago
The burden of the ‘Eves’ of this world
"EVE-TEASING”, the colloquial term for public sexual harassment in use despite directives being issued by the High Court about changing it to a more appropriate term, alludes to the monotheism’s (mainly biblical sources) creation story concerning Adam and Eve.
4y ago
A personal tribute to Nusrat Jahan Rafi
Mf first visit to a madrasa school for female students was in July 2014. We met in a large rectangular room, with a faint damp stench,
5y ago
On Power: A high unaccounted for
Last year, an English daily published a report that the police arrested at least 21,883 suspected drug-peddlers and addicts across the country between May 18 and June 21 as part of the anti-drug drives.
5y ago
March 17, 2018
Crippling Senses
A human being has five senses. Taste, smell, touch, hearing and sight. These senses are essential for survival that is the ultimate goal
January 20, 2018
Under an open sky
Last Sunday, the front page of The Daily Star displayed an image of a classroom. In the photograph, a teacher of Chhalia Government Primary School in Sylhet was seen as imparting lessons upon her students on the school playground.
January 6, 2018
A teacher's worth
My postgraduate classroom was filled with teachers and social workers. Self-proclaimed idealists. Once, during a highly theoretical discussion, someone made a comment about how we are not all as selfless as we claim.
December 31, 2017
When saying “No” to a man is a death sentence
Stalking wasn't considered a crime until fairly recently. The High Court declared stalking of girls and women illegal, and directed the government to consider the offence as sexual harassment in 2011.
December 23, 2017
Reclaiming public spaces for women
The front page of The Daily Star published a photo that could be a poster for any women's empowerment campaign. In the picture, 15-year-old Ontora, calls passengers to board a Mirpur-bound BRTC bus, her face a perfect picture of strength and resilience.
December 15, 2017
The need to be seen
The fundamental need of a human being, I think, is to feel seen. To connect.
December 2, 2017
An insidious silence
When I was an undergraduate student, I remember reading about a campaign in Libya by a grassroots organisation, Voice of Libyan Women. They were, at the time, running a campaign against domestic violence.
November 19, 2017
The psychology behind communal attacks
Bullying is an interesting, unique and complex form of interpersonal aggression. It is a distinctive pattern of harming and humiliating others, especially those who are in some way smaller, weaker, younger or in any way more vulnerable than the bully.
November 11, 2017
Commodities lost in clandestine marketplaces
We are all commodities. Different parts of us are up for sale, as and when demand dictates, all the time. But it causes significant discomfort in me when vulnerable bodies are transformed into commodities.
November 1, 2017
Shrinking Spaces
November has arrived. I have been looking forward to November since I came back mid this year. It is the month when rays of light fall differently on your face, sound travels differently, sunshine thins, and the mist thickens.
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