February 25, 2019
The great fish debate: to fry or not before cooking it!
It was the usual hangout. And of course a heated debate began out of the blue. The topic of discussion – is fish tastier when fried
November 6, 2018
East Timor: The blues in the sky and the sea
Five of us friends were sat on a suspended balcony over a sizable mountain, with the Timor Sea underneath; an unobstructed view of the sea meeting the horizon and the nearby mountains, with a road snaking through.
September 6, 2018
The lonely path that Rama Chowdhury walked
Jodi tor daak shune keo na ashe, tobe ekla cholo re (If no-one heeds your call - then walk alone). The indomitable Rama Chowdhury, known to many as Ekattuker Janani (Mother of '71), had made this line from the famed Tagore song the guiding ideal of her life.
August 21, 2018
Tracing the historical footsteps in Islam – Madinah
On the road from Makkah to Madinah, the desert, the rubble filled hills, occasional date trees, and a few camels and sheep caught my eye.
August 7, 2018
Tracing the historical footsteps in Islam
Hajj pilgrims often remain so wrapped up in the rituals of the pilgrimage that they do not have time to explore the suburbs of the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. But with a little effort, anyone can easily make time to create the scope to do so, and try to walk Islam's history in person.
April 10, 2018
Travels of a Bengali foodie
Bangladesh — irrespective of its size as a nation, has always been important due to its geographical position. Over the millennia, migratory patterns have brought people to this lush delta from all regions, not only of the subcontinent, but also across the oceans.
February 24, 2018
Eating down memory lane
Ever since I was young, I have frequently travelled from Dhaka to Rangpur, and the majority of these times, our family had to use the ferry boats at Aricha to cross the Padma and enter the country's northern regions. This was true throughout the 70s and 80s and also the first half of the 90s. The ferry crossings were quite tedious, at times risky, and extremely time-consuming. It usually took two to three hours
February 24, 2018
The Love For My Food
This quote readily applies to our country's rich cuisine as you will also not experience such lovely and delicious food anywhere else. Yes, I am talking about Bangladeshi food. No matter where Bengalis live in the world, the taste of their own cuisine remains to them like the proverbial honey. The eternal Bengali comfort food, khichuri-gosht-omelette, with a dash of ghee or a spoonful of achar, almost always brings a smile to a Bengali heart; more so if it is raining outside- irrespective of your geographic location.
April 18, 2017
My childhood's taal-patar bashi
Once upon a time there used to be 'melas', or local fairs, even in Dhaka. Baishakhi mela, Muharram mela, Eid mela, and Durga Puja mela were just a few of the variety of melas that we use to have.
April 4, 2017
Mermaid Beach Resort: a melody of the waves
The sea, millions of grains of sand, rain, sunsets and sunrises; the moon, and tranquillity— if you want to enjoy nature in all its glory, Mermaid resort is the place for it.