The lucrative enterprise of grabbing
One must recognise the fact that grabbers in Bangladesh have taken the enterprise to the highest level of creativity and perfection.
The Bridge on the River Padma
Our senior citizens with a taste for Hollywood and British classic films will perhaps remember where I have taken the title from.
Wasa water everywhere, not a drop to drink
Dhaka residents are scorched by a hot sun above their heads, their throats feeling like dry wood, and there is plenty of murky, smelly water all around, but alas!
Ramadan: Not a month to earn, but to give
When the half crescent appears in the western sky to announce the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, some of our brothers in trade see it as a gold pendant hanging up there, while some others perceive it as a dollar bill.
March 25: A glimpse into the darkest of all nights
Dateline: March 25, 1971. 11am. Some of us were having tea at the canteen of Mohsin Hall, Dhaka University when a batchmate of ours came inside and warned us of a possible police/military action later in the evening.
Celebrating DU centenary in my own way
Winter always lingers delightfully on the Dhaka University campus. The fallen leaves of myriad colours underneath the tall trees create a surreal montage against the green grass.
Revive the past glory of the railway
When it comes to long distance travelling, nothing can replace the railway. Beginning around 1880, the Bengal railway expanded soon to bring Assam and East Bengal under its folds.
Creating a productive workforce for tomorrow
One has to appreciate the fact that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman identified population boom as the “foremost national problem” for Bangladesh, even though the size of the population was 7.5 crore in the ‘70s. It amply indicates how farsighted he was in this case as we are burdened with a burgeoning population of over 16 crore today.
The inevitability of the ‘new normal’
The new normal is now normal! Four years back, seeing us sitting at the coffee table with our masks, disposable gloves and sanitiser bottles, people would have chuckled and called us abnormal.
Heroes in the time of pandemic
Let us talk about the heroes of the pandemic. We want to remember those extraordinary men and women who have offered selfless services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, knowing very well that they could get infected by the deadly virus.
Good news cometh from Carew & Co?
A recent news update from Carew & Co will uplift the spirit of many of my friends who frequently take to the bottle to release bottled-up emotions.
From death row to deafening cheers
The date January 10, 1972 will remain etched forever in golden letters in the history of Bangladesh.
Those disfigured public figures
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” Oscar Wilde reminded us of this universal truth with these witty words, which are timeless and wholesome at the same time.
Should you chase awards?
A gentleman does not. But a man not so gentle does. A genuine award from a respectable organisation becomes a thing of joy, but an award given by a shady group to a questionable character raises eyebrows.
No more citizens, we are now netizens
When a fish gets caught in a net, it curses its luck and tries to free itself from the mesh.
Climate destroyers’ pledge to save Earth too little, too late
“Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realise we cannot eat money.”
From the archives: Freedom fight by two missionaries
Alongside the Bengalis in general, many foreign missionaries who have been living in Bangladesh since the fifties and sixties had joined our War of Liberation in 1971 in their own capacity. We have heard about their heroic contribution and on various occasions paid our tribute that they deserved. I personally met and heard the story of two missionary doyens who defied the threats of the Pakistani military and continued to help the freedom fighters. They did so for the sheer love for the common people of this country irrespective of their religion, cast or creed.
Archer Blood - An American's sacrifice for Bangladesh
Soon after the creation of Bangladesh, we came to know of the heroic yet risky stand taken by many foreigners, foreign journalists and Christian missionaries in defiance of the Pakistani military threats.
Can media influence the outcome?
It was J. Edgar Hoover, the apparently puritan FBI Director, who had let his agents secretively investigate the love life of John F.
No grave for Gulshan attackers
It was the last act in the bleak drama. And it was written by none other than Providence. The young men who had unleashed mayhem in a restaurant in Gulshan in July this year in the name of Islam and subsequently were killed in the hands of the law enforcers now lie in their eternal sleep in some unidentified graves in the city.
Reviving the Age of Wisdom
The obsession with a section of youths of the country about “dying” for Islam gives rise to the paradoxical question: How can one
Beginning of the end of ISIS?
It appears that ISIS is in big trouble in some of the major towns of Syria, where Iraqi and Syrian regular forces and Peshmerga
Cultural construct of Pahela Baishakh
The cultural construct has evolved slowly over the decades, to display loudly the rich cultural heritage of Bengal before the world. Interestingly, the Pahela Baishakh festival is the only of its kind that has no religious flavour to it. It is hundred percent secular where Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists join spontaneously.
Reduce cost of doing business for faster growth
Bangladesh is proving to be unstoppable in achieving success in almost all the sectors of development at the moment. Even the harshest of its critics are taking a back seat now to watch in awe the multi-faceted works going on round the clock that are resulting in increased production in the industries,
On a foggy Narsingdi road
NARSINGDI had its share of battles during the long nine months of the Liberation War. Many fighters of the Mukti Bahini were lodged in the deep forests and villages on the two sides of the 30 km road starting at Tarabo, Rupganj.
PARIS ATTACKS: Massive intelligence and security failure?
What if about a hundred of them came with a similar mission? If we analyse the nature of the attacks and their near-perfect execution, we are inclined to believe that the level of preparedness of the French intelligence and police on the ground has been dismal.
CHINA: A worthy trade partner
The recent visit of Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng to Dhaka no doubt reinvigorated the existing bilateral relations, laying
AKIHITO EXPRESSES REMORSE: WHY DOESN'T PAKISTAN?
Pakistan had to pay the price for its misdemeanour and misadventure in Bangladesh. It learnt the hard way that guns cannot always solve all problems in this world.
Japan picks up sword again after 70 years!
Politics in the Far East region is getting interesting by the day with ample hints that it would get complicated soon with some new developments in the region.
Improving health indicators of Bangladesh
Recently Bangladesh has been invited to join the Advisory Board of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva which has an advisory committee consisting of
Eid road crashes can't just be wished away
A good number of fatal road accidents during the Eid vacation across the country have left many people killed and many more
Rain and our predicament
Dhaka goes under knee-deep water within half an hour of rainfall. The distressing photographs of rickshaw-pullers and passengers taking a plunge in
French Revolution and our mass uprising
As storming of Bastille had heralded the fall of Luis XVI, the fall of Dhaka Cantonment on February 22 and release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had literally paved the way for the end of Pakistan in the soil of Bengal.
BNP: Defiantly dismissive of its ailments
Perhaps there is a late realisation among them that BNP has burnt itself out pretty badly during the three-month long blockade and the ensuing spate of murder and mayhem on the roads since January this year.
Is Myanmar the new gunslinger in town?
We are sure the present crisis will be solved in a day or two but what remains to be seen is Myanmar's total commitment to all bilateral and international rules of business when it comes to maintaining peace at the borders and solving other long-standing issues with Bangladesh.
Insensitivity to deaths is mental aberration
IF politicians deliberately create a “situation” in the country,and if that situation incites a group of unruly elements of their party to go about murdering people on the roads, and if those politicians remain insensitive to such deaths and destruction, the state of their mental disposition would definitely come into question at one point of time.
1971: Witness to an early resistance
On 27 March 1971, my entire family and I had left Dhaka for safe shelter in a village named Noagaon, located 15 miles from Demra River.
More iconic Hindi songs
Hindi songs of the yesteryears had a different kind of appeal to the audience of the time who used to watch vintage Hindi films with friends and family.
Agriculture: Technology gives boost
In the last 40 years the amount of arable land has shrunk at a rate of 1 percent per annum. In the last 40 years many natural sources of irrigation water have dried up permanently.
Iconic Hindi songs of bygone days
Some songs from Bombay films of 50s and 60s became iconic over the years for very high quality lyrics, composition and singing by the giants of the era.
Hindi Romantic songs per excellence
The old Hindi songs lovers of this country would remember some of the blockbuster films of Bombay of the '40s, '50s and '60s, like Mahal, Daag, Andaz, Awara, Aan, Sree 420, Barsaat, Chori Chori, Deedar, Naya Daur, Baiju Bawra, Dulari, Babul, Aarti, Bahar, TajMahal, Anarkali, Insaniyat and so on. Though some of these movies never got screened here but people have been listening to the songs on radio, and from records on vintage gramophones.
Blatant disregard for human life
ON the darkened highways of Bangladesh; in the gloomy forests of Nigeria; in the merciless deserts of Iraq, Libya and Syria; in the windy ravines of Afghanistan; inside quiet mosques and vibrant schools in Pakistan, precious human lives are being ripped asunder by guns and bombs of demons of hell who call themselves humans. Why? To crush, conquer, control, exploit, extort and rule over the unarmed common people.
Great Hindi songs of vintage era
All those romantic or soul-shredding Hindi songs of the yesteryears that make us nostalgic today were integral parts of Hindi films made those days. People used to go to watch Hindi films more number of times if they had good many melodious songs sung by famous singers of the time
July 5, 2022
The lucrative enterprise of grabbing
One must recognise the fact that grabbers in Bangladesh have taken the enterprise to the highest level of creativity and perfection.
June 28, 2022
The Bridge on the River Padma
Our senior citizens with a taste for Hollywood and British classic films will perhaps remember where I have taken the title from.
April 25, 2022
Wasa water everywhere, not a drop to drink
Dhaka residents are scorched by a hot sun above their heads, their throats feeling like dry wood, and there is plenty of murky, smelly water all around, but alas!
April 7, 2022
Ramadan: Not a month to earn, but to give
When the half crescent appears in the western sky to announce the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, some of our brothers in trade see it as a gold pendant hanging up there, while some others perceive it as a dollar bill.
March 25, 2022
March 25: A glimpse into the darkest of all nights
Dateline: March 25, 1971. 11am. Some of us were having tea at the canteen of Mohsin Hall, Dhaka University when a batchmate of ours came inside and warned us of a possible police/military action later in the evening.
March 16, 2022
Celebrating DU centenary in my own way
Winter always lingers delightfully on the Dhaka University campus. The fallen leaves of myriad colours underneath the tall trees create a surreal montage against the green grass.
March 7, 2022
Revive the past glory of the railway
When it comes to long distance travelling, nothing can replace the railway. Beginning around 1880, the Bengal railway expanded soon to bring Assam and East Bengal under its folds.
February 19, 2022
Creating a productive workforce for tomorrow
One has to appreciate the fact that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman identified population boom as the “foremost national problem” for Bangladesh, even though the size of the population was 7.5 crore in the ‘70s. It amply indicates how farsighted he was in this case as we are burdened with a burgeoning population of over 16 crore today.
February 9, 2022
The inevitability of the ‘new normal’
The new normal is now normal! Four years back, seeing us sitting at the coffee table with our masks, disposable gloves and sanitiser bottles, people would have chuckled and called us abnormal.
January 26, 2022
Heroes in the time of pandemic
Let us talk about the heroes of the pandemic. We want to remember those extraordinary men and women who have offered selfless services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, knowing very well that they could get infected by the deadly virus.
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