Bots
Rabindranath Tagore and the creation of national identity
Rabindranath Tagore is perhaps the only poet whose songs were chosen as the national anthems of two countries: India and Bangladesh.
LAW OPINION / Burden sharing in the context of refugee crisis
The UN Refugee Convention 1951 was crafted to support the refugees legally and morally. Many European states benefitted from the convention after World War II. However, it is a matter of irony that many of these same states are in favour of close borders now, whenever people are seeking refuge as the victims of war, ethnic cleansing, political or communal clashes, etc.
GLOBAL LAW UPDATE / UN Security Council’s Gaza ceasefire appeal
Following months of deliberation, the UN Security Council successfully adopted a resolution on 25 March 2024 calling for an “immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan” and emphasising the urgent need for increased humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. In practical terms, this resolution, in accordance with international law, is legally binding on all UN member states, including Israel and Palestine, the latter holding observer status.
YOUR ADVOCATE / On second marriage by husband
This week Your Advocate is Barrister Omar Khan Joy, Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He is the head of the chambers of a renowned law firm, namely, 'Legal Counsel', which has expertise mainly in commercial law, family law, labour law, land law, constitutional law, criminal law, and IPR.
INTERVIEW / A perfect cup of literary ‘saa’
Priyanka Taslim greets me with a gentle smile as we meet over Zoom. She is eloquent and our conversation flows organically, akin to an adda over a cup of saa (cha).
SHELF LIFE / A classic we want you to revisit this week
To commemorate the birth anniversary of Satyajit Ray, consider reading Ekei Bole Shooting (1979), a personal narrative chronicling the auteur’s making of his movie masterpiece Pather Panchali (1955).
What we are reading this week / Fragile Threads of Power Tor Books, 2023
Set to begin after V. E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series, this book catapults us back into a world full of magic, now introducing us to new characters and another adventure packed plot.
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Should this lost novel have been found?
Articles on Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s last novel to be published by his sons against the author’s wishes built up my anticipation and I couldn’t wait for April to arrive. Thanks to Bookworm, I got my copy the moment they had it in store and I read it twice. It didn’t impress me the first time as it was just a string of chapters describing how a promiscuous woman drove herself into the arms of different men on her annual August 16 visits to a Caribbean island.
Silencing the subaltern voice
Historian Willem van Schendel divides the historiography of the War of 1971 into two broad categories: i) first-generation historiographies and ii) second-generation historiographies.
Navigating the petition on cruelty against elephants
A petition to ban elephant cruelty in Bangladesh has sparked much legal and ethical debates. In this write-up, the writer addresses and maps the relevant legal discussions relating to cruelty to elephants, and other animals in general.
Negligence in medical sector and the legal remedies
In Bangladesh, medical negligence is a day-to-day instance now from wrong diagnoses to surgical failures frequently harming or even killing patients.
The evolving role of corporate legal teams in business success
In the realm of day-to-day legal matters within private organisations, the traditional practice of appointing in-house legal counsel has been the norm, and a vast number of lawyers and advocates are actively engaged in this domain.
A list of life lessons
Set in 1979, this is a story of monsters—the ones who prey on the vulnerable, the ones that exploit our weaknesses, and the ones that we elevate to positions of power.
The first American months
The sun was up. The sky was a perfect cerulean blue, the neighbourhood blissfully quiet. Through my window, I relished the sunny first day of 2020, with a cup of tea in my hand.
Designing our past and for our future
The author, architect Tanwir Nawaz, besides expressing his thoughts, ideas, and artistic struggles within a body of professional works, has poured his emotions and nostalgic memories into Exploring the World of Architecture and Design.
The ‘new oil’ transforming the world
Chip War, a highly praised book written by Chris Miller who teaches International history at Tuft University’s Fletcher School, USA, is a New York Times bestseller.
In the Name of Lalon
In a jungle by a wide river bank, a small group is sitting amongst the dangling roots of a luscious banyan tree. The single-stringed ektara, four-stringed dotara, wood-bead necklace mala, hand-spunned bright-coloured cotton gamccha and white outfits identify the members as Bauls, the traditional mystic musicians of Bangladesh.
7 fiction books featuring women in STEM
With International Women’s Day coming up tomorrow, 8 March, it becomes increasingly important for us to not only identify and acknowledge, but also actively work towards alleviating the stark gender gap in STEM fields
