Heritage
Bhitargarh: destroyed before discovery
There was a king named Prithu Raja in northern Bangladesh in the 13th century. He had a fort city in Panchagarh called Bhitargarh, and he may or may not have died by committing suicide in a lake.
Bijoya Dashami today
The five-day Durga Puja, the greatest of all Hindu festivals, will come to an end with solemn immersion of the Goddess Durga in the capital and elsewhere in the country.
The Forgotten Museum of Language Movement
It was around 4pm on February 14. The lawns and courtyards of the historic Burdwan House, the home of Bangla Academy, were crammed with visitors, a predominantly young crowd.
heritage / From the Baltic to the Bay: Caroline Amena searches for her roots
It was just a few years after the Liberation War in 1971. Caroline Amena Lauritsen was a child then. She does not remember how old she was back then, but her adoption papers say she was three years old.
The Last Bastion of Traditional Boatbuilding
73-year-old Boidhonath Chondro Shutrodhar is one of the last remaining master carpenters in the country making traditional river boats. Living by the Jamuna river in Pabna, he started working at the age of around 20 under an ustad. In his early days making boats, he would earn just two taka per day.
When the government does nothing
Last Thursday, a Dhaka-based organisation working with conservation of heritage posted urgently on Facebook about an unfortunate development unfolding in Lakhsmibazaar. “We just got to know today that the century-old beautiful building in Nobodwip Basak lane number 3 will be broken down on April 16. The contractor hired to do the job has already moved into the property,” the post by Urban Study Group (USG) states. Attached is an image of a home, the architecture of which is one of a kind and very rarely seen nowadays. The front facade has the atypical arches of the past
Preserving Bengali identity
At dawn on Bangla New Year, Ramna Park wears a festive look. People from all areas of Dhaka city as well as different parts of the country congregate at the verdant ground to celebrate Pahela Baishakh.
Heritage / Demolished in plain sight
Puran Dhaka, even today, possesses enough heritage treasures to be the envy of many cities known for their historic character. Unfortunately, over the last decade, despite earnest efforts of civil society, activists and the media, there has been a steady increase in the erosion of its historic urban fabric.
Puppetry: The dying art form
It is the year 1971. Standing beside a green paddy field, Yahya Khan and a Razakar are locked in a heated deabate against a Bengali farmer.
After Jamdani and Hilsa…
In the last one year, two Bangladeshi products—Jamdani and Hilsa—received Geographical Indications (GI) from the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT). The DPDT is currently working on analysing 24 more goods.
Artwork for Sale, Not the Shobhajatra
At a time when it's all but impossible to organise large-scale events without corporate sponsorship, the Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), popularly known as the Charukola
Bangladesh Betar - The Story of Glory
These days, when information technology and the internet are not far from our grasp, on hearing the name “Bangladesh Betar (Betar meaning radio in Bangla)”, one might ask, “Who would listen to Bangladesh Betar today?”
The Forgotten History of Dhaka Gate
Once upon a time, it used to mark the terminus of the largest city of undivided Bengal; currently it lies uncared for, surrounded by
Ghuddi: The Romantic Consciousness of Cinema
There are very few films made in our country that can be credited as alternative films. The last person to showcase this independent approach, both nationally and globally was Tarek Masud.
Dhaka's Brahma Samaj
If you are a regular reader of Bengali literature, you must be familiar with the term 'Brahma Samaj'. But if not, don't mix up the term 'Brahma' and 'Brahman'—they are very different concepts.
The Pioneer Behind Ekushey Book Fair
Muktodhara Prokashoni is the very first reason for us to be able to take part in and celebrate today's Ekushey Boi Mela. On 21st
180 years of Chittagong Collegiate School
In 1835 the General Committee of Public Interaction submitted a proposal to Lord William Bentinck, asking to establish an institution which would teach English literature and science in major cities such as Dhaka, Patna, Chittagong and many more.
Dhaka's Pandora's Box
The definition of a market is an area or an arena in which commercial dealings are conducted. Now one can say that there's nothing remotely poetic about browsing through a market's shops— but what if a market gives the essence of the culture, the people and to some extent, the city as a whole?
