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.

45th Death Anniversary of Abul Mansur Ahmad / The enduring impact of Abul Mansur Ahmad’s journalism

The year 2023 marked the centennial of Abul Mansur Ahmad’s journalism—a milestone that holds not only significance but also relevance in understanding his enduring impact.

Politics and Archaeology of Ayodhya

British administrator and archaeologist Alexander Cunningham, who served as the first director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), founded in 1861, conducted the first archaeological survey in 1862-1863, followed by the second one in 1889-1891.

The many meanings of Partition 1947 and beyond

My memory is again in the way of your history.      Agha Shahid Ali

My heart doesn’t desire to speak about Sultan

I had once written extensively about S.M. Sultan. Why? Because it felt essential to make our ‘art authorities’ aware that he was a rare talent, although many were unwilling to accept it. Thus, the pen became my last resort.

“The Ever-Falling Darkness of History”

In the opening years of the twentieth century, Abanindranath Tagore (1871– 1951), Rabindranath’s nephew and a prominent artist living at the Tagore palazzo in Calcutta, Jorasanko, made a trio of paintings depicting the Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58) at different stages of his life, together with his great monument to love, the Taj Mahal.

As I Remember Syed Waliullah, My Papa

Thinking of Syed Waliullah and being his son always triggers contrasting feelings of joy and pride, melancholy and pain. Regrettably, neither my elder sister Simine nor I am able to remember much about our father, as we were both very young when he passed away.

'Be more attentive to the workings of nature around us and through us'

Congratulations on your new book, “River Life and the Upspring of Nature.” With your academic background in religious studies and social life in Pakistan, what prompted you to shift your focus towards studying the river life and char communities in Bangladesh?

Laughter and Thrills: A History of Circus in East Bengal

The circus industry in Bengal experienced a significant boost during the 19th century, thanks to the arrival of Russian and European performers, as well as contributions from Africans, Mongolians, and other Asians in the 20th century.

Bagh Bidhoba

Sonamoni! No prefix, no suffix, that is her name. It signifies the golden pearl of the eye.

Souls at 50: The many incarnations of a band

Souls is not the first band in Bangladesh to reach the milestone of 50 years.

The battle of plassey: A Tale of Triumph and Betrayal

On the afternoon of July 2, 1757, at the hour they were going to kill Siraj in a sodden dungeon of the Jaffarganj Palace—along the east bank of the ebbing Hooghly,

Forgotten Borders: Tracing the History of the Indo-Bangladesh Enclaves

The existence of enclaves in different continents is a perceptible reality of contemporary world history.

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