ls Editor’s Note | The Daily Star

  • In conversation with Indian Supermodel Nayanika Chatterjee

    She has been under the limelight, on the ramps, and in the media as an Indian supermodel for some 30 odd years. Nayanika Chatterjee is the ideal person to talk to about the changes our society has gone through in regards to portraying women in mass media.

  • Women at work

    There are many issues that plague the development of women in Bangladesh. While the country is celebrating its 50th year of independence, we cannot for surely say that her womenfolk are fully liberated. And there are few pressing reasons to believe so.

  • Because ‘boys will be boys’

    Rape is the easiest of all crimes and most probably the laxest too in our country.

  • Silver linings of the year that was

    Twenty-twenty was a terrible year. We lost many of our loved ones, respected members of our society; there was a complete lockdown, the economy came to a standstill, many of us lost our jobs.

  • When weddings are a cosy affair

    My father loved match-making and has to his name the success of more than ten successful matches, some of them going strong still, some celebrating their 50th year together! What made him the happiest, however, was those spontaneous weddings he planned.

  • A Christmas outdoors

    Christmas of 2020 should follow the lead and be celebrated on a small scale. Blessing this year’s holiday season is a mild winter cold wave,

  • Women’s banking for dummies

    For me, placing coins in lucky bamboo or money plant pots and to think that money would grow from it, is more or less the right way out to earning and saving money; but alas, if only money grew on plants!

  • An obliging mother

    Once you become a parent, you unknowingly sign a contract for a lifetime of bondage. Imagine the things you had to do or are still doing in that role— that’s enough proof that you are indeed nothing but a puppet in your child’s hands.

  • Of patriarchy and a need to change

    People invariably get hurt by loved ones; whether they meant to do it or not remains another question to ponder on. I am talking about family elders, who should by now know how to conduct themselves in this time and era of all things politically correct.

  • Ilish fiesta

    It was already cloudy when we started early in the morning for a launch ride over the mighty Padma. The unpredictable weather was an impending threat, and our only concern was whether a Kalboishakhi will brew out of nowhere and throw a damper on our day out.

  • Vibrant hues

    There is something about the red and white; it reminds me of Apu and Durga, or Devdas and Paro, and invariably in a Sarat or autumn setting.

  • Life lessons from the Coronavirus outbreak

    And then COVID-19 happened, and everything came to a staggering halt.

  • Happy Heart Day

    A slight discomfort in the chest, and I immediately imagine an impending heart attack, not thinking twice that it could easily be some other ailment.

  • Global kitchens

    Cosmopolitanism is all about accepting societal norms and cultures from many different countries and being open to different ideas and ways of doing things. From fashion to cuisine, it was been injected into our everyday lives, and truly enough that it has become a staple in our kitchen and experiments with all things food.

  • Subscribing to newspapers in the new normal

    We saw our fathers and grandfathers reading newspapers while having their morning tea. Later, with us, we read the papers in the car on our way to work or during hurried breakfasts.

  • Plants for interior décor

    Plants brighten up our moods and help reduce stress and anxiety; the greens friends make us feel calmer and self-aligned.

  • A night at the InterContinental

    So, all the painting, gardening, cooking, baking and other verbs ending in ‘ings’ that we did to keep ourselves happy and occupied during this lockdown have run dry. We are just tired of inventing ideas and taking up new hobbies to keep a check on our sanity; at least it holds true for me.

  • Personal grooming and safe services

    I haven’t been in a grooming mood for a while,although deep inside, I do crave for a relaxing hair oil massage. However, recently I saw posts that most of our salons are opening with full safety measures.

  • My lone battle

    A part of my soul is dead, and the other half is dying a slow death. Amid such painful existence, how do I breathe every day and carry on with my duties each day? It’s a question I ask myself continuously.

  • Monsoon gardening tips

    Monsoon is the season of beauty in Bangladesh. Everything around you is fresh, rain soaked, and green; even the polluted Dhaka air feels fresh. Our streets, our cityscape, rooftop gardens, the plants in the balconies — all beaming at their brightest.

  • An afternoon tea for me

    There is something about tea that calms me down. And tea parties are my all-time favourite invites; not only dressing up for the elaborate

  • Sunshine as the doctor ordered

    There is no such thing called too much sunshine, we realise that now, my mom and I, and how important and necessary that routine was for me as a baby. And I understand that the colour of the skin never really mattered, though my mother begs to differ.

  • My own Scarborough

    I named my herb patch Scarborough Fair, not because I have parsley, rosemary and thyme, but amusingly every time my husband sees me working on the herb bed, he sings this song. And somehow, I grew fond of the lyrics.

  • Nature-bathing

    There are times when I am overworked or stressed, and for a relief, I picture myself on the sandy beach of Teknaf, waves crashing in and out, tickling my feet, or walking along the abandoned rail line in Lawachara National Park;

  • Splendour of colour

    What I really love about my kitchen is the bright and colourful ceramic and porcelain crockery against the backdrop of my white walls.

  • The pay cut chain reaction

    Normality as we knew it might never come back, and it would only be wise to accept this new normal and act accordingly.

  • Half-hearted lockdown diaries

    The story of the humble jilapi starts with the Turkic invaders, even before the Mughals took over the subcontinent. A flour based twirled dessert, the jilapi is dunked in sugary syrup and devoured by the tens, and is the most sought-after sweets during iftar.

  • Cool meals for summer fasts

    Similarly, watermelon with mildly salty feta cheese sprinkled with Vietnamese basil is a match made in heaven. Caesar salad, coleslaw, shrimp cocktail, crunchy vegetables wraps in rice paper rolls are all dainty comforting snacks for summer iftars.

  • Catching your breath

    Attending conferences, seminars, talks are always a big deal for most of us; we must not only be at our intellectual best, but also at our fashionable finest. After all, first impressions are the lasting ones, they say.

  • Maintaining grace

    For the last few weeks, I have been thinking about certain things. Stuff that we tend to do as a society; some good, some not so good. Things that we say without judging its consequences on others — blatant lies, exorbitant showing-off, some know-it-all like comments.

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