Perspective

Global response to Covid-19 must address rights and needs of women and girls

As health systems become stretched, many people with Covid-19 will need to be cared for at home. This will add to women’s workload, and put them at greater risk of becoming infected.
More on the frontline healthcare workers in the UK

It is emotionally upsetting to look after my colleagues who are fighting for their lives in the ICU.
Winning the corona war and more

It is only natural to expect that healthcare professionals will live up to the commitments they had subscribed to when they signed up to be a health professional. However, appreciation and recognition of their work could do much to boost the morale of this group.
Online Exclusive: Road to recovery from Covid-19, a candid appeal

Although the number of infection or deaths in Bangladesh is much less compared to other affected countries, the economy is most likely to reach a devastating stage, rendering many jobless.
Family portraits: a tradition lost in time

It was a bright, sunny afternoon. The autumn sky wore a brilliant, clear blue. The rays of the sun shone through my balcony, casting a shadow on the floor that imitated the balustrade design. Despite the warmth, there was a comforting breeze singing cosy tunes of autumn.
The nightshift and its keepers

What keeps the night owls —norm defying nocturnal sapiens, and daredevils trading blows with insomnia— going as they burn the midnight oil to the ashes of wicks left of their candle like spirits at dawn?
Every day is not an #Instahappy day

We speak of super mums who manage everything effortlessly, but not enough on how much it takes to wear that ‘super mum hat.’ It is far easier to fall into that deep, dark abyss of anger, rage, and gloom than it is to climb back up again and search for sunshine.
Sustainable fashion

Eco but desirable — a global agenda for Planet Fashion means looking good with a clear conscience. Essentially an awakening for the fashion industry at large, eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable clothing are slowly surging into the market, with zero compromises
Around the world in my Hijab

So, when I started travelling, I found it surprising when people asked me questions like “is it difficult to travel with your hijab?” or “Do you face racism because of your hijab?” “Has anyone ever treated you differently because you wear the hijab?” And it dawned upon me
World Press Freedom Day: Freedom of expression is good for business

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set out an extremely ambitious vision to make Bangladesh a middle-income country by 2021, a higher middle-income one by 2030 and a “developed” one by 2041.
Depression and the mind

Wake up in the morning, get dressed, scarf down your breakfast, and get to work as fast as you can, only to rush back home hours later. Insert days of socialising here and there and that is what life has become.
Palliative Care: the new healthcare frontier

I came across the terminology 'palliative care' while conversing with a young couple sometime in late 2017. Being a non-medical person, I was unfamiliar with the term and other jargons that came up in that discussion.
Capturing political history in film

We at the Seba Bangla Library in Atlanta recently screened Tauquir Ahmed's Fagun Haway (In Spring Breeze). The film, based on the 1952 language movement, is a mixed bag—while it truly soars in concept and approach, its execution is flawed.
Yesterday, once more!

The title of this column is borrowed from a very popular song from many years ago which we used to hum all the time. It was a
We Can End TB

Nine year old Sabbir was ill. For several weeks he complained of chest pain and had a bad cough, sometimes coughing blood. His
Stop shaming stay-at-home women

The importance of women having financial independence cannot be overstated. It is the number one reason women stay in an abusive
Love for my language

I am sure you have heard it, being hurled at someone, by someone who claims to love their mother tongue, so much that they cannot stand any other in their home turf.
Ekushey as a 'Bideshi'

It's the fifth year that I've lived in Bangladesh, and the fifth opportunity to celebrate a day that makes me feel I am a part of something
Yellow on my mind

The iconic colour that symbolises rebirth, welcoming of spring, or even invokes fear and cowardice; yellow is one of those shades that comprises some of the most baffling, and diversified contrasting references and meanings on a global scale.
What to do with a Bachelor of Arts?

How are you going to live on a literature degree?” my closest college friends asked me over and over as we walked through campus, with me carrying “Don Quixote” and they an accounting textbook.
Friends or just friendly?

Among the countless hangouts at neighbourhood 'tongs', making friends at school never quite seemed like a big deal. Yet, the minute you hit adulthood, genuine friendships become a rare sight.
I read before I eat

It started out of curiosity, but soon turned into a rule of my grocery shopping -- I read the nutrition labels on foods before buying them.
Myanmar's irrational denial of citizenship to Rohingyas

The exodus of Rohingyas, one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, from Myanmar to neighbouring countries is not a new phenomenon.
Witness to victory

If there is a price for freedom, what is it and who pays it? And if the debt remains unsettled, how does a generation get absolved of the sins of the last?
Consanguineous marriage - Yes or No?

Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Franklin Roosevelt, Saddam Hussein, Queen Victoria, King Phillip II of Spain, Satyajit Ray- people from different religions, upbringings, eras, vocations and regions of the world. But surprisingly, they had one thing in common- they had all married their cousins.
Vaping or smoking — the lesser evil

Are e-cigarettes the route to diminish the tobacco epidemic? Or is it just choosing the lesser of two evils? Let us look into the details, and shatter the myths relating to the various smoking and vaping trends circulating around our concrete jungle Dhaka.
Surviving air pollution

Breathing seems to be a chore in Dhaka, and no wonder either, since the air pollution index for the massive and growing city that serves as our capital has been measured at an alarming level of 298; cementing its place as among the most polluted cities in the world.
Student hostels for females: An inside story

Born and raised in Narayanganj, Farhana Zaman moved to Dhaka in 2003 in order to pursue a career in medicine. Her family had been permanent residents and having their business neatly settled in Narayanganj for generations, moving to Dhaka was simply not an option.
Green is the new black

Even though many claim global warming and the entire concept of climate change to be a hoax, it is very evident how global warming is causing various disrupting changes around us.
Is reading becoming redundant?

I remember summer holidays during my middle-school years. On most days, I would be lazing around on the carpeted floor at one corner of the British Council library, with just a Roald Dahl classic in my hand.