Perspective

Newspapers and the new normal

Seeing the paper lying on the table every morning pepped me up and it was always something I looked forward to every morning. It has now been what feels like ages, ten months to be precise, since I held a newspaper in my hands.
She could take it back

Many of these environmental disasters seemed distant once, they are now increasingly closer to home in the shape of more severe natural calamities often rattling us. To forestall such disasters, it’s imperative that we wake up to the existential threat posed by nature, abused for years.
Things I failed to learn during the pandemic

The pandemic has taught me many things, from making fancy hot chocolate to finally learning how to knot checkerboard laces on gym shoes. What it has not taught me is how to remain calm when the toddler of the house faces an online admission test for kindergarten!
Blazing the trail for women’s football

“I have no room to sleep, and it’s impossible to sleep if it rains, as the rain drops find their way onto my bed, said 16-year-old Unnati Khatun, and famous female footballer native to Jhenidah.
Art therapy: Healing emotional trauma through creativity

The word “create” has been derived from the Latin word creare and this word is also etymologically associated with “growing.” To create something is to do; to do is to produce and this production bears both cognitive and social benefits for the subject involved in the task.
Things my child taught me

As parents, we are expected to take up the responsibility to teach all sort of things to our children. However, it may come as a surprise but it is a fact that the tables also turn and we begin to learn from our children.
The lifestyle of online classes

This is a common sentiment expressed by a lot of students and staff at institutions suddenly flooded with new challenges in creating IT access for all kinds of students.
Reverse Culture Shock

I face countless criticisms on a daily basis. Be that over a harmless comment about Dhaka traffic or being happy about the cheapness of the beauty salons, I have been penalised for having an opinion about my own country— imagine that!
Marital life during pandemic

On a countless number of couples worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on unprecedented marital challenges. China, where the outbreak first occurred, experienced a spike in divorce after the country began to lift the lockdown.
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.