READER’S CHIT

Mindfulness and the quarantine

In addition to protecting our physical health from the COVID-19, we must be conscious of how to maintain our mental wellness. As fear, confinement, and uncertainty test us, practicing mindfulness can provide us some much-needed emotional nutrition.
Zakat leading to Helper’s High

Have you ever experienced an intense feeling of happiness washing over you after performing an act of kindness? If yes, then you are one of those who have felt what psychologists call the Helper’s High, an uplifting feeling that helps the mind, body, and spirit.
My experience at Isha Foundation

I started my journey full of joy and excitement, as this yoga retreat was long awaited and I finally got the chance to attend it. Isha Yoga Centre is a concern of the Isha foundation.
Adventures of the ‘Shampooing Surgeon’

The first Indian restaurant built and run on foreign soil in the year 1810 was done by the efforts of Sake Dean Mahomed, the famous Indian-Bengali traveller, surgeon, entrepreneur, imperial soldier, author, and the man behind shampoo’s famous significance in the West today.
Prithimpassa nawab bari mosque

We are what our heritage and history reveal. The richness tells about our mind-set and our perspective. Bangladesh’s history has gone through many stages and phases and has come to this point to where it stands today, and the landmarks we come across reveal and unfold our history and development narrative.
Workspace that Inspires

For many, work is their whole life, and because of that, our workspace is also where we spend most of our waking hours.
The importance of job satisfaction

Being dissatisfied with your job could lead to extreme stress and bring down the morale of the entire organisation. An increase in absenteeism and decrease in productivity are two major signs of dissatisfaction within the work environment.
Happy once again…

As she stepped outside, the sunshine made Laila squint, and she had to use her hands to block the light. Her tiny hands now felt
To my dearest Ninan,

I remember the days when TGIF was TGIT (thank God it’s Thursday), because every Thursday for me was a signal to pack my bags and
Lives of Indir Thakruns

Perhaps life is best seen through the eyes of children and their unpolluted worldview; life is possibly best understood by the elderly with their not-so guiltless heart, and eyes that has seen rough facets of human existence.
The march of a dreamer

As I sip my smoking hot coffee in the flickering light of the fireplace, looking out the window, I feel the incessant rain has almost turned bland for my imagination.
So close yet so far

I could often imagine the anguish I might feel being away from my loved ones. Distance forces us to accept reality, but I could never imagine how it feels being so close, and yet be so far. Shared moments wrapped in laughter and sorrow shape a life, and those moments move into the rear-view mirror one day, where they can only be cherished afar.
Working with love as multifaceted trauma

Mid-February usually denotes romance in the air with couples all over the world celebrating Valentine's Day. But is love just limited solely to a man and woman?
The ultimate tier

Snazzy software applications are built to track and manage refugee numbers, document their origins, and to screen and train some for resettlement in a land often culturally unknown to them, but shrouded from view are the real people, their stories of persecution, and their hopelessness manifested in the wrinkles on their foreheads that make up the backbone of these applications.
Juggle struggle

What seemed like an impossible job for the world, even a few decades ago, is now the reality for many women.
The importance of self-love

For many people, the concept of self-love is an overblown theory and they often ignore its importance. People aspire to be perfect and perfectionism is considered a greater asset or attribute than self-love.
Do math after supper

The question was simple enough, but just like almost everything that comes out of this generation, it was beyond my perception!
Christmas in Atharogram

From the beginning of December, people clean their homes and decorate them. They trim trees and prune bushes. Horticulture enthusiasts often sow seeds of flowering plants in their courtyards.
Flight to Freedom

The nine-month struggle for our liberation saw endless dead, millions displaced, thousands lost, and countless enduring abject dishonour — and as ironic as it may sound, especially for a country that was formed under the banner of religion, the perpetrators were the very people we were told to be our brethren. For the people of the hitherto East Pakistan it was nine-months of terror.
Bengalis and their obsession with marriage

The degree of obsession we Bengali folks have with the aspect of marriage, especially involving those of women in our society, is maddening, disturbing and excruciating, especially from the point of view of a 20-something “eligible” bachelorette.
The probability of losing weight

With a long deep breath, and high hopes of something positive, she finally stepped up on the weighing scale, only to have her heart broken by what she saw on the screen.
Amber Autumn

Summer crawls into autumn, a slow but poised walk into a natural world different not solely in terms of weather. Mother Nature lays out the differences the season brings about in the colours of the sky, leaves, flowers, and even in the coats of wild birds and animals.
Eating out isn't that great!

Not having many sources of entertainment or spaces to simply relax lead us to one place and the only place we have free access to—restaurants! You want to hang out with friends, you want to go on a date, you want to meet up with family; all we do is find the most appropriate restaurant and make reservations.
Children and acts of giving

Many of us donate money, time, and belongings to good causes every year, and it is the least we can do for those who are less fortunate. However, acts of giving should not only be performed by adults, our children, too, should be taught about the importance of giving.
Who else remembers LeAnn Rimes?

Some say the '90s never ended; time simply flowed and ushered to a new millennium, and we are moving still. Perhaps, we shall never stop for that is one lesson time teaches to every generation.
Chocolate – a gift from above

Oh the sweet love that is chocolate. How much we love this heavenly concoction. Ever wonder where it all began though? The best way to go about that is to start by who had that first taste of it, and that honour goes to the first European explorer Hernán Cortés, who was given a cup of 'xocoatl' by Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. The Aztecs considered the drink so glorious that it was served in golden goblets to only members of the imperial family. However, it was a far cry from the comforting frothy drink we now know, because back then, it was bitter, and served cold.
The Inspiration Game

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us... As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others,”- Marianne Williamson
MIB Spirit Opens in Banani

On February 17, 2018, MIB Spirit, famous for their up cycled bags and Meetups, held the inaugural event for their shop in Banani with an evening of music and fun interactions. The shop features both MIB Spirit for bags and carrying accessories, and Talisman for your crafty notebook supply.
Coffee: a lifestyle or just another alternative to tea?

The millennials have the credit for truly bringing the coffee culture to Bangladesh, more specifically to Dhaka. Coffe culture, the idea of coffee as a social stimulant, means that going out for a coffee has more social implications than the physical need of caffeine.
Rubies uncut

The king of all gemstones — red, rare and regal. It's a stone, which has been a favourite of the kings and the queens, and above all of gods. With its magnificent colour and lustre, it is one of the hardest gemstone known to man.