KNOT SO TRUE
My powerless poster walk
Although we have the Graffiti Writing and Poster Sticking Control Act, 2012 to prevent visual pollution, nothing much has been done to implement it. Why, though?
Opinion / Dissolve the people, elect a new one?
Politics 101 today runs the risk of being solely authored by autocrats from all over the world.
Resolutions for 2024
Eating less and battling calories have been pains of the highest order. But little do we know that our minds have everything to do with our appetite.
What do they want from Bangladesh?
Instead of better governance and practices yielding better returns, most US companies emphasise 'value' over 'values.'
RMG Protests / A tale of the Green versus the Red
The RMG sector needs to be united in being professional, go forward with value addition and, most of all, opt for strong industrial relations with labour.
Politics of Fire
Let the truth be known: no one has any idea what’s going to happen to Bangladeshi politics.
Free pages, free lenses
There’s a reason why, in the land that we live on, 217 journalists have reportedly been harassed, tortured and repressed in the last nine months and why one even died.
Life after #GotaGoHome
Among four South Asian nations, Sri Lanka performed the best in containing high inflation.
The paradoxes of progress
Humanity is supposed to have progressed. A Harvard University professor, Steven Pinker, argues in favour of it in his new book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress. On maximum standards of well-being, we are apparently faring way better than we did ever before.
Sleeves of Identity
Most of us want to live forever. Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, hopes to live to be 120. Dmitry Itskov, the Russian internet billionaire, aspires to live to 10,000. Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, finds the end of life “incomprehensible,” while Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, hopes to “cure” it.
In deception we trust?
I loved Morgan Freeman. Somehow, that beard and that skin always used to give off a sincere feel. Having a penchant for films that
“So we beat on…”
I spent eight hours on the road, trying to go to and return from Banglabazar in Gazipur. A few months back, Bashir, our ever-smart driver, took 40 minutes to reach Banglabazar. Yesterday he took 3.5 hours to reach the place, and another four hours to return. For both the trips, he deserves to be placed in the Guinness book of records.
The tale of many, still and now
Anniversaries are scary. They are reminders. While one celebrates life and bonds on anniversaries, in no time one also becomes a chip of a mosaic laced with memory.
Selective Conscience
In a discussion of inclusive growth two days ago, someone across the table brought up the topic relating to new employers coming into the F-commerce (Facebook commerce) and asked if they would be subjected to labour standards as well.
Mimicking the Mad
Winds of change have hit us. In a recent trip to the West, I missed Spring. A bitter cold wave was then sweeping all across Europe. Even Madrid had snow-capped mountains. It seemed as if the weather was all set for a change. Every flight that I took, in and out of Europe, was more turbulent with unexpected cold air hitting aircrafts with intolerable cruelty.
Life: Real, Sub or Hyper?
Your realities are being separated today. In social media, you have the option of being offered in the newsfeed over public news. What you read and what you write are on two different planes. You read what is being fed and you write about who you are. The focus has shifted from the public to you. You can now broadcast your own self. You can write your own opinion editorial, and also choose your readers.
#Womenwill
Being a woman meant landing in Tokyo at 6:30 in the morning, catching up with a dear friend over a coffee in her car while being picked up from the airport, ending up at the Hotel at 9:00, only to run straight to the restroom to change and hurry out with luggage, not even having time to check in, and ultimately carrying the same bag to the conference, without being able to leave it with the concierge in the absence of a room number.
All Over Again
The response of your columnist to the question “How are you?” usually ranged from “Dhuro” back in the teen years to more currently “Could be better”/“Couldn't be better”/“Couldn't have asked for more.”
