Tribute

August 1975 and thereafter

What happened in August 1975 was a great tragedy perpetrated by an anti-people clique who did not want Bangladesh to move in the direction its people had desired it to take. The desire embodied a dream and an ideology, and for its fulfilment the people had
The legacy of Bangabandhu

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman believed that: “To do anything great, one has to be ready to sacrifice and show one’s devotion. I believe that those who are not ready to sacrifice are not capable of doing anything worthy. To engage in politics in our country and to
Tribute to Mozammel, my warrior friend

Khandaker Mozammel Haque passed away early Thursday, August 8, 2019. Readers may know him for his contribution to the
The legacy of a legend

It was May 1990. World renowned singer Feroza Begum was on a three-month tour of the United States as part of the first Nazrul Conference in North America. I had the rare privilege of accompanying her on the tour and observing a legendary personality from up close.
A quiet revolutionary and his temple of hope

On April 17, 1971, in the midst of a genocidal operation by the Pakistani forces, a quiet voice of sanity reminded the world what was at stake, and went on to lay the groundwork for an independent Bangladesh.
A tribute to the life and legacy of Maryam Mirzakhani

The second death anniversary of Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani has passed quietly early this week. Not many people in Bangladesh are probably familiar with the work of this mathematics genius, but globally, she is held in high regard because of her
Politics loses its Ershad factor

With the death of General Ershad, a prominent factor in Bangladesh politics has come to a close. From a soldier to a military dictator and then to a political leader, Ershad would surely be regarded by many as lucky. The man, who was supposed to be in prison until death, will now be laid to rest with the honour of the leader of the opposition in parliament and former special envoy to the PM. Not only that. Many of those who had once been his arch enemies are now grieving his passing.
Sufia’s Flight

Through her veil, staring out the plane window, Sufia N Hossain, formally known as Sufia Khatun, must have felt a whirlwind of emotions when her eyes met the vignettes of Calcutta: the Victoria Monument reigning over the flat landscape,
Fifteen years without my father

Time went too fast. It seems like yesterday we were leading a peacefully happy life under the guidance of our father Humayun Kabir Balu.
Serajul Islam Choudhury: Our leading literary and cultural critic

Life is all about enjoying work,” said Serajul Islam Choudhury on his eightieth birthday. Widely acclaimed as our foremost intellectual and as our leading literary and cultural critic, Choudhury exemplifies nothing short of phenomenal productivity. Today—June 23—
Begum Sufia Kamal, as I knew her

Begum Sufia Kamal became “Khalamma” in a few swift seconds of her introduction to me the first time I was in her house.
The man who fearlessly fought for freedom

Today, May 19, 2019, is the 48th anniversary of the passing of my beloved father, Shaheed Abul Kalam Shamsuddin. Abba was one of the leading organisers of Bangladesh’s independence struggle in 1971. He was a born leader who, despite having everything going for him as a privileged CSP officer and the SDO of Sirajganj, chose to engage in active resistance movement against the Pakistani army and led by example.
‘Music has no short cuts’

While reminiscing about his childhood days at Teliapara Tea Estate of Habiganj, Subir Nandi used to say, “I was born in nature and I was taught music by nature.” As a young boy he would often listen to long plays in the peace and quiet of the tea garden which eventually encouraged him to take up music. Dada’s (he was like an older brother to me) father, Sudhangshu Bhusan Nandi, an army man and a music lover who managed the tea garden, owned a large wooden box full of long play records of various genres. Thus there was no dearth of music for the young Subir to draw inspiration from.
Tribute to Professor Abdul Momen

It is hard to believe that Professor Momen sir is no longer with us. He left us on May 10, 2016. Professor Momen was a wonderful human being and an empathetic social worker. He was an upright person all his life and was amiable and affectionate towards the people around him.
Tribute to a soulful voice

To us, he was simply Phool Da, his pet name, because of his love for flowers. The best gift one could give him was a bouquet of flowers, his favourite being a combination of roses and tulips.
An odyssey of self-determination and equality

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected ...
Bangabandhu: Up close and personal

Bangabandhu's 99th birth anniversary was commemorated on March 17, the date with an asterisk mark in our nation's calendar.
An album on the poet of politics

My first impression of Bangabandhu dates back to around the mid-sixties. A helicopter service had been in operation between Dhaka
Tribute to a Quiet Warrior

Warriors for women's rights come in all shapes and sizes—some take to the streets, some write poetry, some fight court cases. Another kind of warrior gleans evidence and strives to uncover women's contribution to society and economy. Of them, Simeen Mahmud was one of a kind for the passion and insight with which she researched women's empowerment, and in particular, women's work and labour force participation in Bangladesh.
Remembering a devoted civil servant

Dr Md Rafiqul Islam, a senior member of BCS (customs) cadre, and a former member, National Board of Revenue, who topped the list of successful BCS examinees (1981 batch), passed away this February 8 due to a cardiac arrest. He was 65.
The Power of Love

Valerie Taylor refuses to accept despair as the final outcome of the ambiguities of life. She proves that nothing makes one incapable of reaching up for the possibilities that confront him or her.
Always Remember, Never To Forget: Farewell, Bulbul Sir

A day after he turned 63 years old, Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul posted a picture on his social media profile, asking friends and loved ones to remember him, lest they forget. In the photograph, he seemed to be waiting for a flight to his next destination, carrying his passport, all dressed and ready to face challenges as he always had. Little did we know that the photograph depicted his final farewell, with Bangladesh in his heart and music in his smile. That was the last post he had made on the platform.
Standing up for truth and justice

SM Murshed, who was born on January 11, 1911, rose to pre-eminence as a jurist imbued with a deep sense of social justice. His contribution to the field of literature was no less outstanding.
Justice Habibur Rahman: A life of subdued greatness

His would not be an ordinary life. The year was 1952, and the movement demanding Bangla as a state language of erstwhile East
Remembering Mrinal Sen, whose films connote courage and consciousness

Only a handful of Bengali filmmakers are revered in the realm of world cinema whose names are mentioned with legendary directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, Luis Bunuel, Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu, Ousmane Sembene, Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Glauber Rocha and others.
A towering figure in child healthcare in Bangladesh

In recent years, a series of studies by the United Nations and World Bank applauded Bangladesh's efforts in curbing child mortality. In Asia, among the least developed and middle-income countries...
The real on reel, without sugarcoating

It was a balmy summer evening in mid-1970s when I first got to see director Mrinal Sen at a get-together in a club set up by my friends in my locality in a south Kolkata suburb. It was at the height of the Naxalite movement and the subjects of discussion with Mrinal-da, as he was popularly called then, were films and politics.
A magician with words

Syed Shamsul Haq's presence in Bangla literature is so all-encompassing and his brilliance so overwhelming in all the branches of creative writing in which he is present that the accolade that he was a literary genius would not in any way overstate his extraordinary talent.
Begum Rokeya: A trailblazer in women's rights

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, the legendary Bengali writer-activist whose leadership had transformed the lives of thousands of people in this region and beyond, was born on this day in 1880.
Tribute to Anwar Hossain: The end of an era

A pioneer of modern photography in Bangladesh, Anwar Hossain showed forthcoming generations what constituted modern composition.