Special Feature

Special Feature

Book publishing in tatters

Shahbagh, the intellectual heart of Dhaka, becomes a meeting place for renowned and promising authors, scholars, poets, journalists, readers, and intellectuals from far and wide, at least twice a year.

Bangla natok and chill

There are over 40 privately run TV channels in the country, of which four are news channels, one music channel, and one is for

Is Bangladesh’s remediation programme ready to take on Accord’s work?

After the fateful Rana Plaza disaster on April 24, 2013, a legally binding agreement between European buyers, retailers, and labour unions was signed to maintain structural safety and safe working environment in Bangladeshi RMG factories which is now known as

Special Feature / Old wine in a new bottle

This is a story of how “recruiting” companies lure people with promises of jobs that don't actually exist, and skive off money from them in exchange.

Solidarity through Social Media

When women find solace, support and strength in each other through Facebook groups

In quest of enlightenment

December 17, 1978. A study circle, comprising only 15 members, was formed at an auditorium of the then Bangladesh Education Extension Department (now National Academy for Educational Management).

First-time voters: failed by technology or the system?

The results of the 11th Bangladeshi general election was supposed to be determined by the Bangladeshi youth who constitute roughly one-fourth of all voters.

Special Feature / Life after the attacks

90-year-old Kamini Bala is one of the oldest victims of the brutal arson attack that destroyed homes of 11 Hindu families in Rangpur's Thakurpara village last November.

Some thoughts on the recently formed Citizens' Group

It is heartening to see some members from the highest socio-economic class in society of our country to take initiative to bring about changes in the election of public office mainly in the national parliament. This group was formed on March 20, 2006 in the capital, a 24-member citizen's group headed by the CPD chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan with a vision to launch a campaign for honest and competent candidates for the coming general elections was put forth to the citizens. The motives are indeed noble and though belatedly hold out hopes for millions of poor masses of this country that they may one day find their lots have changed to that with effective administration both in public and private sectors. This change has to come about in the transparency of the management of schemes...

What must be done

For an accountable development process we needs following steps to be the taken:...

Media, civil society and 2007 election

THE conscious citizen of our country appreciates that the media has been playing a vibrating role in strengthening the democratic process. It is also superfluous to reference that one of the basic parameters of democracy is to inform the people and guarantee the participation of people in all spheres of activity. In this allusion, media can play a very effective role by informing the different issues of the state affairs and make them observant of the same. So media is denominated the fourth estate. We have seen a responsible role of most of media in Bangladesh on the militant issue in recent times....

Some modest proposals

In previous elections, we have seen that government servants participate in the national elections soon after retirement. With the election in their mind they unduly exercise power to favour their respective constituency and allocate funds for the development of that constituency. This is a misuse of government funds for personal benefits....

Who should be a parliamentarian?

The selection of "clean" and patriotic candidate for the national parliament is very difficult, but, not impossible task in our country. A clean person in our consideration may be he who is honest with patriotic feelings, devoid of self interest, dedicated to the overall interest of the country, who is not loan defaulter, land grabber, extortionist and well regarded in the society as an honorable man/woman....

A note from diaspora

Those of us who take the idea and practice of transformative politics seriously have good reasons to be encouraged by the recent formation of a citizens' group that emerged out of a joint initiative of The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, and Centre for Policy Dialogue....

Pride and prejudice of Citizens' Group

My knowledge level about most of the luminaries of the civil society of Bangladesh, who took a very precious initiative recently by forming a "Citizens' Group" is shallow and newspaper-deep. With this ignorance I would dare blissfully comment on this initiative....

A rose to the world

Who challenges man's existence today
Chasing him from the Artic
To the dense forests of the Amazon below?
Is it not his very own shadow?...

Christmas: Reflection, celebration and determination

Today is December 25 of the 2005th year of the Lord. Today the whole world celebrates with great solemnity the birth of Jesus, nativity of Jesus -- Christmas. This is the day our Saviour was born; what a joy for us! This is no season for sadness, this is birthday of Christ who is life -- the life which annihilates the fear of death, and engenders joy, promising immortality. However, Christmas celebration becomes relevant and spiritually fruit bearing only when we reflect the great mystery around which the whole celebration evolves; when we look at the mystery in the contest of the contemporary world and its optimistic and pessimistic realities; and by doing this we take up the challenges that the mystery of the celebration demands....

Celestial joy

The 9th Verse from Luke, Chapter 2, goes like "An angel of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." In Bethlehem, the town of David who was Jesus' ascendant, Jesus was born. Of his birth there are a number of amazing stories that strike the world with queer wonder. These amazing stories are the celestial glimpses of God....

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