27th Anniversary Supplements

FABULOUS GRACE

It is a universally acknowledged fact that one's appearance speaks volumes even before words are spoken. Clothes are not just articles covering one's body, they tell a story, at times much more than we give them credit for. Clothes maketh a man, they say and how! The need and the desire to feel attractive and beautiful is only human nature. Almost every person out there, even the biggest simpletons, have some sense of personal style, if not fashion. The subtle difference is well-understood.

The Making Of A Great Wedding

The first season of the year in Bangladesh is not spring or summer, it is the wedding season. As guests see the smiling bride and groom on the day of their wedding reception, little thought is spared on the stories that transpired out of sight. The people come in droves, and every single one welcomed by the families of the bride and the groom, the photographers are literally throwing themselves on the floor for the perfect shot, the aroma of the food enticing the invited guests.

Colour Politics

We may live and breathe words, if American author, Cassandra Clare is to be believed, but changing shades of time are in no way shy of conveying their own mosaic of stories. In all their tints and shades, shifting spectrums of colour invoke nostalgia, relate to literature, represent cultures and even instigate whole movements for change.

The Motive Behind Motif

Motifs —decorative images used to unify an elaborate design or even an idea— have probably existed since the dawn of civilisation. They can be found in people's everyday lives and activities. In fact, if you look closely, you will notice that there are motifs in every object, starting from the basic clovers on your bedroom curtains to the clay planters sold on the roadside. Paisleys, a common and popular form of

GASTRONOMY OF LIFE / The Love For My Food

This quote readily applies to our country's rich cuisine as you will also not experience such lovely and delicious food anywhere else. Yes, I am talking about Bangladeshi food. No matter where Bengalis live in the world, the taste of their own cuisine remains to them like the proverbial honey. The eternal Bengali comfort food, khichuri-gosht-omelette, with a dash of ghee or a spoonful of achar, almost always brings a smile to a Bengali heart; more so if it is raining outside- irrespective of your geographic location.

Explaining Bangladeshi cuisine

It took time and copious amounts of tea, but listening to her lively and animated stories, made it hard for me to relate to the same woman with the large 'teep' and serious demeanour that I had seen on the telly over the years, cooking up dishes from all regions of Bangladesh.

Charm Of The Home-cooked

Centenarian Shahida Begum was a few days shy of her hundredth birthday, a reason why most of her children and grandchildren, with their own sets of grandchildren, made the trip to her quaint village homestead in Bheramara, Khustia.

Eating down memory lane

Ever since I was young, I have frequently travelled from Dhaka to Rangpur, and the majority of these times, our family had to use the ferry boats at Aricha to cross the Padma and enter the country's northern regions. This was true throughout the 70s and 80s and also the first half of the 90s. The ferry crossings were quite tedious, at times risky, and extremely time-consuming. It usually took two to three hours

Dhaka Nexus - A Networks of Towns

Dhaka is “growing” in its own happy rhythm, spurred on every now and then by fragmentary planning initiatives. This “growth” is neither relieving pressures at the centres nor creating a decent urban development for the city and its regions. We propose a “Dhaka Nexus” linking the core city with a greater region. Dhaka Nexus is a new network of liveable towns and settlements based on improved transportation and economic opportunities to facilitate their

Dhaka Circular Light Rail (LRT)

In this city with 15 million people, movement of the private cars always gets priority in planning and development. Government has realised that only increasing roads cannot pull this city out of the current transportation crisis. In response, constructions of MRT 6 and BRT 3 have already started with some others in the pipeline. Our analysis shows that Dhaka needs more public transport besides the ongoing

Urbanisation trends and sustainable transport

Our future is destined to be urban as urbanisation in developing countries is a defining feature of the 21st century. It is the most significant demographic transformation in our century because it restructures national economies and reshapes the lives of billions of people.

Civil aviation authority and infrastructure development

To an air traveller, an airport gives the first impression of a country. It is a picture that promises the offer of what a first-time visitor may expect in the country. The aviation authority, thus, can play the crucial role of promoting a country to the outsiders.