Dowel Biswas

Dowel is always thinking about a million things at once and writes to make sense of it all. Feel free to send her your thoughts at [email protected]

No ceremony can contain Fakir Lalon Shah, yet it is crucial

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs has turned this remembrance into a national homage — a three-day festival from October 17 to 19 at Lalon’s resting ground in Cheuriya. There will be music, discourse, and a fair that carries the rhythm of his spirit.

5d ago

Why recognition matters for Bangladesh’s invisible storytellers

The awards’ focus on technical categories is an act of cultural intervention, asking audiences and peers alike to reconsider who counts in the making of art.

3w ago

Shotoborshe Sultan: Nasir Ali Mamun’s poetic lens on a legend

The exhibition presents a rare visual chronicle of one of Bangladesh’s greatest treasures, Sultan, spanning from his reclusive days in his village home in Machimdia, Narail, to his later years. Photographs, letters—many never previously seen—allow viewers to step quietly into the private world of a man who preferred to live through his paintings, labour, imagination, and solitude.

1m ago

Like an undying phoenix, the spirit of Nazrul lives on

That night in December 1921, while his comrade Muzaffar Ahmed slept, Nazrul scribbled furiously. By the morning, the air was charged with something new. “Bolo Bir, Chiro Unnoto Momo Sheer…” (“I am the Rebel Eternal, / I raise my head beyond this world, / High, ever erect and alone!”) he declared. It was not merely the birth of a poem but of a cultural rupture. Critics would later see in “Bidrohi” a break from the ‘Rabindric’ serenity that had long defined Bengal’s literary landscape—a new current of words forged in fire, laced with the clang of rebellion.

1m ago

Remembering Hamiduzzaman Khan, the sculptor who shaped a nation’s memory

For decades, his works stood sentinel across the landscape of this country—quiet but powerful witnesses to our struggles, our resilience, and our history. “Sangsaptak”, perhaps his most defining piece, looms outside Jahangirnagar University’s central library like a frozen cry.

3m ago

July never ended, it’s an ongoing reality: Shayan

The artiste, whose lyrics and guitar immortalised the volatile, uncertain moments of the July Uprising through songs such as “Bhoy Banglay,” “Jonotar Beyadobi,” “Bhoy Banglay Bhoy,” “Ei Meye Shon,” “Rani Maa,” and “O Neta Bhai,” offered this correspondent a deeply personal glimpse into her creative process during a time when life seemed hollow and rebellion offered meaning.

3m ago

Brecht’s courtroom parable returns to Dhaka stage with Prachyanat’s 'Byatikrom O Niyom'

Set against a parched desert landscape, the play follows a paranoid merchant, a humble porter, and a local guide as they journey across unforgiving terrain in pursuit of profit and survival. A fatal misunderstanding leads to tragedy, unfolding into a courtroom drama that questions whether justice can truly be impartial when wealth and power dominate the rules.

3m ago

Shama Rahman and Afzal Hossain headline rain-drenched cultural evening

As Dhaka shimmered beneath days of rainfall, a quiet enchantment stirred inside the Sheraton Ballroom last Friday; however, this wasn't just another evening of performances. “Badol Diner Prothom Kodom Phul”, hosted by MW Magazine Bangladesh, unfolded more like a dream shared between memories and monsoon.

3m ago
October 17, 2025
October 17, 2025

No ceremony can contain Fakir Lalon Shah, yet it is crucial

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs has turned this remembrance into a national homage — a three-day festival from October 17 to 19 at Lalon’s resting ground in Cheuriya. There will be music, discourse, and a fair that carries the rhythm of his spirit.

September 27, 2025
September 27, 2025

Why recognition matters for Bangladesh’s invisible storytellers

The awards’ focus on technical categories is an act of cultural intervention, asking audiences and peers alike to reconsider who counts in the making of art.

September 6, 2025
September 6, 2025

Shotoborshe Sultan: Nasir Ali Mamun’s poetic lens on a legend

The exhibition presents a rare visual chronicle of one of Bangladesh’s greatest treasures, Sultan, spanning from his reclusive days in his village home in Machimdia, Narail, to his later years. Photographs, letters—many never previously seen—allow viewers to step quietly into the private world of a man who preferred to live through his paintings, labour, imagination, and solitude.

August 27, 2025
August 27, 2025

Like an undying phoenix, the spirit of Nazrul lives on

That night in December 1921, while his comrade Muzaffar Ahmed slept, Nazrul scribbled furiously. By the morning, the air was charged with something new. “Bolo Bir, Chiro Unnoto Momo Sheer…” (“I am the Rebel Eternal, / I raise my head beyond this world, / High, ever erect and alone!”) he declared. It was not merely the birth of a poem but of a cultural rupture. Critics would later see in “Bidrohi” a break from the ‘Rabindric’ serenity that had long defined Bengal’s literary landscape—a new current of words forged in fire, laced with the clang of rebellion.

July 20, 2025
July 20, 2025

Remembering Hamiduzzaman Khan, the sculptor who shaped a nation’s memory

For decades, his works stood sentinel across the landscape of this country—quiet but powerful witnesses to our struggles, our resilience, and our history. “Sangsaptak”, perhaps his most defining piece, looms outside Jahangirnagar University’s central library like a frozen cry.

July 19, 2025
July 19, 2025

July never ended, it’s an ongoing reality: Shayan

The artiste, whose lyrics and guitar immortalised the volatile, uncertain moments of the July Uprising through songs such as “Bhoy Banglay,” “Jonotar Beyadobi,” “Bhoy Banglay Bhoy,” “Ei Meye Shon,” “Rani Maa,” and “O Neta Bhai,” offered this correspondent a deeply personal glimpse into her creative process during a time when life seemed hollow and rebellion offered meaning.

July 16, 2025
July 16, 2025

Brecht’s courtroom parable returns to Dhaka stage with Prachyanat’s 'Byatikrom O Niyom'

Set against a parched desert landscape, the play follows a paranoid merchant, a humble porter, and a local guide as they journey across unforgiving terrain in pursuit of profit and survival. A fatal misunderstanding leads to tragedy, unfolding into a courtroom drama that questions whether justice can truly be impartial when wealth and power dominate the rules.

July 12, 2025
July 12, 2025

Shama Rahman and Afzal Hossain headline rain-drenched cultural evening

As Dhaka shimmered beneath days of rainfall, a quiet enchantment stirred inside the Sheraton Ballroom last Friday; however, this wasn't just another evening of performances. “Badol Diner Prothom Kodom Phul”, hosted by MW Magazine Bangladesh, unfolded more like a dream shared between memories and monsoon.

June 27, 2025
June 27, 2025

A city gasps, a park resists: Panthakunja protest redefines civic action

Panthakunja, located on Sonargaon Road, was once a rare oasis in the capital

May 30, 2025
May 30, 2025

Post-July Shilpakala: The cultural spearhead needs to change internal culture

More than just a home for the arts, it has long been a custodian of collective memory, responsible for shaping a culturally enriched, humane Bangladesh, rooted in its historical context. Despite its undeniable impact in preserving traditions, amplifying artistic expression, and cultivating national identity, the institution has long been a target for political manipulation, corruption, and political parties’ quests to control the cultural conscience of the country.