In the annals of modern Middle Eastern history, few documents have cast a longer or darker shadow than the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916.
Both Bengals are grappling with intense periods of unrest. While the political events unfolding in these two lands may not align directly, they share one significant commonality: distrust.
When justice is hijacked by rage and rumour, it takes only minutes for a mob to become a murderer.
In the critical moments of a medical emergency or sudden accident, the very service meant to save lives—the ambulance—often becomes another source of dismay.
Aung Rakhine, director of Mor Thengari (My Bicycle, 2015)—the first Chakma-language feature—shares his vision for portraying Bangladesh’s indigenous lives, as he prepares his next film, Mro, on the stories and beliefs of the Mro community.
When justice is hijacked by rage and rumour, it takes only minutes for a mob to become a murderer.
In conversation with Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman—eminent social thinker, researcher, and Executive Chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), as well as a former Adviser to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh—who shares his insights on the colonial legacies of governance, the dynamics of Bangladesh’s economic transformation, and the challenges of building human resources.
Globally, Bangladesh is known as the land of rivers and flooding.
Plastic pollution, projected to cause US$4.5 trillion in global economic damage by 2040, poses a severe threat to human health and ecosystems.
In the annals of modern Middle Eastern history, few documents have cast a longer or darker shadow than the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916.
Both Bengals are grappling with intense periods of unrest. While the political events unfolding in these two lands may not align directly, they share one significant commonality: distrust.
“Photographs alter and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at and what we have a right to observe.” — Susan Sontag, On Photography (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977), p. 3.
It has been a year since Bangladesh freed itself from the murderous clutches of a tyrannical regime that had made corruption the rule of business, extreme arrogance of power the norm, and brutal repression its operational style.
It has now been one full year since we lost Shoikot. But to those of us who loved him, it feels like much more than that. It feels as though time has stood still since that day. Every moment has been heavy with grief, every day a reminder of what we lost—not just a beloved brother, son, or friend, but a symbol of courage, conviction, and hope.
I first met Tajuddin Ahmad—or Tajuddin Bhai, as I knew him—in the 1960s, during the pre-Liberation period. After I joined the Awami League, Bangabandhu told me to meet Tajuddin Ahmad, as he would answer all my questions on politics and the party, and that he possessed deep knowledge of both politics and people.
I did not personally know Tajuddin Ahmad, but he was a contemporary of ours, and the politics he practised was within the Awami League—though there were different strands within the party.
In the critical moments of a medical emergency or sudden accident, the very service meant to save lives—the ambulance—often becomes another source of dismay.
Aung Rakhine, director of Mor Thengari (My Bicycle, 2015)—the first Chakma-language feature—shares his vision for portraying Bangladesh’s indigenous lives, as he prepares his next film, Mro, on the stories and beliefs of the Mro community.
Once, the rooftops, orchards, and gardens of Bangladesh stirred with the restless energy of squirrels.
At dawn, when Dhaka is just beginning to stir, thousands of rickshaw pullers set off on their daily grind.
Jackfruit remains a vastly underutilised resource in our food system
The Daily Star (TDS): What do historical and literary sources reveal about the true origins of the Bede community?
The sad reality about humans is that we are not wired for happiness. Natural selection prioritises survival and reproduction, which does not necessarily involve being happier. People are now less happy than they ever have been. This is not just an abstract philosophical issue; it is becoming a national concern.
Satyendra Nath Bose, more widely known as Satyen Bose, devoted 24 of the best years of his life to Dhaka University. On 1 July 1921, Dhaka University commenced its academic activities with only four departments, one of which was Physics. Prior to this, on 1 December 1920, P. J. Hartog assumed office as the university’s first Vice-Chancellor.
Although the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign state is a fact of recent history, this country has been the home of an ancient civilization.
More than a century ago, revered Bengali writer Begum Rokeya in her short story Sultana’s Dream had visualized futuristic inventions like solar cookers, atmospheric water generators and flying air-cars. She dreamt of Ladyland as a feminist utopia without crime, the death penalty and epidemics. Here men were shut indoors and responsible for childcare and household chores, while women with “quicker” brains pursued science and shaped inventions.
