The Star | The Daily Star
Publish: March 8, 2013
Neighbours

Myanmar’s Long Road to Democracy

The democratisation process being pushed by President Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian government in Myanmar is facing a lot of difficulties – and it’s not hard to work out why. Huge changes are underway: economic liberalisation, developing a banking system in line

Remembrance

A Dedicated Teacher and a Sincere Friend

It does not seem like a distant past. On a fall evening in London in 1954, arriving after a long journey from Dhaka by a British Airways, noisy, not-so-fast propeller aircraft, I was looking through the window of the coach

Opinion

Salutation Shahbagh Shining

In the past month, Shahbagh has been transformed, literally and metaphorically, into a polyphonic “glorious garden”. It is fitting that we have seen the birth of our “Bangla Spring” here, within the large radius of the University of Dhaka campus,

Impressions

Spring Serenade

The country witnessed a lovely display of yellow colour on Pahela Phalgoon the first day of the Bengali month of Phalgoon heralding the arrival of spring. Yellow is the colour of Basanta or spring. The days are getting warmer and

The Conspiracy

 

Perspective

A Woman’s Place

Feminism is the radical notion that women are people. – British suffragist and journalist Rebecca West Equal rights for men and women – the fundamental principle of feminist movements across the globe – are yet to be achieved in Bangladesh.

Musings

Smell the Coffee, Taste the Blood

I have always loved social media, particularly Facebook. People complain about friend requests from strangers, relationships they have left behind coming back to haunt them, and so on. But for me, Facebook has been an enjoyable place. Until now. These

International

An Unlikely Asian Century

The 19th century was the European century, the 20th century was the American century and the 21st century is believed to be an Asian century. While this century has 86 more years to go, Asia is unlikely to be the

Health

TRUTH ABOUT KIDNEYS

The kidney is an organ that is often not given the importance it deserves. In Bangladesh, a large part of the population is unaware that two such organs exist inside of us, and among those who do know of their

Current Affairs

The Battle Within

Jamaat-Shibir men have been unleashing mayhem in different districts across the country to protest the verdict of the international crimes tribunals, which were formed to try Jamaat leaders for heinous crimes they are accused of committing during the country’s liberation

Cover Story

THE SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE

Bangladesh seems to be a nation of strange contradictions. A country where women constitute around half of its workforce and where two women have continuously ruled over its democratic governments also has one of the highest rates of violence against

Economy

The Price of Hartal Sprees

A cold wave of stagnation swept across the country’s businesses during last week’s hartal spree, marked by violence and terror. When hartal is observed sparing public and private properties and amid non-violence, its impact on business and economy is confined

Photo Feature

In Love with Madhobi

Those pensive afternoons don’t come back. The fallen leaves rustle against the stillness. The bare trees alter the colours of life. And afterwards the tender leaves of bronze usher in a new life in nature. Destruction and recreation come by

Art

New Dimensions to Visual Art

Syed Ahmed has used jute and cloth for his experimental work, while his wife Nahid Niazi who has won acclaim with her picturesque and imaginative use of wood panels. This time Nahid and her husband, who have exhibited alone—now have

Chintito

The tale of cowards in uniform

In commemorating on March 8 the International Women’s Day the supreme sacrifice of our women for our liberation, here are some illustrations of the shameless ‘bravado’ committed by Pakistani soldiers. (Source: FB Community ‘Bangla Success Stories’, 3 March 2013, original

Lifestyle

5 Sure Signs That You Are a Boring Person

1-You Talk Non Stop About Things That Only Interest You. Sign: If you really want to put someone to sleep, nothing screams BORRRRIIIING more than talking non stop about subjects that other people couldn’t care less about. Like the weather

Reflections

No Please No Thank You

It was Gulshan, for dinner. ‘Do you enjoy living in the East?’ the Australian woman said, her first words to me on that evening, with enough vitriol in her tone to strip rust from a pole. Why the bitterness? I

Postscript

The Miracle of the Moon

No matter what logic tells us we still believe in miracles. Perhaps when things get so bad that nothing makes sense anymore (think present time Bangladesh) we want to believe the impossible will happen. After the sighting of a convicted

Special Feature

SAVING LANGUAGES, PRESERVING KNOWLEDGE

The International Mother Language Institute in Bangladesh promises hope for endangered languages of the world

With an area that is one tenth of Bangladesh and population less than that of Dhaka city, Vanuatu, the island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean, has 108 living languages. Such fascinating information can be found at the museum

THE STRENGTH OF A WOMAN

THE STRENGTH OF A WOMAN

Star Diary

A Rare Treat Some days ago, my friends and I were going to KFC. On the way, a little street kid approached us to beg for some money to eat. We were ignoring him for a while, but he kept

Voicebox

“It’s beyond our imagination that a government can carry out genocide against its own people. We liberated our motherland in 1971 standing up against such genocide. We cannot accept that any government for any reason would choose the path of