Cover Story

A BUGS’ LIFE

How many lives were lost in the April 24, 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza? Media, rescue workers, government officials and garment authorities can only give estimates, but we will never know the real figure for sure. This is not the first time that lives have turned into uncertain numbers in Bangladesh. The same thing happened in the case of Tazreen Fashions, Spectrum Garments and many other garments factory accidents that occurred due to negligence or non-compliance of basic safety rules. Investigation of the fire incidents mostly found factory gates locked, inadequate fire exits and unused, rusted fire extinguishers. In the case of building collapses, faulty design and unauthorised construction were the main causes. The owners in most of the instances were well-aware of the irregularities.

TAMANNA KHAN

The same was true for the owners of the five garments factories housed in Rana Plaza. They knew about the cracks in the building. On April 23, the day before the building crashed down, they had stopped production when cracks…

Education

IELTS PREPARATION

Shadow Education for English

Amitava Kar

In the recent years, the IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) has become a household name among those who want to study in foreign universities or emigrate as skilled migrants. They are required to take the IELTS test to prove…

MUSINGS

Shamshad Begum and Her Times

Syed Badrul Ahsan

There was once a black and white era of sublime dimensions in the world of the arts here in this subcontinent. That world has been in steady erosion, through the ageing, and dying, of the artistes whose songs we once…

Reflections

You Know Harry?

Andrew Eagle

You know Harry, Sagar and the others? Of course his actual name might not be Harry but it’s what they call him. I did too. Anyway, they were the ones I knew before I knew that I knew them. It…

Perspective

‘Silver Linings’ Generation

Adnan R Amin

‘What we started seeking in Shahbag – we found in Savar’, quipped Farah Ahmed, a quiet, reflective university-goer. She was referring to the amazing show of youth spirit and activism during the building-collapse tragedy at Savar. It was her first…

Food for Thought

Little Heads, Big Ideas

Farah Ghuznavi

People are often heard to comment on how children seem “much smarter” nowadays, and it’s undoubtedly true that some of what comes out of small (smart) mouths can sometimes take one’s breath away. Not necessarily in a good way, either!…

Heritage

A Prince Who Rose from the Dead

Sreelata Menon

In the evening of his life, my grandfather the Rt. Hon’ble Sir C.Madhavan Nair, a former Chief Justice of the Madras High Court and erstwhile Member of the Privy Council (London) of undivided British India, was often prone to reminisce…

Art

Colours and Lines of a Romantic Pageantry

FAYZA HAQ

Saju’s Grand Group exhibition this year held in North Gulshan again has the works of master painters along with others. Ending May 20, there are 113 art works by 80 well-known painters. It is certainly a feast for art lovers.…

Impressions

Divine Comedy

Subir Das

“Has Akhirat started?” There was no emotion in his voice when saying this, as he fully believed that he was in the after-life. It may sound like a good beginning of a piece of a fiction. But it wasn’t. It…

Letters

Journalism, Gender Friendly?

The cover photo asked a straightforward question: how friendly is journalism for women and this came right after Nadia Sharmin got assaulted just for being a women. If she were a man, she would not have to go through this…

Neighbour

Border Frictions

For no apparent reason, trouble has flared up between India and China along their most distant border in remotest Ladakh. Chinese troops have crossed over into territory claimed by India and have put up tents that advertise their presence. Indian…

International

Traditional Media Under Pressure

You must have seen the Chinese television journalist who, dressed in full bridal finery complete with a veil, reported the strong earthquake that struck near her town in Sichuan province last week? In a video that went viral on the…

New Speaker-April-29

Shirin, Meira, Fehmida

Shakhawat Liton

“The Speaker represents the House. He represents the dignity of the House, the freedom of the House and because the House represents the nation, in a particular way, the Speaker becomes the symbol of nation’s freedom and liberty. Therefore, it…

Star Diary

Where is Our  Conscience? I am a journalist and I have been going to Savar a few times since the collapse of Rana Plaza. Needless to say, there is always a huge crowd around the place comprising of law enforcers,…

Periscope

Everything that Rises Must Converge

AHMEDE HUSSAIN

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the largest political parties in the country, is now taking its cue from Hefazat-e-Islami Bangladesh (HIB), it seems. It plans to hold a big gathering in Dhaka where its chairperson Khaleda Zia is going…

Health

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHLAMYDIA

It is not easy to tell if you are infected with chlamydia since symptoms are not always apparent. But when they do occur, they are usually noticeable within one to three weeks of contact and can include the following: Chlamydia…

Voicebox

“[hartal supporters] banged on this pillar [a collapsed one] and the adjacent collapsible gate. The whole building came crashing down perhaps due to this banging that caused one part to collapse completely.” MK ALAMGIR home minister theorising the collapse of…

Chintito

Celebrate, not Criticise

Chintito

Soon after the collapse of the 9-storied Rana Plaza at Savar 24 April, the fire services, armed forces, police, Ansars, and other government organs moved in alongside the local people, Scouts and volunteers of all ages from all over, particularly…

Postscript

FIGHTING FOR BREATH

AASHA MEHREEN AMIN

A status update of a colleague on a mobile chat jolted me. It had one simple word: breathing. It took me a few seconds before, without thinking, I took a few greedy breaths. Breathing, something so automatic, so much taken…

Cartoon Strip

The Conspiracy

Sharier

NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN PUNISHED