The Star | The Daily Star
Publish: June 28, 2013
Instead of allowing for room between blocks of private residences, buildings are stacked next to each other, obstructing proper circulation of air. Photo: Prabir Das
Cover Story

How Green Was My City

Old timers try to sell us the story of a Dhaka that used to be “rich in nature”. The streets, they say, used to be a sight to behold. Lined with trees of all size and shapes, filled with little ponds and lakes, Dhaka was truly the utopia of nature lovers. It seems like urban legend to many who are used to the congested, smoke-filled roads of the city. We are too busy cutting off our trees and then complaining about the lack of flora in the city to notice why our Dhaka is no longer the nature haven people claim it used to be. In order to save our environment and in turn our own lives, it has become imperative for us to understand the value of trees and learn how to preserve them from total annihilation.

  Samia Ahmed loves her potted plants. She has set a pretty little garden for herself in the balcony of her three-bedroom apartment. Her children often complain that her plants see more of her than they do. But Samia says

When you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Photo: Star File
Current Affairs

Will Gazipur Show the Day?

The outcome of the battle of ballots on July 6 in the Gazipur City Corporation will neither unseat the Awami League from power nor extend its term by a few more months or years. This is a merely an election

Pagon village producers' group displays jackfruit snacks. Photo: IPS/Abigail Lee
Endeavour

The Jackfruit Jackpot

“Girls in this part of the country get married after class 12,” says 25-year-old Yayah. “Hoping for a career or higher studies is not common amongst girls.” This is a tradition that has been going on for generations, especially in

Grapes and pisco, in Chile's Elqui Valley.
Reflections

Desert Grapes

Jojo had everything going for her. With a teaching career back home and a mortgage down on a house in “Freo”, what Westralians call Fremantle, the funky port town appendage to Perth, what could hold her back? “There’s something wrong

Myth about Clapping
Impressions

Myth about Clapping

A Swedish study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface makes one sit up and take note of the strangeness of human nature. Conventionally, one would have thought that audience applause is a recognition of good performance on

The Gadget Generation
Food for Thought

The Gadget Generation

If you are over the age of 20, and spend any time whatsoever with children, you’ve probably noticed that the current generation of kids seem remarkably tech-savvy. The degree of shock, awe and possible inadequacy you are likely to feel

As Kanduni in Ekhono Kritodash (Still A Slave).
Photo Story

The Queen in Her Domain

In stage acting, there is before Ferdausi Majumdar, and there is after Ferdausi Majumdar. And they are like two different worlds. No other actor in the country has ever rocketed to overnight stardom on the theatre stage as Ferdausi Majumdar

Behind Closed Doors
Straight Talk

Behind Closed Doors

“I’m sorry”, “I didn’t mean to”, “it won’t happen again”, “I love you”, “please forgive me”, these are words that victims of domestic abuse have heard over and over again. The words may also be accompanied by tears and a

Sheba and those Early Reading Years
Literature

Sheba and those Early Reading Years

It was in the latter half of my school life that I became addicted to reading stories. I had been exposed to them much earlier though. Whether good or bad, the full credit goes to a Bangladeshi publishing house that

Sharmin Nigar, Fantasy of Nature, acrylic on canvas, 2013.
Art

A Surprising Display of Talent

In an unexpected show, Bengal this time showcases a hundred paintings by of all people – designers of Bangladesh Television. The surprising collection has been done by artists who started with painting but moved on to work for BTV to

Remembering  the Colours  of Spring
Travel

Remembering the Colours of Spring

When I returned to Geneva in the third week of March, I was expecting spring to arrive within a week or so because the official date of arrival of spring in Geneva is the last week of March. Blossoming of

TURTLES IN DANGER
Wildlife

TURTLES IN DANGER

  Bostami Turtle is one of the rare species of turtles found in the world. International Union for Conservation of nature, an environmental organisation classified the turtles ‘extinct in the wild’ in 2002. In Bangladesh, this rare species of turtles

Sign Up ‘n’ Sign In
Info-Tech

Sign Up ‘n’ Sign In

All it takes is a tap on the ‘Sign in’ icon on your smart phone screen, to log in to discover all the fun things that has been waiting to be seen by the user. The user’s ID and an

Voicebox
Voicebox

Voicebox

“The caretaker government will try to stay in power sending you (Khaleda) and me to jail…It will not bring any benefit for your party.” SHEIKH HASINA Prime Minister Urging opposition leader Khaleda Zia not to advocate for a non-party caretaker

Photo: Prabir Das

Star Diary

ATM Booth Horror One of my colleagues entered the ATM booth of a well-known private bank opposite the police station in Motijheel. The booth had two more ATM machines which were occupied. As soon as my friend collected the money

Rejuvenating the  market for art
Letters

Rejuvenating the market for art

It is refreshing to read the well-written cover story. However, famous artists all over the world started out as unknowns.  The facts of the art game are that if you’re an early or mid-career artist, you’ll typically appear in small

Contempt of the Rule of Law
Making A Difference

Contempt of the Rule of Law

The Awami League led 9th Parliament passed a controversial amendment to a piece of legislation titled Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2013 in its budget session on June 11, 2013. Interestingly, the origin of this enactment Anti-Terrorism Ordinance, 2008 was also passed

The Conspiracy
Cartoon Strip

The Conspiracy

Photo: Prabir Das

WHERE HAVE THE TREES GONE?

The Watching Game
Postscript

The Watching Game

Eating out has always been the most popular form of entertainment worldwide. For Dhakaites, whose options for fun are getting more and more limited, it is almost a necessity. Funnily enough, it is not always the great food that attracts