Cover Story

RELIVING HISTORY WITH TARIQ ALI

Coming to Bangladesh, for Tareq Ali, is to relive one of the most incendiary moments in history. A university student from West Pakistan, he became a strong voice for East Pakistan, advocating the idea of independence during the political movements of 1969 and 1970. Born in Lahore 1943, in undivided India, to leftist parents -journalist Mazhar Ali Khan and activist Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan Tariq Ali - it was natural that he would become quite the firebrand whether at home or abroad. A British Pakistani writer, journalist, and filmmaker Ali has authored several books, including “Pakistan: Military Rule or People's Power” (1970). He is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review and Sin Permiso, and regularly contributes to The Guardian, Counter Punch, and the London Review of Books.

Elita Karim

Tareq Ali recently visited Dhaka to attend this year’s Hay Festival. “I do not go to the Hay festivals in England,” he says. “I don’t like them. I only came here because it’s Dhaka and I have come after a…

Cover Story

Good Morning, Revolution

At a session tiled 'Endless Revolutions' at the Hay Festival (November 14-16), Eliot Weinberger, Tariq Ali, Ahdaf Soueif and Pankaj Mishra talk about why revolutions often fail to achieve the goals they aimed for

Amitava Kar

For all of its surprises, perhaps nothing about the Arab Spring has been as surprising as its remarkably modest harvest. The excitement and sense of hope created by the escape of Ben Ali, Tunisia’s ruler for 24 years to Saudi…

Reflections

Ich Bin Ein Berliner

Syed Maqsud Jamil

Ich Bin Ein Berliner or “I am a Berliner” is an assertion of historical significance. It was the inspiring call of President John F Kennedy to the besieged citizens of the walled city of West Berlin during his visit to…

Perceptions

GOING THE MILE

A Teacher's Homage

Raisa Afsana

*Inspired by and dedicated to my students “It’s been three years, you know?” “Seriously? No it can’t be.” “Look around you. Do the math. One year, three weeks and counting…” The dialogue in my mind faded as I stopped paying…

Under the latticed Rajanigandha and Rose Petals

A Sister Remembered

Syeda Zakia Ahsan

I left London on an autumn day when the leaves had already started falling, the trees jaundiced with different hues of yellow and brown, as I took my flight to Delhi. I had prayed endlessly asking the Almighty to give…

Campus

Archiving Memories

Md Shahnawaz Khan Chandan

An old man sits alone in a room stuffed with photographs, old documents, statuettes, posters and some other relics of our glorious student movements. Since 1991, a room in the two storied historic DUCSU building is used as an archive.…

Musings

One Thing That Always Works

Rizwanul Islam

It was one of those mornings when nothing seemed to be working. With the WC leaking, hot water not flowing through the taps, and finally the internet connection refusing to work, it seemed there was a conspiracy going on around…

Village Flute

The Living Stone of Middle Shilua

Andrew Eagle

In making sense of the physical world there is, surely, an over-reliance on the eyes. Ears too can play a role; hearing is not less of a primary sense than sight. Besides, sometimes if we pay sufficient heed to the…

Current Affairs

Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition

Shakhawat Liton

Election is considered a competitive political game that must need at least two sides to fight each other. The absence of opponents makes the game one-sided. Even the presence of weak opponents makes the game a dull and one-sided affair.…

Periscope

ARE WE REALLY ON THE BRINK?

Ahmede Hussain

In Purgatory Bangladeshi politics in 2013 eerily resembles what it used to be seven years ago. In those gory days of winter, a remote-controlled President-cum-Chief Adviser and his loyal council of Advisers were bent on holding a one-sided election, which…

Interview

The Spiritual Poet

Spirituality is a tricky topic. Even though many of us may want to pursue the big quest to find all our answers, we don't really want a didactic figure acting as the gatekeeper of our soul, telling us how to live our lives and 'enrich' our spiritual understanding of the world. Poet, critic and writer ARUNDHATHI SUBRAMANIAM says that spirituality should not be an arduous task of self-purification, rather it should be a journey into exploring and understanding oneself. the Star Magazine spoke to the eloquent poet based in Mumbai about her poetry, her journey to self-discovery and much more.

Upashana Salam

What are the elements of writing gripping, impactful, interactive poetry? Different people have their own way of dealing with this situation. You can say that you write for yourself but that’s not really true. We all presuppose an ideal listener…

SPECIAL FEATURE

Afghan Voices

Fayeka Zabeen Siddiqua

What kind of images conjure up when we hear about Afghanistan? Taliban with rifles slungover their shoulders? Eyes of young women wrought with fear? Bomblasts, US troops, dead bodies? The Taliban era which was 1996 to 2001 could be marked…

Art

In Quest of Truth

Fayza Haq

Kadija-tul-Kobra has two jobs to tackle, in Gulshan in the mornings, and afternoons and at the Dhaka Arts Centre till 8pm. She feels that visual art and novels aim at one thing– expressing hopes and fears. The truth found in…

Health

The Nail-Tale

Nails can be quite small in size, but they too deserve to be strong, healthy and trendy like other parts of our body. Regular trimming, pushing back the cuticle, having a healthy diet- all of these can get you closer…

Picture of the Week

One Year On

November 24 marked the first year since the fire at Tazreen Fashion that killed at least 112 workers,and injuring many others. Victims of the fire are yet to receive any compensation while family members are still waiting for justice to…

Science

One in Seven Students Has Dabbled in ‘Smart’ Drugs

American and European studies prove that students use prescription medication or drugs to enhance their cognitive performance. Researchers from the universities of Zurich and Basel examined whether Swiss students have also experimented with neuroenhancement and which substances they take by…

1 MINUTE PLEASE!

‘Ekhon joubon jar judhdhe jabar sreshtho shomoy tar’- Helal Hafiz‘s this powerful verse even now boosts the spirit of our young generation. His poems have always been a source for verve and vigour for Bangladeshi political activists, specially students. This…

Remembrance

A Philomath and Polymath

MSKC

Professor Abdur Razzaq is the iconic philosopher, teacher and thinker of Bangladesh. He is the mentor of all the intelligentsia of our country and was the dreamer of establishing a knowledge based society. On his 14th death anniversary (28th November),…

HOME AND ABROAD

  Stoned Yet Popular Toronto, Canada: Toronto’s embattled mayor Rob Ford has admitted to smoking crack cocaine, and has been videotaped threatening to kill someone. This has resulted in most of his authority being stripped away. But despite all that…

MAILBOX

Breaking New Ground I felt very encouraged to read this article about upcoming Bangladeshi writers writing in English. Bangladesh has such a rich literary tradition and yet the world knows nothing about it. The reason for this is that most…

STAR Diary

FIX IT, PLEASE!  As a resident of Dhaka, dilapidated roads are a common sight. Being a student of Scholastica in Mirpur, I have to travel through the Mirpur Kafrul road to reach my school. The Mirpur Kafrul road starts from…

MAD GENIUS

BOB MARLEY

“Bob Marley isn’t my name. I don’t even know my name yet. Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet. Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen. If I was educated, I’d be a damn fool.”

THE WALL

Voicebox

“Despite having 90 percent seat in the Jatiya Sangsad, I called upon the opposition to join the polls-time interim government so that no doubt can arise centering the election.” SHEIKH HASINA Prime Minister of Bangladesh said that her invitation to…

Postscript

It’s a Conspiracy!

Aasha Mehreen Amin

One of the best forms of escapism is to believe in conspiracy theories. It gives us the comforting notion that all the bad things happening all around us are the result of a brilliantly executed plan cooked up by a…

Contemplating Revolution