On November 4, 1972, the members of the Constituent Assembly while signing the Constitution of Bangladesh fixed a milestone in the history of Bangladesh towards democracy and rule of law. The struggle that started with the proclamation of Six…
In these dangerous, uncertain times we live through, the passing of Nelson Mandela only makes our circumstances a little more parlous than they have been so far. By the time he died, Mandela did not wield political authority, but there…
‘And the fastest finger after three quick rounds is H.M. (His Majesty) Ki-je- shaad from among… pardon me, he is the only participating contestant, as the other nine opted out, out of respect. Many, many congratulations, Sir! For a person…
I remember reading an interview of the late Chilean author Roberto Bolano in which he said that in the third world countries, blooming of literary fTiction precedes mushrooming of genre fiction. Whether this is a good thing or a bad…
It was 1971. Fifteen-year-old Shajeda Ali, sitting with her parents and some of her distant relatives were trying to catch the frequency of a radio station called Shwadhin Bangla BetarKendra on the radio. “During those months, I remember my father…
The Pakistani military regime had taken all means of suppression and made a botched attempt to abort the birth of Bangladesh from the black spring of March 25, 1971. There was constant surveillance and censorship on the press and all…
In the cold winter morning of December 16, Dhaka cantonment was hot with rumours. The depressed and desperate Pakistani army officers were confused about their fate. Will the yellows from the north (Chinese army) and the whites (American 7th fleet)…
The television was on and I sat watching, mesmerised by the vast numbers of people filling the screen. To the uninformed observer, it might have looked a bit like a street party. There were men, women, children and people of…
December 14, 1971. Mere days before our independence, Pakistani troops systematically rounded up, tortured and killed most of the brightest minds in the yet to be free East Pakistan. This final act of atrocity was carried out in the hopes…
This is the seventh in a series of articles written by Farah Ghuznavi as Writer in Residence at the Commonwealth Writers website, based in the UK. Commonwealth Writers is the cultural initiative from the Commonwealth Foundation, and Farah is their…
How many small things there are – power plug adaptors, free-range pencils and pens, the movie poster, those decorative wooden fish that sat unnoticed for five years in the hallway… Moving house is no small feat. Amongst it all was…
Have you ever been blown away by the pungent air while someone with bad breath converses with you? Different mouth freshener commercials or the fancy toothpastes promotionals which promise you with fresh breath might rule over the television, yet bad…
More than a hundred paintings are included in Rafiqun Nabi’s Retrospective at Bengal Gallery this December (7 to 19). It certainly should make the artist proud of his achievement, although like so many master painters of the world, he is…
If the ongoing political crisis is somehow resolved and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) decides to join the general election slated for January 5 or any new date is fixed after revising the poll fixture, which party will lose out…
JOHN WINSTON LENNON John Winston Lennon, was an English musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founder member of the Beatles. Lennon revealed a rebellious nature through his music, writing, and drawings, on film and in…
Khan Ataur Rahman is an icon of Bangladeshi cinema. His films were a source of great inspiration during the movement for liberation. multitalented he was an actor, director, producer, screenplay writer, composer and singer, who established the foundation of our…
Stuck on the Highway Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. People were allowed a day of respite when the week long blockade was stopped for a whole 24 hours on Friday, December 6. However, this off-day for blockade proponents proved to be hellish for…
A vendor carries flags, banners and headbands in front of the National Parliament House days before the country celebrates its 42nd Victory Day.
Would you drink wine flavoured with mint, honey and a dash of psychotropic resins? Ancient Canaanites did more than 3,000 years ago. Archaeologists have unearthed what may be the oldest — and largest — ancient wine cellar in the Near…
Why Study Liberal Arts The Star deserves credit for this cover story that busts many myths about liberal arts education. Education, be it in science, agriculture or arts, cannot be considered complete unless the student develops knowledge about basic concepts…
“I do believe that there is a possibility of a peaceful solution to this current deadlock — if we’ve a political will, we’ve leadership, if we’ve an attitude of compromise, most importantly if we’re engaged into a peaceful dialogue.” OSCAR…
A Waste of Time Recently, some colleagues and I paid a visit to Nuhash Polli, home of renowned late writer Humayun Ahmed. However, we were barred from entering the place, as the guard demanded an entry fee of Tk 200…
Being social animals, a large part of our time is spent in interacting with fellow humans. Often these are just chance encounters with strangers or semi-acquaintances. A typical trait of Bengali friendliness is to make personal comments or ask personal…
