Anika Hossain

On April 25, 2015, an earthquake that measured 7.8 on the Richter Scale devastated the entire country of Nepal.

As we have seen and experienced in the past few days, massive earthquakes like the ones that nearly demolished the entire country of Nepal, can turn lives upside down in the blink of an eye.

On April 25, 2015 a healthcare awareness programme was organised by the Dhaka Club, where two renowned doctors from Malaysia, cardiologist Dr Balachandan Kandasamy and orthopaedic and spine surgeon Dr Abdul Hadi Husin were invited to speak about their areas of expertise and the facilities available at their respective institutions to treat these illnesses.

A large signboard hung outside a small pharmacy located inside the Mohammadpur Geneva Camp says, “Doctor Available for Consultation,” but in the 12 years since this pharmacy was established, not once has a doctor stepped into its premises.

Article 17 of the Constitution names education as a civil right. It states, "Free and compulsory education: The state shall adopt effective measures for establishing a uniform mass-oriented and universal system of education and extending free and compulsory education to all children to such stage as may be determined by law…”

We often neglect to drink as much water as our bodies require. During the summer months especially, this can lead to de-hydration, if our water intake is less than water loss. The young and the elderly are more susceptible to this condition.

Despite the progressive rise in our literacy rate, and increased globalisation designed to promote modernisation and forward thinking, many of our countrymen simply refuse to come out of their caves.

A glimpse into the lives of people stranded in the Geneva Camps has shown us the deplorable state in which they have been living for 43 years.

8ft by 8ft- the size of an average bathroom in most of our homes—that is how much space each family living inside the Geneva Camps (Bihari Camps) all over the country is allotted.

It has been 44 years since we achieved our hard won independence and the meaning of this word “independence,” has changed for us over the past decades.

If you take a walk in the streets of Shahbagh on a weekday afternoon, you will come across a sight that warms your heart.

When one walks into the Bihari Camp in Mohammadpur, locally referred to as the “Market Camp,” it is as though one has left the city and entered a different world- the world of the condemned.

Check all faucets and toilets in your home for leaks.

Apiti Snoboni has moved back to Dhaka after 4 years of studying in the United States, because she believes in our development sector and wants to devote her life to helping the poor, empowering the powerless etc.

Mr Aayem Jonota is used to the Dhaka way of life, having moved here from his tiny village some thirty years ago.

Dhaka summers are almost never looked forward to- the heat, the humidity, and the frizz, sweat patches and load shedding being a few of the legitimate reasons behind this understandable dislike.

Md. Abdus Salam is a teacher, a trainer and the principal of a school- a profession not uncommon if a little underappreciated in these

Professor Kaiser Haq is undoubtedly one of the literary giants of our time. He is a renowned poet, an essayist, a translator and teacher

Nihad Kabir is without a doubt one of the most brilliant legal minds of our country.

In the world of art, Kanak Chanpa Chakma needs no introduction. Being one of the most eminent painters of our time, Kanak Chanpa has created her own genre through her unique style.