Iqra L Qamari

I felt the first premonition on the night of “July 36.” In a post-rebellion Dhaka, festive streets, no certainty of what lay beyond that night—but hope permeated the air that perhaps we could finally recalibrate and aim for a dignified future.

In the usual run-of-the-mill Bangladeshi cinema, where narratives often orbit around male protagonists and their odysseys, Dibarah Mahboob's “Kraati” emerges as a pleasant anomaly—a short film centred around two young women, an upper-middle-class daughter and her resilient househelp. Set against the backdrop of the July Monsoon Revolution of 2024, “Kraati” delves into their intertwined lives and shared struggles for autonomy and respect, in a society run very much within the patriarchal framework. Drawing from her anthropological background and personal experiences, Mahboob crafts a narrative that is both intimate and universally resonant. While “Kraati” does not explicitly reference the movement, its spirit pulses through the film’s core. With an air of revolution already in the...

Moitree Jatra was not a gathering of any political banner or one social cause.

In a quiet neighbourhood of a once lush green residential area of Dhanmondi, I grew up in a three-storied house that dates back to the year 1957, listening wide-eyed to stories of a man deeply involved in Bangladesh’s struggle for sovereignty and democracy.

Despite the pardon, the entire incident underscores the crucial need for stronger diplomatic ties and improved migrant labour rights.

With great wealth, should there not be great scrutiny and accountability?

Puzzling positive developments in our economic indicators, which hardly delineate the real socioeconomic conditions of the people in Bangladesh, are not new phenomena.

On a symbolic visit to Kigali, Rwanda this year, French President Emmanuel Macron recognised France’s extensive role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, asking for the “gift of forgiveness” from those who survived the atrocities—without, however, putting forth an official apology.