Mostafa Shabuj

The by-election to Bogura-1 constituency will be held tomorrow amid coronavirus pandemic and worsening flood situation in the electoral area, forcing voters to lose interest in polling.

At a time when the world offers challenges in every step, it is not often that you find someone who takes multiple challenges head-on and thrives in those pursuits. Bangladesh women’s cricket team pacer Panna Ghosh is one of the courageous ones who represents the national team all the while playing volleyball professionally. Panna, the right arm pacer, is also a member of Bangladesh Ansar’s volleyball team.

Once crowded and noisy, the Bogura Govt Azizul Haque College campus remains quiet for months, due to closure during the pandemic. The silver lining? The green grounds becoming a bird paradise.

Most cricketers usually dream of playing cricket on the biggest stage due to their admiration for someone who has excelled in the sport.

Schoolchildren in char areas do not even have the chance of accessing the government’s remote education programme because their families don’t own televisions or have electricity.

Shaheed Chandu Stadium is situated about 30 kilometres from his village (Karpur) in Sonatola upazila. Bangladesh Under-19 opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim took all the trouble merely to visit the stadium to breathe in the smell of the grass and get the feeling of standing inside a cricket ground.

Owing to a fall in human activity, the water quality of the rivers of northern districts has seen a significant improvement in the last few months. The usual collection of debris, plastic waste and other rubbish is now gone and in its place is now pristine water.

It is not very usual to see the norms of the modern generation being welcomed by members of the preceding generation. But the tale of Bangladesh

During my recent venture to the char areas of Bogura, I found students spending the days of the pandemic going without any form of online or offline classes. They do not have to attend school now and most of their parents are unable to teach them as many do not have any formal education.

Thirteen people, including two children, were crushed to death when a truck overturned and plunged into a ditch in Gaibandha’s Palashbari yesterday morning.

Surviving with everyone else is Wahid Manjour Sohag’s motto. And this led him to distribute one cooked meal among the poor every day since April 19, when shutdown was enforced in Bogura.

Surviving with everyone else is Wahid Manjour Sohag’s motto. And this led him to distribute one cooked meal among the poor every day since April 19, when shutdown was enforced in Bogura.

The backstory of most athletes usually entails the struggles and hardships they faced before realising their dreams. Even most of the players who made it to the Bangladesh women’s national squads had either to fight against their families’ will or against the taunts from a male-dominated society -- sometimes they both.

All-rounder Ritu Moni, who now holds the record for the best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi women cricketer in World Cups thanks to her four for 18 against New Zealand in Melbourne during the World Cup this year, once did not even know that a women’s team existed in Bangladesh.

Gaibandha's first two Covid-19 patients, an expatriate in the US and his mother, have recovered from the disease and returned home from the hospital recently. Taking to The Daily Star, the mother and son told their story of winning the coronavirus battle.

Pahela Baishakh celebrations are never complete without flowers. Be it for decoration, presenting a bouquet to someone special or gracing the hair of women and children alike, flowers are an indispensable part of the spirit of the festivities.

The once mighty Korotoa now barely flows through Bogura district. Issues like unbridled pollution, a regulator that obstructs natural flow, and gradual decrease in water from upstream have almost chocked the river down, said experts and locals.

The foundry and light engineering industries in Bogura are thriving amid various challenges but they now need more land, easy loans and technological support to position themselves for the next phase of growth and fight off cheap imports, entrepreneurs say.

Those growing up watching Bangladesh Television between the 70s and 90s will fondly remember one programme for daring to be different.

The Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogura, one of five purpose-built cricket grounds established in the lead-up to the 2004 Under-19 World Cup, has hardly been buzzing with cricketing activity as the venue has not hosted an international match since December 2006. It is only when first-class matches take place or some local programmes are held that some noise is heard from the venue.