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Shamsad Mortuza

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Dr Shamsad Mortuza is a professor of English at Dhaka University, and former pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

Students_block_Dhaka_roads.jpg

Is public sympathy for street protests fading?

Students need to read the public pulse.
17 January 2026, 09:00 AM
17 January 2026, 09:00 AM
STAR_OPINION.jpg

The day cricket needed a therapist

Fizz is a case study. When Mustafizur Rahman, a.k.a. Fizz, the unassuming fast bowler with deceptive slow cutters, was auctioned for Rs 9.2 crore, Bangladeshi media once again started paying attention to the Indian Premier League.
10 January 2026, 09:00 AM
10 January 2026, 09:00 AM
ED 1- Why women are visible but not electable_c69a_1.jpg

Why does a gender wall still exist within our major political parties?

The vigorous presence of women in the past pro-democracy movements proved that many of the women leaders are parliament-ready.
3 January 2026, 03:00 AM
3 January 2026, 03:00 AM
op_1.jpg

Election is not the real story, what counts is how it is conducted

By now, we all know that February 12 is election day, and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s return after 17 years in exile has added December 25 as another date to remember.
27 December 2025, 05:00 AM
27 December 2025, 05:00 AM
OP 1 - How Dhaka airport turned into a game of Ludo_0398.jpg

How Dhaka airport has turned into a game of Ludo

Dhaka airport's Terminal-3, which had a soft launch in October 2023, has completed 99 percent of its construction, according to reports.
13 December 2025, 04:00 AM
13 December 2025, 04:00 AM
ED 1 - Primary school teachers strike Bangladeshs crisis in miniature.jpg

Primary teachers’ strike is a mirror held up to Bangladesh

The assistant teachers of 65,000-plus government primary schools have been pressing for a three-point demand.
6 December 2025, 02:00 AM
6 December 2025, 02:00 AM
ED 1 - The birth pang of a university_3967.jpg

The birth pang of a university

DCU must move beyond colonial-era templates for public universities.
29 November 2025, 02:00 AM
29 November 2025, 02:00 AM
ED 1 - When winter forgets to visit.jpg

Our winter is fading, but the world remains indifferent

Climate scientists warn of a time when winter will vanish from our season cycle by 2100.
22 November 2025, 03:00 AM
22 November 2025, 03:00 AM
op_2_student_anti_quota_movement_amran_hossain_16082024_b35c_sbs.jpg

Universities must prepare for the transition of students

While talking to our students, it was obvious that many of them are experiencing severe stress.
17 August 2024, 04:00 AM
8124ed_1_bangla_spring_reuters_09082024_c3b7_sbs.jpg

The power of education in ‘Bangla Bashanta'

Identity and ideology politics also played an essential role in brewing the Bangla Bashanta.
10 August 2024, 06:24 AM
Students in quota reform movement

The lives of fallen students must inspire the change we need

Reconciliation cannot occur without truth-telling, accountability, and a commitment to dismantling the structures of violence that perpetuate inequality and injustice.
3 August 2024, 02:00 AM
op_1_-_quota_reform_protests_-_anisur_rahman.jpg

A generation's fight in the shadows of quota

The movement was no longer about quotas; it was about justice.
27 July 2024, 04:00 AM
d36ced_1_brain_drain_zarif_faiaz_12072024_5fa3_sbs.jpg

Why are highly educated people choosing blue-collar jobs abroad?

Seeing our PhD holders choose menial jobs over research and innovation highlights a flaw in our educational policy.
13 July 2024, 02:00 AM
f47abanglaiboishommanai_05072024_7336_sct.jpg

Pension wars and quota protests: The manufactured divide

Polarisation, rife with mutual fear and rage, is on the rise. Something dark and sinister is occurring.
5 July 2024, 09:34 AM
b353op_2_julian_assange_reuters_28062024_ad60_sbs_1.jpg

Breaking chains through whistleblowing

Why does it matter for us when a foreign individual is free after such a long time?
29 June 2024, 04:00 AM
begums-blunder-1.jpg

‘Begum’s Blunder’ shines in Wilde splendour

Begum’s Blunder is a clever adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan. The play transports the Victorian setting to the imaginary Behrampur, the heyday of the Nawabs in India. With Naila Azad Nupur’s direction, and Sadaf Saaz working her behind-the-scenes magic as the producer, the production by Kaleidoscope projects lights on the prism of Wilde’s 1892 play to find their contemporary refractions and reflections in colonial India.
26 June 2024, 18:00 PM
A monologue on the beasts among us

A monologue on the beasts among us

As I stand before the heap of fresh meat, my thoughts turn to the slain politician who was hacked to death
22 June 2024, 04:00 AM
PhD in private universities

P for Private, P for PhD

The UGC's decision to allow private universities to offer PhD programmes is a timely move.
15 June 2024, 04:00 AM
University rankings

Our love-hate relationship with university rankings

A prestigious ranking system naming Dhaka University as the top university in Bangladesh makes us revisit that love-hate stance.
8 June 2024, 02:08 AM
Rafah bombing May 2024

Spare us the hypocrisy

Moral policing by the West, when its own hypocrisy comes out through its actions controvening international law, one cannot help feeling bemused.
2 June 2024, 04:00 AM
op_2_prabir_das_24052024_c2dd_sbs.jpg

Dhaka’s transport turmoil

Dhaka is the world's rickshaw capital
25 May 2024, 06:00 AM
Aurora boraelis in UK 2024

The aurora enigma: Science and myths

The interplay between myths and scientific explanations of auroras illustrates human being’s capacity to find meaning in the natural world.
18 May 2024, 05:00 AM
Pupose of a university

A slice of the university pie

The utilitarian value of a university must reflect the institution's inherent value.
11 May 2024, 02:00 AM
corruption.jpg

One, two, three of social deceptions

What people like Milton Samaddar and Tipu Kibria show us about society.
4 May 2024, 04:54 AM
e3bbed_1_us_university_protests_reuters_26042024_f4b6_sbs.jpg

The pitfalls of neutrality

The heavy-handedness led students in Atlanta to shout, "Stop Cop City."
27 April 2024, 03:00 AM
ed_1_palash_khan_file_19042024_d195_sbs_1.jpg

Kafkaesque realities of traffic rule enforcement

The problem lies in the lack of clarity regarding the type of speed cameras installed and their operational status.
19 April 2024, 14:00 PM
Chaitra Sankranti: How do we detox our social body?

Chaitra Sankranti: How do we detox our social body?

Gang culture, partisan politics, and hapless youth cannot be part of the algorithm needed for a Smart Bangladesh.
16 April 2024, 00:00 AM
Income tax on private universities in Bangladesh

Tax on private universities: Must we make education more costly?

This move seems to be a punishment for non-profit educational ventures that aim to enhance our higher education landscape.
5 April 2024, 15:30 PM

Pagination

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