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BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Shamsad Mortuza

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Dr Shamsad Mortuza is the vice-chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

Cox’s Bazar Tourism Problems

Cox’s Bazar at the crossroads of beauty without design

18 April 2026, 11:00 AM
Nobody questions the potential of Cox’s Bazar. Clearly, it can compete with any of the top-class beaches elsewhere. For that, the administrators need to think beyond immediate, narrow interests. They need to plan access roads despite local pressures.
18 April 2026, 11:00 AM
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Blended learning in an energy crisis: Innovation or institutional amnesia?

11 April 2026, 08:00 AM
“My classroom has four ceiling fans, but if we are to attend online classes from home, we will need 50 fans.”
11 April 2026, 08:00 AM
Long_queues_ED_1.jpg

Austerity and the crisis of fuel, confidence and coordination

4 April 2026, 09:00 AM
Last week, while buying vegetables from an open market, I could not help feeling dissatisfied over the hiked price of every item. “It seems you are still in a moon-sighting mode,” I said, to which the seller responded nonchalantly, “What can I do?
4 April 2026, 09:00 AM
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The surcharge of Eid-time tragedies

28 March 2026, 08:00 AM
In Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot, a character with supposed authority intensifies the absurdity by quantifying emotion.
28 March 2026, 08:00 AM
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The unfinished promise to Bangladesh’s women

14 March 2026, 02:15 AM
Given the election results, one could assume that the female voters have registered a clear electoral message. They do not want to retreat into the margins of civic life. And why should they?
14 March 2026, 02:15 AM
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When our indifference breaks our children

7 March 2026, 01:16 AM
The posthumous Swadhinata Padak for Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher who died saving at least 20 students from the burning remains of Milestone School and College after it was hit by a fighter jet last year, brought back sad memories of losing children and teachers in a single tragic blow.
7 March 2026, 01:16 AM
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Depoliticise institutions, not ideas

28 February 2026, 01:06 AM
Not often do you hear a politician saying that “politicising education, research, and the practice of arts and literature is never a mark of a civilised society.”
28 February 2026, 01:06 AM
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What the scheduling fiasco of Ekushey book fair tells us

21 February 2026, 02:05 AM
Ekushey February (February 21) is a date that reminds the Bangladeshi people of their culture as well as their originary moments.
21 February 2026, 02:05 AM
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp

Heard words are worthy, those unheard are bitter

The creator of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, is probably the richest author in the world, with an estimated net worth of USD 1 billion. In one estimate, Rowling made USD 181 per minute or USD 4.37 per word in 2016-17.
3 June 2022, 18:00 PM
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Stuck in an endless loop of corruption and violence

While the better private universities have realigned their focuses on creating a "whole" education with a 360-degree perspective, the public system has reached the nadir from which students have a tunnel vision of becoming government cadres.
27 May 2022, 18:00 PM
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How to be a hypocrite: Courtesy of the West

When 12 members of Charlie Hebdo were shot dead for their alleged blasphemous depiction of Prophet Muhammad, the freedom-loving
22 May 2022, 18:00 PM
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Lost in Translation

Back in 2013, my wife’s job took her to Kunming, the capital province of Yunnan in China. Google translator back then was in its infancy, and the amount of
20 May 2022, 18:00 PM
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A two-stroke thrombosis

One marker for the oft-chanted prophecy of Bangladesh as the Asian Tiger can be explained through the rise and rise of motorcycles.
13 May 2022, 18:00 PM
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Blowing in the Media-wind

There’s a good chance your screen time increased significantly during this weeklong Eid break unless you are one of those reported one million outbound tourists who shored up in various travel destinations or one of those million others who journeyed within the country to visit your near and dear ones.
6 May 2022, 18:00 PM
selfish-giant.jpg

Puti Maach and the Selfish Giant

A small “puti” fish leaps out of the water and plops back in. Yes, even fish can contort muscles and use their fins in ingenious ways to glide, squiggle or somersault.
29 April 2022, 18:00 PM
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On the other side of a stray bullet

Is a call for justice a glorified cry for revenge? Is justice noble, while revenge unworthy?
15 April 2022, 18:00 PM
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Transitioning back to ‘normal’ learning

When a private university organised a flash mob and another one a concert to welcome back its students to campus post Covid shutdown, we looked at the safety protocol prepared for our campus in pity.
8 April 2022, 18:00 PM
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In a world dominated by images

The “Oscar Slap” has created a virtual cottage industry that profits from processing a particular on-stage action that took place during the 94th Academy Awards-giving gala on March 27.
1 April 2022, 18:00 PM
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Fragmented thoughts on Independence Day

When was the last time you looked at the face of the rickshaw-puller who gave you a ride? Or the guard who opened the door for you at a mall?
25 March 2022, 18:00 PM
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Do we need semesters?

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all its affiliates to implement the semester system by July 1.
11 March 2022, 18:00 PM
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Historic March 7: Setting a nation on the march

It is common for modern day leaders to use teleprompters, in which words are projected onto transparent beam-splitter mirrors, making their speeches appear impromptu and spontaneous.
6 March 2022, 18:00 PM
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Book Fair: An Affair to Remember

“The Book (Le Livre)” was an ambitious project of the 19th century French poet Stephane Mallarme.
4 March 2022, 18:00 PM
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Save us from the brunt of price hikes

There was a time, not long ago, when Bangla news editors would use the phrase “like the price of water” to connote the low cost of an item.
25 February 2022, 18:00 PM
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Farewell VC, Welcome CEO

A colleague teaching abroad recently called to ask, “What’s the minimum criteria for becoming a vice-chancellor in Bangladesh?
18 February 2022, 18:00 PM
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Want to save our nation’s future? Reopen schools.

Let’s admit it: the time for debate on school reopening is over. It’s time to stop treating education as an afterthought, as if it’s not a priority.
4 February 2022, 18:00 PM
students-of-sust.jpg

This week in black and white

The mystery of nine dead zebras over a period of three weeks at the Bangabandhu Safari Park in Gazipur has been solved. Experts identified bacterial infections and infighting during the mating season as the causes of death of those striped animals.
28 January 2022, 18:00 PM
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The chaos in SUST demands change in the system

Can the flapping of a butterfly’s wings here cause a storm elsewhere?
21 January 2022, 18:00 PM
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A case for our mental privacy

The thoughtfulness of my son-in-law in printing a personalised letter on a blanket as a paper-themed anniversary gift to my daughter enthralled me.
14 January 2022, 18:00 PM

Pagination

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