Incidents of sexual harassment and our inadequate laws

In recent months, the streets and public transports have become increasingly unsafe, with women facing escalating levels of harassment, intimidation, and verbal abuse. What was once an unspoken daily struggle has now intensified, with more aggressive tactics being employed by the perpetrators. In some instances, the harassment has taken the form of physical violence, with social media flooding with statements of women experiencing harassments, assaults, and abuse.
10 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Nawab Faizunnesa was here

The Dhaka-Cumilla bus tickets are Tk 250 for non-AC, Tk 350 for AC, and Tk 400 for AC VIP. Window seats must be negotiated on the spot. The journey takes three to six hours, past the old capital of Sonargaon, where the moisture in the air inspired the muslin, across the Gomati river and into Cumilla town on the Tropic of Cancer.
9 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Six Edgar Allan Poe short stories to haunt your spooky season

Feeling guilty about something? After reading this story, you might think you feel guilty, but you'll never be quite sure if it's guilt or if your heart is just going to explode from sheer terror.
9 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Internet outage and freedom of expression

In 2012, a resolution of the United Nations human rights organisation (UNHRC) states, “the rights that people have offline must also be protected online, especially with regard to freedom of expression.” Later in 2016, the UNHRC condemned all measures that prevent the use of the Internet as a violation of human rights.
26 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Time to sign the Refugee Convention

In 1905, almost 46 years before the birth of the ‘Convention relating to the Status of Refugees’, commonly known as the 1951 Refugee Convention, Begum Rokeya, one of the pioneer feminist writers and scholars of Bengal talked about the ‘Principle of non-refoulement’ in her story Sultana’s Dream.
26 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Unlawful detention: A betrayal of human dignity and the rule of law

We are all familiar with Article 27 of our Constitution which states that it ensures equality before the law and equal protection of law. But when law enforcement authorities make unlawful detention or arrests in society, can we consider that we all enjoy the protection of law? Let us explore the law to find answer to this question.
26 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Agonies of the downtrodden

Anasru Ishwar written by Kazi Labonno is an impressive work of fiction, shedding light on the deepest gloom pervading the remotest corner of society.
25 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Falling through the cracks of the ‘normal’

There is something to be said about the innate process of otherising a person with disability, and pushing them out of the group of the ‘norm’ and into the group of the ‘exception’.
25 September 2024, 18:00 PM

The luckless president & an American icon !

As I was completing my undergraduate program in USA, the American Presidential election of 1976 came up.
22 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Books on wheels

Whether you’re planning your next trip or just dreaming with a wanderlust of far-off places, these travel book recommendations by our readers will take you on unforgettable journeys—one page at a time. From classic travelogues to the best epistolary novels, here are six essential books that will fuel your passion for adventure.
19 September 2024, 18:00 PM

The boundless possibilities of books

Books are often staple travel companions. But as the reader leafs through its pages, they are blanketed by the warmth of its faint-yet-familiar scent, and submerged into a linguistic hinterland hiding infinite possibilities. As pages and letters metamorphose into a world unfettered by human limitations, books become much more than mere companions we literally travel with. Rather, they are transfigured into vehicles through which we embark on a more figurative journey—one of the intellect and the imagination.
19 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Abdullah: The novel that pioneered a new era in Bengali literature

Kazi Imdadul Huq’s novel Abdullah, written nearly a century ago, is regarded as one of the first modern novels by a Bengali Muslim writer. Initially known for his poetry and children’s literature, Huq transitioned into a notable prose writer, offering profound insights into history, culture, and society. Abdullah was his only novel, published posthumously, and it has since become a milestone in Bengali literature, earning enduring acclaim from readers.
15 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Rethinking the Bangladesh-India water politics

To strike an equitable water-share mechanism between Bangladesh and India, the Joint Rivers Commission was formed in 1972, and the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was approved in 1996, establishing a structure for collaboration between governments.
12 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Biosecurity Laws and infectious diseases

Infectious disease outbreaks have been a recurring theme in human history. The new variant of the bird flu (H5N1), facilitated by a minor change in its DNA, infecting bird species, and even humans leading to one death in Mexico.
12 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Accession to the Enforced Disappearance Convention Ending Impunity?

In recent years, enforced disappearance has emerged as a grave concern in Bangladesh because many such incidents have gone unpunished in the absence of any law to criminalise it.
12 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Balancing the act of oneness and being one with oneself

Kiriti Sengupta is an award-winning poet, translator, editor, and publisher based in New Delhi, India. Oneness is his latest collection of poems. The seemingly unassuming thin volume does not prepare readers for the multi-sensory experience that is in store for them as they open the book. Even before one’s mind and eyes get used to reading, the poet jolts readers as he writes “I rived my eyes / for inditing poems. / Would you reckon them / by their length?” 
11 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Mermaids are real: A story of the Haenyeo

Dear readers. I want you to do something with me. Take three long breaths—as deep as you can. Now hold it for two minutes! How long did you hold? I only survived one minute and 23 seconds. And I’m used to spending time in the water.
11 September 2024, 18:00 PM

The state of mob justice in Bangladesh

Mob justice, also known as vigilante justice, involves a group of people taking the law into their own hands, meting out punishment through violence.
5 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Electoral inclusion of Persons with Disabilities

According to the National Survey on Persons with Disabilities (NSPD) 2021 by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the percentage of disability is higher among adult people than among children in Bangladesh.
5 September 2024, 18:00 PM

A case against Article 7B of our Constitution

The Constitution of Bangladesh is the highest law of the land. As stated in the preamble and Article 7, our Constitution has been framed to uphold the “solemn expression of the will of the people”.
5 September 2024, 18:00 PM