The post Rana Plaza period is often seen as a turning point for labour organising in the garment sector, given critical amendments to the labour law, implementation of the Accord and Alliance, as well as the increased scrutiny of international pressure from buyers and others.

Before the opening of the Second World Congress of the Communist International (July 19-August 7, 1920) [which met on the first day in Petrograd but subsequently in Moscow], Lenin prepared a draft thesis on the national and colonial question. M. N. Roy, a young Bengali attending his first international Communist gathering, eagerly responded to Lenin’s request for criticisms.

Alongside playing an active role in the independence movement, the Communist Party had begun working on organising labourers, farmers and other workers in then East Bengal since 1937-38. Here we are talking about the Party’s activities among the labourersin East Bengal.

Bangladesh is a workers’ land. More than seven million people are working here as manufacturing workers, nearly nine million in hotels and tea shops, more than four million in transport, two million in construction and more than 20 million women and men are actively engaged in agriculture.

When the famine reached a tipping point, broken bits of grains (khud) were allocated for the workers from the railway ration shop. It was a farce: railway workers, now in a new country, found themselves relegated to chickens.

Tajul Islam, former leader of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, joined the Adamjee Jute Mills as a general employee after completing his graduation from the Economics department at Dhaka University.

Last week’s Shutterstories “Shumi” has stuck with me. What a miserable life she has! 24 hours a day, seven days a week, she goes on working with no holidays or free time of her own.

I wanted to reach out in response to your well written essay illustrating the influence of Persian on the Bengali language.

On a recent visit to the camps, a young Rohingya boy, who proudly wore a bright blue UNICEF backpack, took us to his school.

What does it mean for the people when a country is put in fear and terror, a country that already has a whole history of violent experiences behind it?

The honour bestowed on us by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in late 2018, when we jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize, comes with tremendous responsibility.

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.”

If you are familiar with Game of Thrones fan theories, you might have heard one that suspects Jaime Lannister is Azor Ahai, a King Arthur-like figure who will rise up to save humanity.

“Don’t let strangers touch you.” And yet it is seldom strangers, I learned long before I was a teenager, who do you harm.

Often during holidays, I am torn between my desire to travel far and wide and go back to the comforts of my home and family in Bangladesh.

Many may know Shibu Kumer Shill as the lead singer of Meghdol, a popular soft rock band; some may know of him as a book cover artist who skillfully merges the contemporary with the traditional.

This is the digital era and we all have personal information online. But is this safe?

Helal left his motherland to change his ill fate but ended up suffering cruel realities on his journey.

When the Accord and Alliance signed on different brands from all over the world after the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, they pledged that the factories that these brands will do business with will ensure safe working conditions for the workers.

Rana Plaza Survivors - 6 years on