In the shifting mudflats and mangrove thickets of the Sundarbans, survival is a constant negotiation.

There was a time in Bangladesh when the family home was more than just a roof over one’s head—it was a living institution. Generations grew together under its shade, sharing meals, quarrels, stories, and responsibilities.

Behind the walls and the daily chaos lies a harsher reality for the marginalised communities living in Dhaka’s bursting slums.

In Gandaria, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Puran Dhaka, two unlikely legacies are fading together: a century-old herbal medicine company and the monkeys that once thrived in these streets.

The symbolism of the Tree Hospital is powerful. It shows that preserving the environment is not only about protecting forests far from human settlements

In the markets of North Bengal, the Rabidas community has long endured prejudice, their cobbler’s stools passed from one generation to the next.

When dusk falls over the countryside, a hush settles on the trees. Once, that silence would be broken by the soft “whoo-whoo” of a spotted owlet or the eerie call of a barn owl gliding above rice paddies. Now, the night feels strangely silent.

Once spread across several areas of Chunarughat, the Tripura people have now been reduced to just 24 families

It began with a question, the kind of question that arrives quietly, almost like a sigh.

Aung Rakhine, director of Mor Thengari (My Bicycle, 2015)—the first Chakma-language feature—shares his vision for portraying Bangladesh’s indigenous lives, as he prepares his next film, Mro, on the stories and beliefs of the Mro community.

In the critical moments of a medical emergency or sudden accident, the very service meant to save lives—the ambulance—often becomes another source of dismay.

At dawn, when Dhaka is just beginning to stir, thousands of rickshaw pullers set off on their daily grind.

Once, the rooftops, orchards, and gardens of Bangladesh stirred with the restless energy of squirrels.

The Daily Star (TDS): What do historical and literary sources reveal about the true origins of the Bede community?

Jackfruit remains a vastly underutilised resource in our food system.

The Daily Star (TDS): What inspired you to begin interviewing people living on the streets?

In the heart of Moulvibazar’s Sreemangal upazila, inside the Bormachhara Tea Garden, a language is quietly slipping into oblivion.

“September 21, 1945, that was the night I died.”

‘We are surviving by fighting the river’s current,’ said Morjina Khatun, 50, of Katmarchar village in Koyra upazila of Khulna district, wiping away tears. Morjina Begum’s struggle began after her husband Nurul Islam died in 2015. Natural hazards have made her struggle even more difficult.

The Daily Star (TDS): What is the current status of the Labour Reform Commission and its activities?