An old dented jolly tin box, a lock of hair, a torn sari anchal, a tiny note from a mother to her son in a hostel, and a copper half pice Victorian Indian coin from the 1900s; that's the closest I got to my grandmother while cleaning my father's almirah.

Most rational human beings like to hedge our bets, minimise risks, whatever you call it. In my usually hare-brained shopping, I do like to check for the expiry dates on the juice packs and such, and the “actual” sale that the markets offer, whenever I remember to.

It's amazing how the clothes we wear, so seemingly utilitarian and mundane, has superpowers. Now, before getting told off for a dramatic choice of word, allow me to elaborate —

Formal events are the best places for experimentation. It is true, at least in this part of the world, when it comes to men and formal wear, the only forms of jewellery men are seen wearing is a ring or watch, and maybe cufflinks once in a while.

For Bangladesh, the challenge is to focus more on the practical side rather than aesthetical perspective. More often than not, aesthetics is applauded, while functionality is set aside.

Our identity is our truth. But the search for one's identity is anything but easy. It's because identity itself is not as straightforward a

“When they sell, copper turns to gold but when we do, that very same gold becomes dust…”

The cuckoo's call is ushering Spring, our favourite season. Once again, the premises of Charukola will fill with activities; cheerful women with garlands around their necks and gerbera blooms neatly tucked behind their ears will become a common sight.

I was introduced to Jibanananda in 1999. In December of the penultimate year of the last millennium, I became 18; Jibanananda Das had just turned 100 in February.

Melody is part of the Bangladeshi DNA, and no melody is complete without an instrument to go with it. Words often do not need a place as the sound of the bamboo flute mingles into the moonlight.

A peacock blue katan with paisley motifs, a blushing girl in her pony tails, and a black teep —that about sums up one of my favourite

In today's world, urbanisation is an inescapable reality. In fact, for the first time in history, more than half the world population lives in urban areas.

Just over a decade ago, in 2008, almost half of the world's total population used to live in urban areas. This phenomenon has continued and is expected to gain further momentum in future.

If you look hard at a map of Dhaka city, you may notice a striking similarity with the side profile of a human face. The more you focus, the more you will notice that Uttara resembles the forehead, Mirpur resembles the eyes, Tongi resembles the scalp, Gabtoli resembles the nose, Motijheel resembles the mouth and Keraniganj resembles the throat.

Imagine yourself as an international tourist who just arrived in Dhaka to explore a quintessential city of the Global South. You checked into your hotel somewhere in Banani.

The word “city” comes from the Latin root “civis/civitas”, meaning citizen/citizenship. The expressions “civil/civic/civilisation” owe their pedigree to this Latin origin. Eventually, it came to correspond with the French “urbs”, meaning city in a more physical sense.

Seas have always been instrumental in defining the destiny of the world, be it as a means of transportation or as trade routes or as a hub of resources.

When we were students, we hated red tapism—we spoke and wrote against it and vowed to change it in the future. But after being recruited into government service, we forgot our old promise, or dared not to talk about it.

In a recent podcast interview, renowned particle physicist Brian Cox said that the scientific community was generally of the consensus that the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the recent breakthroughs in automation technology are likely to replace millions of workers around the world, primarily in jobs that do not require a high degree of skill.

It is quite impossible to ignore the presence of the Internet and its related electronic devices in our day to day life. The age of Internet users is as young as 3 years old. At present, nearly all toddlers have their allocated media time consisting of a few minutes or hours with mobile phones or tabs every day. T