A journey through the waters of ancient Dhaka The 27th Vice Chancellor of the Dhaka University, Dr AAMS Arefin looked visibly disturbed. The BIWTA pontoon on which Dr Arefin, distinguished guests and scores of journalists stood at Badamtoli on September 19, was far from pleasant. The 62-year old intellectual’s annoyance was, in fact, triggered by […]
Ganesh has one of the strangest ways of making a living. He traps gangetic mud eels, locally known as Kuicha. As he walks along the city’s peripheral villages, his eyes are fixed on the shallow fresh water along the roads. He occasionally wades into the water knowing exactly where he is going and picks up […]
Vakurta, a village hardly 30 minutes away from the center of the capital, makes itself proud. The entire village is home to one of the largest hubs of traditional jewelry makers in the south Asian region. Some of the finest artisans in the trade, about 50,000 men, women and children carve out traditional jewelries out […]
The verdure of southern Bangladesh is simply breathtaking. Trees and bushes densely surround almost every household in the villages of Barisal, Pirojpur and Jhalakathi. This vegetation not only ensures privacy for the otherwise conservative homes but also creates a solid cyclone barrier. As you travel through this region, you can feel the oxygenated fragrance in […]
Polythene bags are here to stay, no matter what! Faced with an imminent environmental disaster, the government in January 2002 banned the use of polythene bags in Dhaka and eventually enforced it elsewhere in the country. The move immediately brought applause from the environmentalists and residents but it was claimed that it cost more than 18,000 […]
The story of a landless mother receiving her dream home in Kawkhali Successive governments named the same scheme separately and took great pride in publicizing its achievements. The scheme deals with one of the most sought after commodities in Bangladesh- the right to a home and a piece of land for the landless peasants. The […]
If anyone votes “yes” to coal based power plant, please ask the Americans. With over 500 coal based power plants dotted around the USA today, each American goes to bed every day with the guilt of being the largest polluter of this planet. For America it had all started very early 20th century. Cursed by […]
At a village in Barisal, located in the south of Bangladesh, a 25-year old sturdy looking man, Bipul, and his best friend, Riad, had been regularly engaging in phone conversations with girls and trying to get lucky in lust calls. But charming Bipul always wanted to seek the thrill of love and ached to fill that […]
Nearly six years on, PM’s pledge remains unfulfilled In the afternoon of December 29, 2009, about 150 traditional boatmen from the Basila-Washpur ghat formed a spectacular column with their boats in the river Buriganga and waited under the just completed Shaheed Budhijibi Bridge there. On the eastern side of the bridge, amid tight security, several […]
Sub-regional co-operation may be hitting new heights in the coming months. Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan look set to sign a deal, which could see unrestricted movement of vehicles between the countries within the end of the year. If implemented, the historic move would resemble something similar to traveling in the countries within the European […]
