Mannan Mashhur Zarif

Fifty years have now passed since that glorious day in December 1971 when we achieved victory after a battle for nine months.

When Honey Ryder rises from the waters in a daring costume with conch shells in her hands and a dagger by her side, the world took notice.

The impossible has happened. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp et al — social media, as we know it, was down for some six hours. And, we survived!

Galleri Kaya celebrates its 17th founding anniversary through a soon to be inaugurated exhibit at its Uttara premises beginning Friday, 8 October 2021. The eagerly anticipated annual event is set to exhibit some 72 artworks from 32 modern and contemporary artists. It will be an opportunity for connoisseurs and art lovers alike to experience works by some of the greatest names in the local art scene.

The days have turned hot and sultry; the nights and the mornings have cooled down. This year, autumn comes soaked in the dew of renewed optimism, albeit not without its dash of melancholia.

If there is one lesson that I can take from the COVID-19 situation, apart from appreciating good health, is my new learnt experience of being thrifty.

On 15 August, we mourn the loss of our founding father and charismatic leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. For most of us, he remains a figure larger than life we were not fortunate enough to have met or seen.

Desi Delicacies: Food Writing from Muslim South Asia (Pan Macmillan India, 2020) is a delightful anthology edited by Claire Chambers—no stranger to the lifestyle of Muslims.

I joined social networking platforms fresh out of university. In the mid-2000s it seemed like the most happening thing to do. Failing to reap the pleasures of poking, or keeping my pet puppy, Whiskey, healthy — I felt I was a miserable virtual socialite.

The lockdown-days of the coronavirus outbreak gave many a second chance to rediscover their inner fortes. While some resorted to taking up the pen or the painting brush, others looked deep into their recipe books and some honed their baking skills. Quite a few took the next, not necessarily the obvious, step!

Collecting memorabilia is not a recent phenomenon, but appreciation for such assortments have today garnered much interest among the general populace. Ever since the days of our freedom struggle, there has been individuals who have preserved historical artefacts related to the Liberation War for future generations.

Over the last two decades, Victory Day became a festivity of sorts for a lot of urban people. To cater to the growing demand, prominent fashion brands have been bringing out collections themed in red and green, and in the last few years, sales surrounding the day have consistently been high, industry insiders said.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit Bangladesh early in March, most industries got up and on their toes. Fearing bankruptcy, they scratched their heads and looked for a way out.

Her mother, the late Colonel Rokaiya Anis, was one of the most renowned gynaecologists in post-independence Bangladesh and a pioneering female gynaecologist in the Bangladesh Armed Forces.

Born in Rangpur and raised in a peaceful environment, nature did not touch her that way back then. She grew up in a family surrounded by brothers, and hardly ever enjoyed anything else other than a game of cricket or volleyball.

Being a Cardiac Surgeon, or being a doctor for that matter, was not his personal calling, rather much like a typical desi story, decided by the family patriarch. But even from his student life studying MBBS at Dhaka Medical College, he realised being a doctor was, in his capacity, a way to serve people.

Apart from being one of the most prominent modern painters of Bangladesh, it is common knowledge that Murtaja Baseer wore a hat with many feathers. He was not only an accomplished painter, noted novelist, and all in all, a socially conscious individual, but also a keen collector of coins, stamps, bank notes, and matchboxes.

Parisian fashion of the 1960s was witness to winds of change. And the world followed suit.

The English rain feels obligatory, like paperwork. It dampens already damp days and slicks the stones already smoothened by the ravages of a thousand seasons.

As cliched as it may sound, rainy-days have a special place in our hearts. For some, it’s the pitter patter of the rainfall, perhaps the picturesque cityscape visible through the open glass windows, or that earthy smell accompanying the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.