SM Sultan is one of the most legendary and one-of-a-kind figures of Bangladesh. SM Sultan, born as Sheikh Mohammed Sultan, was an exceptional artist, having had his artwork exhibited with world-renowned names like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, John Brack, and Paul Klee. His work has...
Zainul Abedin was a legendary painter, political activist and the most influential contributor to the establishment of modern arts in Bangladesh. His most notable works are his paintings of the Bengal famine of 1943-44 during the Second World War, when 3 million people died due to lack of...
While working out in the gym the other day I posed a question ‘if I should carry on my strength training workout with heavy weight during my period.’ Now the fact that I queried this to my male trainer raised quite a few eyebrows. I figure out every time how talking about period is a sin and a...
As stated by the United Nations in 2017, the worldwide population has risen by 1 billion within the last 12 years. Considering these stats, the population is set to grow over 9 billion by 2050. These increasing numbers will bring about various adverse changes, one of them being the escalating...
There is said to be an estimated 15,000 transgender people or “hijras”, as they’re called locally, in Bangladesh, although some sources say the count sits at 1.5 million. Transgender was established as a third gender by the Bangladeshi government in 2013 and the community was given the right to...
What Is the Stonehenge? The Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments and one of the biggest mysteries of its kind. The Stonehenge is an ancient, huge man-made circle of standing stones in Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It was built over hundreds of years. Work...
Giant Tortoises van only be found in two remote places in the world today - the Aldabra Atoll and Fregate Island in Seychelles and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. The Aldabra giant tortoise lives on the remote Aldabra Atoll one of the Seychelles group of islands in the Indian Occean. It is the...
As we live in a world that puts a lot of stock in outer appearances, the scope of body shaming is wide and can include shaming for being fat, dark, stout, too thin, and the list goes on. Last week when I went to meet my Dadi after months, the first sentence she uttered in her usual Sylheti dialect...
Child marriage, a deeply rooted social norm, provides glaring evidence of widespread gender inequality and discrimination. In communities where the practice is prevalent, marrying a girl as a child is part of a cluster of social norms and attitudes that reflect the low value accorded to the human...
Bangladeshi filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain’s third movie ‘Made in Bangladesh’ has hit the headlines as it has been officially invited to compete for the 78th Golden Globe award, for the best foreign film category. This 2019 movie got premiered in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2019...
Andarkilla Shahi Jame Masjid. In a period of twelve months of the conquest (1667 CE) of Chatgaon Buzurg Umed Khan began constructing the masjid on the highest point of a cliff in the regions of the vanquished stronghold following the command of Nawab Amir al-Umara. It portrays a common three dome...
Rockstrata is undoubtedly the pioneer of Bangladeshi heavy metal music. This image probably taken in the late 1980s captures (from the left): Arshad Amin (Bass), Mainul Islam (Guitar), Shoaib Rahman (Vocals), Imran Hussain (Guitar). The drummer Mahbubur Rashid is not seen in this picture because...
This photo is 66 years old, portraying a typical street-side tea stall in Dhaka. Notice a couple of 'Murir tins' (puffed rice containers) are kept as snacks. The primary characteristic of the tea stall in Dhaka has not changed much since. Some of these tea stalls are seen on elevated semi-enclosed...
A fine day in front of the Architecture building at BUET was captured in the early 1980s. This architectural icon designed by Prof. Richard Vrooman (first Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning) symbolises the blending of our climatic characteristics and cultural milieu. BUET has other...
Warfaze, a pioneering Bangladeshi heavy metal music band along with Rockstrata, is performing at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka Hotel in 1988. The band was incepted by Ibrahim Kamal in 1984. The initial lineup was: Kamal on bass, Helal on drums, Mir and Naimul on guitars, and Bappi on vocals. This...
A 'Boot-polish' stand is seen on the footpath of Dhaka, probably in the 1960s. Shoe-shiner or boot-polisher is an occupation in which a person buffs shoes, applies wax, and then polishes them with a brush or a piece of cloth to give the shoes a shiny appearance. Most of them do polishing with a...
Some people don't believe in heroes but they haven't met my Father. Every time I think of this extraordinarily simple man, my heart fills with pride. He was unlike anyone else; very different from everyone in his family and time. It was difficult to understand him most times; he was an enigma in...
About 2000 years ago from now, the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, the ruins of which now collectively a world heritage site, were left devastated by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius by destroying its infrastructure and flash-heating its people to death. To this day,...
Nefertiti is a name well known in Egyptian mythology or civilization. She is an Egyptian queen known for her beauty, and she ruled alongside her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband became renowned for their social reform. Instead of believing in many gods and goddesses like the...
The Mongolian Empire is remembered for their barbaric conquests, and for the power of their great leaders, who succeeded to spread the empire to many continents. The Mongolians took their fighting to another level. By the age of 2, boys were trained to ride on horseback and archery. They fought...
Isn't this image too familiar to some of us? The red train, the typical posture of many through train-windows like this gentleman, and slow-pace negotiations with hawkers were the typical scenarios at Dhaka Kamalapur Rail Station 30-40 years ago. There was always an urge to reach an acceptable...
This image shows a street-play (potho nattay) called 'Kheypa Paglar Paychal' in front of Rokeya Hall probably in 1981. The main character was played by our renowned cinematographer and filmmaker Kawsar Chowdhury (e.g., 'সেই রাতের কথা বলতে এসেছি'). This picture represents a segment of the...
With this single image captured in Mogh Bazar, Dhaka (1986), our legendary photographer and cinematographer Late Anwar Hossain painted a picture of typical middle-class families in Dhaka in the 1980s. The mother is probably sorting rice with a 'kula' before cooking, and at the same time, she is...
SiS Fun Facts
A ‘Mela’ in Dhaka (1960) captured by extraordinaire photographer and scientist late Dr. Nowajesh Ahmed. A mela is a wonderful melting pot for all types of people, their culture, and tradition. Its characteristics and objectives are identical regardless of whether it is an Eid-Mela, Puja-Mela, or...
The Forgotten Women of 1857 Not just Begum Hazrat Mahal and Rani Lakshmibai but dozens of women participated in active fighting against the British. Their stories are largely unrecorded. History of Azizun Bai Azizun Bai left an excellent impact upon Indian History. Her story has inspired many...
Almost 47 years ago, on August 11, 1972, the movie 'Ora Egaro Jon' was released in Dhaka. It was the first film shot and released in Bangladesh after the liberation war in 1971. The intriguing narrative of this movie mainly revolves around eleven freedom fighters and their real stories. The...
Maya Angelou once said, "Everything in the universe has rhythm, everything dances" As true as this saying is, not everyone has the potential to pick up these rhythms; be it the melody of flowing water or the sad tunes of gloomy moonlight. One's music resonates with the environment they belong to...
When we talk about the 17th century, the name that springs up the most is that of Mir Jumla. A survivor and great tactician, Mir Jumla's story is one that deserves attention and great respect. Mir Jumla is the word for us when describing someone who started off from humble beginnings and climbed...
The inner workings of politics, treacherous mind games and vile layers of masks people wear to benefit themselves trace back to time of the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, paving the way for regional states. In the contest for supremacy, the English emerged 'victors'. But if we take a closer...
In the current world, women empowerment has led to the recognition of many female high achievers. Women these days are in no way behind their male counterparts, and these capabilities of women are now brought to light more than even a decade or two ago. Their performance was always present in...
When the word "empire" comes into our minds, there are not many we can think of without eventually coming to the Mughal Empire. Thought to be the greatest empire of all time, The Mughal Empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest,...
We often hear of the famous Princess Jahanara and Princess Roshanara, but not much is known about a Princess, who true to her pen name, Makhfi, has been concealed from the public eye. This princess was unique in many ways. While most Mughal queens and princesses receded into history, she is one of...
From the very beginning, women in the Mughal era had a profound influence on the men they birthed, loved, protected and advised because of who they were, what they did and how they lived out their ambitions and aspirations. Typically, our knowledge of Mughal queens is restricted to Mumtaz Mahal,...