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...
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...
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....
Among foods that have survived and thrived through eons, potatoes are one of the top contenders. They are stem tubers of the plant Solanum tuberosum, which is a perennial plant in the Solanaceae family. They appear in various different shapes, colours and sizes. Boil...
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...
This is what one of my neighbors told me when she learned that I teach English Language. “Just because I was weak in English my English Language teacher just ruined my life and I never thought I could talk about it. Every day she made my life miserable to a point I...
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...
As a classic children’s English nursery rhyme, to which we all have grown up knowing ‘ Ring-A-Ring-A- Roses’ there’s more to the meaning than the fun we might have enjoyed whilst playing as a child. But how many of us actually know what is the history and meaning of...
Yin and yang (or yin-yang) is a complex relational concept in Chinese culture that has developed over thousands of years. The philosophy is at least 3,500 years old, discussed in the ninth-century BCE text known as I Ching or Book of Changes, and influences the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh is famous for its 18th century monuments build by the Nawabs of Awadh. Explore the story of an 18th century hidden heritage located in one of its dusty village of Maliabad Tehsil build by Raja Tikait Rai, the finance minister...
Pompeii is one of the world’s rarest phenomena. Unlike other historical sites, the age-old city seems petrified in time, much like a picture taken from the period when the city was alive. This is due to the ancient land being hidden under 13 to 20ft of volcanic debris...
The Dancing Girl is an uncommon and exceptional work of art created during the Indus Valley Civilisation about 4500 years ago. It is an ancient bronze statue, one of the mere two statues of its time where the figure portrayed has an easygoing posture unlike other...
Gautama Buddha is the man who holds the title of the Buddha, a Sanskrit word meaning “the one who is enlightened”. Gautama was born as Siddhartha Gautama in the 5th century B.C. in Lumbini, Nepal. His father, King Suddhodana, was the ruler of a small kingdom and upon...
Most European countries are recognized for their outstanding art and architecture. People from all around the world gather in countries like Italy, Germany, Spain, France to embrace the beauty of these fine arts. Whenever in Paris, France, a visit to the Eiffel Tower...
The journey of Islam from the Middle East to the land of India has remained to be one of the most remarkable turning points in world history. India has been a land well protected by its natural barriers with the Arabian Sea in the West, the Himalayas in the North and...