Nilima Jahan

The ghastly fire at the Churihatta intersection in Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area leaves some with the last moments of their lives in agony, while others are left with a horrific memory that will haunt them forever.

When women find solace, support and strength in each other through Facebook groups

Fifty-year-old rickshaw puller Rafique Miah was struggling hard to peddle his rickshaw on the uneven roads of Mirpur. Looking exhausted, bearing testimony of his daylong hard labour, sweat trickled down his face on a winter evening in January. Still, he was doing his best to move forward, all the while wiping his brow with his torn gamcha (towel).

Do you remember the 13-year-old girl from Ullahpara, Sirajganj, who was gang-raped by members of the then ruling party after the 2001 election? Do you remember her portrait that was published in almost all newspapers, where she was hiding her face in her hands? Or that title 'Aami ekhon mukh dekhabo ki kore (how will I show my face to society now)?'

A small but growing number of female riders are making an impact in ridesharing services as well as making a living

Siddiquatul Haque, a former employee of the Bangladesh Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh) Limited, had to resign from her high paying job because she didn't have anyone to take care of her firstborn.

During the Dhaka City Mayoral elections of 2015, Samakal's senior reporter, Amitosh Paul, was assigned to cover the polling booth at the Uttara Girls High School Centre. Inside, he noticed a group of men—belonging to the ruling party—misguiding a section of the voters.

The recent cases of suicide in educational institutes this year—nine cases of suicide at University of Dhaka (DU) and one at a residential complex of a private university—has opened a can of worms, exposing how poorly the mental health condition of Bangladesh's youngsters are dealt with.

Like other remote villages in Bangladesh, in Barapushia, a small village in Gazipur, having your period is something to be kept a secret.

For 20-year-old housewife Ripa, it was a usual weekend morning. Her one-year-old daughter Ayesha had woken her up at around 7 am and was repeatedly pointing to the window, wanting to go outside.

For Manik Chandra Saha, work always came first. It's not as though he never spent any time with his family, but there were few things that got the veteran journalist more excited than the possibility of a scoop. Unfortunately, that pursuit paved the way for his death.

In a world of expensive rentals and shared housing, where bachelors are often treated as troublemakers by landlords, the Sarder Colony of south Kamlapur has become a sanctuary for such people.

The news of losing his waiter gig struck 35-year-old Nesar Ali like a bolt. Nesar, who had never taken a day off in his four years at the restaurant, took seven days' leave from his owner for his sister's wedding back in the village.

Fifty-four-year-old Md Belal Hossain works at a small bakery in Ibrahimpur, Mirpur. He has learnt only one trade in his life—making bread, biscuits, cakes, and confectionery items on the dirty floors of grim bakeries.

“When my husband stopped talking to me, all the responsibility of my treatment fell on my elderly father, who is a farmer. He had to sell off our land, three cows and trees to fund my treatment”

When you think of starting a business in Bangladesh, you almost immediately think of exploring your options in the garments sector. You might even take the risk of venturing into the food business or any other 'tested and tried' sector that is bound to give an instant reward.

Rahima Khatun tries to cross the busy Mirpur 10 circle, with her four-year-old daughter in her arms. She waits for a while and when the traffic slows down, she runs across the road.

School and college student protesters have returned to the classroom already but their hearts remain on the streets. Meanwhile, allegations have arisen that some institutions are penalising students for their participation in the student movement that sprung up spontaneously for safer roads.

18-year-old Faisal Mahmud, a student of class XII, was injured when a truck ran over him near Shanir Akhra on August 1, while he and his friends were checking the licences of vehicles on that road.

Remember the time in school when you were asked what you wanted to become once you grew up? And remember how everyone talked about either becoming a doctor or an engineer?