Rubana Huq

My husband's death was one of impeccable timing. With the many programmes that he anchored, he knew how to spot climax, maximise on love and then suddenly one fine morning, he would just decide to end the season. That is how Annisul Huq decided on his last bow and left the audience in awe.

Shirin has been with us for 12 years, Mahmuda for nine, Rakib for six. The number of workers who have worked for us in one particular factory for over 10 years is massive. Most live in Khilkhet, where we have one of our factories.

As my husband is strapped to his own world, disconnected from workplace clatter, the fresh cha, the noise, the arguments, the stress, the pride, the remorse, the sense of failure and momentary ease, I find myself wondering whether life is a worthy price to pay for passion. To me, the answer is “yes”.

A critical examination of our trade balance with Japan brings in a few interesting statistics. While the Japanese import of apparel had shrunk to JPY 2,910 billion in 2016, Bangladesh remained amongst the top four exporting countries.

These days, one has to keep all the “right” answers ready for questions one has no answers to.

When I hear hardened words from trade union leaders, instead of critiquing, I try and reason, and pose a critical question to myself and most of my more self-aware colleagues: Do they sound the way they sound because of their years of dissatisfaction or disappointment? Perhaps.

Like me, many haven't lost faith in adult education yet. In fact, I just read about a 74-year old PhD scholar. The oldest doctoral graduate of Sichuan University conducted his doctoral dissertation defence at the age of 74.

Early morning tweets are something I wake up to and they form the structure of my day. Most news items shape the next 16 hours.

Too many leaks are happening these days. White House staffers have been leaking information.

I am so glad that children of powerful people are not being able to get away with rape.”

Very often, we walk away from our losses and just expect to recover. Well, we don't. Memories last forever, especially if they are torturous in nature and form. The best way is to work around the pain and address it the way we ought to.

A South Asian woman is often subjected to innumerable rituals. In Bangladesh, for the majority of the population, if a baby girl is born, the Azaan (call for prayer) is quietly whispered into her ears.

The tale of the three million female workers in the readymade garment industry is an unbeatable narrative of toil and survival.

There was a time when the film industry in the subcontinent used Indo-Pak plots to create pre-film-release-tension-teasers to attract more audience.

It's time to start a #SheForShe movement. Unless women just stop expecting men to help them realign their statuses, then victory for women will always remain elusive. The only way is to help each other out, increase mentorship programmes and impact each other's lives.

We are proud. They want laptops to work on. This is what Sathy and Rokeya have written to me. Both are now studying at the Asian University for Women situated in Chittagong and are having the time of their lives.

By habit, I shake the morning newspapers violently every morning. This way, I shake redundance off the pages.

Luckily we don't live in the United States of America. Luckily we don't have to take to the streets to protest the executive orders of the president.

Three hundred and sixty nine billion people, who constitute the poorest 50 percent own USD 426 billion.

This year, many of us read about 'listening hairbrushes' taking control of our split ends, toothbrushes filming the inside of our mouths, beds reacting to a person's sleeping position, cars learning from the brains of drivers, like the Concept-i car by Toyota, which, with an advanced artificial intelligence system, can act as a faithful dog or a pining boyfriend.