Sushanta Ghosh

Shakil (25) and Samta (22) are a gypsy couple. Together with their child and two more families, the gypsy troupe of 11 travel from one area to another, never staying in one place for long. Locally known as “Jajabars”, they earn their bread by collecting and selling valuable items lost in rivers, ponds, and canals.

Like the kingfisher dive-bombs into rivers to prey on small fish, these boys plunge into the Kirtankhola to collect stray watermelons every day of the season.

After a short-lived respite from mosquitoes and dengue, residents of different parts of Barishal are now again enduring the menace as the number of mosquitoes has been on the rise.

Usually, April is a busy month for Nantu Mia.

His Friday mornings are spent looking at the Kirtankhola river, sitting along Barishal Launch Ghat pontoon, waiting for launches to arrive, with a weariness on his face. The moment one arrives, he will hop on-board or wait near the exit to sell water bottles to passengers.

“Why can’t I become a freedom fighter? I, too, took training. If we die, we will die together,” Rama Das had saidto her fiancé in 1971.

Freedom fighter Kanchan Ali Sikder, now 90 years old, still teaches after retirement following a career spanning 60 years -- and plans to do so for the rest of his life.

Broccoli is gaining popularity as an alternative to the traditional vegetables the farmers in Barishal grow, as it is letting them take home comparatively higher returns.

The Kirtankhola river that flows through Barishal faces the grim prospect of becoming heavily polluted, locals and experts fear.

When Sophia, a life-like robot that can effortlessly talk to humans, visited Bangladesh and replied to any question thrown at her, people all around were blown away.

The national fish is typically not associated with winter, but this year, large hilsa fish are being netted from the rivers of Barishal, and wholesale markets of the district are buzzing.

As the world struggles with plastic pollution, self-taught artist Emilia Roy found a creative way of recycling the waste generated by the synthetic matter.

Poush Mela, a three-day winter event organised by Jatiya Robindra Sangeet Sammilon Parishad (JRSSP), Barisal branch, began at Jagadish Sarasswat Girl’s school and college, Barishal, recently.

Commemorating renowned sculptor Chitta Halder, a two-day exhibition recently concluded at Ashwini Kumar Hall, Barishal.

With the tagline, ‘Theatre develops a lifestyle of values’ the Sabdabali Drama Festival began in Barishal on December 26, 2019.

Maruf Hossain Nayan, a physician at Hemayet Uddin Ahmed Diabetic and General Hospital, was suffering from asthma and getting treatment at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital’s (SBMCH) ICU. Then, at one point on Tuesday, staffers found the last functioning ventilator of the unit not working anymore.

Traditional vegetable cultivation on floating beds sees a gradual increase in Banaripara upazila of Barishal.

The first autumnal art exhibition titled Sharodio, organised by Charukola, Barishal and Mritshilpi Sammelon O Sammanana, concluded recently at Ashwini Kumar Hall in Barishal. The exhibition displayed artworks by local aspiring artists.

The eleventh edition of a two-day traditional festival, in honour of clay artisans, concluded at Ashwini Kumar Hall in Barishal recently.

With Durga Puja just a few weeks away, artisans in Barishal are passing busy days to prepare idols for the biggest religious festival of the Bangalee Hindu community.