The indigenous communities of the plains of Bangladesh, including those in the tea gardens, are excluded and marginalised for their identity, occupations, casteism, culture, geographical locations, and various other reasons.

Mario Palma, an eminent art critic (author of L’arte che non dorme) and till recently, the Italian ambassador in Bangladesh, wrote in his Tales of an Art Lover—“In my humble opinion, Sultan is the greatest interpreter of the soil and spirit of Bangladesh… The figures of Sultan are truly fascinating and unique in the contemporary art scene.”

It reflects on the civilisational power of Lord Rama in this ancient land that Independent India’s five prime ministers involved themselves in the affairs of his birthplace at Ayodhya: Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Narendra Modi and, tangentially, V.P. Singh in between.

As we witnessed the global crisis of the coronavirus pandemic hit Bangladesh at the end of March 2020, we became anxious about the impact it would have on the indigenous peoples of the country, who were already struggling with longstanding issues related to their socioeconomic, political and cultural rights.

Some days ago, I met a businessman who was contemplating making some fixed deposits. Every time he heard what the existing interest rate was, he became perplexed. He explained in a subdued voice that he helps his village orphanage with the fund and could not compromise with the rate of profit.

“All people must die. The human body must come to an end in one way or another; if mine ends following its natural course, where’s the harm in it? What’s the point of tearing it to shreds? It is better to return this body intact to Him.”

This month marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when humanity learned of the devastation a single nuclear bomb can unleash.

It’s been two months since 22-year-old Champa (not her real name) went missing. One fateful day, a neighbour approached and told her about a job opening in Dhaka.

When the battlefield of Verdun was getting drenched in combatants’ blood from all contending sides, the political leadership, unable to define the stalemate, was trying to sell the war as the war “to end all wars”.

Bangladesh was unable to put in quarantine 213 students who came from the Chinese city of Wuhan—where the coronavirus originated—in early February and the subsequent influx of hundreds of thousands of people from countries like Italy where the virus was causing havoc.

It all began with an op-ed that Shyamal Dutta, the editor of the Bhorer Kagoj, wrote on the front page of the Dhaka-based newspaper.

To date, more than 650,000 people around the world have died from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The pandemic has brought despair to countless families and caused unprecedented economic damage.

The Taj Mahal is to India what Ayasofia is to Turkey and so much more. Once considered the largest dome in the world, Ayasofia remains a symbol of the harmony that Turkey exudes: a merging of the East and West, a coming together of inter-connected faiths that a country like Turkey, with its many rulers and colourful history can only result in.

What I’ve learned through this experience is that inclusion is hard. It requires more time and energy, more empathy and patience, more attention to detail and extra effort considering experiences that don’t come naturally to us.

As early as March 2020, Human Rights Watch warned that migrants and stateless people are more at risk of virus transmission in Malaysia, and that Malaysia needs to ensure health care for all without discrimination.

Online juggernaut Amazon owns Kindle, the 600-pound gorilla in the US electronic book space. Its global presence is also formidable.

“Counter-Factual” is an arcane term in our vocabulary, sometimes even for someone with higher education. It is the language of science, understood and used by scientists. If we are not scientists, why do we even need to bother about counterfactuals?

Marina Tabassum, a seasoned architect who won the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the Jameel Prize for designing the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, talks to The Daily Star’s Naznin Tithi about the future of housing in flood-prone and coastal regions as well as the importance of local knowledge for a sustainable solution to housing.

Around 3.5 billion years ago, something extraordinary happened in the realm of the observable universe. From non-living matters emerged living organisms that started to occupy the surface of planet earth.

From small barter societies to the world-wide acceptability of fiat money (mainly paper money or coin), the evolution of payment methodologies throughout human history has not been anything short of astonishing.