“Never trust a skinny chef” – read a quote framed on the walls of one of the most visited burger joints in Dhaka. The man beside the quote in the frame was Arman Mohammed, the co-founder of Madchef, who is also proclaimed as the ‘Mad’ portion of ‘Madchef’. The ‘Chef’ part of the name is attributed to Labib Tarafdar, who is responsible for the idea and vision of running a place driven by the craving for delicious burgers.

Tanvir Opu has travelled to 650 cities in 65 different nations around the world in the last 12 years. Originally from Rajshahi, Tanvir currently resides in Finland and is a businessman by profession. His passions are travelling, photography, and experiencing challenges. He has conducted three photography exhibitions, 2 in Rajshahi and 1 in Dhaka. He has also authored two books.

Bangladesh is a land of diverse people with vivid cultures. To bridge the gap between these cultures, Leaping Boundaries, an organisation working with the Madrassah students to enrich their communication skills in English, life skills, ICT and psycho-education, along with SPaRC, an organisation working to improve livelihoods of the vulnerable and voiceless, arranged a boot camp for 10 girls ranging from different backgrounds. The initiative, called ‘Girls For Peace,’ was supported by the Swedish Institute.

According to JAAGO Foundation, they aim for the betterment of the nation through catering to the educational needs of children from socially and economically disadvantaged background and empowering the youths along with inspiring volunteerism in Bangladesh. JAAGO Foundation received the UNESCO award for innovation in education in 2017.

Sonia Bashir Kabir, Vice Chairman, United Nations Technology Bank for LDCs, Governing Board Member UNESCO MGIEP and Managing

The grand finale of the national financial modeling competition, ‘IDLC Securities Limited Presents Blueprints 4.0’, co-sponsored by Shimanto Bank Limited, IFIC Bank and Dhaka Bank Limited, took place at North South University recently.

Recently, the orientation programme of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) NSU Chapter for new recruits of 2018 was held at North South University.

Sonia Bashir Kabir, Vice Chairman, United Nations Technology Bank for LDCs, Governing Board Member UNESCO MGIEP and Managing Director of Microsoft Bangladesh,

Young travel journalist and blogger Kazi Asma Azmery fulfilled her goal of visiting 100 countries on her own this year. In 2009, she sold off her personal jwellery and stocked up some savings from her salary for her travels.

Sinayat Mehzabeen had the golden opportunity to attend Oxford University for her master’s in pharmacology, matriculating at the historic Sheldonian Theatre in October 2017. “Oxford has been adventure and an experience of a lifetime at a time for me. It was no less than a dream come true, learning from some of the finest teachers and sharing classrooms with the brightest minds,” she says. She is now a PhD student at the University of Cambridge.

In Bangladesh, the stigma surrounding violence against women means that many women do not get the justice they deserve. Bearing that in mind, the Barishal Youth Society (BYS) has been working to stop child marriages and help female victims of domestic violence, with 10,000 members and 800 active volunteers in different ways since 2014.

The Obama Foundation Scholars Program will give rising young leaders around the world who are already making a difference in their

Growing up, Umme Sharmin Kabir observed that even in highly educated families, menstruation was a taboo concept and not given much importance. From early on, she knew this was something that she wanted to invest her time in.

With the National Poll 2018 knocking at the door, the election has garnered plenty of expectations and interest, especially among the young population.

When nearly one million Rohingya refugees fled Myanmar for shelter in Bangladesh, it could have resulted in severe consequences. Thankfully, an array of organisations stepped in to tackle the matter through various approaches, which is why the magnitude of the plight remains sustainable. One such example is that of social entrepreneur Korvi Rakshand, the founder of JAAGO Foundation.

For winter, Stygen.gift (www.stygen.gift), an online gift shop, has come up with The Junior Project, an initiative to donate clothes of newborns and toddlers.

The Department of English, University of Asia Pacific (UAP), staged five short plays based on the translation of some of the literary works of Rabindranath Tagore, December 13, 2018 at their campus.

It is not easy being a student at this time of the year. With O Levels and SSC exams set for early next year, surviving these few weeks is a true test of perseverance and patience.

It was gone. All of it, morphed into a long line of logs, dried twigs and dead leaves in just two days and two nights on both sides of the streets. And the humans call us 'bad omens'. HAH!

“Hey, what are you up to?” The person that the question was directed to looked up from a bunch of papers in front of her. “Please, don't disturb me. I'm trying to write”, said the woman clearly annoyed.