Poet and journalist
Last week, a lengthy line formed outside the Rural Electrification Board office in Hili, Dinajpur. Not all individuals were present to settle their electricity bills. Many simply held their bills, inquiring about the same issue: Why has my bill increased so significantly?
Every afternoon, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) sends out a bulletin. The media runs it as routine. Amid a thousand other national crises, what is actually happening with dengue rarely stirs readers — or makes them think twice.
What began as a few seconds of personal expression has evolved into a revealing portrait of a society struggling with intolerance, digital vigilantism and deeply entrenched gender bias.
Fairy tales often speak of a kingdom that is difficult to find on any map—surrounded by vast waters, composed of a few fragmented islands, and inhabited by a handful of people whose stories had never been heard. The story of Cape Verde is much like that. Situated in the Atlantic Ocean six hundred kilometers off the coast of West Africa, this nation is formed by ten volcanic islands. It stands as the smallest country by area in the World Cup and the second smallest by population. While it is home to 550,000 people, more than double that number of its children are scattered across various corners of the world, having left their homeland to settle abroad long ago. Much like a prince crossing seven seas and thirteen rivers in search of fortune, the people of Cape Verde crossed country after country—not out of choice, but out of a necessity to survive.
A significant chapter in the political history of West Bengal came to a close on May 4, 2026. The BJP won 207 out of 294 seats, forming the government in the state for the first time. The Trinamool Congress was reduced to just 80 seats.
History is often written with words—but sometimes, a single photograph speaks louder than any chronicle. Few understood this better than legendary Indian photojournalist Raghu Rai, whose camera framed not just events, but the emotional and human epic of Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.