Art and Culture
Speech of a hungry locality
Just a while ago, Kutub Uddin was sitting among the leaders and activists at the sitting room in the downstairs. The adda had become lively. Someone was chewing betel leaf while some were drinking tea or smoking cigarettes. One story after another in response. This time there will be a hard contest. Victory is surely yours, leader. Everyone was saying the same in unison. He was nodding his head. A faint smile on his face. Everyone is talking about victory. Having lost three times, he is quite anxious about victory. However, this time the tide is rising. That tide will carry him to the port of victory. No one can stop this current of the tide. Can't even stand in front of it. That belief in his heart is growing stronger day by day. Last time too, he dreamed of being covered in garlands of flowers in victory march. But that dream disappeared at night as the opponent gained victory. So, this time too much excitement couldn’t take hold of his mind.
In search of traditional Eid card
The practice of sending greeting cards to loved ones dates back almost 180 years. It gained popularity during the reign of Queen Victoria. Initially, greeting cards were mostly used to celebrate occasions like New Year’s, Christmas, or birthdays. But over time, this tradition expanded across the world, and cards began to be exchanged for Eid as well. While this custom is still common in many Western cultures, in Bangladesh and several regions in Asia, the exchange of Eid cards has gradually declined.
Film festival: History and theory
In primitive times, when groups of people caught a big prey and gathered around a fire at night to feast, that was their food festival. The film festival is a celebration of joy in the modern era. Here, it is the hunger of the mind that is satisfied by cinema. Though the idea of a film festival is Eurocentric, its spread has now reached every corner of the world. While people join festivals out of a desire to see stories, beneath the surface these festivals involve matters such as power dynamics, soft diplomacy, political relationship building, and cultural exchange.
The heat of Chaitra, water lilies, and puti fish curry
No one had ever seen such a strange thing. No one had ever heard of such an odd tale. And meeting such a peculiar person? Out of the question.
Khalil Daroga's sneeze
“By mistake, Khalil Daroga’s life went out with the sneeze, or instead of releasing germs with the sneeze, Khalil Daroga by mistake released his life” – these words or words of this kind first came out from the mouth of a constable in Khalil Daroga’s office.
Haridas Pal
At the inaugural ceremony of the annual language festival of the Mother Language Centre, the Honourable Prime Minister, in her speech as the chief guest, said nothing new, nor did he say anything additional. He read out exactly the written speech provided by the cultural ministry. He remembered the language martyrs and the freedom fighters, spoke about the contribution of language to the advancement of civilisation, talked about the role of art and literature in shaping ideal citizens, and mentioned how this language festival, over time, has now become a part of history and tradition.
An absurd story
By virtue of his government rank, he has been allotted a house. Next to the house is a small artificial pond. The pond is surrounded by fallen leaves and rows of lush green trees. He thought to himself that if colorful lotus flowers were to bloom in the pond,
Khalil Gibran and the dominance of the heart
How can what Khalil Gibran has written be explained; after reading each of Gibran’s books, such a question arises prominently. The main reason is that he has cancelled the connection and unity of place, time, and character from his writing.
I set adrift a bunch of flowers in the river
We were growing weary watching the political unrest. Anxiety, fear, and terror were becoming normal to us. We saw how brutally the ruling powers could carry out massacres just to hold onto control. We were shocked at the sight of corpse upon corpse. We saw how the reins of a nation could pass from one tyrant to another. We witnessed how people, under the guise of patriotism, turned into traitors. We saw how they placed their hands on holy scriptures and told despicable lies. We saw how the plundering class looted billions and billions without consequence.
Akhtaruzzaman Elias: The power of imagination
Had he been alive, he would have turned 82-year-old youth this February 12. I say "youth" because, in spirit, he remained ever youthful. He had a deep curiosity and interest in everything around him; he observed the world with the delight of seeing it for the first time. So, it can rightly be said that age never weighed him down—he was vibrant, fresh, and even when he was on the verge of death at 54 due to cancer, he did not give up.
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