Once, there was a piece of land there. There was the smell of earth, dreams of crops, boundary ridges, and claims of possession and ownership. There were plans for the future, too. Each decimal of land was worth approximately Tk 2,000. The total value of the eight decimals was Tk 16,000.
It is a Bhadra afternoon. Outside the window, the sun is scorching the courtyard. The wind is blowing, yet there is no coolness in it. Sweat gathers on the forehead, neck and back. Even under the fan, the air feels hot. To make matters worse, frequent power cuts bring the fan to a halt, and the four walls of the room quickly turn into a heated box. Outside, people wait for the rain; indoors, they wait for relief. Both seem to be taking their time. Adding to the oppressive humidity this year is another uncomfortable message from the global weather system—the El Niño is strengthening.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have both 106 wins in their official matches against each other. On one side the white empire, on the other the blue-red rebellion. On one side the pride of Madrid, on the other Catalan self-identity. In the middle a football—and around it the story of almost a century. How many nights have passed, how many stars have come and gone, how many times the gallery has burst into joy after goals; yet the story of the fight of Real Madrid and Barcelona seems not to end.
Kailash—the divine land of mythology. Where Lord Shiva resides in the pristine whiteness of snow, where the silence of the mountains has been understood by generations as a language of sanctity. But this time, from near that very Kailash, a different current descended—not just water, but a torrent of ice, rock, mud and death. In an instant, the familiar landscape of the Himalayas was transformed. Green mountains were buried under grey debris, rivers turned into raging torrents, and those on pilgrimage paths encountered the messengers of death.
It was the afternoon of August 21, 2004. An Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue was nearing its end. Then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina had just finished her speech from a makeshift truck stage and was stepping down when a series of explosions shook the area.
Voting to elect Bangladesh's 23rd President is taking place today, Thursday. Polling will be held in the National Parliament chamber from 2pm to 5pm. However, with the ruling BNP holding more than a two-thirds majority in Parliament, the election is largely expected to be a formality. The numbers suggest that Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the BNP's recently retired Secretary General and the party's candidate, is set to become President.