Kolkata
Final days of Kazi Nazrul Islam
It is almost impossible to determine the number of countless writings published on Rebel Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. In Michael H Hart’s book, “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History”, Kazi Nazrul Islam is named among the greatest of all time. There is nothing new to be said about the poet. In short, Nazrul was the poet of rebellion and equality. He was one of the most prominent figures in Bengali literature, music and culture.
Let conspiracy theories on Zahir Raihan’s murder come to an end
One of the indispensable elements of war is propaganda. War means terrorising with information, distorting information. War means the constant attempt to occupy the psyche with distorted and false information. War means the battle of forgetfulness against memory. In the twentieth century, Hitler’s Propaganda Ministry (Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda), headed by Joseph Goebbels, set an extraordinary precedent in war propaganda. His central philosophy was: If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
India-Bangladesh cultural exchange: Memory, identity and future
build and change upon this landscape. Agriculture is culture, cooking is culture, and therefore even fishing is culture. That is why I do not know whether we should see as cultural exchange the recent incident in which 95 people lost their way into the seas of Bangladesh, were caught by police of the other country, and, as I heard, were returned after being beaten severely. If it is an exchange, surely it is not an example of “lawful” or mutually desired exchange between two countries.
Has Shakib Khan truly become everyone’s hero from ‘Gulistan to Gulshan’
Has megastar Shakib Khan really become everyone’s hero—from Gulistan to Gulshan? The phrase “from Gulistan to Gulshan—everyone’s hero” has come from Shakib Khan himself. At the success celebration of the film Borbad, Shakib Khan said that his films are now being embraced by audiences of all classes, from Gulistan to Gulshan.
Our Mahfuza Apa – In Memory and Remembrance
As I write this, the truth is that our respected Mahfuza Khanam Apa has set out on her eternal journey. If one is born, one must die – that is the truth; but some people do not just remain idle after being born. They leave their mark through their work. And because of those marks, we are bound to remember them.
Battles in Europe using gunpowder from Bengal
When the sun sets in the East, the Western sky is tinged with the light of dawn. Today, the Middle East trembles under Western arms; on either side of the Wagah border, foreign aircraft or drones ignite the lands of India and Pakistan. Yet, in earlier times, the soil of Europe shuddered under the weaponry of India and medieval Bengal.
Immortality, saltpetre and Bengal’s first weapon of war
His father was the ruler of Fergana in Uzbekistan. Conspirators overthrew him and seized the throne. The king was killed. The son took refuge in the remote mountains surrounded by deep forests. From there, he carried out rapid raids, capturing small caravans to gather troops and resources. Each successful attack made him stronger. Later, he regained control of Fergana. Growing even more powerful, he advanced further south. At one point, he even conquered the whole of Afghanistan. Then he set his sights on India, like a bird aiming for its prey. His dream grew bigger. With a vast army and entourage, he arrived at the banks of the Indus River. At that time, the throne of India was held by Ibrahim Lodi — a formidable emperor. Defeating him required something extraordinary. That special thing the young man had acquired from the Turks: a large iron pipe with two wheels on either side.
The state of Bengalis in learning English
Since when have Bengalis started learning English? Surely, it was when English education began to be seen as beneficial to their material interests.
Rebati Mohan Barman: A revolutionary for life, from school to death
The name Rebati Mohan Barman instantly evokes the memory of a seminal book—The Evolution of Society and Civilization. Its author was one of the key architects of the communist movement in this region, a lifelong revolutionary and a social reformer. The book and its author have become inseparable in the minds of many. Since its publication in 1952, this work has been essential reading for leftist politicians and activists across the Indian subcontinent.
What has this country become seven months after mass uprising!
In March 2025, the country is still grappling with the abuse of women and children. The newspapers continue to print harrowing accounts of these atrocities. Ah, what has become of the country just seven months after the student-public uprising of July-August, with the dream of building a new Bangladesh? Where is the government? Where is the rule of law?