Her husband, Shomlal Das quietly preparing for her cremation. They forgot to bring sindhoor. She is a married dead. She must wear sindhoor, someone from the small crowd whispered. They opened the bodybag. Part of her face was smashed, there was barely any hairline. Shomlal sprinkled sindhoor on her face... He pauses and sighs, “the government officer just treat every dead as muslim.”
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© Mahmud Hossain Opu / Dhaka Tribune
Running barefoot through the city of Barbie liberty and sexy grenades
by Faruk Wasif, translated from Bengali by Nayma Qayum for AlalODulal.org
In the morning I saw four teenagers on the pavement across the street from Mohammadpur Central College. They wore the usual jobba-tupi, but no footwear. Those, they had lost in Motijheel, and could not buy another pair. Continue reading
© Daily Star
Pawns in the Great Game
by Nishom Sarkar, Translated from Bengali by Tibra Ali for AlalODulal.org
Around midday, after finishing zuhr prayers my dad went to hang out at my maternal uncle’s shop by Shilpi Hotel in Shahjahanpur. After a short while, seven young boys showed up, all clad in religious robes. Continue reading
© Amirul Rajiv / Dhaka Tribune
It is the state who needs the holy trinity of nation-nationality-nationalism and a common enemy
by Seuty Sabur
It has been nine years since I have stopped watching TV daily. I always find it unsettling, especially the talk shows. For me it seems more logical to follow the news online, check people’s reaction on social media. I can’t handle the TV for more than 10 minutes, even in the time of national/international ‘crises’. Continue reading
© Rahul Talukder
Of the Hefazat men killed yesterday, one was from the a factory in Dhaka. While not speaking with numbers, I think this highlights an important issue that many have been saying for some time. While we, with our elitist or middle class sensitivities, continue to look upon the Hefazatis as outlawed, faceless “fanatics” on the fringes (read: in the madrasas) in our society, they also live and work amongst us– our factory workers, our drivers and nightguards. Continue reading
© Rajib Dhar / Dhaka Tribune
by Faruk Wasif, translated from Bengali by Tibra Ali for AlalODulal.org.
Today the happiest people are owners of BGMEA. The issue of murder of garments workers has been buried. I have no issue with religious politics, whatever religion it may be. But why do our current religious parties never do politics with the burning issues of the people?
Farida Akhter
‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’: On Farida Akhter’s Hefazat article
by Seuty Sabur for AlalODulal.org
