Beautiful golden greed
By Awrup Sanyal for AlalODulal.org
So, what do we do now?
Author: ôrūpirfan
I live a double life: communication strategist/solutionist for a day job, and writing fiction, political thought pieces or political satire, and book reviews.
Call-Ready
by Mujahidul Islam Selim
[Translated to English by the AlalODulal Editorial Collective]
Call-Ready — a very familiar name. In many images of Bangabandhu’s historic 7th March speech we have seen the Call-Ready logo emblazoned under the cluster of microphones. Let’s recount this untold but fascinating history of Call-Ready.
FILM: About “Under Construction” and the Under Constructed
by Awrup Sanyal
In Rubaiyat Hossain’s “Under Construction” we see an examination of the theme of ‘under construction’ as it applies to the city of Dhaka, as well as the gendered bodies of men and women:
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On the Richard Eaton thesis
Awrup Sanyal
[Please note that the review might reveal more than you want to know before reading the book. I would say skip it and read the book.]
Anyone interested in Bengal’s premodern to modern history – through the Delhi and Bengal Sultanates, and the Mughal rule in India, and consequently in Bengal – and more importantly the rise and spread of Islam in Bengal will have to go through this thoroughly illuminating seminal work from Eaton.
The perennial spectators
Awrup for AlaloDulal.org
We love a public spectacle. From cricket, to decapitation, to rape. We are the perennial spectators. The public. The police. The administration. We like watching. And then we like looking away.
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Standing Up For Sitting Down
In a country as diverse as the Republic of India, it is expected that the national identity represented by the national emblems like the flag or the anthem would not get much air of importance or attention.
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Did You Hear The Loud Laughter This September?
From the picturesque, sleepy, tucked away town of Hamilton to the chaotic city of Kolkata, from the Mexican town of Iguala to bustling streets of Hong Kong to the suburban district outside of Denver, Colorado, students were out.
Continue reading “Did You Hear The Loud Laughter This September?”
A Period of (Unprecedented) Consequences
A Period of (Unprecedented) Consequences
by Risalat Khan for AlalODulal.org
But the world is changing. The seemingly disconnected events and trends are mere manifestations of something deeper – a neocolonial corporatocracy that controls virtually all major world affairs. It profits from the arms supplied to war and the culture of war, claims all of Mother Nature’s resources as property for its own greed, and condemns billions to poverty and starvation as casualties of progress. This social order – a dark evolution of the colonial era evils – is inculcated and protected by a system of unfettered neoliberal capitalism. But despite its meteoric rise to dominion, it is now desperately hiding the tears at its seams.
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My Cartographer
My Cartographer by Awrup Sanyal for Alalodulal
This city now wears a different look, walks a different gait, hides and reveals differently, calls out from nooks I never knew existed. Continue reading “My Cartographer”
Legal Matters
By Ikhtisad Ahmed for AlalODulal.org
Joya was far from comfortable. The metallic desk-chair had gaping holes in its plastic upholstery. The sharp edges of these gaps protruded outwards and mischievously jabbed the unfortunate occupier. She had positioned herself on the brink, which had no tears, but the rusty metal frame pressed against her thigh coldly. The cup of tea that rattled against the matching saucer in her shaking hands had long gone cold. The drying bag of PG Tips poised delicately on the lip of the plate muffled the sound in parts.
Happiness is a Trial
By Awrup Sanyal for AlalODulal.org
Jaron and Ashanti walked towards the large wood and glass door at the top of the stairs. Squeezed in by the swell of the crowd from the hall they moved in step. All the while Jaron video-taped the crowd on his smartphone. The music was pumping, the chatter deafening, the party still waltzed on its drunken legs.
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