Lifestyle / Culture

How English succeeded to spread through the globe?

How English succeeded to spread through the globe?

English has become the world's lingua franca, a term that refers to a common language used by people who do not share a mother tongue. The language is spoken by an estimated 1.5 billion people globally, making it the most widely spoken language globally, according to Statista. As many as 67 countri


A brief history of Dhaka's administrative transformation

A brief history of Dhaka's administrative transformation

One of the oldest cities in the sub-continent, and the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, holds a glorious administrative history. This history has spanned several centuries. From being the Mughal era's trade centre to being a bustling modern city, Dhaka has seen numerous transformations in its administ

The Atlantis of the Sands: A mystery yet to be resolved

The Atlantis of the Sands: A mystery yet to be resolved

We all know about the fabled city, Atlantis. According to the legend, the city represented a civilisation far ahead of its contemporaries. But they angered the gods and suffered utter destruction.  To this day, many people are still searching for the city. But there is a similar tale of anoth

Rengmitc: A dying language with only 6 native speakers

Rengmitc: A dying language with only 6 native speakers

Bangladesh is relatively homogenous in terms of ethnicity and language, as almost 98 per cent of the people in Bangladesh identify as Bengalis and have Bengali as their native language.  However, hundreds of languages indigenous to our land, especially in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, are on th

The tradition of wearing churi - beyond age, colour and race

The tradition of wearing churi - beyond age, colour and race

Every Bengali festival, from Pohela Boishakh to Eid, Puja and even weddings in Bangladesh, is incomplete for women without Churi (Bengals). Even though Churi has become a modern-day ornament for the women of South Asian countries, the origin of Churi dates back to 2600 B.C. in the Indus Valley Civi

Ekushey's spirit through the lens of fashion

Ekushey's spirit through the lens of fashion

"Moder gorob, moder asha, amori bangla bhasha" - perhaps we Bengalis are the only nation who can boastfully claim that our language is our pride. For this very language, we valiantly fought oppressive forces and earned the right to speak our mother tongue, which is deeply tied to our cultural herit

Love in the time of Spring

Love in the time of Spring

Does anyone remember taking out that all-time favourite book from the corner of the bookcase and some dried rose petals murmuring on their way down as they kissed the floor? The rose was indeed priceless, given by someone important, and of course, with love. Love is both calming and 'restless-ing'

The battle that ended Greco-Persian wars

The battle that ended Greco-Persian wars

The Persian king Xerxes launched a second invasion of Greece in 480 B.C. to subjugate the city-states. His large army emerged victorious at Thermopylae. His ships also broke through at Aremisium, but he suffered a setback following the defeat of his navy in the battle of Salamis.  Xerxes then