Views / Analysis

Mantas, the boat people

Mantas, the boat people

Kalu Sarder does not exactly know which of his ancestors lived on land. Growing up, he learned from his parents that his forebears were terrestrial inhabitants in the dim and distant past. One of them started living on a boat after losing their house to riverbank erosion, and the descendants follow


Contract farming ensures growers’ profitability

Contract farming ensures growers’ profitability

Contract broiler farming for growing broilerchicken helps marginal farmers to reduce the cost of production, benefiting both growers and consumers. Industry insiders say many small farmers are now becoming contract farmers supported by large poultry companies and are growing broiler chickens in a

Modernising rice breeding

Modernising rice breeding

In the face of mounting challenges like population growth, climate change, and shrinking arable land, Bangladesh must urgently reform its approach to rice production. As the backbone of the country's food security, rice constitutes 97 per cent of grain production and supplies over half of the natio

Citizenships on sale in the land of El Dorado

Citizenships on sale in the land of El Dorado

This is the fifth call a man in his late 60s receive within a couple of hours. He is at his wit's end why his friends and colleagues ask him the same question. After the first two calls, he was in trepidation before receiving the third call and before receiving the fourth and fifth calls he literal

Front-of-Pack Labelling

Front-of-Pack Labelling

Rina, a 35-year old working mother of two children live in a densely populated community in Dhaka. She often goes for instant noodles and packaged snacks after a tiring day at work. As many Bangladeshi parents, she appreciates the aspect of convenience, although she does not question the nutritiona

An Idiot's Guide

An Idiot's Guide

An Idiot's Guide' is a series of books targeted at the non-idiots. The books are sometime used at universities, alongside the main texts, as a subject matter is introduced. I use these books when students struggle at the initial stage of an advanced course. These books are ladders that help one cli

There are fairs galore---from Boi mela to Bou mela

There are fairs galore---from Boi mela to Bou mela

There are fairs galore in this land of diverse cultures and traditions. People in this capital city may not have any idea of several of the traditional, religious, cultural and agro-centric fairs arranged all across the country. But they are also introduced today to a number of fairs apart from the

How customs vary around the world

How customs vary around the world

I needed some paper work done on my passport to release a shipment of personal items at the airport. I was a faculty member at a Middle Eastern University. Pleasantries were exchanged with the officer and he assured me it would be done the next day (buqra in Arabic). I was happy and went back to th