As a development analyst, I have spent much of my career studying how large infrastructure projects alter regional economies. Too often, such projects promise transformation but leave behind only partial gains. Rooppur, however, tells a different story. What is unfolding in this quiet corner of Pab
Is Bangladesh a nation of forgers? When such denigration comes from none other than the head of the government, one who is a recipient of the highest award on offer in the world, people cannot but look askance. In fact, any generalised perception of any race, people or nation is faulty. But this ki
GENERAL EXPERIENCE OF DRIVING IN FOG From the cab, we do not see the tracks ahead. It just looks like a white wall, and we drive through that. Navigating fog is like driving blindfolded. We sound the whistle frequently, at least four times in a minute. Depending on fog density, we drive at reduced
The 'Pale Blue Dot', as the voyager took a last look at this planet, is a disturbing image in terms of our place in the universe. This enormity of creation makes one feel very humble. Living on this dot are us, species of varying sizes from small to large, ants to elephants. Each species is an enti
Volumes have been written about sports but followers or fans are hardly lucky enough to draw attention even remotely similar to professional games and sports personalities. But without spectators or viewers no sport or game is what it is. The size of spectators on the gallery may vary depending on
Economic development and good governance depend not merely on the availability of resources, but on how efficiently, transparently, and effectively those resources are planned, managed, and utilized. In this context, the three Ps-Public Financial Management (PFM), Project Management (PM), and Publ
In 1862, Britain's colonial rulers laid the first railway tracks in what is now Bangladesh. The Financial Express speaks to George McCrudden, a young train driver in London whose work contributes to the continuation of a long legacy that is cherished in both countries Dense fog hung over the track
There is a kind of conversation that does not rely on sound-no voices, no noise, yet full of meaning. Hands move, facial expressions change, and bodies lean forward or step back a little. This is how the stories are told, situations are explained, and feelings are shared. Many people think sign la
On January 16, two cats owned by Zillur Rahman, an inhabitant of Monirampur of Jashore, innocently strolled into the neighbouring house owned by Hira. Hira did not shoo the cats away. Instead, he lured them into a room, closed the doors and windows and proceeded to beat them mercilessly with a stic
The primary source of natural beauty is trees and forests. Yet due to fires, human exploitation of forests, poverty, and deforestation in the name of development-along with many other factors-the sources of natural beauty are under severe strain. In Bangladesh and across the world, the destruction
Presently, his biography is not mentioned in school or college textbooks, neither in Bangladesh nor elsewhere. Yet, was he not a significant presence in our 20th-century history? I can cite a few examples, as other writers have done. In 1943, Murshed stood by famine-stricken people in undivided Ben
For much of the past decade, development debates have been dominated by ideas rather than institutions. Grand visions, national strategies, technology roadmaps, and long-term plans have proliferated across emerging and developing economies. Artificial intelligence, clean energy, digital finance, an
Trains move on, but some journeys remain unfinished in the mind. In candid conversations with The Financial Express, four veteran locomotive masters of Bangladesh Railway recall moments of fear, bravery, and responsibility on the rails that still haunt them One night in 2015, I was driving the Dhu
