Views / Analysis

The quiet resignation

The quiet resignation

There is a kind of leaving that does not show up in your attrition reports. The employee is still at their desk. They are still answering their emails, attending their meetings, and submitting their reports on time. On paper, they have not gone anywhere. But they have. Internally, quietly, without


Building resilience through skill development

Building resilience through skill development

The Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) in Bangladesh are in one of the largest protracted refugee situations in the world with an estimated 1,162,939 Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) living in 33 overcrowded camps in Ukhiya and Tekanf subdistrict of Cox's Bazar and in one camp o

Balancing accountability with inclusion

Balancing accountability with inclusion

In many developing countries, public trust in the education system has often been challenged. The challenge stems from examination malpractice. The reinstatement of Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon as Minister of Education has renewed attention to discipline and accountability within the sector. During h

Alone in a multitude of crowd

Alone in a multitude of crowd

Liveability of Dhaka City is not its forte. Air and sound pollution, filth and chaotic traffic make it quite uninviting and yet this megacity pulls people from all corners of the country. Educated, half-educated, unlettered men and women of all ages, sexes, colours and faiths come to the city in se

From waterlogged to flood-free city

From waterlogged to flood-free city

Chattogram, the second largest city, hosts the main port of Bangladesh. Being the commercial hub, the city is considered to be the economical heart of Bangladesh. Thus, naturally, the city has developed quicker than other cities. However, the city faces massive flood water during monsoon every year

Your office is making you sick and you're paying for it

Your office is making you sick and you're paying for it

There is a cost that your balance sheet is not showing you. It does not appear in your quarterly accounts. It does not show up in your inventory audits or your procurement reports. And yet it is quietly, reliably, bleeding your organisation dry month after month, year after year. It is the cost of

What makes CMC, Vellore special for medical services

What makes CMC, Vellore special for medical services

With a population density of 4,621in Vellore City Municipal Corporation, the urban space is chaotic enough. But within the boundary of the Christian Medical College and Hospital, the discipline is enviable. Patients from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka of the SAARC region come here for medical treatment.

The final century

The final century

We survived the last century in spite of much apprehension. There have been two great wars, two market upheavals apart from the Vietnam war. Senator Goldwater wanted to defoliate Vietnam so that the guerrillas could not hide. It is now being done in another country. There is no sign of any let up.

Stop the Bleed

Stop the Bleed

As a faculty of the university, I was invited to lecture in some high-profile places, public and private. I had a small car that I drove myself. Once, as I was returning home after a lecture the host was eager to help me. He took my car key and asked the secretary to bring it to the reception. To h

Most Bangladeshis have never seen it

Most Bangladeshis have never seen it

There is something quietly remarkable about the fact that Bangladesh, a country of rivers, forests, hills, and coastal plains of extraordinary beauty, is mostly experienced by its urban residents through a car window on the way to somewhere else. Dhaka professionals who have traveled to Bali, Chian

Doing more for sustainable rural transformation

Doing more for sustainable rural transformation

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman recently inaugurated the Khal Kata, or Canal Excavation Programme, promising to improve water flow, support farmers, and strengthen irrigation nationwide. This initiative reminds us of the widely popular canal excavation programme launched by his father, Shaheed Presid

Your body has been sitting for six hours. It is not happy

Your body has been sitting for six hours. It is not happy

The human body was not designed for the chair. It was designed for movement -- for walking across uneven ground, bending toward things, reaching upward, standing still only briefly before moving again. And yet most office workers in Dhaka spend six to eight hours a day folded into the same position