Views / Opinions

Why is Bangladesh among the unhappiest countries?

Why is Bangladesh among the unhappiest countries?

Happiness is the sole reason for every human action. No matter what we do, we do it to make ourselves happy. However, going by this year's World Happiness Report, brought out by the United Nations, we in Bangladesh are not a happy nation. On a list of 137 countries, Bangladesh has ranked 118th, dro


What varsity students eat during Ramadan

What varsity students eat during Ramadan

This is for the first time Samia Noor is fasting during the holy month of Ramadan away from home. Like many other residential students of Dhaka University, she is staying away from her family for her mid-term exams. And it is not easy for her to observe fasting at a time when her exam is going on.

Pressure on forex reserve increases

Pressure on forex reserve increases

The situation of the foreign exchange (forex) reserve remains uncertain for the Bangladesh Bank (BB). Although forex supply has increased somewhat on the back of rising exports and remittance earnings, the erosion continues due to the compulsion for importing several essential items during the holy

Addressing looming water crisis

Addressing looming water crisis

Water, freshwater to be specific, has always been a scarce resource. And stories of conflicts between territories, regions, and even nations over the control of the sources of water abound. With the increase in population and the expansion of agriculture and industry, the demand for water has also

Independence Day thoughts

Independence Day thoughts

Few nations have the experience of their day of independence like that of Bangladesh. The traumas of panic and genocidal killings distinguished its night of 25th March, 1971. On March 26, the nation emerged as an independent nation, dumping away all the vestiges of Pakistan into the past. The Benga

Getting social order right

Getting social order right

More than five decades after its independence, Bangladesh is yet to establish a social order.  Though the country has emerged as a vibrant economy defying many odds, the lack of a sound social order is a big drawback.  Not that the social order is at its worst form, or there is a perennia

Permanence of books, art works and movies

Permanence of books, art works and movies

Thanks to the supervision and care of an institution like Biswa Bharati, all publications of Rabindranath Tagore are still available to the interested readers. The institution holds the copyright of all published books by Tagore. However, a number of books have already been declared free of copyrig

It's time to make a move

It's time to make a move

Most national dailies have been carrying reports on the unabated hike in prices of essentials for the past few months. Indeed, the rate of price increase for a few items--- poultry birds and red meat and fish in particular---has been astronomical. Consumers have meanwhile resigned to their fate. Th

Unrelenting price hike of essentials

Unrelenting price hike of essentials

That prices of essential foods in Bangladesh would become dearer on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan has become unavoidable. Reluctantly people have to bear with this yearly price ordeal. What is different this year of course is that prices have been soaring ever since the war began in Europe.

Let's not kill St. Martin's Island

Let's not kill St. Martin's Island

The tiny coral-rich island, the St. Martin's, located close to the southernmost tip of Bangladesh, Teknaf, is facing an existential crisis. As with climate change, it is again human action, greed, to be specific, that is playing its part. This beautiful piece of land in the sea with its abundant fl

Aggressive mob mentality taking hold

Aggressive mob mentality taking hold

A slew of events happening one after another in recent times is a clear indication of impatience and aggressive mob mentality to the extent of a kind of psychological disorder. When lawyers of the highest court engage in scuffles and physical aggression over holding the polls to the Supreme Court B

Creating gender equality platforms to move forward

Creating gender equality platforms to move forward

On the occasion of the International Women's  Day, 2023, observed on March 8, several interesting and significant denominators have emerged throughout the world.  Analysts and leaders came forward to underline the need for positive action at a time when gaining fundamental rights for wome

Deepening sleep problems in a chaotic city

Deepening sleep problems in a chaotic city

In this city of chaos and indiscipline, millions of inhabitants are deprived of a sound sleep. Though there is no extensive data to confirm the assertion, sleep deficiency is most likely widespread in Dhaka. From children to elderly people, almost everybody in the city faces the problem of inadequa