LIFE AS IT IS

"So this is what they call snow-white," I told myself, standing by my apartment’s kitchen window. The foot-deep snow on our building's backyard covered everything underneath it - the walkways, roads and green grasses. The slanted roof of the apartment building across from ours doesn't look brown anymore - a thick layer of ice has given it a new look, a December look. The blue sky above doesn't look blue either - it looks snow-white! The cotton-like snow floating down from heavens above makes space for itself on whatever it sees below - cars, bicycles, trees, stone benches, fields, roofs of houses and bus stands... the list goes on. The trees that once displayed the splendour of green now stand frail. They lost their leaves in fall and now they are nothing but leafless branches and boughs. Branches that once hung leaves and fruits now hang nothing but ice, white and lifeless ice. With trunks under a white blanket, they crave warmer weather when new le...

Couldn't Garbage Galore just be the other name for Dhaka? This is a capital where rubbish piles up in every nook of major streets, lanes, front-yard of houses, schools, universities, parks, commercial buildings, industrial constructions, shopping malls, vegetable bazaars…where not? Today, we happily walk over the shell of an egg, or slip on a banana peel and we couldn't care less, so used are we to this lifestyle. This is not how modern hygiene-conscious people should live though, and a little effort on our part can surely change this scenario. Many of us dump the whole burden of waste management to the Head of the State. However, the garbage problem is our problem, more than theirs. We ought to keep in mind that our country's leaders have too many times in the past failed to realise their citizens' dreams, so it all comes down to the fact that it's eventually you and your family who remain victims of this poor trash handling. Take a look at your litter can. Is it a...

Does rain and romance have a strong connection? Perhaps so, because a drizzle does spark a passionate light of love in many human minds. It is often the lovers and poets who have a special fondness for rain. It is a common belief that those who love to watch rainwater splash on their windowpane, or like to get drenched during a downpour, or enjoy riding a rickshaw with the hood released, or listen to melodious numbers on a rainy day are people who understand ROMANCE better than the rest. The rain lovers can arrange for a perfect surprise treat for their loved ones, write beautiful letters (in these days, emails and SMS) or talk amorously hour after hour over the telephone. These are just beliefs though, but I guess every statement has some degree of truth in it. Only a few weeks back, this Dhaka city was inundated with a heavy shower and many of us remained protected in our own comfy homes, hardly stepping outdoors. During that dull period of one week, I talked to numerous peopl...

Derived from the Sanskrit word 'bindu', bindi means a drop. It signifies a mystic third eye. Although once associated with Hindu marriage tradition, today the bindi is a fashion accessory for girls and women of all ages, religions and backgrounds. A nicely draped sari is complemented with a stylish bindi worn between eyebrows. Today bindis are worn with salwar kameez and even jeans and fotua. These fashion accessories are widely available at the stores of Dhaka. Gausia is indeed a heaven for bindi lovers. Bindis of all colours, patterns and sizes grace the shelves of the shops of this busy market. Bindis are also available at Eastern Plaza, New Market, Rifles Square, Metro Shopping Mall, Karnaphuli Garden City and most other malls of the capital. The outlet of Priyo located at Fatema Arcade, Dhanmondi also has a wide collection of bindis. The bindis available at Dhaka come from India, and most of these are genuinely trendy. There was a time when bindi meant placing a dot on the...

KARMA, the boutique, was established at the heart of Bijoy Sarani (besides Rangs Bhaban) on May, 2002. After completing her BBA from New York, Sohana Rouf Chowdhury has taken up dress designing as her favorite pursuit besides a busy professional life. She has, in fact, inherited this store, earlier known as Visage, from her mother. Now under her management she intends to design clothes for a select group of people. This self-made designer has succeeded to prove her ingenuity in every dress that she has in her collection. This summer, she has emphasized on white, the coolest color to wear in this sticky season. She has experimented with hues like fuschia, turquoise and aubergine. Sohana Rouf loves to work on cotton materials. Tie-dye is her another favorite, which sells like hot cake. She stresses simple yet modish cuts and designs, which are simply eye-catching. She has a splendid collection of chic short kameezes and trousers. Her cotton collection aims at office-going women, who ...

It's pleasing to see that some large organizations in Bangladesh are trying to use their public exposure to promote social and environmental responsibility. Whereas most companies use advertisements to promote their products, and channel their profits into their own endeavors, a few are being unselfish. Have those large billboards ever caught your eye? I don't mean the ordinary ones, which promote electronics, housing projects, clothes, cigarettes, audio cassettes and every other possible product and service to appeal to consumers. The billboards I'm thinking of belong to an organization that is making known its name and logo in a total different way. These advertisements stand high over some of the major streets of Dhaka, on structures of steel and concrete, and on the bodies of over-bridges. Instead of highlighting the quality of their banking services, the billboards of Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd. carry messages that aim to create public awareness. These billboards ra...