LIFE AS IT IS

  If someone asks me what I have achieved in this long stay-at-home situation, I will say that I have relished the rich and exciting works of Bengali wordsmiths! During this time at home, I have explored and read works of Bengali writers, many of whose works I had not read earlier. Thanks to the internet, which brings Bengali books in the palm of my hand 8,000 miles away from my homeland.  The Daily Star link As someone who is a product of the English-medium education system of Bangladesh, my exposure to Bengali literature was rather limited, I admit. As a teen, I devoured works of Humayun Ahmed, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal and Satyajit Ray. I enjoyed Sunil Gangopadhyay’s Kakababu series, Rakib Hasan’s Tin Goyenda, and Sukumar Ray’s unique gibberish. However, my exploration of Bengali literature stopped short for reasons I cannot recall now. I did read Bengali novels, however, every now and then, but it was English paperbacks which kept me engrossed for two decades.  I am the ki...

The Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been serving gastronomes for 127 years. The historic market has survived the Great Depression and two World Wars! On a September Saturday, we decided to explore this public market, which attracts more than 100,000 people every week during 'normal' times. The Daily Star link The moment you step through its doors, the clatter, the bright ceiling lights and most importantly, the aroma in the air will make you hungry. Although you would want to buy or taste a little something from every stall, that is quite impossible, because there are more than 80 merchants busy at work in this indoor marketplace. The vendors at Reading Terminal Market sell a wide array of items, chiefly food; from fresh produce, seafood, meats and poultry, dairy and cheese, baked goods, ice cream, chocolate, spices and condiments, beverages, and ready-to-eat foods, which you could enjoy in its food courts before the pandemic hit us all. Its Center Cou...

This has been a terrible year, a tragic year, a year that seems to me longer than all the other years I have lived. This is the sort of year that lingers on, stubbornly refusing to come to an end. However, as I look back on 2020, I tell myself, “In spite of all the heartbreaks and losses, there are many things that I am still thankful for.” Health and wellness The pandemic has brought people closer. Yes, there are times when seeing each other  24/7  is leading to more frequent arguments and disagreements among family members, but when I think of all those families that have empty chairs at their dining tables, I cannot be thankful enough for my own health and my family‘s health. At the time of writing this piece, Johns Hopkins’ data table shows that more than 1.4 million people have succumbed to death because of COVID-19.  Financial security So many of us take so many things for granted, especially when it comes to fulfilling our basic needs like food, shelter, and clothi...

 ⛄️It is not snowing, though. ❄️ #watercolor #myartjournal

Americans voted with zeal and fervour; they voted in-person and by mail, setting a record voter turnout, even amid a pandemic that is ravaging their nation. Joe Biden bagged more than 75 million popular votes, the highest so far in American political history. The 2020 US election saw so many firsts; America created history by electing its oldest president, and also its first female, Black and South Asian Vice President. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents a new face of the political power. On the 100th year of Women's Suffrage that is, American women gaining their constitutional right to vote, the country elected a woman as its next Vice President. When it comes to political leanings, Bangladeshi Americans have historically favoured the Democratic Party. This year was no different — they voted enthusiastically for their favourite candidate. We asked Bangladeshi Americans living in different parts of the country how they feel about this historic election. It seemed likely ...

When I  first s tarted writing for The Daily Star’s (DS) youth supplement, the Rising Stars (RS), back in the late ‘90s, it was business as usual. I mean, those were the days when a writer still used to pen an article using a real pen, so did I. I hand-wrote my articles, placed them in envelopes, and dropped them in the mailbox outside DS’ then office in Dhanmondi.  After I joined the RS team of writers/contributors, I began to type my write-ups on our desktop computer, save them in a floppy disk, and take them to the DS office. A floppy disk? Yes, those were the days of floppy disk. Looking at a floppy disk would probably leave a kid of today wondering if it is some kind of a 3D model of the ‘save’ icon!  In the 2000s when email became a popular mode of communication, I no longer needed to carry floppy disks to the DS office. I would just write an article on my computer and email it.  It saved time, money, and also the occasional trouble of a floppy disk not re...