The cracks in the concrete
Autocrats boast of economic miracles, yet novelists expose the rot beneath. Dr Asif Iqbal’s sharp analysis of Shawkat Ali’s 1960s trilogy punctures the myth of Pakistan’s “golden age” under Ayub Khan....
View ArticleMy queerness has no pronouns: a Bengali-Assamese refusal to translate
My queerness has no pronouns: a Bengali-Assamese refusal to translate– Sanandita Chakraborty In the Ministry of Utmost Happiness (Penguin, 2017), Arundhati Roy recounts a scene of linguistic...
View ArticleSukumar Barua (1938-2026): Rhymester of Bangladesh
Sukumar Barua, rhymester of Bangladesh, winner of Ekushey Padak has passed away at age 84 in Chittagong. His honors include the Bangla Academy Award, the Ekushey Padak, the Bangladesh Shishu Academy...
View ArticleCitizen to Traitors: Ilyas Chatta Reviewed
Ilyas Chattha's "Citizens to Traitors" explores the internment of Bengalis in Pakistan from 1971 to 1974, highlighting how former citizens transformed into perceived traitors. The book reveals the...
View ArticleSacred Margins: Manasa Worship and Divine Recognition
Anupama and Ankush Pal highlight the limited scholarly attention given to indigenous worship like that of Manasa. They argue that these practices embody resistance and cultural preservation,...
View ArticleRevolutions and Female Narratives
Louise Harrington’s paper, "Women and Resistance in West Bengal and Bangladesh: 1967–1971," from 2013 argues that women were not just victims but active, militant agents during these upheavals. It...
View ArticleJhumpa Lahiri’s Revolutionary as Romantic
Through Udayan, Lahiri offers a complex meditation on the relationship between individual conviction and the structural possibilities for social transformation. Udayan represents the fate of an entire...
View ArticleFarida Parveen: a life lived atop many fault lines
The fault lines of religious, communal, and cultural identity fractured their marriage. Despite their divorce, Farida Parveen continued to sing for decades, performing Abu Zafor’s songs and those of...
View ArticleI’m Sorry, Choles Ritchil
Don't even think of raising your voice. Etho boro shahosh! You see what happened to Choles. Don't make us be sorry again. The post I’m Sorry, Choles Ritchil appeared first on আলাল ও দুলাল | ALAL O DULAL.
View ArticleRival Camps Lost Sight of the Real Tagore
The union of public consciousness with Rabindranath is hindered by self-proclaimed interpreters. The post Rival Camps Lost Sight of the Real Tagore appeared first on আলাল ও দুলাল | ALAL O DULAL.
View ArticleThis Post is About Racism
I had not expected such pernicious racism against Bangladeshis in Bangladesh after 51 years of her freedom. The post This Post is About Racism appeared first on আলাল ও দুলাল | ALAL O DULAL.
View ArticleMy queerness has no pronouns: a Bengali-Assamese refusal to translate
My queerness has no pronouns: a Bengali-Assamese refusal to translate– Sanandita Chakraborty In the Ministry of Utmost Happiness (Penguin, 2017), Arundhati Roy recounts a scene of linguistic...
View ArticleSukumar Barua (1938-2026): Rhymester of Bangladesh
Sukumar Barua, rhymester of Bangladesh, winner of Ekushey Padak has passed away at age 84 in Chittagong. His honors include the Bangla Academy Award, the Ekushey Padak, the Bangladesh Shishu Academy...
View ArticleCitizen to Traitors: Ilyas Chatta Reviewed
Ilyas Chattha's "Citizens to Traitors" explores the internment of Bengalis in Pakistan from 1971 to 1974, highlighting how former citizens transformed into perceived traitors. The book reveals the...
View ArticleSacred Margins: Manasa Worship and Divine Recognition
Anupama and Ankush Pal highlight the limited scholarly attention given to indigenous worship like that of Manasa. They argue that these practices embody resistance and cultural preservation,...
View ArticleRevolutions and Female Narratives
Louise Harrington’s paper, "Women and Resistance in West Bengal and Bangladesh: 1967–1971," from 2013 argues that women were not just victims but active, militant agents during these upheavals. It...
View ArticleRakib Hasan & Teen Goyenda Generation
In 1980s-90s Bangladesh, Rakib Hasan's Tin Goyenda series, adapted from Western detective fiction, became a publishing sensation. Before the internet, these thrilling tales offered youth a vital,...
View ArticleJhumpa Lahiri’s Revolutionary as Romantic
Through Udayan, Lahiri offers a complex meditation on the relationship between individual conviction and the structural possibilities for social transformation. Udayan represents the fate of an entire...
View ArticleFarida Parveen: a life lived atop many fault lines
The fault lines of religious, communal, and cultural identity fractured their marriage. Despite their divorce, Farida Parveen continued to sing for decades, performing Abu Zafor’s songs and those of...
View ArticleI’m Sorry, Choles Ritchil
Don't even think of raising your voice. Etho boro shahosh! You see what happened to Choles. Don't make us be sorry again.
View Article
