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When the river swallows its own banks: the politics of betrayal
A graffito painted on a wall in Dhaka during the July uprising. — New Age/Sony Ramani by Habib Zafarullah THERE is a particular grief that has no name in English but lives in the bones of every Bangladeshi who has watched someone they carried on their shoulders — whose photograph hung in their tea shop, whose name their children chanted — turn around and look at them as though they are a problem to be managed. This is not the grief of defeat. Defeat you can live with. This
6 min read
INDEPENDENCE DAY 2026 Rejoicing or reflecting?
A graffito painted on a wall in Dhaka during the July uprising. — New Age/Sony Ramani by Obaidul Hamid 26 MARCH — Bangladesh’s National Independence Day — feels especially significant in 2026. After the dangers of protracted autocracy, we have returned to the promises of democracy. Yet the day is also a time for deep, sober, and clear-eyed reflection by the government and people from all walks of life. Such reflection is essential if we are to reaffirm who we are as a nation,
7 min read
INDEPENDENCE VS IDENTITY What Bangladesh is taking shape today?
by Helal Mohiuddin ‘TELL me something,’ a friend asked over tea in Winnipeg, Canada, recently, stirring his cup like it contained the secrets of the republic, ‘are we still the same country that was born in 1971?’ I paused — not because I lacked an answer, but because there are too many possible answers. That, perhaps, is the heart of the problem. The ghost of 1971 still speaks, but in different languages. My friend wondered if the resurgence of Islamist politics in Banglades
6 min read
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