One of the pioneering Bangladeshi bands, Souls, in association with Grameenphone is launching a talent hunt. Titled, “Souls featuring You”, the competition aims to inspire budding lyricists and instrumentalists to come up with a song for the band’s upcoming album, says a press release. The campaign, set to kick off tomorrow (July 13), invites lyricists ... Read more
Month: July 2011
What’s Joya been up to?
Joya Ahsan has just completed working on a single-episode TV play, titled “Ananta Adhara”. Directed by Shihab Shahin, the play also features Iresh Zaker, Moutushi Biswas, Sharmeen and Shahin. About the plot, Joya says that though it’s a complicated one, she loved working on it. The play narrates the story of a woman whose husband ... Read more
Ahsan Habib: A Poet of Urbanity
Ahsan Habib earned acclaims as a poet in the 1940s. He was an urban poet through and through — both in terms of language and sensibility. His poems reflect the social reality of his times, relationships, and focus on the concerns of the middle class. He was born on February 2 in 1917 in the ... Read more
Making of a folk songstress
Tête-à-tête with Sefali Sargam Sefali Sargam is a promising folk singer from Rangamati. She started singing when she was barely four years old and couldn’t even play the harmonium properly. Her elder sister, Lily, was her first mentor in music. Later she trained under noted musician Debu Chowdhury. “I’m taking lessons in classical music from ... Read more
Milon back with a bang
Actor Anisur Rahman Milon is back from the US after a 23-day shoot for 104-episode serial “Chhayabrito”. Tauquir Ahmed is the director of the serial. On his role in the serial, Milon said, “I play a character that goes to US on a 10-day trip, but decides to stay on. Later, he begins a struggle ... Read more
Variety show Pachphoron on ATN Bangla anniversary
To mark its 14th anniversary, ATN Bangla will air a special variety show, titled “Pachphoron”, on July 14 at 9:05pm. The programme will feature a couple of songs — one of which has been rendered by Shakila Zafar. Shakila will sing a popular song from yesteryears. The music of the song has been rearranged by ... Read more
In conversation with Nazu…
Promising singer Nazu is now passing hectic days with her new solo album, stage performance and playback in some movies. Her first album ‘Kacha Holuder Rong’ was released in 2002 and earned huge reputation. ‘Swapno Konya’ is her another album which was highly praised by the critics and listeners. Till now, she gave vocal for ... Read more
Hillol, Mousumi in ‘Terminal’
Popular TV actor Hillol and Lax superstar Mousumi Haidar have recently performed together in a mega serial titled ‘Terminal’, which is being aired on NTV now. The serial was directed by Sokal Ahmed while its story was written by Shafiqur Rahman Shantanu. Beside Hillol and Mousumi, the cast of the serial included Shirin Alam, Elora ... Read more
Amin Khan is now ‘boatman’
Popular hero Amin Khan started his career 18 years ago in 1993 by performing in a movie titled ‘Abuj Duti Mon’, which was directed by Mohammad Hossain. During the span of long 18 years, he acted in 300 movies but never played the role of a boatman. For the firs time in his career, Amin ... Read more
No family planning services for Dhaka slums
People living in Dhaka city’s slums, who comprise around 40 per cent of the total population of the capital, appear to be ignored by the government’s Family Planning Programme as there is no door-to-door counselling and service. Rehana, who lives in the railway slum in Mailbagh, has been looking for advice on family
Gloom descends as bodies arrive home
A pall of gloom was hovering over the Abu Torab-Bartakia Road, strewn with bodies of the schoolboys killed as a pick-up truck carrying them plunged into a roadside ditch at Mirersarai near the port city on Monday afternoon. A shrouded body was lying beside the road after every two or three
Death tears twins apart
Mohammad Sakhawat, class-V student of Abu Torab Government Primary School in Chittagong, plumbs the depths of pain after a road accident yesterday separated him from his twin brother Mohammad Ferdous for life. Sakhawat played for his school in a football match yesterday while his brother Ferdous cheered
KL postpones registration
Amnesty for Illegal Workers KL postpones registration Malaysia has postponed registration of irregular foreign workers but said it will start the process anytime soon, the state-run news agency Bernama reported yesterday. On June 22, the Malaysian home ministry announced amnesty for irregular foreign workers, and said it would start their registration on July 11 for ... Read more
Population target stiff
The government’s goal of reducing the country’s population growth rate from 1.39 percent to 1 percent by 2016 is very hard to achieve, say officials and population experts. While the nation observed the World Population Day yesterday, the experts said the acceleration in growth of population seen over the years suggests that the goal set ... Read more
Cabinet gives nod to control wall writing, poster pasting
The Cabinet on Monday endorsed the draft of the Wall Writing and Poster Pasting (Control) Bill 2011, with a provision that allows local government bodies to designate places and realize fees for such advertisements. The LGRD and cooperatives ministry placed the draft in the weekly Cabinet meeting at the secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ... Read more
Death penalty for human traffickers
In a bid to clamp down on cheats defrauding thousands on the pretext of arranging for jobs overseas, as well as, to stop human trafficking across the Indo-Bangladesh border, the cabinet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday approved a new draft law that has provided for death sentence to traffickers. The law is titled ... Read more
Parimal confesses involvement
Sexual Assault Parimal confesses involvement Parimol Joydhor, a Bangla teacher of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College’s Bashundhara branch on Monday made confessional statement about his involvement in violating a student when she went to his coaching centre at his residence in Badda area of the city. Inspector (Officer-in-Charge) of Badda police station and also the ... Read more
Headmaster jailed for sexual harassment of student
A mobile court sentenced the headmaster of a high school in Ishwardi to four months in jail on Sunday on charge of sexual harassment of a student. But a section of students of Basherbanda Bohumukhi High School and locals staged demonstrations in protest at the punishment of the headmaster, Shamsul Islam insisting that the charge ... Read more
Mohiuddin Bablu, accused of murders, handed over to UK
Bangladeshi-born British citizen Mohiuddin Bablu, accused of fleeing the UK in 1997 after committing several murders and imprisoned in Bangladesh for the last 13 years in an arms case, was handed over to concerned British authorities on Monday. Officials of the British police and the British High Commission in Dhaka were handed over the
Schoolboys’ trip of death
43 students killed as truck plunges into ditch; driver said to be talking on mobile, flees; nation in mourning A truck packed with students crashed and flipped over into a ditch in Mirsarai upazila yesterday afternoon, killing at least 43 of them and injuring another 12. Forty-one of the dead were schoolchildren and two college ... Read more