
Perhaps everyone has a cherished list of things to do, places to visit, milestones to achieve in a personal Bucket List -- items to check off before one kicks the bucket! Sabrina Islam an entrepreneur, photographer, and avid traveler -- was able to fulfill one of her dreams from her Bucket List: a photo adventure in the backwaters of the south Indian state of Kerala. But it turned out to be something more: a journey of the soul, a sorely needed sojourn of the mind from the daily grind, and an opportunity to reflect, recharge, and rejuvenate.
Birds remain an important part of our lives. Whether we carefully watch them or not, a flash of glittering colours sometimes accompanied by a charming musical note of an unknown bird brightens our day. This book is meant to be on the desks of such people who would cherish a collection of pretty pictures and interesting facts of the birds of Bangladesh. It is not designed to serve the serious birdwatchers, although they may find it interesting to leaf through. The short captions with the pictures will nudge the readers to discover interesting facts in the text.
New Delhi in the mid-1950s forms Raana Haider’s first recollection of India. She accompanied her diplomat father on his posting to New Delhi. Some fifty years later, she was once again living in New Delhi – this time accompanying her diplomat husband. India: Beyond the Taj and the Raj is the account of the author’s travel across the complex tapestry that is India – underlined with historical and literary narratives by generations of writers on India. Vestiges of the Mughal legacy crowned by the Taj Mahal are relived, as are remnants of the Raj.
Fire of Bengal plunges us into the midst of life in Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan during the late 1920s. Rozsa Hajnoczy, wife of a Hungarian professor, kept a journal of her impression during their three years stay at the ashram. After her death in 1942 this was published in Budapest and became one of the classics of modern Hungarian literature.
Tagore was indeed a biswa-kabi, or poet of the world. In the first half of the twentieth century, few had travelled as much as him, visiting more than thirty countries on five continents Shying away from being a ‘patriot’ and ‘seeking compatriots around the world,’ Rabindranath laid faith in humans, no matter of what nation, race or caste, in overcoming limitations and perils of all kinds. It is this faith that made him cross boundaries, both intellectual and territorial.
More than just a book of recipes, Bosha Bhat to Biryani, traces the many culinary strands that have gone into the making of what is Bangladeshi cuisine today. From the indigenous bosha bhat to the rich biryani, from the humble kechki fish cooked in banana leaf to the hilsa musallam, from the Portuguese vindaloo to the English caramel custard, the book provides a variety of everyday dishes as well as special dishes for special occasions.
বাংলাদেশ আয়তনের দিক থেকে ছোট হলেও জাতিগত এবং সাংস্কৃতিক বৈচিত্র্যে সমৃদ্ধ। দেশের উত্তর, উত্তর-পূর্ব, দক্ষিনের উপকূলীয় এবং পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রামে ছোট ছোট বিভিন্ন জাতিসত্তার বসবাস। সরকারি হিসাবে এসব জাতির সংখ্যা ২৭ বলা হলেও আদিবাসী এবং গবেষকরা এ সংখ্যা ৪৫ বা তারও বেশি বলে দাবী করেন। এসব জাতিসত্তার ভাষা, নৃত্য-গীত,উৎসব, লোকাচার, সাহিত্যসহ নানাবিধ সাংস্কৃতিক উপাদান বর্ণিল ও বর্ণাঢ্য। বাংলা ভাষা ও সংস্কৃতিতে আদিবাসী জাতিসত্তার এসব সাংস্কৃতিক উপাদানের যতেষ্ট অবদান রয়েছে। আদিবাসী জাতিসত্তার সমৃদ্ধ সাংস্কৃতিক উপাদান আমাদের ঋদ্ধ করেছে। দেশের সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠ মানুষ ক্ষুদ্র জাতিসত্তার মানুষ ও সংস্কৃতি সম্