Musings by Shahidul Alam
by Saydia Gulrukh Honourable prime minister, I AM an unborn citizen of Bangladesh. I was killed before I was born. My mother was twenty-two weeks and three days pregnant with me when fire broke out at Tazreen Fashions in Nischintapur. I was killed before I was born. Honourable prime minister, My mother, Mimi (pseudonym) worked … Continue reading “NISHCHINTAPUR TRAGEDY: Letter from an unborn child”
by rahnuma ahmed The strike has been called off.
Subscribe to ShahidulNews February 4 2011. 9:06 pm Dear friends, Yesterday evening I got an emergency text message from Sharmine who is Moshrefa Mishu’s youngest sister which said Mishu’s face had gone numb, her speech was slurred, she was having difficulty in talking. A junior doctor came in, examined her, said he thought it was … Continue reading “Rahnuma Ahmed's updates on Moshrefa Mishu”
Subscribe to ShahidulNews 1 Dr. Akmal Hossain, Dhaka University 2 Dr. M M Akash, Dhaka University 3 Robaet Ferdous, Dhaka University 4 Zobaida Nasrin Kona, Dhaka University 5 Dr. Shantonu Mazumdar, Dhaka University 6 Mesbah Kamal, Dhaka University 7 Dr Rahman Chowdhury, Dhaka University 8 Fahmidul Haq, Dhaka University 9 Dr. Kaberi Gayen, Dhaka University … Continue reading “Signatories to the statement protesting the arrest of Moshrefa Mishu, garment workers leader”
Subscribe to ShahidulNews by Saydia Gulrukh ?Do the words of all witnesses count equally?? asks Kalpana Chakma?s brother Kalicharan Chakma. He brings out his diary as he talks to me and says, ?I have learned from the tragic mistake that I need to keep a record of every encounter that we have with the military, … Continue reading “Kalpana's Family: Living Under State Surveillance”
By Saydia Gulrukh Sodork or Totteleng As our bus entered Khagrachari Sadar, the graffiti on the wall caught my eye. I don?t remember exactly the name of the school. It was a government high school.? The main gate almost broken, but the boundary wall seemed recently painted. On this newly painted white wall were colorful … Continue reading “The Other Shaheed Minar”
Majeda, Jarina, Farida and Many other Garment Workers By Saydia Gulrukh Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, New York City, March 25, 1911 Whoever saw the hellish fire at 33 Washington Place, A terrible tragedy, something quite new, Can never forget it, And everyone knows many lives were lost. They were incinerated, In a factory 10 stories … Continue reading “A Tribute to Our Forgotten Sisters”
His eyes flitted forward and back, and having surveyed the scene for possible danger, it stopped. The head stooped, and that was how he stayed. Crouched on the floor of a bus full of Bangalis, the Pahari (hill person) amongst us, was living in occupied land. Keeping out of trouble was his best chance for … Continue reading “My Sister's Language”
By Saydia Gulrukh For the past few months, I have been preparing for an almost meaningless exam, one which graduate students in the US have to take, called ?comps? (short for comprehensive/PhD candidacy exam). During moments of sarcasm, we also call it the intellectual boot camp. While preparing for the exams, I have created a … Continue reading “Two Kinds of Death and the Unattended ?National Wounds?”
Well it’s been well over 48 hours since I had a proper sleep. In the last 24 hours. I have been detained by the Border Security Forces (BSF). Handed over at midnight through a flag meeting between the BSF and BDR (Bangladesh Rifles). And then, ironically, sued by the BDR and arrested by Bangladesh police … Continue reading “No wo/man's land”