My Publications

PRESS RELEASE 'Spirit to Survive' A sporting event for the cancer survivors According to the experts, about more than 1 million of people are living with cancers in Bangladesh. However, many of those patients are living an active healthy life due to major advances in cancer prevention, early detection and treatment that resulted in a longer survival. In order to highlight this story and glory of the cancer survivorship to the newly diagnosed patients and their friends and families, sanofi-aventis Bangladesh in collaboration with National Sports Council has decided to organize a sporting event for the cancer survivors in 26 November 2008 titled 'Spirit to Survive' – a sporting event for cancer survivors. Shirin Akhtar, a young lady was present in the press conference to share her experiences of 10 years after successful cancers treatment. She said 'It was a great challenge for me to defeat cancer. Encouragement from my family and friends and continue support from t...

A love affair between dreams and reality Faizul Khan Tanim interviews Hasan Masood, the army captain-turned-journalist-turned-actor whose career path illustrates the impulsiveness this eclectic figure lives by photo by Al-Emrun Garjon ‘Amar account e duisho koti Dollar transfer hoye ashbe kintu apne amake pattai dichchen na!’ Honestly, the amount left me staggered and I found myself daydreaming about what I could have done with that amount of cash at that moment when Hasan Masood, the man who delivered those lines, came over and gave me a warm welcome back to reality. I was on set, where Hasan was rehearsing his lines and shooting takes for a sequence where he roars at a bank official for neglecting him. His brilliant acting belies his experience, which begins with a military career in 1982, stops as a journalist with the Daily New Nation from 1993, the Daily Star from 1995 and the BBC World Service from 2004, and his present role as a television actor. The impulsive nature that ...

From ‘Yes We Can’ to ‘Yes We Did’ A man for the middle class Three very powerful words – ‘Yes We Can’ and one extremely elevating word ‘Change’ almost swept a large number of the US population to vote for Barack Obama, a man who can change the world as most of the world citizens believe. In this match of Donkeys vs. the Elephants, we saw an optimistically turbulent evolution where many recognized red states turned blue. And this was because, it was a win for people who seek change, a win for the youth deeming a message of unity from Obama, a change for US citizens from all the different color, creed, race, belief and communities – I haven’t seen a more unified United States of America until now. First and foremost, we can hopefully say that, the US ‘reputation’ will finally be restored. Most of us, the world citizens, were losing hope about America, which we once knew as a state of democracy, a state of liberty yearning hope not only for its citizens but also for citizens worldwide. Af...

This is it folks, my American friends. Vote for Obama for making US a better country, Vote for Obama for people from all over the world start respecting Americans again, Vote for Obama to restore world peace. For the world has become a place where you cannot always be thinking of 'self defense'...this is the time of 'self sacrifice' and realising that if you have to dream, it has to be for the overall good of humanity. It is my plea to all american friends...PLEASE let's turn Barack Obama's symbol - the photograph with the emblem 'Obama for America', omnipresent worldwide. cheers and VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA for he will not only help the US excel...but the world and i believe my country Bangladesh as well.

Groundwater decrease in Dhaka Faizul Khan Tanim gets the lowdown on the problems with groundwater extraction from researchers, Dhaka WASA and a Rajuk town planner and searches for possible solutions in the face of the water crisis ‘We are now going 200 to 300, and in some cases even 500 feet deep to raise groundwater, and in some very special cases, even 1000 feet. This is alarming. There is a demand of around 200 crore liters of water per day but WASA’s capacity of production is 190 crore litres/day and of that we can only supply 170 crore litres/day presently,’ a senior WASA official reports. He adds, ‘Dhaka is dependent primarily on groundwater for the urban water supply and about 85 per cent of the present municipal water supply comes from groundwater and 15 per cent is from surface water. And the rate at which the groundwater level is decreasing on an average is one metre per year. Too much use of deep tube wells is not at all good but until we have an alternative, there is ...

Lalon breaks free The preaching and philosophy of Lalon is indeed so powerful that even the stones could not hold them. The ‘awareness’ did not want to be protected inside the carved statuettes…not even in the form of exclusive sculptures. So, they have finally broken free and came to cater our craving for Lalon’s ideology and spiritual realization. Bulldozing the monument was such a blessing in disguise that a person like me who knew very little about Lalon is now one of the most keenest to learn his teachings and verses. In terms of spiritual and philosophical significance, Lalon is one of the greatest teachers, preachers, philosophers in the world. And he is by far one of the most modest personalities to have called himself a Fakir. Only the most humble and simple man can think so beautifully. Therefore, I thank those people with religious identity crisis as they actually opened the doors and optimistically motivated me to gain Lalon’s wisdom. For, he does not belong inside effigie...

Reliving Warfaze Faizul Khan Tanim attends the historical Warfaze re-union concert and returns with added respect and appreciation for the band and their contribution to rock music photo by Zooel / Nabhan During the early 80’s, heavy metal and thrash was all about velocity and aggression. It was a war, a war of speedy guitar riffs and solos, killer drum rolls, thumping bass lines and vivacious shrilled voices of the contemporary local bands like Warfaze, Rockstrata, In Dhaka, Aces and more. From that particular era, Warfaze is the only heavy metal band who survived breakups, patch ups, transition, coalition, demolition and many other phases that most successful bands go through. As a result, the band has solidified ‘rock’ as a genre to historical proportions. The energy was anticipated and the hype was well-deserved, as news broke of a ‘reunion’ concert. The passion was felt by fans on the eve of October 15 at the Sheraton Winter garden, when they witnessed the fire-cracker line...

A house for the future Could an eco-friendly house be an answer to the utility and housing crisis coupled with environmental hazards? Faizul Khan Tanim finds out illustration by Shibu Kumer Shill As the environmental crisis continues to grab the headlines and becomes a major cause of concern across the globe, the need for eco-friendly housing is becoming only more urgent. As the depletion of fossil fuels, drought, climate change and pollution affect every aspect of our lives people have started to take notice. Moreover, with the climate becoming more extreme in developing countries like Bangladesh, as can be witnessed by the problems with utility services and the rising housing crisis in the capital city, increasing numbers of households are turning to greener energy options. In order to reduce environmental impact, houses of the future would need to be drastically different, with a focus on eco-friendliness, energy-efficiency, sustainability, and socially responsible building pr...

Belated Happy Birthday ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA…I’ll meet u on the other side of the river (A) Che lives! His physical soul might have departed on October 9 1967 but it gave birth to an emblem… ‘a philosophy of revolution’. So, let us not mourn October 9 but celebrate as if we have a ‘dream’ to defend, as if we are at war again against poor peoples misery, against ‘overdosed capitalism’, for reinstating honesty, to bring back faith, to minimize corruption to the lowest because every class of people has a right to live. Bangladesh is going through tough times. Let’s hope the immortal verses of Che helps us once more like they did in 1971. The military is conventionally supposed to guard our fences and help us during disasters. And the primary task of the police is to serve the PEOPLE…the community overall. But when both these tasks are made responsibilities for the ‘khakis’, even the enemy…even the terrorists become PEOPLE and it’s a total berserk. Today, I humbly rememb...

Happy Eid mubaROCK by Faizul Khan Tanim Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and children of all ages, this Eid-ul-Fitr proudly brings to you a range of audio albums, melodic enough to relieve you from all the oily Ramadan food indigestion. So you might as well start saving your Eidi (eid money) just to grab your most favorite disc as they are sure to deliver impulsive minutes of raging rock, ecstatic pop and everything in between. Entertainment, clothes, food and music always have been innate elements of Eid. Music lovers have every reason to celebrate this year’s festival as some of the coolest songs chart the occasion. So, while still in your flashy punjabis and kurtas and eating flavoured shemai with colorful roohafza and other red drinks, put on your shades and listen to some dance beats Habib and his Father Ferdous Wahid has to offer. Yes! Sangeeta has yet another compilation Obosheshe - Habib Wahid & Ferdous Wahid, for you and your kids to dance to songs like the immortal ‘M...

Sounds of ‘Rage’ by Faizul Khan Tanim Audio production house Rage Records, began their journey launching three albums on August 24. Rock musicians Babna, Russell (ex-Warfaze members) and Romel Ali released their album Shantir Bornon, band Re-Dhun with Roj Roj and solo singer Ishtiaq released his debut album Ebong Paharer Gaan on the day. Shantir Bornon A creative mix of all popular elements – scintillating pop, jazzy progressions, latino expressions, stellar dance-rock hooks and so much more, which would comfortably travel from sassy dancefloors, atmospheric bedrooms up to exhilerating live gigs. The songs ride on groovy piano, melodiously moody vocal works, flamenco guitaring – all soaked in a CD with the label ‘must listen’ on top. Tempting eh? Title track Shantir bornon would give you a hefty kick once you have realised how versatile, although preserving their old signature sound, our ex-Warfaze brothers, Russell and Babna, along with Romel have become. The flamenco guitar played he...

Stuck in traffic Faizul Khan Tanim and Musfequr Rahman explore the pain, the causes and possible long-term and short-term relief from our traffic woes photo by Al-Emrun Garjon Ashraf Khan, a student of Dhaka University, once went to the DU campus in the middle of the night on a private car, from his residence in Uttara. ‘It took me only 25 minutes,’ says an astonished Ashraf. Every morning, to make it to his 10am class, Ashraf starts at seven, and barely makes it on time. If one were to look at Dhaka during various hours of the day, between 8am and 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 7pm, and starting from 7pm right up to 10:30 to 11pm on certain roads from the top of a tall building, Dhaka city is at a standstill. ‘All the roads are clogged. The cars are stuck bumper to bumper, the engines release a tremendous amount of heat, drivers honk their horns incessantly, some of the old vehicles let go black smoke, vehicles break lanes and try and enter the ones that are moving faster,’ says Ashraf. ‘O...

10 defining songs of the contemporary bands in Bangladesh and their ‘cheese’ mix Faizul Khan Tanim loves food and he loves music. He takes his passion to new heights as he compares his favourite numbers of different Bangladeshi bands to different forms of world-famous cheese Did it ever occur to you how the process of making varieties of cheese is like producing different genres of creative contemporary music? The formula of success in producing both these products – cheese and contemporary music, require great art and craftsmanship and the great secret lies in making them with varying recipes, and trade secrets, so that they become more desirable with all the delicious deviations. This cheese affair makes me realise how the different genres and breed of contemporary music are produced and transferred in to essential silver discs of pure enjoyment, just as cheese makes exciting and mouth watering stomach trips. Now here are ten essential songs compared to ten essential types of cheese...

Bangladeshi food-icians in Bangkok The taste of deshi cuisine is on the rise in lands afar. Photo and text Faizul Khan Tanim One of my friends once told me that her liking for cities depended on how welcome the city made her feel. I would say, in addition, that the cuisine on offer plays a significant role on the attractiveness of cities, while bridging cultures and establishing a better understanding of countries and their people. After all, the phrase ‘food for thought’ was not coined for nothing. There are quite a few restaurants owned by Bangladeshis in Bangkok, Thailand and among them, four are running smoothly in terms of food quality, presentation and overall business. Each restaurant has enough history and mystery to make the investigation into their past and present entertaining. Thailand saw the rise and fall of many a restaurant, while others experienced hardship but stood their ground, probably taking inspiration from Don Marquis’ famous quotation - Successful people are th...