My Publications

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...