My Publications

Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin The poetic vision and electrifying live performances of The Doors, their appetite for psychedelic experiences and the debut album inflamed the spirit and psyche of several generations till date and still going strong. Writes Faizul Khan Tanim “There are things known and things unknown and in between are The Doors” -Jim Morrison Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin! Although Jim Morrison has been dead for decades but he is still causing trouble in the minds of the faithful fans. His haunting voice, the urgent lyrics, the band's sound of psychedelia reached out to millions of fans to break on through to the other side or set the night on fire. He lived fast, died young and left six studio albums for his mates Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore. The debut album – self-titled, recorded in 1966 and released in 1967 broke bones, records and gave the fans options to drink and drive, s...

The self-titled Black Black is back with a new album and DhakaLive’s Faizul Khan Tanim tells us all about it Black is looking forward to releasing their 4th studio album this February at a music store near you. Self-titled with mature compositions, crisp, having good pace with hair-raising tempo and natural melody are some of the essentials that will garnish this album. Most importantly, almost eight of the songs were recorded live – all the players and vocalist having recorded in a single take instead of in sessions. They have used top-notch studio equipment, with the assistance of one of the most creative sound engineers at Bengal Studio, Shubho, and tube amps by Marshall and Peavey Joe Satriani series to give extra warmth to their sound. According to them, Fender Stratocaster, jazz bass, Gibson Lespaul and PRS guitars gave them the production they wanted for this compilation. This rock band from Dhaka is one of the pioneers who introduced alternative rock music to Bangladesh. The ba...

Beauty with brains...or not! Faizul Khan Tanim was at the Lux Channel i Superstar 2010 grand finale to realise that beauty is nothing without brains The Lux Channel i Superstar 2010 event unfolded at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre back in August last year with thousands of hopefuls flocking to try their luck and the stage was set for the competition to find the queen bee. On January 24, we gathered to watch the five finalists who survived the gruelling process of elimination, battle it out for one last time. The crowd was entertained by the glamorous stage, choreography, music and chose to ignore the echoing sound system, waiting for the real show. As the contestants took their places on stage, dressed fabulously - Rakhi, Nisha, Toya, Mashiat and Moushumi were poised for the crown. In the final stages, when push came to shove, not all the pretty young things could hold their own. Flustered by the pressure, I assume, some of them fumbled and frustrated the judges with...

The green revolution continues - part 2 In part two of Faizul Khan Tanim ’s series on building sustainable homes using eco-friendly solutions, he writes about water conservation and alternative lifestyle choices Water, water everywhere Pollution and wastage are two of the main causes behind the lack of clean water in our country. But we are lucky because we have heavy rainfall, and we can easily make good use of this bounty. Rainwater harvesting is a very effective solution to the water crisis. The scarcity of potable water means this is worth investing in. In many countries including India and Thailand they rely on rainwater that is collected in barrels and in many homes they have installed rooftop rainwater collection systems, which supplies a significant amount of water for each household’s use. Recycling is already well-established but not enough is being done in Bangladesh where the water shortage every summer is becoming a serious cause for concern. Appropriately treated, wat...

Going green in a few simple steps Faizul Khan Tanim 's series on eco-friendly solutions for home begins with an introduction to energy saving bulbs DhakaLive takes the issue of sustainable living very seriously. The campaign to switch to energy-saving or compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs makes good sense; cutting down on the electricity you use will also save you money. Let there be light When light bulbs were introduced they changed the way we live, suddenly people were able to conduct their daily business after sun set, which was difficult before, imagine reading by candle light. Traditional incandescent bulbs are small heaters that consume lots of energy to produce light. CF bulbs’ wattage is quarter of incandescent bulbs’, i.e. a CF bulb of 15-watt can easily replace 60-watt incandescent bulb, using a fraction of the electricity. Because they don't burn as hot, they don’t generate heat so your home and offices are cooler. Bangladesh Lamps Ltd, Super Star (I R Bulb C...

Let’s start a green revolution-1 DhakaLive's Faizul Khan Tanim thinks it is time to take stock of the situation and face up to reality. Climate change is not a joke and we must adapt or die! Bangladesh faces many problems. The inability to generate and supply sufficient energy, especially gas and electricity has everyone scrambling to find better alternatives. The need to incorporate new ideas and technology has been slow to catch on in Bangladesh. People who should know better tend to mock and ignore the consequences of lifestyle choices they make. Across the world, when petrol prices rose, followed by the recession and financial markets collapsed, people were forced to rethink how they lived. For instance, a Hummer is not a badge of pride anymore; gas-guzzling monstrosities have been abandoned and left to die! But you would never know that judging by the number of four wheel drives on our roads. The world’s finite fossil fuel resources are running out, they cost m...

The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine Faizul Khan Tanim shares his love for the classic album and the band that influenced the rise of psychedelic pop music If you stare long enough at the album cover on an atmospheric day, you will soon find yourself feeling you are one of the animated figures. Get ready for a psychedelic ride with the Beatles. 1969 is memorable for plenty of reasons, for example, fashion flirted with see through shirts and maxi skirts; in the UK the death penalty was abolished but the year is remembered by music fans because this was the year the Beatles released Yellow Submarine, which was the soundtrack for an animated feature film of the same title. Songs that get you high The film Yellow Submarine is an animated journey that follows Alice and her friends in to a wonderland but you can't because reality bites. It's filled with puns and classic British humour with psychedelic music that reveals the longing to lead a simple life and be at peace, clear from the tit...

We love food Italiano - Don Giovanni re-opened

The Festival of Colours and 20 years of Aranya Faizul Khan Tanim visited “Rangeen Utshab - Festival of Colours”, an exhibition that was inaugurated on January 14 to mark 20 years of Aranya Crafts Ltd successes, organised in conjunction with Bengal Foundation at the Bengal Gallery in Dhanmondi. The exhibition will be open till January 22. The display of sarees made of silk and cotton, jamdanis and many other beautiful items, ranging from scarves, shawls, bed covers and table cloths are all examples of products made with natural dyes. A section exhibits foreign materials and cloths, all of which tell stories of vibrant colours and designs with natural dyes. There is also a video documentary running on a big screen which narrates the tale of how natural dye evolved and how it is used in our country. The exhibition celebrates the revival of natural dyes in Bangladesh. The campaign began in the 80s with the intention of reviving indigenous crafts using l...

Chasing the Blues with Panduranga White Faizul Khan Tanim recommends a unique musical workshop A workshop called Chasing the Blues is being conducted by a real blues man at Shadhona. If you are a musician then we suggest you make your way there to get some pointers from Panduranga White. The workshop began on January 11 and will continue for a week. It is aimed at all musicians and uses an easy informal format; there is a lot of jamming and improvisation, with Pandu sharing a word along the way. He will cover all the major genres, with emphasis on the blues. On the first day he was at hand with heaps of pointers, such as “When you play, project your feelings. Play the solos from your guts and not fingers and emphasise on the power of music, which should always be passion-driven.” Panduranga White is a great blues musician, theorist and an amazing storyteller who narrates the tales with passion, taking you on a journey with him. When he recounts the tales of t...

Charming Cambdridgeshire...a photo story http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=32&date=2011-01-16

The little Korea on Road 118 - Koreana Restaurant

Photos from Frustrated outbursts of humor - the frustrated cartoonists of Bangladesh at Cartoon Exhibition 2011 by Faizul Khan Tanim

Ashor A folk album that is organic and perpetually powerful, says Faizul Khan Tanim This fantastic family of folk singers - Lokman, Abdul Alim and Rozina – they sing and play kathi dhol, mondira, dotara, aktara, flute and they are so good that even for a fraction of a moment, their sound will make you cry, laugh, feel nostalgic and even feel a high on life for fictional characters you have never met before…Such is the beauty of their songs. When organic folk fuses with modern instrumentation and musical arrangement, it sounds like this – an album Ashor, essentially capturing the sound, smell, taste, and simplicity of rural Bengal. Listening to this CD, you will be able to feel the fragrance of earth, immense green, and the rivers, in which our countryside dwells. An excellent example is the song Nodir Kul-er Lagi – the song has immense force probably because the melody equally contributes to the powerful vocals. With a range of emotions and musical acumen, this narrates the story of...

Just a beautiful grilled cheese burger! Faizul Khan Tanim celebrates 10 Golden Years of American Burger - The American Burger situated in Bangladesh and served fresh in Dhaka :p ;) Whenever I crave a flame grilled awesome burger, it’s American Burger that comes to mind and a certain dialogue from the sitcom How I Met Your Mother assails my senses. Marshall narrating - This grilled burger, it's so much more than "just a burger”. I mean that first bite oh! What heaven that first bite is. The bun, like a sesame freckled breast of an angel, resting gently on the ketchup and mustard below, flavours mingling in a seductive palette. And then...a pickle! The most playful little pickle! Then a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce and a patty of ground beef so exquisite, swirling in your mouth, breaking apart, and combining again in a fugue of sweets and savour so delightful. This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread. This is God, speaking to us in food. If you want to...

The ICTD 2010 in London If ICT is properly applied, can it be a key enabler of a carbon-constricted economy? Faizul Khan Tanim returns from the conference and writes on the interesting insights The International conference on information and communication technologies and development (ICTD) 2010 conference from December 13-16, hosted by the ICTD Collective at Royal Holloway, University of London was the latest in a series of highly successful international ICTD conferences held in Doha (2009), Bangalore (2007) and Berkeley (2006). It provided a forum for researchers, practitioners and all those with interests in the use of information and communication technologies in development practice to meet to discuss the latest research advances in the field. ICTD 2010 combined two days of plenary peer-reviewed paper sessions, with two days of workshops, panel sessions, discussion forums, and demos, including a keynote by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a graduate of Oxford University who invented the...

http://www.theindependen tdigital.com/?opt=view&page=29&date=2011-01-05%EF%BB %BF

The Sea - CD Review Corinne Bailey Rae's 2nd studio album, The Sea, is soulful and sublime. Says Faizul Khan Tanim