My Publications

Food Fest Indulge in the spirit of iftari Faizul Khan Tanim is always craving the crunchy, spicy food that we eat during Ramadan Photos by Faizul Khan Tanim Chhola bhaja, piyaju, beguni, jilapi, alur chop - crispy, flavoursome, colourful - a diverse range of crunchy snacks called iftari, these items here are major attractions during Ramadan. But the availability of these munch delights are not limited to just one month anymore; you can get them in different places around town, throughout the year. Banani Bazaar is one such area where you would find these items. Tk 5 to 10 worth of chhola bhaja, piyajus and begunis from Tk 2 a piece, Tk 10 for a filling large-sized jilapi or the potato chop - they are hot, tasty, and churns essence of aromatic spices. If one can spare five to ten minutes, they will make you the ‘ultimate iftari mix’ with all the items mentioned above with specials add-ons – muri (puffed rice), green chili, shredded onions and coriander leaves, few...

Foreign Shores BHUTAN - The land of the peaceful dragon Faizul Khan Tanim explains why the Himalayan kingdom is called the land of the peaceful dragon Bhutan most probably got its name – land of the peaceful dragon – for its absolute tranquil atmosphere, snaky roads, narrow rivers, serpentine incorporations in their dance moves wearing dragon masks and the use of red hot chilli aplenty in most of their food items in case one needs to blow fire like a dragon. This unspoiled land is inspiring, green, mountainous, with an abundance of pine trees and ample fresh breeze, prayer flags adorning the mountain sky line and all that jazz. In Bhutan, the traditional Bhutanese attire of long robes in bright red and orange will catch your sight - Gho for men and Kira for women. How to get there If you are an avid adventurer, a nature and landscape person, it is always wise to take a joy ride to experience the awe-inspiring panorama. The Dhaka-Shiliguri A/C bus service will take you to ...

Lifestyle and Digital Accessory DhakaLive loves the myriad ways in which pen drives have become a part of our lifestyle They are known as pen drives, thumb drives, flash drives, or even USB disk drives, and they are available in all different shapes, sizes and as part of other interesting gadgets. They come embedded on the strap of your wrist watch, inside your locket, as a key-ring and, thanks to cutting-edge technology, as a flat card that can slide easily into the slimmest flap of your wallet. Some may refer to this as fashion technology, while others call it the merging of digital convenience and lifestyle to create fusion gadgets that can carry large amounts of data, from128 Mb up to almost 01 Tb! The beauty of technology is such that you can now carry information around your wrist, or even your neck, and it boggles the mind! In a country such as ours, these gadgets are indeed pleasant digital surprises.

Blast from the past Def Leppard's Hysteria Faizul Khan Tanim presents an album by the glam-metal legend Hysteria is probably one of glam-metal’s most definitive albums. Released on August 3, 1987, it spawned seven hit singles and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Though Def Leppard had already released three albums, this one pushed them into the spotlight. With producer Mutt Lange on board, they successfully altered their sound towards more mellow hard rock, rather than heavy metal, to break through. The album peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the UK Albums chart. Most importantly, this was the first release after the tragic car accident that left drummer Rick Allen with only one arm, but using a custom-made electronic kit, Allen continued to drum for the band as their inspiration. Hysteria became more successful than their previous record, Pyromania, and helped to revolutionise the music industry with an album length at 63 minutes, at a time when album length...

Children's book illustration exhibition Faizul Khan Tanim On April 19, the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh began holding an exhibition of children's book illustrations, featuring the works of 13 famous German illustrators, using water colour as collages or digital experiments, and it continues until May 9. The exhibition was inaugurated by Shishir Bhattacharjee, and organised by Maria Linsman Dedge of the Children’s Books Museum in Troisdorf and Barbara Honrath of the Goethe Institut in Munich. German illustrator Julia Kaergel ran a workshop to train Bangladeshi illustrators in the current trends and developments in contemporary children's book illustrations. The workshop produced some exciting illustrations which are on display as part of the exhibition.

After lunch, rest a while and after supper walk a mile Faizul Khan Tanim finds peace at Gulshan Tank Park When you step in to the President Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed Park, commonly known as Gulshan Tank Park or the Gulshan Ladies Park, you will see the unexpected abundance of greenery, no pollution, and officers all about to maintain security, which might inspire you to carry on with your physical workout here, as it is quite peaceful. The park sports signboards with diagrams and social messages, such as the significance of walking and harmful effects of smoking. The tracks that run throughout have marks to indicate distance – two laps around the park equal 1.12 km and there’s even a signboard to present the approximate number of calories one burns per lap. It is a safe place for both women and children to gather, with a big pond, both flat and elevated walkways, a separate play area for the children, and a huge basketball court. You can find serenity here in the evenings with the fre...

Pranab Ranjan Ray's TRIBUTE TO TAGORE Faizul Khan Tanim in conversation with the art critic about his recent talk on Tagore's art Pranab Ranjan Ray is one of the most celebrated art critics of this sub-continent. During a recent visit to Dhaka, he spoke about the significance of Rabindranath Tagore's paintings at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts on March 31, at an event held to celebrate the poet's 150th birth anniversary in May. Educated at Shantiniketan, Kolkata University and with a degree from the Indian Statistical Institute, Ray does not have an academic background in the arts. His fondness for the arts developed during his university days as he viewed exhibitions and through interactions with artists, which soon overtook his penchant for active politics as a member of the communist party and he started to write about art when he was studying for an M.A. He gained recognition as an art critic when he started to write for the Lalit Kala Acade...

Preserving our roots Sushanta Pal's Shokher Hari -folk-art of potteries transformed on modern canvas. Reports Faizul Khan Tanim Shushanta Pal was born in Basantapur village of Paba union of Rajshahi district around 1959. He doesn’t remember his birth year properly but he learned to draw from when he started understanding life. Shokher Hari has been the oldest traditional business and passion in Pal’s family. His grandfather Banyeshwar Pal was a famous artist of this pottery art, who received provincial award during East Pakistan period. But today, due to deep frustrations over the decrease on the use of clay potteries and to run his family, this craftsman transformed this art form from pottery to art paper and canvas, believing to preserve this traditional art and as well earn a living. If clay pottery art is dying then indeed it is grave news for us because this traditional art captures the essence of rural Bengal and sports the images of mainly folk tales, celebrations, the diffe...

Alliances en résonance/ Le Bangladesh à Paris' in Paris Bangladesh's 40 years of independence is being celebrated in France. Writes Faizul Khan Tanim A month long cultural event is taking place in Paris, France. 'Alliances en résonance/ Le Bangladesh à Paris' has been organised on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence by the Alliances Française de Dhaka and Chittagong, Bangladesh Brand Forum and Fondation Alliance Française Paris, in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh, the Embassy of France in Bangladesh and the France Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFB). From March 31 onwards, until April 30, there will be various events designed to enhance Bangladesh’s image in a positive light abroad, especially in the arenas of art, music and culture. It includes an exhibition of images by 13 Bangladeshi photographers, heritage and craft exhibition of fabrics, embroidery, tapestry and jute products, which is taking...

Blast from the Past Madonna Faizul Khan Tanim gets nostalgic listening to the album 'Like a Virgin' only to realise how it revolutionised pop in the 80's She's a rebel, she's a diva...she is the queen of pop and mesmerising forever! Madonna is an artist that greatly inspired acts as diverse as Sonic Youth, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. And her second studio album Like a Virgin is one of those albums which still sound incredibly dated. It is one of those albums that defied odds and overturned the ways female musicians thought and delivered. This album, released in 1984, was the breakthrough for her, thanks to the two massive hits Material Girl and Like a Virgin. Material Girl climbed to an anthemic proportion. The videos Material Girl and Like a Virgin might have featured mild notoriety but they were taboo-busting and made sure to inform that fame and power is not all that girls in showbiz look for. The song helped make Madonna become the Monroe of the 80s and...