My Publications

Cover Story Road Accidents in Bangladesh - The Neglected Social Epidemic Faizul Khan Tanim spoke to few enlightened citizens and writes on road fatalities, which have become one of the gravest problems affecting the country It hasn’t been a month since road accidents claimed the lives of two senior journalists in the city. It is taking away lives of our citizens almost everyday and ‘natural death’, the term is slowly walking to the gallows. Road Accidents – this epidemic is related to faults of both the drivers and the pedestrians and then our road infrastructures, social commitments, mechanical faults of vehicles, behavioural factors and more. The problem grew over time and has been regarded as a massive outbreak of a fatal disease. Road fatalities are said to be correlated with a number of factors – number of population and its increasing numbers, length of roads, weather conditions, mechanical condition of vehicles, drivers’ consideration of ...

travelogue   Visiting Post-recession USA Faizul Khan Tanim devotes the last instalment of his travelogue to California and Nevada and the blissful Lake Tahoe bordering these two states Part-5 The Finale – California and Nevada If words like blissful, serene and tranquil had synonyms composed of physical places, the great Lake Tahoe would make it amongst the aperture of the spherical chart. This place has so much of captivating natural beauty that it will produce shots for you, the photographer yourself might as well indulge in some nature intoxication with your god-gifted lenses. These sites are intense and intriguing to your heart and mind, yet soothing, vivid, and elated to the eyes and precisely this difference of mind and sight is what makes places like Lake Tahoe so special…you might visit the whole of United States (US) and see 100 places of interest but what will remain tattooed in your imagination is only the best. Breathtaking view...

travelogue   Visiting Post-recession USA Faizul Khan Tanim writes the fourth instalment about California, also known as The Golden State All Pictures by the Writer. Pic 1: Napa Valley Wine County, Pic 2: Foggy Santa Cruz Bay Area Part-4 - California A popular quote often attributed to Mark Twain is "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." There is doubt if Mark Twain has penned this but nonetheless, it is a brilliant phrase and all true. California (CA)’s weather and climate is quite diverse with its fair share of lush greenery, desert, abundance of water and the state does have chilly summers. I started my journey from San Jose, CA, a major Silicon Valley area and a focal point to all my journeys because of convenience and it is close to all the attractions – Santa Cruz bay area which has Monterey bay side; the Big Basin Redwoods State Park, top universities with picturesque campuses of Stanford, Universi...

Story of a MofoCop - mamun, Station: Dhanmondi Rd 2 Star Kabab & Apparel Store Yellow INTERSECTION No wonder police and politicians both start with PEE...sorry "p". Now this is the story of one such bastard, a shame to our human kind. It was just 24 hours since our beloved colleague of The Independent, Bibhash Da, our senior crime reporter, passed away in a brutal road accident near Road no. 2, Dhanmondi R/A, in front of the clothing store Yellow and Star Kabab and the whole office was still mourning. One of our colleagues Piplu went out to have tea in his break time at a tea stall right beside Star Kabab. The death of Bibhash Da is still fresh in his mind and he was observing the cop, mamun, having tea and gossiping in front of the tea stall. So Piplu and another of our journalist went and asked:- Piplu: Bhi rasta te onek jam, apne dekhi apner kaaj baad diye khali chaa khachhen. Shokal bela office jawar shomoy dekhlam apni ekhanei bosha. Dupur e jokhon l...

travelogue Visiting Post-recession USA Part 3 – Texas Faizul Khan Tanim writes the third instalment about Houston in the 'Lone Star State' of Texas All Photos by the Writer Did you know that Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify it as a former independent republic and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico? The ‘Lone Star’ can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal even today. There is an abundance of green and just not deserts and sand, a common misconception people often have about Texas, from watching the Hollywood Westerns. The economy of Texas is mighty strong and the pack of Camel Crush cigarettes which cost US$ 12.5 in New York is just US$ 5.5 in the Lone Star State. Landing on Houston William P. Hobby Airport, it was good denims, cowboy boots and hats galore. I learnt several things like the NASA space control centre is in Houston and the contemporary word Yuppie...

Cover Story - Community Radio The Gift of Voice to the Voiceless in Bangladesh Faizul Khan Tanim   writes on the potential of this essential communication tool which can bring about a social revolution The long anticipated introduction of community radio (CR) in to the social, developmental and cultural lifeblood of the country has finally kicked off. Its significance is immense compared to the niche target audiences CR addresses. According to Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC), Ministry of Information (MOI) Bangladesh declared the Community Radio Installation, Broadcast and Operation Policy 2008. Under this policy, the MOI started the process of giving licenses after they received 200 applications. Then they gave security clearance to 116 of them and finally approved 14 CR stations while another 21 are awaiting approval. Dhaka, from where the phrase Digital Bangladesh was coined, is yet to have a CR station. BNNRC sources sa...

travelogue   Visiting Post-recession USA Part 2 – New York Faizul Khan Tanim   writes the second part of the series and this time it's the great state of New York All Photos: Faizul Khan Tanim American author John Jay Chapman (March 2, 1862 – November 4, 1933) once said, “The present in New York is so powerful that the past is lost.” He was not wrong and even in 2012, everyone religiously believes this phrase. The city is vibrant, musical, foodilicious , quite expensive and with all its glitz and glamor, it never sleeps…comfortably keeps anyone awake who wants to and all that jazz. A pack of Camel Crush which costs 12.5 US$, the same pack which costs 5.5 US$ in the state of Georgia - NY is expensive. NY City is also the largest city in the state and the most populous city in the United States, home to more than two-fifths of the state's population and comprises of five boroughs - the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Isla...