My Publications

The sacred fortunes of Jessore Faizul Khan Tanim visits an archaeological site in Manirampur upazila, Jessore from where an ancient terracotta plaque was discovered on December 18 Photo by Naeem Huque On December 18, in the midst of the controversy and frenzy surrounding the now-cancelled Bangladeshi artefacts show in Paris, excavators working at the Damdampir site in Manirampur Upazilla of Jessore dug up a terracotta plaque bearing the image of the female Tirthankar (saint) of the Jain religion, Mallinath, believed to be the most ancient relic discovered from this part of the world. According to officials of the archaeology department, the plaque is at least 1800 years old and is currently being kept at the Khulna Museum. The 15cm by 7.5cm by 2.2cm red and orange terracotta plaque, where the figure is holding two heads of a snake in both hands, bears further significance because Mallinath is believed to be the only female Tirthankar of the Jain dynasty. Born to King Kumbha Raja and Q...

For Taka 300 only Faizul Khan Tanim looks at the work done at ‘Provatee’, a pre-school for slum children where they are given elementary lessons to help develop their brains and which will last them a lifetime photo by Momena Jalil ‘Assalamualaikum Sir, amar naam Khadija’ says a three-year old girl barely able to formulate her speech with a wide grin across her face. Soon, I am surrounded by an army of children smiling and shouting assalamualaikum, barely reaching the height of my knees. Ten to fifteen minutes off the Mirpur sector 13 main street, inside the Baisteki slum, sits two pre-schools named ‘Provatee’ on the east and west end of the slum. In a two-hour session 25 toddlers, between the ages 3 to 5, are enrolled in each of the three batches divided amongst the two schools. On reaching the spot, one is overwhelmed by the endearing site of the innumerable toddlers. The schools, started in 2007, are run by Eminence, an organisation which works on public health and social research,...

Unplugged concert for Sidr victims photos by Al-Emrun Garjon Amadergaan.com , one of the biggest Bangla music based web portal of our country and Advanced Development Technologies Limited, a real estate firm jointly organised an unplugged concert for the Sidr-affected people of the South-Western region, held on January 3 at the Winter Garden of Hotel Sheraton. Undoubtedly one of the biggest unplugged concerts in the country till date, the concert included twelve mainstream bands— Lalon, Arbovirus, Shironamhin, Dalchhut, Metal Maze, Aurthohin, Artcell, Ornob, Jaatri, Maqsood O Dhaka, Souls and LRB. For one thousand music lovers, this was certainly a unique musical experience — they had the rare opportunity to discover their favourite bands perform in a different mood with brand new acoustic sounds. ‘Apart from the funds raised from the concert, a number of members of amaderGaan.com abroad, donated money online via the site,’ said Naimul Mefraz Khan, director of communications and human ...

Living for freedom Nearing his centenary, anti-British freedom fighter Benode Bihari Chowdhury shares harrowing stories of guerrilla warfare with Faizul Khan Tanim and warns ‘I’m not dying so easily’ photo by Momena Jalil On his 98th birthday Benode Bihari Chowdhury is still going strong. Sitting on his bed, the smiling anti-British freedom fighting veteran Benode Bihari Chowdhury was waiting for this interview. Even at this age, he did not seem tired or worn out but rather walked outside without an aide or even a walking stick. His memory is incredibly accurate — he remembers all dates and his major battles with the British and can narrate gripping personal stories. Amongst his contemporaries in the movement against the British, he is the only one still alive and living in Bangladesh. When asked about any resolutions to mark his 98th birthday, his reply was, ‘I’m not dying so easily. I would not be leaving you people without hitting a century and there is still work to be done.’ ‘I n...

An year in soul, metal, Tagore and acoustic This year saw some fantastic music and also introduced some promising talents. Faizul Khan Tanim speaks to those who have not only made it to the top but are here to stay 2007 has been an eventful year of music- from the advent of the thrashers Power Surge to the soulful melody of Krishnakali to the creativite rendition of Tagore in Sahana’s vocals and the art of song-writing that Yaatri has introduced– it is needless to say that they have made their mark in the music industry, making this year’s music memorable. While some of these artists have undoubtedly made a mark for years, others have just started their journey and hopefully, will go a long way. Casting Tagore in a new light - Sahana Bajpaie Through the use of a variety of instruments including the guitar and Esraaj, Sahana has reintroduced Tagore song and made it lovable to her generation. There is little that needs to be said about Sahana Bajpaie, who has had a life-long love for Ra...

The story of a dying forest According to the book ‘With the Wild Animals of Bengal’ there was once panthers at the Madhupur forest. Today, there are timber thieves, banana and rubber plantations, dacoits, a shooting range, and blaring speakers. It won’t be long before someone will need to write its obituary, writes Faizul Khan Tanim Photo by Philip Gain Hiking down the highway from Dhaka to Mymensingh and Tangail, trees line both sides of the road giving a semblance of abundance to the Madhupur forest. Monkeys venture out in small groups to steal bananas that are travelling on the back of vans, heading to different marketplaces. The image of abundance is, however, an artificial front. A few steps inside the forest lies hundreds of hectares of barren land, dead roots sit in place where large trees once stood, while banana trees, pineapple trees and other fruit trees, cultivated for human consumption, have replaced the age-old indigenous trees of the forest. Thousands of priceless and ex...

Singing free by Faizul Khan Tanim Mora ekti phul ke bachabo boley judhdho kori mora ekti mukh er hashir jonno ostro dhori Words such as these go beyond the tales of Mukti Bahini in 1971 and whip nationalistic feeling. Where words fall short of doing justice to those who gave up their lives for an independent Bangladesh, there are powerful songs of independence that pulsate within hearts of millions and bring memories to life. Irish activist James Connolly once said in 1907 that ‘No revolutionary movement is complete without its poetical expression. If such a movement has caught hold of the imagination of the masses, they will seek a vent in song for the aspirations, the fears and hopes, the loves and hatreds engendered by the struggle. Until the movement is marked by the joyous, defiant, singing of revolutionary songs, it lacks one of the most distinct marks of a popular revolutionary movement; it is a dogma of a few, and not the faith of the multitude’. During the liberation war, pat...

Sanjeeb Chowdhury (1962 – 2007) Singer, songwriter, journalist, founder of Dalchhut – Sanjeeb was so many things to so many people but, above all, he was an animated and emotional human being, writes Faizul Khan Tanim photo by Moin Uddin/Drik SanjeebChowdhury’s untimely death at the age of 45 has moved people and music enthusiasts across the country. His deep voice, urgent lyrics and soulful music has made a tremendous impact in the lives of many and the country’s music scene is paying large tributes to this prodigy. Hailing from Habiganj, Sanjeeb began his career as a journalist in the 1980’s. In the mid-1990’s, he along with renowned musician Bappa Mazumder started the band ‘Dalchhut’, which raised him to the heights of fame. ‘gari cholena, cholena’, ‘bioscope’ and ‘amake ondho kore diyechilo chand’ are some of his timeless songs during his time with the band. Bappa Mazumder turned very emotional while reminiscing about the man who many people affectionately refer to as Sanjeeb Da. T...

Delta of the dead Faizul Khan Tanim visits Bagerhat district, one of the worst-affected cyclone-hit areas in the country and discovers how people are living without food, without water, without a roof, dead human, animals and trees surrounding them, absence of aid and being cheated of relief and finally, to compound their miseries, the fear of tigers illustration Shibu Kumar Shill photos Andrew Biraj/Sanaul Haque/Focusbangla The victims of hurricane SIDR which left thousands dead and many more thousands homeless, now live under the open sky, under inhuman conditions, without food, water and shelter. Along the shores of Baleshwar River towards Shoronkhola in Bagerhat district – one of the worst cyclone hit regions- the sight of human and animal corpses floating around has become a common scene. There is a sinister silence, which often breaks in a loud cry, howling and tears of a family as they are recovering dead bodies of their family members. Those who are still alive on the broken e...

Land-grabbers attack adivasis Faizul Khan Tanim visits the indigenous Oraon community in Naogaon who were recently attacked by local land-grabbers, leaving 16 houses gutted and many injured photo by Al-Emrun Garjon At 7:00am on November 5, a neighbourhood of the indigenous Oraon community in Uttar Kazipara village of Patnitala Upazilla of Naogaon district woke up to a violent assault by local hoodlums who set fire on 16 thatched mud houses, broke them, looted goods, and burnt the rest that could not bagged. More astonishingly, the attack was launched upon the women of the community as most of the men had gone to work. ‘We had earlier heard that they would attack us on the night of November 4 so we had set up strong guard and vigilance to resist them, throughout the night,’ says Mohishshor Karkata, a community member. ‘But nothing happened that night.’ ‘But following morning, the gang decided to instigate their attack shamelessly on our unarmed women as we all men went to work. They t...

The school of joy Faizul Khan Tanim returns from Dinajpur fascinated by the architecture of the premises of METI School, which is considered a breakthrough in architectural design and is also inspiring the villagers in future development photos by Anna Heringer/Khandakar Hasibul Kabir The nine projects that won the prestigious 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture ranges from a sustainable residential tower in Singapore to a village school hand-built by local craftspeople in Dinajpur. Built in four months by members of the local community and volunteer architects from Germany and Austria, the school makes use of easily available local materials like mud, straw and bamboo to create a new model that is being touted as an architectural feat. The first sight of METI (modern education and training institute) school in Rudrapur, Dinajpur, can very easily be mistaken as an ancient, exotic, temple or structure from the land around the Himalayas. On a sunny morning, the school building basks in...

The man behind the shades Ferdous Wahid was the most dazzling artist of the early 1970s. Wearing funky and flowery printed shirts, bell-bottom trousers and large sunglasses – he was the first to bring disco elements into Bangla songs and is still going strong, writes Faizul Khan Tanim photo Andrew Biraj FERDOUS Wahid is a symbol of pop with his flashy clothes and cheerful songs, and his music is loved by millions today. As a pop star, he started wearing sunglasses and made it a fashion statement. Watching Elvis in his bright, shiny attire and glasses was a huge encouragement for him. He remembers the first time he went to record a song for a TV programme, how all the makeup and high-powered light glowing on his face brought tears to his eyes. Inspiration struck, and he took the help of goggles to cover up those tears of joy. And from that day it became Wahid’s signature. Today, Wahid fondly remembers, ‘Soon, people could not even identify me without the pair of sunglasses. My glitzy cl...