My Publications

N.B.: I know this is a traumatic time and forgive me for posting this now, but sharing because i share my work every week, please read in your own good time...much thanks 50 Years of 007 For your eyes only: Bond... James Bond! Licesed to kill, shaken not stirred, Ian Fleming’s evergreen British secret service agent - cradled by the affection of Money Penny s , expedited by Qs, nurtured by Ms, hounded by the SPECTREs and loved by numerous d arlings of the silver screen and his cut-and-dried line for the gorgeous ladies was: I’ll be right back – BOND has been one of the most influential-fictional characters of the past five decades and counting, making us believe in the immortal line – growing older but getting younger. Faizul Khan Tanim Shaken by Dr. NO (1962-Sean Connery),titled as the first Bond film, and stirred at Skyfall (2012, Daniel Craig, the newest bond), and the epic James Bond films featuring the Walther PPK; clad in the three-piece suits; driving ...

*Putting up this article on FB reminds me of a younger brother, no more, who loved fashionable shoes :-]     The SOLEmates from Dhanmondi 15   Faizul Khan Tanim has found shoe shops to cater contemporary and classic styles, tucked away in Dhanmondi, that have a great array of men's shoes boasting the word 'entrepreneurship' in all senses Choosing the right footwear is important if you want to make a strong impression. And legend has it that Nawab Sirajuddaula was caught by his enemies while trying to escape in the guise of a pauper and although he wore crumpled clothes but his shoes revealed his royalty.  And it is evident that one’s shoes tell a lot about the person’s taste and gives insight in to his personality and dress sense. Quality shoes at good prices are often hard to find, especially for men. We found several shops located on the Dhanmondi 15 (old) road strip where shoe-admirers surely won’t be disappointed. The shops have leather sh...

Esho he Boishakh, Esho Esho    Faizul Khan Tanim tries to capture the essence of Pahela Boishakh and our Bengali Psyche The significance of Pahela Boishakh is immense as this first day of the Bengali New Year and the festival itself marks the beginning of the crop season and thus, Bengalis try to foster bond, friendship and exchange happiness. And we wait for a new year, a prosperous beginning, believing that the Kal Boishakhi Jhor (Nor’wester) will wash away all the negativity and impurities in the air. Bengalis decorate their houses with colorful papers, masks and especially with colorful paper owls, haat pakha (hand-held paper or taal-pata fans), prodip (oil lamps) and incense sticks are lighted to give the house a good smell. We urbanites celebrate this event with plenty of colors, especially a contrast-match between white and bright red or maroon. And therefore, beauty becomes an integral part of our happy rallies – Bengali belles clad in their red and ...

i'm sick of our political situation and hence an allegorical piece about our psyche :-] Begging for Living There is a popular saying - Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn - but many people here beg day in and day out conveniently ignoring the significance of working and many of them deceive by taking resort to heinous means to get sympathy of the people. Writes Faizul Khan Tanim A case study: A moderately-dressed man wearing proper sandals comes to Green Road, opposite to the clinics each day. And as the shopkeepers say, he comes as a prince, goes to an alley and changes to a pauper in rags and sporting his scrawny looks, start begging. Residents say, he has almost two cell phones for the past ten years and lives quite a decent life without having to worry about food or shelter for him or the family. This is only one of the cases from thousands found in our majestic Dhaka. P utrefied hands of beggars coming through a car’s window or an a...

liberation war & March 26 special issue - music *This article is dedicated to my 4+month old son ABEER...i love u baba, may u know the true history of our existence :-]    The Unofficial Anthems of Bangladesh There are some patriotic songs of contemporary impression which boils our blood with nationalistic passion, give us goose bumps and even make our hair standup. Writes Faizul Khan Tanim A not-so super-star singer-songwriter Kaiser Cartel once wrote and sang these beautiful lines and got his name nailed in the heart of good tunes - End of the day on the subway, in my ear, along the way, the headphones play...i can hear you, you’re my favourite song...i want to sing it again . And call it remembrances or loyalty, there are some songs about Bangladesh which give you immense kicks to sing them again...and again...and again. Bangladesh had its fair share of these songs from pre-Liberation era and the phase while we got our independence. However, ther...

Food for Thought - A Foodie’s Trip Around Dhaka Once again Faizul Khan Tanim goes out on a food quest and came back absolutely mesmerized It was a random day and one of those bleak days as well that this stomach wanted to indulge in an explosion between unusual food and a gurgling stomach’s digestion juices. And I must confess that these wide range of food items can be very potent, tempting and cure emotion sickness on top of catering a rendezvous with voracious appetite. To begin with, I was hungry and needed energy in my blood stream and what can fetch it more speedily than eggs? So I spotted this van near Shahbagh which says Dim Cake/Egg Cake (Taka 20 each). And to my mind’s amusement and my stomachic curiosity, the person making the cake or pie was putting in raw egg in between a rush of golden yellow liquid dough. And what came out of the stove? A delightful oval cake with the sun in the centre of full boiled texture and my god it had such an im...

And how does your watch tick for you? Faizul Khan Tanim writes on the availability of original premium wrist watches and how they are grooming generations So, how does your wrist watch depict you? What makes it tick for you? Most of these time pieces can be more complex than the inner brains of your computer and some of them may hold more history than you learned till grade 10. At the same time, they can be as pricey as your first second-hand car...a wrist watch will not only give you time but give others the impression of your taste through the radium hour hands on the dial, stainless steel bracelet, ceramic links or leather straps, embedded stones and the gold, platinum, titanium finishes...however big or small, it will definitely make your personality sing. The number of watch/time piece collectors have increased in this country and there are both the affluent class aficionados whose hobby is collecting unique and classy pieces like Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, ...

Fire epidemic in the apparel sector Faizul Khan Tanim writes on the epidemic that can cost us a lot “In Bangladesh, the words ‘safety’ and ‘regulation’ are only meant for the upper class of the society. The poor will be poorer and more prone to fatality and death because our lives have no value and since there is an explosion of population, garment workers are a genre of labours, readily available after little training. Tell me why should I not come to this conclusion? Would you be able to count the number of deaths caused by fire in the garment factories after the 80’s? And after so many incidents and being the world’s second-biggest clothing exporter, at least three big events each year takes place and its the same issues – inferior fire drills, escapes and locked fire exit doors killing scores of my colleagues, which are issues never addressed properly”, these opinions were voiced by a 29 year-old garment worker from Savar requesting anonymity, who saw at leas...

Get Up, Stand Up...Stand Up For Your RIGHTS   An Unprecedented Phenomenon– Shahbagh Square Movement, Bangladesh 2013 Faizul Khan Tanim writes on a People's Movement which triggered a historic Mass Awakening  N.B: Some of the pictures used here are not in the original article “Get up, stand up...stand up for your rights! Get up, stand up...don’t give up the fight!” – And the people of Bangladesh think that these immortal Bob Marley lines are reverberating in quick succession in their might and mind from a realization of ‘Mass Awakening’ kick started by a blogger group at the now Shahbagh Square or Projonmo Chottor (square). The cause is unanimously voted – demanding the highest punishment of the country for the perpetrators/collaborators also known as Rajakars from pre and post independent Bangladesh. Thus an energized, non-partisan, non-violent protest developed from the ‘revolution epicenter’ of Bangladesh and this call for justice and freedom was voluntar...

Omor Ekushey Boi Mela 2013 begins  The Fair of Goodreads Faizul Khan Tanim writes on-by some distance-the most anticipated book fair of the country “There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.” - Bertrand Russell, British philosopher, mathematician and writer And probably the above quote was coined for these reasons – armed with ambition to buy books, sporting the green-red of Bangladesh or the Shahid Minar picture painted on faces, sporting an overall look of moral boost that would make all apprehension dissapear with the chant – books will guide us and race through our private emotions. This was visible in all the visitors, although a very low turn out of visitors on the noon of February 4, thronging the fair. Albeit all the preparations made, plenty of stall owners are asserting that this month-long exposition has not bloomed to its full potential by the end of February 04, primarily because this fair is only fo...

Shahbagh Square, Dhaka, Bangladesh - from where the Revolutionary Inferno Ignited We a re looking at a revolution that ignited in Bangladesh demanding proper justice against the perpetrators/collaborators /RAJAKARS who committed war crimes against humanity...a justice demanded by the freedom fighters of 71, for the scores of people who lost their lives during 1971 Liberation War , for us who demands that GOOD JUSTICE must prevail because it is our basic right.

Sustainable Commuting – Walking and Cycling   Faizul Khan Tanim writes on the benefits of walking and cycling and the feasibility of practicing them in Dhaka With increasing reduction in physical activity or manual labour, growing number of desk jobs and with most people living increasingly stressful lives, the first thing that hits us is the fatigue factor. Therefore, opportunities are needed to incorporate some form of regular exercise or physical activity into our daily routine and what better activity can there be than relying on walking or cycling as means of commuting and transportation? Choosing walking or cycling as modes of commuting can significantly improve our health and fitness as well as the vitality and well-being of our community. Not only in Western countries but citizens of a number of developing countries are adopting walking and cycling as integral parts of their daily lives. These two modes are the most sustainable means of...