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Cancer is a short C-word with a heavy, cold and lonely feeling. Cancer survivors live with that feeling every day of their life.

Life had its twists and turns, yet you had a life before cancer. At least, you were allowed to have dreams about life. Cancer puts a sudden end to those dreams. Cancer turns you from a “woman” to a “survivor”.

First, the readers may wish to have a look onto the comparative statement of the scale and damage between Cyclone Sird in Bangladesh (2007) and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (2008).

Not so long ago, Administration department used to be the heavyweight wing of an organisation but personally I did not find much of its own work other than managing and maintaining utilities, leases, legalities, etc. Two crucial strategic and operational functions of an organisation, i.e. Human Resources and Supply & Logistics were covered under the sheet namely administration. However, good thing is the management bodies of comparatively younger generation have rightly understood the necessity of splitting the administration into several pieces. It has helped the functions like HR and S&L to own their identity and get recognition for their own achievements rather than being apprised as a good ‘admin’ fellow.

[NB: This piece is taken from a diary entry from 2010 when I was briefly interning for a charity. Sadly, the contents still remain relevant.]

I'm drafting a consultation paper for DFID (Department for International Development) on maternal mortality. Doing the research has been difficult. It has been pretty damn awful really. I've basically spent the last couple of days going through a catalogue of all the horrific atrocities inflicted on women and young girls across the world, all in the name of tradition, custom, honour, religion. There may not be much in common between the troubled Somalia and the up-and-coming-nearly-developed India, but one thing that connects the two is the fact that women and girls of both the countries continue to face violence. The forms may vary wildly from female genital mutilation to sex-selective abortion, but the victims are the same group of human beings - women.

Translation from Himu's- উদ্ধারকাজে নিজস্ব প্রযুক্তি ও কৌশল উদ্ভাবন আশু প্রয়োজন

The collapse of Rana Plaza has engraved a lasting sore in our mind but it’s quite urgent to think about the immediate reaction if such happens again. The policymakers urgently need to start their homework that what and how we react in such incidences. And if we know from the professional and volunteer rescuers about their experiences and limitations through public hearing, can be incorporated in this homework.

“Workers of the world, Unite.”
Ahh, the chanting that Marx started.
You know, I got the chance to meet Marx? I guess not. I did not know much about him before I met him.
Well, I don’t know whether you can hear me or not. It’s not the usual way to talk, not been preferred. Actually, it’s illegal.

[Note: This is a translation of the article তথ্য’বিনা মিথ্যা বোনা by Kaustubh, originally posted in Sachalayatan on 27-02-2013. While the facts were easy to translate, it is difficult to capture the essence and wit of the article in English. The translators strongly recommend reading the original article if you are can read Bengali.]

Bangladesh, a small, beautiful country, is located in South Asia. An area of 147,570 sq. km. is home of 160 million people. It has very little natural resources. However, the hard working people are the biggest resource of the country. Women’s participation and contribution to the economy in Bangladesh is outstanding in the region.

It was how it usually looked like, all quiet from the outside. Although the windows and doors of the Doulatpur Brajalal College were all shut tight, there was a peacefulness in that silence. Looking at the tall grass that had grown into a waist-high jungle, and the cattle sitting in the shades of the trees under the winter sun, one could hardly realize that the country was flooding in a blood-bath. If you listened carefully in all this silence, you could even hear the echo of the warmth of life going on from the nearby bazaar. It wasn't impossible to hear the strangely grave sounds of the rising tide inside the people, like that of the long dried up river, The Bhairab.

I used to live in the ‘Maneesha’ building of the Science Laboratories back then, with Mirpur Road on one side and Elephant Road on the other. I could hear slogans from the streets till 11PM on 25th March. At midnight I opened my doors and went outside.