The Bengal Gaze

By Kathryn Hummel

Guided by a Bengali Poet

[4.Jun.08] :. When people ask what my Bangladesh life was like, I will say that at its best, it followed the path of the poet Jibanananda Das.
 

The Rickshaw as an Endangered Species

[29.Feb.08] :. Bangladesh's endangered rickshaws and wallahs serve as brightly coloured, moving works of art, and as constant, mobile displays of human nature – often at its best.
 

In Conversation with Bangladeshi Poet, Kaiser Haq

[2.Jan.08] :. There are more than a dozen languages spoken in Bangladesh. English is a presence, a second language, in which poets such as Haq can be found.
 

Living in a Po-Co World

[13.Nov.07] :. Expats in post-colonial Dhaka have their hearts in the right places, if their generosity at fund-raising events is anything to go by, although the end result is haphazard, like a game of ‘Pin the Conscience on the Public Servant’ that has been played their tipsy spouses.
 

Sacred Ornas and Secret Longings

[9.Oct.07] :. The orna's slim fabric casts a net of symbolism and serves as a democratic garment -- for a certain class of people.
 

During the Deluge

[18.Sep.07] :. A crowd of bideshi (foreign kin) stood on the roof and watched Star Kebab burn, and the riot squad shamble in, and the sky fill with black-blue smoke.
 

Travels in Little China

[16.Aug.07] :. The Chinese brand of red tape now wraps around Tibet as fiercely as the Red Guards that once invaded it. Travelers who gain access now see a Disney-fied Tibet.
 

Seeking Some Reprieve

[21.Jun.07] :. I can now wrench my hand away from a doe-eyed child miming hunger and clinging to me without losing my stride. One’s brain, as well as one’s bowels, are not always all right in Bangladesh.
 

Dr. Dhaka’s Lonely Hearts Club

[24.May.07] :. For the Bengalis, dating and marriage are integrally intertwined with familial love. For a single female visitor, a creative spin on extended family relations helps with the curious doorman.
 

Deep ’Desh

[18.Apr.07] :. The minute I step out of my flat, Bangladesh drags me into its unique intensity; and without home as a point of reference, I am left without my level of reasoning.