Bangladesh is a country I visited at different times. I went there as a child with my parents and sisters and recall the sheer joy of travelling through the rural areas which were dotted with ponds, each of a different colour.
The story of Lolita is simple. It describes the protagonist, a French literature professor, living in New England (US) writing under the pseudonym of Humbert Humbert, kidnapping and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl.
A prolonged heatwave followed by a monsoon when it rained heavily or not at all—leading to a vicious cycle of droughts, floods, landslides, storms—that was climate-changed India 2024.
In the neon-lit twilight, a single signboard stood near the entrance of Rotary Sadan: “The Statesman and the Dainik Statesman present the award programme of ‘Best Face, Best Dress’.” Its simplicity belied the ardent legacy of the institution behind it, a name synonymous with intellect, courage and grace.
As pundits, politicians and public commentators intensely debate the election results, I caution against hyperbole and overinterpretation of what was, in reality, a close race, though the margin of victory looks wider than it actually is, due to the special quirk of the electoral college system.
Most parts of India witness hot to very hot conditions in the pre-monsoon months of March, April, May and June, with some coastal areas having a combination of heat and humidity.
The pleasure of eating a mango is so moreish and exquisite that even Hanuman, from the texts of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana by Maharishi Valmiki, mistook the sun for a giant mango and leapt up to eat it.
“It's too hot”, “I am melting”, and “It’s like we are inside a hot furnace” are probably what you get to hear the most nowadays.
In a bid to provide relief to the creatures beat the heat, a series of innovative and thoughtful interventions have been implemented.
The writer is a social activist who has been at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking and has led NGOs that have helped rescue hundreds of victims across India.
