LIFE AS IT IS

Does rain and romance have a strong connection? Perhaps so, because a drizzle does spark a passionate light of love in many human minds. It is often the lovers and poets who have a special fondness for rain. It is a common belief that those who love to watch rainwater splash on their windowpane, or like to get drenched during a downpour, or enjoy riding a rickshaw with the hood released, or listen to melodious numbers on a rainy day are people who understand ROMANCE better than the rest. The rain lovers can arrange for a perfect surprise treat for their loved ones, write beautiful letters (in these days, emails and SMS) or talk amorously hour after hour over the telephone. These are just beliefs though, but I guess every statement has some degree of truth in it. Only a few weeks back, this Dhaka city was inundated with a heavy shower and many of us remained protected in our own comfy homes, hardly stepping outdoors. During that dull period of one week, I talked to numerous peopl

Derived from the Sanskrit word 'bindu', bindi means a drop. It signifies a mystic third eye. Although once associated with Hindu marriage tradition, today the bindi is a fashion accessory for girls and women of all ages, religions and backgrounds. A nicely draped sari is complemented with a stylish bindi worn between eyebrows. Today bindis are worn with salwar kameez and even jeans and fotua. These fashion accessories are widely available at the stores of Dhaka. Gausia is indeed a heaven for bindi lovers. Bindis of all colours, patterns and sizes grace the shelves of the shops of this busy market. Bindis are also available at Eastern Plaza, New Market, Rifles Square, Metro Shopping Mall, Karnaphuli Garden City and most other malls of the capital. The outlet of Priyo located at Fatema Arcade, Dhanmondi also has a wide collection of bindis. The bindis available at Dhaka come from India, and most of these are genuinely trendy. There was a time when bindi meant placing a dot on the

KARMA, the boutique, was established at the heart of Bijoy Sarani (besides Rangs Bhaban) on May, 2002. After completing her BBA from New York, Sohana Rouf Chowdhury has taken up dress designing as her favorite pursuit besides a busy professional life. She has, in fact, inherited this store, earlier known as Visage, from her mother. Now under her management she intends to design clothes for a select group of people. This self-made designer has succeeded to prove her ingenuity in every dress that she has in her collection. This summer, she has emphasized on white, the coolest color to wear in this sticky season. She has experimented with hues like fuschia, turquoise and aubergine. Sohana Rouf loves to work on cotton materials. Tie-dye is her another favorite, which sells like hot cake. She stresses simple yet modish cuts and designs, which are simply eye-catching. She has a splendid collection of chic short kameezes and trousers. Her cotton collection aims at office-going women, who

It's pleasing to see that some large organizations in Bangladesh are trying to use their public exposure to promote social and environmental responsibility. Whereas most companies use advertisements to promote their products, and channel their profits into their own endeavors, a few are being unselfish. Have those large billboards ever caught your eye? I don't mean the ordinary ones, which promote electronics, housing projects, clothes, cigarettes, audio cassettes and every other possible product and service to appeal to consumers. The billboards I'm thinking of belong to an organization that is making known its name and logo in a total different way. These advertisements stand high over some of the major streets of Dhaka, on structures of steel and concrete, and on the bodies of over-bridges. Instead of highlighting the quality of their banking services, the billboards of Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd. carry messages that aim to create public awareness. These billboards ra

Clothes were invented to cover and shield our bodies, and though this function holds true today, what we wear today plays a huge role in our lives, from impacting the way we look to reflecting on our personalities and more. At one time dresses prepared from simple printed materials made our girls and women quite content. However, today we want way more than just down-to-earth prints; we want customised outfits every day. The emergence of block prints, tie-dye and embroidery satisfied the females' most coveted dream to put on eye-grabbing outfits and appear attractive to others. Block prints, embroidery, hand paint, batik and intricate work of sequins now characterise the saris and salwar suits of our women. While many dress designers have their own workmen, others resort to the shops located on the third floor of Government New Market. If you are wondering why, then it's suggested that you do visit this place on a working day and see the crowd there. The entire third floor of N

Today, we roll our eyes over gigantic buses and exclaim "WOW"! A pack of KitKat on the body of a bus gives a twist to our tummy, or a bottle of Kinley builds an overwhelming thirst inside our throats. Bangladesh has just entered the age of Transit advertising. Does the term sound unfamiliar to you? Well, then wait a while to learn a bit about it. Transit advertising is basically an urban advertising form that makes use of buses and taxis to carry messages. In recent times, Dhaka has perceived striking transit advertisements on public buses like BRTC double-deckers and Nirapad. In fact, these vehicles wrapped up all over in awe-inspiring ads are finally making our wait in a jigsaw of traffic jam a little entertaining. Some of the most beautiful transit advertisements are seen on the buses of Userix Nirapad Ltd., which include products like Kinley Mineral Water, Scan Cement, Nokia, electronic gadgets from Esquire Electronics Ltd., organizations like Grameen Phone, HSBC, Standar