A group of young Bangladeshis has created a digital archive called July Memories to preserve the visual and cultural traces of the July uprising. The initiative began as a graffiti archive to document protest writings before they disappeared from public walls. Over time, it expanded into a broader online repository capturing slogans, songs, raps, poems, and personal memories linked to the movement. Co-founders Yasir Arafat and Silmee Sadia, both with backgrounds in journalism, led the effort across 11 districts, photographing around 10,000 graffiti pieces.

The project emerged from a sense of duty to protect the language of protest that was rapidly being erased after the fall of authoritarian rule. Many significant writings, including those demanding justice and political accountability, were removed within months. July Memories now serves as a digital resistance against forgetting, ensuring that the voices of protest remain accessible online.

Beyond archiving, the founders also authored a book on six journalists killed during the July events, published by the Press Institute Bangladesh, extending their mission of preserving collective memory.

A three-day mobile book fair and cultural festival has been inaugurated in Patnitala upazila of Naogaon. The event, organized by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs with support from the upazila administration, will run from April 28 to 30. The inauguration ceremony took place at the Upazila Parishad auditorium, where Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rifat Ara formally opened the program.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) Jewel Mia, Patnitala Press Club President Ikhtiar Uddin Azad, and other local dignitaries attended the opening ceremony. Local residents, book enthusiasts, and students from various educational institutions were also present. According to the organizers, the fair and cultural programs will be held daily from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The initiative aims to promote reading habits and expand cultural practices among the local community through the three-day event.

A mass wedding involving 300 couples took place in central Gaza on Friday, supported by the United Arab Emirates. The event, held under the program titled 'Galant Night 3', aimed to assist couples who were unable to marry due to financial hardship. Around 20,000 people, including families, local leaders, representatives of international organizations, and residents, attended the ceremony.

Organizers said the couples were selected from thousands of applicants, with priority given to unmarried individuals facing economic challenges. Applications had opened in February. Alongside the wedding, newlyweds received gifts and assistance to help them begin their married lives. The ceremony began with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by the marriages, emphasizing Palestinian cultural traditions.

Both the national anthems of the United Arab Emirates and Palestine were performed during the event, symbolizing solidarity and cultural unity amid Gaza’s ongoing recovery from Israeli attacks.

Renowned Indian photographer Raghu Rai has passed away at the age of 83. He died on Sunday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in New Delhi. Rai was widely regarded as a pioneer of Indian photojournalism and earned international recognition for his work documenting major historical events.

During Bangladesh’s Liberation War, Raghu Rai was among the leading foreign photographers to cover the conflict. At that time, he served as the chief photojournalist for India’s prominent newspaper The Statesman. His photographs vividly portrayed the suffering of Bangladeshi refugees in Indian camps and captured key moments of the war, including scenes from the frontlines and the surrender of Pakistani forces.

His death marks the end of an era in South Asian photojournalism, leaving behind a legacy of powerful visual storytelling that chronicled both human struggle and resilience.

The funeral and burial of Alhaj Hazrat Maulana Mofizul Islam, known as the 'Boro Huzur' and director of Saiber Hat Qaumi Madrasa in Daulatkhan, Bhola, were completed on Sunday, April 26, 2026. Thousands of Islamic scholars and local residents attended the prayer at the Daulatkhan central Eidgah ground. He passed away on Saturday, April 25, at his established Saiber Hat Qaumi Madrasa in Ward 9 of Daulatkhan Municipality.

Mofizul Islam was the son of the founder of the historic Izzatul Islam Char Khalifa Qaumi Madrasa and was widely respected for his modest lifestyle and religious leadership. His death cast a shadow of mourning across the area.

Bhola-2 constituency BNP Member of Parliament Alhaj Hafiz Ibrahim, Daulatkhan Upazila BNP leaders Abdul Mannan Mia and Shahjahan Saju, and local religious organizations including the Ulama Dal and Ulama Mashayekh Aimma Oikya Parishad expressed deep condolences to the bereaved family.

Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament, Kaiser Kamal, announced a special initiative to preserve the Hajong community’s language during a meeting with community members at the Durga Temple premises in Uttar Lengura Beltali Hajongpara, Kalmakanda, on Friday, April 24. Initially, teachers will be appointed at three major temples in Rangchhati, Lengura, and Kharnai unions of Kalmakanda upazila to teach the Hajong language to children.

Kamal emphasized that many languages are disappearing over time and that immediate action is necessary to prevent the Hajong language from facing extinction. He also visited erosion-prone areas along the Ganeshwari River and announced plans to install CC blocks to prevent riverbank erosion. Repair work in vulnerable areas will begin soon under the supervision of engineers, with local Hajong residents directly involved in implementation to ensure accountability and sincerity.

He reaffirmed his commitment to communal harmony, stating that his work serves all communities equally—Garo, Hajong, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian—without discrimination.

Artist Rajib Ahsen’s first solo exhibition, titled “Embrace of the Earth,” opens today at La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka. The exhibition will be inaugurated at 6 p.m. in the presence of artist Professor Jamal Ahmed. Running until April 26, it will remain open to the public daily from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The organizers describe the show as a deeply personal and emotional presentation built around themes of memory, place, and transformation, featuring around 36 watercolor and acrylic paintings.

The exhibition explores the connection between rural intimacy and the evolving realities of urban life. Ahsen, who grew up amid the rhythms of agrarian life, draws inspiration from real experiences rather than artificial narratives. His works reflect nostalgia, adaptation, and identity through vibrant brushstrokes, layered textures, and subtle use of light and color.

Rajib Ahsen’s artistic journey has been shaped by his personal experiences and deep ties to place and memory. He has previously participated in the Sixth Friendship Art Exhibition and Seventh Kahal International Art Exhibition in Dhaka, as well as the Eighth Kahal International Art Fair in Tokyo.

A new book titled ‘Bengali Muslims’ Hajj Journey: Historical Context and Early Depictions’ examines the evolution of Hajj travel narratives among Bengali Muslims. The work presents vivid portrayals of early pilgrimages, highlighting the emotional farewells at Ashkona Hajj Camp and contrasting them with the perilous journeys of a century ago. It references early 20th-century travelogues by Mohammad Badruddoza and Yasin Ali Sarkar, noting their stylistic influences from Fort William-era Bengali prose, and contrasts them with Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah’s 1921 account.

The book’s first chapters discuss the origins of the Kaaba, the universality of Hajj, and a glossary of related terms. Later sections trace the routes, demographics, and social traits of Bengali pilgrims, citing data from 1913–14 and 2023. It also highlights editorial inconsistencies and includes historical details such as the 1914 Hajj costs and the role of Bengali rulers in Mecca and Medina’s development. The author connects Hajj literature to broader political changes in Arabia, including shifts in Ottoman and Saudi influence.

Archival materials like the 1935 Calcutta Hajj Committee declaration and cost lists from 1920 to 2025 make the book a valuable resource for researchers.

The July Uprising Memorial Museum, planned at Dhaka’s former Ganabhaban after the 2024 July Revolution, remains unopened despite repeated government assurances. The interim government had announced the transformation of the royal residence into a museum honoring the student-led uprising, but bureaucratic delays and political inertia have stalled its inauguration. Although the July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill 2026 was passed on April 10, giving the project permanent legal status, the gates remain closed to the public.

Families of martyrs and injured activists have expressed frustration over the delay, blaming administrative inefficiency and lack of political will. Some allege that influential bureaucrats linked to the previous regime are obstructing progress, while others maintain that the current government is sincere and working to open the museum soon. The project, approved in July 2025 with a budget exceeding 400 million taka, was initially scheduled for an August 2025 launch.

The museum features thematic galleries using digital and visual technology to document the revolution, with preserved artifacts, letters, and footage. It will operate as an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, with branch museums at former detention sites known as “Ainaghars.”

A special anti-war concert titled 'No War No Empire' is being held this afternoon at the base of the Raju Memorial Sculpture on the Dhaka University campus. The event, organized jointly by several political parties and progressive student groups, aims to protest ongoing wars, genocides, and imperial domination around the world. According to organizers, the concert will begin at 4:30 p.m. and feature performances by popular Bangladeshi artists and bands including Kofil Ahmed, Arup Rahi, Ahmed Hasan Sani, Ila Lalalala, Warda Ashraf, Suchin Marma, Kuasha Murkh, and groups such as Shohojia, Chorus, The Comrades, Bangla Five, Mavoi, and Samgeet.

Organizers stated that the concert expresses solidarity with people in Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, Venezuela, and Cuba facing aggression and mass killings. They also plan to demand the cancellation of U.S. trade agreements signed during the interim government period. The initiative reflects artists’ belief that they cannot remain silent amid global conflicts and humanitarian crises.

The concert is open to all, with the goal of using music and cultural expression to build public opinion against imperialism and spread messages of peace.

Recent archaeological excavations in Dhaka’s old jail compound on Nazimuddin Road, led by Professor Sufi Mostafizur Rahman, have uncovered colored pottery and artifacts dating back nearly two thousand years. These discoveries suggest that Dhaka was connected to international trade networks, including the Silk Route, long before the Mughal period. The findings also indicate that the city’s history extends far beyond the commonly held view that it began during the Mughal era.

Historical records and inscriptions reveal that during the Bengal Sultanate, Dhaka was part of a region known as Iqlim Mubarakabad, named after Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah. Two key inscriptions from the 15th century—one from the Bibi Bakht Binot Mosque in Narinda and another from Naswalagali Mosque near the present central jail—confirm the presence of a growing Muslim community. The first mosque was built privately by a merchant named Arkan Ali, while the second was a state-sponsored construction under Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah.

These inscriptions and mosque constructions demonstrate the gradual expansion of Muslim society in Dhaka during the Sultanate period, reflecting both religious and commercial development along the Buriganga River.

The Miyabari Mosque in Korapur, Barishal, remains one of the few surviving monuments representing the region’s ancient heritage. Built by Hayat Mahmud, a Bengali Muslim military commander under the Chandradwip ruler and later a zamindar of Buzurg-Umadpur, the mosque stands as both an architectural and archaeological landmark. Mahmud, who resisted British East India Company rule, was declared an outlaw, exiled to Prince of Wales Island, and later returned to settle in Korapur, where he constructed the mosque.

Believed to have been built in the late 18th century, the two-storied mosque follows the Shaista Khani architectural style, similar to many 17th-century Mughal structures. It measures about 70 feet long and 40 feet wide, with thick brick-and-lime walls and a roof built without iron or rods. The mosque features three domes, eight large minarets, and twelve smaller ones, and can accommodate around 60 worshippers. Two unidentified graves lie beneath its staircase. Recently, local efforts have restored the mosque’s beauty, and its ground floor now houses a madrasa.

The Miyabari Mosque continues to symbolize Barishal’s Muslim heritage and its historical defiance of colonial dominance.

Prime Minister Tarek Rahman will visit Shilaidah in Kushtia to attend the national celebration of poet Rabindranath Tagore’s 165th birth anniversary on 25 Boishakh. The event will take place at the historic Kuthibari, a site closely associated with the poet’s life and work. Kushtia Deputy Commissioner Touhid Bin-Hasan confirmed the Prime Minister’s attendance at the event.

The three-day celebration is being jointly organized by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Kushtia District Administration. A national preparatory meeting was held at the Secretariat to finalize arrangements for the occasion, where the Prime Minister’s participation was officially confirmed. The festival will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister at noon on 25 Boishakh.

Authorities in Kushtia have begun extensive preparations to welcome the Prime Minister and to ensure the successful organization of the national-level cultural program honoring the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore.

Gazipur Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Md Nurul Karim Bhuiyan attended the wedding of Sreemati Preeti Rani Bashfor, a motherless bride from the Harijan community, as an invited guest. The event took place in Gazipur, where the DC’s presence deeply moved members of the marginalized Harijan group, who expressed joy and gratitude at his unexpected attendance.

Preeti Rani Bashfor is the daughter of Ratan Bashfor, a worker of the Bangladesh Harijan Oikya Parishad’s Gazipur metropolitan unit and a long-serving sanitation worker at Gazipur City Corporation. Her late mother, Seema Rani Bashfor, also worked as a cleaner at DUET in Gazipur. The family educated their daughter, who is now a second-year university student. The Harijan community, traditionally engaged in sanitation work, is often referred to as Dalit or marginalized in South Asia.

During the event, DC Bhuiyan emphasized constitutional equality for all citizens regardless of religion, caste, gender, or origin, and called for unity and respect across professions to build Gazipur as a district of equality and harmony.

A traditional horse race competition was held at the two-day Boishakhi fair in Babuganj upazila of Barishal. The event took place at the Post Office Bazar field in Chandpasha Union and concluded on Saturday with the horse race as its main attraction. Thousands of spectators gathered to watch the competition, which featured five horses.

Local residents said that during the Boishakhi fair, relatives and guests from nearby villages are invited to enjoy the festivities. Visitors also came from different upazilas to witness the race. In addition to the horse race, the fair included magic shows and a Ferris wheel, adding to the festive atmosphere.

According to organizers, the fair has been held annually for about 40 years since the establishment of the Post Office Bazar by the late former union chairman Abdul Sattar Hawlader. They noted that the event strengthens social bonds among local residents. Police maintained regular patrols to ensure law and order during the fair.