Dhaka University Central Students’ Union unveiled the commemorative book ‘Isharat Manzil’ to mark the 154th birth anniversary of Nawab Salimullah. The launch was held at 3pm on Sunday, August 16, at the Salimullah Muslim Hall auditorium of Dhaka University. DUCSU Vice President Sadiq Kayem attended as chief guest, while General Secretary S. M. Farhad was special guest and Literary and Cultural Secretary Musaddiq Ali Ibn Mohammad chaired the event.

Musaddiq said Nawab Salimullah was linked to the founding of Dhaka University and was a pioneer in advancing education and the progress of underprivileged Muslim and Hindu communities in the region. He said the book would help students learn more deeply about Salimullah’s life, work and historical role. Executive member Sabikunnahar Tamanna said the publication would also introduce students anew to Dhaka University’s historical journey.

Farhad said Salimullah’s contribution extended beyond the establishment of one institution to educational expansion and the development of disadvantaged people. Kayem described him as a far-sighted leader in education and social reform, saying the publication was an important DUCSU effort to present his ideas and work to younger generations. DUCSU, hall council representatives and students attended the event.

A banana-tree raft racing competition was held on Friday afternoon in the Belua River beside the historic Boithakata Market in Nazirpur upazila of Pirojpur. Local youth organised the event to entertain villagers, drawing thousands of spectators from different villages after noon. Children, teenagers and people of all ages gathered along both riverbanks to watch the unusual contest.

A total of 64 competitors took part in 32 rafts, with two participants on each raft. Every raft was made from two banana trees. The report says the visually appealing raft race is becoming a new rural festival in Pirojpur, taking the place of traditional boat races that are becoming less common. A similar event was held last year in the district’s Nesarabad upazila.

Spectator Raihan Prince said he had come to see the event because boat races are now rarely held except on certain occasions, and described it as his first raft-racing experience. Organising committee chief Shahriar Parvez Joy called it a rural festival and social gathering, pledging to continue the tradition. Ramjan and Forqan won first place, Hamim came second, and Alamin and Yasin finished third. Union Parishad chairman Hasnat Dalim presented prizes.

Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir’s Dhaka University unit held a special seminar on Saturday marking Islamic Education Day, focusing on Abdul Malek’s education proposals and Bangladesh’s current education system. The event, titled “Decolonisation of Education: Abdul Malek’s Education Proposals and the Current Education System of Bangladesh,” took place at the July Martyrs Memorial Auditorium in Mujib Hall at 3 pm.

Speakers said education should not be limited to knowledge and technology, arguing that morality, humanity, social values and self-identity should also be integrated. They called for an education system shaped by the country’s own values, theology, science, modernity and spirituality, rather than colonial thought. Chief guest Nurul Islam Saddam said Abdul Malek viewed the development of moral and humane people as a central educational goal.

The seminar was chaired by DU Chhatra Shibir president and DUCSU AGS Mohiuddin Khan, while Md Sajjad Hossain Khan presented a paper. DUCSU VP Sadiq Kayem attended as special guest and Shihan Bin Omar joined as a panellist. Speakers stressed that education reform should consider morality, social responsibility and national identity alongside employment, technological skills and economic productivity.

A two-day “Banglar Pishach Mela and Cultural Programme” was held on August 14 and 15 at the Swoparjito Swadhinata Square near the TSC of Dhaka University. The Revolutionary Cultural Unity, a coalition of 65 cultural organisations, arranged the event to symbolically portray aspects of exploitation, repression and authoritarianism during the previous government’s rule through art and culture. The fair opened at 10am on Friday.

Writer, researcher and columnist Dr Mahbub Hasan attended the opening as chief guest. Professor Shahidul Zahid, Nasim Ahmed, Shayla Nasim, Mrinmoy Mizan, Munshi Borhan Mahmud, Shamim Hasan and Duke Huda were among those present. Speakers said cultural expression was important for presenting incidents of exploitation, repression and political suppression from the previous government’s period to younger generations.

Organisers said the displayed figures were presented as “pishach,” or demons, through symbolic artworks. A contest asked visitors to identify the characters and submit the highest number of names through Revolutionary Cultural Unity’s Facebook page, with prizes planned for winners. The programme also included recitations, songs and other performances of indigenous culture on Saturday afternoon.

A photography exhibition titled “Flotilla: Bangladesh Sails for Gaza” opened on Friday evening at DrikPath Bhaban in Panthapath, Dhaka. Organised by Drik Picture Library, the event was attended by three Bangladeshi activists involved in the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla mission, the Palestinian ambassador to Bangladesh and other prominent figures. The exhibition presents the experiences of Shahidul Alam, British-Bangladeshi Zubayer Islam Khan and Mohammad Ali, known as Liaquat.

Its main displays include photographs, video footage and memorabilia relating to their alleged detention, harassment and transfer to Israel’s Ketziot prison after interception in international waters by Israeli occupying forces. Artist Sofia Karim created three separate artistic models depicting events at Ketziot prison, based on the activists’ experiences. The exhibition combines material from two flotilla missions held in September-October 2025 and May 2026.

Palestinian Ambassador Yusuf S. Y. Ramadan called for solidarity with Palestinians’ struggle for freedom and dignity. The activists recalled that people were injured by Israeli gunfire and said their second mission used a Bangladesh-flagged vessel bought through public donations. Organisers said the exhibition will remain open daily from 3pm to 8pm until August 29, 2026.

A nature photograph taken in Lancashire, England, by columnist, education administrator and researcher Shah Mansur Ali Noman has been published in the August 8, 2026 print edition of The Republic. The image was included as a selected photograph in the US English-language daily’s “Take Your Best Shot” section.

The Republic, published from Indiana in the United States, has been in circulation since 1872 and carries local, national and international news alongside selected photographs. Noman has pursued writing and photography since his student years. His columns, reports and photographs have appeared in leading Bangladeshi media outlets, as well as in Burnley Express, Lancashire Telegraph and BBC Bangla’s “Probaho” programme.

Noman has received awards and honours from Dainik Bhorer Kagoj and Ei Somoy for his writing. UK Bangla Reporters Unity named him the best feature writer of 2025. While based in England, his columns, articles, reports and photographs continue to be published regularly in media outlets at home and abroad. He previously served as an assistant registrar at North East University Bangladesh.

Indian psychiatrist, essayist, fiction writer and poet Dr Kamal Hossain has died after a prolonged illness. He died at 7 a.m. on Saturday, India’s Independence Day, after suffering a severe stroke on August 1 and receiving intensive care at a private hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator. His age was not stated.

Hailing from Berhampore in Murshidabad, Hossain built a prominent literary career alongside his medical work. His first short-story collection, “Onno Prokash,” was published in 1979 by Buddhadeb Bose and Pratibha Bose’s Kabita Bhaban. His writings addressed challenges within post-independence Muslim society and families as well as wider Bengali society. His novel “Param Bishwaser Gondho” won first prize in the Narayan Gangopadhyay Memorial Novel Competition, while “Dwipbhumi” received the Proma Award.

Hossain also treated patients at a Mother Teresa institution and regularly served rural residents at a clinic in North 24 Parganas. He had first suffered a stroke on November 26, 2022. Ahmad Hasan Imran, former parliamentarian and editor of “Puber Kolom,” expressed grief and prayed for the deceased and his family.

The Coastal Public Library in Khudukkhali, Chhanua Union of Banshkhali, Chattogram, has grown from 20 books in 2010 into a community library holding nearly 9,000 books. Located 17 kilometres from Banshkhali upazila headquarters, it offers free reading access to students and young people from four surrounding unions. The library operates in its own building on 22 decimals of land purchased in its name. Founder Saifi Anwarul Azim established it to spread access to books in an area affected by poor communications and poverty.

Its collection includes philosophy, history, religion, psychology, literature, Liberation War, language, research, economics and translated works. Readers may borrow books for 15 days. More than 150 readers are registered, 95 percent of them women, while 30 to 35 women visit daily. Library staff said counselling helped women overcome fears about reading, and three former female readers now work in its daily operations.

The Coastal Science Club, registered in 2025 by the National Museum of Science and Technology, keeps science books, experimental materials and a telescope. The library has been damaged by the 2014 tornado, Cyclone Roanu in 2016, Cyclone Hamun in 2023 and floods in 2026, but reading activities continued. Officials said a durable permanent building is needed to protect rare books. It opens from 2pm to 6pm.

Bangladesh’s National Curriculum and Textbook Board, or NCTB, has revised some school textbooks after the July Revolution, but multiple prose and poetry works by authors described as controversial or criticized remain in Bangla books for the 2026 academic year, according to the report. A review of books from primary through secondary levels found repeated inclusion of works by Humayun Azad, Shamsur Rahman and Sufia Kamal, alongside poems by lesser-known writers.

The report says Humayun Azad’s prose appears across four consecutive grades, from class six through class nine. Shamsur Rahman has works in five grades between class one and class nine, while Sufia Kamal has poems and rhymes in seven grades. Several writings were removed in 2025, but the expected broader restructuring of author selections was not reflected in the 2026 books.

Dhaka University professor Tariq Manzur called for a defined framework for selecting authors and opposed labeling writers as banned or controversial. NCTB curriculum wing member Professor Muhammad Fatihul Qadir said curriculum revisions are under way and expressed hope that writings by controversial authors could be removed from textbooks for 2028.

Bangladeshi scholar and muhaddith Mawlana Abdul Matin has completed a 17-volume Arabic commentary on Jami Tirmidhi, titled “Kifayatul Mughataji fi Sharhi Jamiit Tirmidhi.” The work, produced over 25 years, was completed this year and formally launched on August 5 at the Krishibid Institution in Dhaka. It was published by Muassasa Ilmiyya Bangladesh.

The event was attended by leading scholars from Bangladesh and abroad, including Mawlana Abul Qasem Nomani, rector of Darul Uloom Deoband in India, and Mawlana Abdul Malek, khatib of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. Nomani said the author had produced a high-quality commentary by combining ancient manuscripts, reliable sources and modern research methods.

Meeting chair Mawlana Abul Bashar Muhammad Saiful Islam described the book as a complete model for hadith teaching, research and conducting lessons. Abdul Malek said it provides sequential, analytical explanations of every hadith from beginning to end. Publisher director Mawlana Tahmidul Mawla said the first four volumes had received positive responses from countries including South Africa, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

A special exhibition, “Flotilla: Bangladesh Sails for Gaza,” will open at Drikpath Bhaban in Panthapath, Dhaka, on Friday, August 14, at 6pm. Organised by the international photography organisation Drik Picture Library, it focuses on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s journey toward Gaza in protest against Israel’s blockade of Palestinians in the besieged territory.

The exhibition will use photographs, video footage and archival materials to document the journey of British-Bangladeshis Zubair Islam Khan and Mohammad Ali, also known as Liaqat, as well as prominent Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam. It presents details of their participation in the Gaza-bound mission and the experiences described as part of that journey.

According to the exhibition account, Israeli occupation forces illegally intercepted their vessel in international waters during the mission and unlawfully detained them at Israel’s Ketziot prison. Images and materials from that period of confinement and struggle will be displayed. The exhibition is scheduled to run from August 14 to August 29, 2026, and will be open to the public daily from 3pm to 8pm.

The government plans to take school students to the July Memorial Museum one day each week, Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman said. The initiative is intended to inform students about the history of the July mass uprising and the sacrifices made by people during the movement. He announced the plan at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s weekly press briefing at the Secretariat on Tuesday morning.

Rahman said the museum had opened despite various discussions surrounding its inauguration. He said management difficulties emerged shortly after the opening, but those issues have now been resolved. According to the adviser, the main cause of the problems was an excessive number of visitors.

He said public interest in the July Memorial Museum has been widespread, with large crowds visiting after its inauguration and placing pressure on management. The museum’s operations have since been largely organized, he added. Regular student visits will be arranged under the government initiative to present the uprising’s history, the public’s sacrifices in the movement, and its significance.

International Indigenous Peoples’ Day was observed in Madhupur, Tangail, with a colourful programme focused on indigenous rights, dignity and sustainable development. On Sunday morning, a procession began from the grounds of Bhutia High School in the upazila. The event was organised by Joyenshahi Indigenous Development Council, Tribal Welfare Association, Achik Michik Society, Jalchhatra Harisabha Development Project, Nagorik Uddyog, Bagachhas, Caritas, Bela and other indigenous organisations.

Representatives of different indigenous communities spoke at a subsequent discussion meeting about culture, heritage, education, health, land rights and socio-economic development. Mr Eugene Nokrek chaired the meeting, while Mr Ajay A Mr inaugurated it. Speakers included indigenous researcher and writer Mr Theophil Nokrek, Advocate Janyetra, retired district judge Jagadish Chandra Barman, Mr Mrigen Hagidok, Nagorik Uddyog executive director Zakir Hossain and Caritas regional director Mrs Rosie Rangma.

Speakers called for coordinated action by the government, local administration and all sections of society to preserve indigenous languages, cultures and traditions and ensure education, healthcare, employment and constitutional rights. They stressed establishing the legitimate rights of indigenous communities to build a society free of discrimination. The discussion was followed by a cultural programme featuring traditional dances, songs and other performances by indigenous artists.

The July Memorial Museum was opened without institutional management, sufficient staffing or security protocols, according to a report published on August 9. The report said the situation has put martyrs’ artifacts, electronic equipment and sensitive installations at risk of damage. Former interim government cultural affairs adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said he was surprised the museum opened without staff or a security-protocol rehearsal.

A person involved in preparing the museum, speaking anonymously, said there is no professional management committee and researchers are also performing labour and cleaning work. The source alleged that enclosed artifacts are breaking and that visitors’ touch is damaging iconic images, televisions and tablets. Large exhibits, including martyr Ibrahim’s bicycle, were described as inadequately protected, while surveillance from the entrance to the museum hall was said to be limited.

National Citizen Party convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam alleged that memories related to border killings and the anti-Modi movement had been removed from the museum. He cited the Border Killing Room, Felani’s sculpture and part of the Long March to Dhaka programme. Nahid called for rapid recruitment, saying roughly 200 staff were needed but only 15 to 20 were working, with volunteers currently supporting operations.

Amar Desh’s literature desk published a Bangladesh cultural calendar on August 8, 2026, listing literary births, deaths and historical milestones from the first week of August. The compilation includes entries on Abdul Mannan Syed, Abul Hasan, Mahadev Saha, Sikandar Abu Zafar, Mahbub-ul Alam and Rabindranath Tagore, alongside other cultural and historical references.

According to the calendar, Abdul Mannan Syed was born on August 3, 1943, while Abul Hasan was born on August 4, 1947. Mahadev Saha was born on August 5, 1944, and Sikandar Abu Zafar died on August 5, 1975. Mahbub-ul Alam died on August 7, 1981, and Rabindranath Tagore died on August 7, 1941. The entry notes Tagore received the Nobel Prize in 1913 for Gitanjali.

The calendar also records the death of mystic poet Kanai Fakir on August 4, 1839. It says the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum, also called the July Museum, opened to the public on August 5, 2026, inaugurated by Prime Minister Mr. Rahman. The report says the museum has a separate section on special crimes committed during the autocratic period.