Star Literature

Star Literature

‘Je Jole Agun Jole’ was first published under the title ‘Kar Ki Noshto Korechilam’

It is a rather rare feat to find poetry composed in Bangla and compiled in the writer’s only published book that has propelled both the poet and book of poetry to the height of fame and immortalisation, that too in the poet’s own lifetime, as Helal Hafiz’s Je Jole Agun Jole has done.

2w ago

Poetry / The shabby turtle without a shore

Some label you a poet of love so true,

2w ago

Poetry / One who stands alone in the crowd

A lonely soul treads on the street cultivating the sweet pain of defunct love; like a solitary artist, he rambles through the alleys of the city and paints the

2w ago

FICTION / The plebeians in the twilight

It was the shade of the ashwath that vanquished all one’s weariness from the fiery heat of Choitro. Or else it was not possible for fatigue to be eliminated so quickly.

3w ago

ESSAY / Spectacularised rape

In the psyche and schema of the average transnational Bangladeshi, rape is visible and legitimate only when it takes spectacular forms—violent, brutal, deadly.

3w ago

THE SHELF / Pages for freedom: Book recommendations for Victory Day

For educators: My go-to text on 1971 is Jahanara Imam’s Ekattorer Dinguli. It’s a deeply personal and powerful memoir that I believe every student should engage with to truly feel the emotional and human cost of the war. The way she documents her experiences, especially the loss of her son, is heart-wrenching and offers a perspective that transcends history—it becomes deeply relatable and unforgettable.

1m ago

POETRY / Our Bangla

My Bangla Sings out every morning One language Many songs

1m ago

POETRY / Take me to a hibiscus field won’t you

I weave Hibiscuses in your hair and Along with them I softly weave the strings of my I love you’s. Your eyes are closed as you soak in my touch and Your lips are pressed thin as if imprisoning yours.

1m ago

16 Days of Activism / On invisibilised violence

In classic Bengali fiction, the kitchen is a central site for conflict and community bonding.

POETRY / Remnants of a burning home

I fell asleep to the chatters of cicadas on a quiet summer night

ESSAY / The vampires of Bangla literature

Pale, aristocratic, seductive forces lurking in the dark—when we think of vampires, we often perceive them through a western lens

The shabby turtle without a shore

Some label you a poet of love so true,

2w ago

‘Je Jole Agun Jole’ was first published under the title ‘Kar Ki Noshto Korechilam’

It is a rather rare feat to find poetry composed in Bangla and compiled in the writer’s only published book that has propelled both the poet and book of poetry to the height of fame and immortalisation, that too in the poet’s own lifetime, as Helal Hafiz’s Je Jole Agun Jole has done.

2w ago

One who stands alone in the crowd

A lonely soul treads on the street cultivating the sweet pain of defunct love; like a solitary artist, he rambles through the alleys of the city and paints the

2w ago

Spectacularised rape

In the psyche and schema of the average transnational Bangladeshi, rape is visible and legitimate only when it takes spectacular forms—violent, brutal, deadly.

3w ago

The plebeians in the twilight

It was the shade of the ashwath that vanquished all one’s weariness from the fiery heat of Choitro. Or else it was not possible for fatigue to be eliminated so quickly.

3w ago

Take me to a hibiscus field won’t you

I weave Hibiscuses in your hair and Along with them I softly weave the strings of my I love you’s. Your eyes are closed as you soak in my touch and Your lips are pressed thin as if imprisoning yours.

1m ago

Our Bangla

My Bangla Sings out every morning One language Many songs

1m ago

Pages for freedom: Book recommendations for Victory Day

For educators: My go-to text on 1971 is Jahanara Imam’s Ekattorer Dinguli. It’s a deeply personal and powerful memoir that I believe every student should engage with to truly feel the emotional and human cost of the war. The way she documents her experiences, especially the loss of her son, is heart-wrenching and offers a perspective that transcends history—it becomes deeply relatable and unforgettable.

1m ago

Remnants of a burning home

I fell asleep to the chatters of cicadas on a quiet summer night

1m ago

On invisibilised violence

In classic Bengali fiction, the kitchen is a central site for conflict and community bonding.

1m ago