Having been wary of the yellow funnel like flowers of Cascabela Thevetia since 2003, on 53rd day of lockdown, the tree was looking radiant in full strength of its lime-green and honey-yellow.  During those days of summer's arrival, purple sunbirds would frequent the neighbourhood. Around 5:30 p.m. a small black colour would dash into the heavily flowered tree of Kaner, a fast and direct way of flight getting lost inside those yellow oleander flowers, as the flight rested on one of the petals, and relayed high metallic calls of c hwing, chwing, chwing...  Upon seeing the sun behind the tree at 6:45 p.m. I would finally detect their companions already nearby, on one of the trees that has become habitual of residents looking with 'what a waste of space' as they tell their evening walker mates: "Why haven't they cut this dried up Mango Tree yet". The sunbird may have brought summer, guarding it from the month of May.  On Day 63, I went for a walk.  Before stepping...

                                               The Book of Dhaka is a collection of short stories.  The first story, Raincoat, is about a professor who is taken by the military in a heavy downpour, as they are suspicious of his involvement in a bombing. The pain from punches makes us doubt the dubious nature of rain. They took off the raincoat, who know where they put it. But its warmth is still stuck to his body. The second, The Weapon , is a curious stream of self conscious thought. The narrator makes themselves present by saying 'A story is not life, whose natural end you have to wait for 67 or so years for. Don't you agree?' It is never revealed who the narrator is. In a turn of events, Ponir has to choose to throw a book or a gun. It is interesting that the character's dilemma is to throw rather than choose.  In The Decision , Anu and Adnan, an...