দি ইউনিভার্সিটি প্রেস লিমিটেড(ইউ পি এল)

সেই আঠারো জোয়ার-ভাটার দেশ, যেখানে তিনটি নদী এসে মিশেছে, বঙ্গোপসাগরের কাছে ম্যানগ্রোভ বনের গভীরে হাজার হাজার লক্ষ লক্ষ কোটি কোটি মৌমাছি বাস করতো। এই মৌমাছিদের আবার পরিচালনা করতো একজন দেবী মৌমাছি। এই মৌমাছিরা মৌচাক ভরে রাখতো ঘন সোনালী মধুতে, যাকে কেউ কেউ বলতো তরল আলো যা গাছের গা থেকে সূর্যের মিষ্টি ফোঁটার মত বেয়ে নামতো। সকল জীবজন্ত এবং পাখি এই মধু ভালোবাসতো, কিন্তু সবার চেয়ে বেশি মধু ভালবাসতো যে ছেলেটি, তার মাথায় খাড়া খাড়া চুল, আর তার নাম শনু। একদিন ক্ষুধার তাড়নায় তাড়নায় শনু মৌওয়ালিদের জন্য জরুরি নিষেধাজ্ঞা উপেক্ষা করে বনে প্রবেশ করলো। সে কী খুঁজে পাবে সেই মধু যাকে সে এত ভালোবাসে? নাকি ঐ-তিনি-যাঁর-নাম-মুখে-নেওয়া-বারণ, সেই প্রচণ্ড শক্তিশালী ভয়ঙ্কর দানবরূপী বাঘের কবলে পড়বে? ভারতের এক নামজাদা কবি, ফ্রান্সের অতি প্রিয় অলংকরণ শিল্পী, এবং বাংলাদেশের নন্দিত কবি ও কথাসাহিত্যিক শামীম আজাদের সঙ্গে চলো যাই সুন্দরবনের অন্তস্থলে, দৃষ্টিনন্দন ও কাব্যময় ভ্রমণ করে আসি।

With widespread human deprivations and inequalities, the challenges of development over the years have remained enormous. So at the beginning of a new millennium, the world has adopted the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs)to reduce basic human poverty by 2015. Today, the world is at a crossroads with impressive but uneven progress on some fronts, significant gaps remaining, and new challenges emerging. With less than three years to go, the present book focuses on the analysis of the Goals from a broader perspective, highlights the success stories, indicates how to accelerate the MDG progress, identifies how to sustain MDG progress, and proposed how the frame the post-2015 development agenda. The basic idea is to have a better understanding of the issues related to the MDGs, to generate a development discourse and policy dialogue, and to induce debate on the post-2015 development agenda.

The 1971 East Pakistan tragedy was not just a failure of the military but also a collapse of civil society in the West Wing. The few voices raised against the military action were too feeble to make any army change its course, a course leading to military defeat and the break-up of the country. At the time, the author was General Officer Commanding 14 Division in East Pakistan. Apart from his direct narration of the events, his portrayal of the major dramatis personae, such as Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, General Tikka Khan, and Lieutenant General A.A.K. Niazi, are insightful. A necessary text that demands scrutiny from all interested in the course of Pakistan’s history.

The author was awarded the Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Gold Medal for the book as the book was adjudged the most outstanding work in the arts and humanities by the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh for the years 1996-1998. Bangladesh is the last major nation-state to proclaim its identity. Here is a nation that changed its statehood twice in less than twenty-five years. The twists and turns of her recent history baffle the historians. This study explores the historical roots of this apparently enigmatic nation. Methodologically, it breaks new ground in Bangladesh studies in two ways. First, it makes explicit the underlying theories in the historical framework to explain the historical evolution of this hidden nation. Secondly, it explores the micro-foundations of social and political institutions in this region. Starting with an analysis of micro institutions at the grass-roots level, this study examines the determinants of the structure of rural settlements in Bangladesh and suggests that the lack of corporateness of rural settlements contributed to political fragmentation, instability and factionalism in this region. It puts forward the hypothesis that the weakness of institutions in rural areas of Bangladesh provided a congenial environment for conversion to Islam while rural institutions in much of South Asia arrested the spread of Islam.

To the social scientists, Bangladesh is an enigma wrapped in paradoxes. She defied conventional prophets of gloom and doom during last three decades by making significant strides in social and economic spheres. Ironically, she is deeply divided politically despite bonds of extraordinary ethnic and linguistic homogeneity. The multiple dimensions of paradoxes of governance, economy and crucial sectors like finance and water are unwrapped in the twelve essays in this volume. While unrevealing the Bangladesh conundrum, this inter-disciplinary study uncovers a number of new paradoxes. It furnishes evidence in support of stimulating new hypotheses such as ‘Friendly Fire’ (the harmful effects of benevolent measures by the Government), ‘Humpty Dumpty Disorder’ (where old institutions are beyond repair), ‘legal system as slot machines’ (where an alien judicial system encourages frauds and forgeries) and odd mixture of opposites like cosmetic ethical banks and commercial micro credit. It also provides copious recommendations on governance, economic and financial reforms for policymakers in the country. Though the findings are based on the experience of Bangladesh, the issues raised in this book are common to most developing countries. While considering the options for reforms, it took into account cross-country evidence. It provides valuable insight into development process. It is a must read for policymakers, scholars and students in the fields of public policy, economic development, political science and sociology.

" This is a book written by a head of state and head of government when in office and first published in 1967. It is at once an autobiography of former President Mohammad Ayub Khan of Pakistan, and also a description of the major events in the history of Pakistan in which the author participated, and of the problems which the country continue to faces. President Ayub describes his village upbringing in the northwest of undivided India, his years at Aligarh University and Sandhurst in England, and his service in the British-Indian army before and during the Second World War. With the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan, the author's subject-matter widens to cover the political and military problems he had to deal with as a senior military officer. The major part of the book describes the so-called revolution of 1958, the reforms which the author introduced, and Pakistan's attitude towards India, her other neighbours, and the great powers during his tenure. Of special importance are the chapters on foreign policy explaining the author's reaction to increasing Indian military capability after the Indo-Chinese clashes of 1962. Ayub Khan gives details of his meetings with Mr. Nehru, President Kennedy, and Mr. Kosygin. Pakistan's contact with the Chinese was explained both in relation to the author's awareness of the necessity of direct equations with each of his country's powerful neighbours and in the setting of the development of the Third World. The book concludes with an account of the development of the Constitution which President Ayub introduced, as the culmination of his Martial Law measures, and the Presidential elections of 1965 which confirmed him in office. The book includes 33 halftone illustrations showing President Ayub and places, events, and people of importance in his career. There are also two maps. The book is reprinted as part of UPL's Road to Bangladesh Series which is designed to present published accounts of the background to the emergence of Bangladesh. Books in the series including the present book should be an invaluable collection for those interested in South Asian affairs, particularly students and scholar in politics, economic development and social transformation."