Once there was a fairy tale kingdom, where the king was so ataraxic about his tenants that he wasn’t even concerned about the existing crises like the food crisis and price hikes in the realm. The bureaucracy of the whole system, hiding money in the name of development, was responsible for these circumstances. These things were ironically illustrated in ‘Hoyto-Noyto’, a drama staged at the Teachers and Students Cultural Centre of Rajshahi University (RU) on Monday (21 November, 2022) evening. The stage drama was organized by ‘Samakal Natyachakra’ of Rajshahi University, where the members of the organization performed in the different characters of the fairy tale realm. That was such a comedy-drama, where the irregularities were presented so ironically and in such a brilliant way that the spectators can relate these things with their surroundings. Read more: Chanchal returns to theatre with Aranyak's 'Rarang' – 'cry to rise up' In drama, the tenants were asking the king what they should do as they don’t have any food to eat. The bureaucrats of the throne replied that they should eat food by chewing and drinking while having food, and while not having food they should eat by ‘not chewing’ and ‘not drinking’. In another part of that drama, the minister of the realm said that the taxes on ‘luxurious products’ like rice, oil, vegetables, salt, and sugar were increased. That’s how the authorities are solving the existing problems mocking the life of the mass people. They also showed where and how the donations are gone in the name of mass people’s development. However, the plot was written by Radharaman Ghosh and directed by Mithu. ‘Samakal Natyachakra’ of Rajshahi University was launched on 25 November, 1981. Since then, they have been producing more than 70 stage and street dramas. Read more: 'Wolfed Down': One-woman theatrical show memerises Dhaka audience

Twitter has been a bit of a mess since billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the helm, cutting the company’s workforce in half, upending the platform’s verification system, sparring with users over jokes and acknowledging that “ dumb things ” might happen as he reshapes one of the world’s most high-profile information ecosystems. On Thursday, amid an exodus of senior executives responsible for data privacy, cybersecurity and complying with regulations, he warned the company’s remaining employees that Twitter might not survive if it can’t find a way to bring in at least half its revenue from subscriptions. While it’s not clear if the drama is causing many users to leave — in fact, having a front-row seat to the chaos may prove entertaining to some — lesser-known sites Mastodon and even Tumblr are emerging as new (or renewed) alternatives. Here’s a look at some of them. (Oh, and if you are leaving Twitter and want to preserve your tweet history, you can download it by going to your profile settings and clicking on “your account” then “download an archive of your data.") MASTODON Named after an extinct mammal resembling an elephant, Mastodon has emerged as a frontrunner among those curious about life beyond the blue bird. It shares some similarities with Twitter, but there are some big differences — and not just that its version of tweets are officially called “toots.” Mastodon is a decentralized social network. That means it’s not owned by a single company or billionaire. Rather, it’s made up of a network of servers, each run independently but able to connect so people on different servers can communicate. There are no ads as Mastodon is funded by donations, grants and other means. Read more: Elon Musk takes over Twitter: what to expect? Mastodon’s feed is chronological, unlike Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter, which all use algorithms to get people to spend as much time on a site as possible. It can be a tad daunting to try to sign up to Mastodon. Because each server is run separately, you will need to first pick one you want to join, then go through the steps to create an account and agree with the server’s rules. There are general and interest- and location-based ones, but in the end it won’t really matter. Once you’re in, the feed is reminiscent of Twitter. You can write (up to 500 characters), post photos or videos, and follow accounts as well as see a general public feed. “We present a vision of social media that cannot be bought and owned by any billionaire, and strive to create a more resilient global platform without profit incentives,” Mastodon’s website says. Currently, the site has more than 1 million users, nearly half of whom signed up after Musk took over Twitter on Oct. 27, according to founder Eugen Rochko. Another option, Counter Social, also runs an ad-free, chronological social platform that's funded by users. To prevent foreign influence operations, Counter Social says it blocks access to Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and Syria. It boasts of offering one-click translation into over 80 languages. It has over 63 million monthly users, according to its website. CLUBHOUSE Remember Clubhouse, back when we were all under lockdown and couldn’t talk in person? It’s the buzzy audio-only app that got somewhat overshadowed by copycat Twitter Spaces, which also lets people talk to each other (think conference call, podcast or “audio chat”) about topics of interest. Read more: Musk says Twitter blue tick being revamped Once you join, Clubhouse lets you start or listen into conversations on a host of topics, from tech to pro sports, parenting, Black literature and so on. There are no posts, photos or videos — only people’s profile pictures and their voices. Conversations can be intimate, like a phone call, or might include thousands of people listening to a talk by boldface names, like a conference or stage interview. SUBSTACK and MEDIUM For longer reads, newsletters, and general information absorption, these sites are perhaps closest to the blog era of the early 2000s. You can read both without signing up or paying, but some writers, creators and podcasters create premium content for paying subscribers. TUMBLR Tumblr, which was all but left for dead, appears to be enjoying somewhat of a resurgence. The words/photos/art/video site is known for its devoted fan base and has been home to angry posts from celebrities like Taylor Swift. It angered many users in 2018 when it banned porn and “adult content,” which made up a big part of its highly visual and meme-friendly online presence and led to a large drop in its user base. Onboarding is simple, and for those who miss the early years of social media, there’s a decidedly retro, comforting feel to the site. T2 or TBD? Gabor Cselle, a veteran of Google who worked at Twitter from 2014 to 2016, is determined to create a better Twitter. For now, he’s calling it T2 and says the Web domain name he purchased for it — t2.social — cost $7.16. T2, which may or may not be its final name, is currently accepting signups for its waitlist, but the site is clearly not yet functioning. “I think Twitter always had a problem in figuring out what to do and how to decide on what to do. And that was always kind of in the back of my mind,” Cselle told The Associated Press. “On Monday, I decided to just go for it. I didn’t see anyone else really doing it.” Twitter-style text and TikTok-style videos are one idea. Cselle says for this to work, the text really has to be “amped up” so it’s not drowned out by the videos. “My bet is that it’s going to be easier and more efficient to build a better Twitter or public square now than fix the legacy problems at Twitter,” Cselle added. Cselle, of course, is not the only one jumping to the opportunity. Project Mushroom, for instance, plans a “safe place on the internet — a community-led open-source home for creators seeking justice on an overheating planet” and says it has received 25,000 early signups to its yet-to-launch platform. “My sense is that things are going to further fragment into more ideological platforms and some will die and then we’ll see some new consolidation emerge over the next couple of years,” said Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a professor at Syracuse University who studies social media. NEWS SITES One of Twitter’s most valuable features has been the way it allows people to find information within seconds. Was that just an earthquake? Twitter will tell you. Or at least it did. While there is no perfect replacement for Twitter, staying up to date with local, national and international news is easier than ever. Apple and Google both offer news services that aggregate articles from a broad range of publication (Apple offers a premium subscription service that gets you access to more articles, while Google shows free stories first.) There’s also Flipboard, which works kind of like a personal magazine curated to your interests. Of course, subscribing to individual publications (or downloading a free news app such as the AP’s AP News) is also an option. Yes, you might have to pay for some of them and no, you won’t get a blue check mark with your subscription.

Several young filmmakers are now taking Bangladeshi content to the international arena, and Nuhash Humayun is one of them. With drama projects such as ‘Hotel Albatross’, the short film ‘700 Taka’, web series ‘Pet Kata Shaw’, his recent short film 'Moshari' and his upcoming project for the international OTT platform Hulu, Nuhash's career is gaining momentum towards global success. After the success of 'Moshari' at two 'Oscar qualifying’ film festivals (HollyShorts Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival), audiences in Bangladesh have been wondering where and when to see the film, and answering that question, Nuhash told UNB that the short film is going to be available for Bangladeshi viewers in October. Regarding the work plan and experience, he said, "Interest of our viewers always sparks inspiration for any content creator. I have been blessed with that interest and our audiences might not have to wait too long for ‘Moshari’, which I hope everyone will be able to see in October.” Read:'Beauty Circus’ & ‘Operation Sundarban’ set the ball rolling for Bangladesh film industry “Working on this project has been really different for me. To succeed, I had to wait ten years. The idea for the plot first came to me ten years ago, but at the time there was no support since I dared to experiment with such fiction. I still needed a lot of creative support when I started developing ‘Moshari’, but I managed to finish it. Additionally, I've received a lot of reaction from audiences abroad. Now I’m eagerly waiting for Bangladeshi audiences’ reaction.” The news that Nuhash Humayun has created content for the international OTT platform Hulu broke the local internet, while the conversation regarding ‘Moshari’ was still going on. The completed content, which features numerous well-known Bangladeshi actors, is already in Hulu’s pipeline; however, due to the embargo till the official promotion from Hulu, Nuhash is currently keeping a lot of information about the project private.

In partnership with the British Council, award-winning arts company Komola Collective has recently staged “Indigo Giant”, a gripping drama written by Ben Musgrave, at Bangladesh Mohila Samity Complex. From September 8-10, audiences had the opportunity to enjoy the performance by Komola Collective’s ensemble of theatre-artists from diverse backgrounds and creative disciplines. Indigo Giant projects a story inspired by eminent writer and dramatist Dinabandhu Mitra’s epic play “Nil Darpan”. Also read: 23rd Young Artists' Fine Arts Exhibition ends Translated and produced by Leesa Gazi, Indigo Giant revisits forgotten moments from the history of the British period, while touching down on the irrefutable emotional whirlwind of the then Bengalis, said a media release on Sunday. Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, Md Sohel Rana, Sharif Siraj, Dr Sydur Rahman Lipon, Mamdudur Rahman Mukto, Mitali Das, Sadman Syed, Shipra Das Roma and Shishir Rahman portrayed different roles in the drama directed by Naila Azad. Also read: ‘The Fabelmans': Steven Spielberg debuts autobiographical film at Toronto Film Festival “It has born out of a dialogue between Bengali and British theatre artistes”, said Leesa Gazi about the drama. “Indigo Giant aims to form a living bridge between the trailblazing 19th-century Bengali play Nil Darpan and contemporary attitudes to indigo and multi-national commerce.” The event was supported by the GCRF QR Rapid Response Scheme, University of East Anglia, The Charles Wallace Bangladesh Trust and Living Blue.

Theatre group Batighar staged the 28th show of its famous play "Radcliffe Line" at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) Wednesday. The play, written and directed by Sanjoy Sarker Muktonil, depicts how a political barrier divides individuals and dehumanises them. The plot revolves around an incident between two troops from Border Guard Bangladesh and Border Security Force of India, which portrays Jamal, a soldier of BGB and Hiralal, a BSF soldier, pursuing a cow grazing on no man's land. Hiralal discovers a tunnel beneath the border barrier while following the cow from separate sides of the Radcliffe Line. Inside, Jamal and Hiralal confront each other and soon start fighting. After hours of combat, the exhausted soldiers engage in a conversation and realise how similar their lives are. They discuss their history, their feelings for their families, and other topics. Through the conversation, the soldiers become aware that they have been dehumanised by a phantom line that has robbed them of their humanity. However, just before the two soldiers are about to dissolve their illogical animosity, an unknown assailant kills them both with long-range shots. The lead characters of the play were performed by Khalid Hasan Rumi, Sharan Biswas, Shishir Sarkar, and Sanjay Halder. Despite being staged on a regular working day, the hall was full of theatre enthusiast audiences who lauded the frequent, witty conversations between the characters, as well as their skilled acting. Radcliffe Line was first staged on July 27, 2018, at the Studio Theatre Hall of the BSA.

A three-day national dance and drama festival began at the Jatiya Natyashala auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) Wednesday. However, the last two days of the festival have been scheduled for July 24 and 25 at the same venue. On the first day of the festival "Kobor" of Polli Kobi Jasimuddin, "Proshongo 47" of Saju Ahmed and "Chandallika" of nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore were staged.   Read: StageOne Dhaka showcases 'The Odd Couple' at BSA On July 24, four dramas "Hajar Bochorer Bangali," "Baramkhana," "Rupantorer Gan," and "Kunjo Shajao Go '' will be staged from 5pm. The next day "Mayar Khela," "Shyema," "Meher Nigar," and "Rongila Nayer Majhi" will be performed.

Scenic reading of the two contemporary German plays translated into Bangla have been held at the Bangladesh Mohila Samity  in the capital. While welcoming the audience during her inaugural speech on Sunday evening, Dr Kirsten Hackenbroch, Director, Goethe-Institut Bangladesh highlighted the significance of the project titled “Contemporary German drama in South Asian Languages” to the local theatre scene. This project aims to familiarize contemporary German plays to the South Asian local theatre scene and audiences alike. This project has been launched by Goethe-Institut Mumbai in 2020, focusing on the selection of plays, as well as identifying qualified German to local language translators at the initial stage.  Afterward, 46 translations were produced out of 20 German plays. Some of these plays were translated by just one person, others by several; altogether they were translated into six languages: Bangla, Hindi, Marathi, Sinhalese, Tamil, and Urdu. According to the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, contemporary German-language drama is characterized by enormous variety. It has long been and continues to be shaped by both a rich tradition and significant international influences. Many playscripts written in German are known to audiences in Asia primarily through their English translations. It would of course be far preferable to present these plays to the public in Asian languages – in translations carried out by competent translators working directly from the German.  This would also make it possible for theatre companies who operate in local languages to familiarize themselves with the current German theatre scene, according to the institution. Read: Dhaka Theatre’s new play opens with metaphoric presentation on ‘virus’ Those reflections are what gave rise to the project: contemporary German-language drama in six South Asian languages – Bangla, Hindi, Marathi, Sinhalese, Tamil, and Urdu. These translations are intended first and foremost to be used within India, but will also be available to other Goethe-Instituts in Dhaka (Bangla), Colombo (Tamil and Sinhalese) and Karachi (Urdu), and in principle to Goethe Centres and additional theatre companies throughout South Asia. On Sunday evening, Prachyanat staged the scenic reading of the German play titled “DER ZINNSOLDAT UND DIE PAPIERTÄNZERIN” by Roland  Schimmelpfennig. Romit Roy translated this play into Bangla. Directed by Kazi Toufikul Islam Emon, the play featured performances by Diana Meriline, Urmi Saha Ray, Farhad Ahmed Shamim, AKM Itmam, Abdulla Mohammad Sakib, Prajna Tasnuva Rubayyat, Tanji Kun, Yead Khorshid Eashan, Swatee Bhadra, Gopi Devnath, Supti Das Chaity, Nahida Akhter Akhi, Ucchas Talukder, Mohammad Abu Imran, and Audree Ja. Social organization Bonhishikha staged the scenic reading of the German play titled “ICH LIEB DICH“ (ভালোবাসি) by Kristo Šagor on Monday evening. Parthapratim Chattopadhyay translated this play into Bangla. Directed by Shararat Islam, the two-person scenic reading was performed by Shararat Islam and Samina Yasmin, narrating different roles. Followed by around 50 minutes of scenic reading, a panel discussion moderated by Syeda Samara Mortada was held.    Sanjida Anwar Preety, Actor, Prachyanat Theatre Troupe and Samina Luthfa, Associate Professor, Dhaka University and Playwright and Actor, theatre troupe Bottala, were among the panellists.

Ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr actor Maznun Mizan is passing a hectic work schedule. Most of Mizan’s works this Eid are OTT-based. The web series 'Isaac Liton' will be released on Eid day on OTT platform Binge, Mizan said. He will be seen playing the character of a police officer in this web series. Directed by Ashrafuzzaman, this web series is based on a satirical story where the lead role of the scientist will be played by  Musharraf Karim, Mizan told UNB. Though the web series is an entertaining one, it will depict a lot of social realities with a strong point of view which the viewers will like, hopes Mizan. READ: Palak set for acting debut in 'Freelancer Nadia' Meanwhile, referring to the drama 'Golapjan Road', the actor said that he recently worked with a team of young varsity students of Film studies. And he was impressed with their tidy production. Films including 'Bhuban Majhi', 'Gondi' and 'Mission Extreme' acted by Mizan will be broadcasted on different TV channels this Eid. The post-production work of the film ‘Jean Kay’ acted by Mizan is almost over and the release would be announced soon. Mizan is also working on the film 'Gondi 2', he added.

A street drama 'Rokte lekha Bangla Bhasha’ written in the context of Language Movement in 1952 was performed in the city on Monday in remembrance of the language martyrs. On the occasion of Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day, Open Dialogue Bangladesh (OPD) hosted the street drama in front of Jatiya Press Club. In backdrop of Pakistan's conspiracy against the Bangla language and Bengali culture and the persecution of Bengalis by Pakistani forces since the partition in 1947 were highlighted in the drama 'Rokte Lekha Bangla Bhasha’. Read:Bangladesh Mission in New Delhi pays homage to language martyrs The drama was directed by Samad Bhuiyan and presented by his team. Artists Umme Salam Shimu, Vashkar Roy, Naima Akhter, Steve Aaron Barai, Smriti Akhter, Tahfimul Islam Apu, Fatema Akhter Trisha, Sajjad Masood Soumya, Sabrina Islam, Ariful Islam, Abdur Rahman Rakib and Samad Bhuiyan performed in the play. The artists presented national and patriotic songs before the 30-minute street drama.

Smartphone brand Infinix co-partnered with G-Series to become the title sponsor of a romantic drama that was released this Valentine's Day Monday. Tanjin Tisha, brand ambassador of Infinix, is the lead actor of the drama "Party is On." She has paired up with Tawsif Mahbub. The drama is directed by Osman Miraz and was released on YouTube in the evening. Also read: Actress Tanjin Tisha stays on as Infinix brand ambassador Also, Infinix announced a campaign for its fans on Facebook. Anyone can participate in the campaign to win the budget gaming smartphone Infinix Hot 11s. Hot 11S is one of the very first smartphones with a MediaTek Helio G88 Dual-Chip gaming processor, 6.78" FHD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate and 50MP ultra night camera. The phone is available at Tk14,990 for the 4GB RAM variant and Tk15,990 for the 6GB RAM. Also read: Infinix Hot 11 Play Review with Price in Bangladesh