Source and interactive map: https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/international-day-the-girl-child-2026/news/bangladeshs-child-marriage-paradox-4295326

Yesterday I went to Nilkhet to print my CV. Just three copies. That was the entire plan.

I have an interview on Sunday, and my printer at home has been showing the same red light for about six months. My father keeps saying he will get it fixed, but at this point I think the printer has officially retired.

Anyway, I reached Nilkhet around 5:30 PM. The place was crowded as usual. People were carrying books, bargaining over photocopies, and standing in front of shops like their entire academic future depended on getting something printed before sunset.

I found a small printing shop with two computers and one printer that sounded like it was struggling to stay alive.

The guy behind the counter looked about twenty.

"Bhai, CV print korbo. Three copies."

"PDF ase?"

"Hae."

"WhatsApp e den."

I sent him the file and stood there scrolling through my phone.

Then he opened my CV.

And that's where my peaceful evening ended.

He looked at the screen for a few seconds and said, "Bhai, apni ei company te kaj korsen?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Amar cousin oikhane job kore."

"Oh, nice."

"Salary kemon dey?"

I wasn't really expecting a salary discussion with the printing shop guy, but I gave him a vague answer.

He nodded like he was evaluating a business investment.

Then the uncle standing beside me decided to join.

"Ki position e apply korben?"

I told him.

He asked how much experience I had. Then he asked about my university. Then he asked why I was changing jobs.

At this point I was answering questions more seriously than I probably would in the actual interview.

The uncle looked at my CV and said, "Photo nai keno?"

I explained that I was applying to a company that didn't require one.

He shook his head.

"Bangladesh e photo chara CV bhalo lage na."

Before I could reply, another guy waiting behind us said, "Na uncle, ekhon onek company photo chay na."

And somehow this turned into a debate.

The uncle insisted that a CV without a photo looked incomplete. The younger guy argued that modern companies preferred simple, professional CVs. The printing shop guy said his elder brother had submitted a CV with a photo and still hadn't received a call.

Nobody asked for my opinion.

I just stood there holding my helmet.

Eventually I said, "Bhai, amar print ta den. Ektu taratari."

The shop guy clicked print.

Nothing happened.

He clicked again.

Still nothing.

Then he hit the printer with his palm.

I don't know why this is such a common repair technique in Bangladesh, but apparently it worked because the printer immediately started making noises.

One page came out.

Then it stopped again.

The shop guy opened the printer, pulled out some paper, and asked me to wait.

The uncle was still there.

He asked, "English e interview dite parben?"

I said, "I think so."

He immediately switched to English.

"Okay. Tell me about yourself."

Bhai.

I wasn't ready.

I laughed because I genuinely thought he was joking.

He wasn't.

He stood there waiting for an answer.

So I gave him a very awkward introduction about my education and work experience while two other customers watched.

After I finished, he said, "Confidence kom."

The younger guy behind me started laughing.

I laughed too, although I was beginning to question why I had left my house.

Then the uncle gave me some advice about maintaining eye contact and not discussing salary too early.

I have to admit, some of it was actually useful.

Finally, my three copies came out.

The shop guy charged me 30 taka. I paid and was about to leave when the younger guy pointed at my CV.

"Bhai, ekta jinis."

My heart sank.

"What?"

"Your phone number."

I looked down.

One digit was missing.

I had updated my CV the previous night, changed the formatting, rewritten half my responsibilities, and somehow deleted a digit from my own phone number.

I checked the PDF on my phone.

Same mistake.

The uncle looked at me.

The printing shop guy looked at me.

I looked at the three useless copies in my hand.

For about five seconds nobody said anything.

Then the uncle started laughing.

"Ei jonnoi bollam, confidence kom."

I wanted to argue that confidence had absolutely nothing to do with my phone number, but honestly, I had no energy left.

I corrected the file on my phone, sent it again, and paid another 30 taka.

This time all three of them checked the number before printing.

When I finally left, the uncle shouted from behind, "Interview bhalo diben!"

I turned around and said, "Doa korben, uncle."

He smiled and went back to arguing with the younger guy about whether CVs should be two pages or one.

I reached home around eight.

My mother asked why it had taken me almost three hours to print three pieces of paper.

I told her the printer wasn't working properly.

Because how exactly do you explain that you went to Nilkhet for photocopies and ended up giving a practice interview to a random uncle?

Anyway, if Sunday's interview goes badly, I'm seriously considering going back to that shop.

At least they seemed interested in my qualifications.

So we all know how Bangladesh is when it comes to people having safe sex and not wanting children.

So we were planning for some kind of birth control (preferably IUD/VASECTOMY) to be 100% safe because we simply don't have the capability to take care of a child yet and neither do we have plans on having children in the future and the last thing we want to do is be irresponsible when it comes to a Child's life.

My partner is thinking of getting a Vasectomy meanwhile I'm thinking of getting an IUD because it's reversible and It's more common so it's less riskier in terms of the surgical process, comparatively.

So my question is:

1. Is Marie Stopes safe?

2. Are documentations(NID/BIRTH CERTIFICATE) strictly mandatory?(in terms of getting an IUD)

3. We obviously don't have children so will they allow it?

4. Is verifying if we have children or not mandatory?

Lying, yeah we can do that but i don't know if that's a good idea coz either ways they will know if we have children or not.

We're going to consult with a gyno at marie stopes soon but before that I'm seeking some advice from you guys so help me out.

my age is 19.

ARE WE FUCKED UP?

We've had an AC for 8 years, and we used it for 40–60 minutes daily. My mom and dad taught us that it costs over a thousand taka for every 40 minutes of use. Thus, we haven't used it for more than that long.

Until I got skeptical and asked GPT how much it costs per hour of AC use, and it estimated 15–20 taka.

I was dumbfounded. Then I asked my father if he had ever calculated the cost, and he said no!

IS GPT'S ESTIMATION TRUE?

I became skeptical after using an air fryer, as it costs 15–20 taka per hour, too. We have a taboo around electricity in our house.

WHAT'S THE TRUE PER HOUR COST?

There were no hawkers in the Dhanmondi area this morning, but they are now returning. They were temporarily cleared out because Tarique Rahman was visiting Dhanmondi, and the police instructed them to leave for about 12 hours.

This country is truly fucked.

I feel like I’ve wasted the past two years, but now I’m determined to get back on track and focus on my studies.

I have better English proficiency than the average student, exceptionally strong extracurricular profile., and good communication and public speaking skills.

I have decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree at a private university in Bangladesh, but I’m still confused about which subject to choose. I’m not particularly drawn to CSE, although I’m highly interested in Data Science and EEE. But I think that pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Data Science in Bangladesh might not be the best choice in terms of academic opportunities and future career prospects. EEE seems like a more promising option, but I’d like to explore other possibilities before making a final decision.

I’d also really appreciate recommendations for private universities in Bangladesh that offer strong programs in these fields. I’d be grateful for any advice or suggestions. Thanks in advance!

I am 21 and I had failed HSC in 2025 and i had to take a retake for 2026 this year, i have been sitting around and have been feeling like a dissapointment ever since. My results are soon but i also want to change my life by at least trying to earn something so i can buy something for my parents or not take money from them anymore, i feel like a dissapointment almost every day until i go to bed. I wanna continue my study but i also want to be responsible for my age. I tried to teach kids and all but i am not real good at teaching. I also want to do something online because most times i have done things are online, like moderating a page or something. I came here to seek advice because i can never stop taking them.

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I am glad with this new improvement but I just feel more disappointed that the market is no longer there. If the market moves indoors the prices of clothes will increase because then the sellers will have to pay rent. It was easy for me to get there and shop. True it was very crowded. But I preferred shopping for necessities from there. Plus the food there were cheap and amazing. Does anyone know where the market moved?

Hello,

Can you anyone suggest me a good agency or someone trustworthy who can help me apply for Erasmus Mundus?

Please suggest an In Ear Monitor under 3k. I will use it for guitar playing, music and sometimes for gaming. Thanks in advance.

Bought this for gift purpose, I was unable to gift this to my friend. now I'm looking for to sell it, Won't charge much for it cause I urgently do need money. I bought this for like 5,899/-TK & selling it for less than 3,000/-TK. The condition is intact. Pls, contact asap to get the watch in this price :)(negotiable)

Hey Dhaka!

I’m a photographer based in Canada, currently in Dhaka for a small personal project.

After my last post, I got to do a few shoots around Kacha Bazar and they were bangers. 📸

Looking to do a few more complimentary shoots while I’m here. Anyone’s welcome!

Attached some ideas for the shoot as well, and will provide samples of my work as well if interested.

I want to buy a gas stove but I’m confused about the brand. I’m also confused between stainless steel and marble stoves. I heard that marble stove glass sometimes break easily and can cause accidents. I use LPG. Please give me your suggestions.

It began with someone who felt like family. He was a frequent guest in my home - talking with my husband, my children, my parents, and our friends. I cared for him deeply, almost as a younger brother.

When his family began discussing an arranged marriage for him, he turned to me as a confidante. He would come over, visibly weighed down, expressing how stressed and overwhelmed he felt by the pressure. Having faced my own ordeals when I got married and coming from a conservative background myself, his distress resonated with me. I emotionally invested myself in helping him. I encouraged him to stay strong, to stand up for his own feelings, and to speak politely with his parents so they could find common ground.

I know he spoke to a girl his family introduced him to and after a while he said he turned that women down. And then a month later his actual wedding took place with another woman. Yet when he returned from bangaldesh after the wedding, he was back in my home, complaining once again about how unhappy he was with his parents' decision.

Then came the moment that broke me completely.
One day, he crossed a line that should never have been crossed—he physically touched me and tried to coerce me. In that second, I froze. The utter audacity of someone I cared for, someone I had advocated for, disrespecting me and violating my trust in my own home was horrifying. In the time surrounding this, his behavior became increasingly creepy and inappropriate, even reaching the point where he shared explicit details of his private intimacy with his wife. I also later found out the other woman with whom he was previously in talks to marry - she told me that for 1.5 months they had planned everything for the wedding and would talk everyday flirting and they did the wedding shopping etc. then suddenly he left her a message saying it wouldn't work and block her without warning. Until then for longer than a month he would talk to her everyday, flirting etc while simultaneously coming to my house and trying to gain my sympathy that his parents were creating pressure on him and he has no choice but to listen to them!

The guy and I live abroad and his wife is in Dhaka and may soon be arriving here. I tried to reach his wife immediately after the incident just saying I’d like to talk but she blocked me without even knowing what it is I am interested in talking about. I can’t even process this. I am finding peace in prayers for now as my whole family depends on me. I have never went through such awful thing and I am lost.

I’m looking to buy cyanotype chemicals or a cyanotype kit for making cyanotype prints. Does anyone know where I can find them in Dhaka???

I would appreciate any suggestions for local art supply stores, photography shops, or online sellers that offer them. If you know any reliable sources, please let me know!

Thanks

Anyone regularly attending rave parties in Dhaka? I want to get into the scene and make connections. If you’re down to go together, I’ll cover all the costs. DM me! 🖤

Hey, now i am using a Android phone and decided to switch to pre owned/ used iPhone. I wanna use it simply like, taking photos & videos, and daily use. My screen time is around 9-13 hours in a day. So my budget is around 30-45k BDT. What should i do now?

Finally brought a GPU for my pc its for playing games and other productive work. I already use 256GB(Windows) SSD and 1TB HDD, but i got so many files taking up space that installing games is harder now as latest games are just above 120GB each and also getting low bandwidth issues popping up in such games and slow loading times almost makes it unplayable sometime. My MB is AsRock Steel Legend B450M only got PCIE3 2slots maybe and 6 sata ports, any form factor of SSD is okay with me but in this economy ssd prices are so high can anyone suggest me any 512GB or 1TB SSD that's good quality and where can i get them at best price. I just dont want to spend 10k on SSD 😭

There was a time when only the CPU and GPU was the expensive component now everything is at same level

Do you guys recommend buying a used Google pixel 7 or 7A mobile phone from the shops of Jamuna future park? I'm worried about whether those are stolen or anything where I might get a call from... police station?? What to check before buying that?

Hi everyone!

I’m going to tutor an English Medium student who is currently in Class 7. I’ll be teaching Bangla, Science, and BGS three days a week. I’ll also help with other subjects occasionally if the student has any difficulties.

How much should I reasonably charge per month for this tuition in Bangladesh, considering the class level and number of subjects?

I’d appreciate any suggestions, especially from people who have experience with private tutoring. Thank you! ❤️

PFA

Hi everyone! I am scheduled to take the IELTS in IDP's Dhanmondi office on the 27th of this month. I've emailed IDP twice by now asking if there were any designated waiting areas for candidates. My LRW and Speaking are both on the same day, with an approximate hour gap in between. I was wondering if there were any waiting areas? If anyone has taken IELTS Academic on Computer in IDP's Dhanmondi office, could you please tell me your experience?

I am an engineering aspirant this year. my main target is ckruet+du(rme) and as per my engi. prep its kind of decent till now i mean im trying and its taking a lot of time for each subject but im stressing over the fact that i didnt even start my 4th subject(bio) after hsc even tho i have read once for my hsc but actually i cant convince myself to start those big fatass books again. To all the bhaiya apu who went thro this phase,my question is if its rational if i choose bangla instead of bio since it neither have a vast syllabus like bio nor any chances of unpredictable written questions alike english?

Thanks for your time!

Hi I just finished my hsc in September. Currently preparing for the admissions. I had studied hard the last 2 years but my results will be very bad like 3.90 . My results is publishing in 29th of October. How should I manage my parents. What should I tell them the cause