Two long-time friends, two locations and two conversations about the evolution of dissent
Entering Justice Shahabuddin Park, I was gratified to find Elita Karim had reached before I had. Celebrated singer, award-winning journalist, PhD candidate — this shape-shifting multi-hyphenate regularly juggles several roles and commitments, so pinning her down for a conversation is something of a challenge, and even if one is successful there, one has to be willing to wait for inevitable delays.
Elita is currently enrolled at Arizona State University pursuing a PhD in Mass Communication in the United States, and had returned to Dhaka for a month between December 2025 and January 2026. “I’ve really been taken up by the idea of space — a space for discourse” she said. “Nancy Fraser’s idea of a ‘counter publics’ – a space created by fringe societies to express their positions (which may run counter to socially accepted norms) is what inspired me to explore my doctoral thesis on Resistance Publics.” She went on to frame her concept in the context of the cultural resistance to the role of art and culture in the resistance movement that led to the July Revolt in 2024. “The research I am doing is also influenced by the artistic works produced during the 1971 Liberation War, for example, S.M. Sultan’s paintings (which were created later but reflect the spirit of ’71), the songs of Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendra and how they inspired people, and also the short radio plays on Bangladesh Betar or that witty segment called Charampatra.”
Of course while her tenure as a journalist has been impressive — she was the recipient of a Red Cross International Best Article Award for a piece of reporting from Benapole — Elita Karim is known to a wider audience as a vocalist. Her musical journey began in the early 2000s, when she first caused ripples as a guest vocalist for Black, before putting forward her own band Raaga in 2005. Although Raaga released just one album, it was impactful enough to cement her in the industry, and she never looked back. Over the years, her work evolved, earning accolades and formal recognition aplenty. She was named Best Singer by Channel i, and received the BACHSAS Award for Best Playback Singer.
During this latest trip back to Bangladesh, Elita had managed one public performance when she shared the stage with Bappa Mazumder at a programme at Gulshan Club, but eventually also had to contend with the rash of cancellations that marked the close of December 2025. Our own conversation came barely a week after the arson attacks on two prominent newspaper organisations and a cultural one. I asked her if there was any concern about shrinking third spaces. Her response was carefully considered; she is not one to assign blame or jump to conclusions.
“I used to feel bad when I realised that people online are probably more interested in easily digestible short form content, like clips, reels and teasers, and measure success in terms of algorithmic engagement. I am no one to judge what’s right or wrong, but what I do think is that if this is the standard now, and if the long-form discussions and written pieces fade out, it’s going to create a huge gap, and there will come a time when there’s a gap in knowledge sources, and then it’s going to cause a big disruption when we realise that we need to catch up. Of course, literary festivals and concerts getting cancelled are a huge blow to creatives. We need to revive these, even if we have to start small. I don’t know if the closures and cancellations are necessarily politically motivated or arise from other concerns, but we have to work with people who are in charge. If these events and spaces disappear, we are going to be left with a yawning void of knowledge and culture.”
We met again for the photo shoot for this article at Tara Books in Banani last month, a quiet, unassuming space chosen to reflect the literary side of Elita’s aspirations. This time, I found myself pacing the carpeted floors for an hour and a half before she burst in, apologising for being held up by a last-minute commitment. I got front row seats to the remarkable transition from Elita the laid back journalist to Elita the diva celebrity as she turned on the charm and worked the room, nailing her angles and making the shoot flow like butter. In between shots, I grilled her about her take on the industries shift from albums to EP and singles, digital distribution, and AI’s assault on intellectual property.
“Intellectual property rights is not something we fully understand in Bangladesh. We think we can just take a piece of music, writing or poetry and reuse it in our own way. We think of it as paying a compliment or tribute to the original creator of the piece, but when one is earning from these tributes, there are rules and regulations in place as to how to go about it. That what we consider “borrowing” from the work of an artist — without the proper attribution/compensation — is a kind of theft, needs to be better understood here, and a culture of seeing and understanding intellectual property rights has to be created. Bangladesh now has a Collective Management Organisation or CMO called BLCPS – Bangladesh Lyricist, Composers and Performers Society which is helping creatives in the music industry earn royalties from their work. There is some concern, of course, about the looming threat of AI; I don’t think it has really hit Bangladesh yet — or at least, I personally haven’t faced it yet. I know other countries are now creating and revising laws pertaining to AI , so let’s see what happens.”
Once the shoot wrapped up, we browsed the shelves together, swapping stories about her involvement in literary communities, such as the online book club Litmosphere, or the flash fiction platform Talespeople. The proud bibliophile mused “I love these communities, platforms which I feel I have to be part of to be wholly myself. As you know, I love books. I love to read, mainly fiction. There was a time when my reading would transport me into a world of my own. To be able to tap into this ability for world building is a kind of superpower, but one must be engaged with the material, with the community. For many complicated reasons, some psychological, some social, this feels like a luxury now, and it doesn’t come as easily as it used to. That is why I seek these connections which help me interrogate my thoughts, to express myself, to ask questions, and to be engaged.”
As we parted ways and she prepared to head back to the US, she let us know she is working on a new musical project led by artist Rashid Khan, alongside musicians from different generations, including Bappa Mazumder and Partha Barua. Her multi-level journey to write her story continues.
Special thanks to Tara Books for providing a shoot location.