“I grew up in Kushtia, a medium-sized town in the west of Bangladesh, not far from the River Gorai. My family moved to Dhaka when I was sixteen, but I still think of Kushtia as home.”

“It was very relaxed, really. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, so my friends and I could cycle around town on our own from quite a young age, which I don't think would happen in Dhaka.”

“I miss how green and quiet it is. In Dhaka you can go for days without seeing a proper open field, whereas in Kushtia you're never more than a few minutes from one.”

“Two or three times a year, usually during the long holidays. My grandparents still live there, so going back is as much about seeing them as seeing the town itself.”

“I think so — people often tell me I look cheerful, even when I'm not feeling it! It's probably a habit I picked up from my mother, who smiles at absolutely everyone.”

“Generally, yes, especially if I'm making eye contact with someone in a shop or a lift. It feels a bit unfriendly not to, although I'm more careful in very crowded places, where a smile can be misunderstood.”

“Definitely. At a funeral, or when someone's telling you some bad news, smiling would come across as insensitive, even if you were only trying to be reassuring.”

“Quite often, yes — mostly books and phone chargers. I'm happy to lend things, as long as people bring them back, which, to be fair, they usually do.”

“Embarrassingly, yes. I borrowed a friend's calculator before an exam and only found it in my drawer about a year later, long after she'd bought a new one.”

“A small amount, yes, without a second thought. For larger sums I'd be more hesitant, though, not because I don't trust my friends, but because money problems can damage even very close friendships.”

“Borrowing makes much more sense for things like tools or a suitcase that you might need once a year. It saves money and space, and there's no point in everyone on the same street owning the same drill.”

“There's quite a gap, generally. Older people tend to prefer classical Bengali songs, like Rabindra Sangeet, or folk music, while younger people listen to a mix of local bands, Hindi film songs and international pop. That said, I've noticed a lot of young musicians reworking old folk songs with modern instruments, so the two generations are probably closer than they think. Some songs, especially patriotic ones, are loved by absolutely everyone, whatever their age.”

“Partly it's about identity. When we're teenagers, music is a way of showing who we are and which group we belong to, so we tend to follow whatever our friends are listening to. As we get older, that pressure fades, and people often become more open to different styles. Also, I think certain kinds of music, especially songs with deep lyrics, simply mean more once you've had more experience of life.”

“I believe it can, and often more effectively than words. Music doesn't need a shared language, so people who couldn't hold a conversation can still enjoy the same song or dance to the same rhythm. You see that at weddings or at a Pohela Boishakh celebration, where people from very different backgrounds end up singing along together. Having said that, music can also divide people — some songs are closely tied to one group or one political side. So music creates opportunities for connection, but it doesn't automatically remove deeper differences.”

“I think every child should at least have the opportunity. Learning an instrument teaches patience and concentration, and it gives children a creative outlet that has nothing to do with exams. But making it compulsory for everyone might be unrealistic, because many schools don't have the money for instruments or trained teachers. So perhaps a basic music class for all, with instruments offered to those who are interested, would be a more realistic starting point.”

“It's changed almost everything. People used to buy a cassette or a CD and listen to the whole album many times, whereas now they have millions of songs available instantly, so they tend to skip from track to track. It's also made music far more personal — everyone has their own playlists — and in a way less social, because families no longer gather around one radio or one stereo. And because recommendations are automatic, people discover new music without even looking for it.”

“Not really, no. Streaming has been fantastic for listeners, but the money is spread very thinly, so unless an artist has millions of plays, they earn very little from it. On the other hand, streaming lets unknown musicians reach a worldwide audience without needing a record company, which simply wasn't possible before. So it's a mixed picture: fairer in terms of access, but much less fair in terms of income.”

“I think the biggest change will be that almost anyone can make music. Even now, a teenager with a laptop can record, edit and release a song from their bedroom, and that's only going to get easier and cheaper. We'll probably also see much more collaboration across borders, with musicians in Dhaka and London working on the same track online. Artificial intelligence will no doubt play a part as well, though I suspect it'll be used more as a tool than as a replacement — people still want to know there's a real person behind the music they love.”