The Baromashi Tapes takes the well-known folk genre of the baromashi the twelve-month song, to tell the contemporary story of Sakina and Khokon. Like the merchants or sailors of old, Khokon has left his wife behind in the village and gone to seek his fortunes abroad. Sakina misses her husband and reminisces about their short conjugal life together but also describes the everyday events that take place around her. Though much of rural Bangladesh seems unchanging, Sakina witnesses the mechanization, migration, education that impact upon village life. Interspersing Sakina’s narrative, are Khokon’s account of his journey by plane to Malaysia and “postcards” about life far from home. Prefacing each chapter is the recipe of a rice dish that appears in the chapter. The Baromashi Tapes will appeal to a range of readers for its deceptively simple story but also to any reader interested in the Bangla months and their changing colours and moods.