Feature

The madness around us

Syeda Sabita Amin

What's going on? As I watch the news I see what the rest of the world sees my beloved country as, and it brings nothing but sadness and disappointment.

A week back they showed Bangladesh, a country that has achieved so much and how Prof Yunus through microcredit has truly done wonders. I couldn't be more proud to be a Bangladeshi. And for the last few days the top headline is how violence runs through the city of Dhaka. A week after achieving the Nobel Peace Prize we go into streets with angry riots. What an irony…

It's not only the violence that disturbs me. It's what all these days of strikes and violence have done to us, the youth, the future of the nation. The impact that it has on us. How will we succeed in creating a better tomorrow if today's actions take us further away from the goal, which is ensuring success and prosperity in our lives and the nation?

As a student of a private university I need a guarantee that the classes I miss will be made up through classes taken during the weekends or evenings. But what happens to students of public universities? All of this is much more than a nightmare to them.

I have relations who study in Dhaka University and because of what has been going on, their graduation which was to take place this month has been shifted to next month, and even that isn't definite. There are hundreds of students like them who suffer throughout the country. A student is supposed to graduate approximately within four or five years after entering a university. But in public universities it can be seen that their graduation finally comes several years after.

By the time most students in our country graduate from either public or private universities, students of same age in foreign universities obtain a post graduate degree or are working on achieving it. Education has no age limit but youth does. The global job industry looks for young individuals and for example an above-average student will most probably lose out that opportunity because of the fact that his/her age may not weigh against his qualification. A brilliant student might be able to seize it but what happens to the rest?

The chaos that the country goes into not only obstructs education, it affects people's mentality. We grow into the state of mind to think all of this is normal and justified. We soon become what we witness. People dying, lives being shattered, homes and businesses destroyed etc…

The question that looms large in my mind: Is this the solution? Do we have to go through such aggression just to have our voices heard? I understand the reason for it all, but why through such violent methods? How do we lose the respect we have for ourselves and for others?

As we continue with our protests and aggressive methods of objection, the world continues watching us. As a result, our image is damaged and yet again it all comes back to us, the youth, the future of the nation. We lose out yet again.

Syeda Sabita Amin is a student of BRAC University

Sajjad

Last October was a month full of incidences for Bangladesh. A very much memorable month for Bangladeshis. Dr.Yunus was awarded Nobel Peace Prize'06 on 13th October. The whole country was thrilled at this news and celebrations went on all around the country.

It was a moment of great pride for all the Bangladeshis. People hoped that this time they would have a peaceful Eid but things went wild and wrong because of the political instability when the opposition political parties opted for demonstration and Dhaka siege.

Highways have been blocked and normal life of people got affected only after two days of Holy Eid-ul-fitr. City dwellers who enjoyed their Eid with families at villages could not come back to city in due time. As a result they suffered a lot.

I am from Chittagong but I live and study in Dhaka in the Informations & Communications Engineering department in East West University. I went to Chittagong to be with my family during Eid vacation. Afterwards

I was supposed to catch the train for Dhaka on 26th. But for the political situation I had to stay back for five more days at Chittagong.

My parents are still afraid and they would not allow me to leave before the 3rd. So guess how much I am suffering from the political turmoil going on in the country. But this was never expected. We all want to live in peace. Somehow the situation negates the achievements of Dr.Yunus. I hope the political parties would become more concerned about the sufferings of the common people and do things accordingly.

SAJJAD is a student of, East West University.

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