Shop Special

Dapper Inc.

Are you a fan of the Impressionists? The Renaissance artists, maybe? Do you wish you could have Mona Lisa smiling in your living room…well, at least a copy of the painting? Well, now you can. Banani Road 11 has a new outlet to boast about, and it's called Dapper Inc.

Dapper Inc. is all about bringing some art into your lifestyle. The showroom, located right next door to Kids & Moms, offers furniture accessories, greeting cards, etc. designed to do just that. Whether it is hand-painted room-dividing screen, or pillow-covers made from Chinese silk, every item on display at Dapper Inc., is a work of art.

You walk in through the door, and you feel as though you are entering an art gallery. The showroom is simple, functional, and brightly lit, to bring out the best in the items on offer. Dapper Inc. offers hand-painted furniture accessories like table-and-chair sets, finials for windows, screen doors, and picture frames. They also offer items like pillow covers, feather pillows, and handcrafted greeting cards. The best thing about the place is the fact that they have their own studio, so you can place orders for reproductions of paintings by your favourite artists.

So if you want to bring some colour into your home, then don't hesitate to give Dapper Inc. a try.

By Sabrina F Ahmad

Fight Dandruff
So all those flaking and itching have been too annoying this winter? Then give a shot to Pantene's anti-dandruff shampoo. Specially prepared to fight dandruff, Pantene's anti-dandruff formula promises to relieve you from all sorts of dandruff related dilemma. Available at popular superstores and general shops of the capital at tk.325, this shampoo plus conditioner assures to take care of itching and flaking associated with dandruff.

Trendy totes
Jatra has a tasteful collection of totes made from fabrics like denim, jamdani, checks and khadi, which are truthfully chic. With hand embroidery done neatly on some of these totes, a bag from Jatra's fashionable collection would accentuate your outfits. If you pair of one of these bags with a fotua and jeans trousers, you can rest assured to make a dozen heads turn at you. Some of these totes are pretty big, so you can carry them to your place of work too. Within tk.350, you can purchase one of the stylish bags for your everyday use.

Pretty table mats and coasters
An elegant dining table never looks complete without a set of pretty tablemats and coasters. Besides, it's safe to use these mats to avoid stains caused by foods and drinks. There are a wide variety of these tablemats available at New Market. Although these are available in the renowned superstores of the capital, at New Market the prices will be much lower. There are different qualities of these mats available at markets, and price will vary according to quality. But it's very likely that you would be able to find a set of 6 tablemats within only tk.100 from New Market.

Throat Soother
It's the perfect season to catch a bad flu. Are you having problem with an annoying cough? Nestle Acti-V, prepared from menthol eucalyptus acts as an excellent throat soother. Each lozenge contains ingredients like lemon, pudinah and nilgiri tel. This ayurvedic property medicine is available at your nearby general stores and even pharmacies. Each lozenge costs only tk.2.

Herbal packs and toiletries
The whole world is working towards promoting herbal and natural products among the consumer community. Bangladesh is not lagging behind. If you take a look at the shelves of the superstores today, you will see face packs and hair oil prepared from neem, turmeric, clove and sandalwood gracing them. There are numerous brands to choose from. As a matter of fact, within tk.35 to tk.40, you can buy one of these face packs whose ingredients have been extracted directly from nature. So from today, start pampering your skin with products, which leave little or no side effect.

Silver Jewellery
Shawls, sweaters and other heavy clothing during winter leave you little choice for fancy outfits. Because of this you can go all out with accessorizing. Earrings are perfect for this and you can find excellently designed silver jewellery at Aarong. There are lovely pieces with stone settings and also the big hoops that are all the rage now. Prices start 200 taka and upwards.

Eno fruit salt
It is the party season and parties mean food which in turn means clutching the stomach in pain after overeating. Eno is a sparkling refreshing drink that soothes your stomach and comes in different fruity flavors. It is available in most pharmacies and general stores. Jars are available at tk250 plus for different sizes. Small sachets are available at tk5 and are perfect for keeping in a purse or a pocket.

Sweaters
It is surprising to see some men walking around even in this biting cold sporting tight T-shirts to show off whatever it is they think they have. For those who are not so fashionably challenged it is wise to wear warm clothing. You can find all sorts of sweater, turtlenecks and hooded jackets opposite the Dhaka College. Prices are extremely reasonable and you can find almost anything withing 80-120 taka.

By Wara Karim

 

 

Essentials Special

A unified structure
In Bangladesh, we have three types of schooling systems, Bangla medium, English medium and the Madrasah system. Three systems at the same time, is obviously creating chaos. The core curriculum, educational facilities and approaches are obviously different in these systems, so the standard also differs. This is obviously creating a gap. Bangla medium students cannot compete with the English medium students in some area. The English medium system is not giving proper attention to Bangla, and the Madrasah system does not fit in the current economic system properly. We need a unified educational structure for all, which will create a nation having the same standard.

Books on time
It is the same old story every year, the printing of prescribed books for schools are never finished on time. Students in the Bangla medium schools are supposed to get the books free up to some level. As it does not reach in the schools even after the beginning of new classes in January, so students get them from bookstores with double the price. Not every one can afford the high price. Books must reach the students on time otherwise finishing the course outline within deadline becomes difficult.

Quality books
The application of various colours in a book gives birth to creativity in a child. The books that are prescribed in our schools (supplied by the government) are very dull with low quality papers used and almost no colour in it. Contents stay the same over the years and are not always very motivating. No wonder books don't interest us.

Training for teachers
Educating someone else is one of the most difficult tasks in the world. In the primary level, it is even more difficult. It requires certain skills, which most of our primary teachers lack. The situation is even worse in the rural area, which is why sometimes students from the countryside cannot compete with the urban kids. If the groundwork is not done properly the outcome will definitely be poor. Proper training for our primary teachers is needed if we want standard schooling.

 

By Shahnaz Parveen