Home   |  Issues  |  The Daily Star Home | Volume 5, Issue 60, Tuesday March 24, 2009

 

 

Check it out

Discount offer
By popular demand Farzana Shakil's Makeover Salon is reintroducing “Happy Hour” from 24 March 2009. Sunday through Wednesday from 10 am to 12 pm, a 20% discount will be available on special services at the Gulshan outlet.
Contact:
Farzana Shakil's Makeover Salon Limited, Gulshan Outlet, House # 1/B, Rd # 5, Gulshan #1. # 8812215

Pongkti's tribute
DEmanding trial of the War criminals of 1971 has been a outcry of the masses. Fashion house Pongkti, who feel a social obligation towards the cause has brought out tee shirt designs, paying tribute to the coming Independence Day.
Poet Shamsur Rahman's poetry has been incorporated into the design of the tees.
Available at Pongkti outlet at 88 Aziz Supermarket, Shahbagh. # 01711155404.

Rickshaw Festival 2009
It is a first of its kind venture in Bangladesh to be held on 28 March at the Kolabagan playground and feature cultural, social, economical and environmental aspect of rickshaws.

Organised by 'Bangladesh Changemakers' a global network of entrepreneurs the event is all set to welcome people in love of the tricycle. Leading up to the day's event on the 28, different programs have been chalked out such as 'tee shirt designing', 'rickshaw designing contest', 'photography contest' and others.

The Rickshaw inspired t-shirt contest was held on 23 March and paved ways to encourage new aspiring artists to be part of the Rickshaw festival, show their talent and gain some hands on experience in entrepreneurship.

The four winners will be given set prize money and will work with a fashion house to take their designs to production. These four winning designs will be printed and sold on the day of the festival. They will also be sold online globally through the Bangladesh Changemakers website.

The photography contest on the theme “Positive aspect of Rickshaw” is designed to encourage optimistic portrayal of rickshaw and also to encourage and provide a platform to aspirant photographers. The response received has been overwhelming and winners will be declared on the day of the actual event, 28 March 2009.

For more information log on to http://www.bangladeshchangemakers.net/rickshaw.html
- LS Desk

Nogordola presents knitwear

EVer since its inception, Nogordola has strived to present innovation in fashion. Celebrating its second anniversary, this time around they present 100% cotton knitwear for men and women.

Now, you can get comfortable attires like tees, polo shirts and also tank tops and day dresses for women.
Available at all Nogordola outlets.

Dream weavers
Indigenous communities worldwide tend to be marginalised socially and economically. Today, they face a loss of their livelihood for their traditional products particularly textiles to cheaper synthetic alternatives. However, recent years have seen a growing demand for these high value textiles in both national and international markets.
“Bain: Weaving the Past, Present and Future” is a regional conference and workshop on backstrap looms with participation of countries of Asia Pacific Region- Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand and Bangladesh was inaugurated March 22, 2009.
On the third day of the conference, 24 March 2009, speakers from Laos, Indonesia and Nepal will present their study to the audience. The day will conclude with a discussion on findings and recommendations, and a cultural show.

Visit Bangladesh

EXursion and Resorts Ltd. offers to take local and foreign tourists on a one-of-a-kind tour of Bangladesh, touching upon the primary tourist spots over a twenty-one day period. The tour starts from Zia Internation Airport and ends in Tangail with stopovers at destinations like Rangamati, Chimbuk Hill, Madhobkunda and Kailashtila to familiar spots in Dhaka.
For details contact Excursion and Resort Bangladesh Limited, House # 108, Flat B2, Road # 8, Block C, Banani. Contact: 9891161, 8858827. Email: info@excursionbangladesh.com; Web: www.excursionbangladesh.com

On The Cover

Floral prints are all the rage. Team it with a solid colour to stay stylish this season.
Photo: Zahedul I Khan
Model: Iffat Nawaz
Make-up: Farzana Shakil Hair and Makeover Salon

Ponder

Practical patriotism

In these times of heightened activity and frenetic lifestyles, it is quite easy to undervalue the importance of being patriotic. Perhaps, along with the oft-quoted notion of the world getting smaller, our collective visions are becoming narrower, and therefore more and more oblivious to matters beyond immediate relevance to the self. However, being patriotic, and sensibly so, can enhance the self and maximise benefits.

A patriot, according to the word's dictionary meaning, is a person who loves, supports and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. The notion of patriotism, a notion that emphasizes boundaries in an age when such lines are becoming increasingly blurry, might be seen as dated and romantic. This is far from the truth, because although we live in a global village, we are still children of the country we were born in and, living in that country, we operate within the structures present in that country. Therefore, our individual fates and the fate of the country we call home are deeply intertwined.

Often the relationship between country and individual is cyclic. Take income taxes, for example. In the case of Bangladesh, many are not serious about paying taxes because they think that all the money will not be put to public service. This assumption of ours harms the country in the long run, which in turn harms its people. We see the neglect (which is partly engendered by those of us who do not pay taxes) manifested in poor healthcare and education, huge proportions of the population living below the poverty line, and so on. This affects us because whichever sector we find ourselves in, be it business, agriculture, finance, education, tourism, healthcare, a crippled economy will not allow us to be successful, individually or collectively.

The idea of patriotism is relevant especially today, keeping in mind the increased competition. Maximum efficiency is required to be ahead in the game. Therefore, patriotism is not a hyperbolic, romantic notion. It is very practical, as at its heart is the idea that what is good for the nation is good for the individual. We can all be patriotic by doing our jobs conscientiously, and contributing whatever we can to the economy.

By STS
 
 
 

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