Letters
Letter
from an SWM Lover
SWM is one of my best friends. I eagerly wait for it every
week. A few days back I was reading the issue of 'Finding
Aougny'. As a whole the edition was a good read. But a letter
in this made me very unhappy. The letter consisted of a
meaningless challenge. However, the writer of this letter
has been reading SWM for the last two years. In fact, according
to his own testimony, he read about 96 copies of SWM. However,
he claimed that all the jokes and cartoons are not funny.
This certainly is strange. He also added that the staff
writers of the magazine are not efficient at all. Now, my
question is that, why read SWM for two long years if most
of the articles are not enjoyable and the jokes are not
funny? I think SWM should avoid publishing such bad letters
in future.
Faria Nodi
Dhaka
The
Bangla Bhai Controversy
The name Bangla bhai has become the most common
name in our newspapers these last few weeks. He has secured
the status of a ruler of sorts in North Bengal. People call
him the 'private ruler' of the country. Who has given him
this right to rule? What is the government doing? Is it
really true that our country is full of fundamentalists?
I don't want to believe it. The government should take quick
action against Bangla bhai and his supporters or
else the country will sink into turmoil. Those who are supporting
Bangla bhai are doing away with all our hopes and
achievements of 1971.
Shankha Dasgupta
On
the 8th Anniversary of SWM
I am an admirer of SWM and want to congratulate its team
on their 8th anniversary. But I have a few problems with
the anniversary issue. First of all, a lot of abbreviations
like Bac, DS and NYU were used and, though abbreviations
save time and space, people might not understand them all
and so their use should be limited. Secondly, though the
short story contest was good, I don't understand why the
one that won first prize actually won. I don't think it's
a short story at all but a stream of consciousness. I really
enjoyed reading Zafar Sobhan's "Ami Shopno Dekhbo Boley
" which made a good point and I want to thank the writer
for his consciousness of the matter. But "Nothing if
not serious" was not good enough for Shawkat Hussain's
starving readers like myself who have read better writings
by him. Overall, though, despite some typos, it was a good
issue and a must-read.
Md.Shamiul Haque
Department of English
University of Dhaka
On
transliteration
The discussion on the rules of English transliteration by
Zafar Sobhan (June 25) and Neeman Sobhan (July 2) is interesting.
The writers are very right to say that it is our language
and we are the ones who should make the rules for a better
understanding of the language. It creates a lot of problems
for those who want to learn Bangla. Even for the real Bangali
like me, it sometimes leads to confusion. Therefore, an
advanced set of rules, well-adjusted to Bangla, would certainly
come to the aid of all who want to learn it by heart.
Joy
Dhaka
In
support of Poetry
I am a regular reader of SWM since the very beginning of
its circulation. I like the magazine very much. I cannot
think of a single Friday without SWM. Although all of the
articles of SWM are very good, Write to Mita, Dhaka Diary,
Jokes, Musings give me the most pleasure. But I don't know
why SWM is not featuring a poetry section in the magazine.
I think that this section would gain popularity and add
to the already diverse array of features of the magazine.
In support of Khokan Sarker's letter "Poetry Please"
in July 2, 2004, I want to say that many other readers would
also like to see poems in SWM. I hope that SWM will consider
printing poems in the magazine and ask for contributions
from readers.
Mominul Hasan Rintu
Asian University
Anniversary
Issue Accolade
Star Weekend Magazine recently celebrated its 8th birthday
by publishing a 96 page issue on June 25. While I find that
the content was up to my expectations, I was really embarrassed
for the SWM staff with the shabby overall outlook. Is this
the way you celebrate your birthday? There was nothing interesting
and eye-catching about it, nor was there any evidence to
prove the fact that SWM is a magazine that people should
take seriously. In today's competitive market, no one pays
attention to a magazine that fails in the department of
'look'. Although I usually enjoy reading the magazine and
don't mind the dull quality, I really thought that the SWM
team would make a real effort to go all out with the presentation
of the magazine for a special event like the anniversary,
especially after all the hype. To be fair, once you get
past the bad make up the writing is good. The cover story
for the anniversary issue, in particular, was really good.
Usually I think they are too long and not really as interesting
or attention grabbing, but I really thought that Aasha M.
Amin, Kajalie S. Islam and Srabonti N. Ali did a great job
in covering this topic. I also think that Zafar Sobhan's
article was particularly enjoyable, as he is always a writer
with lots of insight and humour to match. Shawkat Hussain's
article, was, as usual, one of the main highlights. Ahmede
Hussein's fiction piece was praiseworthy and innovative.
Shamim Ahsan's take on interviews was hilarious. Mustafa
Zaman's article, as always showed his maturity and wit.
Imran H. Khan's parables of his life with SWM were endearing.
A Reader
On Email
Dark
Time Ahead
My wife has just been released from hospital after receiving
treatment for a severe case of Dengue, which causes gradual
decrease of platelets. Her treatments included isolation,
fluid management, higher antibiotics, and other measures.
However, on a TV interview on June 29 we heard a different
point of view coming from a high governmental official,
he said, "Dengu situation is in full control. Sporadic
rainfall is causing it and only a few cases have surfaced
in Dhaka." However, on the same programme a specialist
in this particular field made claims that contradict the
high official's statement. He said that cases of Dengue
were very frequent, and the situation was getting worse.
People usually maintain privacy during and after receiving
treatments. Therefore it is impossible to pinpoint the exact
number of cases. When the assessment still remains to be
done, how can anyone remark that "Dengue situation
is under control?" The Dengue outbreak, it seems, is
now at its initial stage; as the rainy season sets in, there
is a possibility that it might get worse. There are people
living abroad are hesitating to head back home to spend
their holiday's because of this dreadful disease. The government
should work towards creating public awareness using the
national media. And the health ministry should take up programmes
to combat the disease.
Romon
Purana Paltan
Dhaka
Letters to the Editor, Dhaka Diary & Write to Mita with
the writer’s name and address, should be within 200
words. Articles should be within 1,200 words. Articles and
photos submitted will not be returned. Plagiarised articles
will not be accepted. All materials should be sent to: Star
Weekend Magazine, 19, Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 8125155,
or e-mailed to <dsmagazn@gononet.com>
Articles may be edited for reasons of space and clarity.
