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     Volume 4 Issue 14 | September 24, 2004 |


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Letters

On the Grenade Attacks
I very strongly condemn the heinous grenade attack on the AL rally on August 21 that killed 21 people including AL leader Ivy Rahman and injured over 200 others. The motive of this attack was to assassinate Sheikh Hasina. Those who do not recognise Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign country, want to make Bangladesh a vassal state of either Pakistan or India and want to project Bangladesh internationally as a failed country. They are behind this ghastly attack. They are the enemies of the country. So not only democracy but the very existence of Bangladesh is at stake. Time is running out. Therefore, I humbly request both Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina to work together and unite the 140 million people of Bangladesh irrespective of party affiliation as one nation, like that of 1971, and wipe out the enemies from the soil of Bangladesh.
Iqbal Ahmed
On email

What's the Point?
I think "Newsnotes" of SWM has little utility for the readers of The Daily Star. The readers of DS should have already acquainted themselves with the news throughout the week by reading the newspaper instead of getting a summary at the end of each week, which I feel takes away precious space from our favourite writers. Moreover I don't think that SWM is a news magazine. Therefore it shouldn't be burdened with past news. I, myself, hardly find any reasoning behind this unnecessary reprinting. In my opinion, this valuable space should be used for more relevant and important purposes.
Meshkat A. Chowdhury
Mirpur, Dhaka

Hope,lost and found
I enjoy reading " Dhaka Diary" in SWM and while reading the September 10 issue, I noticed an incident titled 'Hope, lost and found" written by Moazzem Hossain, a student of Dhaka University, in which he described the honesty of a CNG driver. How is it possible? I was astonished and impressed. When the whole nation is suffering from moral degradation, there comes a good example of honesty. I hope that, this type of example will be published in SWM more often to inspire our nation.
Rathi Mahamud Morshed
Dhanmondi,Dhaka

I Love SWM
I am a die-hard fan of the magazine and while browsing through the September 10 issue, I was delighted to see that it was filled with amazing facts/features. I would like to extend my appreciation to the different writers in SWM that enhance the standard and quality of this publication. There are quite a few worthy names, which need mentioning. Richa Jha, a wonderful writer who, with a vision of enjoying the moments of clarity appears also to be a great optimist. Her presentation is so lucid and spontaneous that her articles are simply outstanding. But Richa Jha excels most at finding a realistic but optimistic way out of every obstacle that she faces, which is the essence of living in this most formidable time. I would also like to mention other articles, such as "Save me, I am not dead," by Aasha Mehreen Amin, and "The Best Years of Our Lives. Wasted?" by Kajalie Shehreen Islam, both of which are quite vivid in their undertone, as well as the gripping article, "The Fear Factor" by Srabonti Narmeen Ali. Another mention-worthy column is the one and only "A Roman Column", which is simply great! And of course, Chintito whose articles do actually make me chintito. In short, I love reading from the very first page to the last. But I have one problem -- I don't see the best, which is Time-Out chess! I guess this time it was been too difficult for SWM to make some room! But please bring chess back. Thanks very much and keep up the good work.
Rafiqul Islam Rime
Agrabad, Chittagong-4100

On "Save me, I am not dead"
I habitually read all parts of SWM and I read through twice the article by Aasha Mehreen Amin on Shima, the raped and mained garment worker of Savar, published on September 10. I would like to express what I understand. We know about Ayam-e-Jahilyah (age of ignorance), the most scandalous chapter of world history, when women were intensely slighted and regarded as goods. They were often also buried alive. There was a point that they were deprived of the light of civilisation. But this is a new form of barbarism, although we now pretend to be a civilised generation. The assailant of a victim such as this should be handcuffed and brought to trial for exemplary punishment. We don't want a repetition of the same story over and over again.
Ala uddin Ansary
University of Dhaka

On Learning English
I would like to thank SWM and the British Council for the new section "Learn English with the British Council. Undoubtedly this will help English learners in Bangladesh. My English, which I learned almost sixty years ago is, as you can imagine, very rusty. The grammar I learned at school is no longer always correct. One thing that I think a lot of people have problems understanding is the difference between "its" and "it's". It is a source of confusion for many people. Perhaps the British Council can do a piece on this particular grammar problem.
Niaz Zaman
By Fax

On Being Young
I regularly read SWM. In the September 10th issue, I especially enjoyed reading the "Musings" piece by Elita Karim, called "Being Young". Her writing style is very modern, lively and vivacious. I would like to thank Elita for her wonderful article and would like to let you know that I am awaiting her next piece.
Md. Toufiqur Rahman
Dhaka

Announcement
SWM will soon be regularly running the new column called "On Campus" on the various events and issues of different university campuses around the country. University students are invited to send in anecdotes and articles on their thoughts and experiences of campus life, as well as reviews of campus events such as festivals, field trips and cultural programmes.
--SWM Editor


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.
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