Letters
Nupur's
Plight
I would specially like to thank Kajalie Shehreen Islam for
her article titled, "The Brutality that Never Stops",
published on the September 17 issue of SWM. Her writing
painted a picture of the pathetic scenario of a young girl,
Nupur, who is unfortunately victimised by her status in
society. Housemaids all over Bangladesh being cruelly tortured
by their employers is a very common occurrence in our country.
The forms of their torment are brutal and have been described
at length by the article(s). Unfortunately, Nupur has been
victimised more than once. Firstly, by her father who not
only snatched her from her mother's protection, but also
wanted to sell her off to a man for money. It is sad that
a man would sentence his own flesh and blood to this form
of slavery. Nupur was also victimised by her employers,
who, for a minor mistake, twisted the girl's arm and brutally
beat her on the head, face and legs with a rolling pin.
If it was not for the boy that took the responsibility of
taking her back to his home and mother to care for her,
Nupur's survival would be unsure. We need more people like
this boy who came forward in Nupur's time of need, and Aleya,
Nupur's mother, who wanted her daughter to get an education
and who struggled against extreme poverty.
Ala uddin Ansary, University of Dhaka
Sci
Tech--Too Removed from us
I read with interest your Sci-Tech pages in last week's
magazine. I always enjoy this section, being a fan of all
things scientific and technological. But there was something,
this time, that just didn't 'wash'. The burglary prevention
system from Switzerland. I am lucky having never been burgled.
Friends of mine are less so. However, how can we possibly
ever conceive to be able to install a system of this kind?
In a country where, in some areas, clean water is a luxury,
it seems ludicrous to think that we will be able to turn
off lights and lock doors and windows by web-cam from the
comfort and safety of our cars especially in chaotic Dhaka.
A Reader, On Email
Short-sighted
It is regretful for the nation that even a month later,
we cannot see an end of deadly grenade attacks on the AL
rally on August 21. Moreover, the two main opposition parties
are behaving as if they are competing for the master bedroom
of a house, failing to realise that the surrounding of the
house is burning down. In these circumstances they are continuing
to accuse and point fingers at each other. Undoubtedly this
attack is a great threat against our national sovereignty.
Therefore, for the betterment of the country our politicians
should work together to investigate the main culprits of
this attack and provide exemplary punishment to those who
are guilty.
Tauhid, CUET,Chittagong
A
Country Terrorised By Its Own
Even though Bangladesh is a democratic country, it is ruled
by terrorists and outlaws. In each neighbourhood there are
"mastaans" or "mafia" who terrorise
the citizens around them. Even local small shops are frequently
disturbed by "chadabazes" and other miscreants.
The police mostly count their monthly earnings from the
bribes they receive for allowing such corrupt deeds to take
place. If this is what the true face of our democratic country
is, then it is a scandal for the government, the people
and the hard-earned freedom of our country.
Azmi Syed, Mohammadpur
Nice
Job
I just wanted to inform you that you all have done an incredible
job organising this magazine. There are numerous things
to learn from it. I am a new reader and the first time I
saw this magazine was when I visited the Bangadeshi Embassy
in Washington DC and it was on their counter. I grabbed
it and start reading through. The August issue with the
pictures of the floods on the cover page caught my attention.
It would be great if this magazine can be delivered to US
on a monthly basis. This is just a suggestion so that people
outside of Bangladesh cannot only help our needy people,
but also be better informed of what is going on in the country.
Farhana Haque, Bethesda, Maryland
CORRIGENDUM
In last week's (24th September) British Council page there
was an editing error in the use of it's and its, which may
have caused some confusion. It's (it is) a confusing area,
with many native speakers and sign writers misusing the
apostrophe. In order to clear this up, look at next week's
British Council pages where we will be addressing this area.
Have
a look at the British Council's Learn English Website (http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/grammar_home_frame.html)
or visit the British Council Library in Fuller Road for
related books, including the entertaining Eats Shoot and
Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.
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
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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.