Letters
Meaningless
Political Protests
It was quite surprising to see slogans like, "Save
Hasina, save Bangladesh" in our opposition party's
protest rallies. I don't see the use of saving Hasina and
saving Bangladesh when our fellow countrymen are fighting
against floods on an everyday basis in order to survive.
Not a single leader is helping the flood-affected people,
instead they are busy campaigning for their political interests.
Doesn't the opposition have any responsibilities towards
those people who have elected them in the elections? Or
are they only devoted to their own political interest?
Nayeem Islam
Uttara, Dhaka
Good
Issue!
I am so pleased that the problem of our taxis has finally
been realised by your magazine. I have long since suffered
from 'yellow-taxi syndrome' (i.e. frequently being short-changed,
crashing into other vehicles, and generally having to endure
hair raising journeys which needn't be so). The problem
is that there are few preferable alternatives. If I decide
to journey by rickshaw, my fate is in the hands of the wallah
who may or may not agree to take me to my destination. Similarly,
some CNG drivers will refuse me as a passenger if the length
of the journey does not meet with his pre-requisites and
the drivers have no regard for the safety of the passenger.
This makes traveling to appointments somewhat precarious
and, more often than not, I arrive late and disheveled.
It is about time we, the general public, take a stand against
these highway men and stand up for the right to be on time
and arrive without feeling like we have just taken a spin
in a go-kart without the luxury of a tyre barrier.
A Reader
On Email
Who
is Bangladesh's Cricket Coach ?
As I was reading SWM's October 2nd issue a few days back
I was shocked when something caught my eyes in the "Voicebox"
column. A quote was given by "Bangladesh's cricket
coach Bob Woolmer" this might sound just a printing
mistake for general readers but it's terrifying for a guy
who eats, drinks and sleeps cricket because SWM is one of
my favourite weekly magazines. I just thought that I should
point out this mistake and hope that we will never experience
this sort of error again. I wonder what Dave Whatmore is
thinking.
Jaami(Cricket fanatic)
Banani
Cowherd
or Student?
Sometimes I think it might be better to be a cowherd, rather
than a student of Dhaka University. I don't think I alone,
share this viewpoint, as it seems to be true for many students
at DU. According to an article in Prothom Alo it has come
to our attention that our university has been closed for
293 days during the last two years. If someone asked me
what I have learned from this institution, I would reply
quite simply -- politics. Politics has ruined our student
life. The teachers and students involved in politics are
only interested in protecting the rights of their respective
parties. This is why the university is closed due to strike
after strike. If it weren't for these politicians, I think
we could have had a real taste of what was once known to
be the "Oxford of the East." To give life to our
valuable education and resurrect the fame of our university,
both teacher and student politics should be banned from
the campus immediately.
Murtala Ramat
Dhaka University
Hazardous
Politics (Part Two)
I have gone through, with great interest, the letter under
the above caption published on October 2, 2004 in SWM. I
would simply request all the political parties to come forward
with a negotiated solution to any political crisis and to
avoid confrontations for the greater interest of the nation
and people. Both the ruling and the opposition parties should
take serious steps against criminals and terrorists. If
they can set an example to curb terrorism people may feel
are secure again. Our demand is responsible leadership on
the basis of democratic principles and not through political
confrontation.
Ehsan Ahmad
Niketon, Gulshan
Good
Cover
The cover story on DMCH (October 2, 2004 issue) deserves
praise and I would like to give special thanks to the photographer
Zahedul I Khan for his photographs and both Aasha Mehreen
Amin and Ahmede Hussain for their vivid descriptions. Nobody
knows who will be able to stop this anomaly (unfortunately,
our government is not very successful). There is another
point I want to mention. Was it appropriate to place a journey-by-boat-type
writing ("Soured Soccer Afternoon" under the "Perspective"
panel? The label is losing its depth and I fail to understand
myself why it was there but in vain. SWM is one of the best
weekly magazines of Bangladesh and I believe that it should
be a little more careful about what is printed and maintain
high standards of writing.
Abir Rahman
Applauding
SWM
I am a new reader of SWM and have been reading it regularly.
I always await SWM on Friday mornings. I believe that this
is the best way for me (and others like me) to develop our
English language skills. These days, English is essential
for everyone, especially students. At first when a friend
recommended reading SWM, I had a very hard time understanding
it but slowly, as I kept at it, I got better. If I didn't
understand a word I found it in my dictionary. I was very
interested in finding new words. What I like about SWM is
that it stays far away from politics and pornography, in
the sense that it doesn't glamourise sex nor does it take
one particular political perspective. Columns that I most
enjoy reading are "Newsnotes," "Jokes,"
"Dear Mita," Dhaka Diary," and short stories.
I also find that "A Roman Column" offers very
interesting tidbits of information of life abroad. Thank
you SWM, for being such a great publication.
Mohammed Abubakar Shamim (Babu)
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.
