Letters
Love
of the Language
I am very fond of SWM. Not only do I find it entertaining
I also think it is useful for English learning students
as well. I always try to develop my vocabulary by reading
all the articles. I also feel that the British Council page
should be continued for new English Language learners. I
feel that it would definitely increase SWM's popularity.
Zunaead Shah
Dhaka
Would
you Like to Ride on Your Own Ass?
Chintito should have looked around Dhaka city roadside shops
more seriously before giving his verdict on rating our city
in his article, "Would you like to ride on your own
ass," in the 24th December 2004 issue of SWM. I remember
seeing an interesting signboard of a tailor-shop on Elephant
Road. The name of the shop, declares the signboard rather
candidly, 'Clad Tailors'. How would Chintito react, if,
on entering a tailor-shop, he found the 'master-cutter'
and others sitting there unclad?
A Z M Abdul Ali
Uttara, Dhaka
On
"The Battle of the Sexes"
I enjoyed reading the unique feature" The Battle of
the Sexes" by Srabonti Narmeen Ali on the Dec 31st
issue of SWM. In her article Srabonti paints a wonderful
canvas where the battle of sexes rages on! On her getting
together with a few friends during the marriage season they
happen to encounter a snobbish male chauvinist who continuously
speaks on the so-called frivolities of women, which ultimately
ends up in a situation where he is subjected to ridicule.
On dissecting this subtle and delicate issue Srabonti unfolds
a crucial point that male chauvinists never make a commitment
to women. At the same time she also makes the point that
women are prone to succumb to the lure of marriage and commitment
and are also responsible to the same degree for the predicament
that so many young people find themselves in these days
-- getting married for the wrong reasons and it ending in
disaster. During the course in which the comments and events
of the evening unfold, the writer remains invisible and
at times appears to be much too cynical about the so-called
culprit of the evening, the male chauvinist. This comes
out even more when his cell phone rings and he makes a dash
for the door to rush to pick his significant other up. A
sorry state for the poor fellow involved in the Battle!
Congrats, Srabonti and keep it up!
Rafiqul Islam Rime
Agrabad, Chittagong
Beautification?
The word beautification has been all the rage in Dhaka for
the last few months. Funnily enough, the word has little
meaning in areas that lack the status of being posh. There
are areas like Old Dhaka, Khilgaon, Badda that badly need
a touch of the magic wand. Unfortunately, the beautification
effort centres round the main thoroughfares of the city.
In the name of beautification, trees have been felled in
certain areas and in the end the thoroughfares look cleaner,
as hefty amounts have been spent in dressing the roadsides
with gardens, which look too artificial. Besides, what's
the point in beautifying a few roads while many roads and
footpaths still lie in ruin. Even in posh areas, there are
footpaths that are badly damaged and are in need of immediate
repair. The other day I was walking along the Kamal Ataturk
road leading to Gulshan-2, and the footpath has virtually
been effaced at some places. Unfortunately, it is the roads
less taken by pedestrians that have been given the face-lift,
and the rest lies in utter neglect. I hope SWM will run
articles addressing the issue.
Ahmed Kabir
Kamalapur, Dhaka
On
Campus of Jan 14th issue
I was a little taken aback after reading "A department
worth mention" in On Campus on January 14th. Tania,
a student of the department definitely earned an edge with
her teachers and the faculty members by writing such an
"all-is-excellent-here" letter. In her fourth
year, she has perhaps chosen a great time to write such
a letter and have it published in SWM. I hope the editor
of SWM uses more precaution when publishing clever letters
like these which could unduly or duly benefit someone.
Selina Jefry
Dhaka
I am a new but avid reader of the Mita column
and I get immense enjoyment from reading her answers and
advice. I await this column with great eagerness every week.
The question in my head though is who is this Mita? I am
curious to know who this great person is, since she has
reached the hearts of so many people by solving their problems.
It seems unfair that she knows so much about us and we know
nothing about her. Will the mysterious Mita ever be unveiled?
Jannatul Ferdous
Dhaka University
Where
are the writers?
I have found that, recently, SWM has not been publishing
many writings by their staff in-house writers. While I enjoy
reading the contributors' articles I also feel that the
staff writers of SWM add a certain flavour to the magazine
that cannot be duplicated or replaced. I enjoy reading the
musings pieces and the coverage of different events that
the various writers make. I think they always come up with
perspectives that have not been thought of before and can
enlighten the rest of us with their perceptions. I hope
to see more in-house writing in SWM for I believe the staff
writers are the essence of the magazine.
K.M Abdul
On Email
Submission
Guideline:
Letters to the Editor, Dhaka Diary and Write to Mita, with
the writer's name and address, should be within 200 words.
All articles should be within 1,200 words. A cover letter
is not necessary, but every write-up should include the
writer's name, phone number and email address (if any).
While SWM welcomes unsolicited articles and photographs,
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SWM does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response
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