Letters
Praiseworthy
Coverage
I would like to thank SWM for doing a cover story on human
rights and peoples' representation and covering it so comprehensively.
This is one area where Bangladesh is really lagging behind.
The development of a socially moderate state, requires the
implementation of human rights extensively. The influence
of only the wealthy and powerful classes of society in decision-making,
has to be reduced. All classes of people must be included
in crucial activities of society more equitably than before.
Women must be respected and valued, and, represented more
widely at all decision-making levels. The minorities should
be able to live in peace, without the fear of physical and
mental torture inflicted by the majority. Children must
have access to basic and fundamental rights and must not
be mistreated. Transparency and accountability of the government
must be increased to a great degree. Srabonti Narmeen Ali's
'The Deafening Silence' portion of the cover story, was
particularly informative and well-written. It provided a
stimulus for deep, mature thinking regarding the issues
presented.
Arbab Quadri
Dhanmondi, Dhaka
Room
for Improvement
As I was rummaging through my old files and closet I found
some old issues of Star Weekend Magazine, and was quite
taken aback by the quality of the printing and the graphical
presentation. They were extremely poor and some of the photographs
were not properly visible at all. Its is obvious that the
SWM has improved greatly with time. There is no doubt that
SWM is one of the well written and most informative magazines
of Bangladesh and one can only see the vast stride SWM has
taken to the path of never-ending improvement, if they compare
earlier versions with present ones. I would not extend my
letter saying how much I like reading the articles because
it's very obvious. Keep up the good work!
Saifur Rahman,
Wari
On
a sublime piece of the " Slice of Life!"
I was overjoyed reading the sublime piece of literature
" To Act or Not to Act -- That Is The Question"
by Richa Jha in the Jan.21, 2005 issue of SWM. The very
title that is based on the famous and universal truth, with
the clever twist of words from the famous lines of Shakespeare:
" To be or not to be that's the Question" encompasses
the eternal dilemma of dealing with the intricate layers
of the human psyche. This frame of mind remains wonderfully
alive throughout the piece! This time "The Hubby"
is at the driving force and depicting the naive, fragile
and funny, but amazingly gripping part of the Wifey's mindset.
The whole presentation is embellished with remarkable sparks
of the intellect of the writer! At this point I can't help
but mention two parts of the Wifey's retorting dialogue.
As the sensible Hubby desperately tries to stop her from
executing the act that she's desperately embarked on to
-- the point being that The Hubby's worries is that she
hardly knows anything about Drama as a whole -- She retorts:
" What are you saying? I've read Romeo Juliate."
Another praiseworthy part reads: " I'll act only in
Shakespeare and you'd better give me the part of Juliet
Else the loss is yours." These two extra ordinary extracts
epitomise the essence of the piece that's replete with the
raw but solid conviction of a person and sheer wit and humour.
Rafiqul Islam Rime
Agrabad, Chittagong
Life
behind the Ice
Bangladeshis are more numerous around the world than people
are wont to believe. Westerners are under the delusion that
every brown-skinned individual must be Indian and every
yellow-skinned individual, Chinese but it is with pride
that I say that we Bangladeshis have carved a niche for
ourselves in parts of the world. And none more so than the
University of Windsor situated in Canada (which I incidentally
happen to be a student of). I think I am right in saying
that we have the second largest international student community
in the University. Now, you probably expect that my chest
is swelled with pride due to this fact but actually it's
as deflated as a punctured tire because of the flagrant
misconduct of my countrymen. I am basically a pariah in
the established Bangladesh community due to my amateurish
Bangla (I was raised in a foreign country) and have made
plentiful friends from various races and cultures. Another
aspect of shame for me is the deceit, arrogance and hypocrisy
on display by my countrymen. I myself have been subjected
to fraudulent dealings by people who I thought were friends
of mine. My elder 'bhai's and 'appa's preach to me to not
mix with white people but they themselves can be seen to
be drinking and smoking weed or pot. The arrogance that
rich, spoiled Bangladeshis have on arrival and thinking
that they know everything always leaves me with a crooked
smile (especially when I hear their fragmented English).
However, it's not all doom and gloom. There is hope. One
of my friends is the only Bangladeshi appointed as Diversity
Ambassador of the University and another is responsible
for heading the Tsunami Relief Response. One of my very
best friends is the only Bangladeshi to be awarded as Intramural
Soccer Champion. I don't think of myself as an angel or
a devil. Rather, I consider myself to be a normal human
being. We should all try to be normal human beings. Is there
anything wrong with that?
Dark Magician
University of Windsor
Canada
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