::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Dhaka Diary

Law Breakers or Enforcers?
While waiting at the Kalabagan bus stand last Wednesday, a rickshaw came up near where I was standing. It was a little disturbing, since the road was off limits to rickshaws, and a few passengers were asked to get off by the traffic police just a while back. As the passenger asked the traffic police as to how that particular rickshaw was not being stopped, the passenger in that rickshaw emerged from under the hood, retorting "Kichu kichu shomoy rickshaw chole ei rastay" (Sometimes, rickshaws are allowed to ply on this road). The man was unable to come up with any reply as the passenger who emerged from under the hood was none other than a female police officer. It struck me that some of the members of the so-called law enforcers seem reluctant to personally follow laws that they are supposed to enforce. When tlaw enforcers override a certain rule, it lays bare the reason behind all social evil.

Navil Mansur Dhanmondi

Disciplining Children
The other day, a bunch of kids were going home from school in their school bus, while playing around as usual. On their way, they saw a RAB truck, probably out on rounds in that particular area. Well, what can be more fascinating to children than police cars and RAB trucks, law enforcers in slick uniform, marching together with fancy arms, towards peace and the ultimate protection and security of the civilians? These kind of local heroes are usually seen only on TV. These kids didn't want to miss their chance and they could not help expressing their excitement. So the children, very gleefully, showed a 'thumbs up' sign to the RAB, as a way of expressing their enthusiasm. However, the RAB officers, thinking that the children insulted them by showing them a 'thumbs' up sign meaning kolagach or kochu (insignificant human beings) in Bangladesh, they stopped the school bus and got all the children out of it. Those kids were made to do sit ups, holding their ears. Well, it's good to see that RAB has taken it in their stride to discipline the children in the country. This was all that was left to be done on their part towards a better society.

DK Banani

A Winter Morning
(inside a public bus)
This incident occurred before my brother's eyes on his way to university. It was winter and he was on a bus. As it was a chilly morning, almost all the windows of the bus were. Two men were sitting next to each other. The man sitting next to the window had a cold. He suddenly started to cough terribly and then made a ghastly sound to clear his throat. After that, he spat his mucus on the window, which he thought was open! It seems that the glass was so clear that it seemed to be open. Meanwhile the man beside him was screaming. The poor fellow just looked confused and dazed for a moment and looked at the others around him with an ashamed smile. Then, he wiped the sticky mucus with his fingers and hurriedly rubbed them on his lungi to give the problem a final and ultimate solution.

Nabila JU