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     Volume 4 Issue 41 | April 8, 2005 |


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Letters

On Mess!
This is about the article "Mess." It was truly touching and inspiring.

Even though it was fiction, 'Mess!' was a brutally honest piece. I was with the writer every step of the way. Right after my Matriculation exams, I got pregnant and being unmarried, had an abortion. It's been six years. I got married to a different person, and sometimes I still feel like I am in that mess. The amount of stress that my friends and I went through at that time is unimaginable. I know how it feels when you don't know anything, and no one is there to help. Thank you, SWM, for printing this fiction, as the writer said we can learn from other people's mistakes. I hope after reading this, teens and unmarried couples will think twice before taking their relationships to an extreme level in order to avoid the 'mess' that we make everyone involved go through. Thank you again, for some one has finally brought this issue at into the open in a way that people can understand it. No arguments, no judgements, no negativity, just a simple story-- truly an ingenious idea!

AR Banani

On Islamic page
I am a regular reader of your popular magazine. I couldn't help but write in support of the 'Islamic page,' which Mr. Ahmad Raiyan request in the issue of March 25. It's our bad luck to see how little the general Muslims practise and know about the real beauty of Islam. And this, in turn, is paving the way for the Western media to misinterpret Islam without having proper knowledge about the religion itself. We really need a page solely for Islam in your magazine, as we believe that it is the best and most trustworthy teacher ever available for its readers.

Raisa Dhaka

HIV Alert!
I came to know from one of my friends that some people who had gone to enjoys movie at a local theatre in France, became infected with HIV virus from needles protruding from the seats of the hall. There were papers attached to the needles which read, " Welcome to the HIV world". Undoubtedly, everyone who came in contact with the needles got infected with the deadly disease. Similar cases were also reported from a theatre in Delhi. I considered it my duty to disseminate the message through SWM, so that awareness grows among all people and we become more cautious in situations such as these. It is sad that people with HIV are committing such a heinous act against humanity.

An old reader and well-wisher

On Cover
I am very grateful and satisfied after reading the cover story the Return of the Natives by Rupal Mistry published on March 25. It is not only timely but also a very important endeavour for recent times to make professional Bangladeshis who live abroad feel the urgency to come back to their homeland to contribute as much as they can to uplift the future of Bangladesh.

Every sector in this country is corruption. There have even been irregularities in the recruitment of university teacher.

This country is in need of enlightened people employed in the different sectors in order the country to compete economically and financially in the global sphere. Brilliant minds are being lost because they all go abroad in order to better their lives and prospects, by settling and being educated there. This attitude needs to be changed by our government, creating a corruption-free environment and launching special efforts to interest the enlightened minds living abroad so that they can come back home. They are very important for the future of our country.

A Reader On Email

Congratulations!
Congratulations on a very well written cover story by Shahnaz Parveen about the Adivasi population in Bangladesh! I have noticed that SWM gives a lot of attention to this particular topic and I would like to thank the entire SWM team as well as the writer for their contribution to disseminating information about the minorities in Bangladesh. The fact is that these people are very much a part of our country and our culture, but because of their non-Bangali identity, they are marginalised and isolated from mainstream Bangladesh. They are not given the rights that they deserve as human beings and they are also very neglected not only by our government and the economy, but also by the majority population. We should welcome them into our society because they are a part of our country and unless we learn to unite fully, while at the same time accepting our differences in background, our nation will always be regressing in every way possible. It is sad that in a country where there is so much poverty and strife, we also have problems where our own people -- and they are, by definition our own, because they are inhabitants of Bangladesh and call this country our own just as we do -- are made to feel that they cannot enjoy the rights that we, as the majority, take for granted. I would like to once again thank SWM as well as Shahnaz Parveen for bringing this to our attention. The writer was extremely informative as well as empathetic to the trials and tribulations of the Adivasis. Keep up the good work.

Tanis Dhaka

CORRIGENDUM

The Cover Photo for last week's Star Weekend Magazine issue (April 1) was taken by Philip Gain, and not Zahedul I. Khan, as was printed. It may be mentioned that most of the photographs printed in the story were also taken by Philip Gain. SWM regrets the error.


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, it cannot accept the responsibility of their loss or damage. SWM does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response time for unsolicited write-ups range from three weeks to two months. All articles submitted are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity.
All materials should be sent to: Star Weekend Magazine, 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 880-2-8125155 or emailed to: <starweekendmag@gmail.com>
It is recommended that those submitting work for the first time to the SWM take a look at the sample copy beforehand. Our website is: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine

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