Dhaka
Diary
The mosquito and I
The other day I experienced a strange journey home. I was on my way to Uttara from Shahbagh from campus. I collected my bus ticket. The bus was very late. So I had to wait a long time. At last, the bus came and I finally got on. As it was an air-conditioned bus, I decided to just sit and relax the long way home. Not for very long though! The bus was full of mosquitoes. In a few minutes the little slimy creatures began to bite and the passengers lost it completely! They began to scream and blame the bus authority, which did not do them any good. Luckily, a passenger was carrying some mosquito coil in his shopping bag. He took some out and used it to keep the little monsters out. It was a bitter experience and matter of sadness because we pay double the fare as compared to other local buses, just so we can get home comfortably.
Kamrul Hasan Regan
Department if English, University of Dhaka
The little girl
A few months ago, I saw an appeal in a Bangla daily that a little girl had been affected by a deadly disease and was in dire need of blood. They needed the A+ve blood group, which I could donate so I called the number printed in the newspaper. The person on the other end told me to come to the PG hospital the next day. When I went there the next day, I found two more donors who happened to be students of Dhaka University. I was very happy to see those young students extending support for the sake of humanity. After donating blood, we were about to leave, when the mother of the sick girl came to us. I knew she wanted to thank us but couldn't say anything. She just requested us to pray for her daughter. The mother knew that her daughter's days' were numbered but even then she was hoping with all her heart and soul to save her child. It was really a sad experience. The only consolation that we could give was that everyone will try their level best to help the little girl. Maybe that is why life is so beautiful.
Mohammed Sohel Hara
Olympia Palace Restaurant
Who is poorer?
A few days ago, as I was returning from coaching, I got stuck in a traffic jam. As there weren't any traffic sergeants nearby, I knew that I would be waiting there for a long time. So as I was sitting on the rickshaw and sweating under the scorching sun, I noticed a crippled beggar stopping pedestrians for alms. I felt sad for the guy, so I took out a 5-taka coin from my wallet and gave it to him. Taking the money, he stared at me for a long time and said in an amused tone, "I think you are poorer than me, son. Even I give more than 5 takas to other beggars." Saying this he left the spot, leaving me all shocked!
Redwan Islam
On email
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