Letters
Arranging Marriages
Searching for a life partner is one of the crucial decisions one has to make in his life especially in a busy and complex world and the match-making agencies pave the way to make the match more reliable, transparent and responsible as pointed out in your story 'The Spouse Hunt' (October 26, 2007).
Despite all doubts about matchmaking agencies, some are performing well, bearing the hazards and demands of searching for the right matches with sheer professionalism.
More agencies should come forward to spread such service with trust and wisdom so that the concerned guardians can take shelter under them for securing a better future for their beloved ones.
Amit Abdullah
Department Of Finance, DU
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I am very impressed with the cover story on 'The Spouse Hunt' and I want to share my experience with the readers.
A year ago my parents decided to seek for a bride for me. Although they have a good social network they could not find the right match for me and moreover the process was too slow. Then I decided to take refuge of the matchmakers. Earlier I had a negative view about them and my parents primarily did not support the idea. But after going to them I found out that I had many options to choose from. I narrowed down my choices and let my parents decide.
So we cannot reject the presence of their services in our society. The stigma about the match makers is changing. Thanks of to SWM for focussing on this issue in the magazine.
Shahed Mustafa
Shantinagar, Dhaka
The Truth about Shidhulai
It is true that some NGOs play a very important role through their endeavours to develop our country. It is also true that many disguise the truth about their treasure trove of corruption.
When SWM brought to light the outstanding story about the boat school project 'School on the Water' (August 17, 2007) about their innovative educational programmes our hearts leaped with hope and aspiration. It seemed to us to be an exceptional strategy to bring education and technology to the poor villagers of the remote area of northern Bangladesh. We blessed the SWM and Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangsthya.
But when again conscious SWM published another report 'Behind the Scenes of Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangsthya' (September 28, 2007), it brought painful tidings to us. It is also not understandable to me how its founder Rezwan managed to win so many international awards without proper investigation. Thank you SWM for the second visit to show us the reality behind the scenes of Shidhulai. Now it is our humble submission to the NGO bureau to investigate the matter and save their transparency.
Md Maidul Islam
Dept of Sociology, CU
Say 'No' to Yaba
In the last few days the headlines of most of our national dailies have been taken over by news of widespread Yaba hauls. Rab seized a huge number of Yaba pills and arrested Yaba peddlers as part of its countrywide anti drug drive since October 18.
Recently it has been observed that a large number of English medium students as well as young people from the affluent section of society are getting addicted to Yaba. It's a great threat to our society and nation. The consequences of taking Yaba regularly is horrific.
Drugs are one of the causes of our moral decay, different kinds of violence and economic loss. We should impede strongly the spread of Yaba as well as any kind of intoxicant to build a drug-free society for our next generation. Influential people who are involved with drug trafficking should be held immediately. Intensified drives by police, BDR, RAB and narcotics control department in the border lines by the government is essential to check the flow of drugs into the country. Mass awareness against use of drugs, anti-drug movements, strict monitoring by guardians, proper rehabilitation programmes for the addicted, steps to ensure entertainment facilities for the youths, to eliminate unemployment problem are necessary to combat the menace. Let us try to lead a drug free life.
Rauful Alam
Chemistry (M.S.), C.U
Indian Sugar and Health Hazard
Indian sugar is widely consumed in Bangladesh and sometimes we prefer to take this sugar instead of the local one as Indian sugar is whiter than ours. But do we know that Indian sugar can cause serious health hazards due to the presence of the whitening chemical at a high level? The Indian sugar we generally get in Bangladesh is produced from potato, carrot and beet. As such this sugar is less sweet than our local one, which is produced from sugarcane, a safe and widely used sugar-producing material. Moreover in Indian sugar a chemical named hydrolaze is used that makes it whiter. After ingestion, hydrolaze goes to the stomach where it converts to sulphuric acid and thus causes stomach burning.
A recent study of Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) shows that Indian sugar contains hydrolaze of 139 ppm, which is much higher than the safety limit, 20 ppm for human beings. Upon consumption this excess hydrolaze may cause serious harm to the consumers. In a study on animals it was found to retard normal growth, and cause decay to the cartilage and cause depression and paralysis. As children like to take more sweet food, they are highly prone to these health hazards.
It is also reported that this sugar is not marketed for human consumption even in India and this may be produced for some other purpose. But corrupt businessmen of our country import this sugar to make more profit. In this case I would like to draw the attention of the respective authorities of our government so that immediate necessary measure can be taken.
M Zakir Hossain
M.Pharm. (DU)
Radio Activity
Chintito has struck our minds again with a very crystal-clear picture of what our radio stations are up to. They are making us believe that entertainment is everything in our lives. Like Arsenicosis they are poisoning us with alien songs. Besides, their fake Bangla accents are a constant pain. But the young community, the powerhouse of a society, demands for more than such cheap entertainment. We need a transparent portrait of our surroundings including culture, politics, economy etc. In that case a radio station can be a very strong media. This is the time to motivate us to think. Inspire us to love our country, our culture. Make us visionaries. Don't make us followers of alien culture. It's the request from a community sinking into an obscure uncertainty.
Abu Sufian Mohammad Khaled
Department of Marketing, CU
Bangladeshis in Malaysia
It is really upsetting to see the sufferings of the Bangladeshi immigrant workers in Malaysia. Many people go to Malaysia through the recruiting agencies but get cheated and deprived of getting a good job and a proper salary.
Our government now should take the necessary steps to mitigate the sufferings of these people. The shady recruiting agencies should be sued. At the same time our job seekers need to be conscious about the recruitment and job environment of Malaysia.
A Hossain
Comilla
Correction
In last week's issue of the magazine the writer's name Sharbari Ahmed, of the column 'Writing the Wrong' was inadvertently dropped. We regret the error.
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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.
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