Dhaka Diary



Last week when I was on my way home from office on a bus, I observed how the passengers did not seem to have any civic sense whatsoever. A Motijheel-bound bus broke down at the Gulshan cross-section. Within a moment the whole area became a hustling place of shouts and screams as everybody was pursuing the bus driver to hastily overcome the difficulty. Failing to restart the engine, the perturbed, helpless bus driver urged the passengers to push the bus from the back. Surprisingly, his requests proved useless as none of the passengers came to his aid. A few minutes later, the traffic police gathered some people, pushed the bus and managed the situation. I was wondering about the violent psychological traits of many of the passengers. At the same time, I was also thanking the almighty for keeping the rest of the passengers inside the bus during the incident. Otherwise, this could have led to a bigger problem on the streets.

Saad Uddin Md. Wasek
East Malibagh

Almost every weekday morning, I use the Mohakhali Flyover on my way to work. As I approach the flyover, a tobacco smell reaches me; an unbearable smell reminding me of vomit. This is because of the famous company in the country that promotes and produces tobacco. Ever since childhood, I have been unable to bear the smell of smoke or tobacco. I can't understand why this large tobacco manufacturing company is running in the hub of the capital. Please relieve us from this awkward smell. I think many non-smokers like me will support my thoughts and me. This is polluting the area and this will be certainly very harmful to the children.

MARS Sohel
Mohammad Pur

It's a common scene nowadays, to see young boys and girls walking down the street with earphones sticking in their ears. For many, it is a relaxing experience, especially in this weather to walk down the streets in the evenings listening to the radio or a selection of songs from their ipods. The other day however, I witnessed a funny, almost dangerous incident. A group of two boys and a girl, who were probably going home after class, were walking silently on the Banani Bridge. A man carrying grocery on his bicycle was right behind them on the pavement and was shouting at them to move faster. The three youngsters, however, could not hear anything, since they were strolling along with earphones stuck to their ears. They were listening to music and trying to cross the road. Soon enough, a cow came up behind them and joined the man on the cycle trying to make the young group walk faster. At one point, while the group was crossing the road, a running car, which was giving warning signals to the group for a long time screeched and halted right on time and managed not to hit them. Hilariously enough, all this did not seem to disturb the youngsters at all. They crossed the road like the wired-up zombies that they were and went off their own ways. Even though everyone was freaked out at that moment, thinking about it later on made everyone laugh out loud.

Sadia Rahman
Mohammedpur

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