Letters
The Intellectual Blueprint of the Neo-Razakars
Over the last few months I have been observing the increasingly monotonous promotion of the book 'The India Doctrine' by Barrister MBI Munshi. The ideas and perspectives found in 'The India Doctrine' appear to be spreading.
For those who support the ideals of the Liberation War and the sacrifices made by the people of Bangladesh one can only be repulsed by its contents. The book does not even leave Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman untouched by its scurrilous and repulsive innuendoes and second rate theorising about a supposed and fantastic Akhand Bharat being allegedly pursued by Indian policy-makers since partition in 1947. What Barrister MBI Munshi does not discuss is the sacrifices that were made by India for the independence of Bangladesh. Barrister Munshi manages to disingenuously twist history to make India appear as the villain and not the murderous Pakistan army that raped and killed unarmed civilians in the erstwhile East Pakistan.
What is particularly aggravating is that none of the so-called defenders of our freedoms and secular ideals has come forward to contradict the objectives and ideas of the book. This is extremely dangerous as the anti-Indian tilt now appearing in Bangladesh could have very unfortunate consequences for the country. The secular intellectuals of Bangladesh must come forward and warn of the dangers of following the ideas contained in this book.
Sohail Tajul Islam
Student
Imperial College London
Wrong Messages during Ramadan
Ramadan helps people develop self control, self assessment, and purification. We live in a Muslim country in which the majority of the people struggle against poverty. Our religion encourages brotherhood and the holy month of Ramadan encourages us to feel the hunger and misery of the poor and so during this month we should extend our helping hand towards them. But what I experienced daily through newspapers and from my surroundings is contrary to the teachings of Islam. Most of the Iftar parties held in the capital and the district level towns were for the elite and the poor were not allowed anywhere inside. These iftar parties were arranged for the interest of certain groups. I hardly saw any distribution of food among the needy.
Sariful Alam
Netrakona
About 'Battle of the Bufftar'
The Star magazine published just before Eid (September 26, 2008) contains several articles that I found interesting. Among them 'Communicating Shortly', 'Advertising Mania', 'Life with Grandchildren' were a wonderful read. All of them are very close to our daily lives. But I was particularly interested in 'Battle of the Bufftar'. The writer has correctly noted the tricks that restaurant owners follow to make customers eat less at buffets by making the food less tasty. This Ramadan I went for such an offer to eat unlimited food and soda at a restaurant. But the taste of the pizza was worse than the ones I had in the same restaurant before. Thanks to the writer once again for his wonderful article and for letting us know some tricks and secrets!
Mazed Bin Md. Yusuf Buiyan
Dept. of Business Administration
East West University
Disappointment about Gulshan Avenue
I am disappointed with the article 'TV watch-Disappointment on Gulshan Avenue' (September 19, 2008) and I am disappointed by the author's remarks. I wonder whether the writer has watched all the 60 serials of the drama. May be he/she has watched only a few episodes. I think it is a really enjoyable serial and others who watch it regularly have said the same. When we turn on our television set we find 10 Bangladeshi channels and more then 25 Indian channels. Most women are big fans of Indian serials. This drama comes as an alternative means of enjoyment. Many women I know have stopped watching the Hindi serials after this serial has started to be aired. It seems like a good sign to me. And any one who regularly watches this serial will find that it is very congruent with our popular culture.
M. M. Iqbal Hossan
Senior Quality Assurance Officer
Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Retired Cricketers
I am really surprised by the actions of the retired national team cricketers. At first they submitted their retirement letters to BCB to play for ICL. Now they are hoping to play for the national team too. How can they expect to play for Bangladesh after turning their back on the national team? Personally I am not totally sad at the loss of these players. Most of these players are currently under-performing which is why their selection in the national team isn't a surety. But retirement of players like Aftab, Kapali, even to some extent Shahriar Nafees, is a bit painful. These three may have got more chance to play for the national team. But I guess they are not confident enough to secure their place purely by performing well. Bangladesh hardly has a pool of 20 players for selection in all forms of cricket. These players must know this fact, but still they opted to retire for personal benefits. It is really sad that they traded the pride of playing for national team to make some quick bucks.
Abdullah Al Masud
Dept. of Finance
University of Dhaka
ICL is Giving our Cricketers an Opportunity
In IPL, there were no teams representing Bangladesh. ICL has given us the opportunity to represent us as Dhaka Warriors, they are bringing us respect, and we should also respect them too.
They are giving a good amount of money to a team like ours with which they can surely have a better life and we are also earning foreign currency.
More people now have the chance to enter into the National Team. And our management of BCCB also now need to think about the situation positively and make new plans which will surely be helpful for all of the cricket players of Bangladesh.
Everyone should think positively about the latest action taken by our cricketers.
Asif Rahman Saikat
A&S Engineer
Huawei Technologies Limited
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