Star Diary

Ignoring the Risks

The other day, I was coming back from my guitar classes when my rickshaw got stuck in a traffic jam. As I was waiting for the jam to subside, an under construction building caught my attention. The ground floor of the building was filled with beautiful bright colours and a lot of people were standing there. The rest of the six floors were under construction. Feeling concerned I got off the rickshaw and went towards the security guard who was standing in the corner. I was shocked when he told me that the ground floor was given for rent to a kindergarten school and children under the age of five were taught there. The people who were standing there were their parents. How could the authorities allow an educational institution for such young children to run in a building under constructions? At least the parents should understand the consequences and risks involved in it.
Rahim Abu Ali Sajwani
North South University
Dhaka

The Conductor's Honesty

The other day I got on the bus after buying a ticket and took a seat. Suddenly, I saw the conductor of the bus not allowing a young man on the bus. Immediately a scene was created surrounding the two young people the conductor and the passenger. Anyone would have misunderstood the conductor for not letting the passenger who was in a hurry on the bus. However, the truth was that the young passenger, claiming to be a student of a government college nearby, refused to purchase a ticket. The conductor was strongly against letting him on. He was obviously not concerned about what the young passenger and his fellow students could do to the conductor if he was not allowed on the bus. Students offer tend to get very violent. I was struck at the brave approach of the conductor, who was probably not educated but still possessed a strong sense of honesty. But the college-going boy, who was threatening to hurt the conductor, did not seem to have the slightest trace of being a literate, let alone civilised.
Shuvra Tripura
Mirpur, Dhaka

The Power to Express

The other day, I went to a beauty parlour with my mother for a hair cut. Amongst the customers, there was a pretty little girl with a group of girls. She was as old as me and had shining, silky hair. The hairdresser was asking the girl what kind of a haircut she preferred. When the girl was not responding, the hairdresser got a little annoyed and remarked in a loud voice, “How do you expect me to give you a haircut if you do not speak up?!” Immediately, one of her friends from the group got up and told the hairdresser that the girl could neither hear nor speak. That is why she was not responding to the hairdresser. This simple incident taught me an important lesson. We never realise what we have to be thankful for to God and tend to take everything for granted in life. Life would be so much easier and better if we could realise this sooner in life.
Ishrat Shabnam
Uttara, Dhaka

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