Star Diary

A School Bag
A few days ago, I was on my motorcycle going towards Motijheel, where I got stuck in a bad traffic jam near the Malibagh rail crossing. It was late in the afternoon and many homebound people looked wearied after a long day of hard work. Everyone around me seemed impatient. I was waiting near a hawker who was selling old school bags. I saw a woman standing with her son who was insisting her to buy him a school bag since his old one was too worn out to be used. The mother was reluctant to buy a bag but after a lot of requesting she gave in and asked the price of the bag. When she heard the price she bargained with the hawker but in the end the hawker did not agree to the price she was asking and did not sell the bag. I felt very sad for the boy and his mother. He was asking for so little, however, his poor mother could not afford even that. So when she moved away, I told the hawker to give the bag to the child and I would pay the amount the mother could not, and asked him to keep it a secret. The boy was very happy with the bag. The day seemed so much brighter to me after seeing the little boy smile.
Mohammed Sohel Hara
Adamjee, Dhaka

The Angry Pedestrian
While waiting for the bus, I along with other waiting passengers witnessed something very agonising. An old rickshaw puller was being beaten up badly by a passer-by, because of carelessness on the part of the puller. The man's son was with him. Ironically, the son's eyes were also filled with grief and shame because of his father's behaviour. However, the son did not do anything to stop his father, and neither did we. Distressing scenes such as these are occurring more and more on the streets of our country. I wish there could be another way to release the rage and frustration, instead of victimising the poor.
Mohammad Faysal Jahan
Demra, Dhaka

Wall Posters
Last week I was participating in a badminton tournament. While returning home late at night I used to see a young boy taking off posters from the wall making sure that they are not torn. After prodding him for a while, he confessed that every night, he collected these posters and sold them, in the morning at a reasonable price. This way, he did not have to beg and used the time to help his father who is a roadside rickshaw repairer. I was very amazed to see the cleverness of the boy but also felt sad for his talent being wasted.
Rahim Abu Ali Sajwani
North South University
Dhaka

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