::: Star Insight :::

Editor's Note

A Journey of Discovery

It is now three months that Star Insight has been in circulation. From its very first issue it has been our effort to take our readers outside Dhaka and introduce them to newer happenings throughout the country that is helping to build Bangladesh. As much for our readers as also for us it has been a journey of discovery discovery of wonderful people, amazing initiatives and stunning achievements. It has been a great learning experience about what is going on in our countryside. What we have found amazing is the creativity and commitment of some people in serving their community. In each issue we have tried to profile them and bring out the inner patriotism that has generally driven their activities.

Star Insight has given us, and hopefully our readers, the real insight about the fact that there are so many good, inspiring and practical stories to tell about our people. Our Dhaka-centric thinking has cut us off from some real and interesting things that are happening outside the capital city. As we bring out more and more issues of Star Insight, more is the treasure house of stories we discover.

There is a special satisfaction is bringing out these stories. They force us to realise that people of our country are not only resilient and hard working but also innovative with a tremendous sense of fellow feeling. There is also a latent pride that can easily be worked upon to use in nation building projects. All this proves, if proof was ever necessary, that all we need to do is to provide a system within which our people can put to use their creative and patriotic energy.

This is precisely the objective behind our publication. Already the flow of stories from all over the country has risen significantly resulting in ever greater need to select the best. We are seriously considering increasing the number of pages to accommodate the rising flow.

As always we invite our readers to send us their comments and criticisms along with suggestions as to how we can serve them better.

Mahfuz Anam
Editor-Publisher

The two major religious communities of Bangladesh observe two events every year with both joy and solemnity. Sometime the two events take place about the same time as they have this year. I am referring to the Ramadan of the Muslims and the Durga Puja of the Hindus.

The Ramadan is a month of abstinence for the Muslims. This is the month when we try to shun all pomp and grandeur, when we devote ourselves to plain living and high thinking and try to relieve the sufferings of the poor, the unfortunate and the underprivileged members of our society as best as we can. If not always in reality this is the ideal that we want to pursue during the month of Ramadan. For the Hindus the Durga Puja is a unique festive occasion, happy and joyous, which symbolically celebrates the power and authority of the just and the good and their victory over tyranny, authoritarianism and evil. The ten-armed goddess Durga crushes the mahishashura ridding the earth of cruelty and injustice.

At the end of the Ramadan comes the Eid-ul-Fitr, the most happy and joyous occasion for the Muslims. The atmosphere prevailing during the Eid among the Muslims is akin to the atmosphere prevailing among the Hindus during the Durga Puja.

What I find particularly heart-warming about the Eid and the Puja is that many Hindus visit houses of their Muslim friends during the Eid as many Muslims visit the homes of their Hindu friends during the Puja. The two occasions shine before us as a symbol of unity and friendship cutting across all kinds of religious divide.

Shaheen Kabir
Advisory Editor, Star Insight