Home  -  Back Issues  -  The Team  -  Contact Us
       Volume 11 |Issue 36| September 14, 2012 |


   Inside

 Letters
 Voicebox
 Cover Story
 Current Affairs
 Endeavour
 Sci tech
 Reflections
 Impressions
 Cinema
 Food for Thought
 Sport
 In Retrospect
 Architecture
 A Roman Column
 Perceptions
 Book Review
 Star Diary
 Cartoon
 Write to Mita
 Postscript

   SWM Home


Letters

The Boy who Lived

I thank the Star for bringing out a current and apprehensive issue to light. The writer has correctly pointed out how Limon has 'become a symbol of the failure of democracy and the rule of law'. As an ordinary citizen of this country with no connection whatsoever with the elite force, I feel insecure. Who can guarantee that I would not become the next victim of RAB's mistake and then be labelled as a criminal to cover up that very mistake? Limon is fortunate in the sense that human rights activists and the civil society have stood by him. They are doing everything possible to ensure that he returns to a normal life, but the question is how many Limons can the civil society and the rights organisations support? We give power to the lawmakers who in turn are supposed to delegate power to the law enforcement agencies to protect our lives. However, like the Ajob (weird) country we heard about in childhood nonsensical songs, it seems as if the law enforcement agencies are exercising power over the lawmakers to punish us for voting the them to power.

Mir Nadia Hossain
Uttara, Dhaka


Lady in Blue

 
 
Photo: Amirul Rajiv

I am writing this letter in response to the cover story 'Women of the Info Revolution', published on August 31, 2012.The Info Ladies have set up an outstanding example of women's contribution at grass-roots level. Working in such remote areas and challenging social barriers show their courage. These ladies are also playing a crucial role in the economy by becoming self-reliant and self-employed. Their working atmosphere was not so smooth and friendly, but through their hard work they made the atmosphere flexible. Now the society accepts them and, in fact, supports them. I also want to thank D.Net, the organisation that pioneered this revolution. The steps taken by this institution are really praiseworthy. Banks and other organisations should provide them with financial support. There is no alternative to women empowerment in the 21st century. Info ladies are an inspiration in this regard. I wish them success and hope they will bring noticeable change in the society.

Farhat Husnain
Via email


Persecution or Delusion?

The article on paranoia was very informative. We appreciate that the Star publishes articles both on physical and mental health. Both areas are very important. Readers learn a lot from reading these articles. In last week's article the writer gave an example of paranoia at first. I see this among many people I know. The good thing about the article is later assessment of the paranoid reaction has been given. It will help people to assess their reactions likewise. the Star should publish more such articles on mental health.

Anis Ahmed
Mohammadpur, Dhaka


Photo: Archives

Fighting Extreme Ideologies

In your last week's interview of Shahriar Kabir, the writer, journalist and activist has expressed optimism about the general public's negative reaction to communal politics. I, however, feel that the tolerance and solidarity, the Bengali populace has towards people of all religion, ethnic and cultural diversity, are decreasing by day. I feel that the new generation, especially the rural youth are getting more inclined towards extreme and communal politics as an escape and solution from the continuous oppression of inequality. On the other hand, the more educated, privileged urban youth are leaning towards extreme ideologies, in reply to global injustice that exists towards people of certain religious belief or racial background. I do not feel that in this era of globalisation, Bangladesh and its politics can be isolated. Banning Jamaat-e-Islami at this point is akin to breaking off a branch of a banyan tree that has rooted itself firmly in the ground. Extreme ideologies inflict our political and social life to such great extent. I do not believe that such extreme ideologies can be fought with weapons as the west apparently does or with laws banning politics based on religion. The root causes for their emergence that is poverty, inequality and injustice have to be addressed.

Sonia Khan
Arambag, Dhaka


Regarding Mita's Solution

I am an avid Mita fan. I usually like her clear and to-the-point solutions. However, the advice she gave to Confoozled in the last issue did not appear right to me. How can Mita assume that the person has no feelings for Confoozled? I have been through similar situations as Confoozled. There were times, when after I moved on with my life, I found out that the person actually had feelings for me but could never come up with the courage to express it as I showed indifference. I came to know so from our common friend, only after that person got married. My common friend also said that the person admitted to him that he would have changed his mind about his fiancée had I reciprocated his feelings. The truth is people do fall out of love. Neither a ring nor a wedding vow can ensure eternal love. Rather than living in regret for the rest of our lives, should we not find out the truth of the moment?

Famanna Saif
Halisahar, Chittagong


The opinions expressed in these letters do not necessarily represent the views held by the Star.

Submission Guideline:

Letters to the Editor, Star Diary and Write to Mita, with the writer's name and address, should be within 200 words. All articles should be within 1,200 words. A cover letter is not necessary, but every write-up should include the writer's name, phone number and email address (if any). While The Star welcomes unsolicited articles and photographs, it cannot accept the responsibility of their loss or damage. The Star does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response time for unsolicited write-ups ranges from three weeks to two months. All articles submitted are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity.

All materials should be sent to: The Star magazine, 64-65, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 880-2-8125155 or emailed to: <[email protected]>

It is recommended that those submitting work for the first time to The Star take a look at a sample copy beforehand. Our website is: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine

Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2012