MAILBOX

Mashrafe, Our Pride!

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is not only a cricket player but also a hero, a fighter and an ideal leader. His captaincy has a magical power through which he has taken Bangladesh to a new level in the world of cricket. His sudden retirement from International T20 has shocked me to the core. In the hearts of cricket fans of Bangladesh, Mashrafe has secured a place of love and respect. His encouraging performance despite his indescribable physical ordeal and his stirring patriotic words made him an icon of Bangladeshi youth. He showed us how to defeat misfortune through hard work and determination. He is not only the captain of Bangladesh Cricket Team, he is also our pride. I hope Masharfe will not bend under any negative influence and reconsider his untimely decision of leaving T20 cricket. 

Sayek Ahmed Sajib

Shaaronkhola, Bagerhat

Photo: Zyma Islam

In Search of Home

I used to wonder why no one writes about the unique environment of the hostels where students from different socio-economic background stay and suffer together just to earn an educational qualification. Whether it is a private hostel or a hostel in a public university, the survival skill the students learn there is no less significant than the knowledge they acquire in the classrooms. However, these skills come at a price. Due to lack of a friendly and comfortable environment in these hostels, many students suffer in their academic lives. I would like to thank Star Weekend for highlighting these issues in the article titled "In Search of Home" published on March 31, 2017. As a student staying in hostel from the very beginning of my university life, I feel that students' academic performance depend a lot on the quality of the institution's residential facility. If a student can be provided with comfortable room and ensured quality food supply, I believe that the student will be more attentive to his/her study and be more innovative in applying the knowledge that they acquire in their classrooms.

Rakibul Islam

Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET)

Women in Leadership

I would like to thank Star Weekend for publishing the article titled "Women in Leadership: For the Women, By the Women" which featured how women struggle to reach leadership positions overcoming hundreds of obstacles of a patriarchal society. Currently the government has emphasised ensuring women's representation in the local government levels, such as union councils and municipalities. I would like to recommend Star Weekend to feature some of these women leaders who have to fulfill their political mandate in a highly corrupt and male-dominated political environment. I wonder what strategies they apply to survive in such hostile environment at the local level. 

Abu Sayed

Begum Rokayea University, Rangpur