Torture of Mostakina
I am still in a state of shock after reading SWM’s cover story on the tormented 10-year-old orphan Mostakina. She was brutally tortured by her employer Dr. Fatima Doza, a doctor at The Dhaka Medical Hospital and College. She was starved, burnt with an electric iron, had her food spat upon by Dr. Doza and even made to drink the children's urine.
A doctor is supposed to heal wounds and not cause them especially on a child.
The brutality of this situation haunts me. What I find strange is that a pickpcket can get beaten to death for maybe stealing a few hundred takas, while Dr. Doza will simply pay a certain sum of money and be free to lead a normal life. Is there any conscientious adult in Bangladesh who will ensure justice for Mostakina.
Ashna Huq
Sunbeams School

On Slice of Life
'Slice of Life' by Richa Jha in SWM is one of my favourite columns. There are trifling but interesting things in life, and Richa Jha depicts them magnificently, without undue use of bombastic language. We cannot expect the same standard for every piece -- one or two may differ. It is silly to refuse to read DS anymore (especially for a mature university student) just because one of its article was 'annoying'. SWM has a new member in its’Regular Contributor' panel with a distinct political colour, who is also a well accomplished cultural activist. Is it not better to get someone without any political tint?
Saif
Dhaka

Cheered By Tears
I would like to extend my warmest felicitations to Richa Jha for excellent writing in her column Slice of Life. Every Friday morning when I get SWM I first turn to her page. On May 28th she wrote an article titled Cheered By Tears. I found it very practical. However in the letters section on the June 4th issue I read that one Mr. Arif from Banani expressed his and his friend's displeasure on this topic. Mr. Arif wrote that the article was not up to standard. He also mentioned that after reading this article his friend refuses to read the Daily Star newspaper anymore. I find this absolutely ridiculous. I strongly believe in tear therapy. I feel that it is very therapeutic in times of crises and problematic situations. I would again like to specially thank Richa Jha for her writing and leave a last piece of advice to Mr. Arif and his friend: Be Pragmatic.
Ali
Jessore

A Condolence
People say that a mother is the greatest gift of God to a child, but I also believe that a father is as well. Growing up with a mother’s love and a father’s discipline and principles is a blessing. While reading the article "A Chant" in the June 4th issue, tears were rolling down my cheeks and can't help myself but offer my condolences to writer Iffat Nawaz as well as praise her for surviving so well for the last ten years without 'the father, the friend, the mentor." Writing this piece of remembrance must have caused her unbearable pain but at the same time it will hopefully give her a little peace. As a human being I salute Iffat Nawaz for coming out of this trauma and give my best wishes to her and her family.
Farah Sharmin
University of Dhaka

Good Cover
I congratulate the writer of the cover story titled Constructing Death Traps. This is a very crucial issue for us because our country has an abundance of rivers. To avoid these accidents, we must follow the rules and regulations of design and construction. My special thanks goes to Mustafa Zaman and Shamim Ahsan for covering such an important issue in such an informative way.
Mamunur Rashid Tomal
Darul Ihsan University

Government Needs to Take Action
I very strongly condemn the heinous bomb attack at the holy shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal in which three people were killed and over fifty injured including the British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhury and the DC of Sylhet Abul Hossain. It is not an isolated event. My humble request to the government is to take stern action against the criminals and punish them accordingly. The sooner the government does so, the better it will be for the country and its people.
Iqbal Ahmed
New Eskaton, Dhaka

Constructive Advice
I am a new reader of your newspaper as well as magazine. I passed my boards from India and after seven years I have settled here in Dhaka. After going through so many newspapers The Daily Star and its magazine has been a satisfying one to me. However, I have a suggestion. Don't you think we should have the updates of sports and culture? I read a letter last week saying that the articles published in SWM are not worth reading and challenging the readers to prove otherwise. Don't you think you should do something to attract more people and be renowned in the world of journalism? Maybe you should try allowing your readers to publish articles and jokes of their choice. Their names will also be published which might encourage them to send more. I also know that things won't change overnight but we hope to see a better and more interesting magazine in the coming week.
Elias Saif
On Email

Letter To The Swm Hater
After I read Nayeem Islam's letter on June 11th issue of SWM I thought I should respond. First of all SWM doesn't need to face a challenge -- it itself is a milestone in its field. You mentioned that the jokes are not funny -- well my young friend, not even all the jokes in Reader's Digest are always funny. I fail to understand how one can learn the basics of English from a Bangla publication. More importantly SWM not only has a strong hold over the basics of English but also covers a variety of different topics. You can find that yourself if you just skim through the table of contents. I hope you read SWM for another two years and understand the significance and importance of their work. I hope at least this letter is worth reading.
Arman Khan
Farmgate, Dhaka

Bangla Bhai the Terror
Most of the people in our country have heard the name of Bangla Bhai, who was once a former school teacher but is now a terrorist. If someone who teaches young people is now a terrorist, what is the future of our students? Bangla Bhai has threatened reporters of Janakanta openly. Who will give shelter to the people of this democratic country? In these circumstances, Awami League called for a half day hartal in Rajshahi, but what happened? After the hartal, Bangla Bhai's followers came out with arms and the police ended up giving protection to his followers instead of the innocent people. So what kind of country do we live in, where the government and police forces give shelter and protection to the culprits?
Ankit
Kushtia

Mesmerising Cover Story
I was very moved after reading the cover story by Morshed Ali Khan. I heard this story in April last at the time of his journey for a daughter in Rwanda. I came to learn of the various traumatic events Mr. Khan witnessed ten years back in the strife-torn African nation. It was not a story of Rwandan apocalypse and genocide, but a heart-rending saga of love and bonds that bridged a few people together separated by continents and cultures. On the eve of the tenth commemoration of the start of cleansing the minority Tutsis, Mr. Khan went to visit his god-gifted girl "Aougny" who made history in an unprecedented bloodbath. It is really a gripping tale that will remain evergreen in my mind.
Md. Aminul Islam
University of Dhaka

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