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     Volume 4 Issue 23 | December 3, 2004 |


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Letters

Eid Hot Spots
I would like to extend my heartiest felicitations to SWM for its timely and informative cover story on November 12th about "Eid Hot Spots". Truly speaking, all of us crave a change of scenery from our monotonous lives for places and entertainment on such holidays. Therefore I would like to thank and congratulate the SWM team for giving us a great Eid issue which gave us suggestions on how to spend our Eid and what to do. I would also like to congratulate photographer Zahedul I Khan especially for his colourful photo feature.
Hasan Abdul Kadir
Madanganj, Narayanganj

Scrooge's Eid
I enjoyed the wonderful feature titled "Scrooge's Eid" by Neeman Sobhan in the Eid issue of SWM. By choosing this particular character she has managed to heighten the intensity of the story in a very light-hearted way, which I feel is what she excels in most. She has wonderfully devised the Eid journey that moves through the past, present and future Eid spirits. She finds Eid in a foreign land very dull and despite her ardent desire to have fun by entertaining guests in various ways, she fails, because it's a foreign land with people of many different religions and customs. She has wonderfully split time in three phases: the spirit of Eid in the past appear to be more pleasing; the Eid in the present is a downright flat one and that of the future is questionable. However, she has been able to keep up the tradition by instilling them, customs and overall warm feeling of Eid to her sons who are in different parts of the globe. She finally decides to celebrate Eid, be it in her own boring way. It's amazing that Neeman Sobhan has such a great knack for innovative ideas to enhance the beauty of the event in the changing wheels of time. She finally has come to terms with the idea that she will celebrate Eid. She is happy because she has found the same spirit in her sons which she has been cherishing and nourishing all her life. Her blending of reality and emotion is excellent. A great realisation indeed. Congrats!!
Rafiqul Islam Rime
Agrabad, Chittagong

On Writing Gracefully
I read with interest the article entitled "Writing Gracefully," by Dr. Syed Saad Andaleeb on the November 26th issue of SWM. I must admit that I found the writer's tone to be highly condescending. It is amazing that the generation that complains about the fact that Bangalis have no writing skills to speak of, is the same generation that is responsible for the poor quality of education in Bangladesh. As a professor in a university abroad, it is very easy to thumb your nose at our education system. If you really cared so much, come back to Bangladesh and try to make a difference instead of coming up with a solution like, "the subject ought to be dropped for the vast majority of students and made optional" In your article you say that, "by doing so, resources could be concentrated on producing fewer but better calibre students armed with a foreign language skill they could use." However, why should you sell Bangali students so short? That is basically saying that as a teacher or professor, rather than doing your job and giving extra special attention to students who may not know how to reach their full potential, you would rather not deal with them at all. How will it help our nation as a whole if we continue to lower our standards of excellence by forgetting about those students who need more help, and just focusing on the quick learners? You want to show off our best students and, in the process, sideline the not-so-fortunate students. Even though it might up our standards globally, it will do nothing for Bangladeshis on an internal level. As for your comment on writers, I definitely agree. The media is guilty of the same thing that you are: lowering their standards because they don't care enough to make an effort for those who are trying to learn, but may not be as proficient as they wish. I hope this letter was written "gracefully" enough to suit your standards.
A Reader
On Email

On Bangalipona
In the 26 November issue of SWM, Nabila Idris threw light on a very important issue in her article called "Bangalipona". Our gradual decrease of 'civic sense' will push this already troubled nation into further chaos. Being the citizens of a poor country does not mean that we should be devoid of decency. I think the media can play a vital role in inspiring people to behave decently especially in public. And write-ups like the one Nabila Idris has written will help, too.
Wajahat Anwar
On email

Lack of Common Decency
I really enjoyed reading "Bangalipona" by Nabila Idris in last week's SWM. The writer was able to make her point succinctly, keeping her tone light and humorous. It is unfortunate that our people not only lack civic sense but also common decency. We see this when we walk out on the street and see a man urinating in public, which has become such a common scene in Dhaka that people barely blink an eyelid when they see it. That too, is sad -- that we are so used to these things and have become almost numbed to them. There are many reasons why I like reading SWM, but the main reason is that it promotes young minds with fresh new ideas and a new school of thought that I think will be very good for the future of Bangladesh. Keep it up SWM and Nabila Idris.
Tanzeela Ahmed
On Email

ANNOUNCEMENT
SWM's e-mail address has changed. From now on, please send all your e-mails to [email protected].


Letters to the Editor, Dhaka Diary & Write to Mita with the writer’s name and address, should be within 200 words. Articles should be within 1,200 words. Articles and photos submitted will not be returned. Plagiarised articles will not be accepted. All materials should be sent to: Star Weekend Magazine, 19, Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 8125155, or e-mailed to <[email protected]> Articles may be edited for reasons of space and clarity.
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