Letters
A
Great Loss
We are extremely shocked by the death of Abdul Latif, who
is a legendary figure in Bangladesh. Undoubtedly, most of
his folk song lyrics were about the struggle of the common
people. His talents were on the same level as other music
veterans of the subcontinent. One of his wonderful songs,
"Ora Amar Mukher Bhasha Kaira Nite Chai", inspired
by the language movement, is one that we still remember.
He received both the Ekushey and Swadhinata Awards in his
life-time.Nothing can console us or heal our pain and at
this great loss. May his soul rest in eternal peace. We
will miss his inspiration in every waking moment.
Md.Toufiqur
Rahman Rothkola, Kishoreganj
On
Slice
The article "Forever Fair" was brilliantly written.
It had everything -- a good approach, the right use of words
and a wonderful sense of humour. It is one of the best-written
articles I have read in recent times. It is also very honest
and frank. I have wanted to congratulate SWM for publishing
Richa Jha's articles for quite some time. The manner in
which she writes her pieces is indeed commendable. The writer
has an excellent, witty approach to writing. She is also
someone who feels very comfortable in mentioning events
and taking incidents from her personal life. I personally
think that she is the best contributor SWM has got. I look
forward to reading many more of her articles in the coming
weeks. I admire a person who can discuss herself so freely
in her write-ups.
Arbab
Quadri Dhanmondi, Dhaka
Searching
Intimacy
Every year a number of freshmen entering a university are
introduced to some of their seniors in an unpleasant way.
With the beginning of their classes, they also learn a new
term -- "ragging." For them it is a game. But
there are more repercussions from this unpleasant practice,
as every day juniors suffer from this humiliation, which
in turn leads to emotional instability as well as physical
and mental illness.
Thankfully,
in our country, ragging is not as widespread as it is in
a country like India, where it is apparently very common
among college and university students. However, I would
like to make the point that whether or not it is common,
the university authorities should be aware of this problem.
University as a whole opens a wide window before us and
education is typically centred around three aspects of a
person's life--one's intellect, one's body and one's morals.
As a university student, it's our moral obligation to do
the humane thing, show consideration, courtesy and politeness
and stop this barbaric tradition.
Towfida
Jahan Siddiqua University of Dhaka
Good
Cover
Congratulations should go to Kajalie Shehreen Islam for
writing such a wonderful cover story on "Nurjahan Begum
-- An Invincible Trailblazer" in the March 11th issue
of SWM. The article focused on journalist, activist and
social worker Nurjahan Begum, who is also one of the country's
pioneer in women's rights and liberation. As the world is
changing, so is Bangladesh slowly, but surely, we see on
the streets more and more women who are actively seeking
careers and making a place for themselves in the working
fields, be it garment factories or corporations. I can only
imagine the struggles that Nurjahan Begum must have come
across considering that it was long before it became somewhat
acceptable for women to work. It is comforting to know that
this fight for equality started not recently, but a long
time ago, and that women like Nurjahan Begum were ahead
of their time and made things easier for the working women
of today, paving our way to a brighter future. I thank the
writer of this well-written and thought-provoking article,
for opening our eyes and giving us hope for our future.
TNA
On Email
On
Relocating the Cantonment
I have read with great interest a letter appearing in your
magazine dated March 11th, where the writer A. Siddique
argues persuasively the proposal to relocate the Cantonment
to a place away from its present location. I strongly support
this proposal. The Cantonment, like all other Cantonments
around the world, should be located away from the civilians.
Indeed, when the present Cantonment was set up, it was away
from the bustling crowd and quite a distance from the civilians.
Since Dhaka in 1971 emerged from an obscure corner of the
globe and became the capital of a sovereign state of 140
million people, the growth of the city has been phenomenal.
It has extended in all directions and is approaching Tongi.
It is in view of this that the old Dhaka airport has been
moved to its present location near Tongi.
Our
armed forces need a serene environment to carry on their
regular activities including training and exercises. The
present chaotic situation with civilians and the military
jostling side by side can hardly be conducive to the high
degree of concentration that military work demands. The
building of the flyover between Mohakhali and Gulshan has
made the traffic situation worse and the earlier passage
through the Cantonment has been effectively blocked. Dhaka,
which has become a city of horrific traffic jams, has failed
to make any headway through the construction of flyovers.
The solution lies in building skytrains like in Bangkok.
I hope the authorities will give their attention to the
relocation of the Cantonment.
Arshad-uz-Zaman
Dhaka
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