::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Dhaka Diary

Beware of fake currencies
A few days ago, I was going towards a bank in Paltan. The scorching summer afternoon was too much for me and because of the heavy traffic, I decided to walk rather than hail a taxi or a rickshaw. When I saw a roadside vendor selling chilled sugarcane juice, I couldn't control myself and ordered two glasses at one time. When I was having that blissful drink, I noticed that the vendor was sadly inspecting a 50-taka note. When I saw the note from a distance, it seemed unusually pale. It was a fake note. Someone had given the fake note to the vender after having the sugarcane juice. Usually people are very careful when taking a 500-taka note but nobody is that careful about smaller ones like a 100 or a 50. Small time criminals take this chance and cheat innocent people. I really felt bad seeing the vendor's gloomy face but when was life ever fair to the poor people of our country?
Mohammed Sohel Hara
Olympia Palace Restaurant

Respecting the elders
THE other day I was returning from BUET. It was a hot summer afternoon and there was a terrible traffic jam in front of VNS. I was sitting in the rickshaw helplessly. Suddenly there was a slight thrust between my rickshaw and a car. I immediately inspected the situation from my position. Thankfully, nothing had happened to the car. I could not locate a single dent or a mark. However, the owner of the car came out and attacked the rickshaw puller violently. I was stunned by such behaviour and blurted out, "How can you hit someone for no particular reason, especially when he happens to be as old as your father?" The man didn't say anything and went away, but I was astonished. How can we expect honour from others if we don't show the basic respect towards people from all walks of society?
Shirin Sharmin Bubly
Dept. of Civil Engineering, BUET

The irresponsible traffic police
A rickshaw with two passengers was going towards Azimpur. One of the passengers was very old. However, when the rickshaw was crossing the New Market intersection, a taxi hit the rickshaw and ran away right under the nose of the traffic police. The passengers fell down from the rickshaw. Both the passengers and the rickshaw puller were wounded. They were bleeding heavily. A few days ago I experienced a similar shocking incident right in front of the same location. I was wounded on the head and was instantly taken to the hospital by the people around. I was totally stunned by the behaviour of the traffic police. A car coming through the wrong way caused the major accident and just drove away while the police did nothing but stare on as spectators on the street. What kind of responsibility is that?
Kamrul Hasan Regan
Department of English(2nd Year), University of Dhaka