Star Diary

An Unexpected Robbery

Last week, I was on a rickshaw on my way home from work and was inevitably stuck in traffic for half an hour at a signal in Banani. My rickshaw was right next to a car full of teenage boys and girls, who had their windows rolled down and were smoking and playing loud music. Among them was a couple getting quite intimate. Embarrassed, I looked the other way. When the signal turned green I felt a tug on my arm as the car sped away and realised the kids had stolen my purse. My first reaction was that of amazement because this was the last thing I expected from a group of children who looked like they were from affluent families. When I thought about it later I realised they must need the money for drugs and alcohol, which must be expensive. Asking for so much money from their parents regularly might look suspicious and so they resort to theft to finance their addictions. So whoever is reading this, please be careful when you're on the streets because you never know which unexpected and innocent looking person will start robbing you next.
AH
Dhanmondi

Dare to Dream

Amongst my most prominent childhood memories, I remember a country woman I met while travelling to my home district Rajshahi. We took our car on a quick visit to one of our relatives' in a remote place before the end of our vacation. We had little time and were in a hurry. Among many of the curious neighbourhood villagers, a woman approached with a little boy. The boy was touching the car with immense interest. When we were leaving, I tried to console the boy saying, "Next time, when we will come with more time in hand, I will definitely give you a ride in our car." The woman, with a big smile on her face, said, "Rather, pray for my son so that he can buy a car of his own when he grows up." The confidence in the voice of the woman I could feel, inspires me even today as it reminds me of the fact that it is not important what status you have in society, rather it is important to have the desire and faith in oneself to be successful in life. Better dare to dream of success before accepting defeat.
Ishrat Shabnam
Uttara, Dhaka.

New Style of Mugging!

The other day, I was on my way home from English coaching classes with my mom when, all of a sudden three women surrounded us in Lalmatia, near our house, exclaiming that they know us. It was the very first time I saw them in my life. As our conversation began, within a minute they asked us to give whatever we had and one of the women told us to look at her handbag. There were two snakes in it raising their heads high. As my mum began to bellow, they threatened us and asked us to give them everything, otherwise they would drop the snakes on us. Luckily, we had nothing except my coaching bag filled with heavy books. So, left without any other choice, they quietly left. What if we had anything with us? And what if the poisonous snakes were real? Who knows! Do our local authorities have any solution and will they ever take any measures against such stupidity? I wonder how far our country might have gone if people would have showed their creative skills in different fields instead of in mugging or theft! I wonder!
Mahbuba Sharmeen
A'Level student
Lalmatia, Dhaka

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