::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Star Diary

Risking life

The other day I was returning home from British Council via Sat masjid Road by bus. The driver seemed to be in his mid twenties and seemed quite reckless while driving. He kept moving the bus like a snake, which could slither, between other big vehicles amid the intense gridlock. But all the passers by seemed even more reckless as they hurried to cross the busy road ahead of the crazy running buses, being well aware of the incumbent fatal accidents. The bus was, at one point, stuck in the Gulistan area, moving slowly. People kept jaywalking no matter how risky it was. Suddenly, seeing the coast clear, the driver pulled the bus so abruptly that a madly running passer by could just barely manage to avoid being run over! I closed my eyes in horror and thought to myself whether it was really worth risking ones life just to be able to cross a road and whether the buses were more responsible for the fatal accidents or the passers by.
Anurata Prabha Hridi, Dhaka

Riding with James Bond

That day I waited an hour for an auto rickshaw to go to Dhanmondi but couldn't find a single one. As a result I had no option but to take the public bus. At first everything was going fine just like in all the public buses, stopping at every signal and taking in as many passengers as they can fit in. Suddenly somewhere near Rifles Square the bus driver started driving at full speed when suddenly another bus of the same route tried to over- take the bus I was travelling in. Thus began the James Bond movie, the two drivers just started gliding and bumping into one another's vehicle just to reach the next stop before the other. Although I was initially enjoying this furious ride, at one point it did scare me, especially when the window of our bus broke during the collision. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this reckless driving, but this should be stopped.
Rahim Abu Ali Sajwani, Dhaka

Urbanity still prevails

My elder brother was tutoring a student at home. His job was very unusual. The parents of the child were excessively kind to him. They never said anything if he showed up late, even during exam time. They always fed him when he was teaching and gave him a bonus if he declined the snacks. He was often invited to family functions and they even took him to a wedding with them once. When the child's father was transferred out of town to Sylhet, they offered him to move with them and keep his job, but he declined. However, when he went to visit Sylhet once, he called them and they invited him over and were very hospitable during his stay. This kind of behaviour toward tutors is rare and I thought it was wonderful that they were so kind to my brother.
Md. Ziaul Haque, Chittagong