<i>Samin source of inspiration for many </i>

Just a few days ago, walking was an ability lost forever to Samin.
Saiful Islam Samin, a fourth-year student of Dhaka University and assignment reporter of the daily Prothom Alo, lost both the legs when a train ran over him two years ago.
All his dreams fell apart let alone the career as a journalist after the very moment of the accident.
But yesterday a more mature and confidant, energetic and pro-active Samin came walking at a press conference, thanks to prosthetic legs.
Well, no he did not go abroad for the artificial limb replacement surgery. Endolite Bangladesh, a prosthetic, orthotics and physiotherapy centre on Iqbal road in Mohammadpur, performed this hi-tech replacement procedure.
The surgery cost Samin Tk 22.5 lakh, fully arranged by Prothom Alo and Mass Communication and Journalism Fund of Dhaka University. In India the surgery costs Tk 35 lakh while in Singapore Tk 60 lakh.
"My treatment for limb replacement commenced in December last year and on August 2, I finally got fitted with microprocessor controlled artificial limbs," said Samin at the press conference organised by Endolite Bangladesh at Dhaka Reporters' Unity.
"The speciality of the artificial limb is that now I have to give less effort to walk," he added.
Meanwhile, Prothom Alo has employed Samin as an online sub-editor.
Samantalal Sen, project director of Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said half the electric burn patients in the country need to amputate their legs or hands. Organisations like Endolite can help these patients.
"But as artificial limb replacement is expensive, the government needs to set up an artificial limb centre so that the poor can have access to the benefit," he added.
Prof MA Samad, Arthoplasty and Arthoscopy Surgeon of NITOR, Prof Shamsuddin Ahmed, former head of burn unit of DMCH, and Nirmol Kanti Deb Roy and Saibal Ghosh of Endolite Bangladesh also spoke at the press briefing.