Star Diary

Fight Back

We noticed that the rickshaw-puller had physical disability only after mounting his vehicle. Watching him paddle with such difficulty was causing us pain as well but we didn't know what to do. Getting down from the rickshaw at that moment and paying his full fare could have hurt his feelings, his self-esteem. So we continued on the journey with a feeling of guilt. After sometime, I asked him about his life and he told me that he lost his right hand around a year ago due to paralysis. He moved to Dhaka to find work when his village people refused him work, because he could only use his left hand, which was considered to be a bad omen there. While expressing his gratitude to the almighty, the rickshaw puller said that he was thankful that he could at least pull a rickshaw, a task that he was unable to complete a year back. After getting off the rickshaw, we paid him more than the set fare but left the place with a feeling of shame.
Mostarin Shamanta
IBA, University of Dhaka

A Thousand-Year-Old Tree

My friends and I visited Jatiyo Sangsad to have phuchka from the roadside stalls. As it was a holiday, we could see many people thronging the area, taking pictures in front of the magnificent parliament house. As we munched on jhalmuri, we noticed a tree with a small board placed in front of it. The board read that the tree was a rare one, as it was over a thousand years old. A lawmaker who discovered it in 2007 thought that everyone should know about it and thus had it moved to be planted in front of the parliament house. We had gone for some refreshment but had the good fortune of noticing and getting to know about the history of a tree that went unnoticed by us before that day.  
Md Zonaed Emran
Executive Officer
Janata Bank Ltd