Star Diary

Photo: Star File

Simple Logic

I had to stand in a long queue at the electricity billing counter of a bank. There were elderly people, people who seemed unwell and a pregnant woman waiting patiently for their turn to pay their bills. A woman entered the bank, looked at the line and came up front to a man standing there. She quickly befriended him and handed her electricity bills to the man so that she didn't have to wait in line. A woman standing right in front of me asked me to ensure that no one took her place, she went up to the woman and politely explained the matter to her. She pointed to the sick people in line. She even pointed out the pregnant lady who was unable to stand for so long and thus sat down but didn't leave the line. She also showed the impatient lady the elderly man at the back who didn't barge in front demanding special attention. She then told the woman that there wasn't any need to be so clever about something that would have adverse affects on other people. As the other woman had come in late, she should have stood at the end of the line. While the other woman looked a little shamefaced at this, we all smiled at the simple, honest method of explaining things to a person who was too clever for her own good.
Rayan Rabbani
Via Email

AN EMBARRASSING IDENTITY

As my cousins came from England with a couple of their British friends, they all wanted to tour Dhaka. For me it was an opportunity to discover the same city in a different way so I was very excited to accompany them. We planned to go to renowned educational institutions, the National Museum and after that, we decided to visit art galleries situated in different parts of the city. We were delighted with the variety and range of collections at the National Museum. When we left the museum, I felt proud and happy to hear praise for my country from my foreign friends. We were stuck in traffic after we left the museum and I told everyone that it would only be a matter of time before the road becomes traffic free. But of course that was only a euphemism, as it took us around two hours to go from Shahbag to Dhanmondi. By the time we reached Dhanmondi, the visitors seemed disillusioned as they wondered how people in our country could commute properly when so much of our time was spent on streets doing absolutely nothing. The worsening traffic situation has become a humiliating identity of Dhaka city.
Tausif Choudhury
ULAB