STAR DIARY

A Nerve-wrecking situation!

I was in my office in Lotus Kamal tower-2, busy doing my usual office work, when suddenly I felt a heavy tremor. At first, I thought somebody pushed me back and forth. But after a while I along with my other colleagues realised that it was an earthquake. Soon after sensing the jolt, panic gripped all of the employees so fiercely that they started screaming and running around. Some of them started looking for a safer place and quickly running downstairs. Half an hour later when I was heading for my classes in Dhaka University, I discovered people still waiting infront of their building with panic in their eyes. When people rush outside they need to keep in mind that most of our buildings are densely built up and are not designed to be earthquake-safe. If we go outside during an earthquake, we can get severely injured, or even buried, by falling debris, if not, by stampede.  Earthquake is happening in Dhaka quite frequently, and we should learn why running outdoors during an earthquake is dangerous. Instead of that we can do Drop, Cover, Hold on drill with our families and friends as this is recommended worldwide as the best way to protect yourself. It is true that we can not predict or prevent earthquakes, but we can reduce the possibility of casualties.

Md Zonaed Emran

SEO, Treasury Department, FBL 

Giving up Nicotine

My father is a diabetic patient and was even diagnosed with a heart ailment. He has been a chain smoker and can't give up this habit despite all these medical ailments. My mother has tried many times to persuade him to stop smoking without success. We even held several intervention sessions to tell him how important he is to us and why we want him to give up smoking. But he says that he can't function properly without his cigarettes. Last week one of his childhood friends came to visit him. We learnt from our mother, my father and this friend of him started smoking together during their college days.  Two years ago, after being diagnosed with a heart ailment, he had given up smoking and he came to talk to my father about it. He told my father that giving up smoking is not as difficult as he thinks it is.  Finally my father is convinced to cut down his consumption. He let his friends and family know that he is giving up smoking. He told us that he needs our support and encouragement to stop. We have happily gotten rid of ashtrays, lighters and all cigarettes. 

Anika Noor

Baridhara, Dhaka