STAR DIARY
A rare event of humanity
I witnessed an accident while being stuck in a traffic jam. A young boy, who broke into a run to cross the road, was hit by a motorcycle which severely injured his foot. But instead of being helpful, the passersby and onlookers were scolding him for being reckless. The motorcyclist was checking on his nephew who seemed shaken but was otherwise fine to ensure that he was alright. I thought that the cyclist was very inconsiderate as he seemed to be neglecting the injured boy who was probably the same age as his nephew. However, to my surprise, after reprimanding the boy for a while he helped him to his motorbike, helping him to sit in front of his nephew. He informed the onlookers that he would take the boy to a nearby hospital. I was happy that he realised that it was his duty to save the child.
Rakin Khan
Dhaka University
Because we are minority
When it comes to house rent, being discriminated on the basis of religious status, no matter how absurd it may sound, prevails in our society. Throughout my childhood and life as a student, the discrimination against minority groups in our day to day work was always been there and unfortunately it still is. Last month we almost finalised a house followed by a number of meetings with the wife of the landowner. The landowner himself was out of the country. As soon as he returned and found out that his wife was about to rent out their house to a Hindu couple, he immediately refused to do so. This is not just one instance, there are more instances like these when this discrimination is more subtle and difficult to detect. After all, unless a landowner specifically admits otherwise, who can say for sure why they made a particular decision to not rent a certain individual? That said, there are some instances where an employer too displays some discriminatory intent. No one knows when it will end.
Monjuri Bhowmik
Lalmatia, Dhaka
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