Star Diary

An Unusual Encounter

The bus was crowded to its fullest capacity. Thankfully, I got a seat at the back of the bus. At one of the several bus stops, an elderly passenger got on. I saw that a teenage girl, who sat in one of the seats reserved for women and the elderly, scrambling to vacate her seat. I thought that she might be hurrying because her stop was next. But to my surprise, she offered the elderly man her seat. He was shocked at this gesture but accepted her offer with a smile on his face. The girl did not mind standing for the rest of her journey. 

Alvi Hasan

Kochukhet, Dhaka

Blurring lines

A young boy, who works as a domestic help, plays football with us in our apartment complex. Unbeknownst to us, the manager of the complex was observing this scene for quite a while. One day, during one of our neighbourhood matches, the manager went to the boy and forbade him to play with us. The manager rudely told the boy that he was merely a help and should not be playing with other children. The boy picked up a fight with the manager, and left the place in anger. The next day he came to play with us as usual. When the manager saw him, he left the place without another word. When we asked the boy about what had happened, he told us that the manager had visited the house where he worked the previous night and complained about the boy to his employer. The employer surprisingly lashed out against the manager, telling him firmly that the boy was like her son, and he had every right to play with other boys in the complex. Hearing this, the manager felt embarrassed and left the place in a hurry. I was really pleased to hear this. It proved that there is still humanity left in our society.

Ryaan Sadat

Dhanmondi, Dhaka