Photo: Prabir Das

AN OLD MAN'S TALE

I see him everyday, in fact grew up together. Everyday on my way home, our eyes meet. While I get back to clutching my bag and giving directions to the person taking me home, he goes back to staring at his Tasweeh. The old man sits on the same spot everyday, in front of the mosque near my house. I have never seen him asking for money. The small eatery beside the mosques gives him food everyday. Never uttering a word, he just keeps on counting the beads of his Tasweeh. He seems to be of my grandfather's age and I cannot possibly imagine his life like this man. There are numerous people like him who have nowhere to go and no one to depend on. We build malls and restaurants every now and then. In fact when it seems that things are running well, we open new ones. But we hardly think of saving some of the money and making a shelter for people like him and giving them some hope for their life. We invest our money in so many things even if we already have them. There are people who are capable of helping out. But we don't come forward thinking "these people are happier with their life on the streets", "they earn more then we do", "we want to help but they don't want it". There is no crime in trying. There is always a scope for explaining them the fact that they could live in dignity and good health in the remaining days of their lives. We don't need to start big. Small steps from everyone can bring a lot of change.
Fabiha Tanzeem
Purana Paltan, Dhaka

STOP COMPLAINING

The image from a few mornings ago, when I was on my way to attend a morning lecture at my college, kept coming back to me. As I was stuck in traffic congestion near Kakoli, I saw someone sitting in one of the best looking cars on the street, rolled the window down and threw a big packet of trash on the street. I believe this same guy would talk with his friends and put up status on facebook complaining our never ending waterlogging system and city's poor garbage management. The saddest part was that piles of garbage were strewn all over the place, and there was no one to clean it up. The garbage was thrown by you, me and the random passer-by. How can we choose to make ourselves look clean and beautiful while otherwise, we so indifferently trash our own city all year round? While I agree that adequate bins are not placed around the city, blaming the system and conveniently forgetting that 'we' ourselves are the system will not help matters much. Stricter punishment should be meted out to those who throw garbage on the roads. Not monetary fines, something to prick the conscience and to wake us up.
Sara Binte Hasib
University of Dhaka