Star Diary
THE HONEST HAWKER
Last Sunday night, while coming back home from work, I was walking on the footpath. I found a hawker selling different day-to-day accessories like mirrors, combs, bolters and many other items. I bought three combs from him, as to me it was very essential to buy a comb. I gave him a fifty taka note as each comb was fifteen taka. But he could not manage five takas as he had no change. At one time, I told him that there was no need for change. But what he said then surprised to a great extent. "I have not kept anyone claimant for a single taka in my ten years of business. I strongly believe in eternal life and hence don't want to make myself indebted even for a small amount of money. I will be very happy if you wait here for a few minutes so that if any customer buys anything, I will try to give you back the five taka", he said. Hearing his words, I waited there for ten minutes and got my money back. But I was wondering how hawkers of this day and age can be such honest. It was quite rare, indeed. Where everywhere there is a competition to bamboozle others, this honest hawker thinks and lives in the opposite direction. I thought to myself that it's better to be honest than to be rich.
Noorjahan Kabir
Uttara, Dhaka
BE AN ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY
Last Saturday, for the very first time, I had become very angry with one of my neighbours. He is a well educated and modest man and has been teaching in a local high school for the past five years. But what he does everyday is that he throws light rubbish from his balcony towards the open space in front of our building. Earlier, another neighbour and I told him about the ultimate outcomes of such practices that it is actually disturbing us. The garbage is not only visually unpleasant, but also gives off bad odour and hampers the general environment. But he did not care about what we said; rather he is continuing it. Last Saturday, we got very angry with him for his repeated behaviour. It is actually very disgusting to make someone understand something that he understands already. I do not know why people do such things even after knowing the consequences. It is our duty to keep our environment fresh and clean.
Habibur Rahman
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka
Comments