MAILBOX

Winning in a Men's Game
As a civil servant and a woman, I am proud to be able to serve my country. But getting where I am now was not easy. I had to fight my family, relatives and the society on the way. But I am glad they all have accepted me now in my role as an administrator in a district in Bangladesh.  I felt very encouraged to see so many women in top positions in the civil administration. No one has done them a favour, they are where they are now by dint of perseverance and sincerity.  What could make a more appropriate cover story on the International Women's Day?
Anonymous
***
I loved the cover story this week as it portrays a number of high profile women who against all odds have risen to the top in the public administration.  The life stories of these brave and smart women will encourage many brilliant young women to join the civil service and serve the nation. The two writers of this article have done really well to present the reader with such an inspiring story on the International Women's Day. However, since the idea was to highlight high achieving women in the civil service, it would have made more sense if Rokeya Sultana made the top of their list because she outranks everyone else in the article in terms of seniority and position. A senior secretary to the government holds a rank higher than that of a deputy governor of the Bangladesh Bank and a director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whose rank is equivalent to that of an additional secretary.
Anila Mahbub Ali
DOHS, Dhaka

Sports IS always politics (occasionally)
While in Rajshahi University studying to get my undergraduate degree, I had a classmate who was and still is a staunch supporter of the Pakistan cricket team. I too am an admirer of the way the Pakistani players sometimes snatch victory at the very last moment from the clutches of defeat. But my classmate supports the team even when they are playing Bangladesh! I remember once, watching a match between the two teams on television, he got so excited that he shouted, “Beat the hell out of the Bengalees, my brothers!  If you defeat Bangladesh today, you can marry my sister.” I am glad Chintitio was not in the audience with us on that day.
Saheen Dewan
Savar, Dhaka

The Flag Unfurled
Short but well-researched, the article tells us many unknown facts about the national flag of Bangladesh, an emblem of the struggle of the people of this country that eventually led to the liberation war and our independence. It may be relevant to share a personal observation with readers: it seems to me that the ordinary people of this country are always more enthusiastic about waving and hoisting the flag on national days than their rich and powerful country men and women. I see rickshaw pullers, boatmen, bus drivers and owners of tea stalls proudly displaying the national flag on national days. But I can't say I see many rich and powerful people hoisting the flag in front of their houses on such days. But I am not surprised. It is the ordinary people who fought in '71 and made us free. Unfortunately, many of the so called elites today have reaped the harvest.
Mukhtar Ali Sardar,
Barisal

Postscript
I wish all men who try to dominate women in order to feel superior would read this article and learn the fascinating facts about the contribution of women toward important sectors of the national economy and the society. I loved the way the article was written: concise, objective and rational rather than emotional ranting we often read on such occasions as the International Women's Day.
Shahidul Islam Shuvro
Hatirpul, Dhaka

Social Value of CSR
Thanks a lot to the Star for the timely cover story regarding CSR on 28 February 28, 2008. In the last couple of years many big companies, banks and media houses in Bangladesh initiated innovative CSR programmes. Bangladesh Bank is patronizing CSR among the banks as biomass processing plants (e.g. biogas plants), solar panels in rural households, for waste recycling plants in locations populated by urban poor, for Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) in manufacturing establishments and recently introduced the Green Banking.
Md Zillur Rahaman
PO, IBBL,
Sadarghat Branch, Dhaka

Playing For Bangladesh
This has reference to the special feature on women football players in Jessore published on March 7, 2014. As I read the story, I wondered why we do not see such endeavors in Dhaka, the capital and the so-called modern city of Bangladesh.  What has stopped the big colleges and universities from having women's football teams? I hope the article will embolden many women to take up the sports. If women of a remote village can do it, so can the women living in cities.
Shayla Zaman
Circuit House Road, Dhaka