MAILBOX

The Jewel of Our history
Tajuddin Ahmad wanted to build a country that does justice to the blood the martyrs shed for our freedom from tyranny and oppression by the Pakistani military junta. It is our collected shame that he has become an almost forgotten name in our history. One day his true value will be understood and appreciated by the people. History books can be re-written by paid writers, but truth has its own way of swimming through lies and deceits and coming to light in the end. It is nice to see the Star make an attempt to pay homage to one of the main architects of our liberation war.
Dilara Zaman Mili
Gulshan, Dhaka
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In the absence of Bangabandhu, Tajuddin Ahmad carried the weight of our nation in war against one of the most powerful armies in the world. Those who want to undermine his role in our liberation war are doing nothing but belittling themselves.
Sharifuddin Manik
Savar, Dhaka

Of Valour and Glory
Although I am very proud of our language movement, I knew little about the heroes of our language movement. But the serial publications on this historical event in the Star magazine have enriched my knowledge on it. The article titled “Of Valour and Glory" published on the 14th March, 2014 has drawn my interest for the contribution to our language movement by an Urdu speaking person. I would like to pay my homage through the Star magazine to Dr Syed Yousyf Hassan for supporting Bangla as one of the state languages of the then Pakistan and his active participation in the movement.
Dr Suma Mita Biswas
Register, Apollo Hospitals.

The New Nation
The interview of Kosovo's prime minister published on March 21 is very well-written. I enjoyed reading it very much as it depicts a small nation's struggle to establish its own identity. I am glad that for once the “free world” supported a just cause by supporting the people of Kosovo in their liberation war against a brutal Serbian military. By recognising Kosovo, Bangladesh would acknowledge its own past and pay respect to those who fought for its freedom.
Ark Mazumder
Dhanmondi, Dhaka

Plagiarism in DU
I believe the scenario depicted in the first paragraph of the article “The Curse of Crtl+C and Crtl+V” (published on March 14) is purely fictitious. “Result withdrawn (withheld?), plagiarism detected” – in the context of Dhaka University seems to be a figment of one's imagination. I enrolled into a MS programme of the DU just to be a part of the 'Oxford of the East'. My experience, so far has been less than pleasant. Plagiarism is adored by the teachers of the DU.  Though they insist on original pieces, assignments composed by students by copying and pasting from sources on the internet seem to have no problem getting good grades. On a positive note, the MS program I enrolled into does have a specialised course dealing with issues like referencing, plagiarism etc. But the honourable teacher has no clue about the topics of the course and talks gibberish for each of the hour long classes.  
Saif
via Email

Chintito
I have always been confused about our nation's love for all things Indian and at the same time the presence of wide spread Anti-Indian sentiments among the public. How can we explain it? Bangladeshis love Hindi movies, Hindi songs, Indian fashion and Indian food. Much of what we consume from morning to night is made in India and we happily import them, even if it means destroying our own industries. Organising the T-20 is an achievement Bangladesh can be proud of. In my opinion, there was no need to invite all these Indian singers and artists (although I admire and love their work) when our own singers are perfectly capable of performing at such levels. The motive of the organisers seems solely to make money because they know that Indian artists draw a bigger crowd in this country than our native artists can.
Jahanara Begum
Mogbazar, Dhaka
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Thanks a lot to the Star for the hilarious jokes of Chintito in   “Not only the Sardars" [March 14]. I hope the Star publishes more articles like this in future.
Piash Mostafa
via email

Star Diary
I felt deeply sad to read “Unforgettable Smiles” [Re: Star Diary, March 21]. How unfortunate and poor is the girl who licked the glass window of a sweet shop! It made me think about the growing inequality in our society and the poor getting poorer. Development does not only mean building infrastructure but also promoting human dignity. By that measure, ours is one of the least developed countries in the world. Let us work together and build a more compassionate society.
Mohammad Jalil
Mohammadpur, Dhaka

Epiphanies
[Re: Those Eureka Moments, March 21] It's nice to see someone thinking along the same lines as I do.  I always wondered what played a bigger role in making Archimedes famous: his discovery or his alleged running home naked in excitement shouting 'Eureka'! And I want to take this chance to share with the reader a thought that has been bothering me for a while. Did an apple really fall from a tree and is that really what led Newton to 'discover' gravity'?
Sabih Akhter
Aligarh Muslim University, India