MAILBOX

Photo: Prabir Das

Howdy neighbour?
In my opinion, the real reason why we don't have good relationships with our neighbours is we do not trust each other anymore. We do not smile at a neighbour or invite them to our homes because deep inside we do not trust them. The reason behind that may be the simple fact that there has been a moral breakdown in our society. Sociologists, psychologists and anthropologists may have the answer to why such a moral breakdown has taken place in all spheres of our society. Unless we can re-establish some moral rules, the distance between neighbours will only increase.
Syed Mehdi
Dhanmondi, Dhaka  
***
I am a Canadian living in Dhaka for the last six months during which I have become an avid reader of the Star magazine. I was particularly intrigued by this week's cover story which addresses an issue that transcends geographical boundaries and nationalities. I thought the title of the story was short but very effective. There was a time, my elders told me, in Canada when people never used to lock their doors. When you lock your doors, you are separating yourself from the rest of the society, they believed. We must remember that true happiness cannot ensue in isolation. We cannot be happy in our comfortable homes if our neighbour is going to sleep hungry. That's why all religions put emphasis on loving our neighbours. I want to congratulate the writer and the Star editor for such a compassionate cover story.
James Jacob
Baridhara, Dhaka

Happy Birthday to Poet Al Mahmud
Poet Al Mahmud, an eminent poet of Bangla literature turned 79 on 11 July 2014. These days the poet has been physically very weak although he feels enthusiastic and vigorously spirited while composing poems or developing a genre. Indeed, he writes about the basic but biologically human needs as a great poet usually does.  Al Mahmud has become an essential part of our literature while dealing with imagery of our age-old traditions and folklore. Poetry of Mamud engrains love and lust that spiritualises human beings in the truest sense. We owe much to him as he makes us all feel proud of what he has done by dint of his own style and individual talent for Bangla literature. Would that poet Al Mahmud lived amongst us till the death of this mundane world.
Md Rezaul Karim
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Leading University, Sylhet

Sardar Fazlul Karim

The Great Sardar
Sardar Fazlul Karim was a great philosopher, teacher and political activist. It is nice to see the Star pay homage to someone who contributed to the liberation war and sacrificed his entire life for others. It is a well written feature and I really enjoyed reading it. Fazlul Karim was also a brilliant student and was appointed a teacher in Dhaka University. He quit his job in Dhaka University to go “underground” as per the instruction of his party leaders. He was declared “an enemy of the state” by the Pakistan regime for his involvement in leftist politics and spent almost 24 years in jail. A thought leader of his time, Sardar Fazlul Karim was a secular and progressive person who fought for the rights of the oppressed.
Marjuk Ahmed
University of Dhaka

The Iron Lady
Before I read the Star's interview, The Iron Lady, I had met a policewoman in a local bus. I talked to her and learned that she was recruited in the Special Branch. Along with her team, she is involved in providing protection to the Prime Minister and the President when they travel to different places home and abroad. Nowadays women are being more and more professional in all kinds of job that were previously assumed to be only men's. Being a woman, I feel proud when I see the women of Bangladesh are accepting and succeeding in challenging jobs which require transformation of their tenderness to toughness. Women are tender by nature. But they need to be iron ladies to prove their worth in the men's world. I wish my best regards to the iron ladies, the policewomen, who ensure our security and salute Yasmeen Ghafoor who personifies women empowerment in the country.
Raki Khan
On Email                 

Be More Scientific!
I love the Star magazine for its rich and thought provoking contents including politics, art and culture, travel, book reviews, musings etc. However I always felt that something was missing: science. So when the Star started publishing a new column called Quirky Science, I was really glad. Who knew that the origin of human languages was the chirping of birds? Quirky Science presents the reader with many such interesting facts. Investing in science and technology can advance a society in way nothing else can. That's why it is important to develop and cultivate a scientific and rational attitude. Science is neglected in our country and we see its consequences everywhere, everyday.  
Md Monajatuddin Patwary
Lalbag. Dhaka

Best Wishes for Dr Muhammad Yunus
I, on behalf of the readers of the Star magazine, congratulate Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus on his 74 birthday anniversary which was observed as the 5th Social Business Day, on June 28 at Hotel Radisson, Dhaka. The social business theory espoused by Dr Yunus is changing lives all over the world by eradicating poverty and empowering men and women. Social business teaches us not to take profit but to reinvest it onto the business. Thus social business aims at reducing inequality. If we think about it, it may be the only viable solution to our pressing problems such as unemployment and poverty.
On his 74th birthday, I pray to God to give Dr Muhammad Yunus a long and happy life.
Arif Mujumder
Baridhara, Dhaka