MAILBOX

Photos Courtesy: Tareque Masud Memorial Trust

Songs of Freedom
My heartfelt congratulations to the Star and the writer for such a wonderful cover story.  Govinda  Halder was a true patriot who wrote the three most important songs of freedom that gave courage to the freedom fighters as well as the ordinary people. I am saddened to learn that this talented lyricist is critically ill and is facing financial hardship. The government should bestow the highest honour on this brave songwriter and arrange for proper treatment for him.
Mehdi Hasan
Dhanmondi, Dhaka

Unsung heroes of the liberation war
Last week I read a deeply moving article on the Birongonas of 1971. These women were raped and tortured by the Pakistani military.  But how have we treated them in the post-liberation Bangladesh? Even after all these years they face social stigma. They appealed to the government for increasing their benefits. We do not know what happened to that. We must treat them with more respect. The society must be more inclusive of them.
Md Zonaed Emran
A banker

Parenting 101
As a young parent I found the article (published on December 12, 2014) really helpful. My main concern is how to raise my children as good human beings. The well written article offers plenty of tips on that. Thanks to the Star for publishing such an informative cover story.
N Akter
Dhanmondi, Dhaka

Photos: Prabir Das

Love your life
When relationships fail, some people cannot accept it. They think it is the end of life. There are those who even go as far as committing suicide while others quit studies and start taking drugs. I think that's wrong. Love may be important but it is definitely not more important than life itself. If the 'love of your life' leaves you, don't worry. There are others who love you. Think about them. Life is bigger than one person. With time, everything is going to be alright. Life is a gift from God. Love life.
Humaira Maisha Mahmud
Viqarunnisa Noon School and College
Dhaka

The tale of a lost garden
The article with the above mentioned title in the last issue of the Star Magazine rings so very true. I first visited Gulshan in January 1972, when jackals and snakes were in residence, and then saw much more of it when I lived in Dhaka from 1985 to 1992 even though I lived, then, in Dhanmondi. I have lived in Banani from 1998 till now and witnessed all the deterioration that the article describes.
 There is a lot that the administration should be doing but there is also a lot that local residents should be doing. There seems to be an attitude, “I will keep my apartment clean and tidy but no problem if I throw garbage in the road or in the lake.” The walkways around the lakes in Banani and Gulshan could be beautiful places to walk but they are littered by domestic and office waste and nobody, who has the authority to stop it, does anything!
 Gulshan/Banani would be a better place if the Traffic Police actually 'policed' traffic. At various street corners two or three police can be seen sitting and chatting or mobile phoning. They only get up and do anything when there is a 'jam' or 'snarl-up'. They are not doing their duty at all. They could be stopping people for dangerous driving, using unfit vehicles, no use of safety belts and helmets etc, but they do nothing but chat, chew paan, spit and smoke.
I attach an account which puts the police in a further bad light.
 An ancestor of mine, in the police, at this moment is turning in his grave. In the late 19th century, the 1860s, he wrote 'The Constable's Manual' which he, himself, translated into Hindustani, and it was also translated into Bengali and Urdu. The manual was in the form of questions and answers. Three, I reproduce below:
Q    What is the first duty of a constable?
A    Implicit obedience of his superior
Q    What should he always remember?
A    To keep his ears and eyes open and his mouth shut.
Q    What is the greatest fault a Constable can commit?
A    The taking directly or indirectly of a bribe or any article of value (money or money's worth) from anyone for the purpose of being induced to perform or to refrain from performing the strict letter of his duty.
 Julian
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