Letters
Endangered Heritage
The writer of this week's story on the Katras has done a wonderful job of reminding us of the importance of preserving places like the Katras. The government needs to realise that maintaining and preserving historical sites can be a good way to attract tourists—foreign and domestic. Heritage tourism is a good source of revenue and it creates jobs. Research shows that heritage tourists stay longer and spend more than other tourists. It can also help a community diversify its economy.
Sudipto Rahman
Azimpur, Dhaka.
The Myths of Lalbagh Fort
This article provides the reader with interesting information about one of the oldest historical places in Bangladesh. I specially enjoyed reading about the legends of Pari Bibi. I find the tomb of Pari Bibi the most impressive of all the surviving buildings of the fort. The central square room, containing the mortal remains of Bibi Pari is surrounded by eight rooms and covered by a false dome, octagonal in shape, and wrapped by brass plate. The entire inner wall of the central room was covered with white marble. The walls in the four corner rooms were skirted with beautiful glazed floral tiles. The tiles have recently been restored. However, I was shocked to read that many of the fort's parts are still occupied by land grabbers. The government must act immediately to save this historic fort from criminals and stop private encroachment on the premises of the fort.
Moshiul Alam
Mirpur, Dhaka
The First Bengali Novelist
I found this piece very interesting since I did not know that the first Bengali novel was written by a European woman. I did a little research on Hana Mullens and learned that she wrote the novel at a time when Sanskrit was used for literary expressions, and Bengali was only a language of conversation. Her novel Phulmani O Karunar Bibaran was published six years before Peary Chand Mitra published his Alaler Ghare Dulal. The first novel written by a Bengali woman wasn't until 1876 when Swanakumari Devi wrote her Deepnirban in 1876.
Afifa Reza Islam
Via email
Nuremberg Revisited
I hope this well-written piece by Chintito will thin out some of the artificially created 'confusions' about the ongoing war crime trial in Bangladesh. Chintito shows by evidence that the war criminals are being tried by the ICT maintaining international standards.
My father was a brilliant CSS (Central Superior Service) police officer and a superintendent of police (SP) during the war. Some local razakars helped the Pakistani military find our house and kill him in front of my mother, then pregnant with me. Since then I have been praying to Allah that He sees to it that some of these razakars are punished for what they did to my father and many other brave men and women like him.
Anonymous
A catalyst for social change
I cannot remember the last time I read such an inspiring story. Reading the Star on a Friday is one of my favourite activities of the week. By publishing this story of this brave young woman The Star has earned has won a special place in my heart. I am a teacher at a Girls' school in Texas. I was so deeply moved by the writer's determination and success that I read this story aloud to my students who appreciated it very much. We are living in an increasingly diverse world, and this is a wonderful gift. Our children attend schools with children who are much different than they are. Let us teach our children to be more sympathetic and tolerant to people who may look different and have a different skin colour than ours. Children don't come with instructions, but they do come with open minds. They learn from us. So as parents, we must deal with our own diversity deficits, so that we can lead by not just saying but also by doing.
Naznin Sultana
Commerce, Texas.
Snakes and Charmers
The Photo Feature titled 'Snakes and Charmers' by Sudeepto Salam published on 13 September, 2013 awakens us to the realities of our society. The children of the Bede community appearing in the photos-born and bred in an isolated society, though jovial they seem to be here, will most probably remain literacy deprived, bereft of a socially recognised profession and mainstream citizen life in future. Their last resort is likely to be some unsocial or anti social activity. No matter how superior we may think ourselves to be, the curse of social injustice this disadvantaged group of people undergo will haunt us everywhere.
Now the pertinent question is who will weave the social safety net to save these rootless people. In a burgeoning capitalism, the poor get poorer and the rich richer. The country which fails to overcome the vicious circle invariably suffers social unrest resulting in political turmoil. It is high time we did something. The government must make sure that all citizens enjoy the rights protected by our constitution.
Sanat Singha Goswami
Gaibandha
The Bangladeshi Connection
I was glad to read this article because I share the writer's experience with expatriate Bangladeshis working hard all over the world. While a student in Florida, one Saturday evening I was hanging out with friends at my place and ordered a pizza and hot wings from a local pizza shop. When the delivery arrived, I saw that the delivery boy looked like he was from the subcontinent. He asked me where I was from. When I said “Bangladeshi”, his eyes lit up. He was a full time graduate student and was delivering pizza in the summer to make some extra money to pay for his tuition. He refused to receive payment for the bill that was about $45 including drinks and all. He left saying it was his pleasure. We may be a poor nation but we have big hearts.
Nassir Mamun
Shamoli, Dhaka.
Nuremberg Revisited
I hope this well-written piece by Chintito will thin out some of the artificially created 'confusions' about the ongoing war crime trial in Bangladesh. Chintito shows by evidence that the war criminals are being tried by the ICT maintaining international standards.
My father was a brilliant CSS (Central Superior Service) police officer and a superintendent of police (SP) during the war. Some local razakars helped the Pakistani military find our house and kill him in front of my mother, then pregnant with me. Since then I have been praying to Allah that He sees to it that some of these razakars are punished for what they did to my father and many other brave men and women like him.
Anonymous
A catalyst for social change
What an inspiring story! Reading the Star on a Friday is one of my favourite activities of the week. By publishing this story of this brave young woman The Star has earned a special place in my heart. I am a teacher at a Girls' school in Texas. I was so deeply moved by the writer's determination and success that I read this story aloud to my students who appreciated it very much. We are living in an increasingly diverse world, and this is a wonderful gift. Our children attend schools with children who are much different than they are. Let us teach our children to be more sympathetic and tolerant to people who may look different and have a different skin colour than ours. Children don't come with instructions, but they do come with open minds. They learn from us. So as parents, we must deal with our own diversity deficits, so that we can lead by not just saying but also by doing.
Naznin Sultana
Commerce, Texas
Snakes and Charmers
The Photo Feature titled 'Snakes and Charmers' by Sudeepto Salam published on 13 September, 2013 awakens us to the realities of our society. The children of the Bede community appearing in the photos-born and bred in an isolated society, though jovial they seem to be here, will most probably remain literacy deprived, bereft of a socially recognised profession and mainstream citizen life in future. Their last resort is likely to be some unsocial or anti social activity. No matter how superior we may think ourselves to be, the curse of social injustice this disadvantaged group of people undergo will haunt us everywhere.
Now the pertinent question is who will weave the social safety net to save these rootless people. In a burgeoning capitalism, the poor get poorer and the rich richer. The country which fails to overcome the vicious circle invariably suffers social unrest resulting in political turmoil. It is high time we did something. The government must make sure that all citizens enjoy the rights protected by our constitution.
Sanat Singha Goswami
Gaibandha
The Bangladeshi Connection
I was glad to read this article because I share the writer's experience with expatriate Bangladeshis working hard all over the world. While a student in Florida, one Saturday evening I was hanging out with friends at my place and ordered a pizza and hot wings from a local pizza shop. When the delivery arrived, I saw that the delivery boy looked like he was from the subcontinent. He asked me where I was from. When I said “Bangladeshi”, his eyes lit up. He was a full time graduate student and was delivering pizza in the summer to make some extra money to pay for his tuition. He refused to receive payment for the bill that was about $45 including drinks and all. He left saying it was his pleasure. We may be a poor nation but we have big hearts.
Nassir Mamun
Shyamoli, Dhaka
The Myths of Lalbagh Fort
This article provides the reader with interesting information about one of the oldest historical places in Bangladesh. I specially enjoyed reading about the legends of Pari Bibi. I find the tomb of Pari Bibi the most impressive of all the surviving buildings of the fort. The central square room, containing the mortal remains of Bibi Pari is surrounded by eight rooms and covered by a false dome, octagonal in shape, and wrapped by brass plate. The entire inner wall of the central room was covered with white marble. The walls in the four corner rooms were skirted with beautiful glazed floral tiles. The tiles have recently been restored. However, I was shocked to read that many of the fort's parts are still occupied by land grabbers. The government must act immediately to save this historic fort from criminals and stop private encroachment on the premises of the fort.
Moshiul Alam
Mirpur, Dhaka
The First Bengali Novelist
I found this piece very interesting since I did not know that the first Bengali novel was written by a European woman. I did a little research on Hana Mullens and learned that she wrote the novel at a time when Sanskrit was used for literary expressions, and Bengali was only a language of conversation. Her novel Phulmani O Karunar Bibaran was published six years before Peary Chand Mitra published his Alaler Ghare Dulal. The first novel written by a Bengali woman wasn't until 1876 when Swanakumari Devi wrote her Deepnirban in 1876.
Afifa Reza Islam
Via email
Nuremberg Revisited
I hope this well-written piece by Chintito will thin out some of the artificially created 'confusions' about the ongoing war crime trial in Bangladesh. Chintito shows by evidence that the war criminals are being tried by the ICT maintaining international standards.
My father was a brilliant CSS (Central Superior Service) police officer and a superintendent of police (SP) during the war. Some local razakars helped the Pakistani military find our house and kill him in front of my mother, then pregnant with me. Since then I have been praying to Allah that He sees to it that some of these razakars are punished for what they did to my father and many other brave men and women like him.
Anonymous
A catalyst for social change
I cannot remember the last time I read such an inspiring story. Reading the Star on a Friday is one of my favourite activities of the week. By publishing this story of this brave young woman The Star has earned has won a special place in my heart. I am a teacher at a Girls' school in Texas. I was so deeply moved by the writer's determination and success that I read this story aloud to my students who appreciated it very much. We are living in an increasingly diverse world, and this is a wonderful gift. Our children attend schools with children who are much different than they are. Let us teach our children to be more sympathetic and tolerant to people who may look different and have a different skin colour than ours. Children don't come with instructions, but they do come with open minds. They learn from us. So as parents, we must deal with our own diversity deficits, so that we can lead by not just saying but also by doing.
Naznin Sultana
Commerce, Texas.
Snakes and Charmers
The Photo Feature titled 'Snakes and Charmers' by Sudeepto Salam published on 13 September, 2013 awakens us to the realities of our society. The children of the Bede community appearing in the photos-born and bred in an isolated society, though jovial they seem to be here, will most probably remain literacy deprived, bereft of a socially recognised profession and mainstream citizen life in future. Their last resort is likely to be some unsocial or anti social activity. No matter how superior we may think ourselves to be, the curse of social injustice this disadvantaged group of people undergo will haunt us everywhere.
Now the pertinent question is who will weave the social safety net to save these rootless people. In a burgeoning capitalism, the poor get poorer and the rich richer. The country which fails to overcome the vicious circle invariably suffers social unrest resulting in political turmoil. It is high time we did something. The government must make sure that all citizens enjoy the rights protected by our constitution.
Sanat Singha Goswami
Gaibandha
The Bangladeshi Connection
I was glad to read this article because I share the writer's experience with expatriate Bangladeshis working hard all over the world. While a student in Florida, one Saturday evening I was hanging out with friends at my place and ordered a pizza and hot wings from a local pizza shop. When the delivery arrived, I saw that the delivery boy looked like he was from the subcontinent. He asked me where I was from. When I said “Bangladeshi”, his eyes lit up. He was a full time graduate student and was delivering pizza in the summer to make some extra money to pay for his tuition. He refused to receive payment for the bill that was about $45 including drinks and all. He left saying it was his pleasure. We may be a poor nation but we have big hearts.
Nassir Mamun
Shamoli, Dhaka.
Nuremberg Revisited
I hope this well-written piece by Chintito will thin out some of the artificially created 'confusions' about the ongoing war crime trial in Bangladesh. Chintito shows by evidence that the war criminals are being tried by the ICT maintaining international standards.
My father was a brilliant CSS (Central Superior Service) police officer and a superintendent of police (SP) during the war. Some local razakars helped the Pakistani military find our house and kill him in front of my mother, then pregnant with me. Since then I have been praying to Allah that He sees to it that some of these razakars are punished for what they did to my father and many other brave men and women like him.
Anonymous
A catalyst for social change
What an inspiring story! Reading the Star on a Friday is one of my favourite activities of the week. By publishing this story of this brave young woman The Star has earned a special place in my heart. I am a teacher at a Girls' school in Texas. I was so deeply moved by the writer's determination and success that I read this story aloud to my students who appreciated it very much. We are living in an increasingly diverse world, and this is a wonderful gift. Our children attend schools with children who are much different than they are. Let us teach our children to be more sympathetic and tolerant to people who may look different and have a different skin colour than ours. Children don't come with instructions, but they do come with open minds. They learn from us. So as parents, we must deal with our own diversity deficits, so that we can lead by not just saying but also by doing.
Naznin Sultana
Commerce, Texas
Snakes and Charmers
The Photo Feature titled 'Snakes and Charmers' by Sudeepto Salam published on 13 September, 2013 awakens us to the realities of our society. The children of the Bede community appearing in the photos-born and bred in an isolated society, though jovial they seem to be here, will most probably remain literacy deprived, bereft of a socially recognised profession and mainstream citizen life in future. Their last resort is likely to be some unsocial or anti social activity. No matter how superior we may think ourselves to be, the curse of social injustice this disadvantaged group of people undergo will haunt us everywhere.
Now the pertinent question is who will weave the social safety net to save these rootless people. In a burgeoning capitalism, the poor get poorer and the rich richer. The country which fails to overcome the vicious circle invariably suffers social unrest resulting in political turmoil. It is high time we did something. The government must make sure that all citizens enjoy the rights protected by our constitution.
Sanat Singha Goswami
Gaibandha
The Bangladeshi Connection
I was glad to read this article because I share the writer's experience with expatriate Bangladeshis working hard all over the world. While a student in Florida, one Saturday evening I was hanging out with friends at my place and ordered a pizza and hot wings from a local pizza shop. When the delivery arrived, I saw that the delivery boy looked like he was from the subcontinent. He asked me where I was from. When I said “Bangladeshi”, his eyes lit up. He was a full time graduate student and was delivering pizza in the summer to make some extra money to pay for his tuition. He refused to receive payment for the bill that was about $45 including drinks and all. He left saying it was his pleasure. We may be a poor nation but we have big hearts.
Nassir Mamun
Shyamoli, Dhaka
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