Star Diary

Photo: Star File

For the Want of a Playground

While travelling by bus from Dhaka to Pabna, I noticed a child of four to five years constantly asking questions to his parents. His parents were getting annoyed with his incessant questions, and even made it clear that his behaviour was unacceptable. When our bus crossed the Pabna Cadet College, the boy shrilled and asked his father, "Baba, what is this place? What a beautiful playground! I want to go there, I want to play there, let me go, please!" His father tried to console him by stating, "Son, this is Cadet College, only cadets can play here. When you grow older, we will try to enrol you at this college. Then you will be able to play in this playground.” As an ex-cadet, I felt my curiosity rising, and so started a conversation with his parents. They told me that their child loved playing outdoors but due to a scarcity of playgrounds in the capital, he could not do so. This entrenched the love for the outdoors in him, and he searched for every opportunity to get out of their apartment to a place with greenery where he could play to his heart's content. I felt bad for the little boy, and thought what a sad life our next generation will be forced to live, as buildings are gradually taking over all the spaces allocated for playgrounds and breathing space.
S M Murad Hasan
Mohammadpur, Dhaka

Startling Honesty

A few days ago, I was on my way back home by a rickshaw. All on a sudden, I found my mobile phone missing from my pocket. I turned back immediately and saw a man running after me with a phone in his hand. He handed over the phone to me, saying that the phone probably dropped from my pocket. I could not believe my luck, and could not find the words to thank him. When I came to know that he was a cook at a hotel near to my house, I decided to have my breakfast there the next day and reward him with a hefty tip. After greeting him, I ordered for the meal. As I sat there eating my meal, I saw with my own eyes how hard he had to work to earn a living. In a world filled with crooks who are ready to take advantage of you at every point, this man was a living example of integrity and honesty.
Foyjul Islam Rigen
Faculty of Business Administration, DU