Star Diary

It Starts with Us

One of my cousins recently went abroad and is intending to settle there permanently. Before he left the country, I spoke to him, and asked him why he wanted to do so. He mentioned the various things that were wrong with Bangladesh – poverty, population, pollution, the traffic, being some of them. He further stated that the standard of living in Bangladesh is terrible. I agreed with him that the infrastructure of the country was not up to the mark but asked him how things would get better if the literate, talented youth of the country planned to permanently settle abroad.
 We have a myriad of problems. And so it's on us to solve them instead of fleeing from them. It is our country and we need to make it better.  
Ryana Imtiaz
Mohammadpur Preparatory School
Dhaka

Photo: Star File

A Glimpse of Humanity

I witnessed an accident while being stuck in a traffic jam. A young boy, who broke into a run to cross the road, was hit by a motorcycle which severely injured his foot. But instead of being helpful, the passersby and onlookers were scolding him for being reckless. The motorcyclist was checking on his nephew, who seemed shaken but was otherwise fine, to ensure that he was alright. I thought that the cyclist was very inconsiderate as he seemed to be neglecting the injured boy who was probably the same age as his nephew. However, to my surprise, after reprimanding the boy for a while, he helped him to his motorbike, helping him to sit in front of his nephew. He informed the onlookers that he would take the boy to a nearby hospital. I was happy that he realised that it was his duty to save the child.   
Raki Khan
University of Dhaka