Mailbox

"A Break from the Capital"
Thanks a lot Star Weekend for publishing such a timely spotlight (published on July 10, 2015) on the holiday destinations near Dhaka. In fact, for the last couple of days I had been thinking of going on a vacation. I then found that my favourite supplement Star Weekend has just appeared with the solutions in the form a very insightful article. Besides the article, I really like the cover photo of this week's Star Weekend. The photo has brilliantly captured the peaceful and tranquil milieu of the forest. However, regarding the historic Bhawal Safari park, I found it quite expensive for tourists who want to spend a couple of nights in the forest rest houses.      
Sartaz Islam
Gandaria, Dhaka 

"No VAT on Education"
The photo-feature published on July 10, 2015 in the Star Weekend portraying students' movement to withdraw the absurd VAT on higher education in private universities was really an appreciable step. VAT is applicable in buying and selling commodities. By imposing this tax, does our government want to imply that from now on education has become a commodity, not one of the basic rights confirmed by our constitution? I would like to request the concerned authority to call off such bizarre ordinance. The government should not only withdraw this draconian tax but also it should take steps to make higher education in private universities more accessible and affordable for the students from all parts of our society.
Bappy Sadhu
Islamic University of Kushtia
Kushtia

Photo: Ripon Kamal

Preserve Our Heritage Sites
I really like the Star Weekend's regular column on Bangladeshi heritage sites. Through these articles I have learned a lot about our rich history and cultural heritage. These articles also show how forgetful we are as a nation, that instead of preserving these relics we are accelerating their destruction perhaps without even knowing what we are losing by destroying these artefacts. I would like to thank the Star Weekend for publishing such a resourceful regular column and I hope they will come up with stories on more heritage sites every week from all over the country.
Sarah Farhana
Niketan, Dhaka