STAR DIARY

No Trust! 

Last Friday, I went to New Market to buy some necessary things. Being a weekend, I came across a huge crowd there, and it was very difficult for me to move at ease. Suddenly I received a phone call from my friend, and I got on the footpath to speak to him. While speaking on the phone, I noticed a blind man trying very hard to cross the road but could not been able to make it.  I hung up the phone, went to him and told him not to worry as I would help him to cross the road. However his angry response shocked me very much. He said that there was no need to be busy for him. I understood that he assumed that I would cause him harm. As I left the scene, I laughed to myself thinking that these days we are not ready to trust anyone. When I was young, I was taught to help the helpless. But as time passed, we have proved ourselves to be so ill-mannered, that even a person who can not see the evil in us with his eyes also fears to take help from us. What a shame!

Shimul Ahmed
Pantha Path, Dhaka

An Angel's Arrival

I went to one of my friends' home to spend the summer vacation situated around 150miles north to the capital, Dhaka. Rony, my friend, did not show much interest to welcome me but I insisted. I discovered the reason soon after I had reached his home. It was in the remote part of a village with no electricity, proper roads, hospital or educational institutions. After going there I feel like saluting the villagers' honesty, cordiality and the contribution to the nation producing all the farm products that we need.

However, Rony's father was an elderly person who was not well while his mother works in other people's houses to support the family and Rony's tuition fees. His elder brothers have been working in the farms of other affluent villagers as day labourers. With such effort they could have been able to send Rony to the University for higher education. As we reached Rony's home, we discovered that his father's health worsened and he was crawling, screaming in pain and seeking God's help. To my surprise, no ambulance came; there was no doctor within around 50 miles and there was no other alternative vehicle to take him to the nearest town or bazar. This time as I looked at the fleshless body that somehow manages to stand in pain I could say that he had been suffering from malnutrition since his early 20s. It was Hernia. I could not tolerate his suffering anymore and was looking for a spot where I can stand by myself when I saw Rony. He could manage some pain killers and sleeping pills. At around 10 pm, his father went asleep. In the middle of the night I found Rony weeping! While keeping my hands on his soldiers, I couldn't but shed tears too.

The next morning, I found Rony in his courtyard standing among a large crowd where his father was being taken to the hospital. As I went there I found that an American NGO worker, who works for the very community, learnt about Rony's father from the villagers. I don't know who communicated with him in his language in such a remote rural area but I am really thankful to this man for his sincere cooperation.

Rezaul Karim Reza
Gaibandha