STAR DIARY

Level Crossing: City's death trap!

The other day, I was going to my office in Motijheel from Banasree by a rickshaw. While passing the Khilgoan level crossing, I noticed that the gateman abruptly opened the passage bar and let the vehicles cross the rail line at the last moment right before the train approached. With all the other vehicles, my rickshaw also moved ahead to pass the level crossing. As soon as it reached the middle of the rail crossing, it got stuck as its way was blocked by a crazy mass of vehicles. Suddenly I saw the train was approaching towards us. Seeing the situation, we started panicking and tried to clear the rail track. I got down from the rickshaw and ran to a safer place while my rickshaw puller quickly dragged the empty rickshaw off the rail. The speeding train could have hit us creating another deadly accident for the careless attitude of the linemen.  

Md Zonaed Emran
The Farmers Bank Ltd

Unseen Afflictions

Last Wednesday afternoon, I was waiting for the food that I ordered at CFC, Shahbag. All of a sudden, an elderly woman kept her vanity bag on the table in front of me and asked me whether there was anyone with me or not as she needed to sit for a while. As she was looking very tired, I welcomed her to sit and offered her a bottle of cold water which she finished in one gulp. There was a cannula attached to her left hand and also bandaging on her feet. Assuming her to be a well behaved and soft spoken person, I wanted to know if there was any problem or not. Her reply made me speechless. "I had completed my graduation in English in 1977," she said. "Everything was okay but one day my husband left me with my two children without giving me any reason. Then I became mad and my five brothers also started to forget me as time passed. My son lives in London with his family while my daughter works as a lecturer in a renowned university but no one keeps contact with me. I have been teaching in a school for the past ten years, but now it has become impossible for me to continue any longer due to my diabetes an other diseases. Every day I need to come to Birdem Hospital on my own for taking injections and dressing for diabetes. I was waiting for my bus but couldn't get in as everyone was rushing to make an entry." Her story made me very sad. "Sorry, I've spoiled your precious time," she said and left like a storm. While I was seeing her getting on an overcrowded bus and getting pushed off by the people inside, I thought to myself how miserable and unfortunate can one's life be! Even if we can not fill their life with happiness, we should help lessen their misery.  

Mukhtar Ibn Rafique
Jatrabari, Dhaka