Launch disasters
Rohena Alam Khan SC, US
This is a reply to Mr. Badal Hasib's "Uncensored photographs." Until reading his article I didn't realise that a big part of everyday life of any Bangladeshi surrounds around the disgusting graphic coverage we have to deal with in the news. It is in fact a very gruesome show we are putting up for viewers of all ages, all around the world. I remember seeing mutilated bodies of men, women and children when a ferry or two had capsized in 2001. Their battered corpses haunt me even today. What was shocking to me at that time was that their arms were all outstretched as they were trying to hold onto something to save dear life. My question is why should newspapers publish such graphic photographs? I'm sure people who buy newspapers are not buying it for such photos. Wouldn't pictures of the battered launches be good enough?I remember live coverage of the burial of Ershad Shikdar as I had in fact been glued to the TV for the past few days watching the hourly news of what was going on in that jailhouse. I know there were hundreds and thousands like me who had been engrossed in the whole Ershad Shikdar fantasy. He was a psychopath, a horrific criminal yet we were actually "bothering", wasting our valuable time watching the news of him being hanged? Tell me, where does the problem lie? In the news or in our heads? Are we craving for such news, are we craving to see grotesque corpses in the news? If we didn't watch such news, would our journalists bother filming such acts? And is this what we are leaving our next generation to? Gross pictures and videos of who killed who and how? Don't we have a problem with the ever growing crime rate in Bangladesh? How can we lure our children towards buying guns because so and so had a gun and a so called news channel featured a story on his lifestyle? How can we let our children see such heinous acts of murdering people and cutting them into pieces? Who guarantees the fact that our children wouldn't have nightmares regarding what they have just seen and who guarantees my child might not want to be an Ershad Shikdar after seeing the detailed coverage? After all the fame, you tell me why not? How can journalists be so distasteful? What kind of perverted mentality do we have? We have been watching these sick episodes of so called news day after day and have not muttered a word. We have bought their sick mentality and have made it our own. What in the world is wrong with us? Are we sick in the head? ***We humbly beg to differ with the getup and photographs or makeup of the letters (25.2.05) of Mr. Zeeshan K. Huq (Vietnam) and Mr. MS Uddin (Japan) referring to the letter of Mr. Saif. There should have been a luminous photograph of our esteemed minister as shown in the local TV channels while speaking about the launch "sinking down". You have carried so many pictures of over-loaded launches for years together in your daily after any mishap with futile results. Because we have so many queer things in Bangladesh including the minister saying "Allahar baanda Allah niye jaan" when a child is killed by a bullet of miscreants on the lap of her innocent father. His peer is no different saying, as reported in some vernacular dailies, "Launch accidents happen due to the will of Allah" and "Jatrira kotha shonena" (passengers do not listen to restrictions). Well, shrugging off responsibilities do not improve things. Fazal Mohd Dani Jahangirnagar University ***After all these launch disasters, police abuses and rise in militant activities, our "honourable" ministers and their cronies are still steadfastly holding their positions. It is amazing to see that even after the PM's direct orders, Bangla Bhai is still having a "Jolly Good Time" killing people. Makes you also wonder, who is running the country? A humble request to the PM: Please make these people in authority resign and show us you care enough to get rid of ineffective "leaders". Enough!! No more mass killings!! Adnan Siddiky Toronto, Canada
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