::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Star Diary

Open Bribery

Though I had heard about overt bribery but it was only a few days ago when I had truly experienced it. I was at the Airport Railway Station to buy tickets for Chittagong. The ticket master was preparing for his Maghrib prayer when I asked him for a first class ticket. As first class tickets were unavailable, I asked for the even more expensive AC-seat tickets (Snigdha). While handing over the ticket the ticket master said, “Apnake ami ticket manage kore dilam, eibar apni ja khushi hoi den” (I managed what you asked for and now it is your turn to pay whatever you wish). I was shocked and surprised by the audacity of the employee, who managed to ask for a bribe so openly. The passenger standing in front of me in the queue had complained about such behaviour of the ticket master as well. I was paying for the ticket fare, then why would I have to pay extra money? Was the ticket master helpless and really in need of money or was it just another example of corruption?

Mazed Bin Md Yusuf Bhuiyan
East West University, Dhaka

Last Monday my sister, mother and I were watching television at 9 pm, the scheduled time for news on almost every Bangla channel. At that time, Indian Star Plus and Star One channels were showing some mega serials and my sister was watching them. I wanted to watch the news on the Bangla channel and told my sisters to change the channel, but my sister refused to do so and it made me a little angry. I started to bicker with her and she retorted back. Many a time, I had tried to dissuade her from watching these worthless drama serials and encouraged her to watch our deshi drama serials which are more entertaining and funny. Often, as an aftermath of a row on this issue, we would not talk with each other for two or three days. This issue sometimes exacerbates our brother-sister relationship. The other day one of my neighbours was telling me that he too could not watch games on the TV when his aunt and sister take control of the remote. Seeing and hearing all these I concluded that along with all other different kinds of addiction, we should add one more – mega serial addiction!

Md Rezaya Rabbi
Dhaka University

The Educated Thief!

A couple of days ago I went to a conference in the campus of University of Dhaka. I had kept my attaché in my car and locked it. After the conference, when I came back to my car, I saw that my bag was gone! I was horrified and angry because it had all my necessary documents, national ID card, passport, a few books and other expensive stationeries. The next day, a Sub Inspector of the relevant police station called me, inquired whether I had lost my bag or not and asked me to come to the station and collect my bag! I was impressed with the promptness of our highly criticised law and enforcement agency and went to the police station. I immediately checked for everything when I got my bag in my hands. To my surprise, the thief had not stolen any of my necessary documents, national ID card, visiting cards and etc. But he had stolen my pen drive, expensive pens, the brand cardholder, in short, everything that could be sold. He even took the original books I had kept in the case! I was happy to get back all my essentials but I couldn't help but be baffled by the most interesting thief I had ever encountered!

Shafiullah Abid
University of Dhaka