| Home - Back Issues - The Team - Contact Us |
 |
| Volume 11 |Issue 03| January 20, 2012| |
|
|
Letters Unsafe Campus By now, we all know about the atrocious events occurring in the different university campuses around the country. Students are being killed, harassed, tortured, and threatened by the cadres of different student political groups. There are several groups patronised by the different political parties. But at the end of the day, they are all the same – they end up committing crimes and creating anarchy with the silent support of the government. Students are not safe at their campuses anymore. What could be more frustrating and pathetic for a country! Given this situation, how can anyone possibly think that students, will engage in creative and constructive activities while they are haunted by fear? It's time that we stand up against these vile groups and banish them forever. If we just read the news of death of students in newspapers, sip tea and do nothing, we all become accessories to the crime by providing mute acknowledgment. The general students of BUET showed us how to question our values, ethics and consciousness, and demonstrated that collectively, we can eliminate darkness and bring justice. Let's raise our voices against anarchy and crime. Finally, let us pray for the young lost souls: may they rest in peace. Tahmidul Islam *** It has now become common practice for Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) to create anarchy and cause trouble within an institution. BCL is the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League, and its motto is “Education, Peace, Prosperity.” Terrible incidents have taken place one after the other in different campuses, and the media has started to expose the BCL's criminal activities. The most controversial and recent news was the merciless murder of Zubair, a fourth year student of English at Jahangirnagar University. Can we imagine how his father must have felt when he was burying his son? If the end result is death, no parent will want to send his/her children to a public university. A flame of protest spreads throughout the country now. It is high time that the government takes appropriate steps; otherwise its reputation will be tarnished. Rafik Alamgir
Different Voices Thanks to The Star for some different and interesting pieces this week. The writer of 'Musings of a Wannabe Writer' has almost stolen my thoughts. I suffer from the same pain as her – the inability to express myself using the right word. Unfortunately, unlike the writer, I have accepted my mediocrity and have given up trying to learn the craft of writing. Rather, I think I am destined to be on the other side of the pages. While the writer has portrayed my solitary thoughts, she has brought to view a gruesome truth in her column this week. I agree with her advice about being the light, but I have seen that women are usually so blinded by love for their husbands and boyfriends that they refuse to believe their own instincts. Even the most educated ones would place all their hopes on false promises of change made by their partners. Thus, I see no point in writing for this I-am-ready-to be-a-doormat-for-love population. Lastly, about the article 'Enlightened Patriotism vs Vitriolic Nationalism', I disagree with the writer that only our country's youth suffer from the dangers of loathing the enemy to the point that it disgraces humanity. People of some of the most developed nations rejoiced in the same shameless manner hearing the news of Osama Bin Laden's death. Even the gruesome photograph depicting Gaddafi's dead body was “liked” by many. This instinct is in no way characteristic of the Bengali youth only. Anisa Alam
Old Age, New Problems Your “Old age New Problems” was a great read. People often tend to see senior citizens as a liability. Particularly, the elderly members of families in the lower income bracket, who are unable to make any contributions to the family, are often seen as burden. In rural areas, the senior members of landless families often migrate to Dhaka in search of food and shelter, and end up living miserably in the streets and pavements. The fact that 66 percent of men over the age of 60 participate in the labour force is shocking. However, we should keep in mind that the senior members of affluent, upper middleclass families also have a lot of problems to deal with. The nation needs to learn to love and respect the elders. Mehjabin Archi I love Star Magazine What makes a Friday morning special to me is The Star Magazine. It's a very popular magazine in our country, and it's much appreciated for write-ups that bring many important but neglected issues to the limelight, be it related to politics, economics or social issues. The other day, as I was leisurely turning the pages of the magazine, I was struck by a title called “Appeal for Help” Reading the article, I came to know that a woman is suffering from a complicated disease and that she needs a lot of money to save her life. It was a heart-wrenching article. The Star Magazine should have a section that includes such appeals so that people all over the world can realise the pain and suffering of the poor people and can extend a helping hand to save several lives. There are many people around us who are struggling to pay for their treatment. On the other hand, there are many people in our country who are affluent but don't try to realise the pain of helpless people. I do hope that people will come forward to help Sufia Khatun. I pray to God that Sufia recovers very soon. Thank you Star Magazine and keep up your good work. Rasel Raymond Dio Submission Guideline: Letters to the Editor, Star Diary and Write to Mita, with the writer's name and address, should be within 200 words. All articles should be within 1,200 words. A cover letter is not necessary, but every write-up should include the writer's name, phone number and email address (if any). While The Star welcomes unsolicited articles and photographs, it cannot accept the responsibility of their loss or damage. The Star does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response time for unsolicited write-ups ranges from three weeks to two months. All articles submitted are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity. All materials should be sent to: The Star magazine, 64-65, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 880-2-8125155 or emailed to: <thestarmagazine@gmail.com> It is recommended that those submitting work for the first time to The Star take a look at a sample copy beforehand. Our website is: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2012 |
