::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Letters

The Power of Black Money

I have no adequate words to express my pleasure from reading this week's cover story with its wonderful cartoons by Sadat and Sharier. It was full of satire, wit and humour, and its readers can understand fully the role of black money holders in creating such inflation in the country. Though the government has allowed them to turn their black money into white ones through investment in different sectors, some of them have ignored it totally and retained their own style saying, “Don't Worry, Be Happy” and the beggar saying “Me Neither”. Their audacity has killed our common political will for the betterment of the country. It is a great tragedy for the political parties.

It is indeed very sad to say we have no option but to accept “the power of resilience” to adapt to the whims of the black money holders. The cost and the standard of living are so high that even our beggars open up the windows of exploitation to a great extent. We are helpless in present times.

We know that the global inflation has affected countries worldwide, and the prices of our daily necessities are too sky-high for ordinary people to bear, yet they nourish no ill-feeling against the present order. These days we notice violence, police action and destructive animus in the cities and towns of Bangladesh, but no positive results are sought after to keep our country at peace. It seems to me that we are “super resilient citizens”.

Cartoonists like Sadat and Sharier might play a vital role in causing an Intellectual Revolution among the readers of the Star. Let us hope that we may free ourselves from the hands of the black money holders to save the country from being destroyed in our own times. They are responsible for our sufferings and hardship.

Abul Ashraf Noor
Via e-mail

Comic Relief

About last week's satirical cover story, I would like to thank the Star staff writers for once again putting me stitches from laughing so hard. The subtle references to politics and people in society were clever and witty, and there is much to be said about the difficult art of comedy. Having been very busy the past month with my daughter's own wedding this season, I was really amused to read the satire “How to Marry With a Profit Margin” – if only you'd published this at the beginning of the wedding season!

Ironically, also, the holud dancers at my daughter's holud were all strangers to me but clearly took their role very seriously and had put together quite a show. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few real-life 'elusive wedding dancers' in the making like another of your satire's suggested. Stories like these relieve the heaviness of real life problems when all people want on the weekends is to relax and read something engaging without working their brains.

Pallab Hossain
Jurain, Dhaka

Photo: Amirul Rajiv

Living by a Treasure

I felt very overwhelmed to see a part of my life, the Dhaleshwari River, in the Star on Friday 18 January 2012. It was hard to realise our beloved and uncontaminated river featured in your reputed magazine for thousands of eyes to also see. From the core of my heart, I thank the Star for the fantastic publication.

We live at the heart of it. Almost every weekend my friends and I spend our time by the riverside. Very often we bathe in the river and observe the heart-warming and eye-catching sights, from anglers' lives to the villagers living on the banks. There are many who live around the river and from their earnings, through fishing, send their children to school. It is true however that there are some terrible groups actively trying to suffocate her by removing soil for other motives. It is a tragedy in the making because as the river is bound to become vulnerable and at risk. I would like to urge the government to take stronger steps against people looking to abuse the river's resources. We have to protect this treasure for she's the most important part of the entire environment.

Masud Parvez
Keranigonj, Dhaka

Sad Reality

I thank and agree with the writer of “Shapla and Others Make a Difference”, published on 18 January 2012. The writer's concern for such helpless and poverty-stricken children really touched my heart. Everybody knows these children should stay in school instead of on the street. They have hidden potential and the right to gain an education. However, what forces them to become domestic workers or day labourers is an all-consuming poverty. Our government declares education for all and child labour as a violation of the law, and yet nothing is changing to realise these. Why? Is it the irony of fate or the attitude of our heartless society? Let's put a stop to this sad reality.

Swapan Chandra Borman
Tangail

The opinions expressed in these letters do not necessarily represent the views held by the Star.

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