Return of the ABC Generation

Friday, 29th July, 2011 marked the “Return of the ABC Generation”, one concert featuring the giants of the rock music scene in Bangladesh: Artcell, Black and Cryptic Fate. Held at the renovated Engineer's Institute Auditorium, the gig was a six hour long master show organised by Live Square Concerts.

To start things off, there was Cryptic Fate, the oldest and most senior of the trio. The crowd was turned into a chanting mob as Cryptic Fate performed their greatest hits like “Danob”, “Bhoboghure”, “Prem” and “Odhikar”. They couldn't have finished off with a bigger bang than performing “Cholo Bangladesh” in front of a roused up crowd, the entire audience singing along to Shakib's powerful vocals as Cryptic Fate performed their most iconic number. The full lineup (more or less) of Cryptic Fate on stage was quite an experience for fans of the band.

Next on stage was Black, one of the pioneers of alternative rock in Bangladesh. “Ekhono Paini”, “Utshober Pore” and “Haat Barao Tene Nao” were a few of the mentionable numbers performed. Black also performed a song from their upcoming self-titled album. The songs that got the crowd on their feet and into a proper frenzy were “Kobor” (featuring their ex bassist Meraj), “Blues and Roud” and their closing song, “Tumi Ki Shara Dibe”. The on-stage antics of front man Jon Kabir kept the crowd entertained throughout Black's performance. Tony on drums and Jahan on guitar were exceptional in their performance. Look out for Black's next album “Black”, coming out in the next few months.

As Artcell took to the stage, the crowd's deafening cheers made it clear as to who were the most popular band of the ABC generation. While performing “Onno Shomoy”, “Pothchola” “Kandari Hushiar” and “Dukkho Bilash”, the crowd lent its collective voice to each song and even managed to lift Lincoln's enigmatic voice even higher. With guest vocal Jamshed from Power Surge, Artcell performed their brilliant number “Rahur Grash” along with a cover of Metallica's “One”: a fitting tribute. Drummer Shaju pushed back his return flight to the US for this show, and the crowd and his band members were surely thankful for the complete performance that he allowed Artcell to have.

Towards the end of the show, all three bands took to the stage in a super ensemble, performing covers of Metallica's “Master of Puppets” and Black Sabbath's “M.I.B.” before moving on to their original song “Ashirbad”. The show ended with a group bow from all the members of all three bands.

Incursion Music and ABC Radio were the main partners for the show, along with Apex Shoes and Nestea. The event was pulled off seamlessly by Live Square, with almost no untoward events occurring due to the volunteers' diligence. Here's to hoping the rock music concert scene is back for good.

By Shaer Reaz
Photo: Livesquare Concerts

Trouble at Diamond Castle

Liha, Lina and Lisa were three sisters who were very alike. They loved to read books, they loved to buy new dresses and they loved shopping. Liha was ten, Lina was eight and Lisa was only five. They lived in a duplex in Sydney with their father and mother. Their mother's name was Lara and their father's name was Luke.

One day the family decided to go to Diamond Castle Shopping Center by the Mountain Express train. They just reached the station in time because the train was nearly leaving. When they went in the station everyone in the train looked out to see them. They quickly went in and took their seats. All around them were only lush green. The train went in a winding track. At last they reached the shopping centre. When they went in they had a feeling that they would have fun and no trouble. But they didn't know how much trouble lay ahead of them.

At the shopping centre, their parents said, “Liha, you are old enough to take your sisters to the bookshop. It's right above us on the second floor. You three can do some shopping of your own while we do some shopping. Then come down to the coffee shop when you have done and we will have a nice cup of coffee and then we will go.” Liha was very happy and proud to be in charge of her sisters because she was the oldest and she said yes to everything.

So, they went up to the bookshop named Lila. It was stuffed with books. They all read lots of books. Then Liha wanted to buy a book called, ”The Adventures of Charlotte Katherine”. Lina wanted to buy a book called, “The Magic Curse”. Lisa wanted to buy a book called, “The Girl who wore a Bracelet”. Liha got out her purse and paid and they all got what they wanted. Liha carried the bag because it was heavy.

After that they went to the stationery shop next door. It was crammed with pens of all kinds, colourful bookmarks and different kinds of stickers. Liha got a purple glitter pen. Lina got a pink bookmark that had designs on it. Lisa got a sticker pad showing a puppy in different moods and sitting in different ways. Liha paid for them and Lina carried the bag because it was less heavy.

Then they went to the clothes shop nearby. Liha wanted a top that had hearts on it and also jeans that had hearts on it. Lina wanted a top that had bows on it and also a skirt that had bows on it. Lisa wanted a frock that had flowers on it. Liha got out her purse and paid. Then she turned around to give the bag to Lisa and say, “Our shopping is done.” But to her astonishment she saw Lina standing behind her looking at a dress, but no Lisa. She quickly took the bag from Lina and rushed down to the coffee shop. She saw their parents chatting away. She and Lina quickly went to them and said Lisa was missing. Their parents were shocked and they immediately called the police, who came in five minutes. They searched the whole shopping centre. As night rolled on Lisa was nowhere to be seen.

Liha thought, “It's entirely my fault. I should have taken care of her.” She thought that she would do some exploring by herself. So, she quickly went downstairs and out of the shopping centre. There were hundreds of stars in the sky and it was a full moon night so there was a lot of light. She looked and looked but couldn't find her anywhere. When she was about to give up she saw a little opening in the wall of the shopping centre. She quickly went in and saw Lisa asleep there. She quickly carried her into the shopping centre. Her parents were very happy with her because she had found her sister. They quickly checked into a hotel named Ballerina because they were too tired. They all had a buffet dinner. Then they went up to their room and went to sleep. The three sisters had the same dream. The dream was they were buying books, stationery and clothes. In the morning, they had a buffet breakfast. They had a very tasty meal. Then they caught the train and went to their own home at last. The three sisters were thinking the same thing when they entered their house and that was, “We are family and we will always be together.”

By Athai Ariana

Students speak out on pneumonia for EVERY ONE

Jalal Abedin is a student of class six at Dhaka Project School. When he was three or four, Jalal suffered from frequent coughs, headaches and chest pain. The problem persisted. Eventually his parents took him to a doctor and he was diagnosed with pneumonia. The doctor prescribed medicines and it took him around a month to recover.

“Pneumonia kills 71 Bangladeshi children every day. Most children know someone who has been very sick or died from the disease. Supporting the EVERY ONE campaign and sharing their experiences is one way they can make a difference,” said Mohammed Qazilbash, Country Director of Save the Children.

EVERY ONE is Save the Children's campaign to reduce child mortality and help countries reach Millennium Development Goal Four: a two-thirds reduction in child mortality by 2015.

Along with Bangladesh Pediatric Association, they will visit 60 secondary schools across Bangladesh before World Pneumonia Day in November, encouraging students to speak out about the prevention and treatment of pneumonia in their community.

Children will be able to share their experiences and opinions on the disease to publish in newspapers and also on the Internet. Students will also be invited to participate on World Pneumonia Day.

Mohammed Qazilbash said that the program was an effective way of linking Bangladeshi children, who have experienced pneumonia first hand, with people who have the power to make changes.

“By joining the campaign and sharing their stories they prove to our supporters, the public, media, aid agencies and politicians that children need better prevention and treatment against the spread of pneumonia.”

President of the Bangladesh Pediatric Association (BPA), Professor Mohammed Hanif and Secretary General Dr. Mesbah Uddin Ahmed reaffirmed their commitment to the fight against Pneumonia. The President said their members are committed to reducing the number of children who die from pneumonia and are excited to be involved with the EVERY ONE campaign.

“As pediatricians, we see so many children with pneumonia. They are usually the lucky ones because with treatment, they can survive. Far too often you hear of children dying from the disease,” said Professor Hanif. “We hope that by working with students and Save the Children, we can help fight pneumonia.”

The EVERY ONE campaign has already visited schools in Chittagong, Sylhet, Bogra and Khulna and will be collecting similar stories from children for the next three months.

Jalal said, “I don't know much about pneumonia, but to help prevent pneumonia, I can make a checklist of what causes pneumonia and how to prevent it and I can tell it to my friends and family to raise awareness.”

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in Bangladesh and around the world. Four Save the Children agencies are operational in Bangladesh: Save the Children Australia, Save the Children Sweden/Denmark, Save the Children UK and Save the Children USA, sharing resources and expertise to maximise impact for children.

The global EVERY ONE campaign is a collaborative effort among all Save the Children agencies.