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| Volume 11 |Issue 18 | May 04, 2012 | |
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Letters Fading Silver Screen
I was happy to read last week's cover story entitled “The Fading Magic". It provided a thoughtful perspective regarding the film industry. In the fifties going to the cinema was a national pastime. I still remember how family members would go together to watch a film at the cinema. Unfortunately, the picture is totally different now. The reasons are not far to seek, the chief being the availability of VCDs and DVD at a cheaper rate. In addition, private investors have been discouraged to invest in this sector due to the lack of initiatives by the FDC. Cinema-goers are compelled to stay at home due to the high ticket price, lack of proper seating arrangements inside cinema halls, no generators and lastly the lack of good films! Nevertheless, the young film producers have been trying to revive the past glory of the film industry in our country. Abul Ashraf Noor Memories of Santosh Gupta The write up “Memories of Santosh Gupta”, published last week was a great read. Through this article, the writer brought the works of a devoted journalist to light. Although Santosh Gupta was never in the limelight, his journalistic pieces were of great importance. This itself shows how committed the journalist was to his profession. We are really proud of having such kinds of souls who have blessed our society. He is an example for today's young journalists. Mizanur Rahman What Women Wear? Nowdays a women's attire has probably become the strongest tool to justify eve-teasing. The letter published on April 27, regarding the article “An Unpunished Violation" portrays the views of a large number of men and disappointingly of some women as well. The writer made some points which are absolutely degrading for a woman. Nowadays women are taking part in almost every sphere of our society. The writer asks women to follow the Bengali traditional dress. Every woman has the right to choose what she wants to wear. If a man can wear convenient western attire instead of traditional outfits, a woman should not be condemned for wearing certain clothes which make her comfortable in public places. I want to ask the letter writer to read the article again. Blaming victims for provoking the criminals is just an excuse to oppress the progress of women and to push them indoors in the name of 'safety'. Kohinur Khyum *** I am appalled and saddened by one of the letters published on April . He has requested women above the age of 18 to dress appropriately in order not to allure evil doers in public places. He believes that it is the dress of the woman that leads her to fall victim to a street crime, eve-teasing, etc. How can he forget that there are more issues than that? He states that the unethical pattern of lifestyle of women and ill-gotten money is the main cause of this social disease. I do not comprehend how this can be, especially since so many girls from the rural areas kill themselves after being teased. What modern lifestyles do these poor girls adopt? Dressing like our grandmothers is not the solution to the problem, when the problem is male aggression, lack of vision for the youth and lack of leadership. It is time that men speak up against gender violence, and stop pointing fingers at women for instigating lewd glances from men. I am saddened that educated men like this writer in question feel this way. It makes the struggle of women even harder. I remember a few years ago as I was returning home in Farmgate along with my friends, a middle-aged man tried to grope two of my friends in the crowd. None of my two friends wear make-up or western clothes. Things need to change. If men feel threatened by our emancipation, finding silly excuses is not the way. Samia Tamrin Ahmed (We received a number of write-ups in reply to a letter by 'Abul Ashraf Noor' under the title 'An Unpunished Violation', published on 27.04.12. As a result of space constraints, we could only publish a few of them. We plan to publish the rest of them next week. You are also welcome to join us for a discussion on this topic on our facebook page.) Teasing or Terrorising The cover story on April 27, 2012, was something that I could very much relate to. I'm a college student and I am learning to ride a scooter in my area. The scenario is the same every time. I can’t even concentrate on handling the scooter because of people’s negative comments. These comments come from teenaged boys, rickshaw pullers, drivers, hawkers, older men and even women at times! They crack nasty jokes, shout at me for a lift etc. When I mentioned these incidents to my family, they blamed me and told me to stop riding the scooter. A few days ago, it was a beautiful morning and I went to Ramna Park alone. Almost all the men were staring at me like I was some sort of weird animal out of the zoo. One man even started following me around the park. A little while later I gave up and came back home because I felt unsafe. I really wanted to face him but I knew it would be useless. Really, the mentality of the people of this country needs a revolutionary change. I don't know how but things just can't go on like this. Sumaiya Momok *** The article 'Teasing or Terrorising published in the Star was really important. I thank the Star for publishing a story on such a serious issue. I think nowadays the problem has become more acute. Like many other brothers of our country, I also remain very anxious about my sister when she is out of the house. It is really shocking how the women of this country are harassed in the streets or in the workplaces. If relevant authorities don't control it, the situation will become worse. I hope the concerned authorities take this issue seriously. Topon Kanti Deb
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