Star Diary

The Lost Beauty of Dhaka

As popular belief goes, life in a medical school leaves students with no scope for time out and is devoid of fun outlets. However, we, the ones who are in it, can actually snake our way through to manage two hangouts on a good day! On the day in context, our practical classes ended an hour early. So we decided to take a stroll through the Dhaka University campus. It was doshora ashar (the second day of Ashar). The weather was cool and breezy. The roads were empty – not clogged up with the usual traffic. Dense green foliage on the backdrop of an open sky was refreshing to see. There were leaves gently falling down on the pavement from the outstretched branches of age-old trees. Travelling down an almost empty street with clouds hanging overhead and looking at the wide expanse of greenery in front, we noticed the richness of Dhaka that we often overlook. It was as if we had travelled a few decades back in time. I looked around and murmured, "Once upon a time Dhaka must have been really beautiful."

I also realised that the beauty of that cloudy day seemed unusual to me because we, the Dhakaites, have unconsciously given up all hope of living in a beautiful city long ago. The city, as a whole, has sunken into a stage that defies remarks.

Tasnim Jara
Dhaka Medical College

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Honouring the Father of the Nation

The area surrounding the Bangabandhu Museum at Road 32 (old) Dhanmandi is having a facelift with a large scale renovation. It is indeed a befitting act to honour the Father of the Nation as it is a norm in most countries of the world. This site has an impressive memorial plaque with a portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, but its premises have not been properly developed. The dignity and the aesthetics of the area have been marred by a souvenir-cum-coffee shop and a security post. I regret that the two structures have blocked the entire view of the memorial site of national importance. My suggestion is that the souvenir shop should be relocated to the entrance point along Mirpur Road near the parking space, and the security post should be moved inside the museum. I hope that the concerned authorities will consider my proposal.

Dr K Maudood Elahi
Dhaka

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Heartless or Careful?

Last month, when I was waiting to catch a bus at Farmgate, a couple of girls approached me. They were sobbing and said that their mobile phones had been snatched by muggers and asked if I could lend them my mobile so that they could make a call to their phones. They also told me that the mobile phones contained their roll number to an exam. I knew that the right thing to do was to help them. But I became confused and suspicious.

The girls had their bags with them. I thought the admit card must have been somewhere in their bags. I told them to go to a shop and make as many calls as they want from there, but they said that there were no shops around for making phone calls. Since I knew that there were shops around, I denied to help them and asked them to seek help from others. As I stood there, I kept looking at them. They were not approaching other pedestrians.

I had been mugged in the streets of the city before. While returning home I realised that such incidents have made us heartless.

Mousumi Islam, Basabo, Dhaka

 

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