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| Volume 11 |Issue 28| July 13, 2012 | |
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Star Diary
Wastage of Fuel We all equate traffic jams with wastage of time, but do we consider the wastage of fuel as well? When I was returning home from my university, I was stuck for half an hour in an elaborate traffic jam. I was surprised to find that the engines of not only our bus, but that of other vehicles on the road, were running for the whole duration of the jam. Most people don't even know – or care about – what they are doing, how they are wasting a valuable non-renewable asset. Another event occurred a few months ago. One of my aunts left her home for summer vacation for 15 or more days. When she returned home, she found that her stove was running and that the room was compressed with gas. How risky was her mistake for the other dwellers of her building and how much gas was wasted in 15 whole days? If we continue such wastage of fuel, nothing will be left for our future generation. Shahida Akhter A Samaritan I was on my way to work and was looking for a bus to take me to Farmgate. As usual, the buses were overcrowded, which encouraged me to seek a private car. The drivers of these private cars offer rides to people to different parts of the city, but without the knowledge of their owners. It is basically a way for chauffeurs to earn a few extra bucks. Anyway, on that particular day, I was lucky enough to find a car going towards my destination. The driver also picked up three other passengers. The AC was on and the car was very fancy – there was even a TV in front of us. I couldn't have asked for a better ride! What usually takes about an hour by bus took me just 30 minutes. At the end of the journey, when I took out the wallet to pay the driver, he shook his head and refused to take the money. He said, “I just wanted to give you guys a lift because of the extreme heat.” Dumbfounded, I, along with the others, forced the driver to take some money from us. We were all so surprised and moved to see people who still have moral values and do good deeds with no ulterior motives. Rislalat Amin Robber or Rickshaw-puller? I was going from my house to my office, about a kilometer and half away, from Niketon to Gulshan 1. Usually, the fare is Tk 15 by rickshaw, and on days when there is heavy traffic, I usually pay Tk 20. But that day, the roads were totally free and I reached there in less than 10 minutes. I paid him Tk 15. He looked at the money, and asked dismissively, “What is this?” I said, “This is your fare.” He said, in a very derisory tone, “15? Are you serious?” I told him that I pay this amount everyday, but he basically chided me and said, “15 bucks up to here? Even I would have paid more!” So I gave him five taka more. Yet he shook his head and said he needed a minimum of Tk. 25. I didn't want to start my day in a bad way, but I was seething with rage inside. I couldn't help but take out another five taka note and throw it at his face. Does that make me a bad person? I feel guilty about losing my temper like that but the rickshaw puller's behaviour was also unjustified. Ali Khan Copyright
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