::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Letters

Love is in the Air

Love is certainly a complex emotion everyone goes through in their life. Romantic love, on the other hand, has sometimes been an experience that has escaped couples, like those who on their wedding day were strangers to one another. That is why I'd like to thank the Star for looking into how the shape of romantic love has changed, not just in the ways it is seen but also done. The hidden messages sent through servants are now replaced by late night SMS exchanges. These sorts of parallels are always fascinating to look at objectively when considering ourselves as an evolving society.

I particularly enjoyed Sharier's cartoons that illustrated the cover story as they truly give life to the real (but comical) experiences people face when pursuing love. Love will grow with globalisation for sure. Already there are a couple of mixed race marriages in my extended family and that is an example of how love marriages have become not only accepted but transformed beyond what older generations might have imagined. It is currently an emotional time in Bangladesh, what with the reopened wounds of our Liberation War, and while love might seem frivolous to talk about, it's something we need to hold on to make sure we are not lost of positive feelings in the face of difficult times.

Kazi Mahmud Hasan
Uttara, Dhaka

Photo: Prabir Das

Holiday Hopes

Though I found the cover story on Cox's Bazar's future in international tourism, published 8 February 2012, very interesting to read, I strongly feel there are some infrastructures that need to be supported further. Three Ss (sand, sea, and sun) need to be focused on for foreign visitors to want to come. An international holiday destination calls for full-proof safety and security of Cox's Bazar's beach and effective management of various types of activities, such as games, and entertainment for people to truly enjoy themselves under the shade of a beach umbrella.

The most important thing is to ensure perpetual peace with a perfect law and order situation for domestic and foreign visitors. I am very optimistic that Cox's Bazar will turn into an international destination in time through the efforts of the government and private sector. I have no doubts about it and the sooner the better. The whole world will be beating a path to the doors of Cox's Bazar.

Abul Ashraf Noor
Via e-mail

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

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