SECOND EDITION

DHA K A SAT URDAY MAY 1 1 , 2024

Regd. No. DA 781 Vol. XXXIV No. 111 Baishakh 28, 1431 BS Zilqad 2, 1445 Hijri 16 Pages : Tk 15.00

JAMUNA RIVER
DHAKA’S TOXIC AIR
Train to roll
High levels of into new rail
cancer-causing bridge in Dec
elements found STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Bangladesh Railway is going to a get big

boost as Bangabandhu Railway Bridge
LEAD ARSENIC CADMIUM COBALT over the Jamuna is likely to be opened in
December this year.
MOHAMMAD AL-MASUM MOLLA The 4.8km long bridge, which would
be the largest dedicated rail bridge of the
Informal lead- country, is now fully visible as installation
The concentration of cancer-causing arsenic,
lead and cadmium in Dhaka air is almost
acid battery of all 49 spans were completed last
double the permissible limit set by the World and e-waste month.
Health Organization, a new study has found. recycling “Eighty-four percent work of the Tk
Informal lead-acid battery and e-waste industries, brick 16,918.59 crore project has been done,
recycling industries, coal-fired brick kilns, and and we hope to open the bridge in late
kilns contribute Traders encroach on the Dhaleshwari and keep huge piles of sand close to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur December this year,” Project Director Al
vehicles contribute to higher concentration
of the chemical elements, the study said.
to the higher Rahman Expressway in Charkondolia of Keraniganj upazila, significantly narrowing the river there. The photo Fattah Md Masudur told The Daily Star
It also detected high concentration of concentrations was taken recently. PHOTO: ANISUR RAHMAN
on Thursday.
cobalt, another element that can cause of chemical He said they were now setting up tracks
cancer, in the city’s air. elements on the bridge and 50 percent of the work

UNGA backs Palestinian

The research conducted in 27 locations was done. Besides, installing signalling
in Dhaka system and constructing platforms and
SEE PAGE 2 COL 5 buildings at two stations on the east and
west sides of Bangabandhu bridge were
“Dhaka is the
only site where
bid for membership in progress.
Besides, a gas pipeline on the bridge is
being installed. “We hope all these works
the combined Recommends UNSC to ‘reconsider the matter will be finished by early December,” he
carcinogenic added.
risk exceeds the
favourably’; US, Israel oppose the move The dual-gauge double-track bridge is
REUTERS, United Nations the matter favourably.” UN Security Council last month. being built some 300 metres upstream
benchmark for both The vote by the 193-member The assembly adopted a of the Bangabandhu bridge, which has a
adults and children,” The United Nations General General Assembly was a global resolution yesterday with 143 single rail line.
says the study Assembly yesterday backed a survey of support for the Palestinian votes in favour and nine against - Japan is funding 72 percent of the cost
conducted in 27 Palestinian bid to become a full bid to become a full UN member including the US and Israel - while as soft loans. Two Japanese joint-venture
UN member by recognising it as -- a move that would effectively 25 countries abstained. It does firms are carrying out the main work of
different locations the project taken in 2016.
qualified to join and recommending recognise a Palestinian state -- after not give the Palestinians full UN
across the world the UN Security Council “reconsider the United States vetoed it in the SEE PAGE 6 COL 2 SEE PAGE 2 COL 1

Country to ‘City tolls’ now an

see another
spell of easy way of extortion
heatwave DIPAN NANDY and 6:00am the following day. The DSCC
STAFF CORRESPONDENT MOHAMMAD JAMIL KHAN can only charge parking fees, and
that too at two specific locations.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Having driven his truck all the way “Extortion in the name of collecting
Department (BMD) predicts from Chattogram, Kashem Mia city tolls is a regular practice. If we do
a spell of mild to moderate reached Swamibagh in the capital not pay the money, they beat us with
heatwave in the second half around 1:00am on rods and sticks,”
of May after the current pre- March 27, when Kashem told these
monsoon rains subside. a group of young cor re s p onden t s ,
“We expect the heatwave men appeared on At least 60 who were present at
to begin around May 16,” said the road and waved the spot.
Bazlur Rashid, a meteorologist desperately. cases were filed T h e
at BMD. “However, it will To Kashem, it over illegal toll cor res p onden t s
be milder than the severe appeared that the witnessed similar
heatwave we experienced in men needed help. collection last instances of
April.” He stopped the year, say sources extortion at Kajla
The BMD considers truck and ended up intersection,
temperatures above 36 paying Tk 70 “toll”. in police. Gulistan, Tikatuli,
degrees Celsius for at least two The men gave Demra staff
consecutive days as heatwaves. Kashem a receipt quarters, Kaptan
Temperatures between bearing the Dhaka South City Bazar, and Dolairpar, during a visit in
38 and 39.9 degrees Celsius Corporation (DSCC) logo, and the the first week of April.
are considered as moderate truck started moving again. Hundreds of trucks and pick-
heatwaves while temperatures However, there are no leases up trucks cross these areas daily,
between 36 and 37.9 degrees handed out by the DSCC to collect and groups such as those seen in
Celsius are considered as mild tolls from trucks in this particular Swamibagh collect huge sums from
heatwaves. area. In fact, trucks that enter the the vehicles. This racket springs into
SEE PAGE 2 COL 6 capital after 9:00pm have to leave by SEE PAGE 2 COL 2

Pedestrians hurry across the rail lines as a train approaches near the Airport
Railway Station in the capital yesterday. One tripping over could result in life-
altering injuries or even death. PHOTO: PRABIR DAS
 NEWS
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024

2 BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS City

INDIAN OCEAN
2 killed in Sirajganj
Bangladesh to road accidents
become full STAR REPORT

member of At least two people were killed in separate road

security group
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT
Bangladesh will become a full
member of the Colombo Security
Conclave, a regional security group in
the Indian Ocean.
“We have so far been observer
of the Colombo Security Conclave.
Recently, we have decided that we will
participate in the conclave as a member
in the future,” Foreign Secretary Masud
Bin Momen told reporters after he
met Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay
Mohan Kwatra at the state guest house
Jamuna on Thursday.
The CSC, which was formed in 2011
as a trilateral Indian Ocean maritime
security group of India, Sri Lanka,
and the Maldives, came to a standstill
after 2014 due to rising tensions
between India and the Maldives.
In 2020, India pushed for the
revival and institutionalisation of the
organisation and expressed interest
in expanding the CSC to Mauritius,
Seychelles, and Bangladesh, according
to an article by the Indian think tank
Observer Research Foundation.
Asked about the implications of
Bangladesh’s joining the CSC, Dhaka
University’s International Relations
Department Prof Niloy Ranjan Biswas
said he sees more opportunities than
challenges in it.
He said the objective of the CSC is
to cooperate among the countries
to address challenges such as narco-
trafficking, human trafficking, piracy,
terrorism and extremism, and even
humanitarian assistance and disaster
relief.
“The security cooperation as
defined in the CSC is broad and wide.
It is not limited to defence only. For
Bangladesh, maritime safety and
security in the context of future risks is
very important. It is important for the
regional countries to work together to
address the security threats,” he said.
Even, if some other countries like
Australia join the grouping, it would
be even better. Such groupings are
mini-lateral ways of working more
effectively, which is often not possible
in big platforms like the Indian Ocean
Rim Association.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana pose for a photo on the way to the Awami League office from their
village home in Tungipara, Gopalganj, yesterday afternoon.
Cooperatives can boost agri
production, alleviate poverty: PM
UNB, Gopalganj
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday
stressed the need for cooperatives in every
area throughout the country to boost
agricultural production, alleviate poverty,
and create the scope for micro-savings.
“Our [political] leaders should be
sincere to enhance production, alleviate
poverty, and make arrangements for
micro-savings through cooperatives in
every area,” she said.
The premier said this while exchanging
views with the members of Dariarkul
Gram Unnayan Samity, a village-level
cooperative society, at Tungipara upazila
Awami League office in Gopalganj.
She said her government has been
implementing multifaceted programmes
to make everybody financially solvent.
The PM briefly highlighted her
government’s different programmes,
including “My House, My Farm”, Start-up
programme, universal pension scheme,
and collateral-free bank loans for self-
employment.
“We have taken many initiatives to
improve the living standard of the people
by stamping out poverty,” she said.
The PM said if the programmes
undertaken by her government are
implemented properly, nobody will
remain poor in the country.
Hasina, who is the adviser of Dariarkul
Gram Unnayan Samity, appreciated the
initiative of reviving the cooperatives system.
She asked the authorities concerned to
spread the idea of forming cooperatives
across Bangladesh to increase food
production and thus make Bangladesh
self-reliant.
The cooperative society has been built
on 9.05 acres of land donated by Hasina.
In the cooperatives system, the
ownership of the land will not be changed,
while profits from production of crops on
the land will be divided into three parts,
the PM said.
Two shares of the profits will be given
to the landowners and the farmers. The
PHOTO: YEASIN KABIR JOY
remaining share will be given to the
cooperatives fund, she added.
The premier reiterated her call to
bring every inch of land under cultivation
to increase food production to cut
dependency on others.
About the pension scheme, she said her
government took up the Universal Pension
Scheme for a secure future of people.
Hasina, also the ruling Awami League
president, urged her party members to
join the scheme for the betterment of their
future life.
Bangabandhu’s youngest daughter
Sheikh Rehana was present at the event.
Gopalganj Deputy Commissioner Kazi
Mahbubul Alam moderated the view-
exchange meeting.
Later, Hasina distributed agricultural
equipment and educational materials as
well as financial grants among the poor
and students.
She paid tribute and offered prayers at
the mausoleum of Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
accidents on the Bogura-Nagarbari road in
Shahjadpur upazila of Siraganj last morning.
The deceased are Nargis Khatun, 35, of
Tetiarkanda village, and Arshed Pramanik, 60, of
Shol Capri village in Shahjadpur upazila.
Hatikumrul Highway Police Station Officer-
in-Charge Md Abdul Wadud said Nargis died as
a truck hit her while she was crossing the road in
Jugnidah area around 10:30am.
Police seized the truck but its driver fled the
scene, he said.
Meanwhile, another truck hit a CNG-run
autorickshaw in front of Baghabari Gas Pump on
the highway around 11:00am.
Arshed Pramanik, a passenger of the
autorickshaw, was declared dead at a hospital, OC
Wadud said.
The driver of the auto-rickshaw was also injured
in the accident, he added.
Meanwhile, in Dinajpur, at least 25 people were
injured when a bus carrying them lost control and
crashed into a roadside tree on Birampur-Panchbibi
road in Hakimpur upazila yesterday afternoon.
Shamim Hossain, a sub-inspector of Hakimpur
Police Station, said that the bus was carrying at
least 40 people.
18-yr-old stabbed
to death in teen
gang violence
UNB, Chattogram
A young man was stabbed to death and another
injured in an attack carried out allegedly by a
teen gang in the Akmal Ali Pocket Gate area
under Patenga Police Station in Chattogram on
Thursday night.
The victim is Md Mehedi Hasan, 18, of Gorinda
Bazar in Bhola’s Lalmohan upazila, who used to
live in Chattogram.
The injured Md Rifat, 19, of Side Para under
Patenga Police Station is undergoing treatment in
critical condition at Chattogram Medical College
Hospital (CMCH).
Police and locals said some teenagers blocked
Mehedi and Rifat’s rickshaw when they were
heading towards the main road from the Akmal
Ali Pocket Gate area around 8:45pm.
The attackers stabbed them with sharp
weapons and fled.
Locals rescued the injured and took them
to CMCH where doctors declared Mehedi dead
on arrival, said Nurul Alam Asheq, in charge of
CMCH police outpost.

Train to roll ‘City tolls’ now an easy High levels of cancer-

into new rail
bridge in Dec
FROM PAGE 1
The railway bridge would improve
the capacity of BR in operating
more trains between the capital and
western part of the country. It would
also help reduce train delays, which
are now common, said officials.
The delays in schedule of trains
that travel between the capital, north-
western and southwester regions
mainly occur due to restrictions on
load and speed on the Bangabandhu
bridge.
With the highest permitted speed
of 20kmph, it takes about half an
hour for a train to travel from the
station on the east side of the bridge
to the west, said officials.
This problem cannot be solved until
the rail bridge and the dual-gauge
double lines between Joydebpur
and Ishwardi are constructed, said
officials.
There is a single line from
Joydebpur to Ishwardi. The railway
operates around 40 trains on this
stretch that connects Dhaka with the
western region via the Bangabandhu
bridge a day.
Officials said a maximum of 22
trains could travel smoothly on this
route a day, but operation of more
trains than the capacity is causing
the delays. The new rial bridge will
have the capacity to operate 88 trains
daily.
Considering all these factors,
BR has taken two projects -- one
for constructing the rail bridge and
another for constructing a dual-
gauge double line from Joydebpur to
Ishwardi, they added.
In December 2016, the Executive
Committee of the National Economic
Council passed the bridge project at a
cost of Tk 9,734 crore and the project
was scheduled to be completed
within December 2023.
But the physical work of the
project started in August 2020 and
the cost rose to Tk 16,918.59 crore
and the deadline was extended to
December 2025 with a year defect
liability period.
However, the physical work of the
Joydebpur-Ishwardi double project
is yet to start due to fund-related
problems. China, which was supposed
to finance the project, pulled out
midway. Now, Japan is going to fund
it.
It may take two more years to start
the physical work, said officials.
way of extortion
FROM PAGE 1
action late at night when long-haul
trucks ply the city roads.
The DSCC, through lessees,
collects tolls from city buses (Tk 40 or
Tk 60), pickups and human hauliers
(Tk 40), and auto-rickshaws (Tk 10).
It only charges trucks for parking (Tk
80 or Tk 90).
In reality, excess tolls are being
collected and from unauthorised
locations too.
Our correspondents saw that Tk
100 was regularly being collected
from drivers of pick-ups and trucks.
These collectors seen charging
heavily loaded trucks extra toll, even
though the lease agreement does not
allow them to do so.
Sources in police said at least 60
cases were filed over collecting tolls
illegally, and hundreds were arrested
in 2023, but the extortion continues.
Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, the
deputy commissioner of Wari division
police, said there were irregularities
in collecting the city corporation toll.
“The collectors often do not return
the change if given a Tk 100 note
for a Tk 30 or Tk 60 toll. They [the
collectors] were even found providing
unsigned receipts, and collecting
tolls at unauthorised locations,” Iqbal
told The Daily Star.
Iqbal also said toll collectors
were supposed to wear designated
uniforms or high-visibility vests, and
valid identity cards but they often
don’t do so.
“Sometimes, they try to use muscle
power if the police try to take action,”
he said.
“But we are taking stern action
against these extortionists and have
adopted a zero-tolerance policy. At
least 15 cases were filed and dozens
arrested in less than three months,”
said Iqbal.
“We may not be able to stop
the extortion completely but an
awareness was created about this, and
we are hopeful that the situation will
improve soon,” added the DC.
Osman Ali Khan, general secretary
of the Bangladesh Road Transport
Workers’ Federation, told The Daily
Star, “In the name of collecting
city tolls, extortion is going on at 71
locations inside the DSCC area. It
is not only creating a long tailback
on roads but also chaos in city
transport.”
The collectors extort drivers just
like robbers, he added.
The DSCC database shows that
a lease was issued to three firms in
January this year to collect tolls from
57 locations around the Sayedabad
bus terminal, the Joy Kali Temple in
Gulistan, and the truck parking lots
at Doyaganj and Dholaikhal.
The firms are Himachal Gold
Line, authorised to collect tolls at 35
locations near the bus terminal, its
sister company 7-Eleven Enterprise,
(authorised to collect tolls at 20
locations near Joy Kali Temple, and
Saddam Enterprise, at the truck
parking lots.
At least 10 people supposedly of
Himachal Gold Line were arrested
last year for collecting tolls illegally.
Locals said 7-Eleven Enterprise
collects Tk 100 from vehicles in the
Joy Kali Temple area and Saddam
Enterprise stops trucks on the road
to extort money.
These correspondents visited
Sayedabad on an auto-rickshaw
on the night of March 30 and
saw five people stopping a truck
going towards the Sayedabad level
crossing. Noticing the press sticker
on the auto-rickshaw, the five fled
the scene.
On another occasion, the
correspondents followed a truck
from Swamibagh to Gulistan and
managed to talk to the driver, Md
Alimur, near the Joy Kali Temple.
Alimur showed a receipt for a Tk
100 parking fee, although he said he
did not stop at any parking lot.
DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor
Taposh told The Daily Star, “The
DSCC transport wing collects tolls
from different vehicle at the bus
terminal and its adjacent areas, and
the property wing collects parking
fees in different areas of the city
corporation.”
The lessees have specific
conditions, like where they can
collect tolls, from which types of
vehicles, and how much. Collecting
tolls violating the condition is illegal,
said the mayor.
“If we receive any complaint in
this regard, we inform the police, and
they take action. We have a watchful
eye on this issue.”
Aftab Uddin is the owner of
Himachal Gold Line and 7-Eleven
Enterprise. He is also the chairman
of a company called Himachal
Transport.
He told The Daily Star, “Police
have arrested some people of my
company on charges of extortion.
But no one in my organisation
collects money from trucks.
“We collect city toll from
buses, minibuses, and pickups. If
anyone extorts in the name of my
organisation, I am not responsible
for it.
“I have told my collectors not to
do anything beyond the terms of the
lease. For this, I have also taken their
signatures on a Tk 100 stamp. I have
also filed five general diaries against
those extorting using the name of
my organisation.”
Sources said Aftab appointed six
people to supervise the collection of
tolls. He also has a written agreement
with them.
This paper could not find Saddam
Enterprise officials for comments.
The phone number mentioned in its
contract with the DSCC was found
switched off.
causing elements found
FROM PAGE 1
across the world says Dhaka is the only
place where combined carcinogenic
risk “exceeds the benchmark for both
adults and children”.
The study titled “Elemental
Characterization of Ambient
Particulate Matter for a Globally
Distributed Monitoring Network:
Methodology and Implications”
was published in the peer-reviewed
journal ACS ES&T Air on March 10.
The Surface Particulate Matter
Network, the only global monitoring
network that measures fine
particulate concentrations, collected
the data to identify regions with
elevated chemical elements.
Researchers studied the elemental
composition of particulate matter
samples between 2019 and 2023 to
understand the distribution of dust
and chemical elements, assess health
impacts, and investigate emission
sources.
According to Prof Abdus Salam,
one of the researchers, lead pollution
in Bangladesh is causing the presence
of alarming levels of lead in the air.
“Lead concentration used to be
high once. Then it declined, and we
usually got 400 to 500 nanograms
per cubic metre of air. But nowadays
we get over 1,000 nanograms,” says
Prof Salam, who teaches chemistry at
Dhaka University.
The study finds Dhaka air as the
most hazardous followed by those
of Kanpur (India), Hanoi, Singapore,
Beijing, and Kaohsiung (Taiwan).
The findings will allow researchers
to perform more accurate health
risk assessments and thorough
investigation into emission sources,
said Prof Salam.
According to a Unicef and Pure
Earth report, around 1 in 3 children
-- almost 800 million globally --
have blood lead levels at or above 5
micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), the
level which requires action.
It is estimated that 35.5 million
children in Bangladesh are affected
with blood lead levels above 5 μg/dL,
making the country the fourth most
seriously hit in the world in terms of
the number of children affected.
While dust originates from natural
sources like deserts and human
activities like construction and
agriculture, chemical elements like lead
and arsenic are predominantly emitted
by human activities like fossil fuel
combustion and industrial processes.
The number of cancer patients is
steadily increasing in Bangladesh,
and in the year 2050, the country
may record more than double the new
cases of 2022, according to a WHO
report published early this year. In
Bangladesh lung cancer is one of the
most common forms of cancer.
Contacted, Environment, Forest
and Climate Change Minister Saber
Hossain Chowdhury said, “We take
ELEMENTS IN DHAKA WHO STANDARD
LEAD 1,100 500
ARSENIC 32 6.6
CADMIUM 18 5
(IN NANOGRAM PER CUBIC METER)
note of peer-reviewed research
findings. These are findings that need
to be looked at closely. We are aware
that e-waste from battery-powered
three-wheeler rickshaws requires
particular attention. We will keep the
findings in mind when we formulate
our responses.”
The link between environmental
degradation and public health cannot
be overlooked, he added.
Country to see
FROM PAGE 1
Every year, the monsoon season
typically arrives in Bangladesh
between June 7 and 15. BMD’s long-
term forecast for May indicates
a normal amount of rainfall, an
improvement over last month, which
saw 81 percent less rain than the
average.
Bangladesh experienced a record-
breaking 23 heatwave days in April,
the highest in 76 years.
On a brighter note, the Met office
forecasts rain and thunderstorms over
the next three days in several areas
across five divisions, including Dhaka.
“Rain or thundershowers
accompanied by temporary gusty or
squally wind is
likely to occur at many places
over Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna,
Barishal, and
Sylhet divisions and at a few
places over Rajshahi, Rangpur, and
Chattogram divisions with hails at
isolated places,” said a Met office
forecast for the
next 72 hours commencing at
9:00am yesterday.
Yesterday, the highest temperature
recorded was 34.8 degrees Celsius
in Jashore, while the lowest was
21.5 degrees Celsius in Faridpur and
Rangpur.
 2nd Edition

DHAKA 3
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS

One judge, 6,900 cases

HC hamstrung by judge shortage; law minister
says new appointment soon
ASHUTOSH SARKAR
The High Court and Appellate divisions of
the Supreme Court have long been facing an
acute shortage of judges.
While three judges have recently been
appointed to the Appellate Division to
resolve the issue to some extent, no visible
step has yet been taken for the High Court
Division in this regard.
Due to the scarcity of judges, the backlog
of cases with the HC keeps piling up, thereby
causing immeasurable sufferings to the
litigants, according to legal experts.
The number of High Court judges now
stands at 84 after three judges were elevated
to the Appellate Division. The number of
High Court judges was 100 in June 2012.
Among the total 84 HC judges, three
have been excluded from judicial functions
for about five years, as an inquiry centring
them is pending.
Besides, three other judges are running
the International Crimes Tribunal to deal
with 1971 war-crimes related cases.
Now, 78 judges are functioning for
hearing and disposing of the HC cases. Each
of them is burdened with more than 6,900
cases on average as about 5.43 lakh cases are
pending with this court.
People walk on a makeshift bridge over Kalyanpur canal to go to the other side. To save a few minutes, locals have set up multiple such Considering this situation, the
bridges without any safety measures. Meanwhile, the condition of the waterbody continues to deteriorate as garbage dumping and government is planning to appoint some
encroachment go on unabated. The photo was taken recently. PHOTO: RASHED SHUMON new judges to the High Court Division in
order to resolve the crisis of judges and
to increase the rate of case disposal, Law
Minister Anisul Huq told The Daily Star.
The president will make the appointments
of new High Court judges. He will decide on
how many judges will be appointed for the
HC, he added.
Meanwhile, the lower court judges are
also burdened with a huge number of cases
as there are just above 1,800 judges to deal
with more than 37 lakh cases pending with
the courts across the country, SC sources
said.
Now, 78 judges are functioning
for hearing and disposing of
the HC cases. Each of them
is burdened with more than
6,900 cases on average as
about 5.43 lakh cases are
pending with this court.
Contacted, senior lawyer and Dhaka Law
Reports (DLR) Editor Advocate Khurshid
Alam Khan said due to the shortage of
judges the number of case backlog is
increasing.
More competent judges must be
appointed for both the Appellate and High
Court divisions to increase the rate of case
disposal and decrease the sufferings of
litigants.

KITCHEN MARKETS

Beating the heat with Veggie prices

shoot up
‘COOL’ INITIATIVES
Dhaka residents band together to help those in need during heatwave
SHAHEEN MOLLAH and MD ABBAS

Along with price hikes of chicken and fish, some

MD SHAHNAWAZ KHAN CHANDAN
April 22 was one of the hottest days
Dhaka has ever experienced in the
last 65 years. While many city dwellers
preferred to stay in the comfort of
their homes, some students of the
department of philosophy at Jagannath
University had other plans.
They hired a cart, purchased
ingredients for preparing iced lemon
juice and started distributing it free
of cost to rickshaw pullers, street
children, transport workers and anyone
who wants to have a healthy drink in
searing heat.
At first, people walking around the
university gate could not comprehend
what was going on there. But, when they
realised, many, mostly street children
and working-class people, gathered
around the cart to have a sip.
Kolme Azad Kongkon, one of the
vegetables also saw rising prices in the kitchen
markets of the capital yesterday, adding to the
never-ending burden on the pockets of low-
income groups.
Visiting Kochukhet, Shewrapara, Ibrahimpur,
and Karwan Bazar, this newspaper found that
brinjal, papaya, drumstick, snake gourd, pointed
gourd, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, and green
chilies have seen a price rise of Tk 10-20 per kilo
compared to last week.
Long brinjal is being sold at Tk 80-100 per kg,
up from Tk 60-80 per kg; while regular brinjal is
being sold at Tk 60-80, up from Tk 50-60. Pointed
gourd per kg is being sold at Tk 60-70, an increase
from Tk 50-60 last week. Cauliflower and cabbage
are going for Tk 40-60 per kg, compared to
previous price of Tk 30-50.
Simultaneously, per kg of drumstick is available
for Tk 140-160, up from Tk 120-140 last week; while
each kg of snake gourd is being sold at Tk 60-80,
up from Tk 50-70. Each kg of papaya is selling for
Tk 80, up from Tk 60-70.
Meanwhile, carrots and green chilies saw a
A group of men offering free drinks to day-labourers and rickshaw pullers amid the heatwave. Meanwhile, rickshaw- significant surge in prices, with per kg of carrots
pullers smile wearing custom made mathals (lightweight bamboo leaf hats), which ensure both comfort and protection
from sunlight. Birds were not forgotten either, Jahir, a paint worker by profession, installs 20 water pots for the avian
friends in several trees at selected locations in five villages of Jhenaidah. PHOTO: PRABIR DAS, STAR

organisers of this initiative, said, “We
had been thinking how we could help
poor, working-class people who have to
work in an outdoor environment for a
long time amid this heatwave.”
“So, we came up with this initiative
and convinced our classmates to
contribute. And, thanks to all my
friends, we could offer healthy drinks
to more than 100 people,” she added.
Inspired by them, students from
several other departments also took
similar initiatives -- offering drinks
to passers-by, admission seekers and
guardians.
Md Shahjahan Badsha, an organiser
of one such initiative, said, “We are
students. We ourselves have limited
pocket-money. But the satisfaction and
gratitude we saw on the face of thirsty
people after having a drink is absolutely
priceless.”
Jagannath University students are
not alone in their selfless efforts to help
the most vulnerable.
Students from Dhaka University
and Dhaka Medical College Hospital
helped patients and attendants at the
overcrowded and poorly ventilated
corridors and staircases of the hospital.
They provided lunch packs and
bottled mineral water to these poor
patients and their relatives. They also
gave financial support to some of them being sold at Tk 120-130, up from Tk 80-90; while
for purchasing medicines. green chilies are being sold at Tk 140-160, up from
One of the organisers, who is also a Tk 100-120 last week.
student of DMCH, said, “You will not find Abdul Ali, a vegetable trader at Karwan Bazar,
many sources of healthy food and safe said the prices are high as it is not the season for
SEE PAGE 4 COL 2 some of the aforementioned vegetables.
This fresh hike in vegetable prices severely
SEE PAGE 4 COL 2

Honouring a
fallen son
Last salute to BAF officer Asim Jawwad
RAFIUL ISLAM
It was around noon. The rotors of a special
helicopter churned through the heavy
gloom at Shaheed Miraj-Tapan Stadium in
Manikganj.
Squadron Leader Asim Jawwad, a sword
of honour winning pilot in Bangladesh
Air Force, landed in his hometown from
Chattogram in his favorite chopper.
But he was not on the pilot’s
seat.
Instead, his lifeless body
arrived in a coffin, draped
in the national flag, where a
sea of grief-stricken family
members and locals were
waiting. Many were seen
home.
She has been in an inconsolable state
since the news of the tragedy reached
her home in Manikganj on Thursday. She
could not even walk. Jawwad’s relatives
carried her on their shoulders. She kept on
crying, “My son, my son”.
She was taken inside the chopper before
BAF officials brought out the body
on their shoulders to keep in a
freezing van kept outside.
Jawwad died after a
YAK130 trainer fighter
jet of BAF crashed into
the Karnaphuli river in
Chattogram’s Patenga on
Thursday morning when it
was returning to base post-
PHOTO: RAJIB RAIHAN

shedding tears. training.

Immediately after the
landing, his father Mohammad
Amanullah, wife Antara Akhtar and
two children -- six year old daughter and
one-year-old son -- descended from the
aircraft with the help of BAF members.
Jawwad’s mother Nilufar Khanum
was not in any state to make a journey
to Chattogram in order to receive the
remains of her beloved son and bring him
He along with another
pilot Wing Commander Sohan
Hasan Khan ejected from the plane
and landed in the river with emergency
parachutes. Pilot Sohan survived but he
could not.
A 35-second video clip of the incident
showed that fire broke out in the tail of the
fighter jet. Within seconds, the two pilots These men row their boat on the Karnaphuli river, hoping to cross the finish line and win the Sampan race. Protesting the pollution and
SEE PAGE 4 COL 6 encroachment of the river, the race was organised by Karnaphuli Sampan Majhi Kalyan Samiti. The photo was taken yesterday.
 2nd Edition

NEWS
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024

4 BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS

NSI RECRUITMENT

Dhaka court staffer

accused of scam
EMRUL HASAN BAPPI The entire incident was secretly filmed
at that time.
A staffer at a Dhaka court created The case statement also mentions
fake documents to recruit a “Junior that on August 20, 2020, Ataur provided
Field Officer” for the National Security Raihan with an “admit card for NSI
Intelligence (NSI) at the Prime Minister’s recruitment test”.
Office, according to ACC officials. Then, the remaining amount of Tk
They also stated that he took Tk 7 lakh was deposited into Ataur and
10 lakh from the youth, Mohammad his nephew Chowdhury Md Shershah’s
Raihan, of Jamalpur’s Madarganj for the
accounts in two instalments.
recruitment.
On March 14, Abul Kalam Azad, assistant
director of Anti-Corruption Commission, In the case statement, Azad
filed a case against Sheikh Ataur Rahman, mentioned that Judge
a storekeeper at the Additional Money
Loan Court-2, over embezzlement, forgery,
Mohammad Shafiqul Islam
and fraudulence. Ataur is now retired. submitted a report on
In the case statement, Azad mentioned September 27 last year to the
that Judge Mohammad Shafiqul Islam of authorities after investigating
Additional District and Sessions Judge’s a complaint against Ataur, 57.
Court-1 of Dhaka submitted a report on
September 27 last year to the authorities
concerned after investigating a complaint Ataur also took the original copies
against Ataur, 57, filed by Raihan. of Raihan’s SSC, HSC, and BA (honours)
According to the case statement, examination certificates.
Raihan learned in October 2019 through In the meantime, Raihan sensed
one Asadullah Dudu of Madarganj and anomalies in the process. When he wanted
his brother-in-law Shahin Mia of Rajshahi his certificates and money back from
Sadar that Ataur would help him get a job Ataur, he started harassing him, according
Despite a sign which reads, “Garbage dumping not allowed”, waste accumulates unabated on the road just outside Khulna Medical College. at NSI if he paid Tk 10 lakh. to the case statement.
On November 3 that year, Raihan Azad, who is investigating the case,
This glaring disregard for cleanliness poses health hazards and underscores the urgent need for proper waste management solutions. This
deposited Tk 3 lakh into Asadullah’s told The Daily Star, “ACC filed the case
picture was taken from Sonadanga-Notun Rasta Road yesterday. PHOTO: HABIBUR RAHMAN
account at a bank in Dhaka’s Eskaton. against Ataur based on the probe report
On the same day, Asadullah withdrew prepared by a judge. During the probe,
the money and went to the building of the judge found Ataur guilty.” He hoped
Man to die Beating the heat with ‘cool’ the District and Sessions Judge’s Court in
Dhaka along with Shahin and the victim’s
that charges would be submitted after the
probe is completed soon.
for raping FROM PAGE 3 both comfort and sun neighbours, Azad has been water for thirsty birds.
elder brother, Shafiqul Islam, and handed
over the money to Ataur.
Ataur could not be contacted despite
repeated attempts.
sixth-grader drinking water near this
hospital. Many of these
protection.
These hats, weighing
watering plants all across
Mohammadpur.
According to
canals, ponds and small
Jahir,

OUR CORRESPONDENT,
Dinajpur
A Rangpur court yesterday
sentenced a man to death
for raping a sixth-grader
in Mithapukur upazila in
2021.
The convict is Lablu
Mia, 23, of Jaforpur village
of the upazila, said Public
Prosecutor Rafiq Hasnain.
Md Mostafa Kamal,
the judge of Women and
Children Repression
Prevention Tribunal-1 of
Rangpur, delivered the
judgement in presence of
the convict.
According to the case
statement, Lablu raped
the sixth grader of a
local madrasa while she
was returning home on
September 1, 2021.
Her father then filed a
case against Lablu.
As Lablu and his family
members were threatening
the girl and her family to
withdraw the case, she died
by suicide on September 25.
Her mother lodged
another case against Lablu
and his family members in
this connection. The case is
under trial, said the public
prosecutor.
attendants are becoming
sick after eating unhealthy
food and unsafe water in
this searing heat. We are
trying to provide some
relief to these people so
that they don’t have to eat
street food.”
By collaborating with a
DU canteen, these students
are providing a lunch and
supper pack consisting of
rice, lentil, vegetables and
egg/chicken curry.
Similarly, Dr Md
Latiful Bari, chief scientist
of Dhaka University’s
Advanced Research in
Sciences, devised a special
solution to shield rickshaw
pullers from the intense
heat. They obtained some
custom made mathals
(lightweight bamboo leaf
hats) from Rangpur and
distributed them among
the pullers, ensuring
Veggie prices shoot up
FROM PAGE 3
affects low and fixed-
income people, forcing
them to cut their
consumption.
Tania Begum, 35,
at Karwan Bazar, said,
“Meat and fish have
already gone out of our
hands. Vegetables are the
only items we can afford.
150 grammes, allow airflow
while safeguarding against
the sun’s rays.
“Once upon a time,
mathals were quite popular
among farmers. But the
ones that they use are quite
heavy and made of straw.
I requested one of my
acquaintances to create it
using bamboo leaves for a
lighter design suitable for
rickshaw pullers to wear,”
said Dr Bari.
So far, he has distributed
these hats to 30 rickshaw
pullers.
BEYOND HUMANS
Some kind hearts have
also come forward to ease
the sufferings of other
creatures as well.
Md Azad Hossain, a
theatre actor and model
is a resident of the
Mohammadpur area. With
some of his friends and
But when I went to buy
vegetables, I found that
prices have soared as
well.”
“Where will we go if
prices continue to rise?
How will my children’s
nutritional needs be
met?” the garment worker
asked.
Shakil Hossain, an
“Many people have
planted trees recently
which, if not watered
properly, may not survive
this heatwave. So, we have
been watering them and
taking care of them. Also,
we have requested the
caretakers of public toilets
to water the nearby plants.
I have also paid them a
token remuneration for
that task,” said Azad.
Besides taking care of
the plants, Azad and his
friends have also offered
free drinks for pedestrians
near the Krishi Market
area. So far, over 500
people have quenched
their thirst thanks to
Azad’s initiative.
Jahir Rayhan, a resident
of Ramnagar village of
Jhenaidah, has set up more
than 100 water pots in large
trees to provide drinking
employee of a grocery
shop, said when the prices
of some items go up, they
do not decrease the same
way they increased.
“If prices fall by Tk 5,
it then increases by Tk
10-15 within a few days
again. No one is being
able to control the kitchen
market prices,” he said.
rivers in Jhenaidah, one
of the hottest districts
in Bangladesh amid the
heatwave, dried up during
the heatwave. So, Jahir’s
water pots are some of the
few places where thirsty
birds can have a drink.
Every day Jahir installs
20 water pots in several
trees at selected locations
in five villages.
“At first I used to hang
earthen pots but those
pots are quite expensive.
So, now I am setting up
plastic pots, each of which
costs around Tk 20,” said
Jahir.
A paint worker by
profession, Jahir said, “I
could not complete my
primary education due to
poverty. But I lave learned
the most important life
lesson -- be selfless, kind
and empathetic to others.”
Honouring a fallen son
FROM PAGE 3
ejected with parachutes.
The damaged aircraft sank
in the river.
“Never did I imagine he
[Jawwad] would leave me
and his mother so soon…,”
Jawwad’s father Amanullah
said while speaking over
the loudspeaker before the
third namaz-e-janaza held
at the stadium.
“As a doctor, I’ve seen
many bodies, performed
countless operations…
Yet, when I heard Asim
ejected from the plane, I
clung to hope. I rushed to
Chattogram the moment I
learned of the incident, but
realised [after going there]
what awaited us,” he said,
his voice shaking.
Amanullah took a Following
breath and started saying
again, “Despite knowing
the dangers, I supported
his dream of joining the air
force as he would fly for his
country.”
“His mother, however,
always opposed it. But I
honoured his passion and
dream,” he said.
Asim’s relatives said
his parents wanted him
to become a doctor or
engineer. However, from
a young age, he wanted
to reach the stars by
becoming a pilot.
Despite getting chances
at institutions like BUET
and government medical
colleges, he chose to take
to the skies, joining the
BAF to fulfill his lifelong
dream.
the
third janaza prayers
at the stadium, the
distinguished officer was
laid to rest at a district
town graveyard with state
honours.
Before that, the body was
taken to the parade ground
of Bangladesh Air Force
Base Bashar. He was given
a guard of honour after the
second janaza there. Top
officials of the three forces
were present there to pay
respect.
He joined the BAF on
January 10, 2010, and was
commissioned in the GD
(P) branch on December 1,
2011.
He was awarded the
“Chief of Air Staff’s Trophy
for Best in Flying” during
a course conducted by the
Indian Air Force.

Man rescued
2 days after
abduction,
four held
STAFF CORRESPONDENT,
Ctg

Police arrested four alleged

abductors and rescued a
man kidnapped two days
ago from Monoharganj
upazila in Cumilla early
yesterday.
According to a press
release, a team of Bayezid
police in Chattogram
city conducted a drive at
a house and rescued Md
Hasan, 39, who was tied
with a rope at a room.
Police also arrested one
Alauddin Subuj, 35, from
the residence and as per
his confessional statement
they arrested three others
from the area.
The arrestees are Md
Liton, 37, Rubel Hossain
Badsha, 21, and Abdur
Rahman Badol, 20.
Hasan was abducted
from Chattogram city
on Wednesday and the
abductors demanded Tk 5
lakh from Hasan’s wife, the
release added.
 2nd Edition

CITY 5
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS

BORO HARVEST IN RANGPUR DIVISION Teachers suspend

Farmers worry over fair price work stoppage
STAR REPORT

The Bangladesh Secondary Assistant Teachers’

OUR CORRESPONDENT, Dinajpur
With Boro paddy harvesting going
on in full swing, farmers from eight
districts under Rangpur division are now
concerned whether they would get fair
price for their produce so that they can
recover their cost of production.
The production cost went up
significantly this season due to the recent
heatwave that swept across the country.
According to the Department of
Agricultural Extension in Dinajpur, Boro
paddy was cultivated on around 1.74 lakh
hectares of land in the district this year,
while on 5.08 lakh hectares of land in five
other districts in the division -- Rangpur,
Nilphamari, Kurigram, Gaibandha and
Lalmonirhat.
So far, four percent of
the paddy has been
harvested since the
beginning of May and
the harvesting will
continue till mid-
June, said DAE
officials.
V i s i t i n g
different areas in
Dinajpur recently,
this correspondent
saw a large number
of labourers engaged
in harvesting paddy
from the crop fields in
Chirirbandar, Parbatipur
and Nawabganj upazilas.
The farmers are trying to harvest
their paddy as early as possible before the
monsoon starts.
Talking to this correspondent, farmers
said they got better yield than they had
expected, but medicines raised the cost considerably,”
the increased said Latif Mia, a farmer of Razabasar
production cost village of Dinajpur’s Parbatipur upazila.
has left them “Unless we get fair prices for our
worried whether produce in the market, it will be difficult
they would earn to recover the costs borne for the
enough to recover the
cultivation,” he added.
costs.
Shahidul Islam, a farmer of Sadullahpur
“Despite the hot spell and
adverse weather conditions towards the village of Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur,
end of Boro season, my paddy output on echoed him.
five bighas of land exceeded expectations. Md Hamidul Rahman, additional
However, additional expenses for director of DAE in Dinajpur, said they
operating irrigation pumps and using are expecting over 8 lakh tonnes of rice
production from 1.74 lakh hectares of
cultivated land in the district.
However, it seems the actual yield will
exceed the target unless rain affects the
paddy harvest, he added.
“Farmers had to spend more to irrigate
their croplands during the heatwave, and
use medicines to save the plants. As such,
the production cost went up this season,”
said Md Reaz Uddin, depudy director of
DAE in Rangpur.
He hoped that farmers would get a fair
price for their produce.
Association has opted to suspend its planned one-
hour work stoppage scheduled for today.
The association’s vice president, Mohammad
Yasin, confirmed the information through a press
release yesterday.
The movement was originally intended as a
protest against the government’s decision to keep
all secondary schools open on Saturdays.
Earlier, in protest of keeping schools open on
Saturdays, they had announced a one-hour strike
from 10:00am to 11:00am on May 11.
They said the exact duration, or the number
of Saturdays for which schools will remain open,
has not been clarified by the ministry. This lack of
clarity has led to dissatisfaction and unrest among
teachers, students, and parents.
Fisherman dies
in Bhola trawler
capsize
UNB, Bhola
A fisherman died after a trawler capsised in the
Meghna river after crashing into two anchored
barges early yesterday, river police said.
The victim, Harun Majhi, 55, was a resident
of Ward-6 under Kachia union of Bhola Sadar
upazila.
Locals said Harun and his two sons went to fish
in the river with the trawler early in the morning.
The trawler crashed into the barges anchored
in the river when the three of them were pulling
fishing nets amid tides in the Dhania Kathirmatha
area of Sadar upazila around 5:30am, they said.
His two sons jumped into the river and swam
ashore but Harun went missing, said Md Yunus
Munshi, inspector of Bhola River Police Station.

Three BCL
men hurt in
factional clash
CDA’s debt burden
OUR CORRESPONDENT,
B’baria

At least three Chhatra

League activists were
injured in a factional clash
in Brahmanbaria town
yesterday.
The followers of district
BCL organising secretary
Md Mohsin Mollah and the
supporters of its another
organising secretary Ruhul
Amin Afridi scuffled during
a meeting organised by the
district unit.
Housing and Public
Works Minister RAM
Obaidul Muktadir
Chowdhury was present
during the meeting in front
of Samobay Market.
Police rushed there and
dispersed the activists with
batons.
PRAYER
TIMING
MAY 11
Fazr Zohr Asr Maghrib Esha
AZAN 4-10 12-45 5-00 6-36 8-00
JAMAAT 4-45 1-15 5-15 6-40 8-30
SOURCE: ISLAMIC FOUNDATION
gets heavier
It borrowed total Tk 1,698cr from govt in last decade
SIFAYET ULLAH, Chattogram
With an aim to mitigate the
sufferings of Chattogram
residents from waterlogging and
traffic congestion, as well as to
facilitate tourism, the Chattogram
Development Authority borrowed
a total of Tk 1,698 crore from the
government for implementation of
four projects over the past decade.
However, the agency so far
managed to generate revenues
from only two of those projects,
since there is no scope to generate
revenues from its Outer-Ring Road
development and waterlogging
mitigation projects.
As such, its burden of debt has
kept getting heavier over the years,
leaving its officials worried about
repayment of loans taken for the two
non-revenue generating projects.
CDA officials have already
informed the matter verbally to a
state minister and higher officials
concerned of the government.
The agency took around Tk 753
crore loan from the government to
implement a Tk 8,626 crore project,
that began in 2017, to mitigate the
port city’s waterlogging woes.
As per the loan terms, CDA has
to repay it with five percent interest
after 20 years.
The agency took around
Tk 753 crore loan from
the government to
implement a Tk 8,626
crore project, that began
in 2017, to mitigate the
port city’s waterlogging
woes.
It also borrowed Tk 388 crore
for the Tk 3,324 crore Outer Ring
Road project on the shore of the
Bay of Bengal, to be repaid with five
percent interest. A Tk 524 crore loan
was taken at two percent interest
to implement the Tk 4,298 crore
Chattogram Elevated Expressway
project in the port city.
Lastly, Tk 33 crore was borrowed
to complete the Tk 353 crore project
to construct a link road between
Faujdarhat and Bayezid Bostami’s
Shrine area.
“We will earn revenue from the
elevated expressway and link road
projects as commuters will have
to pay a toll to use those. However,
we have no way to generate income
from the two other projects,” said
Kazi Hasan Bin Shams, CDA’s chief
engineer and spokesperson.
The matter has been informed to
Waseqa Ayesha Khan, state minister
for finance, and some higher officials
of the government.
Kazi Hasan noted that the
waterlogging mitigation project
deadline has been extended four
times, while the Outer Ring Road
project has been revised four times.
The cost of implementing the
link road and expressway projects
also increased twice, he added.
“Extensive delays due to a lack of
proper planning in implementing
these projects increased costs,” said
Shahinul Islam Khan, a former city
planner of the CDA.
The debt burden will eventually
slow down the development and
deprive dwellers of the benefits, he
added.

UPAZILA POLLS

Defeated candidate
held for beating
winner’s supporter
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Natore

Police arrested a defeated chairman candidate and

his driver on the charge of beating a supporter of an
elected chairman in Natore on Thursday night.
Shariful Islam Ramzan, secretary of the district
Awami League, was elected chairman of Sadar
Upazila Parishad with “cup-saucer” symbol on
May 8.
The arrestees are Jamil Hossain Milon, a
contractor and son of a local AL leader, and his
driver Bashar, said Md Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-
charge of Natore Sadar Police Station.
Milon and his supporters took Rubel Islam, a
supporter of Ramzan, from his house to Milon’s
office at Taltola around 9:00pm.
At that time, Rubel was beaten there, said the
OC.
On information from locals, police rushed to spot,
rescued Rubel and detained Bashar. Milon, who was
not available there at that time, was arrested later,
said Mizanur.
Rubel’s father Alam Gazi filed a case against 11
people including Milon and around 15 unnamed
persons.
Meanwhile, a Natore court granted the arrestees
bail when they were produced before it yesterday,
said the OC.
They are investigating the incident, added the
police officer.
Md Tariqul Islam, superintendent of police in
Natore, said they are trying to arrest the other
accused.
 CITY

6 INTERNATIONAL
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS

INDIA ELECTION US destroyer

Opposition in ‘driven away’ in
J&K accuses
govt of
South China Sea
Says China military
sabotaging REUTERS, Beijing

campaigns China’s military closely monitored and “drove

REUTERS, New Delhi
Opposition leaders in India’s troubled
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) valley have
accused Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s administration of denying
or cancelling permissions to hold
campaign events, to help his party’s
“proxies”.
Omar Abdullah, a leader of the
largest regional political party, the
National Conference, said Modi’s
government was trying to sabotage his
campaign ahead of voting in the first
of Kashmir’s three seats on Monday.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) is skipping elections in Kashmir
for the first time since 1996, which
analysts and politicians in the region
say belies his narrative of integrating
Kashmir with the rest of the country
and bringing peace and normality
to the valley ravaged by a 35-year-old
uprising against India’s rule.
In 2019, Modi revoked Jammu and
Kashmir state’s partial autonomy,
removed its statehood and divided
it into two federally-controlled
territories: Muslim-majority Kashmir
with Hindu-dominated Jammu, and
a mountainous Buddhist territory of
Ladakh.
While the BJP has not fielded any
candidate in Kashmir’s three seats,
it has said that, as part of its grand
strategy, it would instead support
other smaller regional parties, without
naming which.
In a letter to the federal polls
watchdog, Election Commission of
India, on Thursday, Abdullah said
the police cancelled permissions for
his rallies, asking him to reschedule
without providing any reasons.
He said on social media platform X
that it was done to help the BJP’s “proxy
candidates”. His rival Mehbooba Mufti,
who heads other regional political
powerhouse People’s Democratic Party
(PDP), also accused the police of not
allowing her to hold campaign events.
Pro-Palestinian protesters march across campus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) after three other protesters
were arrested for blocking a parking garage in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US on Thursday.
Israel closure of Gaza
crossings ‘crippling’ aid: UN
AFP, Jerusalem
Israel’s closure of key crossings into Gaza
has cut off the main entry point for aid, and
particularly fuel, rendering humanitarian
operations all but impossible, a senior UN
official warned.
“We lost the main entry point for
all humanitarian aid,” said Andrea De
Domenico, who heads the United Nations
humanitarian office, OCHA, in the
occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel on Sunday closed the key Kerem
Shalom crossing between Israel and
southern Gaza, through which most
humanitarian aid enters the Palestinian
territory, after a barrage of Hamas missiles
killed four Israeli soldiers in the area.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army seized and
closed down the Palestinian side of the
nearby Rafah crossing between Egypt and
Gaza after ordering residents of eastern
Rafah to evacuate.
In an interview with AFP on Thursday,
De Domenico said that although Israel says
it reopened Kerem Shalom on Wednesday,
getting aid through remains extremely
tricky.
Unicef chief warns if fuel
is not allowed in, “the
consequences will be felt
almost immediately”.
And the Rafah crossing, through which
all fuel into Gaza passes, remains closed,
meaning no fuel is getting in. “In Gaza
there are no stocks” of fuel, he said. That
“means no movement,” De Domenico
said. “It is completely crippling the
humanitarian operations.”
PHOTO: AFP
The warning comes amid increasing
international calls to ramp up aid into Gaza,
where famine has already begun in the
north, according to World Food Programme
Executive Director Cindy McCain.
Even before the Rafah crossing closed,
De Domenico said the UN had for weeks
been pushing for alternative ways to bring
fuel into the territory amid alarm over
Israeli threats to launch a ground assault
on the southern city, where the UN says 1.4
million people are sheltering.
Israel had assured the UN it was trying
to find a solution, he said, adding though
that aid groups would likely access far less
than the 200,000 litres (52,835 gallons)
a day they had been striving to bring in
before operations intensified.
The head of the UN children’s agency
(Unicef), Catherine Russell, warned that if
fuel is not allowed in, “the consequences
will be felt almost immediately”.
away” USS Halsey that entered the territorial
waters of Paracel Islands in the South China Sea
yesterday, the Southern Theater Command of
the People’s Liberation Army said in a statement.
The US move “seriously infringed on China’s
sovereignty and security,” the military said. “It is
yet another iron proof of its navigation hegemony
and militarization of the South China Sea,” it
said, adding its troops would stay on high alert
and safeguard national security. The US Navy said
the destroyer asserted navigational rights and
freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel
Islands “consistent with international law.” The
USS Halsey exited the area after its operation and
continued on in the South China Sea, it said. The
latest dispute between China and the US came
amid heightened tensions in the strategic South
China Sea, with US ally the Philippines embroiled
in an bitter diplomatic row with Beijing over
disputed waters in the region.
12 Maoists killed
in clash with India
security forces
AFP, Raipur
At least 12 Maoist insurgents were shot dead by
Indian security forces yesterday, police said, during
the latest clash in a decades-long conflict waged
in the country’s central forests. The guerrillas
were killed in a remote part of Chhattisgarh state,
where there have been a number of deadly assaults
on rebel encampments this year. “The bodies of
12 Maoists have been recovered during the search
operation,” local police chief Vivekananda Sinha
told AFP. Sinha said security forces had cordoned
off a forested area in Bijapur district after receiving
intelligence that insurgent cadres were meeting
there. Two members of the Indian security forces
had been wounded by homemade bombs during
the clash but neither was in a dangerous condition,
he added. Search operations were continuing in the
area, Sinha said. More than 100 Maoists have been
killed in India this year, according to police figures,
the vast majority in Chhattisgarh. The insurgents
say they are fighting for the rural poor, have been
carrying out guerrilla attacks since 1967.

Tigers eke out Donald Lu to visit Dhaka David Meale

feeble victory
FROM PAGE 12
Campbell out in the middle, the
visitors were threatening to take
the game away and register their
first win in the series. However, it
was Mustafizur, who recently had
an impressive campaign in the
ongoing Indian Premier League for
Chennai Super Kings, who brought
Bangladesh into the game by
removing Burl (19 off 20) and Luke
Jongwe (one off two) in the 15th over
to end a 35-run stand and reduce
Zimbabwe to 94 for six.
Mustafizur then removed Faraz
Akram in the penultimate over,
finishing with figures of three for
19 in his four overs, claiming the
player-of-the-match award for his
efforts.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh suffered
a batting meltdown despite a good
start. Tanzid Tamim and Soumya
Sarkar, who replaced out-of-
form Liton Das, stitched a 101-run
opening stand but the Tigers went
FROM PAGE 12
discuss US-Bangladesh cooperation,
including addressing the climate
crisis and deepening economic ties.
In Chennai, Assistant Secretary Lu
will meet with consulate personnel
to bolster bilateral engagement
in southern India, according to a
statement from the State Department.
He will then travel to Colombo to
engage with officials from across the
political spectrum and deepen the
United States’ partnership with Sri
Lanka.
“In his meetings, he will reaffirm
the United States’ support for Sri
Lanka’s economic recovery, as well
as the importance of a robust civil
society as a cornerstone of a free and
democratic society,” the statement
said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary
Masud Bin Momen on Thursday told
journalists that the scope and thrust
of Donald Lu’s visit is likely to differ
greatly from previous ones -- before
UNGA backs Palestinian bid
the elections in Bangladesh.
“The pre-election scenario and
the current one are totally different.
A new government has been formed.
A stable government is carrying
forward its activities by engaging
with various countries. All countries
think of engaging with Bangladesh,”
Momen said.
He said all elements of mutual
relations -- political, economic, and
even security issues will be discussed.
“We have many mechanisms,
platforms, and dialogues with them
[US]. It will be looked into how all
these can be reactivated and what
are the mechanisms we can take
forward,” said the foreign secretary.
Asked about the pre-election
discomfort, the foreign secretary said
Bangladesh never felt discomfort.
They might have felt that.
“From our side, there was no
discomfort before the elections, and
still we do not have any discomfort,”
he said.
FROM PAGE 12
Foreign Service with the rank of
minister-counselor, is currently
serving as the deputy chief of mission
at the US Embassy in Beijing, China,
where he also served as Chargé
d’Affaires ad interim.
Prior to this role, he was deputy
assistant secretary for Trade
Policy and Negotiations for the
Department’s Bureau of Economic
and Business Affairs.
He also served as the deputy chief of
mission at the US Embassy in Dhaka.
He joined the foreign service in
1992.
Prior to his foreign service
career, Meale held positions in
corporate finance with Sprint
Telecommunications.
A native of Virginia, Meale holds
a MS from the National Defense
University’s Eisenhower School, an
MBA from Tulane University, and a BA
from the University of Delaware. He is
also a recipient of the Baker-Wilkins
Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief
of Mission and has studied Chinese,
Ukrainian, and French.
US needs to work more
FROM PAGE 12
that such a scenario is not seen in
Bangladesh when the Awami League
is in power.
He, however, said it was seen
during the martial law, Ayub Khan,
Yahya Khan, Ziaur Rahman, and HM
Ershad regimes.
The foreign minister said they
want to work with the development
partners on human rights from the
front and want to see that human
rights are protected in the US and
European countries.
Hasan said they are surprised to
see how those who are protesting in
the US are being brutally suppressed.
Asked about the nomination of the
new US ambassador to Bangladesh, he
said they received the name much earlier.
Strapped down
FROM PAGE 12
US President Joe Biden has
nominated David Slayton Meale,
currently deputy chief of mission in
Beijing, as the next US ambassador to
Bangladesh.
Regarding the upazila parishad
polls, the foreign minister said 35
percent of votes were cast in the
first phase despite the BNP’s call of
boycotting the election.
“It is a good turnout. I would not
say it is very good. And there was no
violence. I hope voters’ turnout will
increase in the second phase.”
Former foreign minister AK Abdul
Momen, former state minister for
foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam,
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen,
and diplomats stationed in Dhaka
were present at the function.
clothing once the IDF has determined

on to lose their last nine wickets
for just 42 runs to end up with a
mediocre score.
Tamim smashed a 37-ball 52 and
stood out with the bat in hand for
the Tigers.
India SC grants
FROM PAGE 12
- go to the polls on May 25 and June
1 respectively.
Votes will be counted on June
4 and results are expected to be
announced the same day. Kejriwal
left from Tihar Jail in his convoy,
accompanied by his wife Sunita
Kejriwal and his daughter Harshita,
reports AFP.
The Enforcement Directorate,
India’s financial crime-fighting
agency, arrested Kejriwal on March
21 in connection with corruption
allegations related to the capital
territory’s liquor policy.
Kejriwal’s government and his
AAP have denied the allegations.
Modi and BJP say the investigating
agencies are only doing their job and
the government is not influencing
them, reports Reuters.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
Kejriwal’s lawyer, had argued that
Kejriwal was arrested just before the
vote to stop him from campaigning
against Modi, who opinion polls
suggest will win a comfortable
majority and secure a rare third
straight term.
FROM PAGE 1
membership, but simply recognises
them as qualified to join.
The General Assembly resolution
“determines that the State of Palestine
... should therefore be admitted to
membership” and it “recommends
that the Security Council reconsider
the matter favourably.”
“We want peace, we want freedom,”
Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad
Mansour told the General Assembly
before the vote. “A yes vote is a vote
for Palestinian existence, it is not
against any state. ... It is an investment
in peace.”
“Voting yes is the right thing to
do,” he said in remarks that drew
applause.
Under the founding UN Charter,
membership is open to “peace-loving
states” that accept the obligations
in that document and are able and
willing to carry them out.
More than 100,000 Palestinians
have fled Rafah in recent days, the
United Nations said yesterday, with
the southern Gaza city under threat
of a full-scale Israeli ground invasion.
Israel’s military on Monday
called for Gazans to leave eastern
Rafah, which triggered widespread
international alarm.
The UN children’s agency Unicef
said more than 100,000 had left,
with the UN humanitarian agency
OCHA putting the figure at more
than 110,000.
Georgios Petropoulos, head of
OCHA’s sub-office in Gaza, said the
situation in the besieged Palestinian
territory had reached “even more
unprecedented levels of emergency”.
Israeli tanks captured the main
road dividing the eastern and western
halves of Rafah yesterday, effectively
encircling the entire eastern side of
the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Residents described almost
constant explosions and gunfire east
and northeast of the city yesterday,
with intense fighting between Israeli
forces and Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The health ministry in Hamas-
run Gaza said yesterday that at least
34,904 people have been killed in
the Palestinian territory during the
seven-month-long Israeli offensive.
Ceasefire talks broke up on
Thursday with no agreement to
halt the fighting and release Israeli
hostages.
Hamas had said it agreed at
the start of the week to a proposal
submitted by Qatari and Egyptian
mediators that had previously been
accepted by Israel. Israel said the
Hamas proposal contained elements
it cannot accept.
Kala-azar
FROM PAGE 12
from the global health agenda.
Some of the known NTDs include
-- Buruli ulcer, dengue, chikungunya,
leprosy, rabies, snakebite, etc.
According to the WHO, an
estimated one billion people are
affected by NTDs, while 1.6 billion
require preventive and curative
interventions.
The report also said Bangladesh,
India and Indonesia have launched
new national strategic plans to
eliminate leprosy.
Bangladesh has also finalised a
plan for eradication of rabies.
Encampment
FROM PAGE 12
slogans but were dispersed by 6:00
am.
At the University of Arizona,
campus police in riot gear fired tear
gas late Thursday at protesters before
tearing down an encampment that
included wood and plastic barriers on
campus, reports AP.
In statement, the University of
Arizona said it made the decision
because the encampment violated
school policy. The school also said
that police vehicles were spiked, and
rocks and water bottles thrown at
officers and university staff.
In Philadelphia early yesterday,
police detained people who were
at an encampment that has
been in place at the University of
Pennsylvania’s campus for more
than two weeks. Officers moved
in after giving pro-Palestinian
protesters a warning to leave
campus or face possible arrest.
Police have descended on dozens
of campuses to sweep up students in
mass arrests, adhering to an approach
many criminologists have found to be
outdated and counterproductive.
New York police arrested nearly
300 people at Columbia University
and City College of New York on April
30 during protests over the offensive
in Gaza, setting off flash bangs to
stun and disorient demonstrators,
reports Reuters.
Two nights later in Los Angeles,
police collared more than 200 people
at UCLA. At schools in Connecticut,
Georgia, Texas, New Hampshire
and elsewhere, protesters have been
arrested by the dozens.
According to the accounts, the facility
some 18 miles from the Gaza frontier
is split into two parts: enclosures
where around 70 Palestinian
detainees from Gaza are placed under
extreme physical restraint, and a field
hospital where wounded detainees
are strapped to their beds, wearing
diapers and fed through straws.
“They stripped them down of
anything that resembles human
beings,” said one whistleblower, who
worked as a medic at the facility’s
field hospital.
“(The beatings) were not done
to gather intelligence. They were
done out of revenge,” said another
whistleblower. “It was punishment
for what they (the Palestinians) did
on October 7 and punishment for
behavior in the camp.”
Responding to CNN’s request for
comment on all the allegations made
in this report, the Israeli military,
known as the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF), said in a statement: “The IDF
ensures proper conduct towards the
detainees in custody. Any allegation
of misconduct by IDF soldiers is
examined and dealt with accordingly.
In appropriate cases, MPCID (Military
Police Criminal Investigation’s
Division) investigations are opened
when there is suspicion of misconduct
justifying such action.”
“Detainees are handcuffed based
on their risk level and health status.
Incidents of unlawful handcuffing are
not known to the authorities.”
The IDF did not directly deny
accounts of people being stripped
of their clothing or held in diapers.
Instead, the Israeli military said that
the detainees are given back their
that they pose no security risk.
Reports of abuse at Sde Teiman
have already surfaced in Israeli and
Arab media after an outcry from
Israeli and Palestinian rights groups
over conditions there. But this rare
testimony from Israelis working at
the facility sheds further light on
Israel’s conduct as it wages offensive
in Gaza, with fresh allegations of
mistreatment. It also casts more doubt
on the Israeli government’s repeated
assertions that it acts in accordance
with accepted international practices
and law.
CNN interviewed over a dozen
former Palestinian detainees who
appeared to have been released from
this camp.
“We looked forward to the night
so we could sleep. Then we looked
forward to the morning in hopes
that our situation might change,”
said Dr Mohammed al-Ran, recalling
his detainment at a military facility
where he said he endured desert
temperatures, swinging from the
heat of the day to the chill of night.
CNN interviewed him outside Gaza
last month.
“I was there for 23 days. Twenty-
three days that felt like 100 years,”
said 27-year-old Ibrahim Yassine on
the day of his release from a military
detention camp.
He was lying in a crowded room
with over a dozen newly freed men
– they were still in the grey tracksuit
prison uniforms. Some had deep flesh
wounds from where the handcuffs had
been removed. “We were handcuffed
and blindfolded,” said another man,
43-year-old Sufyan Abu Salah. “Today
is the first day I can see.”
 SHOWBIZ 7
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS

TRENDY STREAMS

Keeping up with Netflix

A Man in Full

THE DEWANS
Dewans, the enlightened bards, gather wisdom through their songs, connecting humanity with God
and the mysteries of nature. Synonymous with the folk song genre pala gaan, the Dewan family, now
in its fifth generation, continues to win hearts with their melodious voices and the harmonious blend
of violin, mandira, and dhol. Now in their fourth generation, veteran singer Arif Dewan and emerging
talent Sagor Dewan carry on this rich tradition, showcasing the magic of mystical songs through
their rendition of ‘Ma Lo Ma’ in Coke Studio Bangla Season 3, which trended at number 1 on YouTube
in Bangladesh, and 38 worldwide.
HBO Max
“To those RAKSHANDA RAHMAN MISHA my grandfather Khaleque Dewan, recorded Remaking of a popular song often faces Hacks
contesting, during the Pakistan period, gained immense resistance from fans, but Arif Dewan trusted
Composed by Pritom Hasan and penned popularity, becoming a staple at weddings Pritom Hasan entirely. “During recording,
please provide by Khaleque Dewan, Ma Lo Ma beautifully and special events. Its recent success proves I wasn’t familiar with the composition; I
evidence in blends original and modern influences, its [palagaan’s] enduring appeal to the focused solely on my part, playing the violin.
support of leading to its viral success shortly after its audience,” noted Arif Dewan, the esteemed When I heard the song later, I was pleased
your claim. release. singer, over a cup of coffee. to find my voice remained raw, untouched.
This song In a recent visit The Coke Studio rendition, featuring the The music video also honoured the song’s
to The Daily Star synergy of the Dewan brothers, retains Arif essence and avoided using elements that
solely belongs studio, the Dewan Dewan’s original sound while Sagor Dewan didn’t complement the song. So, I was
to Khaleque brothers shared adds a modern twist. For Sagor, the song confident that everyone would love it,”
Dewan,” he insights into held profound personal significance while revealed the veteran singer.
added. their forefathers’ growing up. So, how did the Coke Studio version
history, the “Whenever you listen to the tune, a certain come together? That’s an interesting story.
song’s origin, groove overtakes your body. Then there’s the Sagor had long envisioned reimagining
and more. beat—the taal—that truly captivates you the song, but conflicting schedules delayed
“Language and makes you fall in love with the music. the recording. “Pritom bhai had this beat Disney +
isn’t a barrier The song reflects on life’s journey and its ready with the Chad Petano team; when he Tales of the Empire
when connecting cyclical nature. My creations and records heard the song, he immediately recognised
with music lovers will remain, even when I will no longer be Ma Lo Ma would be the perfect fit for his
worldwide. Ma Lo there. Such thoughts kept composition,” said the singer.
Ma, a song by lingering in my “Chad Petano Gaan was quite prominent
mind and since when I was a young child. People used to sing
then, I’ve this song while beating chuna churki/surki
held a deep (lime and mortar) to renovate their houses.
a f fe ct ion This demonstrates how much Pritom values
for Ma our country’s culture.”
Lo Ma,” Regarding the song’s origin, a recent
shared controversy arose when Coke Studio Bangla
S a g o r mentioned another version titled Ma Go
Dewan. Ma, penned by Baul Rashid Uddin. However,
a cultural organisation in Netrokona
contested this, asserting Khaleque Dewan
as the original writer and their hometown Apple TV+
as the origin of the song. In response, Sagor
refuted these claims by stating that they
Dark Matter
have concrete evidence supporting the
original recording and literary references
crediting Khaleque Dewan as the original
writer.
“In 1960, Khaleque Dewan wrote Ma
Lo Ma, recorded under His Master’s Voice
(HMV) Music Company (now Saregama).
Our family has preserved the song and
its history since then. Current disputes
emerged only after Coke Studio’s viral
rendition and a certain group has been
targeting us recently,” asserted the young
singer.
“To those contesting, please provide
evidence in support of your claim. This
song solely belongs to Khaleque Dewan,” Bioscope
he added. Makal
While discussing the Coke Studio song,
Arif Dewan lamented about the current state
of the music industry and the government’s
apparent lack of effective measures to
promote local music on a global scale.
“In this lifetime, I have everything I could
ever want, in terms of love and respect.
However, I urge the government to take more
effective steps to bridge the gap between
Arif Dewan and generations in the music industry. If we don’t
Sagor Dewan. nurture talents from all backgrounds, we
PHOTO: SHEIKH
will fail to preserve our culture,” expressed
MEHEDI MORSHED the renowned folk artiste.

Arooj Aftab dropped her latest single, Whiskey,

OUT AND ABOUT IN DHAKA from her upcoming album Night Reign, following
Raat Ki Rani. The track is a soulful journey STYLE
through a night of unforeseen twists and turns.
Atmospheric and playful, Whiskey transports STATEMENT
listeners to a melancholic display of intoxicated
infatuation as Arooj sings in English: “Your head
gets heavy and rests on my shoulder ’cause you
drink too much whiskey when you’re with me.”
ELLE
WHAT’S PLAYING
Featuring a dreamy electric piano solo, the
track’s freeform structure, jazz elements, and FANNING
touches of ‘90s R&B showcase the range of
This year’s Met Gala, which
Exhibition ‘Rise of A Nation’
May 5-19 | 11am-8pm
Whiskey Aftab’s musical adventurousness. Collaborators
on Whiskey include Kaki King and Gyan Riley on
guitars, Maeve Gilchrist on harp, Linda May Han
transpired on the first
Monday of May, brought on
an onslaught of celebrities
Oh on bass and Jamey Haddad on percussion.
from around the globe
Zainul Gallery, Charukala, DU decked out in nines for
its designated theme —
1-MINUTE REVIEW to unveil the Costume
Institute’s new exhibition
“Sleeping Beauties:
‘LAAPATAA LADIES’ Reawakening Fashion”.
The theme for this
serves as an accessible feminist year’s fundraiser was The
Garden of Time, drawing
manifesto for rural women inspiration from a 1962
short story by English writer
Louder Together Nuanced director Kiran Rao took the
J G Ballard. This theme
provided the costume ball
May 11 | 5pm- 10pm directorial seat after 13 years for the recently attendees ample inspiration
KIB Auditorium talked about Laapataa Ladies. The with Maleficent-famed Elle
producer-turned-director established herself Fanning standing out, in
as a reliable filmmaker to watch out for, with particular, for her attire.
Dhobi Ghat,back in 2010. Today she has also The actress turned up
come to be known as a producer who is sure to in an iridescent Balmain
back poignant films. column dress adorned
Through the narrative of Laapataa with sculpted birds at the
Ladies, Rao presents the tale of two young Manohar (played by Ravi Kishan), further shoulders, complemented
brides, Phool Kumari (played by Nitanshi Goel) complicating the situation. by Cartier jewelry. The
and Jaya (played by Pratibha Ratna), in the On the route to detangling the confusion, actress firmly attributed
rural regions of India via chaos that erupts the film imparts to viewers several feminist the inspiration for the
when they are accidentally swapped during a philosophies imbued intrinsically throughout
dress to the character she is
Leading The Times: Midas Touch train journey. powerful moments. However, the highlight of
known for today — Sleeping
Deepak Kumar (played by Sparsh the film is that the indisputable perspectives
May 24 | 6pm Shrivastav), Phool’s bewildered husband, seeks come from individuals belonging to the rural
Beauty.
Aloki assistance from a corrupt cop named Shyam inhabitants themselves.
8 EDITORIAL
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS

IMF prescription to raise energy

FOUNDER EDITOR: LATE S. M. ALI

Personal data still

prices is anti-people, illogical
in danger Anu Muhammad
is a former professor of economics at
Jahangirnagar University.
concerned with public interest, they
would have asked why subsidies are
so high, instead of asking to reduce
in Bangladesh, Russia, China, US,
India, etc, our electricity production
costs are increasing. This is what the
Govt still failing to protect them in the energy sector. Why are government wants and also what
subsidies so high? Even though our broader corporate groups want. But,
citizens’ private information installed capacity is more than our as always, it is the people who must
It is gravely concerning that even after multiple incidents of current need, the government has bear the burden.
data leakage from government servers, the authorities are given one private power plant after Instead of addressing the pressing
continuing to ignore the crisis of cybersecurity in the country. ANU MUHAMMAD another permission to set up, and concerns of the energy sector, raising
We are still hearing about data theft, that too by government now are paying them an absurd prices is an anti-people and anti-
staff, which is a clear evidence of negligence. The latest incident
The International Monetary Fund
came to light when police on Tuesday arrested two members
of a cybergang that offered “services” such as changing (IMF) has just completed their recent
information in the National ID server and locating people by mission in Bangladesh, during which
phone triangulation. The gang operated with assistance from they held various meetings and
unscrupulous staffers at the Election Commission and other discussed the terms and conditions
government offices. of the $4.7 billion loan, which they
The ease with which the criminals operated is quite are set to give out in instalments.
frightening. They were able to avail these services via websites We have seen a set of preconditions
and encrypted messaging apps. This just shows how this group emerging out of those discussions.
was operating right under the authorities’ nose, and points Typically, there are two types of IMF
to the possibility of many more gangs currently being active. conditions—and I say this from my
Surely, authorities know that such crimes have far-reaching observations and long-term research
consequences. For instance, by manipulating NID information on IMF activities in developing
and using fake documents, fraudsters can open bank accounts countries. The first set of conditions
and get loans, as has been done before. Besides, then authorities relates to much-needed reforms
should be greatly worried about the fact that a section among to improve any economy, such as
them are involved in these crimes. Police said changing personal financial sector reform, tax-GDP
data on the NID server requires the credential of high-level
ratio, ensuring accountability and
Election Commission officials, which means the bad apples have
climbed the ladder and are now abusing their powers. transparency, etc. Then there is a
In June 2023, TechCrunch revealed that personal second set of conditions, whose main
information of about 50 lakh Bangladeshi nationals had been objective is more privatisation and
leaked from a government website. One would have guessed commercialisation. For the public,
that the news would serve as a wake-up call. But mere months this means increased gas, electricity
later, in October, this newspaper reported that personal and transport prices, more taxes, and
information of smart NID card holders—5.5 crore people—was so on.
available in the messaging app Telegram. And since then, news We have to treat these two
of cybergangs providing such services have made headlines conditions separately. If we do, we will
several times. Clearly, the authorities have not woken up. How notice that the IMF is not so serious
many more breaches and leaks will it take? about the first set of conditions—
These incidents imply that the administration, in its which are the bare minimum needed VISUAL: SHAIKH SULTANA JAHAN BADHON
quest of digitalisation, does not have the necessary expertise for an economy to function. They
or diligence to ensure data security. It is reluctant to take may talk about these much-needed been centralised have not been amount of money to simply sit idle— development position. Unfortunately,
accountability for its negligence, as in the case of breaches reforms, but these are not their brought under the tax regime. It is as much as 81 percent of the subsidies that is what the IMF consistently does.
centring NID. But ultimately, the government, which seems
main agenda. Their priority is to now universally acknowledged that in the energy sector is spent paying It is not truly invested in institutional
to only be concerned about acquiring private information, is
institute the second set of reforms. inequality has increased exponentially capacity charges. Another reason reforms. They gave out loans to Sri
responsible for protecting the data of the country’s citizens.
We urge the authorities to urgently address this issue by The IMF has already given out loans in Bangladesh. It is because a large is that, instead of investing time Lanka many times, yet it fell into a
apprehending the criminals, weeding out officials and staff to Bangladesh 10 times before, but amount of wealth has accumulated in and money in gas exploration, our crisis. Pakistan has taken out loans
involved with such crimes, and bolstering the data security has there been any improvement in the hands of a few people within a very government has opted for expensive 22 times, but we all know the state
infrastructure in consultation with experts. the financial sector? In fact, there short amount of time, thanks to large- LNG imports. So now we are having of its economy. So it is important to
has been an alarming degradation scale looting in the finance or energy to spend Tk 30,000-40,000 crore in question the conditions, frameworks
of the sector—Bangladesh has sector, occupation and destruction of importing LNG to get what we could
and prescriptions recommended by
Children should feel now become an example of how a
financial sector can become a place
of unprecedented and unapologetic
our rivers and forests, and different
construction projects undertaken
at the highest costs. But those who
have gotten by spending Tk 400
crore in gas exploration. As a result,
subsidies are increasing in the gas
the IMF and World Bank, and hold
them accountable. It is time to ask

safe in their schools looting. But since the 1990s, the IMF
and World Bank have brought about
have benefitted from this corruption
are not being taxed, even though it is
sector.
Similarly, instead of investing
what the results are of the various
projects and prescriptions of these
many reforms in public banks. The because of them that the country’s in renewables, they are setting up organisations. The ruling class in
Why are so many primary school space and scope for private banks GDP has increased. So while there is import-based coal power plants. Bangladesh are certainly to blame for
the chaotic situation in the railway,
buildings in Barguna dilapidated? have been increased. They have done
these in the name of reform in the
a need to increase the tax-GDP ratio,
the burden is ultimately falling upon
Nuclear power plant is being built
with huge loans. If the reasons education, health and energy sectors,
It is alarming to learn that about 21 percent of government financial sector, but we have not seen the ordinary people. New taxes are due to which subsidies are so high but I also hold the IMF and World
primary schools in Barguna are in dilapidated conditions, any overall improvement. being imposed on them at different remain unaddressed, the process of Bank responsible for enabling them.
putting the lives of children at risk. According to a report, these It has been the same in the case times of the year, even though such withdrawing subsidies would only It is time we asked whose interests are
schools, built between 1994 and 2002, have never gone through of corruption in private and public decisions are supposed to be made as mean that instead of solving the being served ultimately by the various
any renovations since, adding to the wear and tear of the sectors. In the name of increasing per the national budget. energy crisis, the burden of increased projects and prescriptions of these
structures in a region that often experiences extreme weather the tax-GDP ratio, they have imposed The IMF’s position is clearly to energy costs will fall on the general international institutions.
events such as cyclones and heavy rain. Take Gaurichanna protect corporate interests and public. Simply put, in order to expand
various taxes on the people, but As told to Sushmita S Preetha of
High School for example, whose students are attending classes
those in whose hands wealth has against public interest. If they were the businesses of some private groups The Daily Star.
in a building declared unsafe two years ago. Teachers say they
have urged higher authorities to take steps, but none have been
taken so far. Requests for renovations may take some time to
process because of bureaucratic complications, but a two-year STUDENT PROTESTS IN THE US
waiting time for the work to even start is unacceptable.
We have seen a similar situation in many other schools
across the country. In June last year, the then state minister
for primary and mass education told parliament that a total
of 6,704 government primary schools were in dilapidated
Reclaiming the flames of human rights
conditions. It means the many thousands of students, teachers Psymhe Wadud Court of Justice issued six provisional people of various races, religions,
and staff members who visit these buildings every day are at teaches international human measures, ordering Israel to “take all sexes, genders and sexualities bring in
risk. Some guardians are, therefore, reluctant to send their rights law at the University of
measures within its power to prevent fresh air of human equality.
children to schools. Forced academic interruptions like this Dhaka and is in-charge of Law &
Our Rights at The Daily Star. genocidal acts, including preventing In order to reclaim the
may harm not only children’s education, but also their life
and punishing incitement to genocide, transformative terrain and flames of
potential and future trajectory, especially for rural girl children
ensuring aid and services reach human rights, we need to approach
for whom early marriage is a constant threat.
Palestinians under siege in Gaza, human rights from hitherto excluded
While the government has plans to replace some of the old,
and preserving evidence of crimes locations and from the perspectives
rundown buildings—reconstructing them as cyclone shelters
committed in Gaza.” Israel, to date, of hitherto excluded subjects. The
in some cases—students and teachers should not have to risk PSYMHE WADUD continues to violate the said ruling task of so approaching is not quite
their lives by continuing to attend classes there. There must be
by the world court. Moreover, the US straightforward. The task ought to
an alternative option that is safer, if temporary. Bureaucratic
I argued a few months back that the intermediate space to vernacularise the abstained from voting in favour of the involve challenging authorities, re-
red tape and procedural delays must not come in the way
genocidal killings of innocent civilians, language of human rights, peace, and UN Security Council Resolution# 2728 reading the status quos, and contesting
to compromise their safety and security. Also, during the
particularly of children in Gaza, within justice, upon providing for a corrective on March 25 for an immediate ceasefire the taken-for-granted assumptions.
renovation or construction of buildings, fire/building safety
the context of the Israel-Palestine war, to the language of dominance, in Gaza, thereby not explicitly siding Through such an elaborate process
and seismic resilience should also be ensured. Children should
appear not as just another passing of with the latest attempt to assuage only, “human rights can be remade
be able to focus only on their studies, and not worry whether oppression, and hegemony. True that
a period but as an episode potentially the enormous humanitarian crisis in the vernacular” for the fringe-
the place where they are supposed to be protected will come those in power are biased, that power
signalling the impending doom of an there. Reportedly, the International dwellers and the marginalised. Indeed,
crumbling down. today is defined by imbalance, and
objectively trustworthy international Criminal Court (ICC) is considering the protesters are an embodiment of
that the sham of balance is rigged,
issuing arrest warrants for Israeli both the excluded locations (which
human rights law scheme, particularly but above and beyond such top-down top military and political figures for
LETTERS with five states at the helm as
permanent members of the UN
injustices and unfairness lies the
unbending power of the people.
the commission of war crimes and
crimes against humanity. However,
for them is the state of Palestine) and
the excluded perspectives lying on the
TO THE EDITOR Security Council. Four months later,
it seems a tad hopeful, particularly
Indeed,
fundamental
the very
freedom,
ideas of
dignity,
the fact that neither Israel nor the US
recognise the authority of ICC is yet
fringes of the international human
rights paradigm.
with students and staff in the US and human rights are discursively The history of mass movements
letters@thedailystar.net another despairing reality within the
universities vehemently protesting embedded into multiple sites. Mass or student protests is not new in the
international politico-legal spectrum.
the US policies that staunch support movements only show the site where United States. US campuses have
Double standard regarding Israel, and thereby indirectly provide the said ideas find flesh and blood. The
Against this backdrop, perhaps
it will be irrationally optimistic to witnessed protests during the Vietnam
an impetus to the Israeli genocide. protesting students chant “boycott War, and more recently in support
freedom of speech Anti-establishment protests are apartheid Israel,” thereby denouncing
imagine a system overhaul through
the protests, because nothing short of Black Lives Matter movement
Police brutality against protesters is nothing new in the US. generally handled with high-handed the racist policies that Israel propagates of such an overhaul can bring in true and against the overturning of Roe
During the ongoing student protests at US universities, the way tactics by those in authoritative and the US sides with. They ask the amends to the devastations caused. v Wade (resisting the rollback of
not just the police but the university authorities also handled the positions, essentially because university authorities to “divest from Indeed, the protests may not bring in women’s reproductive rights). All these
protesters raised questions about these educational institutions’ establishment nourishes and sustains Israel,” thereby warranting divergence ready-made solutions to the present movements were anti-establishment
claims as the flagbearers of freedom of speech, thought, and those who form part of the authority. from the deep-seated policies of crisis, precisely because racism is but and rights-based. Such protests give us
academia. Yesterday’s article titled “End of academic freedom And there has been no exception in the extending unsighted support to an institutionalised reality in the now both purpose and meaning, through
on US campuses?” was just another reminder of the true stance present context. Israel. Thus, the protesters unmask prevailing hegemonic-chauvinistic and in the face of adversities. Therefore,
of the US policymakers on free speech. Several right-wing or The protesters, with “an the aberrant intricacies and depraved world order. Nonetheless, the protests at the least, the protests tell us that it
autocratic world leaders and politicians have, from time to time, understanding of both worlds,” stand symbols constructing the premise for are a downstream constraint on the perhaps is premature to say that the
criticised the US’s prescription on freedom of speech. Now they firmly between the elite decision- the genocide now unfolding. However, illegitimate use of force and exertion of end of human rights, or international
will find even more excuses to crush on freedom of speech in makers at the top and the trampled- the question is: how far can these power. Within the illusion of sovereign law for that matter, is near. Indeed, the
their own countries. on Palestinians at the bottom. The protests take us? equality imagining all states standing discourse on human rights is all the
Amaya Haseeb protesters thus create an appropriate In January, the International on an equal footing, the protests of more relevant now.
Dhaka

The Daily Star EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Mahfuz Anam Registered & Head Offices: The Daily Star Centre Newsroom: Fax- 58156306 Advertisement: 01711623910 Subscription: thedailystar.net
Reg. No. DA 781 Printed by him on behalf of Mediaworld Ltd at Transcraft Ltd, 229, 64-65 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka-1215 reporting@thedailystar.net advertisement@thedailystar.net 01711623906 bangla.thedailystar.net/
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OPINION
In order to combat climate change, we need to cultivate a mindset driven by the need to care about remote others in time and space.
Dealing with climate
change in a capitalist world
Why we should care about remote others in time and space
The moral world is concerned about
climate change, the capitalist world less
so. Much of the current discourse is about
technological solutions, especially in
energy production and distribution. Much
less comfortable is the discourse about
changing present behaviour in the event
that our technological luck will run out—
exercising the precautionary principle,
the sacrificial trade-off over time for the
sake of future people and their spaces who
are unknown to us, and remote from us
and our immediate moral attachments.
Many observers like Anthony Giddens (The
Politics of Climate Change, 2009) have
pessimistically argued that distant threats
are too unreal to trigger altruistic sacrifice,
with the implication that a regulatory state
is needed to enforce behavioural change.
Is that possible through democracy reliant
on popular voting, where immediate self-
interested preferences prevail, whether
individual or national? If, therefore, the
appeal to altruism is weak, and a strong
regulatory state unlikely, where are the
human motives to be found to avoid self-
destruction of our species?
This can be addressed through
thinking about time preference
behaviour, concentric circles of moral
proximity, elements of well-being, and
the problematic of free riding. These are
all conceptual ingredients for sustainable
development that are not unrealistically
altruistic. Our time horizons are before and
after us, stretched as a function of moral
attachments. My grandfather was born in
1874. I was 30 and just a father when he died
in 1975. My grandchildren might just be
alive for the next century. That gives me a
morally attached and thus meaningful time
span of 226 years—Long enough to track
significant changes affecting my cognitive
bloodline. Everyone on the planet has a
version of this story of intergenerational
empathy. My grandfather was undoubtedly
concerned for me in his future, as I am for
my grandchildren.
In that way, we are time traders with a set
of discount preferences which determine
how we allocate behaviour between the
present and future, determined by moral
attachment that can be understood in terms
of concentric circles of moral proximity.
Our moral commitments to immediate
and then wider kin are usually stronger and
more comprehensive than to successively
outer circles of friends, neighbours and
broader identities (communities and
nations). Moral attachments within these
inner circles are more likely to be over
longer periods of time, and thus vertical,
not just horizontal, and contemporarily
reciprocal. These conditions represent
the intergenerational bargain within a
vertical line of descendants acting with the
interests of others in mind, bound to us by
moral attachment. Not purely altruistic, in
other words.
As we move to outer circles, attachments
are likely to be less moral and comprehensive
and more instrumental and specific. While
it may be easier to understand intimate
intergenerational bargains within inner
concentric circles of moral attachments,
the greater challenge is to understand
such time preference bargains at the outer
circles of instrumentality. In other words,
why might we care for strangers in the
present time but remote space? This is the
Dr Geof Wood
is a development anthropologist and author of
several books and numerous journal articles,
with a regional focus on South Asia. He is also
emeritus professor of international development
at the University of Bath.
GEOF WOOD
arena of collective action between strangers
and the underpinning for a longer-range
institutionalised policy and strategic
planning, which gives the concept of
sustainability its meaning. Is a propensity
for such collective action driven by well-
being? Both objective and subjective senses
of well-being represent the cognitive and
social bases of sustaining behaviours. It is a
feature of human and social existence that
an individual’s well-being is also a function
of others’ well-being—arranged through
these concentric circles of moral proximity.
My more immediate sense of well-
being is thus a function of securing a
sense of well-being not only for myself
but for others too: common good as an
essential prerequisite for personal well-
being. Furthermore, inequality and poverty
in those outer circles beyond kin can
also convert into the politics of envy and
actually threaten my own well-being: an
international concern, not just national. So
humans are not interactive social beings
out of a sense of altruism, but because they
have to as a condition of their own security
and interests, which underpin well-being.
Thus, we do not have to rely upon altruism
to save us, or upon utopianism about
which Giddens is rightly sceptical.
So far, therefore, we can explain vertical
intergenerational behaviour within inner
concentric circles. We can also explain
horizontal intragenerational behaviour
towards outer circles via a combination
of interdependent common good and
instrumentality reasoning. Crucially
though, we have not yet explained
diagonal behaviour: i.e. intergenerational
behaviour towards morally remote
descendant strangers.
By combining these two logics (vertical
through time and horizontal within time),
we can arrive at the following axiom: the
well-being of my intimate descendants
is itself dependent upon the well-being
of their contemporaries; ergo I have to
be concerned about the well-being of
remote strangers in the future in order
to maintain and protect the well-being
of my direct offspring or near kin with
whom I have moral attachments. This way
of understanding human motivation for
sustainable behaviour does not then rely
upon altruism, which can only refer to
helping those with whom one has no direct
interest such as moral attachment. In this
path of reason, therefore, we can imagine
collective intergenerational bargains
embracing outer circles of moral proximity
as a precondition for serving inner, more
morally attached, circles. This surely has to
be the key principle of continuing human
existence.
If our realism steers us towards
precautionary behaviour but not
derived from altruism, then it must also
acknowledge free riding, which cannot
simply be wished away, nor oversimplified.
Precautionary behaviour redistributes
harm over time periods, most obviously
in the form of immediate consumption
sacrifice for future benefit of remote others,
as well as between people in present time,
usually under conditions of inequality.
Any given population will comprise a
demographic distribution across the life
cycle, prompting a spread of differential
interests in consumption at any one point
in time. These distributions entail a variable
FILE PHOTO: AFP
of “distance” between individual self-
interest and immediate as well as longer-
term collective interest with respect to
climate harmful consumption. At any one
time, through these consumption choices,
there will always be a proportion of the
population (nationally and internationally)
which seeks in effect to “free ride” both
more than others in the population, and
more than at other times in their own
lives. Can the net amount of aggregated
free-riding resulting from a profile of
consumption spreads be managed for
sustainability through precautionary
action, requiring interference with the
prevailing distribution of the propensity
for unsustainable consumption? To
achieve this requires replacing material
consumption as the primary condition for
well-being, thereby defined less in terms of
status and identity, and more as spiritual
and emotional experience. This tunnels
deep into the psyche of capitalism.
What if, for example, the pursuit of
the principle of sustainability makes it
necessary to be motivated by forms of well-
being, which send signals to the market in
contradiction to incentives for destructive
technological innovation, and incentives
thereby for profit? Perhaps we are starting
on this road with increasing public
commitments (US and UK perhaps?) to the
green economy, and willingness to envisage
longer time horizons. Perhaps the catalytic
experience of climate change in these
countries and elsewhere—including, for
example, Dhaka winter pollution—is finally
changing mindsets, lowering discount
rates and thereby favouring precautionary
behaviour. Can precautionary well-being
as a cultural form become the cultural
underpinning of sustainable capitalism?
Can such mind and behavioural changes
send different signals to the market, thus
redirecting investment in technology and
skill sets?
These questions underpin the case for
green economy and green capitalism,
another “great transformation” in which
excessive commodification and alienation
is reset not just for decent work, but for
green well-being. We shift from knowing
the price of everything to the value of
everything, with multidimensional and
multi-period values dismantling the
present marginal utility determinants of
price. A shift driven by the self-interested
need to care about remote others in time
and space, derived from the link between
moral attachments and the common good.
To reach this state of mind and
behaviour, capitalism has to be confronted:
for its individualism and competition;
for rewarding free-riding; for its narrow
profit conception of efficiency; for its
misuse of the term “welfare”; for its logical
necessity to reproduce inequality through
the appropriation of the surplus value of
labour, thereby inexorably linking growth
to poverty; for the subordination of nature
and natural resources to upper quintile
usufruct, thereby removing the principles
of common property and citizens’ wealth;
and for framing human motives as venal
and alienating us all.
In the meantime, in the words of the
American poet Frank Scott (brought to my
attention by Leonard Cohen):
This is the faith from which we start:
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart.
We loved the easy and the smart
But now, with keener hand and brain,
We rise to play a greater part.
The lesser loyalties depart,
And neither race nor creed remain
From bitter searching of the heart.
Not steering by the venal chart
That tricked the mass for private gain,
We rise to play a greater part.
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
A slice of the
university pie
Recently, a special adviser to the prime
minister criticised the country’s universities
for awarding “useless degrees” that
contribute to the high unemployment rate.
He mentioned that one would hardly find
an engineer or a business graduate without
a job. This may be true for graduates from
some top universities, but as the adviser
puts it, even a large number of graduates
from lesser or private universities, albeit
with engineering or business degrees, do
not immediately get jobs. Then again, in
a recent batch of foreign service cadres,
70 percent of the new recruits have come
from engineering. While this adds to the
prestige of their studied discipline, it also
highlights the lack of coordination that we
have between educational priorities and
job sectors. The idea that these engineers
have spent years studying and training in
a professional discipline, only to choose
public administration as their career,
suggests a significant waste of time and
an incorrect investment based on a limited
understanding of university education.
The honourable adviser then blasted
“useless” disciplines such as sociology
or English for flooding the list of
unemployables. So it is the jobseekers’
fault that they could not make it to the
top engineering or business schools,
and by implication, this has become an
embarrassment for the government.
According to his utilitarian view, not
everyone should go to the tertiary system;
instead, some should opt for vocational
training. What is amiss in this argument
is the idea that the university acts as a
foundational platform for young boys and
girls to become adults. They learn to aspire
and dream big. Even a graduate from the
English department can become a finance
minister, and a graduate from the sociology
department can become a successful
administrator for engineers. University,
etymologically, means “the whole world.”
It is the shortened version of universitas
magistrorum et scholarium, meaning
“community of masters and scholars.” By
looking at a slice of the university under
a utilitarian microscope, the adviser is
suggesting a type of exclusivity that defeats
the purpose of a university.
Another group of professionals has
made headlines for slicing the university
pie. Divisional and deputy commissioners
presented a proposal to the prime minister
during the DC Conference on March 3-6,
asking for a professional university for
themselves and a specialised university
for their children. The public servants did
not shy away from boasting their elitism,
envisioning an academic farmhouse where
some animals are more equal than others.
In response, Public Administration
Minister Farhad Hossain recently stated
that the government had no intention to
establish any separate university for the
children of bureaucrats at this moment.
Hossain, a graduate of Dhaka University’s
Department of English, said, “The university
is universal; it comes from a universal
idea… A university is an open space where
knowledge is freely acquired, and people
can think without constraints. It is where
minds develop, shaping individuals into
capable citizens. It is a hub for all kinds of
people, a place where genius thrives.”
I would like to thank the minister
for deftly reminding us, including the
entrepreneurial adviser and the civil
servants, about the big picture of a
university. We can loosely translate an
old Bangla adage as, “Pursue knowledge
today, and tomorrow you will ride cars
and carriages [of success].” This is not
always the case in the digital era. Even
Tiktokers without education can ride
fancy cars. Acquiring some key skills can
lead to earning opportunities. Many of
the billionaires today are school dropouts.
9
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND
Dr Shamsad Mortuza
is a professor of English at
Dhaka University.
SHAMSAD MORTUZA
Their success adds to the growing anti-
academic sentiment. Then again, only a
handful of business start-ups make the
final cuts. To go further in life, one needs
a thorough understanding of the school of
life, bishwabidyalaya.
Learning to earn is just one facet of an
educational institution. True, universities
do teach us to become engineers, doctors, or
corporate bosses, but there is an ambitious
objective of higher education. Our celebrity
guests often parrot such a noble objective
of education in convocation speeches and
motivational talks. Universities teach us
how to live, how to discern who we are,
and what directions our societies should
pursue to give our lives a fulfilling meaning.
I feel that both the adviser and the civil
servants lack clarity about the very purpose
of a university. The bureaucrats may have
gotten carried away seeing their military
cousins, who have established their own
universities.
Here, a review of the university concept
FILE VISUAL: STAR
is pertinent. Since the inception of
institutions like Nalanda Mahavihara
in India (427) and the University of al-
Qarawiyyin in Morocco (859), the university
has been a social space for intellectual
exchanges. These institutions incorporated
progressive models of teaching and
learning within their religious framework,
offering curricula that included logic,
medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and
many other subjects. The University of
Bologna (1088) and the University of Oxford
(1096) replicated the successful model of
teaching for Europeans. The university
system’s main growth happened in the 19th
century, in a post-Darwinian scenario when
belief in religion received a sharp blow. The
university became a proxy space to find
meaning, consolation, wisdom, and a sense
of community, which were once the forte of
organised religion. Culture, not necessarily
scripture, explored issues of morality and
spirituality. The secularising idea remains
responsible for the construction of not only
universities but also museums, libraries,
and concert halls.
As an autonomous community of
students and scholars, modern universities
now come in different shapes and sizes.
Colonial influences primarily model
modern universities after those in
Europe. There are also universities with
vocational and technical focuses that are
closely linked to the local economy. Our
agricultural university is a case in point.
To be a university, they must conform to
academic standards to be able to call what
they provide “higher education.” They
boost a nation’s economic growth rate
and transform students’ lives. But, as John
Henry Newman observed in his book The
Idea of a University, knowledge produced
in a university is also worthwhile in its own
right.
The utilitarian value of a university must
reflect the institution’s inherent value. For
knowledge to be created and nurtured,
university provides a participatory
academic ecosystem that thrives in
democratic practices. Universities, by
design, are the bastions of creativity and
freedom of expression. The formulaic
business models or disciplined bureaucracy
do not necessarily chime with such a view
of university, and its inherent strength.
The global outcry against the atrocities
in Gaza is testament to the power of
universities. It started with the liberal
arts school in the US, going against the
hegemonic construction of a Zionist belief
of a racial supremacy of Israelites. It is the
university students who have come forward
to show us hope in a world that is blinded
by greed and utilitarian ambitions. Slicing
the university pie would not have given us
the norms to sift right from wrong, as we
are seeing now.
10 YOUTH
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS
The experience of being a woman
stand-up comedian in Bangladesh
In conversation with Poushi Razzaque, a young stand-up comedian.
The local YOUTH DESK
stand-up
Poushi Razzaque is a recent graduate
scene for from the Faculty of Business Studies
women at Dhaka University. She is currently
is more working at SELISE Digital Platforms
challenging as a business analyst. Occasionally,
to navigate when she’s not busy with work, you
can find Poushi doing stand-up at
than it is for various venues across Dhaka. In our
men. Women local stand-up comedy scene, where
in comedy most performers are men, Poushi is
often have one of the few active woman stand-up
to consider comedians.
Star Youth sat down with Poushi for
many factors a quick one-on-one interview where
like societal
she talked about her passion for stand-
stereotypes up, how she got into it, what’s it like
and audience being a woman stand-up comedian in
Bangladesh, and so on.
perceptions
while Star Youth (Y): How did you come
across the local stand-up comedy
choosing
scene? What did you like and not like
their stand- about it?
up materials Poushi (P): I came across the local
or topics for stand-up comedy scene in 2019 when
I attended a show in Dhanmondi as an
jokes.
audience member. I have always been
a big fan of comedy; humour of any
form serves as a stress-reliever for me.
Experiencing it live for the first time in
a cosy setting was a joyful experience
as I felt the energy with every laughter.
I got to know more about upcoming
shows on social media platforms and
realised that the scene had immense
potential to evolve into a big part of the
entertainment industry.
Y: What made you decide to try stand-
up yourself?
P: I have always had a keen interest
in humour and enjoyed making
people laugh, particularly through
creating online content like memes. I
even made humorous digital content
professionally (for marketing purposes)
for different clients. So, when I got to
know about the local stand-up comedy
scene, I was naturally drawn towards it
and saw stand-up comedy as an exciting
opportunity to explore a new avenue of
humour.
Y: Do you feel that the stand-up scene
is male dominated?
P: Yes, I think the stand-up comedy
scene, both locally and globally, is
male-dominated if we look at the
male to female ratio of performers.
Currently, there are less than five
Why do we attach our self-worth to achievements?
NADERA NAEEMA OHI important to understand the ways
different people live with it.
For most of my life, I defined who I Most often, this feeling develops
was by what I could do. This was not naturally enough that we don’t really
acts of kindness, my personal wit and notice. Achievements slowly shift
humour, or a confidence in myself from a goal to an identity you feel like
regardless of my circumstances. Who you can’t lose. Perhaps your parents
I was, for a very long time, was what I base punishment and affection on
could accomplish. success. As Asha Aanandi*, a high
Even if I was unwell, my grades had school student, shares, “I noticed
to be perfect. Even though I hated whenever I did something that could
competition, I had to be the best at be considered an achievement, my
every activity I took up. If that wasn’t mother immediately became more
possible, the impossibility was a supportive of me, more loving
symbol of failure towards me. Somewhere along the
line, achievements became the only
Nothing I did was ever enough, and
it crushed me to know that. way I felt validated from my ma.”
Although I no longer believe this, Before I was even a teen, I began
as a young adult, I see more and more to feel like I wasn’t unique, or
of my friends and peers struggling someone worthwhile who deserved
with the belief that achievement is love or care unless I had achieved
what allows us to have self-worth. something. I believed that there
Moving beyond this mindset is a was always another step left to
difficult process, it can sometimes take before I would be good
take years. In order to acknowledge enough. My inner monologue
how deep this feeling truly goes, it’s was an unstoppable stream
of self-loathing and
criticism.
“If I didn’t
woman comedians actively performing
in our local scene, including myself.
There’s a common misconception in
our society that women aren’t naturally
funny, and humour is often viewed as
a more attractive quality in men. One
major reason for women shying away
from comedy is the societal perception
that humour isn’t a feminine trait. For
men, their sense of humour is judged
by their ability to be funny, while for
women, it often depends on whether
they understand jokes made by men.
It is extra challenging for women to
enter the comedy scene because of the
existing stereotypes and expectations
surrounding what is considered
“appropriate” humour for women.
While men can freely joke about any
topic that might be even considered
distasteful, women doing the same
might make the audience somewhat
uncomfortable.
Y: Did you feel welcomed once you
started doing stand-up?
P: I have been doing stand-up comedy
since April 2022. When I first started, I
have achievements, what did I have?
In primary and middle school, I
had finally reached the top of my
class in terms of grades as per my
parents’ expectations. But what do
you do now? Now that you’re at the
conceivable top?” asks Mushfiq Alam,
an A level student at Maple Leaf
International School.
“You start finding other avenues
to compete in, such as competitions,
activities, etc. This time it was in order
to satisfy my own expectations
felt very welcomed by other comedians.
Everyone encouraged me to hit the stage
more often so I can get better at it. The
community has been very supportive
and inclusive. I never personally faced
any sort of discrimination or bias and
could connect with people through
comedy.
Y: Could you share your first stand-
up show experience?
P: After contemplating for months, I
finally gathered the courage to perform
at Naveed’s Comedy Club in April 2022
for the first time. I felt extremely anxious
but it was a surreal feeling when the
audience laughed at some of my jokes.
On top of that, I have stage fright and
my voice was shaking back then. But
the audience was extremely supportive
and I could feel the positive energy in
the room. One audience member even
approached me after my performance
and encouraged me to continue. This
moment of validation motivated me
to work harder on my materials and
overcome my fears.
Y: In your words, how would you
and feel worthy. This made being
happy with myself very difficult, and
dissatisfaction too easy,” Mushfiq
shares how he initially found
unsustainable coping mechanisms.
Sometimes, our distorted
perceptions of achievement and
our worth as people can bleed into
how we treat others. As in the case
of Asha, “Just the thought of doing
something which I know is not going
to be perfect repels me from doing the
thing. It has to be the best
or there’s no value in
it - it becomes a
waste of time.
Socially, even
if I don’t
want to, I
PHOTO: COURTESY
describe the local stand-up scene for
women?
P: The local stand-up scene for women
is more challenging to navigate than
it is for men. Women in comedy often
have to consider many factors like
societal stereotypes and audience
perceptions while choosing their stand-
up materials or topics for jokes. While
the community itself is very welcoming
and supportive towards new woman
comics entering the scene, it still
remains male-dominated. There are
obviously opportunities for both men
and women to perform and grow as
comics but women are more hesitant to
try out. Of course, the organisers of our
local comedy shows are careful about
gender equality and inclusion when it
comes to providing opportunities to
perform.
Y: Did you ever feel that stand-up
comedians rely too much on sexist
or inappropriate content in their
performances?
P: As a comedian, I’ve observed that
while some comedians do rely on
“I noticed whenever
I did something that
could be considered
an achievement, my
mother immediately
became more
supportive of me,
more loving towards
me. Somewhere along
the line, achievements
became the only way I
felt validated from
my ma.”
subconsciously become dismissive
towards those without a high
academic performance or any
significant achievements; I
feel myself become distant,
even though my love I
have for the person is
insurmountable.”
Letting go of an
a c h i eve m e n t - b a s e d
sense of self-worth
needs to be deliberate.
For me, fixing the
damage meant taking
active decisions for
my wellbeing that I
had never learned to
make before. I had
to break down an
entire personal belief
system cemented over
almost a decade, force myself
every moment of every day to
reject my
ILLUSTRATION: FATIMA JAHAN ENA
sexist or inappropriate content in their
performances, it’s not representative
of the entire community. Sometimes,
sexist jokes guarantee easy laughs as
the audience quickly responds to such
materials. But in my opinion, humour
is a powerful tool to communicate a
message, so we should use it carefully.
As comedians, it’s our responsibility
to use the platform wisely to raise
awareness for important causes with
thought-provoking jokes, and also
entertain the audience in a respectful
manner. In the community, there is
zero tolerance against sexism, hate
speech, and inappropriate content.
Y: Have you ever had to resort to
such sexist or inappropriate content
yourself to get the audience to engage
or laugh? Did you try to avoid such
content? If so, how, and how did you
feel the audience’s response was to it?
P: I’ve never felt the need to resort to
sexist or inappropriate content in my
sets. I firmly believe in creating material
that’s inclusive and respectful so that
the audience can relate to it. I mostly
write from my personal experiences
and everyday observations. Through
clever humour, I try to raise awareness
for important issues including mental
health, harassment, and my struggles
as a woman. The response from the
audience has been quite positive, which
made me realise that we do not need to
rely on offensive content to be funny.
I want to be authentic on stage and
make people laugh without bullying or
offending the audience members which
makes it even more challenging.
Y: What advice would you like to
share to aspiring woman stand-up
comedians?
P: I would like to encourage more
woman comics to perform and enter the
scene as we need more representation.
For aspiring woman comedians, my
advice would be to stay authentic,
share your experiences with others in
forms of jokes, and overcome the fear
of judgment. Failure is a part of the
process to learn and grow as a comic,
because not every joke will land but
we should always be ready to fail and
challenge ourselves to be better. It’s
always difficult to take the first step.
But once you take it, you will find your
voice.
inner voice projecting constant
self-hatred, and consciously work
towards divorcing my perception of
myself over what other people said or
thought about me. Everything I did
was for one main goal: to accept me
for me, and not a caricature of what I
thought I could be.
It’s tough to say what might help
someone else, the complexity of
these feelings varies from person to
person. “Of course, there are some
positives, such as pushing myself
to work hard and become smarter.
But I’d argue that it has been a net
negative. Once you’re conceived as
someone ‘smart’, people around
you start having high expectations
of you. It can be crushing at times.
Almost all of my friends are similarly
well-accomplished, ‘smart’, and
‘well-read’. I’ve also struggled
making friends with or socialising
with people who don’t share my
distinct world views or interests, or
don’t want to think the way I tend
to,” says Mushfiq.
However, I would still say that there
are a few necessary steps to starting
to be more kind to yourself. First,
you have to believe it’s something
you deserve. Convincing yourself you
deserve good things after a lifetime
of not accepting happiness unless
“earned” can feel impossible. It can
feel exhausting and humiliating. But
I realised that I owe it to myself - for
the simple reason of being the only
one who could give it to me.
Second is figuring out what to do
to get there. For some, it might take
emotional and mental effort, and for
others, it might take physical effort
to slowly reduce acts of physical
punishment like not eating. We have
to learn how to treat ourselves with
the kindness we would give someone
we love.
Finally, allow yourself to try, and to
lean on loved ones for help. Building a
new state of being for yourself might
be the hardest thing you ever have
to do, but if it is, every morning you
wake up will feel just a little easier.
Nadera Naeema Ohi is an A Level
student at Maple Leaf International
School.
 DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024, BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS
STAR SPORTS 1 SELECT HD1 Tottenham vs Burnley
IPL English Premier Live from 8:00 pm
Kolkata vs Mumbai League Nottingham vs
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STAR SPORTS Live from 5:30 pm Live from 10:30 pm

SHORT CORNER Fahad’s second

A minute’s silence observed for Asim Tanzid Tamim smashed
GM norm dream
Jawad his second half-century in
T20Is to give Bangladesh
extended
A minute’s silence was observed before the fourth T20I a flying start in the fourth SPORTS REPORTER
between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at the Sher-e- game of the five-match
Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday as a mark International Master Fahad Rahman
series against Zimbabwe
of respect for the tragic demise of Bangladesh Air held yet another Grandmaster, Sanap
in Mirpur yesterday. Vahap of Turkey, in the sixth-round
Force Squadron Leader Asim Jawad in an air crash in Tanzid made 52 off 37 match of the Dubai Police Global
Chattogram yesterday. balls and formed a stellar Chess Challenge in the UAE but his
Italy, Germany to have five clubs in 101-run opening stand dream to achieve the second GM
with Soumya Sarkar. norm following this tournament got
2024-25 CL However, the innings shattered on Thursday.
Italy and Germany have earned an extra spot in the fell apart once Tanzid Fahad, with black pieces, drew
Champions League next season after their clubs departed as the Tigers lost with Vahap in the 75th move to raise
performed well in European competitions this season, wickets in clusters and his point tally to 3.5 from six matches
Europe’s soccer governing body UEFA said on Friday. and shared fourth place along with 31
eventually got bundled out
other players. Indian GMs NR Visakh
for 143. Shakib Al Hasan
Namibia name T20 WC squad and Mustafizur Rahman
and Aravindh Chithambaram jointly
shared the lead with five points each.
Talented all-rounder Gerhard Erasmus has been then bailed out the hosts Fahad’s draw against Vahap means
named captain as Namibia revealed their squad for with the ball, ensuring a he will have to wait longer for getting
next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Squad: Gerhard nervy five-run win for the his second GM norm as he needed
Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Tigers. seven points from nine matches to
Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben do so this tournament. Now, the
Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan 20-year-old can amass a maximum
Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED of 6.5 points, subject to three straight
Kruger, PD Blignaut wins in the last three matches.
Fahad was playing against Indian
Read more stories on The Daily Star’s website GM Subramaniyam Bharath in the
seventh round on Friday.

Abahani trip as Kings

Tigers’ batting frailty exposed again
SPORTS REPORTER
Before Zimbabwe’s medium pacer Luke
Jongwe strolled in to deliver the second
ball of the 12th over, Bangladesh were
well and truly in command of the fourth
Twenty20 International in Mirpur
yesterday, with both openers still at the
middle and 101 runs already on the board.
With that delivery, Jongwe broke the
opening stand by getting opener Tanzid
Tamim caught at point after a well-made
52 off 37 balls.
After that, thousands of home fans
at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket
Stadium in Mirpur looked on bewildered
as in the next 51 deliveries, Bangladesh
lost their remaining nine wickets for just
42 to be bundled out for a meagre 143 in
19.5 overs -- a display that highlights the
frailty of the Tiger’s batting in T20Is.
Before everything went awry, the
innings had started swimmingly for the
hosts as their fresh opening pair of Tanzid
and Soumya Sarkar gave them their best
start in the series by far.
It was another magical night for Bayer Leverkusen, who staged yet another remarkable late comeback to
move into the Europa League final with a 2-2 draw at home against AS Roma on Thursday as they won 4-2
on aggregate and set the record for the longest unbeaten run in all competitions. Leverkusen, unbeaten in
49 matches now, were 2-0 down on the night till the 82nd minute when Roma defender Gianluca Mancini put
through his own goal before late substitute Joseph Stanisic pulled the hosts level after Leandro Paredes netted
two penalties for the visitors.
on brink of history
Soumya, who returned to action for Tanzid on 51 in the penultimate ball of the SPORTS REPORTER
the first time since hurting his knee mid-
March, replaced the out-of-form Liton
10th over from Sikandar Raza.
But things changed dramatically
BRIEF SCORES Abahani’s turbulent journey in the Bangladesh
Das. from the 12th over when Jongwe
Bangladesh: 143 all out in 19.5 overs (Tanzid Premier League (BPL) continued as they squandered
The left-hander looked first dismissed Tanzid and
52, Soumya 41; Jongwe 3-20, Bennet 2-20) an early advantage to settle for a 1-1 draw against
jittery and struggled to then removed his opening Bangladesh Police Football Club in Gopalganj
time the ball on most partner Soumya, getting Zimbabwe: 138 all out in 19.4 overs
yesterday.
occasions. However, he him trapped LBW (Campbell 31, Masakadza 19 not out; Shakib In their last five matches, the six-time BPL
picked his spots well with a fuller-length 4-35, Mustafizur 3-19) champions managed only two wins and two draws,
as he hit a six and a delivery. Result: Bangladesh won by five runs highlighting their inconsistent performance in the
four against Brain From then on, Player of the match: Mustafizur Rahman league, which they have failed to clinch in the past
Bennet from reverse the Bangladesh four seasons.
sweeps and also hit batters had no
Jongwe for a six answers to the
with a lofted cover Zimbabwean attack nine fours and three sixes in their opening
drive. as spinners Bennet stand. With a win against Mohammedan today,
At the other and Raza dried Zimbabwean pacers, who were finding Bashundhara Kings can surpass Dhaka Wanderers
end, Tanzid was up the boundaries life difficult against Tanzid, suddenly Club and become the first team to win five top-
seemingly batting on a and collectively took found their rhythm as the Bangladesh flight leagues on the trot in Bangladesh. Wanderers
different surface as he was three wickets, exposing innings crumbled. Even with a five-run had won four in a row between 1953-1956.
in command from the start, Bangladesh’s long tail with win, this sorry batting display from
bringing up his second T20I half-century bowling all-rounder Rishad Hossain Bangladesh against a team that couldn’t Abahani and Mohammedan possess a record of
off 34 balls. coming at No.7 in the match. even qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup hat-trick league titles each.
At the halfway point of the innings, the The Tigers couldn’t hit a boundary will remain as a terrible sign for the Tigers
Zimbabwean shoulders on the field had for 36 balls, from 12.1 to 18.2 overs, after with the tournament less than a month
slumped, especially after Bennet dropped Tanzid and Soumya had collectively hit away.
At Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium, forward
Stewart Cornelius of St Vincent gave Abahani
Atalanta’s ‘moment a nine-minute lead, only to be cancelled out
by substitute MS Bablu in the 88th minute. An
unforgivable fumble by goalkeeper Shahidul Alam
to celebrate’ Shohel -- who allowed a harmless drive from Bablu
to slip past between his legs after his butterfingers
AGENCIES failed to thwart a low shot taken outside the box --
compounded Abahani’s woes.
Atalanta reached their maiden Europa League final With seven wins, five draws, and three defeats
in emphatic fashion, claiming their biggest win in in 15 matches, the Sky Blues currently sit two
the history of the tournament to beat Olympique de points behind second-placed Mohammedan
Marseille 3-0 in the second leg of the semifinal in front Sporting Club and 11 points adrift of league leaders
of their home crowd on Thursday. Bashundhara Kings, who are on the verge of a
Ademola Lookman, academy product Matteo historic achievement.
Ruggeri, and El Bilal Toure all got their names on the If Kings prevail over Mohammedan today with
scoresheet as Atalanta roared to a 4-1 aggregate win in three more fixtures left to play, they will secure
front of delirious fans in Bergamo. their fifth consecutive BPL silverware -- a milestone
The Italians will meet Bayer Leverkusen,who unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh
overcame AS Roma, in their first European final in football, before or after the country’s liberation.
Dublin on May 22. This feat would surpass the previous record held
“My first goal in Bergamo is a very big emotion,” said by Dhaka Wanderers Club, who claimed four straight
Ruggeri, who scored the second goal after Lookman titles from 1953 to 1956. In contrast, traditional
put Atalanta ahead. “Now we can dream with our eyes powerhouses Abahani and Mohammedan have
open that we’re in the final. It’s a moment to celebrate managed three successive titles, with Abahani
PHOTO: FACEBOOK with our people.” achieving this feat twice.

City’s chance to put the

squeeze on Arsenal
REUTERS, London
After being forced to play catch-up for
the last month, Manchester City have the
chance to exert some added pressure on
Arsenal in the Premier League title race
when they kick off the weekend’s action
at Fulham on Saturday.
City’s last three Premier League
wins against Wolverhampton
Wanderers, Nottingham
Forest, and Brighton and
Hove Albion all came
after Arsenal had already
gathered three points to
temporarily open up a
four-point lead over Pep
Guardiola’s side in the table.
This weekend, however,
City go first and victory at Craven
Cottage on Saturday lunchtime would
see them move two points clear of
Arsenal with two games left.
Arsenal would then have to beat a
woefully out-of-form Manchester United
on Sunday to regain top spot.
The last time Arsenal kicked off after
City it did not work out too well as they
lost 2-0 at home to Aston Villa, the day
after City thrashed Luton Town 5-1 to go
top.
Since then Arsenal have regained the
lead but only because City were in FA
Cup semifinal action and have played one
game less than the Gunners.
Should both City and Arsenal
win at the weekend, the focus will
switch to City’s game in hand
at Tottenham Hotspur on
Tuesday when victory for
Guardiola’s side would put
an unprecedented fourth
successive title in their
grasp.
For City, the scenario
is nothing new. They are
proven masters at churning
out wins down the finishing
line straight of a Premier League
campaign. They are unbeaten in their
last 20 league games and few would bet
against them earning the nine points
they require to be crowned champions.
Arsenal can only win their last two
games and hope for the best although
Fulham’s dismal record against City --
they have lost last 15 games against City
-- will not exactly make them optimistic.
 CITY

12 DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024, BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS

Tigers eke out India SC grants

feeble victory temporary bail
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
to Kejriwal
Bangladesh had to dig deep to eke out
a five-run slender victory in their fourth
Allows him to campaign
of the five-match T20I series against in ongoing election
Zimbabwe at the Sher-e-Bangla National
Cricket Stadium in Dhaka yesterday. AGENCIES
It required two national team
returnees -- star all-rounder Shakib India’s top court gave
Al Hasan and ace left-arm paceman temporary bail to
Mustafizur Rahman -- to chip in with Delhi Chief Minister
crucial wickets to help Bangladesh Arvind Kejriwal in a
defend a 144-run target in front of a graft case yesterday,
packed crowd in Mirpur. allowing him to
Defending 14 off the final over, Shakib, campaign in the
who returned to national colours after ongoing general
elections, boosting the opposition
opting to sit out the first three T20Is,
alliance of which he is a prominent figure.
had Blessing Muzarabani stumped
The Supreme Court (SC) said Kejriwal -
before having Richard Ngarava bowled
a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra
in the very next delivery to bundle out
Modi - would be out on bail until June
Zimbabwe for 138 in 19.4 overs to see the 1, the last day of the nationwide seven-
Tigers take a 4-0 in the series. phase vote, and would have to return to
Bangladesh fans, however, had their pre-trial detention on June 2.
hearts in their mouths when Muzarabani India began voting on April 19 and
charged down the ground and smoked elections for more than half of the 543
a tossed-up delivery from Shakib for a seats in parliament have now been
maximum in the third delivery of the final completed following the third phase of
over. Shakib, as he so often is, remained the vote on May 7.
calm and collected and cleaned out The two areas governed by Kejriwal’s
the Zimbabwe tail in the following two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - the National
deliveries. Shakib Al Hasan underwhelmed with the bat on his return but more than made up for it with his efforts with the ball, successfully defending 14 Capital Territory that includes New
With Ryan Burl and Johnathan runs in the final over and finishing with 4-35 to earn Bangladesh a nervy five-run win over Zimbabwe in the fourth T20I of the five-match series Delhi, and the northern state of Punjab
SEE PAGE 6 COL 1 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED SEE PAGE 6 COL 1

David Meale
to be next Kala-azar, filariasis Donald Lu to
visit Dhaka Strapped down, US needs to
work more
US envoy to
Bangladesh
eliminated from on May 14-15
Says US state dept blindfolded to protect
human rights
Bangladesh Israeli whistleblowers detail abuse of Foreign minister says
the same applies to
Validates WHO Palestinians in shadowy detention center European countries
CNN ONLINE UNB, Dhaka
AHMED DEEPTO

UNB, Dhaka
US President Joe Biden has
nominated David Slayton
Meale, currently the deputy
chief of mission in Beijing,
as the next US ambassador
to Bangladesh, according
to a statement released by
the White House.
The nomination has
been sent to the Senate for
confirmation, it added.
Until the nomination
gets the nod from the
Senate, Peter Haas
will remain the US
ambassador to Bangladesh.
US ambassadors are
nominated by the US
president and confirmed by
the Senate.
Haas has been serving
as the top US diplomat in
Dhaka since July 2021.
David Meale, a career
member of the Senior
SEE PAGE 6 COL 4
At a military base that now doubles as a detention center in Foreign Minister Hasan
Bangladesh has successfully eliminated two vector-borne diseases
Israel’s Negev desert, an Israeli working at the facility snapped two Mahmud yesterday said
-- Kala-azar and filariasis.
photographs of a scene that he says continues to haunt him. there is a necessity for
The elimination of both visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-azar)
Rows of men in gray tracksuits are seen sitting on paper-thin all the countries to work
and lymphatic filariasis have been validated by World Health
Organization in its latest report. mattresses, ringfenced by barbed wire. All appear blindfolded, their together to improve
Titled, ‘’Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2024’’, heads hanging heavy under the glare of floodlights. human rights records,
the report was published on May 5. This is the second series of DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT A putrid stench filled the air and the room hummed with including the United States
global reports describing progress towards the 2030 targets set the men’s murmurs, the Israeli who was at the facility told CNN. and European countries.
to end neglected tropical diseases (NTD) to attain the sustainable US Assistant Secretary of Forbidden from speaking to each other, the detainees mumbled to “Look, the human rights
development goals, a road map for NTD 2021–2030. State for South and Central themselves. situation in Bangladesh is
In October 2023, Bangladesh became the first country to be Asian Affairs Donald Lu “We were told they were much better than many
validated by WHO for eliminating Kala-azar as a public health began his travels to India, not allowed to move. They other countries in the
“I was there for 23
problem. Previously, in May of 2023, Bangladesh also received Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh should sit upright. They’re world. In human rights, no
validation from WHO for eliminating filariasis. yesterday to strengthen not allowed to talk. Not days. Twenty-three country is perfect,” he told
Prof Kabirul Bashar of the department of Zoology at bilateral cooperation allowed to peek under days that felt like 100 reporters while responding
Jahangirnagar University said female culex mosquitoes can with each country and their blindfold.” years.” to a query at the Foreign
transmit lymphatic filariasis from a sick person to a healthy demonstrate US support Guards were instructed Service Academy.
27-year-old Ibrahim He joined “Baishakhi
one. It impairs the lymphatic system and can lead to abnormal for a free, open, and “to scream uskot” – shut
Yassine said after his release Utsob” organised by the
enlargement of body parts, causing pain and disability. The prosperous Indo-Pacific up in Arabic – and told to
from Israeli military detention Foreign Office Spouses’
disease can even kill a patient, he said. region. “pick people out that were
camp last month. Association as the chief
Prof Mushtaq Hossain, public health expert and former advisor The State Department problematic and punish
of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research, said today formally announced them,” the source added. guest.
kala-azar usually spreads by the bite of a female sand-fly. When the trip from May 10 to They paint a picture of He referred to what is
the germs enter the body, it infects red blood cells and starts 15. He is scheduled to visit a facility where doctors sometimes amputated prisoners’ limbs due to happening in the US and
reproducing there. As a result, red blood cells break down and Bangladesh on May 14-15. injuries sustained from constant handcuffing; of medical procedures said Bangladesh does not
anaemia occurs, he added. He will meet Foreign sometimes performed by underqualified medics earning it a reputation suffer police brutality, as
Kala-azar has been controlled for a long time by involving the Minister Hasan Mahmud, for being “a paradise for interns”; and where the air is filled with the seen in the policing of
public. It is possible to eradicate dengue by controlling Aedes Foreign Secretary Masud smell of neglected wounds left to rot. students’ protests on US
mosquitoes using the same approach, he added Bin Momen, Prime CNN spoke to three Israeli whistleblowers who worked at the college campuses.
NTDs (neglected tropical diseases) -- mainly prevalent among Minister’s Private Industry Sde Teiman desert camp, which holds Palestinians detained during “We are watching the
impoverished communities in tropical areas -- are a diverse and Investment Adviser Israel’s invasion of Gaza. All spoke out at risk of legal repercussions brutality on televisions.
group of conditions with devastating health, social and economic Salman F Rahman, and and reprisals from groups supportive of Israel’s hardline policies in Even teachers were not
consequences. They are “neglected” as they are mostly absent civil society leaders to Gaza. spared,” Hasan said, adding
SEE PAGE 6 COL 3 SEE PAGE 6 COL 2 SEE PAGE 6 COL 5 SEE PAGE 6 COL 5

PRO-GAZA PROTEST
Astronomers finally
Encampment
dismantled detect a rocky planet
at the MIT with an atmosphere
AGENCIES

Police early yesterday

dismantled a pro-
Palestinian tent
encampment at the
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) and
moved to clear protesters
from University of
Pennsylvania’s campus in
Philadelphia, just hours
after police tear-gassed
protesters and took down REUTERS, Washington
an encampment at the
University of Arizona. Astronomers have searched for years for
In Cambridge, rocky planets beyond our solar system with an
Massachusetts, video atmosphere -- a trait considered essential for any
showed police roaming possibility of harboring life. Well, they finally seem
through the MIT to have located one.
But this hellish planet -- apparently with a surface
encampment and
of molten rock -- offers no hope for habitability.
organizers said about Researchers said on Wednesday the planet
10 students had been is a “super-Earth” - a rocky world significantly
detained. Police in riot gear larger than our planet but smaller than Neptune
arrived around 4:00 am, -- and it orbits perilously close to a star dimmer
encircled the camp and and slightly less massive than our sun, rapidly
gave protesters about 15 completing an orbit every 18 hours or so.
minutes to leave. Infrared observations using two instruments
A crowd outside the aboard the James Webb Space Telescope indicated
camp began gathering and the presence of a substantial -- if inhospitable --
chanting pro-Palestinian atmosphere, perhaps continuously replenished by
SEE PAGE 6 COL 4 Palestinians sit on an animal-pulled cart as they move to safer areas in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. PHOTO: AFP gases released from a vast ocean of magma.

(L) A small scale weighing a gram of tea against the weight of a 25 paisa coin. (M) The hall room of Chattogram Tea Auction Centre in Agrabad. (R) Tin canisters with different grades of tea kept in a room at the auction centre.
“First of all, the
tea produced in
the gardens is sent
to our bonded
warehouses which
are mostly located
in Chattogram.
Later, the tea
brokers receive a
sample of the tea
lot and taste the
tea. Tea tasting
is the process in
which a trained
taster determines
the quality of a
particular tea. Tea
tasters use their
senses to analyse
the five items;
shape and size of
tea, colour and
gloss, colour of
the liquid, aroma
of the liquid, and
taste of the liquid.
Tea produced in the gardens is sent to warehouses, which are
mostly located in Chattogram
WEEKEND READ DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
WR1 BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS
PHOTO: STAR
A love affair with tea
Glimpse into the fascinating world of tea auctioneering
RAFFAT BINTE RASHID the next sample.
“Grade, bitterness, aroma,
I wonder what it is in a cup of tea that pungency of the liquor before and
makes it so invigorating. The obvious after pouring milk is determined by a
answer would be the stimulant, tea taster. A tea gold ring is seen after
caffeine, or the particular flavour of brewing the leaves for three minutes
the leaves seeping into the hot water or more and only the 4 double plus
and the aroma that takes over your rating teas show this ring,” says Md
senses. Nasir Uddin Khan, a tea planter and
For me it is the total process of retailer, who explains and shows the
brewing the tea just right that is so grandly ceremonial tasting process.
therapeutic. Black tea is what I enjoy Black tea is earthy and sweet while
but our deshi favourite is milk tea in green tea has a grassy scent, herbal
strong liquor -- it is steeped tea leaves teas smell of their respective flavour.
in boiling water. OP or Orange Pekoe is the highest
My tea adventure and search for grade given to manufactured tea,
the best tea in Bangladesh takes me when brewed its flavour has a delicate
to this tea season’s first tea auction fragrance and tastes wonderfully
in the port city, which for me is a delicious and the liquors are light and
first and I was in for a treat. The hall pale amber in colour. In Bangladesh
room ambience of Chattogram Tea the best tea with a four plus value
Auction Centre in Agrabad comes from Kaiyachreea Dalu Tea
is electrifying; the suave Estate, in Bhujpur, Fatikchhari,
auctioneer calls Chattogram. Kaiyacherra Tea Garden
out the numbers, is managed by the BRAC Tea Estate,
in impeccable and traders buy this for Tk 600 a kg
English and from tea auctions.
talking in Then there is Lohani and
perfect Bangla Madhupur tea selling at Tk 1,000
at a speed Bangladesh, commercial purpose and sell at low as sales go. The tea auction and the each at tea auctions. These are all
which gives it sell in bulk prices in the global market. They have sale are conducted by Tea Brokers, single estate teas fancied by tea
to buyers excellent marketing schemes. Our and under TTAB there are seven connoisseurs.
through tea trade suffers from production authorised tea brokers. I have been “The tea blending is done only
an open inconsistency, prices not being graciously invited by KS Brokers to be before packaging to be sold to the
auction. Tea competitive and not meeting the part of this frenzied tea auction. market. A minimum of three grades
leaves, by the standardised global packaging norms. “First of all, the tea produced in of tea with light, strong and pungent
way, come from Moreover, we do not mass produce so the gardens is sent to our bonded flavour are blended to be sold at a
the two species of we cannot lower the cost.” warehouses which are mostly located lower price. A regular customer will
plants called Camellia “Our gardens are nature dependent, in Chattogram. Later, the tea brokers not go for single estate, four plus
Sinensis and Camellia where soil conditions, weather receive a sample of the tea lot and teas which are expensive items even
Assamica. conditions, heat factor, all count taste the tea. Tea tasting is the process at auctions. However, blends can
“The tea trade has recently for good grade tea. When we send a in which a trained taster determines skilfully be crafted with premium
experienced a downfall. I am in the sample to a tea trader in the global the quality of a particular tea. Tea ingredients to add to the flavour
tea business for the last 17 years and platform, we lack quality consistency. tasters use their senses to analyse profile,” says Shahidullah Shajahan
an auctioneer for last 10 years. It is We send samples for approval. When the five items; shape and size of tea, adding that the tea plucking is an art
my passion, I have seen robust market approved, these are packaged into the colour and gloss, colour of the liquid, form mixed with drama, for there are
and weak markets and unfortunately final lot that we send after the deal is aroma of the liquid, and taste of the very special teas that are plucked only
the last three years the business could finalised,” he added. liquid. Each lot is given a numerical on full moon nights during the last
not flourish like yester years,” says Md Bangladesh’s tea industry is value rating from 1 to 5 by tasting two weeks of October.
Musfique Kamal, executive director, regulated under the supervision of the the strong liquor for pungency, Moonlight plucking is a ceremonial
KS Brokers and Tea Auctioneer. Bangladesh Tea Board, who governs bitterness, sweetness and aroma and ritual when the air’s high oxygen
“We are facing stiff competition Tea Traders Association of Bangladesh the feeling the tea taster gets. content and the full moon’s cosmic
in the world market from Sri and Bangladesh Tea Association . “Then, the tea brokers prepare confluence produces a delicate,
Lanka, Kenya and other countries. Tea Traders Association of catalogues adding the tentative smoother tea-leaf taste. Then there
The worldwide tea production is Bangladesh (TTAB) is responsible for valuation price range of a particular are the silver tips which are actually
surplus now; thus, prices are down. organising and controlling the tea tea lot. Later, the catalogues and the delicate leaf-buds at the point
These countries mass produce for auction ensuring transparency as far valuation copies are dispatched to of unfurling. The most prized of
all the buyers ahead of the weekly all is “white tea”, which is full of
all a sense of urgency. The traders hark auctions. The buyers too taste the tea antioxidants more than other teas.
their choice and place competitive and decide which lot to bid on. Then, Our Halda Valley tea estate
bids until the auctioneer slams his the traders take part in the auctions produces both the white and silver
hammer to declare the sale. The and purchase tea. Finally, the tea tips tea in Bangladesh. Bangladesh
chosen tea lots, which means roughly reaches the retailers and consumers,” tea board has a special tea called BT-2
499.2 kilos of tea per lot, are finally explains ASM Shahidullah Shajahan, and also offers local green tea.
sold to the highest bidder. managing director of KS Brokers. “The tea market dynamics depends
Each sack has 50kg of tea and 10 Tea tasting is an interesting task, heavily on quality grade tea, and
such sacks together make a lot; a lot tea samples are kept in a room at almost 80 percent of quality is
has 500 kg tea from where one kg is the auction centre and there are ensured in the garden it grows and
given away for sampling to traders hundreds of tin canisters with 20 percent on the factory -- where
and tea tasters, so each tea lot in the different grades of tea from tea 70 percent moisture is taken out of
auction weighs 499kg. estates all over the country. A small leaves by withering,” adds Md Nasir
Tea auctions are held every Monday scale weighs a gram of tea against Uddin Khan.
during each tea season and the peak the weight of a 25 paisa coin. Hot In spite of our shortcomings the
of tea season is in monsoon from July boiling water is poured over the tea market size of the industry was Tk
through September and just so that leaves and left to brew for three and 3,500 crore in 2021 and Bangladesh is
you know, tea produced during winter a half to six minutes. The experienced an important tea-producing country.
months are considered slightly below tea taster pulls in his stomach and It is the 12th largest tea producer in
par. A record total of 102.92 million using a large spoon noisily slurps the the world.
kg of tea has been produced in 2023 scorching sip to differentiate the soul From the time the scheming
from 168 big and small tea gardens in of the tea, whether it is earthy, grassy, East India Company initiated its tea
the country, surpassing all previous
(L) A tea taster uses a large spoon and noisily slurps the scorching sip to flowery. The tea is passed over the trade in the hills of the Sylhet and
records of tea production, according differentiate the soul of the tea. The liquid is then usually expelled into tongue, for an even taste profile. The Chattogram to today’s gourmet teas
to Bangladesh Tea Board. Here, our a spittoon before the taster moves on to the next sample. (R) Tea being liquid is then usually expelled into a of Halda Valley, a Bangladeshi’s love
local tea manufacturers, throughout prepared at the auction centre for tasting. PHOTO: STAR spittoon before the taster moves on to for tea is eternal.
WR2
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS
ESSAY
RABINDRANATH TAGORE’S
engagement with Islamic
culture and Muslims
During the MOHAMMAD A. QUAYUM
visit, Tagore
The English poet W.B. Yeats
praised once expressed his profound
the Islamic admiration for Rabindranath
civilisation in Tagore, describing him as
Iran and Iraq, “someone greater than any of us”.
Similarly, after meeting the poet
hailing it as
at an event in Cambridge, UK,
a “spiritual Francis Cornford, granddaughter
gift to the of Charles Darwin, remarked, “I
world”. In an can now imagine a powerful and
address to the gentle Christ, which I never could
before”. Despite such acclaim for
Armenians,
his polymathic genius, Tagore
he applauded often attracted broadsides from
Iran for its various factions, including, in
“message of his own words, “political groups,
brotherhood, religious groups, literary groups
[and] social groups”.
of freedom,
Some of this vitriol has come
of federation from his home turf, where
in the task of several critics have accused him
establishing of religious bias, branding him a
peace and Hindu nationalist, a hierophant of
goodwill,” a Hindu-centric India and a Hindu
extremist who held an intrinsic
adding that it
was “inspiring
humanity
bias towards Muslims. However,
this view seems specious, given
Tagore’s lifelong aspiration
with a new
vision of
for global unity of humanity
and engagement with Islamic
culture and Muslims in a spirit of
fulfillment”. inclusivity and good fellowship.
A proponent of the principles
of Advaita (non-duality of
creation) and Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam (the world is one
family), Tagore rejected narrow-
minded ideologies of all forms
that restricted the individual’s
personal growth and rendered
them “unfit for citizenship of the
world.” In Fireflies, he condemned
sectarianism in a deprecatory
trope:
“The Sectarian thinks
That he has the sea
Ladled into his private pond.”
Critics who accuse Tagore of
Hindu chauvinism and antipathy
towards Muslims fail to appreciate
his non-traditional Hindu
background as a Brahmo and his
fiery critique of Hindu formalism
in his work. They also overlook
that Tagore made significant
efforts to unite Hindus and
Muslims to create a Mahajati in
India. For example, he established
an Islamic Studies Department at
Visva-Bharati University in 1927
and a Chair of Persian Studies in
1932. He also admitted Muslim
students, including the renowned
writer Syed Mujtaba Ali, right after
founding the university in 1921.
Moreover, he maintained amicable
relationships with various Muslim
writers and intellectuals of his
time, took compassionate actions
to alleviate the hardships of his
Muslim tenants in East Bengal
(now Bangladesh) while managing
their family estates, and publicly
honoured the religion and
prophet Muhammad in national
media outlets on Muslim festive
occasions.
In a lecture at Oxford University
in 1930, Tagore explained that
his sensibility was shaped by “a
confluence of three cultures,
Hindu, Mohammedan and
British.” The influence of Islamic
culture began on him early, as
he was raised in a Persianate
ambience, surrounded by Muslim
food and dress. Many of his family
members wore “Mussalman
type of Achkan and Jibba”, and
Tagore’s earliest surviving photo
from age 10 shows him wearing a
Jibba robe like Iranian royalty.
Tagore was born into a Brahmo
Samaj family, a progressive Hindu
sect founded by Rammohun Roy
after being influenced by Islamic
monotheistic ideals. Roy received
his early education in a Muslim
madrasa, where he mastered
Arabic and Persian, enabling
him to study the Qur’an, Islamic
jurisprudence, Islamic philosophy
and classical Sufi poetry in their
original languages. Subsequently,
he authored a long essay in
Persian, “Tuhfat al-Muwahiddin”,
in which he vehemently criticised
Hindu idolatry and superstition,
concurrently advocating
their reform from an Islamic
perspective. The movement’s
reliance on the Qur’an and Sufi
literature was so profound that
a Brahmo missionary named
Girish Chandra Sen was the
first to translate the Qur’an into
Bangla, who also used Sufi poetry
to impart ethical and spiritual
teachings to the Brahmo Samaj
adherents.
Tagore and his father,
Debendranath Tagore, were fervent
champions of Sufi literature.
Debendranath, proficient in
Arabic and Persian, revered
Diwan-i-Hafiz as a sacred book
and recited it regularly as part
of his midnight meditations.
Influenced by his father, Tagore
also became intoxicated with it.
During his visit to Iran and Iraq
in 1932, Tagore spent an entire
week in Shiraz to honour the
mausoleums of two eminent Sufi
poets, Saadi and Hafiz, declaring
himself a natural successor to
these Sufi saints.
During his visit, Tagore
profusely praised the Islamic
civilisation in Iran and Iraq. In
an address to the Armenians, he
applauded Iran for its “message
of brotherhood, of freedom,
of federation in the task of
establishing peace and goodwill”.
He also lauded the people and
lifestyle in Iraq, acknowledging
how profoundly Islam and
Muslims have contributed to the
Indian civilisation. He urged an
audience of Iraqi writers to send
more people of faith to India to
help alleviate its ongoing ethnic
and religious feuds by uniting
different communities under the
banner of fellowship and love,
transcending petty factionalism.
Tagore maintained cordial
relationships with numerous
Muslim writers and intellectuals of
his time, including Dr Muhammad
Shahidullah, Kazi Nazrul Islam,
Kazi Abdul Wadud, Shahid
Suhrawardy, Golam Mostafa,
Jasimuddin, Syed Mujtaba Ali,
Muhammad Mansooruddin,
Bande Ali Miyan and Sufia Kamal.
He invited Dr Shahidullah and
Abdul Wadud to deliver lectures
ILLUSTRATION: MAISHA SYEDA
at his institutions in Santiniketan,
appointed Suhrawardy as the
Nizam Professor at Visva-Bharati
and Syed Mujtaba Ali, who had a
PhD from a German university,
first as a professor of the German
language and then as a professor
of Islamic culture.
Nazrul was first introduced to
Tagore by Shahidullah. At their
first meeting, Tagore invited
Nazrul to stay back at Santiniketan,
but Nazrul, a maverick and a
bohemian, refused to. However,
he later became an enthusiastic
exponent of Rabindra Sangeet.
He also dedicated his anthology
of poems, Sanchita, to “Poet-
Emperor, Rabindranath Tagore”.
In return, Tagore dedicated
his dance-drama “Basanto” to
Nazrul. After Tagore’s death,
Nazrul became so distraught
that he composed several poems
honouring his icon, including the
long elegy “Rabihara” and “Salam
asta Rabi.”
All the Muslim writers in
Tagore’s circle have paid glowing
LITERATURE
ILLUSTRATION: MAISHA SYEDA
tributes to Kabiguru, but none
more than Poet Golam Mostafa.
He described Tagore as a Muslim
at heart and stated categorically,
“We did not find any hostility
towards Islam in
the vast literature
produced by
Tagore. On the
contrary, there
is so much of
Islamic content
and ideals in his
writings that he
can be called a
Muslim without
hesitation.”
Tagore spent 10
years from 1890 to
1901 in Shelaidah,
Kushtia, looking
after their family IL LU ST RATI
estates in East
Bengal. During this
period, he had the opportunity
to engage closely with Bengali
Muslim culture. His boatman and
retainer, Abdul Majhi, and most
of the 3000 tenants working on
their land were Muslims. This
daily interaction with Muslim
families helped the young poet
understand and appreciate their
way of life and traditions.
Tagore’s respectful embrace
of the Muslim community is
evident in many of his works but
most incisively in a letter written
in 1931, affirming, “As far as the
country itself is concerned...
we cannot deny the fact that
the Mussulmans are our close
relations... I love [my Mussulman
tenants] from my heart because
they deserve it”. To mitigate their
hardships, Tagore administered
various measures, including
reforming the estate judiciary
system, establishing a bank, a
school and several industries.
In 1935, Tagore wrote the
Foreword to a book, A Simple
Guide to Islam’s Contribution
to Science and Civilisation, by
Maulvi Abdul Karim. In it, he
explained that although Muslims
and Hindus have been living
together in Bengal for centuries,
they were still hostile towards
one another because of their
widespread ignorance and apathy
towards each other’s culture.
His solution was a mutually
sympathetic understanding of
their values and traditions and
an enduring fellowship rooted
in love, empathy and trust – a
vision Tagore cherished and
championed much through his
life and works.
Professor Mohammad A.
Quayum, Flinders University,
Australia, has published one
authored, two translated and
three edited books, as well
as several articles and book
chapters on Rabindranath
Tagore.
POETRY
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Shedin dujone
dulachinu bone
Only the other day we two swung in the woods
In a swing decorated with flowers;
If now and then that thought comes to your mind
Please never ever try to suppress it.
You know how that day the wind brought out
The crazy thoughts I had in me all the while.
The sky everywhere then had scattered across it
Something very much like your smile!
As I moved on, a full moon had lit up the horizon
Who knows what good fortune let us two meet
that day!
Now I can’t seem to have such luck anymore
And must bear the burden of our separation
All alone. Please don’t ever try to sever The rakhi
we tied ritually to make us two one forever.
Anonto prem
It is as if I’ve loved you and only you,
Hundreds of times, in hundreds of forms
In life after life, age after age, again and again!
Forever, and with an enchanted heart,
I wove necklaces of lyrics
Which you’d wear beautifully,
Accepting my gifts gracefully,
Life after life, age after age, again and again!
The more I hear stories from far away times
Of agonies lovers endured in ages long past,
Of tales of unions and separations
And whenever I look at events of days of yore,
Piercing the veil of darkness of times past
They appear in the form of an
eternal star
In your visage.
The two of us float forward
In the current of a union
Emanating from eternity.
The two of us keep frolicking
Amidst millions of lovers,
Whose eyes moisten with tears of
separation
Or light up with bashfulness as
they meet—
In a love transcendental but in a
guise all new
In love everlasting, but of this
very day and age!
A LE TH E
ON: AM RE ET
Translated by Fakrul Alam
Fakrul Alam is Bangabandhu
Chair Professor, Department of History,
University of Dhaka.
Je chilo amar
shopnocharini
She who were the wanderer of my dream
Remained she an enigma I couldn’t conceive
My days hastened forth whilst I lingered in the
pursuit of thy presence
You called me close in the moments of grace
Veiling my delicate senses
Then my mind could effortlessly understand the
simplicity that revealed thou
Who shall dismiss me in their cold indifference
Who shall summon me to their embrace
In whose affectionate agony, I too am opulent
Amidst these ceaseless torrents of uncertainty, I
falter—
Yet, in you alone, I find clarity, you alone I truly
apprehend.
Translated by Abdullah Rayhan
Abdullah Rayhan is studying English Literature
at Jahangirnagar University.
ILLUSTRATION: MAISHA SYEDA
HOLIDAY
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS
WR3

REZAUL BAHAR
Sarmin and I,
as a couple, have
embarked on a offering a remarkable
journey that took us to
108 countries across every
continent so far. Why? It’s hard
to give a clear answer. Perhaps it was
Rezaul Bahar and driven by an insatiable wanderlust. Or
Sarmin Shahariath, was it a pursuit by both of us to find
married since 2005, are meaning in life?
avid travellers. So far they
There might be a myriad of other
have travelled more than
reasons. But travel remains our
100 countries across
conduit to understanding the world
seven continents.
and its complexities.
Recently, we travelled to a country
that held profound significance for
revealed
a facet of the city’s rich
tapestry. And amidst it all, the
hallowed grounds of Maradona’s
Boca Juniors stadium beckoned,
a testament to the city’s enduring
passion for football. Savouring the
famed maté -- a traditional South
American caffeine-rich herbal drink --
IGUAZU
FALLS
Largest waterfall
system on Earth
Argentina boasts
vast expanses and a
multitude of natural
wonders, with its size
diversity of landscapes and
climates. From the bustling
streets of Buenos Aires to the awe-
inspiring majesty of Iguazu Falls,
our journey provided but a fleeting
glimpse of this vast and varied land.
As we ventured to the northeastern
corner of Argentina, where the
country meets Brazil and Paraguay,
we witnessed the breathtaking
spectacle of Iguazu Falls. Here, amidst
the tropical rainforest, nature’s
grandeur unfolds in the form of
ferry connects the two countries
which also operates according to the
whims of nature.
Despite our intentions to cross
the river by ferry, luck eluded us,
necessitating a detour through Brazil
to reach our destination. The journey
entailed multiple border crossings,
resulting in a total of eight instances
of immigration formalities in a
single day. Yet, rather than viewing
it as a burden, we embraced the
opportunity. It gave us the
scope to encounter
diverse people and
nature along the
way.
Upon reaching
Ciudad del Este
in Paraguay, the
bustling streets
and lively markets
stirred memories of bustling urban
centres like my hometown, Dhaka.
Yet, just beyond the city limits,
nestled amidst the tranquillity of
nature, awaited a hidden gem known
as Monday Falls. While Paraguay
may not draw as many tourists as
its neighbours, the secluded beauty
of Monday Falls provided us with an
intimate encounter with nature’s
splendour.
But our ultimate destination, the
mighty Iguazu Falls, beckoned with a
magnetic allure, promising a lifetime
experience. And it did.
The sheer magnificence of the
Iguazu Falls rendered us speechless.
Words fail to capture the true essence
of this natural wonder, a masterpiece
seamlessly woven into the fabric of
the surrounding Amazon rainforest.
A brief helicopter ride offered a
glimpse of the falls’ vast expanse,
while a boat journey along the Iguazu
River brought us perilously close
to the thundering cascade. Despite
the inherent danger, the allure of
experiencing the falls from such
proximity proved irresistible.
Navigating the lower and upper
hiking trails demanded stamina and
fortitude, particularly in the face
of soaring temperatures dictated
by the season. Yet, any fatigue we
had dissolved in the presence of the
falls’ raw power, as it snaked its way
through the landscape, revealing new
facets of its beauty at every turn.
The awe-inspiring nature never
fails to remind us that we are just a
part of this: nothing more, nothing
less. And it somehow reassures us
that belong here.

In every corner me since childhood -- Argentina, the
of the city lies a land of my hero, Diego Maradona.
fresh adventure As we tread upon its soil for the
awaiting first time, the richness and intricacy
discovery, but of its history unfolded before us.
none captured Once among the world’s wealthiest
nations, Argentina now grapples
my heart quite
with a profound economic downturn,
like the iconic
marked by political turbulence and
neighbourhood
soaring inflation. Despite these
of La Boca. Here,
challenges, we felt drawn to explore
history, culture,
its depths, bearing witness to the
and art intertwine
struggles of its populace amidst a
seamlessly,
backdrop of remarkable resilience.
painting a vibrant Upon our arrival in Buenos
tableau for all who Aires, a sprawling metropolis of
wander its famous South America, we found ourselves
Caminito street drawn to Palermo, one of its many
and labyrinthine neighbourhoods. In the tapestry of
alleyways.
this city, each district weaves its own
narrative. Among them, Palermo and
Recoleta stand out as havens of safety
and opulence. As we ventured onto
the bustling streets, the pulsating
heartbeat of Buenos Aires greeted us
Want to share your
with open arms.
travel experiences
From the sultry appeals of tango
with us? Please
echoing through the night to the
send your stories to
holiday@ kaleidoscope of colours in the historic
thedailystar.net La Boca neighbourhood, every corner
on street corners, we found ourselves
immersed in a sensory symphony
unique to Buenos Aires.
In every corner of the city lies a
fresh adventure awaiting discovery,
but none captured my heart quite
like the iconic neighbourhood of
La Boca. Here, history, culture, and
art intertwine seamlessly, painting
a vibrant tableau for all who wander
its famous Caminito street and
labyrinthine alleyways.
Amid it all, we found ourselves
inside the Boca Juniors stadium,
where Maradona’s legend still
lingers. I found myself transported
back to the innocence of childhood.
Memories of my football idol adorned
the walls, echoing with the cheers of
days gone by.
As our exploration continued, we
stumbled upon a couple gracefully
gliding across the cobblestone alleys
in a mesmerising display of Tango.
From mere spectators, we were soon
invited to join, hesitance giving
way to laughter as we embraced the
experience. For what is life if not
a collection of moments lived and
shared?
275 cascading
waterfalls.
A short flight from
Buenos Aires brought us
to this marvel. We were warmly
welcomed by Omar Fernandez, our
English-speaking guide. Opting for
an Airbnb accommodation, a choice
we always favour over traditional
hotels, our fortune led us to the
care of a gracious host who ensured
our short stay was nothing short of
exceptional. In Omar, we found not
just a guide, but a companion whose
warmth and expertise enriched our
journey immeasurably.
As we awoke in Puerto Iguazu,
anticipation filled the air for our
planned excursion to Paraguay, the
Nestled on the border between Argentina and Brazil the Iguazu Falls
neighbouring country just across
attract millions of visitors every year. Iguazú Falls are waterfalls of
the river from our lodging. The
the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones
convergence of the Iguazu and Parana
rivers marks the tri-border area where
and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest
Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay meet, waterfall system in the world. In 1984, Unesco declared the Iguazu
creating a geographical nexus of National Park as “World Heritage”. In 2011, the Iguazu National
three nations. Park was declared one of the New Seven Wonders of the World by
While roads and bridges link the New Seven Wonders Foundation. In 2013, Unesco recognised
the park’s cultural and natural significance by declaring it an
Argentina and Brazil to Paraguay,
“Exceptional Universal Value”.
there exists no direct route between
Argentina and Paraguay. Only a small
WR4 BUSINESS PLUS
DHAKA SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024
BAISHAKH 28, 1431 BS

UTTARA
A city within a city
It transformed into Dhaka’s most in-demand suburb from a waterlogged locality
SUKANTA HALDER and
JAGARAN CHAKMA
Before the 90s, Uttara offered little
aside from open fields of green and
waterlogged land.
But over the course of the past 30
years or so, what was once a sleepy
and secluded neighbourhood has
transformed into a vibrant residential
and commercial district.
However, despite the locality’s
metamorphosis, it has remained true
to its roots as a haven away from the
concrete jungle. The area has eight
open parks and sprawling lakes
alongside wide roads, with the greenery
playing an important role in terms of
quality of life.
Going for a walk in one the 18
sectors that Uttara is divided into, you
may come across the sets of a movie
or drama, with the scenic backdrops
making the area a popular choice for
filmmakers.
Considering the surroundings, plus
the fact that all necessary amenities
such as water and electricity, alongside
education, healthcare and shopping
facilities are readily available, the
neighbourhood now stands as an
affluent city within a city.
“I was born and raised in Uttara
and I have seen the transformation of
the locality from a mere village to a
bustling suburb with my own eyes,” said
Razana Afrin, a housewife who lives in
her ancestral home in Sector 14.
“I vividly remember going to the
Rajlaxmi Complex, which was the sole
shopping spot in Uttara, by boat during
the floods in 1988,” she noted.
She also recounted how she was
often required to travel to different
parts of Dhaka.
“During my school and college life
in the mid-90s, we used to go to New
Market or Gausia Market to shop, but
nowadays everything is available in
Uttara,” Afrin commented.
In recent years, residents in Uttara
have been living an even more charmed
life.
Uttara had always been a transport
hub given its close proximity to Gazipur,
Ashulia, Mirpur, Bashundhara, and
Motijheel, but forays into the heart of
Dhaka were arduous slogs.
However, the Dhaka Metro Rail and
Dhaka Elevated Expressway have made
traversing the capital a cakewalk.
Now, residents can travel to Motijheel
through the metro in half an hour
compared to the two-hour journey they
would have to endure in the past.
They can also reach Karwan Bazar
within 10 minutes through the elevated
expressway.
Rupali Chowdhury, managing
director of Berger Paints Bangladesh,
said Uttara’s connectivity to other parts
of the city and all its amenities made it
an ideal place for residential units. She
also opined that Uttara was a suitable
area for corporate offices as staff can
stay in the area.
Over the years, Uttara has also
become home to educational
institutions and hospitals, making
it more attractive for prospective
residents.
According to a 2019 survey
conducted by B-Property, a property
brokerage house, Uttara is the first
choice for Dhaka’s residents.
FR Khan, managing director of BTI,
one of the top real estate developers,
said demand for high to mid-range
apartments is good in Uttara but still
lower than demand for apartments in
Gulshan and Baridhara.
Khan said the construction costs for
buildings in Uttara are the same as they
are for Gulshan and Baridhara.
However, the price of an apartment
is around Tk 12,000 per square feet in
Uttara while it is around Tk 28,000 in
Gulshan and Baridhara, he added.
Given the price of apartments and
cost of rent, the per capita income
of residents of Uttara is no less than
$20,000, assessed M Masrur Reaz, chief
executive officer of Policy Exchange
Bangladesh.
However, there is no accurate data
about the per capita income for specific
areas of Dhaka, he added.
Reaz said the National Board of
Revenue could reveal absolute figures
by conducting a study to detect eligible
taxpayers in posh areas.
He estimated that the per capita
income of residents of Baridhara and
Gulshan was not less than $40,000,
pegging the number at $35,000 for
Banani.
The national per capita income was
only $2,485 in FY23, reducing from
$2,688 in FY22 due to the appreciation
of the US dollar against taka.
Now, almost all public and private
banks have multiple branches in the
area.
There are four branches of Eastern
PHOTO: PALASH KHAN
Bank Limited (EBL) in Uttara, where
almost 80 percent are corporate clients,
according to a senior official of EBL.
The official added that many
foreigners from India, Sri Lanka, Korea,
and China live in Uttara because the
roads are wider than in other parts of
Dhaka and because it is a well-planned
residential area. As a result, residential
hotels have developed in Uttara.
Multiple private and public
healthcare providers also have
consultancy and diagnostic centres in
the area.
AM Shamim, managing director
of Labaid Group, one of the biggest
private sector healthcare providers
in Bangladesh, said they have two
branches in Uttara.
He added that work had also started
on a 150-bed super specialised hospital
at a cost of about Tk 200 crore.
He likened Uttara to a separate
city and said the financial capacity of
residents was similar to residents of
Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Banani.
He said Labaid first opened in Uttara
in 2000 before setting up a second unit
due to increasing demand in 2018.
“We first got feedback from a doctor
in our Gulshan branch. There were
many patients from Uttara who had no
choice but to come to Gulshan for our
services. They said it would be nicer to
have a branch there,” he said.
Given Uttara’s proximity to the
“I was born and
raised in Uttara
and I have seen the
transformation of the
locality from a mere
village to a bustling
suburb with my own
eyes,” said Razana
Afrin, a housewife who
lives in her ancestral
home in Sector 14
airport, many businesses are moving
from the south to the north part of
Dhaka city.
The office of the Bangladesh
Garment Manufacturers and Exporters
Association, the largest export sector
organisation, and at least 800 buying
houses are located in Uttara.
The head offices of Berger Paints
Bangladesh Ltd, RAK Ceramic and
many others can also be found here.
Enayet Kabir has been living in
Uttara for the last 25 years and owns
one of the many buying houses in the
vicinity.
“A lot of things have changed
in Uttara. There weren’t that many
people before. The roads were free. At
that time, the only shopping mall was
Rajlaxmi Complex,” he said.
Sectors 14, 15 and 16 of Uttara were
waterlogged, he said, but this area
rapidly started to change in 2010.
“Now I only have to go out of Uttara
for factory visits. Apart from this,
everything that my family members
and I need is available in Uttara,” he
added.
SM Mannan, president of
the BGMEA, complimented
the execution of Uttara’s
planned development.
Since it takes very
little time to travel
from Uttara to
Ashulia, Gazipur
and Tongi, which
house many
garment factories,
companies have
offices and liaison
offices in Uttara.
This is because
it allows foreign
buyers to quickly and
conveniently visit factories,
he added.
Given that shift, many garment
owners, owners of different companies,
merchandisers, and staff have moved
with their families to Uttara from other
parts of the capital,
he said.
PHOTO: RASHED SHUMON
Retailers, brands
flock to Uttara
SUKANTA HALDER and JAGARAN CHAKMA
The consumer market in Uttara, a planned suburb
in Dhaka city, has witnessed steady growth over
the years, prompting many retailers and brands to
expand their operations in the area.
Besides, the increasing number of people
living or working in Uttara and their rising living
standards means the market has significant
potential to grow further.
For example, the rising standard of living in
such upscale neighbourhoods is driving the
demand for various amenities required for a
higher quality of life.
“Our decision to establish an outlet in Uttara
was driven by a meticulous analysis of consumer
demand and market potential,” said Syed
Redwanur Rahman, assistant general manager for
marketing at BRAC-Aarong.
“Uttara, with its burgeoning population and
thriving economic activity, presented a lucrative
opportunity for Aarong to extend its reach and
cater to a diverse clientele,” he added.
The current consumer demand at Aarong’s
Uttara outlet, which opened in 2011, is robust and
has been exhibiting a notable upward trend.
Shwapno, one of the largest supermarket
chains in the country, is another company that
has recognised the potential in Uttara.
Having made its debut in Uttara in 2013,
Shwapno now boasts 18 outlets in the area.
“Uttara has undergone significant
transformation over the past decade, and business
is growing rapidly,” said Sabbir Hasan Nasir,
managing director of Shwapno.
This is because Uttara is home to freelancers,
corporate executives, senior officials of
garment companies, foreign workers and
private practitioners from various sectors. Many
connected to the garment industry also have
offices in Uttara, he added.
The expansion of retail outlets is not limited
to necessities as numerous brands marketing
luxury products have set up shop as well.
Hatil, one of the country’s leading
furniture brands, opened its first
outlet in Uttara in 1990 and now
has two outlets in the area.
Selim H Rahman, chairman
of Hatil, noted that their
outlets in Mirpur register
the most sales while those in
Uttara generate the second
highest.
He informed that Hatil’s
annual sales amount to about
Tk 400 crore, with Uttara
contributing Tk 25 crore.
Fair Technology Limited,
the exclusive local distributor of
Hyundai Motor Company, set up
a showroom for the South Korean
automotive brand in Uttara in 2023.
“A significant portion of our Hyundai cars
are sold in the Uttara showroom,” said Razibur
Rahman, showroom in-charge of Fair Technology
in Uttara.
He also said their sales in Uttara are constantly
rising, which is a positive indication.
Meanwhile, as part of plans for its expansion,
Star Cineplex is set to begin construction of a new
branch in Uttara.
It is expected to be opened this year, said
Mesbah Uddin, head of media at Star Cineplex.
When it comes to eateries, there are around
600 restaurants in Uttara.
Domino’s Pizza Bangladesh began its Uttara
operations in 2019, marking its second outlet in
the country. Jonaed Ahamed Rahat, assistant
manager for marketing at Domino’s Pizza
Bangladesh, said the growing infrastructure and
amenities in Uttara make it a desirable location.
“So, the growing demand of its residents is
driving the potential of businesses such as quick-
service restaurants,” he added.
Majedul Mirza, assistant manager of the Kabab
Factory, which began its journey in Uttara 2010,
recalled that around 900 customers would visit
daily at the time.
But now, customers have more options to
choose from as there are more than 600 local
restaurants. “As a result, just 200 customers visit
each day now,” he said.
On the other hand, Kamrul Islam Liton,
assistant manager of Cafe Rio’s Uttara branch,
said they initially served 300 customers daily after
beginning operations in the area in 2018.
Now, the buffet restaurant serves more than
500 customers each day, with about 40 percent
of them being foreigners, he added.
Premium Sweets, a popular sweets brand, also
opened an outlet in Uttara in 2014.
“The customer base in Uttara has grown by 4
to 5 percent in the last decade,” said Mahbubur
Rahman Bakul, country director of Premium
Sweets Bangladesh.
Premium Sweets has 13 outlets in Dhaka, but its
“Signature Lunch” is only available at four outlets,
including the one in Uttara, he added.
In terms of consumer goods, demand for
Unilever’s products in Uttara has seen a notable
rise since 2020, according to the company.
Uttara accounts for approximately 10 percent
of Dhaka’s total fast-moving consumer goods
consumption. With a compound annual growth
rate of approximately 6 percent, Uttara is
outpacing the broader Dhaka Metro market area,
said SM Faysal, manager for public relations and
projects at Unilever Bangladesh Ltd.