Weekend 1 28

Women drivers 6

Environmental problems 10

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8 2013

vol 1 Issu e 2 8

Lou Reed 27

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CONTENTS 2 This Week in Pictures 4 Bottled Up 5 Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Let the others in 8 Post-Riposte Partisan press 9 Top 10 Winter activities

A Weekly Pro ducti o n o f

DhakaTribune

12 Big Mouth Strikes Again Respect is the minimum

Vo lume 1, Issu e 2 8 NOVEMBER 8, 2 0 13

13 Photo Story Safari

Editor Zafar Sobhan

17 Realpolitik The 15th Amendment

Magazine Editor Faruq Hasan Weekend Tribune Team Sumaiya Shams Faisal Mahmud Yusuf Banna Joseph Allchin Shah Nahian Phil Humphreys Adil Sakhawat Rohini Alamgir

6 Pick of the Week Women drivers

19 Interview Eeshita Azad 20 6° of Connotations Nadia Chowdhury 21 Crime File Death by violence in Savar

Art Direction/Photography Syed Latif Hossain

22 Tough Love 23 WT | Leisure

Cartoon Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy Rio Shuvo

24 Travelogue Syria

Contributors Syed Samiul Basher Naheed Kamal Fahim Razzaq Nadia Chowdhury Dina Sobhan Kevin Richberg Design Mohammad Mahbub Alam

25 The Way Dhaka Was Fakirapul Panir Tanki 26 Culture Vulture Photoffe 10 Feature Environmental problems

Circulation Wahid Murad Email: weekend@dhakatribune.com Web: www.dhakatribune.com Cover The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park by Syed Latif Hossain

27 Obituary Lou Reed 28 Last Word

Production Masum Billah Advertising Shahidan Khurshed

18 Digital Bangladesh Modernising Dhaka WASA

EDITOR’S NOTE

Geneva Camp 6

Breaking gender barriers I

t’s unfortunate, but even in 2013, women drivers around Dhaka get stares and glares. And heavens help a female driver in an accident … it’s always her fault! Part of the problem is, there are so very few of them around town, which reinforces negative stereotypes about women drivers and continues to portray them as an exotic species.

However, a new training school set up

by BRAC wishes to change the scenario and put more, better trained women drivers on the roads. Rohini Alamgir explains how the new programme plans to bring about a slice of gender parity on to Dhaka streets.

LaLon festivaL 18

manna Dey 27

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1 2013

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Speaking of gender equality, our angry columnist Naheed Kamal explains how women are reclaiming social media space amidst lingering chauvinism and sexism, Yusuf Banna talks to Eeshita Azad, head of British Council’s art programme about the institute’s commitment to local artists and culture, our crime reporter Adil Sakawat investigates how politics in our country seems to be invariably linked to violence, and Kevin Richberg talks about his trip to Syria amid civil war and hope. Culture, travel, politics, and crime – we have it all right here in the Weekend Tribune! n W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, N OVE MB E R 8, 20 1 3

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THIS WEEK

INTERNATIONAL

Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, left, and IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards, Tero Tapio Varjoranta, right, deliver a statement after their meeting at the International Centre in Vienna, Austria on October 29

Passengers evacuated from Terminal 1 wait outside the Los Angeles International Airport on November 1. Shots were fired at the airport that day, prompting authorities to evacuate a terminal and stop flights headed for the city

AP/Reed Saxon

AP Photo/Hans Punz

US Secretary of State John Kerry, right, is greeted by Egypt’s Ambassador Farid Munib , second to the right, chief of protocol, in Cairo on November 3

In this file photo taken on October 4, 2009, new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, left, is seen with his comrade Waliur Rehman, front centre, during his meeting with media at Sararogha, in the Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan, along the Afghanistan border. According to intelligence reports, Hakimullah Mehsud was one of three people killed in a US drone strike on November 1

AP/Ishtiaq Mehsud

Iranian school girls show their hands with writing in Persian in support of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, denouncing the US, and one of them with word ‘Nuclear Scientist,’ in an annual state-backed rally in front of the former US Embassy in Tehran, Iran

AP/Vahid Salemi

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 8 , 2013

Reuters/Jason Reed

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NATIONAL

Chhatra Dal activists vandalise vehicles in the city’s Malibagh area on November 3, ahead of the 60-hour hartal called by BNP-led 18-party alliance

Focus Bangla

Panna Kaiser, wife of Shahidullah Kaiser, expresses gratitude after the tribunal delivered the verdicts of Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen Uddin, who were behind the killings of intellectuals, on November 3

Syed Zakir Hossain

Munir’s father wears a lost look beside a hospital bed wishing that everything would change back to normal, as his son lies in agony with 95% burn injuries. The photo was taken on November 5 at the DMCH Burn Unit

Mahmud Hossain Opu

A picket is seen throwing a crude bomb at a crowd during the three-day hartal called by the 18-party alliance. The photo was taken on November 5 at Laxmibazar, Old Dhaka Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, N OVE MB E R 8, 20 1 3

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BOTTLED UP

letters to the editor

LETTER

of the week Not just an ordinary camp I

have always thought the Mohammadpur “Bihari” camp was a place for yummy kebabs and street food. But Promiti Chowdhury’s “A generation in the shadows” made me realise the amount of history and culture that is embedded in that place. I would like to congratulate the author in drawing out a comprehensive historical chronology of the site. I made both my children read the article too. Next time we visit the place, we will surely see it in a new light.

Thanks WT! n Abdur Razzak Gulshan, Dhaka

National schizophrenia Naheed Kamal was spot on in pointing out the different personalities that exist in all of us Bangladeshis. We are indeed a confused bunch, and we can’t seem to reach a conclusion about our historical and cultural identities are concerned. Until that is resolved, I really don’t see how we can truly develop as a nation.

Golam Mostofa Mohakhali, Dhaka

Potential wasted I’ve been following the columns in the WT for a while. The last two columns by Nadia Chowdhury were rather an unpleasant read. They looked inadequately researched to me. I understand that columnists are, to some extent, entitled to be opinionated, but they also must have some facts to base their opinion on.

Atiqul Haque Dhanmondi, Dhaka

Where’s the Baul gone Joseph Allchin’s piece on his visit to Kushtia was funny, especially the bit where he ended up taking centre stage amidst all the music. It’s a pity though that Joseph didn’t cover much of the actual music itself. Would have been interesting to get a British take on our Lalon.

Fardin Hassan Shyamoli, Dhaka

Send us your feedback at: weekend@dhakatribune.com

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 8 , 2013

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WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?

Let the others in Shakib? Shakib who?

It looks like the Tigers have found some new match winners. Are you still missing Shakib?

TV journalist

Mushfiqur Rahim, captain, Bangladesh cricket team

Don’t worry, Shakib, you still have a modelling career to look forward to.

Mr Mango

Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

We no longer rely on Shakib al Hasan and the current team has the confidence to play against any side in the world in their own backyard.

Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Bangladesh pacer

Not having him (Shakib) was a huge loss for the team but we never took pressure for that.

We didn’t allow his absence to haunt us, rather we tried to do what he might have done as a spinner or as a batsman.

Sohag Gazi, off spinner

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6 Rohini Alamgir likes looking into the details of seemingly simple matters. She is constantly working on her autobiography because she thinks her life is worth reading about

PICK OF THE WEEK

Women drivers

For the signal, ladies, put your hands up!

Rohini Alamgir takes a turn around the block with Bangladesh’s newest professionals

Photos: Chanchal Kamal

C

louds of pollution create a hazy filter for the view through the windshield, supplemented by the lethargic heat bearing down on the cars from a too-bright sun. As the temperature outside mounts, nullifying the full-blast air conditioners, tempers rise exponentially, marked by a steady increase in the number and volume of honks. Drivers step out of their cars, just waiting for someone to say or do the wrong thing, itching for a fight. Behind the steering wheel, Rita Sarker smiles and waits patiently.

Like all other hurdles in her life in conservative, patriarchal Bangladesh, this too would pass.

Police verify the character and antecedents of each woman Challenge accepted a woman in her 30s, has been enrolled in the Rita, driving for the past seven years. A programme seasoned driver, she has upgraded W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 8 , 2013

her licence to a medium vehicle one (from the initial light vehicle licence), and is currently employed by BRAC Driving School (BDS) where she is a driving instructor. Back in 2005, she used to tutor Anwar Hossain’s two children over at Daroga Bari. In an offhand manner, Hossain, an employee of CARE Bangladesh, suggested she join the women’s driving course that CARE was offering at that time. With no definite plan in mind, Rita jumped at the chance. By November 10 that year, she could drive. May 6, 2006 found her gainfully employed by CARE Bangladesh as a field operative. Her new job required her to travel back and forth between different districts.

As the eldest of four and the primary breadwinner for her family since her father’s death, Rita thought this job was a godsend.

Currently, Rita is the only female driving instructor at BDS, but in the past one and a half years that she has been teaching, she has partnered one other female instructor (recently deceased), and has churned out four batches of students, comprising 75 graduates. Of these, 25 are currently employed as drivers, and the rest have unfortunately been unable to break the social mores that hold Bangladeshi women in a flux of backward “progress.” Husbands and families, unable to come to terms with the long, late hours of the job, constantly urge them to find employment more “suitable for women.” And yet, in spite of this lack of support, more and more women are signing up for the driving courses.

Jerin and Zohora, two graduates of the BDS programme, have been driving

for a year and six months, respectively.

“I’d never seen a car before I came to Dhaka from Manikganj,” Jerin explained, “and my initial plan was to get a job at a garments factory. But soon after settling in with some family members here, I heard about this programme, and was intrigued. When I saw the girls driving around here, I knew that’s exactly what I wanted to be.” The sense of empowerment she felt when sitting behind the wheel was far from diminished in the face of her family’s disapproval. “It’s new to them, so they don’t understand it,” Zohora said, “and when the money starts pouring in, they’ll stop complaining soon enough.” While they wait to find full-time employment, BDS has them working part-time maintaining the instruction cars. Maybe not the best possible outcome to their story, but it’s

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Each trainee receives 120 hours of practical training (ILO requirement: 12 hours), 132 hours of class, lab and simulator training, and 18 hours of Communicative English

definitely a start, and a promise of a much better future.

One’s better than the other?

“Women drive better than men. While driving, they do not speak on mobile phones, or smoke, or drink. They are cool and level-headed drivers,” Obaidul Quader, the communications minister, said as he introduced the BDS women driver’s programme as part of BRAC’s Road Safety Advocacy project.

While there is no available research to support such a statement, and the reality of things actually speaks against its accuracy, the ideology is most certainly appreciated by Bangladeshi women who are aspiring to be drivers. Unfortunately, however, BRAC too is somewhat hindered by social codes: while everyone is welcome to sign up, BDS does operate under some selection criteria. They seek women between 20-30 years of age with at least an SSC degree.

Applicants are also given preference if they are widowed, or divorced, or are from poor families headed by a single parent. Interestingly enough, freedom and empowerment for these women lie just a consent letter away – a letter which must be signed by either parents or husbands, allowing them to

take the training.

After five months of free intensive training, inclusive of 18 hours of communicative English courses and gender sensitisation courses, these ladies are ready to hit the roads, though as Rita says, “Even though I’m teaching, I feel like I’m learning all the time.” And it is this yearning to learn, to better themselves and their conditions, that BRAC is counting on.

Behaviourists believe that women are more tolerant, patient and don’t take unnecessary risks while driving, and BRAC thinks that introducing more women drivers on the streets of Dhaka just might make them safer to traverse.

Though women have been employed as personal and company drivers in the past, it was most certainly not as widespread a movement or as acceptable a sight as it is currently. As Laila and Shuma get ready for their lessons, they recognise the difficulties still awaiting them, namely the lack of acceptance not only from their families, but also from potential employers, simply because they are women. Far from being a deterrent, it becomes a challenge. The road ahead might be a long and arduous one, but these ladies are green-lighting it all the way. n

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8

POST-RIPOSTE

partisan press

Should media take a side during polls?

Yes, they can Faisal Mahmud

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Cartoons: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

No, they can’t Shah Nahian

“W

ithholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship,” said author, Bruce Coville, and he couldn’t be more right.

Mankind’s history is tainted with extreme tyranny and oppression.

Politicians rise to become greedy kings, queens and dictators if they are not kept under a magnifying glass.

In our modern, democratic times, the

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 8 , 2013

purpose of media outlets is to serve as that magnifying glass and expose corruption and keep politicians in check. The source must remain neutral so the people can think for themselves, and not tell people what to think.

When newspapers and TV stations endorse a political party, they’re contradicting their main purpose by openly admitting to their political bias. Withholding and/or distorting information and only bringing positive exposure to a candidate because the

n modern democratic societies, with representative governments, the media plays the very essential role of ensuring that information vital to the existence, survival and development of the constituents of such societies is available to the people in a timely, equitable, fair and balanced manner.

Reporting should be objective. Coverage of elections places the same type of responsibility on professional journalists as coverage of any other subject. At the most basic level, journalists should stay clear of blatant violations of ethics such as distortion of facts, over-emphasis on certain aspects of a story, headlines that misrepresent the content of the story and, of course, outright fabrication of stories, quotes, people and events. Yet that doesn’t necessarily mean that the media can’t be inclined towards a political party and endorse the party in its editorial policy. There is a thin line between blind or religious supporting and poignant or rational supporting. In reporting, the media has to report both the pros and the cons of all parties. In the editorials, they have no such obligation, and during an election, they surely have the right to declare their predilection for a certain party.

Big media houses in the Western world have been practicing exactly thisfor a long time now. Newspapers like the ‘Daily Telegraph’ and the ‘Daily Mail’ have been supporting the conservative parties in UK, while ‘The Guardian’ and the ‘Daily Mirror’ have been supporting the Labour parties openly. And very few people can question these papers’ integrity. n

media house supports him, sends the wrong message to the people.

The people should be the judge on their own, what the greater good of the country is, because as author, Jim Butcher says,“Some of the cruellest tyrants in history were motivated by noble ideals, or made choices that they would call ‘hard but necessary steps’ for the good of their nation.

We’re all the hero of our own story.”

So, remembering Hitler, who, apart from his magnetic charisma and

outstanding public speaking skills, won over his people and country by portraying himself as Germany’s irrefutable savoir using the media, it stands to reason that the media should remain neutral. Therefore, an organisation that fails to remain unbiased, is an organisation that is not to be trusted. n

TOP 10

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Seasonal Activities

Winter wonderland

Shah Nahian lists the most popular activities this season. This list was generated from the WT poll on the Dhaka Tribune Facebook page. To take part in the next one visit https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

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And the ‘Wedding Season’

Congratulations are in order if you’re about to be hitched this season. Even if you’re not, get prepared because you’re about to learn a lot of dance routines, stuff your face with some great food and wear your suits/saris almost every night of the week.

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Movie marathon sleepover

Sleepovers are fun! Imagine a cold winter night, a bunch of movies, some close friends, and assorted snacks. Do you really need any more convincing?

8

Bird watching

Feel like trying something new and adventurous? Winter brings over various types of migratory birds into the country. So, grab your camera, binoculars, telescope, and field guide, and you’ll be ready for some serious ornithology.

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4

Mix shorter days, longer nights and a cool temperature, and you get the perfect excuse for curling up with your cosy, warm blanket, and a lot of extra hours of sleep. An added bonus: you get to save on your power bill! Not only will you be energized and ready to take on the world every morning, but you’ll finally get around to actually getting things done on your winter to-do list.

It’s time to get busy transforming your roof, or that empty plot in front of your house, into a Badminton court. Winter won’t be complete without it and friendly competition doesn’t get much better than this.

SLEEP!

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Grills galore

Have a lot of meat left over from Eid? Throw a BBQ party! Grab your friends, family, lighting, and music, and head to the roof. Throw in some exquisite cooking into that mix and you’re all set for a memorable winter night.

Badminton

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Shah Nahian is a staff writer at Dhaka tribune with a passion for music and art. When he’s not being forced to work, he spends his time daydreaming and hanging out with friends

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Layers, layers, everywhere

Rack up on those layers! So, show off your new winter wardrobe, but first, make the ritualistic trip to Doza Market, Bongo, etc and dive into the sea of garments. It’s time to brush up on your haggling skills and get ready.

The road not taken (till now)

Experience the true ‘feel’ of what winter has to offer by getting away from the city. You can try visiting Cox’s Bazar, the Sundarbans, or even just your village home. With barely any humidity in the air and agreeable weather conditions, the time is just perfect.

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The tea and the mist

Not an abbreviation of the Disney title, but rather one of the best parts of Bangladeshi winter: waking at the break of dawn and heading out to your nearest tea stall. A hot cup of tea and interesting conversation with a friend; what more do you need?

1 Pitha munching It’s not really a complete Bangladeshi winter without a variety of these traditional cakes known as pithas.

Usually made with white flour, these cakes are a must-have winter snack or meal. So stock up on your supplies and don’t deny yourself this amazing custom. n

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FEATURE

Environmental Problems

Faisal Mahmud is a staff reporter at Weekend Tribune who specialises in writing IT and telecom articles with depth and analysis

Waste side story

Faisal Mahmud addresses Dhaka’s ‘dirty’ secrets: the lack of proper trash disposal

A

consumption-driven society produces an enormous amount of waste every day. In Dhaka, the problem lies with the civic bodies put in charge of cleaning the mess; both city corporations lack the manpower and machinery to do the job in a proper and efficient manner.

Dhaka is one of the most denselypopulated cities in the world. Over seven million people are squeezed into just 360sq-km of land and around 42% live in slums. Due to low economic growth, lack of infrastructure and the absence of effective governance, Dhaka offers an unreliable waste management service to its inhabitants.

The two Dhaka City Corporations (DCCs) are responsible for the daily collection and disposal of 3,000-4,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste from the city’s 90 wards. However, the civic bodies can currently process only 4050% of this amount. As a result, the

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 8 , 2013

uncollected waste is dumped illegally in streets, drains, ponds, and lakes, or managed informally, causing various socio-economic and environmental problems. Additionally, because of a lack of waste infrastructure and narrow road networks, the civic authorities do not provide any doorto-door collection services.

The private sector solution

To solve this waste management crisis, community based private doorto-door waste collection can play an important role. Fortunately, such initiatives are already underway in Dhaka, where organisations like Green Channel have initiated communitybased decentralised composting by adopting low-cost technology. The company’s founder, Navin Rahman, believes private initiatives are the only hope for waste management in a country like Bangladesh, due to the

Expert opinion “Unexpectedly, waste management systems have not received as much attention in the city planning process as other sectors like water or energy. In recent years, zero waste concepts have emerged to the local authority as one of the promising waste management philosophies. According to the Zero Waste International Alliance, ‘zero waste’ means designing and managing products and processes systematically to avoid and eliminate waste, and to recover all resources from the waste stream. Hence, zero waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all

discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.

“Community-based waste collection and composting systems should be encouraged and promoted by the local government. Long term waste strategy should be based on short term targets such as 70% waste collection by 2020 and 100% waste collection by 2030 and so on.

After achieving a 100% waste collection system in Dhaka, more advanced zero waste goals such as zero landfill should be targeted.”

Prof Dr Sarwar Jahan Professor Department of Urban and Regional Planning BUET

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Photos: Courtesy

financial constraints of the DCCs. “Only 2% of DCC’s budget is spent on waste management which can neither cover the basic essentials to keep running a system, nor to invest in future developments,” she says.

According to Navin, another major problem in managing waste in Dhaka is the mentality of its people.

“In Dhaka most people litter because there is no alternative. There were no trashcans in the streets,” she says, “In a busy city where poverty is so rampant, the weather is hot and humid and commuting between areas is so troublesome, it is not surprising that environmental cleanliness is one’s least important concern.”

Navin says those working to enhance the system in this sector have to accept that reality and work accordingly. As a result Green Channel has decided to provide the muchneeded “alternative” by installing trash cans all over Dhaka, to be reinforced by a city-wide awareness campaign tentatively scheduled for the start of 2015.

“People then cannot say that they don’t have an alternative,” she says, “But for private parties to be involved and to actually make an impact, they need to be extremely hardworking

and dedicated. At Green Channel, we spend a lot of time strategic planning.

We start small, experiment and then expand fast.”

Trashcan rollout

Green Channel started its communitybased waste management initiative on a small scale, placing six trash cans in Gulshan Avenue in June 2012.

“We spent a lot of time analysing what design of can would work best in the context of Bangladesh,” explains Navin, “After a lot of research we figured that we wanted to emphasise durability, convenience and theft prevention. Thus our trashcans are made out of steel, tied to electric poles with thick heavy chains and padlocks and are designed in a way that makes it easy for the DCC workers to empty.”

At the end of a successful sixmonth pilot, Green Channel decided to expand the system to all of Dhaka.

“So far we have installed 78 trashcans in Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Green Road, Panthapath, Kawranbajar, and Mohakhali. This summer we hope to cover DIT road, Kazi Nazrul Islam Road, New Eskatan, Circular Road, and Shahid Tajuddin, by setting up another 50. By the end of 2014 we hope to have provided

approximately 1,200 of them in total,” says Navin.

The Green Channel experiment has not been without hitches, however.

A few of the trashcans have been disfigured and so the company is taking extra precautions in the designs

Waste stats n

n

A recent study by the United Nations shows that, currently, the world’s cities generate about 1.3 billion tonnes of solid waste per year and the volume is expected to increase to 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025. Waste generation rates will more than double over the next twenty years in lower income countries such as Bangladesh More than 50% of the world’s population live in urban areas and some estimates have suggested that 80% of the human population will dwell in urban areas by 2030.

Cities cover only around 2% of the world’s surface, consume over 75% of the world’s natural resources and generate 70% of all the waste produced globally

to enhance stability and strength of the bins for the following phase of setup.

North and South co-operation

Navin says the DCC has been extremely supportive over time, in helping the Green Channel with spot selections, security and assistance. “Thus we have little to complain about and much work to do,” she enthuses.

Captain Bipan Kumer Saha, chief waste management officer of Dhaka South City Corporation, says the civic bodies seriously lack manpower and machineries to clean all the wastage in the city: “(But) if private communitybased private waste management initiatives are made then the work would get easier for the civic body.

Dhaka is a big, populous city. To make it clean, the civic body alone can’t do the work. Private initiatives will have to be taken.”

Akhtar Hossain Bhuiyan, administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, says the civic body has always welcomed private initiatives, stating “We are cooperating with Green Channels in making the city a better place.” n

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Big Mouth strikes again

Naheed Kamal

Respect is the minimum

Women lead the social media revolution and we won’t let the trolls win Naheed Kamal is an irreverent and irreligious feminist.

An old soul of indeterminate age, with one too many opinions and a very loud voice (for a little person), she laughs a lot, mostly at herself.

She lives in Dhaka, against her best judgement. Mostly, Ms Kamal rants, a lot!

P

osting updates on Facebook and checking the newsfeed to see what friends and acquaintances – or as we now call them “Facebook friends” – are up to is the first thing many of us do as soon as we wake up.

Just like the papers, now all the news, updates, reminders, invitations and just about anything we want – and much that we don’t want – personal and professional, can be found online, and all of it comes together with Facebook.

Just how quickly Facebook, and before that Google and the internet, took over our lives is clear when we look at some numbers: five years ago, only 29% of adults used social networking sites online, now more than 72%, almost twice as many adults spend time on social media sites online.

A Pew Research Centre survey published in September revealed that women are more likely than men to use social media, and that they are learning to use it as a tool for activism, to solve problems, stay connected with old friends and build new networks, as well as a means to rekindle civil behaviour.

A separate report published on Monday by Pew, one of the leaders among a handful of organisations studying the effects of technology on people, looked into the impact of highspeed broadband services on people’s lives, and concluded that women outrank men when it comes to making use of social media constructively.

If you are wondering why women dominate the world of social media, the answer is simple: because women are more “social.” While historically,

women have been avid users of technology, the internet has been far from female-friendly; in fact, it has brought out the worst kind of misogynist attitudes and sexist threats.

Between December 2009 and December 2012, the proportion of women using social media was 10% higher than the average number of men. After data from earlier surveys are added to data from May 2008 through May 2013, the average difference drops slightly to 8%. In another Pew survey, the difference is starker: we find men and women share photos and videos in different ways. For women, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter facilitated it.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted

by PR specialists Weber Shandwick found what influences women have online, who they influence and how they influence them. In many ways, women are key to understanding the social media phenomena. Women surveyed said they enjoyed the social network experience “more than dating or spending time with a partner,” and the companies finally recognised how keeping women engaged online has potential benefits for the companies.

So original content is being created especially for women, to keep them engaged online. You wouldn’t think this is a revolutionary move, but it apparently never crossed anyone’s mind to try and engage half of the world’s population online prior to these surveys.

Though women have found a place of their own on social media, where they can easily connect with other like-minded women and men, the

If you find you can’t resist your smartphone at social gatherings because you are too occupied with the latest tweet and Facebook update to pay attention to people around you, then you need a break from the internet and social media. Go offline for a few weeks of digital media detox

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The power of social media lies in its capacity for cumulative actions that change peoples’ beliefs about what they can do. The opportunities and flexibility of control made Facebook a game changer. Personally, I like the privacy settings. Not even Google+ allows users this degree of control

internet is still not a great place for them. Online, it is teeming with trolls.

Somehow, the web’s anonymity brings out the worse in people who will stoop to depths of vileness with tragic consequences, but it hasn’t deterred unduly combative and belligerent attitudes.

Anyone who has posted or commented online has experienced it; even amongst “friends” on Facebook, you will find trolls threatening violence, murder, rape and using abusive language, all of which makes women’s presence online vulnerable. It wasn’t – and still isn’t – easy for women to exist online after identifying oneself as female.

In general, all across the world, women have fought hard for a place and for their voices to be heard, for their presence to be felt, because we really do need to be, and want to be, part of the conversations taking place.

Deanna Zandt, author of the book “Share this: How You Will Change the World with Social Networking,” on how to use our online presence to make a difference, thinks it “has helped ease women into a much safer, more comfortable space to be able to participate in ways they just haven’t been able to before.”

Social media enriches our connections by giving us a glimpse into the lives of people we wouldn’t have access to otherwise. There are some things social media can do that reality can’t: it connects us across distances, with people whom we may not have met otherwise or seen again due to time, distance and financial

constraints.

Not everyone loves Facebook.

Some people blame it for the many wrongs in their lives. But Facebook is just a website; whatever harm or damage befalls us that we blame on it is, perhaps, our own fault. A Time. com study found that Facebook makes users unhappy, with those who spend more time on it often left feeling worse than those who use it less often, because they see the perfect display of other people’s lives and start to feel inadequate in comparison.

Often, those who are unsettled by the website leave Facebook or react by becoming anti-social, an odd reaction to social media. If it is causing you so much grief that it must be raised in therapy, then it must be addressed, but we will all do well to remember that what we associate with Facebook reflects our own thoughts and emotions.

We decide what we post, and who and how many people can see it, and share it or not. Your reactions to posts and comments are also within your control. Blaming Facebook for the drama in our lives is ridiculous. n

PHOTO STORY

13

SAFARI

Into the wild

A photo story by

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park at Sripur, Gazipur, was inaugurated by the prime minister on October 31. The park is around 60km away from the capital. The Department of Forest approved 1,493.3 hectares of land to be used as park space. The park has tigers, lions, sambar deer, giraffes and many other animals. Crocodile and lizard parks have also been set up inside the park, along with a parrot aviary, macaw land and marine aquarium. The authorities have also set up information and education centres, and a nature history museum, the second of its kind, after the one set up in Cox’s Bazar in 1999.

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PHOTO STORY SAFARI

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PHOTO STORY SAFARI

Syed Zakir Hossain is the chief photographer at Dhaka Tribune

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REALPOLITIK

17

The 15th Amendment

A dummies guide to caretaker government

Fahim Razzaq is a regular contributor to the Weekend Tribune. He is also a trained investigative journalist, photographer, fiction writer and poet

Fahim Razzaq explains the stalemate crippling the nation

T

here are a great many reasons why the year 1996 should be of great significance to Bangladeshis today. It was the year when the 30-year Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was signed. It was the year when the Liberation War Museum was inaugurated. But most importantly, it was the year when the 13th Amendment of the Constitution was passed.

One might ask: why the 13th Amendment? What is so special about it? Well, for starters, the reason why the 13th Amendment is important is simply because it gave birth to the system of incorporating a non-party interim government, or a caretaker government, in the Bangladeshi constitution.

The idea at the time was that a government would be selected to oversee the day-to-day tasks of the

Wikimedia Commons

administration for no more than 90 days. During that time, they would also provide all possible aid and assistance to the Election Commission to hold fair and impartial general elections.

However, after 90 days, by which point an elected prime minister would step into office, this temporary government would dissolve and be replaced by members of the elected party.

Coincidentally, the reasons for adopting such a system in the first place was simply because there was a lack – and to call it a “lack” would be a huge understatement – of trust between political parties. Also, in theory such a system could allow for stabilising political tensions and breaking political deadlocks.

However, as it turned out in 2007, the state of politics had grown to new and unanticipated heights of instability and violence, which

inevitably paved the way for a militarybacked caretaker government to be formed and take the lead. What followed was an even more bold and unprecedented campaign that called for a crackdown on corruption.

This campaign lasted up until 2008, by which time several cases had been filed, MPs and political activists were interrogated and plans were underway to install a new internationally-backed political party, namely Nagorik Shakti (meaning Citizen’s Power), as a future political power. Simultaneously, the caretaker government imprisoned both the party leaders and sought to implement their “Minus Two Formula,” ergo removing the two female icons from the political arena – Sheikh Hasina Wajed and Begum Khaleda Zia – hoping that younger members could pump some new blood in the ailing politics. Not to mention, persistent

pressuring of powerful senior leaders to break away from their parties under a reformist banner continued.

The climax finally came when four of Awami League’s most senior leaders – the late Abdur Razzaq, Tofail Ahmed, Amir Hossain Amu and Suranjit Sengupta – led a reform wing, but the AL officially remained united. On the other end of the spectrum, the BNP’s then secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and several other senior leaders broke ranks with the party mainstream to create a reformist BNP. While at first the resolve of caretaker government was unrelenting, their efforts eventually broke down as they were faced with a failing reform agenda and declining popular support. In the end, they were forced to abandon the Minus Two Formula and release the political leaders from imprisonment.

The events of 2007 are arguably the propelling factors behind the unilateral abolishment of the 13th Amendment in 2010 by the Awami League.

Today, with the elections looming on the horizon, many find themselves questioning the merits and demerits of the caretaker government system.

What would’ve been the case, had this 16-year-old constitutional requirement not been overturned? Was it the perfect solution to political standoffs in a nation plagued with political instability? While the answers to those questions may never be found, time will tell what’s in store for Bangladesh.

On an endnote, isn’t it ironic that in 1996 and 2008, this very same Awami League government had hardpressed on the installation of the 13th Amendment in the first place? Food for thought n

Trivia A caretaker government is headed by a chief adviser, who enjoys the same power as the regular prime minister of the country, except for defence matters, and other advisers who function as ministers

The road to controversy 1990

A caretaker government system is first incorporated when the three-party alliance jointly make a demand for it. After the forced resignation of Gen Ershad, the alliance nominates then Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed as the Chief Adviser

1996

The 13th Amendment is passed, which calls for the caretaker government system to be incorporated into the constitution. Since 1996, the caretaker government has overseen the elections of 1996, 2001 and 2008

2007

Caretaker government is installed by the military without legitimacy, in response to the drastic political violence and protests, which is spread nationwide

2008

Failing public support and pressure from the international community force the caretaker government to resume elections and power is ultimately handed over to the Awami League, the elected political party of the 2008 general elections Reforms in the 2008 elections include implementation of the voter IDs and voting stations incorporating cameras and laptops to ensure fair voting

2011

The chief adviser and the other advisers are committed for their activities to the president

Members of the caretaker government don’t belong to any political party, nor are they allowed to participate in the elections

The main objective of the caretaker government is to create an environment in which an election can be held in a free and fair manner, without any political influence of the outgoing government

Awami League government passes a highly controversial 15th Amendment, abolishing the requirement for caretaker government during or before elections. This effectively dismisses the mandates of the 13th Amendment

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18

DIGITAL BANGLADESH

modernising Dhaka WASA

Getting water the digital way Faisal Mahmud talks about revamping the government utility Faisal Mahmud is a staff reporter at Weekend Tribune who specialises in writing IT and telecom articles with depth and analysis

D

haka’s Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) plans to go for an all-out digitalisation by the end of this year, according to the sources at the civic water body. It has already completed 100% automation of its billing system and is working to digitalise the new subscription system for water and sewerage connections. Sources said WASA’s content management system (CMS) has already included the provision for online water and sewerage system in its website and completed a test run, and the final version of the system would be released soon.

In February 2008, Dhaka WASA launched its website equipped with online billing system, online complaint box and online subscription system for new water and sewerage connections.

Due to the lack of publicity and the ignorance of WASA’s technical officials, the modernised service failed

to create the desired response among its customers.

However, Taqsim A Khan, managing director of Dhaka WASA, believes the situation has got better.

“We went fully digital after the launch of our real-time online billing system last year,” he said, adding that WASA is the first civic body in the country to introduce real-time online billing service.

He reasoned: “Online billing system was not successful before, as it did not provide the real-time service, and people still have some doubts on technical services if they are not provided to them on real time.

“Also, we didn’t have a complete database on the information regarding the connections and billing of all our customers, which are about 386,000,” he added.

The database is complete now, though, so it is easier to computerise the whole billing process of the organisation.

“Each customer under Dhaka WASA database has been given a unique username and password. They can

access the website and avail the billing facility online,” Khan said.

The organisation struck deals with nine banks to provide real-time online billing service to the customers from January 2012.

Khan explained the digital billing system, Khan said: “If customers go to one of these branches, they can instantly pay the bills by logging on to their WASA account. They can also see the status (unpaid or due) of their billing account change instantly as they pay their bills. This is how this system works.”

Dhaka WASA is working on its website to incorporate the e-payment facilities through credit card. “We have heard that PayPal, the world’s renowned e-payment organisation, would launch its services in Bangladesh. If it happens, then I can assure that Dhaka WASA will be the first to avail it,” Khan said.

WASA’s bill collection has already increased after the launching of realtime online billing system.

The civic body is planning to launch call centres to provide 24/7 customer

Where to pay the bills • • • • • • • • •

Southeast Bank Ltd Pubali Bank Ltd United Commercial Bank Ltd Islami Bank Ltd Mutual Trust Bank Ltd Premier Bank Ltd One Bank Ltd Social Islami Bank Ltd Trust Bank Ltd

care services. “We have already started the process. By the end of this year, this service will be launched,” Khan said.

However, he also admitted that the launching of new water connection system through online will take some time and it is not fully up to them. “It is because the government has not yet given us the access to its national identity database. If we are given that access, we can verify the potential customer’s record,” he said. n

Subscribers can use bKash, as well as mobile operators such as Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi, to pay the bills following a simple process

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INTERVIEW

19

Eeshita Azad

Development through art Yusuf Banna talks to the head of arts at the British Council about the organisation’s vision and projects involving art

E

eshita Azad is a communications specialist and an arts organiser with a career spanning over 12 years in the advertising, arts and development sectors in New York, London and Dhaka. She is currently working as the Head of Arts for British Council Bangladesh.

Eeshita has an associate degree in Advertising Design from Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York and BA in Arts Practice and Community from Middlesex University in London. She worked in the marketing industry before joining VNU Media, NY, as assistant art director. She also worked for the What is the primary goal of the British Council’s arts team?

The arts team works with the best of British creative talent to develop innovative, high-quality and collaborative events, home and abroad.

Our global programme is to focus on institutional links and creating new networks and connections that can blossom into sustainable creative partnership in the long term. Our commitment is to share and build creative skills of both the Bangladesh and UK partners through our arts programme.

What kind of global programmes are the British Council initiating?

Our intention is to build the capacity of the key genre of creative industries.

Through our global programme called “New Connections,” we venture into the areas around “arts for development.” We promote Bangladeshi arts to the UK to educate British people by changing their perception and also to engage Bangladeshi heritage communities there.

We facilitate visits of UK and Bangladeshi artists for cultural exchange and mutual learning through our Arts Programme that includes bilateral music workshops and concerts, young peoples’ poetry collaboration, film festivals and three consecutive years of the Hay Literary Festival in Dhaka. We have a very successful exchange programme between the Slade School of Fine Art in London and the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University.

What future plans do you have under

Yusuf Banna is a staff writer at Weekend Tribune. He would be happier if he could be a poet. He also dreams of being a painter and is envious of those who are

London-based arts magazine CEN, in various capacities for the advertising multinational TBWA Benchmark, and for the BBC World Service Trust before joining British Council, Bangladesh, as the country co-ordinator for two of their large scale projects: arts and skills.

In her most recent role, Eeshita has been credited with “bringing the British Council back to the centre stage of the arts scene” in Bangladesh. She is no stranger in front of the camera, either, having hosted talk shows on national television and facilitating drama therapy and various workshops in London and Dhaka. the arts programme?

Over the next three years, we will start building a sector of the creative economy of Bangladesh in fashion design, introduce graphic novels as a new genre in Bangladeshi literature.

We are working with prominent UK and Bangladeshi theatre groups with world famous facilitators to engage people with disabilities in Bangladesh to direct and act in a major theatre productions. We believe in building a creative and cultural economy.

What is the plan of the British Council in building the creative and cultural economy?

We have our ground-level resources here in Bangladesh and a established global network to use, we have direct access to policymakers and collaborative dialogue, through which we co-create programmes for developing cultural enterprise, leadership, skills and infrastructure in partnership with UK and international organisations, as well as individuals.

What is the British Council’s plans regarding the Hay Festival in the future?

In May 2010, the British Council and Hay Festival, as a venture of global partnership, launched the Hay-onWye Festival to bring UK authors and thinkers to a global audience.

This festival has now become a great platform for exchanging crosscultural thoughts and great ideas. The Hay Festival in Dhaka took place in November 2011 and 2012.

The upcoming Hay Festival Dhaka on November 14-16 will host a British Council Zone where we will hold

Courtesy

workshops, exhibitions on UK and Bangladeshi graphic art and raise awareness of its marketability to publishers. It will be an opportunity for local artists to attract creative agencies and producers and also learn from UK specialists of this sector.

Will there be a musical element to the cultural exchange programme?

We will follow up on our folk music festival held last year. We are aiming to introduce a bilateral UK-Bangladesh Music Producers Workshop as an element of our hugely successful project to make sure the legacy continues. This workshop will create some amazing music pieces, which will bring Asian and British folk music together and create a concrete base for the musicians to contribute to the folk music scene.

Tell us about the concept and events planned on performance poetry as a new art genre.

Performance poetry is a form of interactive media of “Cascading poets,” which has a similarity to our tradition of “Kobir Lorai.” This year, to challenge audiences and practitioners intellectually and creatively, we are going for a nationwide poetry competition to find new faces of bilingual young Bangladeshi poets.

Our objective was to promote UK and Bangladesh artistic collaboration that explores different concepts of literature and the audience. We aimed to showcase new ideas from the UK by professionally “curating” live literature and literature in new (digital) forms.

How would you define art?

Rather than defining art, I would quote one of my favourite artists, Edgar Degas, who said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see,” which I believe by heart. n

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20 Nadia Chowdhury contributes to the Weekend Tribune because she loves writing, oh yes she does. Read her works, you will love them

6° OF CONNOTATIONS

Nadia Chowdhury

Beauty is truth, truth beauty?

All that glitters is sometimes gold

Let’s start with a story found in a diary entry somewhere in this world: July 21 Dear diary, Today I walked past a very pretty man, probably in his 20s, and breathtakingly beautiful. As I walked past him, I had a sudden desire to grab onto him, hold him down and do horrible, unimaginable things to him. Yes, dear diary, he was so pretty, anyone would want to be with him. Dear Diary, I know that this sounds scary, but I don’t care. I love him, yes I do. I am going to do whatever I can to make him mine.

All about beauty

Yes, I know what you are thinking, what the heck am I reading? Scary, isn’t it. But it’s also interesting how physical beauty drives us to such throes of passion. For a long time, I had often wondered, is beauty really what we make it out to be? Should we view physical beauty as something shallow or superficial, or admit that appearances are just as important as one’s personality? I admit, beauty is always subjective and depends on the eyes of the beholder. But has anyone ever wondered, why is beauty so important, so relevant?

Well, that’s a dumb question. Why will beauty not be important? What else is there except beauty? Would you like someone ugly, rather?

Beautiful and successful

There are over a million ways to answer that question. Beauty is not always related to achievements or success. In fact, those of us who weren’t blessed with Adonis good looks sometimes end up accomplishing the most noble and kind feats.

But I have to admit that we live in a cold, harsh world. Beauty as a commodity, and as a standard for measurement, is considered to be most important in choosing partners, employees, prospective students and so on, to the point where substance takes a back seat to presentation. Yes, that’s sad, and yes, it’s horribly unfair.

But such is life.

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Scrub and polish

Indeed, many a times I have heard people tell me, “Nadia, I know that you are a good girl but would it not be a good idea for you to go to the parlour and get a foot massage? Or a pedicure or manicure, or even a makeover?

I know that you are trying to save for your studies abroad, but still. An occasional parlour visit shouldn’t hurt, right?” And those are just the kind, sensitive suggestions.

Of course, hearing things like that makes me want to jump off a roof; however let’s be honest, that is how we are as people. One does not need to do research to find out that beautiful people, either because of the correct shade of skin colour, or the shape of their eyes, curves of their body, and the correct muscle tone get more in life than they should, and even deserve.

The obvious response is, what else is beauty good for?

Beauty for beauty’s sake?

And that is, indeed the point. Is it important to be beautiful for the sake of being pretty? Or is it good because of what it gets the beholder and the beholden? Is passion enjoyable on its own merit, or is it good because like all other transactions, something is being exchanged?

I would like to believe that transactions are important as well as relevant; however, the medium is just as important. The medium, located in the body has the ability to discriminate

through the body. And that is what makes definitions of bodily beauty and its opposite lethal and dangerous, for if indeed beauty is an open door, its opposite can be a barrier. And that can lead to horrible results for those who do not possess the proper kind of beauty.

For those deemed ‘ugly’ by society, we face an up-hill battle in accessing resource; from peers, elders and even those younger to us. In some cases, interaction leads to abuse and abusive behavior; against the stereotypes of Betty La Fe, real life does not offer a prince charming who will come around and save a bullied woman, or even a bullied man.

Indeed, men may need saving from oppressive men and women as much as “damsels in distress.” In the same bifurcated way along which gender lines are divided, gender needs and double standards are equally maintained. But that is cannon fodder for another article.

In terms of beauty, equal forms of discrimination ought to be discouraged. However, they are commonplace, based on the reasons highlighted above. Unlike the clichéd way of ending an article by saying that we ought to work for good, I will instead say that discrimination and abuse is part of our society. However, that doesn’t mean we should just sit tight and hope for the best. Deconstructing that kind of discrimination is the first step to ending it. n

CRIME FILE

21

Death by Violence in Savar

Caught in the middle

Adil Sakhawat writes about another victim falling prey to mindless hartal violence

M

ostafizur Rahman Mukul (35), an employee at Biswas Group, died from burn injuries in Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on November 4, a day after picketers hurled a handmade bomb at the CNGrun auto rickshaw he was taking to his office in Savar. The incident took place on the Dhaka-Aricha highway road in front of Savar Cantonment Public School and College, on the first day of the second 60-hour hartal called by the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance. Mukul suffered 60% burns when the petrol bomb ignited a fire in the threewheeler.

First police on site

“As yet, no one has filed complaints to the police station about this matter. If anyone does, we will take strict action against those miscreants.”

Sheikh Bodrul Alam, officer in-charge, Ashulia police station “To arrest those miscreants, police raided different places of Savar from Sunday night.”

Mohammad Russel Sheikh, senior ASP (Savar circle)

Witness

“If the police want, they can easily arrest those miscreants who hurled the handmade bomb at the vehicle. We live under threat, and then sudden death comes into our life. If police arrest the local political leader, then the picketers can be easily identified as those leaders know who throw the bombs and at which place.”

Abdul Malek, high school teacher in Savar

Adil Sakhawat reports on crime for Dhaka Tribune. Any information can be sent at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

Crime timeline November 3

Photos: Courtesy

10:30pm Picketers hurl a petrol bomb at a three-wheeler carrying Mulul and Hasu Mia, igniting the vehicle 10:40pm Local people rescue a burnt Mukul from the vehicle and rush him to local hospital

November 4

Profile

Mukul, who was from Doulapur, Kushtia, was the fourth son of his parents. He had two daughters – Mahi Akhter, six, and Mousumi Akhter, two – with his wife Dina Akhter. He worked as a purchase officer in the Biswas Group for five years.

“I saw four-five men, in their 20s, standing on the road beside Savar Cantonment Public School and College. They targeted the CNG-run auto rickshaw and threw something at it. It blasted right then; that’s how I realised it was a bomb. Then I saw those culprits run away from that place towards Nabinagar.”

Karim Gazi, a businessman

Victim’s Colleagues

“Mukul’s families do not want to lodge a case with the police station, so there none as yet. Along with him, Asad Ali (36), driver of the auto rickshaw, and Hasu Mia (35), one of our colleagues, were also burnt and in severe condition when admitted to the DMCH. “They were going to the factory

with equipments. All the equipments were inside the CNG and fully burnt, incurring a loss for the factory.”

Fazlul Haque Biplob, manager, Biswas Group “Now, many of our employees feel insecure to move when there’s a shutdown. They’re afraid they won’t reach home safe from work. How many lives need to end in order to bring peace in our country?”

Mukul’s colleague, requesting anonymity “I was in that auto rickshaw. I was dropped off at Shyamoli, where I live.

On our way, Mukul told me about his worries about the political situation.

He worried about what would happen to his daughters if there was any accident while he was on the road. Sadly, he died from that cocktail bomb on that night.

“Our managing director Moin Uddin Biswas assured he would give Mukul’s family Tk300,000 and pay the hospital expenses.”

Victim’s Family

“Mukul’s wife does not want to file any case. She also decided to not allow the post mortem of her husband’s body. She just prays for justice to Allah, asking for the same fate for the culprits.”

Hasan, Mukul’s brother

Prime suspect

“We are trying our best to arrest the culprits involved in this incident.

Mukul’s wife lodged a case against 33 people. No one has been found yet, we are working on finding their traces.”

Mohammad Russel Sheikh, senior ASP (Savar circle)

12:45am Mukul is moved to the burn unit of DMCH 10:30am The doctor in duty annoces Mukul dead 3pm DMCH morgue authority hand Mukul’s body over to his family without autopsy, as per his wife’s wishes

November 5 10am Mukul is buried in Kushtia

“We have not filed any case with the police – we don’t want to. Who would we accuse of killing my brother? We don’t know who they are! And this rumour of Mukul’s wife filing a case is not true. She is ill.”

Zillur, Mukul’s brother

n

Mohammad Yusuf, assistant manager (Accounts), Biswas Group

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22 Dina Sobhan is a freelance writer and cautions readers not to take her “advice” here too seriously!

Got a problem? Write to Dina at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

TOUGH LOVE 1

I come from a very athletically inclined family, but I am kind of an introvert and love staying home and reading books. My parents and siblings are constantly pushing me to join a local club or school football team, and they are getting rather rude about it. How do I explain to them that I simply hate sports?

DINA SOBHAN Everyone knows that “introvert” is code for socially inadequate and “reading books” means you’re too lazy to do anything more physically taxing than turning a page.

They’re rightfully tired of your paltry excuses and want you to step up to the plate … or away from it, as the case may be. Get out of bed and join the other chubby chumps sweating it out

in that smelly gym in Banani or, at the very least, waddle it off in Gulshan Park with the aunties.

There really is no excuse for sitting home scarfing down yet another dalpuri and bringing down the family’s aesthetic average. n

Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

Last year, I started tutoring the girl who lives next door.

Over the year, we have become rather fond of each other and have started dating. The problem is not only our age difference (she is 16 and I am 24) but also the fact that I am her teacher. She is very mature for her age and I think we have a pretty strong relationship. Should we stay mum about it or come out in the open?

2

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You’re engaging in activities that are, if not illegal, certainly frowned upon in every civilised society in the world. There’s a term for it, in fact: paedophilia. No matter how you try to justify it, the truth is, you would be caned and drummed out of said society forthwith if anyone came to know about this “relationship.” Just for the sake of argument, however, let’s say what you’re doing is not loathsome and ick-inducing, it is still grossly inappropriate for you to be dating your student. She has come to view you as a

superior, more intelligent and mature human being (all of which are highly questionable, given the circumstances) and, in turn, you have exploited that trust for your own personal gain. And, pray tell, what could your “strong relationship” be based on: a mutual love of Justin Bieber and reruns of “Gossip Girl”? I strongly advise you to break up with your child paramour, stop tutoring young girls for whom you have a decided weakness, and get a job in the company of adults or animals, or maybe just computers. n

3

After my first child was born, I put on a few pounds. It may be my hormones, or maybe I have simply become lazy, but I hate exercising. All I do is take care of my kid and eat. Is there any way I can break out of this routine without joining a gym?

Fire your nanny. Taking care of your child will get all that weight off in a jiffy. And you can spend all the money you save on replacing the muumuus that have become your wardrobe staple. n

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23

WT LEISURE

Across

5 Rubbish fashion era? (7) 6 Duplicate 151 (5) 9 Princess in attempt to hide processing business (7)

Down 1 2 3 4 7 8

Encourage in the middle of arpeggios (3) Swap plainer chocolate with nuts (7) Wash and iron the French below (7) Number of fingers partly bitten (3) Semi-styled animal enclosure(3) Sounds like atmosphere in Scotland (3)

Solution and clues for last week’s crossword

Across 1 5 6 8 10 11

A girl upset chalice (5) Ear bent for a long time (3) Illuminated, I’m in for the maximum (5) Release from service of French mafia (5) Feel bad about constant leader vacancy (3) Grow wild about new sin (5)

Down 1 2 3 4 7 8 9

Room for paintings, largely abstract (7) Am I in goal? (3) Rent permit (3) Cards win purse (7) One concerning wrath (3) Join up drops on lawn (3) Jersey speak for way of doing nothing (3)

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24 Kevin Richberg is a wanderlust philosopher. Follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ KevinRichberg

TRAVELOGUE

Syria

Off the beaten track Kevin Richberg treats himself to the birthday weekend of a lifetime

After you have been to Syria, you realise there is hope, despite the civil war decimating the country, plastered on every newsfeed almost everywhere in the world.

But when you see the resilience and determination of Syrians, you know news reports can never capture the human element missing from all such discourse

Photos: Courtesy

‘Why would anyone go to Syria?’

Travel, for me, is a kind of religion. I believe in a series of unifying axioms that make travel a transformative experience bestowing enrichment towards becoming a true steward of our world

When I organised this trip in 2008, I never believed I would have to answer that question so many times in the years since. Every time I returned to the US from overseas travel, after June 2008, I had to explain why my passport contained a Syrian visa.

The most ignorant, and sadly most common, phrase I would hear upon returning home (even when crossing the Canadian border) became: “Why would anyone go to Syria?”

This was a few years back, before the Arab Spring and the subsequent conflicts that led Syria to become a mere shadow of the country I remember visiting - a trip that I remember as amazing, powerful, and welcoming.

So, why would anyone go to Syria, you ask? Well, in my answer, I hope to add a human element to our ongoing discussion of Syria’s current reality.

An auspicious start

Rue Shukri al Quwatli was my first image of the centre of Syria’s capital, Damascus, after my group taxi dropped me off. I had travelled there from Jordan. My first thoughts: simple, un-crowded, clean, and unassuming.

Nothing was terribly shocking (unless you consider a completely clean main thoroughfare through the centre of downtown to be shocking), and the day was a beautiful Wednesday.

Damascus was going to be the only Syrian city I’d be able to explore, and I intended to make the most of it.

The Al-Hamidiyah Souq (souq is the arabic term for marketplace) creates

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an instantaneous atmosphere from centuries ago and, as the gateway to the ‘old city’ of Damascus, it can act as a time tunnel to a location awash with historical power. The ‘old city’ has been the site of constant human habitation for at least 4,000 years. The tales of the ground upon which I was standing would have filled volumes and volumes of history books, and I could feel it. Few cities in the world evoke such emotion.

Quiet reflections

At the end of the Al-Hamidiyah Souq stands an absolutely amazing structure containing something guaranteed to surprise you. The Umayyad Mosque (also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus), considered by some as the fourth holiest mosque of the Islamic Religion, is 1,300 years old, and built upon the site of the Church of John the Baptist, itself constructed upon the site of the Temple of Jupiter.

I was instantly surprised that the mosque was completely open to visitors (at least, to those dressed according to religious norms). The Sacred Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque (a contemporary of the Umayyad Mosque) in Saudi Arabia are completely off limits to any nonmuslim, while the Great Mosque of Damascus was friendly, open, and inviting.

It fazed no one that a tall, western, non-muslim photographer was walking around every corner of the mosque in a state of complete awe, for hours. I was able to sit quietly without being disturbed, and reflect

on being inside one of the only Islamic structures as old as the religion itself.

A warm welcome from everyone

I felt welcome in every corner and every alley of the “old city.” Each of my friends who had looked at me with uninform scepticism at my choice to visit Damascus had been proven incorrect. I was greeted with smiles, treated with respect, and offered hospitality. I didn’t have to pretend I wasn’t an American.

Before leaving the old city, I stumbled upon a very “up and coming” Damascene street -- new stalls for businesses, a fresh gate for a walking street, and the sounds of busy construction. Rarely in America do you see an entire street embroiled in such preparation for new commerce. It was a reason to smile.

Ancient history in front of all

My final tourist site of the day was the National Museum, home of a seemingly endless set of historical relics and artifacts. The facade you see is the original entrance to a Sixth Century castle (the Qasr al-Hayr alGharbi), a national symbol of Syria. This however is not the highlight of a visit to the National Museum. Presented in a state of unprecedented preservation are the surviving frescos of the DuraEuropos synagogue, one of the oldest Jewish houses of worship ever found.

Before there was Christianity, and before there was Islam, Syria was the home of tens of thousands of Jews.

In 2008, less than 100 Jews still lived there.

I knew who Bashar al-Assad was before taking my Middle Eastern Birthday trip. I knew he was a dictator, and not exactly a humanitarian for his people.

Reasons to return

Syria is an absolutely incredible place! My trip, albeit very short, was educational, entertaining, and inspirational.

Inspirational because I very much want to return someday. And the civil war decimating the country, plastered on every newsfeed almost everywhere in the world, stings at my gut when I wonder about the people I met during my time there.

This is not an opinion piece meant to sway anyone’s thoughts on what (if anything) the U.S. should do with regards to the conflict. Honestly, I struggle with my own opinions on what could possibly end the civil war there swiftly, and in the most humane way.

It’s simply my hope to give a sense of Syria to those that have never been there. It’s my hope we can remind ourselves that Syrians are people very much like us in all the ways that matter. It’s my hope that in the discourse to follow we can speak about the unspeakable in Syria with a more well-rounded sensibility. It’s my hope we can bring the human element back to that discourse.

That’s why I travel. That’s why I travelled to Syria. n

THE WAY DHAKA WAS

25

Fakirapul panir tanki Fakirapul Panir Tanki, 1977

Today

Bangladesh Old Photo Archive

Chanchal Kamal

A simple water tank can be a big deal. Back in the 70s and 80s, any rickshaw puller in Dhaka could take you to Fakirapul if you just mentioned the magic words “panir tanki� (water tank). The city only had two major water reservoirs, the other one being in Mohakhali, and our neighbourhood in

Fakirapul was synonymous with our local panir tanki. Gradually, as Dhaka grew, we now have more of these huge reservoirs, but the Fakirapul water tank will forever remain a city landmark.

Zeenat Sharmin Doctor, Old Dhaka W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, N OVE MB E R 8, 20 1 3

26

Culture Vulture

Photoffee

Pixel painting F

ine art photography is a cutting edge concept of modern day artwork, which centres around a subjective vision of the photographer as an artist. Photographers are trying to break the taboo of mundane pointand-shoot techniques, and also the functionality of photographs. An image taken by a camera now has its original role of being a medium of documentation, but in addition, it is capable of expressing the photographer’s artistic creativity, similar to a painter working on canvas.

Photoffee is not just a photographic organisation; it also acts as a catalyst towards building a strong platform for fine art photography in Bangladesh.

Their drive comes from a belief that was best expressed by this year’s Photoffee award winner, Nasir Ali Mamun. He said: “We, the photographers, are superior to other creative minds. I think so because while an artist works with varied mediums, he essentially uses his hands to draw lines and maybe colours them in. We, on the other hand, have less control over our mediums. We use the refraction of light to create art.”

To that end, working relentlessly since 2011, Photoffee has organised numerous shows and exhibitions, and this year, for the second time,

festival showed a promising future for photography in Bangladesh. It is said the first rule of good photography is to do away with camera dependency because good photographs are really taken with the human eye, and most of the photographs of Srishti Shukher Ullash justify this statement. The young photographers who took part in this event kept themselves open to experimentation. The portraits, landscapes, images with blurred vision, and abstract compositions are a

they have organised the Srishti Shukher Ullash (joy of creativity) photography competition, following the theme of “artistic photography.”

50 photographs were selected from among the numerous submissions, and were displayed at their threeday photography festival, Phototalk, presented at the Dhaka Art Center. The best 10 were given Photoffee awards. A photo album of all the photos will also be published.

The photographs displayed in the W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 8 , 2013

fine art photography was very poor in Bangladesh. Not all of the young photo enthusiasts understood it. This is slowly changing, and in order to accelerate it, we almost feel a responsibility to organise these competitions. Luckily, we have received very positive feedback thus far.”

Microscopic zooming, lowering of the shutter speed, and digital manipulation: all these techniques (among many others) were well applied. The rendition of forms and depth of field in the images gave them a strong painting-like vibe. Clearly more than a camera, an artistic eye is required for this kind of output. The playfulness of light and shade, the versatile colours, and overall the unique subjectivity of the photographers show their passion for photography. Photoffee’s goal was to enrich photographers intellectually, so that they could be well equipped

What’s in a Photoffee n

Photoffee has more than 8,000 members on Facebook and 2,000 members on Flickr n

They published the first Bangla dictionary of photography n

To encourage their members, Photoffee picks a photo every week to be published in a weekly magazine n

They arrange weekly outdoors group photo sessions called Photowalk n

The Photoffee art shop is working hard to create a market for buying and selling photographs

both technically and aesthetically.

What Photoffee actually achieved was a thorough re-education of not just the young photographers, but the viewers and art aficionados as well.

Today, fine art photography is being well received and fast becoming a widely practices genre of photography worldwide.

Many prominent photographers have switched to fine art photography simply because of the scope of experimentation and the countless possibilities that can be implemented in this practice. To keep pace, Bangladesh has to step forward with the help of organisations like Photoffee. n

Photos: Courtesy

Yusuf Banna is a staff writer at Weekend Tribune. He would be happier if he could be a poet. He also dreams of being a painter and is envious of those who are

Yusuf Banna explores the world of fine art with one of Bangladesh’s premier photographic organisations

testament to that. One of the founders of Photoffee, Sudipto Salam, and also the creative head, says: “The practice of

OBITUARY

27

Lou Reed

‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ are cancelled Naheed Kamal remembers the singer and former Velvet Underground frontman

T

he Brooklyn-born, art-rocker, iconoclast and famous junkie has always fascinated both fans and detractors with his music and persona.

Reed started playing the guitar in high school. After attending Syracuse University, he moved to New York City. There he worked as a songwriter, before meeting Welsh-born musician John Cale, and forming The Velvet Underground along with guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker. The name was taken from Michael Leigh’s pulp fiction about secret sexual subcultures of the early 60s, which seemed fitting as Reed had already written a song inspired

by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s “Venus in Furs.” Andy Warhol became their manager and producer, and they became the house band at the Factory – his studio. Warhol encouraged them to record the debut album with the German chanteuse Nico.

When “The Velvet Underground & Nico” was released, it sold just 30,000 copies in the first five years. Later, Brian Eno observed that everybody who did buy the record started their own band. Vaclav Havel, Chechoslovakian playwright and politician, was inspired by the band’s music; in fact, the Velvet Revolution’s name could be traced all the way back to the Velvet Underground.

Over the years, the band attained cult status. Their sound was unique, combining rock and avant-garde with Reed’s famous deadpan voice. The distinctive, dark lyrics of his songs were often explicit – about sex, drugs, S&M, etc. Until then, bands didn’t dare refer to sex or drugs except in oblique ways.

Glam, punk and alternative rock would be unthinkable without Reed.

His influence can be seen on just about every rock star with an air of worldweary decadence. He was, however, continuously reinventing himself in unpredictable ways, and his music was just as unpredictable.

Reed released 20 solo albums, covering ambient meditation music, spoken word, experimental rock and a collaboration with Metallica. He once said in an interview: “My interest … has been in one really simple idea: take rock and roll, the pop format, and make it for adults. With subject matter written for adults, so adults like myself could listen to it.”

Reed’s debut solo album was recorded with members of the progressive-rock band Yes, and the

next album “Transformer,” produced

by David Bowie, gave him his only number one, “Walk On the Wild Side,” despite allusions to oral sex. Reed embraced the glam rock era, with bleach-blond hair, black nail polish and a decadent lifestyle.

Reed’s ambiguous sexual persona and excessive drug use throughout the 70s is the stuff of legend. He

best reads.

A provocateur, he liked to shock.

In an interview with music journalist Lester Bangs, he said he was shooting up speed, that his doctor gave him shots of meth mixed with vitamins, and then said they were just vitamin C injections. In another interview, he told Bangs: “In the 20th century, in a technological age, living in the city,

was bisexual, and described how his parents decided to give him electric shocks to “cure” him. He went out with a transsexual Mexican hairdresser called Rachel briefly. Later, he shared a flat in Berlin with Bowie and Iggy Pop, where they indulged their habits among other things.

He was “notoriously irascible,” especially towards journalists during interviews, though to get a real feel for the man, an interview with Mick Brown – Lou Reed: Iron Glove, Velvet fist – from 2007, republished by the Telegraph on October 27, is one of the

there are certain drugs you have to take just to keep yourself normal … they don’t get you high even, they just get you normal.”

By the 80s, Reed had mellowed, giving up drugs for drinks, and eventually in the last decade he had made peace with his demons.

In the end, it was always about the music. Cale, in his tribute to his friend, said: “We have the best of our fury laid out on vinyl, for the world to catch a glimpse.”

In one of his last interviews with the Guardian, Reed said: “Music should

At a glance

1942 Born on March 2 1964 Moves to NYC after graduation; releases the single ‘The Ostrich,’ which was a minor hit 1965 The Velvet Underground is formed 1966 Andy Warhol becomes the band’s manager 1967 ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’ comes out 1972 Begins a solo career; eponymous debut album, as well as ‘Transformer,’ are released 1982 The Blue Mask 1984 New Sensations 1989 New York 1991 Does ‘Songs for Drella,’ a tribute to Warhol, with Cale 1993 The Velvet Underground reunites and tours Europe 2012 A bilingual book titled ‘Lou Reed: Rimes/Rhymes’ is published, containing around 300 photos of him 2013 Dies on October 27 from liver disease

Naheed Kamal is an irreverent and irreligious feminist.

An old soul of indeterminate age, with one too many opinions and a very loud voice (for a little person), she laughs a lot, mostly at herself.

She lives in Dhaka, against her best judgement. Mostly, Ms Kamal rants, a lot!

come crashing out of your speakers and grab you, and the lyrics should challenge whatever preconceived notions that listener has.”

The songs never seem to date, and when you listen to a Velvet Underground song, you can’t tell when they were recorded, even though they are from the late 60s. It was the beauty of Lou Reed’s music and lyrics that helped him rise above the madness and endeared him to fans of all ages from eclectic backgrounds. n

W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, N OVE MB E R 8, 20 1 3

28

LAST WORD Phil Humphreys

An act of regression Love and nurture go both ways

Phil Humphreys is a British former journalist who worked as a management adviser to an NGO in Rangpur, before joining the Dhaka Tribune as a consultant

O

n October 22, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said in an address at Jagannath University: “A nation cannot progress by harming its future generation.” Two days later, his colleagues in parliament passed the Parents’ Care Bill.

In his speech, the minister was referring to the detrimental impact of political street violence on the HSC success rate this year; hartals have forced the education authorities to shift the timetables of more than 30 HSC exams. His words ring hollow, however, when you consider what the lawmakers did next.

The Parents’ Care Act obliges children to take responsibility for their elders at home, or else provide them with at least 10% of their incomes if they no longer live together. Siblings can in no way force their parents into old people’s homes, and they must guarantee all of their basic necessities.

Not only that, children whose parents have passed away are now duty bound to maintain the surviving grandparents. A failure to comply could result in their financial punishment, or even imprisonment.

Mercifully, the approval of private members’ bills is uncommon in the political system here. Before the Awami-League-led ninth Parliament enacted this one and two others last month, only seven such laws had been passed since 1973. And with good reason. Any backbench member can

table a draft paper in the Parliament, so they are often so subjective; they lack any potential for achieving broadbased support.

First proposed by Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Haque in 2011, the Parent’s Care Bill only received the endorsement of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after two years of behind the scenes lobbying and revisions. Similar to most others, however, the bill should have been rejected long before it reached the statute book.

The age of majority

In developed countries, traditional family values place children in the care of their parents from the point of birth to the onset of adulthood.

Most countries enshrine this “age of majority” in law, thereby terminating the legal control and responsibilities of parents or guardians over, and for, their dependents, usually at 18.

For parents, adulthood marks the symbolic point at which their child should spread his or her wings, and fly the nest. For the new adult, the liquid excesses of an 18th birthday party are often washed down with a sobering realisation that they may no longer rely on handouts from home. Rent may now be due, and an honest living expected to be earned. If continuing in education, the college fund will begin to shrink alarmingly. At this watershed moment in their lives, children must learn to stand on their own two feet.

Despite the shock to all systems, there is at least an understanding common among parents, guardians and children that the starting line of adult life is reached with the new runners in the best possible shape. In conservative theory at least, they are given the perfect platform to build a career, find a spouse and settle down, at which point the cycle is repeated.

leading to prosperity. As such the child supports the family, rather than the family providing for the child’s every want and need.

Michael McGrath, the country director for Bangladesh at Save the Children, said in a recent interview with the UK Guardian newspaper, he said the current stage of development of this country means children contribute a substantial percentage of the income of poor families, but are neglected in return.

“Employers just don’t consider (their) welfare,” he said, “They think they are doing a good thing; the parents send the children and they get food and a warm place to stay. We say it’s not enough, they need to treat them with dignity and educate them.”

There are 7.4 million working children aged between five and 17 in Bangladesh. According to Save the Children, 80% of these are employed in non-formal settings such as private homes, where it is extremely difficult to monitor conditions and experiences.

“We tell (employers) they will get more out of the kids if they have breaks for education and leisure time,” McGrath said.

In the language of development, it is over-simplistic to talk only of breaking cycles, such as those driving poverty, corruption, and domestic violence. In Bangladesh, the cycle of parent-child dependency needs first to be interrupted, and then reversed, because every penny spent by adult children on maintaining their parents, is one less penny they can spend on raising and educating their own children. More than that, if parents know their children will be legally required to provide for them as they enter old age, does that not encourage them to have even more children?

In developed countries, traditional family values – and the law – place children in the care of their parents from the point of birth to the Rights and wrongs onset of adulthood. In The wage of minors Ageing populations are increasing developing countries, In developing countries, the opposite fiscal demands on national exchequers by contrast, children scenario is true. Here, children are put worldwide, especially for income to work as soon as they are physically support, health and social services. are put to work as soon able to contribute, particularly in In Bangladesh, this is a problem as they are physically poorer and rural areas, and often at the current, next and all future expense of their educations. The governments simply cannot afford. able to contribute to the the emphasis is on short-term acquisition, But by shifting responsibility from the household rather than longer term development state to the child, instead of from the

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 8 , 2013

To provide for a sustainable future, the cycle of parentchild dependency needs to be reversed, but Bangladesh has enacted a law which entraps its next generation at precisely the time when it should be empowering them state to the individual, the country is entrapping its next generation at precisely the time when it should be empowering them. By following this path, the politicians have condemned the people to relative poverty in perpetuity, only the people don’t know it yet.

Justifying his Parent’s Care Bill, Mujibul Haque MP said Bangladesh’s changing society now promoted the nucleus family, which left old parents and grandparents helpless and forced many into care homes, while their children “lived lavish lives.”

“I do understand that parents will not file cases against their children, but the symbolic law will ensure the rights of the parents,” he said on October 24, the day the bill was passed.

Never mind the rights of the parents, what about those of the children?

Bangladesh should be moving laws to safeguard its future generation, reinforce their rights, and reverse the cycle of dependency. Instead, it passed this wretched bill of wrongs, in the ultimate act of regression. n