Wf b c b4 u use

Mirpur Zoo 6

Superstitions 18

FRIDAY JANUARY 31 2014 vol 1 Issu e 40

Amiri Baraka 27

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CONTENTS EDITOR’S NOTE

A Weekly Pro ducti o n o f

DhakaTribune Vo lum e 1, Issu e 4 0 JAN UA RY 31, 2 0 1 4 Editor Zafar Sobhan Assistant Magazine Editor Sumaiya Shams Rohini Alamgir Weekend Tribune Team Faisal Mahmud Adil Sakhawat Shah Nahian Farhana Urmee Natalie Siddique Art Direction/Photography Syed Latif Hossain Cartoon Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy Rio Shuvo Contributors Naheed Kamal Syed Zakir Hossain Shamsul Arefin Faruq Hasan Dina Sobhan Jennifer Ashraf Natasha Ahmed Ishtiaque Mahmud Fatema Jannat Mony Khalid Muntasir Dipto Chanchal Kamal Quamrul Abedin Design Mohammad Mahbub Alam Alamgir Hossain Natalie Siddique Colour Specialist Shekhar Mondal Kazi Syras Al Mahmood

The last bout of fun W

inter is coming to an end, so it’s time to hurry up and do all the fun activities in your bucketlist. While you take Rohini Alamgir’s advice and munch on the pithas most favoured by Bangalis, let Faisal Mahmud explain why the Dhaka Zoo is still a fun place to visit. And if that isn’t good enough, get the thrill you seek from Shah Nahian and the night he spent at a haunted house. If that doesn’t get your adrenaline pumping, maybe Rohini can with her bit about superstitions. Also, remember: Ekushey Boi Mela is around the corner, so gear up with Farhana Urmee as she describes the journey of a book from the press to the bookstall. Meanwhile, take a trip down memory lane with Shams Arefin as he remembers Humayun Ahmed, without whom Boi Mela seems incomplete.

Have a restful and happy weekend! n

2 This Week 3 Letters to the Editor 4 Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Rumour has it

5 Big Mouth Strikes Again

Hair-raising ideals

10 Post-Riposte

Parking tax

11 Top 10

Traditional Bangali food

12 Photo Story

Polo fishing

16 6° of Connotations

The master storyteller

17 Game On

Sports betting

20 Travelogue

21 Day in the Life of

Advertising Shahidan Khurshed

23 WT | Leisure

Circulation Wahid Murad

25 The Way Dhaka Was

A book

22 Tough Love 24 Legal Eagle

Dainik Bangla Mor

26 Culture Vulture

Cover The haunted farmhouse

by Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

18 Feature Superstitions

Haunted house

Production Masum Billah

Email: weekend@dhakatribune.com Web: www.dhakatribune.com

6 Pick of the Week Mirpur Zoo

Shakrain

27 Obituary

Amiri Baraka

28 Last Word W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, JAN UARY 3 1 , 20 1 4

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THIS WEEK Ukrainian opposition activists stand next to a barricade set on a fire during clashes with riot police in central Kiev on January 22. Ukrainian police broke through the barricades built by protesters at the scene of clashes in Kiev, as activists claimed that one person had been shot dead by the security forces AFP/Vasily Maximov

Members of the newly-elected constituent assembly of Nepal attend their first meeting in Kathmandu on January 22. Leaders from across Nepal’s political divide pledged to draw up a constitution for the war-torn Himalayan nation within a year as the new parliament convened for the first time AFP/Prakash Mathewa

Central African Republic’s new interim president Catherine Samba Panza sits in the presence of members of the constitutional court during her swearing-in ceremony in Bangui on January 23. The new interim president was sworn in with a mission to end atrocious sectarian violence and tackle an unprecedented humanitarian crisis AFP/Issouf Sanogo

Januar y 24-30 RAB recovered the looted Tk16.19cr from the possession of the two arrestees in connection with the Kishoreganj Sonali Bank burglary, on January 28 Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

Cricket fans form a human chain in front of the Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh on January 25 in protest against India, Australia and England’s draft proposal that could potentially strip Bangladesh’s chance of playing test cricket until 2019

Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

Thousands of Muslim devotees line up on a train on the last day of Bishwa Ijtema to go home. Photo taken on January 26 Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses a rally on January 23 in Jessore’s Abhoynagar PMO

Indian supporters listen to a speech of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat state chief minister Narendra Modi during the party’s national council meeting at Ramlila grounds in New Delhi on January 19. He mocked and goaded the ruling Congress party for refusing to name Rahul Gandhi as its choice for premier in the upcoming elections AFP/Sajjad Hussain

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A mother and child join the National Garments Workers Federation as they form a human chain in front of the National Press Club on January 23, demanding compensation for the victims of Tazreen fire incident Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

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to the editor

LETTERS

Good job!

Amazing story The story “A forgotten martyr” by Faisal Mahmud was a nice read, and I also liked the Post-Riposte this week. I really want more stories like Faisal’s in Weekend Tribune. Keep it up!

Tahsin Rahaman Dhaka

Weekend Tribune is a very fascinating magazine. I hope it will continue to satisfy our curiosity. Best of luck.

Robiul Alam Dhaka

Loss of a mentor

Getting there

The obituary of Muhammad Habibur Rahman was a lovely read.

We truly lost a guardian. An honest and impartial character, his contribution to the country is unquestionable. He will always be remembered by the nation.

Great job on the Shahid Asad story. A family photo would have enriched the article. The photo story was good too. But to consider The Great Gasby an Oscar-worthy movie – seriously? What about Rush, or Inside Llewyn Davis, then?

Ratan Basak Suruj, Tangail

MAK Dhaka

Inspiring read

I commute past Asad Gate almost every day, but I never knew who Asad actually was. Weekend Tribune did a fantastic job by publishing a story on such a forgotten martyr. I’m really glad to learn about him.

Can Weekend Tribune do more stories like that?

Abdullah Foysal IIT, DU

LETTER

of the week

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WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?

Rumour has it The BCB will not vote for the proposal concerning revamping of the ICC. Jalal Yunus, director, Bangladesh Cricket Board

I’m glad the news of BCB agreeing to the Big Three’s (Australia, England and India) proposal of revoking our test status was just a ‘rumour.’

Mr Mango

Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

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Big Mouth strikes again

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Naheed Kamal

Hair-raising ideals Like it, hate it, can’t be bothered to deal with it?

R

emember Julia Roberts and her hairy armpits at the Notting Hill premiere in 1999, and how she was slated for “daring” to show her unshaved underarms on the red carpet? Refresh your memory, because opprobrium for Roberts was all around.

If anyone was in any doubt about it, the outrage against Roberts clarified that no manes, except those on our heads, would be tolerated on women.

I was amused to read how the controversial US brand American Apparel’s mannequins caused outrage in New York with tufts of fake pubic hair. Was it because Cameron Diaz recently said laser hair removal was unnatural or something, and – the horror! – pubic hair was not so bad?

This was indeed surprising, because less than a year before, Diaz told the British television host Graham Norton how she’d enforced a “Brazilian” on a friend who was not suitably groomed.

The “Brazilian” didn’t kill me because my pain threshold is exceptionally high, but for most women I know, it is akin to torture. I think discussions about body hair are necessary, and I am glad some sisters stopped inflicting pain on themselves, as we all have done – for decades.

With the Guardian’s Emer O’Toole proclaiming 2014 as “the year of the bush,” feminists can rejoice!

Don’t get me wrong. Grooming is good, but the extreme hair-less vibe is ridiculous and unhealthy. Our obsession with body hair – or lack of – began as a beauty industry ploy with blatant lies to turn an unnatural

Little research has been done, but from a few studies, we know there are long-term negative repercussions of trying to conform to the beauty industry’s ideals. We know there can’t possibly be just one typical, standard or universal – i.e. normal – shape, size or pattern of body hair for anyone

ideal into the norm. American women didn’t even shave their legs before the First World War, and Gillette’s first women’s razor came out in 1915, when an aggressive advertising campaign turned female body hair from unsightly, to unacceptable, to unclean, in a few decades. By the mid 60s, 98% of women aged 44 and below were shaving their legs; underarm and pubic hair went the same way as “liberated” women wanting to sport a “bikini” needed to remove all the hair on their body.

When you consider to what extent marketing informs ideas of what is unnatural, it is truly frightening. The hair removal industry is worth billions, with revenues from laser hair removal in the US in 2009 coming to $244m, and rising exponentially each year.

Once female body hair was unnatural, it was only a matter of time before men’s body hair went the same way.

Now, some form of hair removal is part of our daily grooming routine, whether it is tweezing, shaving, waxing, or epilating. In any modern metropolis, you can find waxing bars, eyebrow-threading studios and electrolysis centres on every street.

Until recently, according to industry reports the market was growing, and new technologies in hair removal made it one of the most popular beauty services in demand, but we came to our senses with the recession – hallelujah!

I will take you on a short detour and highlight two hair related campaigns: You may have heard of Movember – the annual event that started in Australia in 1999 when a group of young men decided to grow a moustache in November to raise funds and awareness about men’s health issues, especially prostate cancer, intending to “change the face of men’s health.” The Movember Foundation is positively written about in the media, and rightly so.

The other one is Armpits for August, or Armpits4August, which only started in 2012 – it is a monthlong event to raise awareness and funds for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) by growing underarm hair.

Doctors don’t always diagnose it properly, because PCOS is hardly ever talked about even though it affects up to 10% of women and is said to be

There are no straightforward answers as to why we continue to perpetuate harmful ideas about body hair, castigate those who don’t conform as un-groomed, and endure the pain and mortification. We go bare for a variety of reasons, apply varying methods, and do it to various degrees

more prevalent amongst trans men.

A common symptom of PCOS can be hirsutism – excessive hair growth. The campaign aims to change attitudes towards female body hair.

Reclaiming body hair can be empowering, but Armpits4August emphasises on the fact that not everyone has the same amount of hair. The website states: “We do not wish to replace the oppressive beauty standard of hairlessness – which is particularly resonant within the West – with a similarly all-encompassing demand for everyone everywhere to stop depilating forever.”

Bear in mind that our decisions and actions are influenced by social constructs that try to regulate, control, dictate and impose very narrow beauty constructs on us. By social standards, body hair is “masculine,” so hirsute men are praised and hirsute women are pressured and bullied to adhere to an unnatural body image, to the extent that a late 90s study found men and women who perceived hairy women as aggressive and immoral.

As we reshape our twisted ideas about body hair, if we can snatch back – good pun– and accept body hair as natural, it would be one huge step towards world peace. I exaggerate, but we must start somewhere; why not here and now? Because body hair removal is not a modern Western idea – ancient Egyptians, ancient Greeks and Turks, tribes in parts of presentday Uganda and South America also practised it. Feminists set aside their razors as a political statement in the 70s, but in recent decades, even if you object on principle you feel the pressure to give in, as our bodies have become the beauty industry’s property – to pluck, nip, tuck and re-shape. n

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!

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PICK OF THE WEEK

Mirpur Zoo

Faisal Mahmud is good at memorising seemingly unnecessary information and finds that journalism actually appreciates, if not nurtures, that sort of futile flair

Photos: Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

WELCOME TO THE ZOO Faisal Mahmud writes about the proposed plan to modernise Dhaka National Zoo

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T

he display of exotic animals has been a sign of wealth and power for a long time. Even the ancient courts of Egypt and China had zoos, and those were represented as the far-reaching arms of the empires.

Dhaka National Zoo in Mirpur, with its astonishing area of 186 acres, is surely a place of pride for our countrymen. There’s also the fact that, area wise, this is the fourth largest zoo in the world.

However, with a collection of only 2,161 different animals and birds belonging to 165 species, its rating is nowhere near the world’s elite zoos. For those still unable to grasp the sorry state of affairs at the country’s premier zoo, here’s a

trivia: London Zoo, spread over 36 acres, houses more than 16,000 animals and birds of over 700 species!

Dhaka Zoo has witnessed premature deaths of animals over the years. Many scandalous reports have been carried by the media regarding corruption and abysmal incompetence of the zoo authorities.

The animals have to suffer due to painful and almost oppressive condition in the zoo, which in no way resembles their original habitats. They are kept in small cages and are deprived of food and other necessities. It has been reported time and again that callous and corrupt zoo

7 employees are responsible for such negligence.

“The problem with such animals is that zoo authorities do not know what to do with them.

Obviously, hostile conditions and poor supply of food make it almost impossible for the animals to survive,” Professor Anwarul Islam, chief executive of the Wildlife Trust of the government, said.

Professor Islam told Weekend Tribune that the animals are brought in the Dhaka Zoo from abroad at a huge cost, only to be pushed to death through utter neglect. “The overall situation prevailing here is an insult to the concept of a modern zoo,” he added.

“It seems the zoo authorities are blissfully oblivious of the fact that a zoo is not a prison designed to punish animals. Recreating the animals’ natural habitat to the possible extent is a task performed with great care in any zoo worth the name. It is not possible to keep the animals alive in an artificial setting for long, particularly when they are deprived of the basic necessities,” he said.

He also said that unless the zoo authority is moved from under the supervision of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, no real improvement is possible. “No other country in the world has its zoos under the livestock ministry.

Dhaka Zoo doesn’t have any expert zoologists as its staff. How do you expect it to become a world

class zoo, under the prevailing circumstances?” the renowned zoologist said.

Luckily, this appalling scenario of our national zoo is likely to change, as the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock is taking a keen interest in revamping the whole outlook of the zoo.

“If the comprehensive plan that has been chalked out for the zoo is implemented, it is certainly going to secure its position as one of the top zoos in the world,” said Dr ABM Shahidullah, the curator of Dhaka Zoo. He said that the ministry had contemplated a revamped look for the zoo after observing the trend

The animals have to suffer due to painful and almost oppressive conditions in the zoo, which in no way resembles their original habitats

History of the Dhaka National Zoo

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A desire to establish a Zoological garden and Botanical Gardens in East Pakistan manifested in 1947, as there was no such garden in the province A zoo park was created at the High court premises of Dhaka with a limited number of spotted deer, monkeys and few other species of animals A master plan was approved to establish a zoological garden at Mirpur in 1960. An advisory board was constituted for establishment and proper management of zoo the following year The zoo was opened on June 23, 1974 after necessary construction and procurement of animals from home and abroad took place

Sketches: Fatema Jannat Mony

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8 of decreasing number of visitors and increasing number of animal deaths. “Studies have shown that captive animals will live longer and be more active in an environment close to their native surroundings,” said the curator.

Dr Shahidullah said that many prominent zoos now actively construct exhibits that allow animals freedom of movement, a variety of habitats and toys, and native foliage. “Some zoos have even begun housing species together that normally interact in the wild, such as certain types of monkeys,” he said.

Dhaka Zoo has enough space to allow modern and suitable facilities for the animals. “The beautiful natural locations of the zoo area can also be made as great recreational facilities for the visitors,” Dr Shahidullah said, adding that with that intention, the livestock ministry has teamed up relevant people to chalk out a detailed plan for re-shaping the zoo.

The curator informed Weekend Tribune that a team of experts from BUET had already submitted a 300-page comprehensive report, including a digital survey and feasibility study on modernising the Dhaka Zoo. “The zoo authority, after reviewing that report, has given BUET the contract for preparing the master plan involving the cost analysis of complete structural design of the zoo,” he added.

He said that the zoo authority would seek funding from the government to bear the expenses of the modernization project.

“We may also approach private investors for the project,” he said.

In mid-2011, a consortium of the Malaysia-based Kopeda

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Group and the local Maisha Group had submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock for setting up a park similar to Fantasy Kingdom and Nandan Park on 53 acres of land in Dhaka Zoo in exchange of bearing the expense that the zoo’s modernisation would incur.

That proposal, however, had not been approved by the government, Dr Shahidullah said. “The zoo staff had protested against that proposal, as it would lose its identity if an amusement park was established on one-third of its area.”

“Besides, that proposed amusement park would have acquired the 18-acre North Lake, which attracts thousands of migratory birds every year,” he added.

About the current expenses, Shahidullah informed Weekend Tribune that the money earned from daily ticket sales and other activities directly go to the ministry, and it allocates a fixed lump-sum amount yearly for the zoo. Last year, the ministry allocated Tk 107 crore.

“The ministry, however, is planning to make the zoo selfsustained with its own earning and make the provision so that the money earned from its activities after the modernisation stays in the zoo,” said the curator.

While talking with Weekend Tribune, Dr Khondokar Shabbir Ahmed, a professor at the Department of Architecture in BUET and leader of the group that prepared the 300-page report on modernising Dhaka Zoo, said that they have prepared the report emphasizing on three core areas – education, research and amusement.

Professor Ahmed also told the WT that they are now working on preparing the masterplan comprising of structural plans and cost analysis. He said that it will be completed by June this year.

“A zoo doesn’t need to have an amusement park, it offers better amusement by itself if it is constructed and maintained in a proper way,” said Dr Ahmed.

“The ministry has asked us, the architecture department of BUET, to conduct a survey over the land of Dhaka Zoo to identify its potential for possible modernisation, and we did that.”

He said that, in the proposed

Currently, about 10,000 visitors visit the zoo every day. If the proposed modernisation is implemented and advertised, then it would fetch at least five times more visitors

9 plan, the zoo will have an attractive digital gate so that visitors can see locations of animals before entering the zoo.

“The perimeter of Dhaka Zoo is too large for a visitor to walk.

Also, in the tropical weather of Bangladesh, it is exhausting to walk all over the 185 acres to see different animals. So, in our report, we have suggested a ‘circular land train ride’ along the cages. Dubai Zoo has it and it is loved by the visitors,” he said.

“We also proposed a boat ride in the South Lake. Different animals will be kept in different cages along the banks of the lake and visitors can watch them from the boat,” he said. Dr Ahmed, however, said that their study report has suggested changing the existing system of caging the animals that gives a wrong impression to the visitors, especially children.

“The present cage system in the zoo is miserable. People are getting the wrong idea about the lifestyle of the animals by seeing their depressing living conditions,” he said, adding that their report suggests a large modern caging system for the zoo animals.

“We have also ensured preservation of sufficient greenery inside the zoo to give it a natural

look. Facilities such as eco-friendly washrooms, restaurants and resting nests have been proposed in our report,” he said.

“In the study, we have also asked for launching ‘behavioural enrichment programme’ for the animals. We have observed that Dhaka Zoo has only veterinary physicians for the animals, but no veterinary psychologist.

Modern zoos have psychologists because without their assistance animal behaviour cannot be comprehended or taken care of,” he said.

“We haven’t made any recommendation on the varieties of animals that the zoo should have, as it was not a part of our contract. Besides, such suggestions should come from the concerned experts,” he said.

When asked whether this massive project would be financially viable, Dr Ahmed said that if the zoo is modernised, then people wouldn’t care if they were paying a Tk 50 entry fee instead of Tk 10.

“Currently, about 10,000 visitors visit the zoo every day. If the proposed modernisation is implemented and advertised, then it would fetch at least five times more visitors,” he said.

“Bangladesh has been described in the Lonely Planet’s (world’s most renowned travel magazine) 2011 issue as the number one tourist destination.

If its capital has a world-class zoo, it surely would attract a lot of foreign visitors,” he said. n

What’s the plan?

- Introduction of bigger and comfortable cages - Circular train ride along the cages - Boat ride in the North Lake - Digital gate at the entrance displaying - information about the zoo - Eco-friendly restroom facilities - Preservation of greenery inside the zoo area

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POST-RIPOSTE

Parking tax

Should there be one?

Pennies for parking Farhana Urmee

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hose car is this? A resident’s or a visitor’s?

Why is it parked in the middle of the road? Where is the driver? These are all questions we’ve all asked ourselves while helplessly stuck in a traffic jam, too often caused by unlawful parking.

Without stringent traffic enforcement or established parking charges, drivers in Dhaka do basically whatever they want, including pulling over anywhere they wish and parking for as long as they desire. Accordingly, commercial areas like Kawran Bazar and Motijheel are stacked with rows of cars parked over footpaths and into the road, triggering hours of traffic jams for everyone else.

In a ceaselessly growing city like Dhaka, where millions of people commute everyday, establishing parking charges for vehicles can effortlessly curb traffic. By enforcing higher rates in congested areas, drivers and visitors might actually think twice about inconsiderately leaving their cars wherever they please, if they know they have to open their wallets to stay.

If you can’t enlarge the city, have the population halved overnight, or convince people to stop driving.

Enforcing parking charges offers the best solution for controlling the insane traffic problems infecting our city. n

Cartoons: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

The right to park Faisal Mahmud

L

et’s start with some facts.

Dhaka’s road network of 3,202km can accommodate at most 150,000 vehicles at a time;.

However, in reality, over 1.5 million vehicles use the roads everyday.

Various studies also suggest that around 30% of this road space is wasted because of unplanned and unregulated parking, mostly by private cars, which carry only about 3% of commuters, yet occupy almost 40% of road space.

A parking tax on those cars might seem a good idea, but it will not work in Dhaka.

Why? First, we haven’t even initiated construction of a public transport network, despite our Strategic Transport Plan (STP)

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purporting this as a priority.

Therefore, without assurance of a viable public transport service, taxation on private cars for parking will fail, as those who can afford a private car will likely pay a parking charge instead of relying on hazardous and insufficient public transport services. Moreover, such taxation would give our ostensibly corrupt and untrustworthy traffic police a new method of extortion.

So, instead of thoughtlessly signing up for such a shortterm solution, the government should first focus on providing alternatives to private transportation. n

TOP 10

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Traditional Bangali Food

Roshey roshey pitha With Bangladesh in the heart of winter, it is the perfect time for pitha! Rohini Alamgir puts together a list of the best pithas around, based on your votes. To take part in the next social media poll, visit the Weekend Tribune Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WeekendTrib or the Dhaka Tribune page at www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

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

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Patishapta pitha

The Bangali version of crepe, except obviously so much better. With its elastic semolina and flour wrap and its condensed milk based kheer stuffing, the patishapta pitha is a solid third choice.

It is also one of the oldest traditional desserts.

Bhapa pitha

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This classic steamed rice cake prepared with a stuffing of coconut and molasses is a favourite staple for winter breakfast tables: a filling, balanced meal on its own.

Unlike other pithas, the bhapa pitha defies region. It is well liked all over the country, and thus it is little wonder that it leads the list. The bhapa pitha is often the celebratory food item for “nobanno” (new crop), the beginning of the harvest season.

Dudh chitoi pitha

Another rice based delight, the dudh chitoi (or milk chitoi) pitha is a sweet, creamy dessert. What makes it stand apart from regular chitoi pithas is the palm date jaggery syrup it is initially marinated in before being put into thickened milk. A great choice for number two.

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Pakon pitha

Usually made with moong dal (lentil) and rice flour and immersed in thick sugar syrup, the pakon pitha is a sugar rush waiting to happen. Simple and easy to make, the pakon pitha is a lifesaver in situations of sudden onslaught of guests.

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Nakshi pitha

Originating in rural Bangladesh, the nakshi pitha is another traditional dessert. Each of these pithas requires artistic precision and a whole lot of patience to make. A common sight in rural wedding ceremonies, the nakshi pitha is slightly misplaced at fifth place, given how it is more commonly known and liked in Bangladesh than many others in the list. The beauty of these pithas is the myth behind them which says that, apparently, these pithas express the innermost thoughts of their makers.

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Chitoi pitha

The Bangladeshi equivalent of the crumpet, the chitoi pitha is one of the easiest to make, and while tasty, loses out in popularity to its better version, the dudh chitoi. A simple rice flour, baking soda and egg concoction, the chitoi is great when had either hot or cold.

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Bhaja Puli pitha

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Shemai pitha

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Rosh pitha

A great evening snack, the bhaja puli pitha at its best when coupled with a cup of steaming hot chai. It does lose out in the popularity race, however, because it is somewhat difficult to make. The best part: while it is usually made sweet, some versions of it are savoury instead.

Another village popularity list topper, the shemai pitha is not as well known in the cities, and yet when consumed, is one of the best desserts ever. An unfortunate number eight, the shemai pitha is made of rice powder and grated coconut and served with a milk base.

A staple for Bangali weddings (though mostly during the “holud” or “mehendi” nights), the rosh pitha is a good fit at number nine. Oozing ghee (clarified butter) and milk and served in sugary syrup, it is a deep fried bowlful of goodness.

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Jhikimiki pitha

A local cuisine of Narsingdi, not many know the jhikimiki pitha, and so it makes sense that it is placed at number 10. Made of rice powder, this colourful pitha resembles chopsuey, and has no discernable taste. It is usually topped with sugar powder or granules and consumed. n

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PHOTO STORY Polo Fishing

Here a fish, there a fish A photo story by

Syed Zakir Hossain

Not only a culinary staple, fish (and fishing) has always been a part and parcel of the tradition and cultural heritage of this land since time immemorial. In the winter, when the water level goes down in the rivers throughout the country, people in villages observe this particular day, November 17, as the day of the fishing festival. These images are from the river Arialkha in Narsingdi.

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PHOTO STORY Polo Fishing

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6 Degrees of Connotations Shams Arefin is a freelance contribut0r

Shams Arefin

The master storyteller Humayun Ahmed, a writer who touched people’s lives

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All the characters in Humayun’s stories are regular people, who have regular life problems and speak the regular language, which is why it is much easier for the readers to relate to his stories

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Khaled Muntasir Dipto

hat makes a writer great? Is it popularity, even though many critics maintain that it is a writer’s foe? Is it the writing itself? Success of any literature depends on its relationship with its audience – if it can touch the heart and mind of a reader, its purpose is served. That explains how Humayun Ahmed earned his fame.

Many critics argue that Humayun Ahmed destroyed the true essence of literature, despite his huge popularity among Banglaspeaking readers. It is evident in his writing why he had such a large readership. Humayun used very simple language to tell his stories, to connect with his readers. To an extent, he followed Tagore’s style of storytelling, but what made him different from Kobiguru was how he built his characters. All the characters in Humayun’s stories are regular people, who have regular life problems and speak the regular language, which is why it is much easier for the readers to relate to his stories.

Before Humayun emerged as a writer, the capital of Bangla literature was in West Bengal. We did have noted authors like Akhteruzzaman Elias, Shawkat Osman and Syed

Waliullah, but Humayun was the writer who really brought the spotlight on Bangladeshi literature.

With him, the reign of Indian Bangali writers on Bangla literature came to an end. Humayun’s biggest strength was, he could engage his readers in his stories. Almost anyone could find a character, or a situation to relate to in his stories. One could also find bits of him in his characters. In his own words: “I am not Himu, nor am I Misir Ali, but in my writing you may find some of my characteristics in them.”

Much has been said about Humayun in both print and broadcast media. People have discussed his life, his hobbies, his success, his failures, etc. Some claimed he saved the publication business in Bangladesh, some talked about his avid interest in flora.

Unfortunately, his earlier works did not get as much attention from the critics as they deserved. There are only a few reviews of novels like Nandito Narake and Shankhanil Karagar. They should have gotten more coverage, because Humayun brought a significant change in writing style in this country.

Humayun was the first Bangladeshi writer who focused on typical middle-class families in his stories.

He perfectly illustrated the struggle, expectations, dreams and lifestyle of the middleclass people, which is why so many readers enjoyed reading his books – because they could find bits of themselves in his stories. He also had a unique sense of humour, which set him apart from all the other writers.

However, Humayun also addressed many important topics in his simple storytelling. For example, in one of his stories, the protagonist, who is a father of two martyred freedom fighters, files a petition to get justice for all the martyrs from the Liberation War. In another story, Humayun focused on an impoverished family and showed the readers how little it takes to make most people happy. He also addressed political issues in his stories, using a household as a model for a country, while its members and their conflicts represented the political turmoil that ordinary citizens have to cope with.

Many of Humayun’s works, especially the earlier ones, were

very humane narratives of what common people endured during the Liberation War. He used his own experience of the war to depict his characters’ struggle to survive one more day, while their emotions flew all over the place. Himu and Misir Ali, Humayun’s incredible creations, are probably two of the most well-known fictional characters in Bangladeshi literature. Humayun used Himu to address many social issues, while Misir Ali was our own version of Sherlock Holmes.

Himu and Misir Ali, Humayun’s incredible creations, are probably two of the most wellknown fictional characters in Bangladeshi literature.

Humayun used Himu to address many social issues, while Misir Ali was our own version of Sherlock Holmes Humayun’s success in filmmaking is equally commendable. He wrote and directed several films and TV series. Baker Bhai, one of Humayun’s creations from the TV series Kothao Keu Nei, is particularly noteworthy – it gained so much popularity among people that they took to the streets, running processions and demonstrations, demanding that Baker Bhai should be exempted from getting killed off from the storyline. Such was the power of Humayun’s writing.

Humayun Ahmed was the kind of writer who made his readers think. Taking inspirations from real life, he spoke about political, social and economic issues through his characters. As Alice Munro, the famous Canadian short story writer, once said: “Memory tells us a story, and life is part of the story.” That is exactly what Humayun did, and that is what made him endearing to his readers. Humayun as a person may have had many flaws, but Humayun as a writer would always live in his readers’ hearts. n

Game On

17

Sports betting

Care for a punt?

Faruq Hasan argues why gambling in sports should be legalised Faruq Hasan is the Metro page editor of the Dhaka Tribune and the resident devil’s advocate

T

he late (but never forgotten) Kerry Packer once said that every successful man who ever created anything worthwhile was a gambler. Of course, what he was getting to was that gambling comes naturally to us and is part of a recipe of success. While the same idea cannot quite be extended to organised gambling in sports, there is no reason to make it illegal either.

There are some who have the opinion that gambling is “bad” or “sinful,” and therefore should be prohibited by law. However, what should be recognised is that gambling is simply another form of entertainment. It can be abused by some, like anything else, to the point where it becomes a vice. But, threatening people and putting them in jail or otherwise usually doesn’t solve the problem of vices; instead, it tends to make them worse.

When something such as gambling is made illegal, it doesn’t prevent the activity; it simply drives it “underground.” It expands and subsidises the criminal element that the prohibition was created to address in the first place. It attracts criminal organisations into the market, where instead of placing bets with reputable and regulated establishments, individuals deal in a black market with no protection of the law. It allows criminal

Photos: Bigstock

organisations to profit from an activity that otherwise wouldn’t be as profitable for them. This increase in profits subsidises their truly harmful activities and creates economic incentives for more people to go to work for these criminal organisations.

The future of betting is online.

Actually, the future is here. The popularity of online gambling is steadily increasing as individuals are becoming more comfortable with online transactions, and security technology continues to make advances to make for safer online transactions. It’s estimated that 2011 global online gambling revenues exceeded $30bn. Considering that global online betting revenues were about $18bn in 2007, which is nearly double the revenue in four years, it is easy to realise that the demand for this form of online entertainment is steadily on the rise. Many municipalities are seeing the opportunity that’s presented in legalising and taxing this growing industry.

A

s many government budgets continue to suffer as a result of the struggling global economy, officials are seeing the legalisation and taxation of gambling industry as an appealing option. The best-case scenario is that governments simply make the laws clear, legalising

gambling, and simply protects the consumer by the court system to address fraud and theft, otherwise staying out of it. However, the more likely scenario is that governments license, regulate, and tax the activity (more government involvement).

This is still preferred to outright prohibition, which causes far more problems than it can attempt to solve. Where governments abandon laws against gambling and tax the industry, it will help alleviate some budget problems they’re currently facing. Most importantly, though, ending gambling prohibitions will allow for an open market that creates a safer environment for bettors.

The time is over to equate gambling in sports with criminality.

To slightly paraphrase Packer once again, “There is a bit of a gambler in all of us gentlemen, care for a punt?” n

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18

Feature

Superstitions

One for sorrow, two for joy

Rohini Alamgir learns that Bangladesh is rife with old wives tales, urban legends, and some just scary stories

T

he yellow-beaked bird, commonly known as shalik, carries the belief that the sight of just one conjures tragedy, while the sight of a pair inspires the opposite.

Now birds, like many other species, travel in flocks, which suggests a high unlikelihood of seeing a solitary shalik meandering about without any others loitering around. One may, however, spot one bird before noticing the rest of the group, and if she or he is of a superstitious nature, the implications could be devastating.

So focused are we on conforming everyone and everything into social structure that we even deny these birds the right to enjoy time apart from the group. The shalik, therefore, can be seen as the “black cat” of the eastern world.

In Bangladesh, like in any other country teeming with a plethora of races, cultures, ethnicities, religious orientations, etc, there is a rich abundance of folklore, myths, and obviously, superstitions In Bangladesh, like in any other country teeming with a plethora of races, cultures, ethnicities, religious orientations, etc, there is a rich abundance of folklore, myths, and obviously, superstitions. It is basic human nature to fear the unknown, to reject that which we cannot understand, which is precisely where superstitions come in.

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Defined by Webster’s dictionary as “an irrational belief in the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, or occurrence,” superstitions have ingrained the unconscious minds of even the most logical and rational people.

Superstitions work 24/7. Before the day even starts, make sure to never leave a broom in the middle of a field, or it will become the playing ground of evil spirits (or djinns). Most of you are probably wondering why you would even do that, but this applies more to our rural brethren, and to our urban gardeners. Regardless, it is a form of bad luck that can be passed on to others traversing in the vicinity, so next time you’re tempted to leave brooms lying around, don’t. And while we’re on the topic of brooms, never brush one against someone, or they will fall ill. The logic behind this appears to be that djinns have some strange attraction to brooms (anyone else thinking witches here?) and tend to hang around them, and a person touched by a broom may receive the evil eye from one such angry spirit.

As the day progresses, we find ourselves getting on with our busy lives, but wait! If you’re leaving the house, beware: don’t leave if you break something, or you stumble while leaving, or if someone calls you from behind. In the first scenario, it is more of a superstition born from the concept of karma, whereby any form of destruction must come back upon the destroyer ten-fold. The second and third are also somewhat karmic in nature, in that if you stumble or someone calls you back, you’re probably not meant to leave, so don’t, otherwise something bad will happen. In fact, even before that, while you’re getting ready

Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

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

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

19

to leave, if you “accidentally” drop your comb while brushing your hair, quickly make sure you have ample amounts of food in the house, because guests will be coming over.

When these guests do come over, which they invariably do in Bangladesh, and most often without informing you beforehand, make sure to serve them twice, because otherwise you will fall into water and drown. The idea behind this is that one portion goes to the guest, and the other portion to any djinns around (though the guest is usually the one consuming the entire portion). If the djinn is not served, it will get angry and harm you.

Interestingly, city dwellers follow this “rule” just as much. Yet where can we find this easily accessible water body in which to drown?

The logical mind suggests that we Bangladeshis just like to eat, and being served small portions upsets us, and in all likelihood, we will likely harm the server ourselves, so you better serve us twice.

And just like with our food, we Bangladeshis never give up a good fight. If your shoes are flipped over or if one shoe rests atop the other shoe, be wary, because at any moment, you’ll be butting heads with someone. It is believed that we must respect all things equally, and in these two cases, by neglecting our shoes, which protect our feet and

enable us to progress, literally, we are disrespecting them and so must be punished.

And if you borrow a handkerchief from someone, pay them a penny, otherwise get ready for some more violence! This one, though, is one of those unexplained ones that somehow survived modernisation.

Continuing on the topic of butting heads, if you do accidentally bash your head against someone else’s, repeat the action, or you will grow devil’s horns on your head.

The idle mind, they say, is the devil’s playground. In Bangladesh, apparently, the active head provides a similar arena.

And if you’re just itching for a fight, make sure to check which exact body part itches, because it’s said that if your right hand itches, money will flow in, but if your left hand itches, money will leave you.

So if the wallet feels a little lighter, do everything in your power to avoid itchy left hands! During an eclipse, make sure you do not move, and stop all action/work. Forget itchy hands, be absolutely still. This is because an eclipse is apparently a sign of Qayamat (the end of the world), and the best we can do is sit and pray for the eclipse to pass, and for life to continue once more.

And when bringing in life anew in this world, and this is purely for pregnant mothers, never eat

pineapples, or you’ll have early contractions. Or perhaps just acidity masquerading as contractions.

Segueing from foetuses to babies, the most common superstition that has effectively and completely blended into our culture is the marking of a child with a black dot in order to ward off the evil eye.

Foremost in the minds of children lie the grave warnings of their mothers: do not walk over each other, or you will not grow, or do not cut nails or hair after dark, or the djinns will cut years off your life.

That we, as children, lay credence to these omens speak volumes about our gullibility and naiveté, or perhaps hint at strong, creative imaginations. However, not all

superstitions keep things light: the most ominous of these darker superstitions says never feed your mother with your own hands, because then you will have paid back your debt to her (incurred because she birthed you), and you will be unable to see her face when she is on her deathbed.

For this last one, I don’t even want to know why. As I sit here writing this piece, I mull over the many times I’ve fed my mother, and I feel my left eye twitch. But true to my new code of optimism, I pet my black cat lying next to me, and slowly cross my fingers. After all, these are just irrational beliefs. They can’t possibly come true. Right? n

The most common superstition that has effectively and completely blended into our culture is the marking of a child with a black dot in order to ward off the evil eye

Courtesy

W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, JAN UARY 3 1 , 20 1 4

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

Travelogue

Haunted House

Paranormal activity Shah Nahian puts on a ghostbuster suit and spends a night at a farmhouse in Narsingdi

Photos: Courtesy

20

A

ccustomed to the city life, going away to spend time in the village never really appeals to me. However, when my friend Zarif offered me a trip to visit his farm house in Narsingdi, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Not because I wanted a peaceful day away from the city, but this trip offered an experience which was more than just a simple country getaway.

The house, over a couple of hundred years old, previously belonged to a Hindu nayeb named Jogoth Das. There are twin ponds named Bhobani and Rukshar, and rumour has it that there used to be a shoshan (Hindu cremation ground) in the place of one of them. With the land apparently being haunted by djinns and spirits, the whole compound is extremely infamous among the locals.

Stepping into the haunted grounds

I felt my heart drop as I stepped through the gate of the farm house.

Though warm and sunny outside, it was cold and gloomy inside the walls of the compound. There were tall trees all around, robbing the place of any sunlight. Passing by the twin ponds, I found myself under a tamarind tree that was over 100 years old, as Zarif told me. Next to it was the house I was going to spend the night in.

Zarif’s family never paid attention to the rumours that went around the village. Dismissing the stories, Zarif’s father, Md Atiqul Hafeez, turned the property into

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What happened to Atheer was not news to the locals, as they claimed ‘Nishir daak’ (calling of night spirit) was something many in and around the farm house had experienced before, too many times than they would like to remember

a poultry farm after inheriting it.

Although he remains a sceptic about the supernatural presence, almost anyone who’s lived inside the walls had a story to tell.

Night terrors

At the time the farm was under construction, the construction workers spent the night in a makeshift shed nearby. One night, a construction worker named Alamin found himself waking up to a woman’s voice in the middle of the night. The voice seemed to be calling him, and he found himself responding to the call and walking to the tamarind tree. When he reached there, he found a tall

glowing figure of a woman on the tree, looking downwards, with eyes burning like fire, who started to climb towards him. The man ran away screaming. He was found in his home the next morning, burning up with fever. Alamin swore it was a true story and he never took a single step inside the walls again.

Zarif’s family has stories of their own – one of them is particularly scary and centres on his brother Atheer. During a recent visit to the farm house, one of their maids woke up at 3 in the morning to find Atheer roaming around restlessly.

He appeared to be stuck in a trance and trying to get outside. When the maid asked him what he was trying to do. Atheer, still trying to unlock the doors, replied: “My mother is calling me to sit with her beside Bhobani. I need to get out. I can’t keep her waiting.”

Though scared out of her wits, the girl tried to calm Atheer down.

At first he didn’t listen and kept at it, growing impatient by the second.

She assured him that his mother was upstairs sleeping, but he wouldn’t listen. With a lot of persistence, she eventually managed to get him back

to bed.

The next morning, Atheer woke up without any recollection of the night before. He had no history of sleep walking before that incident, and never had a repeat of anything similar.

My experience

To me, the entire setting seemed right out of a horror film. From walking underneath the tamarind tree to unexpectedly coming across a pet cemetery inside the vicinity, fear took on a whole new meaning.

It is possible that this was nothing more than an old house. I couldn’t bring back anything more than an eerie feeling that consumed me most of the day. However, my friend Irad, who was visiting with us, claimed he felt the presence of someone lingering right outside the window of our room.

In the end, it is hard to conclude the truth about what is really out there.

All these stories could just be stories.

On the other hand, if the land really is possessed, a part of me is glad that it wasn’t us uncovering the truth. n

DAY IN THE LIFE OF

21

A book

A book’s beginning

Farhana Urmee is a forgetful journalist who is very serious about taking her notes, because without those she is of no work

Farhana Urmee celebrates the creation of literature in print

38, Bangla Bazar is the birthplace of books.

If you’re lucky enough to reach this neighborhood in the depths of Old Dhaka, you will be privy to the epic journey of a book. No, not the encounters a book makes as an adult entity, but rather its birthing process: from raw text to its newborn book-ling self, soon to be unleashed into the world of readers.

With February marking the month-long Ekushey Boi Mela celebration, Bangla Bazar – the birthplace of books – has its staff hard at work nurturing freshly-bound books for eager readers. Piles of printed pages are transported across manufacturing buildings to encounter the complex machinery that binds them their everimportant covers. With men who can produce three to four thousand covers in a single hour, you can only imagine the collection of books created in a single day.

Eventually, the newly created books, piled in bundles, are ready to be sent away to the wholesale outlets of publishers, from where most are sold to retailers and sold in their stores. So like a mother and its child, the book-makers part with their fledgling books and allow them to enter a new, undiscovered world on a shelf, from which readers will define their fate.

6.

1.

5.

2.

3.

7.

8.

4.

9.

Photos: Quamrul Abedin

W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, JAN UARY 3 1 , 20 1 4

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 am a stay-at-home mum with two kids. My husband is a marine engineer, so he is away from home most of the time. My eldest is 15 years old, and lately he’s been coming home late, staying locked up in his room, and not communicating with

DINA SOBHAN anyone. It seems he’s lost his appetite as well. I’ve tried to talk to him, but all I’ve gotten for my troubles is a door slammed in my face. I’m extremely worried, especially since his father isn’t home.

Is this behaviour normal for teenagers?

This peculiar behaviour is perfectly reasonable for most teenage boys, and I’d normally tell you to just accept the inevitable and take a couple of Valium tablets with your morning tea until he’s, oh I don’t know, 21. However, in this day and age, any number of oddities could be taking place. Drugs are no longer the only danger lurking in our midst. The internet is the new threat, with all sorts of weirdos trolling the internet indulging their

peccadilloes. It could, of course, be as “innocent” as an addiction to video games, which takes precedence over sleeping, eating and going out for a new generation of youngsters, or your son may be following some cult leader via his personal blog asking for people to blow up their high schools.

Your son fits the description of every single teenage boy responsible for the last decade’s bizarre trend of school shootings, so I would start scouring his closet for a trench coat … and also large rifles and cases of ammunition. I jest. Mostly. The fact is someone needs to be able to get through to him, since your mothering is falling a bit short of the mark. I understand your husband is busy, but surely he owns a phone. If your husband’s powers of parenting are equally limited, appeal to an older cousin, a young uncle or anyone your son might be able to relate to on any level whatsoever. It may be nothing, or it may be something. Find out. n

Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

2

I recently moved into a posh neighbourhood in the city. I’m on good terms with all my neighbours – except for one. A young woman lives in the flat across mine, and she has the worst dog in the history of dogs. It’s constantly barking, and it seems like it doesn’t sleep, at

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all. I’m a senior executive in an MNC, so I’m dog-tired – no pun intended – when I get home, and I need my rest. And this dog doesn’t let me sleep. All of the tenants have complained several times, including myself, but she just refuses to listen. How do I stop that dog from ruining my life?

You must be barking mad to put up with this nonsense! Doggone it, that woman must be stopped immediately! I suggest you trot over to the police station and file a gag order and bring that dog to heel pronto. If that fails, all the tenants can organise an informal protest against this inconsiderate woman and leave poo bombs at her doorstop, post notes on her mailbox and other such annoyances

and tell her you’ll only call the dogs off once she muzzles hers. Of course, you may just want to let sleeping dogs lie because your neighbour could turn tail and train her dog to bite you and the other tenants, or pee in your hallway. The problem with lying down with dogs is you’ll get up with fleas. I suggest you file an official complaint with the landlord and let him put a leash on it. n

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23

WT LEISURE Classic Stars Words can go horizontally, vertically and diagonally in all 8 directions. Words may overlap but do not share letters.

Across

5 Quaint resort, elegant primarily and old (7) 6 101 make fun of returning to Havana (5) 9 Take away two thirds of the sneakiness (7)

Down 1 2 3 4 7 8

1st of March and April parking plan (3) Footballer refusing to work? (7) Point two lads initially in dock the same way (7) Iron will, not sick, not many! (3) Demand to cover up topless (3) Reserved the first of seasonÕs honey yoghurt (3)

Solution and clues for last week’s crossword

www.puzzleclub.com

Audrey Hepburn Ava Gardner Cary Grant Elizabeth Taylor

Grace Kelly Gregory Peck Greta Garbo Humphrey Bogart

Ida Lupino Ingrid Bergman James Stewart Jean Harlow

Katherine Hepburn Linda Darnell Sophia Loren Vivien Leigh

Across

1 Country containing health resort? (5) 5 Vase found in furnace (3) 6 Tree sap mixed before egg nog initially (5) 8 Woman of the plant kingdom (5) 10 Number of honesty (3) 11 Equine bear moved after first of zombies (5)

Down 1 2 3 4 7 8 9

Pig gets round obstruction for bird (7) Pam misread unit of electrical current (3) Non-union sister? (3) British princess follows in US state (7) Energy the spanish used for fish (3) Hat for each Zulu, at first (3) Globe little brother comes up for (3) W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, JAN UARY 3 1 , 20 1 4

24 Jennifer Ashraf is a barrister and solicitor of England and Wales. She is currently Senior Partner at Legacy Legal Corporate.

When she is not solving complicated legal problems, Jennifer is usually found travelling to exotic locations sampling the indigenous cuisine Got a problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

LEGAL EAGLE 1

For the past two years, I’ve had a young girl (18) working as part of my domestic staff. I was reluctant to take her in, but she seemed in dire straits, so I gave her the job. She said she had a fight with her family, and was forced to leave home, and literally had no one and nowhere else to turn to. With us, she’s been working and also attending school. Just the other day however, a man suddenly showed up and claiming to be her father, demanded that she go with him in order to get married. Apparently they had contractually married her off at 14 to some neighbouring landowner (40) in their village, in return for a hefty sum of remuneration. She had run away before they could hand her over, and had only just tracked her down. Is there any way I can help get her out of this bind?

2

I am a 28-year-old Muslim woman. I have been separated from by husband since June of 2013, and have been living in separate apartments in different locations of Dhaka city.

He was unwilling to divorce me, but finally, in December of the same year, he agreed and we got mutually divorced in court. Now, I want to get married to another person, and I was wondering, are there any legal reasons that could stop me from doing so? Just to let you know, we don’t have any shared accounts or land etc. Please help me!

Dear Reader, The good news: you can get married; the bad news: you will have to wait a little longer before you are able to do so. Both Islamic law and Civil law require you to wait for a specified period of time, following your divorce.

Under Islamic law this is referred to as the “Iddat” period and constitutes three months. During the Iddat period the couple continues to live under the same roof, but sleeps apart.

This gives the couple time to calm down, evaluate the relationship, and perhaps reconcile. During the waiting period, the husband and wife are free to resume their relationship at any time, thus ending the divorce process without the need for a new marriage contract. Another reason for the waiting period is to determine whether the wife is expecting a child.

If the wife is pregnant, the waiting period continues until after she has delivered the child. During the entire waiting period, the wife has the right to remain in the family home and the husband is responsible for her support.

Following Civil law, where six months have expired after the date of an order of High Court Division W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, JAN UARY 31, 201 4

Jennifer Ashraf Dear Reader It’s distressing that even in our current day and age, child (minor) marriage is still a prevalent affair within the rural areas of Bangladesh.

It’s encouraging to know that your domestic staff worker was brave enough to break away and escape from this bind before she was “handed over” – this is starting to sound more like human trafficking rather than marriage to me, but hey, I’m just a disgruntled lawyer who values women’s rights.

Now let’s look at the legal issues of your worker – for brevity’s sake let’s call her ‘Mina’ (referring to the popular Bangali cartoon). There are two issues we will be exploring here: the issue of child marriage (she was a minor at the age of 14), and the issue that Mina’s marriage was done in exchange for money.

There is an accepted system of “dower money” paid in exchange of asking for a girl’s hand in marriage and under Islamic law this is a valid exchange of funds between the parties concerned. Marriage in Islam is a contract and every Muslim of sound mind who has attained

puberty may enter into a contract of marriage. Puberty is presumed, in the absence of evidence, when one reaches the age of 15 years, but this presumption is rebuttable. Under Hanafi law, puberty is presumed on the completion of the 15 years.

In this instance, Mina was married off at the age of 14. Until the age of puberty, a minor may be given in marriage by his or her guardian and though this is in fact against the provisions of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, such a marriage even under that Act would not be void. So the marriage is valid under Islamic Jurisprudence.

Religious personal laws that permit marriage at an earlier age than 18 years are in direct contradiction to the statutory laws in Bangladesh and international norms. They also violate national and international standards with respect to the consent requirement, as consent cannot be “free and full” if a party involved is not sufficiently mature to make an informed decision about a life partner.

Under the provisions of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929,

underage marriages are prohibited.

However, if parties to the marriage are under the age limits prescribed under the Act of 1929, such a marriage will not be declared void but it merely lays down certain punishments for a breach of its provisions. The Act however does not affect the validity of marriage.

Therefore the only possible solution for Mina is dissolution of marriage.

Legally, a woman married under Muslim law shall be entitled to obtain a decree for the dissolution of her marriage on the ground that, she, having been given in marriage by her father or any other guardian, renounced the marriage before attaining the age of 18 years and provided that the marriage has not been consummated. Both conditions seem to be satisfied in this instance, and therefore I advise you to not “hand over” Mina to her father but explain the options open to her, and encourage her to file for divorce. If her father objects, tell him that you will be pursuing legal action against him as the grounds exist here. Hope this helps! n

confirming the decree for a dissolution of marriage made by a District Judge, or after the date of any decree of High Court Division dissolving a marriage and there is no appeal, or when an appeal has been dismissed, or when the result of any such appeal

is dissolution of marriage and where there is no appeal to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, the parties of the marriage are at liberty to marry again. Therefore, in summary, you will have to wait three months under Islamic law and six months

under Civil law – I advise being on the safe side and sticking to six months; therefore having your wedding after June this year. Thankfully, six months is a short timeframe and will pass by before you even realise it! n

THE WAY DHAKA WAS

25

Dainik Bangla Mor

Bangladesh Old Photo Archive

Dainik Bangla Mor, 1976

I know of Dainik Bangla Mor mainly because of work. I used to work in the printing business and so had to frequent the presses at Fakirapool. Dainik Bangla was between my workplace and Fakirapool. In my three-year experience of commuting through that intersection, I have rarely seen it without traffic commotion. Loud honking and people shouting are usual. The only time you will find that place ‘less loud’ is when there is a hartal, but even that is rare.

People who work in and around Dainik Bangla Mor are always in a rush. Unless you need to get work done, it is quite an interesting place to be.

Md Mahbub Pashchim Badda, Dhaka

Chanchal Kamal

Today

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26 Farhana Urmee is a forgetful journalist who is very serious about taking her notes, because without those she is of no work

Culture Vulture

Shakrain

My dream is to fly Farhana Urmee enjoys the kite festival with Old Dhakaites

“B

okatta!” cheered the spectators as another kite fell. The kite fighting was at full swing, with hundreds of kites taking up the horizon. All around, you could hear people egging on the kite flyers to take the next kite down, to keep flying above all. Everyone seemed to be in the mood to fight and win.

It was not any regular day. It was a celebration of an end and a beginning, one of the age-old festivals in the Bangla culture, celebrated since the Mughal era.

Poush Sankranti, also known as Shakrain, is celebrated on the last day of Poush, the ninth month of the Bangla calendar, signifying the beginning of the harvest season. It is a celebration of Mother Nature – an offering in hope of abundant harvest and prospects. Apart from kite flying, Shakrain nowadays also entails making traditional sweets with sesame seeds and brown sugar, getting together with family and friends, having musical soirees and spectacular fireworks. Village fairs and picnics are part of the festivities too.

Shakrain is celebrated in many parts of the world, under different guises – it is Makar Sankranti in India, Maghee in Nepal, Maha Sankran in Cambodia, Pi Ma Lao in Laos and Thingyan in Myanmar Shakrain is celebrated across the country, mostly in the rural parts, but it is a prominent festival in Old Dhaka too, especially in areas like Tantibazar, Sutrapur and Shakharibazar. The festival usually takes place on January 14; this year, however, it was split in two days – January 14 and 15.

Each and every shop in Old Dhaka is seen displaying arrays of vibrant and fancy kites. You would find the kite enthusiasts buying 2025 kites at a time, in preparation of the famous kite-flying competition.

Children who have yet to master the art of kite flying remain content with beautiful balloons.

You can see people gathered W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, JAN UARY 31, 201 4

Photos: Quamrul Abedin

on every rooftop in the old town’s neighbourhoods, either participating in the “kite fight,” or enjoying the show. The roofs are decorated with colourful balloons and banners. There are kites of all kinds, sizes, shapes and colours – some look like giant bugs, while some look like exotic animals.

While the day is spent flying kites, the night brings the party.

Buildings are adorned with strings of lights. People simply relax and enjoy the evening, while loud music plays in the background. Some even take it upon themselves to entertain the crowd by singing and dancing. Fire breathers put up aweinspiring shows with their daring fire-breathing techniques, which is followed by beautiful fireworks.

The celebration ends with flying

phanush (sky lanterns).

In the last, gloomy days of winter, Shakrain brings a reason to go out and simply enjoy life. People from all walks of life, of all ages and faiths, come together to celebrate yet another change of season. In a nation where the majority of the population struggle for life, Shakrain indeed brings a breath of relief. n

OBITUARY

27

Amiri Baraka

Natasha Ahmed is a freelance writer who is passionate about art, culture and music

The tainted poet

Natasha Ahmed recalls the life and times of a true artist who was unafraid of expression

P

oet, playwright, activist, and leading force in the Black Arts Movement, Amiri Baraka, died at age 79 earlier this month in his hometown, Newark. He is recognised today as one of the first African-Americans to publish what was then known as Black Art. His works are often accused of being anti-Semitic, misogynist, homophobic and white-racist, but the pulsating rage he expressed through his work granted him an enduring stance in the literary scene which was impossible to ignore.

Early life

Baraka was born with the name Leroy Jones in 1934 in Newark, New Jersey to father Coyt Leroy Jones, a postal supervisor, and mother Anna Louis Jones, a social worker. Baraka briefly attended post-secondary education but failed to earn a degree on all occasions, despite being a brilliant student. His major fields of study were philosophy and religion, but he seemed to quickly lose interest due to a continuing sense of cultural contraventions.

In 1954, Baraka joined the air force. He later told the media that it was the worst period of his life being isolated from his family and under the direct jurisdiction of racists. After three years of duty he was dishonourably discharged when his commanding officer found evidence suggesting Baraka was a communist.

New York

ends with the woman stabbing the Baraka moved to the Big Apple and man to death. The play received the took an editorial job in a music Obie Award for Best American Play magazine, The Record Changer, and in the same year. settled in Greenwich Village amid the exciting atmosphere of beat generation poets and jazz musicians.

In 1958, Baraka married colleague, 1958 Hettie Cohen and Co-founds the magazine, Yugen together they founded a literary magazine, 1961 Yugen, which carried Publishes first book of poems, Preface to Baraka’s first published a Twenty Volume Suicide Note poems. Throughout a decade, he edited and 1963 contributed his poems Publishesthe book, Blues People to several magazines and in 1961, he published 1964 his first book of poems, The play,Dutchman, opens Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note.

1965 His first major book, Degeneration to radical poet Blues People, an account of the significance of 2002 blues and jazz in AfricanAppointed New Jersey Poet Laureate American culture was published in 1963. Here, Baraka argued that though the slaves had brought their Radicalisation musical traditions from Africa, the His early works were highly praised Blues were an expression of what for their lyricism and for the black people became in America. immediacy of beat poems. But his Baraka came to even greater poetry started being radicalised prominence in 1964, after the after the assassination of Malcolm X opening of his play, Dutchman. The in 1965 and Baraka’s trip to Cuba. He controversial play was set aboard a started using poetry as a weapon of New York City subway train where action and his new work was bitter a young white woman accosts a and demanded violence against young middle-class black man and those he felt were responsible for an

Radical rising

unjust society.

Baraka left his wife and their two children and moved to Harlem, where he founded the Black Arts Repertory Theater. He tried to sever ties with the predominantly white friends and colleagues and started falling into all sorts of controversies.

By mid 70s, Baraka moved back to Newark, converted to Islam and adopted the Arabic name Imamu Ameer Baraka, which he would later alter to Amiri Baraka. Around 1974, Baraka distanced himself from Black Nationalism and became a Marxist and a supporter of third-world liberation movements.

In his later years, Baraka found himself as a visiting professor at different universities. But his issues came sharply to the fore again in 2002, shortly after he was appointed the New Jersey Poet Laureate. Baraka gave a public reading of Somebody Blew Up America, a poem he had written in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in which he directly accused Israelis prior to knowledge of the attacks. In response, a state law was passed eliminating the position of poet laureate.

Amiri Baraka died on January 9, in Newark after being hospitalised in the facility’s intensive care unit for one month prior to his death. His funeral held on January 18 hummed with the sound of bagpipes and African drums playing along to smooth jazz riffs, much like his beat poems. n

The pulsating rage that Baraka expressed through his work granted him an enduring stance in the literary scene

W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, JAN UARY 3 1 , 20 1 4

28 Ishtiaque Mahmud is the editor of Avenue T. He’s constantly attempting to practise Zen, but finds himself in situations that make it increasingly difficult

LAST WORD Ishtiaque Mahmud

99 problems and apathy is definitely one A blanket of apathy keeps us numb and blind to too many aspects of our society

H

ave you ever heard the phrase “it’s not really my problem”?

It could be as simple as walking into a shop and witnessing a customer making a purchase at a preposterous price, and knowing that if you speak up, it could make all the difference, and yet you don’t. It’s really not your problem, right? The customer gets successfully ripped off, the salesman is happy, and you now probably have a better chance of making a bargain buy yourself.

That’s what’s known as selfishness and it stems from a commonly shared disease known as apathy.

We liberated our country and attained freedom of language. We are an independent nation of heroes and upstanding citizens. If anyone accuses us of being deceptive, selfcentred, short-sighted or petty, it is understandably offensive. Yet, sarcasm aside, I have a growing suspicion that we have slowly but surely given up on the idea that one moral act, which requires strength of character, can make any significant difference. We’ve completely bought into apathy, without even realising that we have done so.

Have you ever stood at a street corner and watched an urchin get beaten bloody by a rickshaw puller?

What about seeing a rickshaw puller’s teeth being kicked in by a traffic cop? Or maybe a traffic cop getting assaulted in an angry mob stampede of former street urchins?

In its very essence, the chain of senseless violence is a continuous cycle, and when we are faced with an option of breaking that cycle, of stepping in and changing the “natural” order of things, our selfishness kicks in. We find the concept of helping someone in need mind-boggling and rather an

We find the concept of helping someone in need mind-boggling and rather an unnecessary interruption of our otherwise Zen-like existence

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, JAN UARY 31, 201 4

unnecessary interruption of our otherwise Zen-like existence.

Somewhere along the line, everyone has become hostile underneath layers of socially acceptable apathy – cold, calculating and distant. We have cultivated ourselves into artists, specialising in turning a blind eye to anything that is not me or mine, and sometimes even going so far as to imagine that whatever is going on is most likely well deserved.

It is one thing to allocate and invest time and effort in necessary tasks, it is quite another to have a rule of thumb that says ignore everyone and everything in order to live an escalating successful life, acquired ruthlessly. We grow over the years, slowly forgetting the repercussions of the snowball effect.

One (apparently) insignificant oversight or negligence on the part of one employee’s performance can bring down an entire organisation. If it is true for an organisation, it may very well be true for a nation.

There are two variables that determine the level of apathy. The first is the perceived marginal cost of attempting to intervene. The second, our underlying culture with its predominant norms and mores giving rise to social imperatives.

While the latter cannot be resolved immediately, the former can. We can simply choose to intervene (after sufficient contemplation) – that’s all it takes. Obviously, the situation defines whether the intervention is going to mean mild debate leading to resolution or if it’s going to get one or more people severely injured or worse.

We just dug ourselves out of a hellhole of a political situation, and are not panicking yet because we are still getting our bearings straight.

Our export industry, national revenue, education policy, traffic system all need major overhauls and they are much more prominent and threatening obstacles. So really, we have much bigger problems to deal with at present than simple aggregate apathy. It all boils down to the value of the best alternative foregone. And yet what is that price?

In this case, literally the mindset and collective mental well-being of our countrymen. Not so high then?

Allow me to clarify. I have come

across countless circumstances where doing the right thing was overridden by doing things right.

In other words, people end up doing what is beneficial to their ends alone, remaining blind to the greater benefits that synergy has to offer. This attitude, if shared by the majority, eventually gives rise to a nation of people to whom it is fashionable to not care, to not think and to not act. It is second nature to ridicule people who ponder and jump into a “premature” course of action with indomitable spirit and fervour.

Apart from what we export, this line of thought has led us to turn the majority of what we produce as a nation, into cheap, forgettable and generally dissatisfying things, be it services or consumer goods, durable or otherwise. The ordinary people of this country used to be exposed to fantastic movies and music, food items and traffic conditions, not to mention captivating and insightful works of literature, produced by us, so it is not like we were never capable of producing them well to begin with.

When we were told we were far behind global standards, we rushed to catch up, and things that used to matter, no longer did. Today, we take pride in having (almost) caught up and maintaining pace with the rest of the world. We now have food from all over the world, clothes influenced by the West, institutions of social infrastructure influenced by our immediate neighbouring nations, transport systems that resemble the corridors of a super saturated mental asylum and political instability with an uncanny resemblance to Dante’s Inferno.

So what then did we really lose?

Well, to start, our apathy has been consistently eating away at our capacity for appreciating those things that matter most. For a while now, movies, music, and TV shows popular in our country makes mediocrity look like products of enlightenment. Common sense should suffice in order to determine a possible solution given the definition of apathy. We no longer need to ignore everything we have let slide over the years. We have always retained the power to think and subsequently act, while

It is second nature to ridicule people who ponder and jump into a ‘premature’ course of action with indomitable spirit and fervour witnessing an act of injustice, be it violent or otherwise. There has been a significant rise in people’s awareness of how things should be as opposed to how things are.

We are now capable of figuring out specific solutions to specific problems without having to fall back upon age-old strategies much imbued with traditional and outdated sentiments.

Promoting the idea that we can rid ourselves of the insanity that is indifference (aka apathy) by just doing it, the spiritual author Eckhart Tolle wrote: “If not now, when?” I now put that question to you. n