Weekend 27

| vo l 2 I ssu e 7 | F R I D AY, J UN E 20, 2014

Nurturing nature 4

Marine biology

13

Smoking gun

15

Kalpana Chakma

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NAVARON “ “

01730-701-608

CONTENTS

1

A W e ekly Productio n of

DhakaTribune

Volume 2 | Issue 7 | June 20, 2014

Editor Zafar Sobhan

News

Executive Editor Shahriar Karim

2 This Week

Managing Editor Jahangir Hyder

3 Oddities

Features Editor Sabrina Fatma Ahmad Assistant Magazine Editor Rumana Habib

Features

Weekend Tribune Team Tasnuva Amin Nova Promiti Prova Chowdhury Farhana Urmee Rifat Islam Esha Faisal Mahmud Shah Nahian Syeda Samira Sadeque James Saville Sifana Sohail

4 Feature Marine biology

Art Direction/Photography Syed Latif Hossain

6 Post-Riposte Rampal powerplant

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8 Listology Nature documentarians

Biodiversity Philip Gain

Cartoons Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy Rio Shuvo

12 Feature Disappearing wildlife 13 Ecology Smoking gun 15 Crime Kalpana Chakma 17 Origin Story Football

Contributors Shahad Ahmed Raju Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi Sohara Mehroze Shachi Dina Sobhan

20 Interview Rafi Mohammad

Graphics Sabiha Mahmud Sumi Mohammad Mahbub Alam

Regulars

Colour Specialist Shekhar Mondal Kazi Syras Al Mahmood

14 Legalese Creepy Cops 16 Tough Love Mama’s girl and the flirt

Production Masum Billah

18 Stay In

Advertising Shahidan Khurshed Circulation Wahid Murad Website dhakatribune.com/weekend facebook.com/WeekendTrib Email your letters to: weekend@dhakatribune.com

19 Go out

9 Photo story

the cover The spotted deer, jumping through the mangrove forest, is as much an emblem of the Sundarbans as the Bengal tiger. photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

Birds of Dhaka

NURTURING NATURE T

he Sonar Bangla of our songs was a lush paradise, but modern man has left its stamp on our land. This week we take a look at the biodiversity that needs celebrating and protecting.

Flora: We investigate potential land degradation due to tobacco farming (pg 13) and the Rampal power plant (pg 6) – as well as talk to Philip Gain, a man working to protect our ecology (pg 7).

Fauna: We remember the extinct wildlife of the Sundarbans (p 12), the endangered dolphins of the Bay of Bengal (pg 4), and the nature documentarians who brought them closer to us humans (pg 8).

Editor’s note Feathered: We look up at our avian friends that surround us in this very city (pg 9-11). Then we try to adopt some furry friends of our own (pg 18).

Meanwhile, it’s been quite a week in news (pg 2-3). Read our special report from Bandarban on the disappearance of Kalpana Chakma, 18 years ago last week (pg 15).

Are you still watching the World Cup? Impress your friends with some geeky facts about football (pg 17). And if you want to go geekier still, check out Dhaka Comicon (pg 19).

This is the last weekend before Ramadan festivities. Use it well.

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2 News | This week

Blood trails across the globe They say too much of anything is bad – and sentiments surrounding religion and nationalism fall into that category. Events this week around the world is testament to that, given the number of lives we have lost to religious extremism and sectarian violence. The world witnessed, in horror, the executions of soldiers in Iraq, sectarian violence and killings all the way from Kenya to nearby Sri Lanka, as well as at home in Bangladesh.

Here’s a round-up of these events:

bangladesh:10 killed in Bihari camp fire

Nine members of a Bihari family were burnt alive following a clash between people of the Bihari and Bangali communities in the capital’s Mirpur area last weekend.

An additional person, who received severe bullet injuries, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Local police said the clash ensued on Saturday at 5am over the explosion of fire crackers for Shab-e-Barat.

However, the Bihari community believes otherwise.

They began demonstrating on Monday, demanding the arrest and trial of lawmaker Elias Uddin Mollah and his cohorts for orchestrating Saturday’s violence. They also claimed the lawmaker and his men brought hundreds of police and local youth from the Bauniabad area to fuel this violence.

News: Dhaka Tribune Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

Iraq: Militant attacks kill scores Militants from jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) executed dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members, according to photos posted online on Sunday.

The authenticity of the photos, which were shared on Twitter and elsewhere and said to have been taken in a province north of Baghdad, could not be independently confirmed. The militants claimed in one photo caption that they executed hundreds of soldiers A major offensive spearheaded by ISIL, but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, has overrun all of one province and chunks of three

others since it was launched on Monday. In this photo, Iraqi children fleeing violence in the northern Nineveh province sleep in a tent at a temporary camp in Kurdistan.

On Tuesday, 44* Sunni detainees were slaughtered by gunshots to the head and chest by pro-government Shia militiamen after Sunni insurgents tried to storm a jail in a northeastern area of Baghdad. On the same day, the bullet-riddled bodies of four men, presumably Sunnis, were found at different locations in a Shia neighborhood in Baghdad.

On Tuesday, a car bomb in Baghdad’s Shia Sadr City district further killed 12 people.

News: Agencies, Photo: AFP

Kenya: Al-Shabab strikes, 64 killed

Sri Lanka: Religious tension kills three

At least 64* people were killed in two consecutive nights of carnage in Kenya’s coastal region, officials said Tuesday, with the Kenyan president blaming “local political networks” and Somalia’s alShabab, insisting they were responsible.

Over 50 people are missing following the massacres, the Red Cross said, with scores first fleeing an attack overnight Sunday in the town of Mpeketoni in which at least

Sri Lanka extended curfews in a popular tourist region Monday after a rampaging Buddhist mob killed three Muslims and burned dozens of homes and shops, the latest outbreak of religious violence on the island.

Community leaders accused authorities of doing little to prevent Sunday night’s violence, with the most senior Muslim member of President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government threatening to

49 people were killed, and then a second in the nearby village of Poromoko late Monday where gunmen slaughtered 15 people.

The al-Qaeda-linked Islamists said its fighters had carried out the attacks, and that its commando unit had returned to base unhindered.

Kenya’s interior ministry said it was trying to verify reports some women may have also been abducted. News: AFP

*The death tolls reported above were last updated on Wednesday when this report was finalised.

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resign at the decision to allow militant Buddhists to rally in the flashpoint region.

The unrest erupted on Sunday night when followers of the BBS staged a protest over a recent road rage incident in the area.

After stones were allegedly thrown at them, the BBS supporters then tore through the two towns, attacking people on the street and setting fire to property. Several mosques were also damaged.

News: AFP

oddities | News

Modi calls Bhutan ‘Nepal’ during speech in Bhutan

I

ndia’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Bhutan “Nepal” while praising Bhutan’s royal family during an address to the Bhutan Parliament, Times of India reported on Monday.

In this photo, Modi unveils the plaque to inaugurate the Supreme Court of Bhutan in Thimphu as his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay watches.

Modi arrived in Bhutan on Sunday to launch a drive to

Say what?

reassert Indian influence in the region.

The controversial recently elected prime minister made this slip while addressing Bhutan’s joint session of Parliament, sparking off reactions on Twitter where the hashtags #Bhutan, #Nepal, and #TravelTipsToModi began trending on Monday.

Of those featured, one Tweeter joked: “Maybe Bhutan is called Nepal in Gujarati?”

News: Desk; Photo: Reuters

Bolivian president gives UN chief cocaine birthday cake

U

nited Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon received an unusual treat for his 70th birthday last weekend when the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, presented him with a cake made with coca leaves.

The UN chief was in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, for a meeting of the G77 group of countries to discuss measures for reducing poverty.

Coca is used to make cocaine,

Brazilian bug

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Volkswagen Beetle, locally known as “fusca” and painted in the greenyellow Brazilian national colours, is parked at the Praca 14 de

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but host Morales, a former coca farmer, has long defended its legal use as an “ancestral rite” for tea, sweets and medicines, going so far as to pull coca leaves out of a small plastic bag during a UN anti-drug meeting in Vienna in 2012 and chew on a wad of them. People in the Andean region also traditionally chew on coca leaf as a source of energy or as an antidote to altitude sickness.

News and photo: Reuters

Deliberately on fire

Janeiro neighborhood in Manaus, one of the host cities of Fifa World Cup 2014 News and photo: AFP

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house in Texas, USA, was deliberately set on fire last Friday, days after part of the ground it was resting on collapsed into the local Lake Whitney.

Building crews set fire to the luxury lake house left dangling about 75ft on a decaying cliff that has been giving way underneath the structure.

News and photo: Reuters

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4 feature | Marine biology

DESPERATELY SEEKING DOLPHINS

The Irrawaddy dolphin Photo: Mavic Matillano/WWF

What is endangering the dolphins of Bangladesh? Tasnuva Amin Nova

S

yed Ali Azir looks out on Pabna’s Baral River with patience. The hundreds of river dolphins he used to see here 30 years ago are no longer found in such abundance.

These days, he feels lucky to catch a glimpse of even a single one. He is looking for a shushuk, the local name for the Ganges River dolphin.

The dead river is an offshoot of the Ganges that flows over 220km through Natore, Rajshahi, Pabna, and Sirajganj and ends at the Brahmaputra.

Azir works for the Wetland Biodiversity Rehabilitation Project under the German development agency GIZ which, along with locals, works to save the fragile ecosystem of the wetlands.

Irresponsible human interference activities such as construction of dams and culverts, among others, have reduced the navigability of the river, cutting off the natural paths of river water dolphins. The dolphins’ unnatural migration has resulted in their scattered settlement across the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Karnaphuli river systems.

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Disappearing Ganges River dolphins Once, these dolphins were found to move in large schools, but a recent survey found the average group size has reduced to two. In some cases individuals have also been found alone, according to the World Wildlife Fund for nature (WWF).

Shushuk dolphins are naturally blind.

Currently, the Ganges River dolphin is categorised as endangered by the WWF. From 4000-5000 of these dolphins found in the Ganges Jamuna - Brahmaputra river belt during the early 1980s, today the total population of the species is estimated to be less than 2000.

One of the major causes of the dwindling range of the dolphins is attributed to dams dividing the population.

Pollution

Shushuk once lived in the Turag and Buriganga but cannot be found now in these filthy waters.

A report featuring the death of Turag River due to industrial contamination, waste disposal and

Ganges river dolphin Photo: WWF

unplanned construction works earlier this June showed that the average amount of oxygen in the water is just 0.14mg. The standard is 5mg.

Azir says: “Local fishermen are now aware about Shushuk’s population and are trying to conserve them, which shows positive change. But this is just a start. We still have a lot left to do for them.”

Irrawaddy dolphins

Bangladesh is also home to the Irrawaddy dolphin, another freshwater dolphin that lives in the coastal waters of the Bay of Bengal.

In 2009, when 6000 of these fastdisappearing species was found swimming in the Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal, hopes of their conservation were renewed.

These beakless, eight feet Irrawaddy dolphins are also

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great friends of humans. On the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar, the Irrawaddy dolphins are said to increase the size of fishermen’s catch by threefold with their knack for driving fish into the nets. In exchange, the dolphins are rewarded with fish dinners.

Dolphins have long been adored by humans and have a history of sustainable coexistence between men and the cetaceans.

Poaching

Not having a predator within the ecosystem, why are our dolphins disappearing?

The dolphins’ amicability with humans is not always reciprocated with equal compassion.

Poachers kill dolphins for their oil to attract other fish, and for traditional healing purposes.

Although there is a lack of local reporting on the illegal trade in Bangladesh, the Indian media has shed light on the black market activities near riverbanks. Oil of these dolphins sells for up to Tk1,800 per kg. Many also kill dolphins for their meat.

Often they get entangled in fishing nets unintentionally, and succumb to death upon failing to escape the nets.

Conservation efforts

Towards the early 2000s, photographers, zoologists, conservationists, and marine biologists contributed a great deal to the identification and conservation of dolphins in Bangladeshi waters.

Photographer turned conservationist Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli says: “The joy of watching two different species of dolphins in the same estuary and the beauty of the deep-sea dolphins for our future generations should be enough for protecting these species. There is also the issue of total equilibrium of nature.”

Protecting these marine wonders, however, was a herculean task for Mowgli and other researchers with an agenda of creating protected area network for endangered dolphins.

Finally in 2012, with the help of conservation works by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in pinpointing the prime locations of the protected areas, Bangladesh government declared three new wildlife sanctuaries for conserving rare aquatic creatures in the Sundarbans.

Despite massive awareness campaigns and government laws, uncertainty lurks in connection to the preservation of fresh water dolphins.

According to information in the WCS website, both Irrawaddy

Bottlenose dolphin Photo: Mashur Rahman

and Ganges river water dolphin rely on a delicate balance of fresh and saltwater, moving upstream and downstream according to the seasonal flood cycle.

With shrinking fresh water supply due to upstream water diversion in India, rising sea level and salinity due to climate change, the ecosystem of these cetaceans are seriously threatened.

Despite laws, awareness, and conservation activities in place, the number of cetaceans has been continuously dwindling. It is obvious that freshwater dolphins need some fresh water and maybe, we need some fresh perspective regarding their conservation and habitation.

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Delphinic eden An 11-minute film, “Exploring Our Waters,” featured the Swatch of No Ground, a 900-meter deep sea canyon of the Bay of Bengal teeming with marine life.

The trove of these playful creatures dwells at the heart of the Swatch marked by a bold division of the indigo water from the turquoise, at the sweet and salty waters of the Sundarbans.

The cheerful playground of cetaceans include: • Ganges river dolphin • Irrawaddy dolphins • Bottle-nose dolphins • Pan-tropical spotted dolphins

• Spinner dolphins • Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins • Finless porpoise • Bryde’s whale

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6 Post-riposte | Rampal

Is the Rampal power plant

good for Bangladesh?

Yes

Energy for the economy Tasnuva Amin Nova

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here is need for the power plant given our increasing demand for electricity. It will enhance our economy further. The government is also taking enough measures to ensure the environment is not threatened.

At present, the electricity shortage in Bangladesh remains a major constraint for our industries, thus limiting socioeconomic development and resulting in a loss of GDP. The issue puts the country’s growth prospects at serious risk.

The Power System Master Plan 2010 stated that by 2021, Bangladesh’s demand for electricity will rise to 24,000 MW, hence the decision to construct a 1,320 MW coal-based power plant in Rampal near the Sundarbans, to be operated jointly with India.

To counter the pollution caused from the plant in the Sundarbans,

the government has commited to using only imported coal, which burns much more cleanly than coal from local sources.

In a seminar entitled: “Coal Power Generation in Bangladesh: World’s Best Practices,” Towfiqe-Elahi Chowdhury, power and energy advisor to the prime minister said the chimney of the plant would be 275m high, so that the smoke emitted from the coal burning would not harm the Sundarbans, the world’s largest and most biodiverse mangrove forests.

Additionally, because of the use of supercritical technology at the plant, the atmosphere will not be affected greatly.

Writing in support of the project in the Dhaka Tribune, geologist Hasan Kamrul said: “The economic and technical advantages of a regional electricity and gas grid or pipeline are many. It ensures

greater supply security and reliability, reduces the reserves needed for meeting peak demands, lower costs through economies of scale, increases diversification of primary sources of energy and contributes to overall efficiency.”

Regarding concerns over the Indo-Bangla partnership, Hasan’s article gave examples of existing inter-country energy partnerships in Asia like China and Hong Kong, Thailand and Laos, Indonesia and Singapore, and a few others.

In support of a bilateral agreement Hasan says: “There are no technical or economic reasons to prevent the development of bilateral or regional agreements to utilise these resources more effectively and contribute towards the creation of a regional energy hub or an economic growth zone.”

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Infograph: Syed Latif Hossain

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A heavy cost for our environment Farhana Urmee

T

Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu

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he Sundarbans, the shield of Bangladesh is at risk.

Not because of a natural disaster, but because of the decision to build a 1,320 MW coalfired power station at Rampal, just 14km north of the mangrove forest.

The coal fired plant will pollute the air and water, devastating the mangrove forest – which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

According to Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) activist Iqbal Habib, this plant will emit sulfur dioxide, nitrus oxide, carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbons and vast quantities of carbon dioxide.

An impact study by Khulna University teacher Dr Abdullah Harun Chowdhury says, this power plant will have 27 different negative consequences for the environment.

The construction process will

have its own consequences too.

Environmentalists are concerned that tankers servicing the construction site will harm the fish and other creatures who live around the forest.

Alternatively, the government could introduce solar power plants, or simply import power, instead of activating this plant which will prove highly expensive – both in terms of initial investment, and maintenance costs. It has been reported that the approximate cost of producing one unit of power will be Tk8, which is not feasible for a country like ours.

Why would the government go for such an expensive power plant which cannot even deal with the immediate power crisis in the country, as the project is proposed to be completed in 2017.

Despite massive protests against the project, the government is determined to complete the project.

The power plant will be shared with India but the enviromental hazard will be borne by Bangladesh only. This should make us question whether the government is pandering to Indian interests.

The government says it will minimise the environmental impact of the power plant, but accepting this would be risky in a country such as ours where promises are most rarely kept.

The government also says Rampal is the only available site for the plant because of a lack of space in the south-western part of the country, but pursuing this project would be nothing short of catastrophic for the area’s biodiversity.

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Philip gain | biodiversity

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Nature in peril The veteran environmentalist talks about the country’s foremost challenge Sohara Mehroze Shachi

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hilip Gain has been working relentlessly to champion biodiversity. At a time when climate change dominates headlines, it is easy to forget about other environmental issues in Bangladesh. Gain is a beacon of hope for the country’s rapidly declining natural treasures. We were lucky enough to have him share his observations and insights with us.

One environmental issue that gets talked about a lot is climate change, and its potential impact on Bangladesh. What are your thoughts?

Donors are focusing on climate change, but they are not willing to talk about more pressing issues – such as deforestation caused by shrimp aquaculture.

A very beautiful part of the Sundarbans was the 21,000 acre Chokoriya area, of which the government gave 8,000 acres to the fisheries department for shrimp cultivation. Now, not a single tree remains there, as people have illegally claimed everything for the lucrative shrimp farming.

We have seen satellite images taken over eight different periods, and it is clear the mangroves are disappearing because of aquaculture. If Chokoriya had not been wiped out it could have saved the 1.5 lakh people who died in the 1991 cyclone.

To make matters worse, the government is creating a rice silo in the middle of the Sundarbans, further eroding forest cover.

Climate change is an effect of

ADB funded social forestry in Modhupur, which the bank stopped financing since 2007. Photo: Courtesy

Philip Gain in Modhupur with his camera Photo: Courtesy

actions like these – but they don’t talk about these actions.

How do the plantation projects in Bangladesh affect biodiversity?

Projects like the Community Forestry Project, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), resulted in deforestation and the cultivation of foreign plants like eucalyptus and acacia.

Eucalyptus is an antibiotic tree and has medicinal value, but the monoculture proved to be fatal for biodiversity.

A mixed plantation would have been more effective. A “deshi” forest is there for thousands of years, but with plantation crops the land becomes barren after 20 years.

I made many documentaries about this and presented them to the ADB. When the negative results of this monoculture started to emerge, the government decided to put an end to it.

From 2007, the ADB and World Bank stopped funding all forestryrelated work in Bangladesh, and the focus is now on conserving natural forests.

How have the indigenous communities been affected by these projects?

The forestry department gave plots of lands to outsiders who bribed them, and excluded the local Garo and Koch people from the written land agreements. Out of the 1,600 people who got government plots, only 30 are locals. The indigenous people are being ousted from their villages.

Many people are creating

tobacco plantations instead of cultivating crops, as returns on tobacco are higher. Rubber farming is also occurring on forested land leased to outsiders that was previously used for jhum chash (slash and burn cultivation).

The ashes from slash and burn cultivation enrich the soil and are beneficial for the germination of seeds, which creates dense forests.

Jhum chash uses no chemicals.

In contrast, the rubber plantations’ processes pose a serious threat to biodiversity, as they destroy all local vegetation before planting the rubber.

Medicinal trees are also being wiped out.

You recently edited a book called Energy Challenges and Phulbari Crisis. What do you think of the idea of an open pit mine?

Creating an open pit here is a terrible idea as there will be serious human rights violations. One hundred villages will be evicted.

Their compensation package and rehabilitation has not been thought out.

Phulbari has very fertile soil, and it is the only region of the Bangladesh that has not once in the last 100 years been sunk under floods. Three types of crops grow there. Destroying all that by turning it into a coalmine will lead to bloodshed.

Many donors advocate the coalmine as a new commodity for Bangladesh. But in our investigation we found environmental heavyweights manipulating environmental

impact reports as per the instructions of the donors. We talked to the people and saw they were being cheated.

What would be your recommendation to the government?

The government needs to think long term. They need to consider what we would get out of a project such as Phulbari, and what costs people would have to bear. From a mine you get coal for 45-100 years but it will take another 100 years to make it habitable again.

How do we balance environmental protection with the need for economic development?

Bangladesh has made a lot of progress in the field of development. Three factors have contributed to this: remittance, garments and agriculture – not indiscriminate destruction of forests and biodiversity.

I believe Bangladesh will become a prosperous country, but it can’t grow by shrimp farming and coal mining. The sustainable approach is to protect the forests and cultivable land by raising people’s awareness of their natural heritage.

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Philip Gain is an environmentalist, filmmaker and journalist. Forestry has always been his particular interest. He is also director of an environmental organisation and the author of a number of books including Stolen Forests and Bangladesher Biponno Bon.

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8 listology | Nature documentarians

Animal whisperers

Jeremy Wade

Legends of nature TV James Saville

Wade’s best known work River Monsters, which airs on Animal Planet, is ostensibly a series about the fishing expeditions of a mild-mannered Englishman.

This description however

Steve Irwin Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin was the Aussie showman who became famous by cuddling up to some of the world’s most dangerous creatures, an activity often accompanied by his signature exclamation: “Crikey!”

On his sixth birthday he was given a 4m long scrub python.

This absurdity seems to have set the tone for the rest of his life.

Irwin was widely known for his sensationalist, adrenalinejunkie programmes like The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World, which saw him crawl up faceto-face with the world’s most venomous snake, the Inland Taipan. A single bite from this snake contains enough venom to kill 100 men.

In that episode, he lay still

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allowing the snake to lick his face, before remarking calmly: “Well, that’s never happened to me before.”

Yet his feats of bravado were always tempered by a deep respect, and concern, for the predators he pursued. This was reflected in his expansive conservation work, conducted under the auspices of his foundation Wildlife Warriors Worldwide.

Sadly Iwrin was killed in 2006 by a stingray as he was filming for one of his programmes.

As a mark of respect, the national flag was flown at half-mast on the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Australian prime minister offered official condolences, saying: “Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son.”

doesn’t quite capture the excitement and eccentricity of this addictive programme.

The presenter is very far from the aloof, disembodied, narrator favoured in most documentaries of this sort. Instead he assumes the role of protagonist – a protagonist in the mould of a madcap hero from some outlandish literary adventure.

The viewer is cast as his trusty sidekick, accompanying Wade as he travels the world searching out the largest, rarest and most dangerous freshwater fish in the world.

Thought piranhas were the only scary freshwater fish?

Meet the Goliath tigerfish and the 20ft salmon shark.

Throughout the series, we are mesmerised by Wade’s passion, sometimes bordering on hubris, as he goes to ever more extreme lengths to catch his quarry. Memorable moments include a trip to the Amazon that sees the cameraman struck by lightning, and the entire crew survive a plane crash in the jungle. Truly extreme fishing.

David

Attenborough The elder statesman of natural history documentaries, Attenborough manages to combine the gravitas of a scholar with a childlike fascination of every tiny detail of the natural world.

Most often, but not exclusively, he is the unseen narrator whose soothing tones overlay the often dramatic footage. A wise headmasterly figure with a poetic turn of phrase, Attenborough is an expert at humanising the struggles of his subjects with emotional asides, conjecturing on their thoughts.

Attenborough’s career has spanned more than 60 years.

He is the only person to win Bafta awards for programmes in black and white, colour, HD, and 3D film formats.

A particular highlight of his work came in his 1979 Life on Earth series. While filming wild gorillas in the jungle, he gets set upon by a large fearsome looking individual and the lumbering monster then begins delicately stroking Attenborough’s hair, grooming him as if he where one of the family.

In the clip, Attenborough can be heard whispering about the unfairness of man casting the gorilla as a symbol of ferocity when they are so peaceful.

Birds of dhaka | Photo story

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Citybirds Somehow in this crowded metropolis birds can be found in every corner of Dhaka city

Sparrow / Chorui

Photos and Text: Shahad Ahmed Raju

Sparrows are monogamous.

Both females and males take care of the young ones. They are also aggressive, which increases their ability to compete with most native birds.

Not many people know that sparrows can swim to escape from predators.

Photo taken: Ramna Park

Turn for more photographs

Black-rumped Flameback/ Kutikurali The black-rumped flameback is a woodpecker widely distributed over the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few woodpeckers seen in urban areas.

A woodpecker's tongue is up

to 4in long depending on the species, and it wraps around the interior of its skull. Many woodpeckers have barbed tongues that help them extract bugs from holes in trees.

Woodpeckers do not get

headaches from pecking as they have reinforced skulls structured to dissipate the forces.

Photo taken: Dhanmondi Lake

Shahad Ahmed Raju is a journalist and freelance wildlife photographer

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10 PHoto story | Birds of dhaka

Little Heron/

Sobuj Bok

The little heron stands still at the water’s edge waiting to ambush its prey. They are easier to spot than many other herons. They mainly eat small fish, frogs and aquatic insects.

Herons sometimes use bait, carefully dropping a feather or leaf on the water’s surface and snatching the fish that come to investigate.

I once observed a little heron who, while on its nest, would grab a stick in its bill and make a rapid back-and-forth motion with its head, like a sewing machine.

Photo taken: Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University

Bronze-winged Jacana/ Dol Pipi Black hooded oriole / Benebou

The bronze-winged jacana lays four black eggs in a floating nest. The males, as in some other wader families like the phalaropes, take responsibility for the incubation. The males can also carry chicks between their wings and body.

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When forced to, they sometimes choose to hide by submerging themselves underwater.

Photo taken: Jahangirnagar University

A Bangali folk tale asserts the origin of this bird was an unfortunate wife of a merchant. The girl was tortured by her mother-in-law who used to starve her for the slightest mistake. On one occasion the girl was starved for two days while being forced to make pitha. The girl, who could not bear her hunger any more, started eating hot pitha directly from the vessel as her mother in law was out of sight. Her garments were already stained by the turmeric paste she used to cook other

dishes. Suddenly the motherin-law came back, and the shocked girl jumped into a nearby pond. She died then and there, but the goddess that protects children made her into a bird, with a head covered with black shoot from the earthen vessel, and a body yellow from the turmeric paste.

For this reason the bangali name of the bird is Benebou which means the merchant's wife.

Photo taken: Jahangirnagar University

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Common Kingfisher/

Machranga Common kingfishers are important members of the ecosystem and good indicators of a healthy freshwater community.

The highest densities of kingfishers are found in habitats with clear water, which permit optimal visibility of their prey, from trees or shrubs on the banks.

Kingfishers nest in tree hollows and holes dug into the ground, which tend to be on river banks or beside lakes.

Photo taken: Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University

Rose-ringed Parakeet/Tia

Orange-headed thrush/ Komola Bou The orange-headed thrush is a shy, secretive bird usually seen alone or in pairs. It has a swift, silent flight, but when in danger it will often sit motionless until the threat has passed.

Photo taken: Jahangirnagar University

Pied Myna/Salik

Rose-ringed parakeets are popular pets. Both males and females have the ability to mimic human speech. Some people hand raise roseringed parakeet chicks for this purpose.

These starlings are usually found in small groups, foraging mainly on the ground but perching on trees and buildings.

Young birds taken into captivity have been trained to imitate the tunes of other birds, and people's voices. The Sema Naga people will not eat this bird as they believe them to be reincarnationed humans.

Photo taken: Jahangirnagar University

Photo taken: Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, J U N E 2 0, 2 0 1 4

12 Feature | Disappearing wildlife

Lost animals of the Sundarbans

These vulnerable and endangered animals are already extinct in the Sundarbans region Shah Nahian

T

he Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is best known for the animals that reside there, which include various species of birds, pythons, crocodiles,

sharks, dolphins, and the famous Bengal tiger.

The Sundarbans is one of the things we like to take pride in as Bangladeshis. However, despite a ban on killing or capturing wildlife

from the forest (with the exception of fish and some invertebrates) there is a consistent pattern of depleted biodiversity.

The Bengal tiger is already endangered, along with many other

species.

While the animals on this list can still be found elsewhere, they have been officially declared extinct from the Sundarbans.

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Hog deer

The mugger crocodile Water buffalo

The mugger crocodile can grow up to 15ft in length and looks very similar to an alligator due to its snout. It has the broadest snout of any living species of crocodile.

They are known to inhabit freshwater lakes, ponds, sluggish rivers, swamps and marshes. The adult crocodiles

Single horned rhinoceros

Among all the terrestrial mammals living in Asia, the single horned rhino is second in size only to the Asian elephant. The rhino can grow up to 3.80m long with a shoulder height of 1.90m and weigh up to 4,000kg.

The length of the single horn, present in both males and females, ranges 9.8-22.5in.

The animal has been driven to vulnerable conservation status due to excessive hunting and poaching.

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are either dark grey or brown in colour. The mugger crocodile has been pushed to the brink of extinction due to human activity, and the long drought of the late 1990s and the early 2000s. They are now considered vulnerable in the conservation status of the species.

The water buffalo is a large bovid, a member of the cattle family. While these animals have been domesticated for ages and are especially suitable for tilling rice fields, the wild population that lived within the Sundarbans have gone completely extinct. Their milk is richer in fat and protein than that of the dairy cow.

The hog deer is a small deer who gets its name the from the hog-like manner in which it runs, with its head hung low so that it can duck under obstacles instead of leaping over them, like most other deer. The deer stands about 0.83m tall to the shoulder and weighs around 50kg. The hog deer is considered endangered on the conservation status.

Barasingha Javan rhinoceros The Javan rhinoceros is a critically endangered rhino, with only one known population in the wild, and no individuals in captivity. It is possibly the rarest large mammal on the planet. Their decline is primarily caused by poaching. Scientists and conservationists rarely study the animals directly due to their extreme rarity and the danger of interfering with such a precarious population.

Barasingha, also known as the swamp deer, is a large deer with a shoulder height of 1.01m and body length of 1.82m. The decline of the species caused the loss of their habitat, due to wetlands being converted and used for agriculture.

The remaining habitat in protected areas is threatened by the change in river

dynamics, reduced water flow during summer and increasing siltation. It is further degraded by local people who cut excessive amounts of grass, timber and fuel wood. Population under threat include those living outside the protected areas and those seasonally migrating, as they are susceptible to poaching for antlers and meat.

Smoking gun | Ecology

13

Poisonous tobacco hills of Bandarban

Unchecked tobacco cultivation in Bandarban, lucrative but highly detrimental, is a devil’s bargain for farmers Faisal Mahmud

R

uma Bazar is in one of the six upazilas in the remote hilly district of Bandarban.

Life in the Chittagong Hill Tracts may be slow but in recent years the landscape has been changing at an alarming rate.

Most of the land has been brought under tobacco cultivation, including around the town on the Sangu River, as well as deep inside the hills.

Because of the stricter Tobacco Control Law (amended in 2011), companies have targeted the remote hilly region of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, since the land there is not under the ministry of land of the government, but rather the Chittagong Hill Tracts Council.

“Tobacco is more lucrative than paddy,” said Alyea Bom, a local tobacco farmer.

“When I used to farm paddy I couldn’t earn any money to buy other things, as the paddy that I used to grow on my land was consumed by my own family.

“The tobacco companies are giving us cash to grow tobacco instead … and now I earn enough to support my family.”

More than 25 other families have received other incentives, like solar powered electricity systems, courtesy of the country’s biggest tobacco company. All of these families are now cultivating tobacco.

In fact according to the Department of Agriculture Extension, this year saw a 54% increase in tobacco cultivation nationwide.

Photos: Progga

Ecological degradation

green tobacco sickness

Unaware of its harmful effects, farmers like Alyea Bom are happy to make quick money by cultivating tobacco. But a recent article in the journal Tobacco Control, by Natacha Lecours and colleagues from the Non-Communicable Disease Prevention programme in Canada, found that tobacco farming causes Green Tobacco Sickness in farmworkers who absorb nicotine through the skin when handling wet tobacco.

The symptoms include fluctuations in blood pressure and heart rate, headaches, nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulties and diarrhoea.

The article also points out that the pesticides used are also highly toxic, with pesticide poising common among tobacco farmers.

Poor returns

The same authors raise concerns

gained from this system is barely enough to sustain themselves,” she writes.

No one wanted to talk to me when I approached people in Ruma Bazar. I later learned from a local shopkeeper that the tobacco companies had forbidden the villagers from talking with the media. I did however meet a local agent from the British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) in Ruma Bazar. He insisted that tobacco farmers earn an average net profit of Tk60,000 per acre, from an investment Tk20,000-22,000.

Taifurul Islam, country representative to Bangladesh for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK), a New York based antitobacco organisation says: “The problem is, even though the research clearly proves that tobacco cultivation is bad for farmers as well as for the environment, it can’t be stopped, as the tobacco companies are too powerful.”

tobacco cultivation is bad for farmers as well as for the environment, but it can’t be stopped, as the tobacco companies are too powerful about food insecurity in Bangladesh specifically, since expanding tobacco production displaces farming of traditional food crops.

Tobacco companies often engage in contract farming – a system whereby tobacco firms deal directly

with local farmers. Contract farming creates a cycle of indebtedness for farmers, who find themselves owing companies significant sums in repayment for seeds and pesticides.

“For many tobacco growers in India and Bangladesh, the income

Aside from the health risks, tobacco farming causes deforestation and soil degradation. It is also associated with the destruction of groundwater resources, sedimentation of rivers, reservoirs and irrigation systems.

But perhaps the most serious environmental problem is that cultivation of tobacco actually makes the land barren faster than other crops.

As a result of climate change, the period of time for which a particular crop can be cultivated has lessened in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Previously, land could be cultivated for a period of 12 years, but now the number has come down to 7-8 years.

But tobacco cultivation has reduced this further – to just four years. This is a result of the excessive amount of pesticides and fertilisers used. Thus, tobacco farming is actually harming the farmers financially in the long run.

Deforestation is also a particular problem, as farmers need firewood to cure the tobacco. This requires about 20 cubic metres of firewood, which means clearing one hectare of forest to produce one tonne of cured tobacco. In turn, this is devastating the once rich biodiversity of Bandarban by destroying the habitat of many local species.

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14 Legalese | With Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi

Creepy cops Q

“There are many police check posts all over Dhaka. As far as I know, their main purpose is to check if anyone’s carrying drugs and other illegal

check posts. The officers there were asking us unnecessary questions like what my girlfriend was doing travelling with a guy so late at night, if her parents knew that she was out with me and etc.

Are the police allowed to harass people without reason? Can I take legal action against the officers for harassment?”

Dear Reader

Article 33 of the Constitution of Bangladesh provides four fundamental freedoms or safeguards for a person arrested under ordinary law: They cannot be detained in custody without being informed of the charge against them, they must be given the right to consult and be represented by a lawyer of their own choice, they have the right to be produced before the nearest magistrate within 24 hours of arrest, and they cannot be detained in custody beyond the period of 24 hours without the authority of a magistrate.

There are a few similarities between these freedoms and the Miranda Rights which are applicable in the United States of America, when someone is arrested.

A policeman is therefore well within his rights when he questions you, and he knows it. Therefore, the best thing to do, when stopped at these check posts, is to cooperate.

Avoid being aggressive and/ or cagey. This may convey the unintended message that you have something to hide.

Be open and calm and answer any questions that they may have truthfully. Research shows that a cooperative attitude will get you out of any such questioning and on your way in no time.

However, having said that, there are plenty of bad cops in existence and many policemen in Bangladesh are no strangers to harassment and bribery. If, despite your cooperation for an extended amount of time,

substances.

However, one day I was going to drop off my girlfriend late at night and we got stopped at one of these

A

Whilst I sympathise with your situation, I need to point out the obvious – the policemen at these police check posts are there for a reason: their main objective is to ensure and maintain security. What amounts to “security?” Well, the perception of what constitutes “security” is subjective and could very well differ from person to person.

You may consider that your girlfriend is with you, and since you would be willing to set down your life (figuratively speaking) before any harm can befall her, she is in the safest possible hands.

The policemen may feel otherwise. To them you could very well be a manipulative thug, who is intent on harming the poor girl, through abduction or otherwise.

You can see how that may be considered a massive problem now, cant you?

The Police Act 1861 contains provisions which allow the police to exercise their power to maintain order on public roads; prevent any offences related to obstruction, inconvenience, annoyance, danger or damage; prevent riotous or drunk behaviour and indecent exposure and so on.

Anyone found in contravention of any of these laws may be arrested without a warrant by the police, and detained for further questioning.

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

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, J U N E 20, 201 4

Got a problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

Cartoon: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

they still continue with trying to make your life difficult, then you know that it’s being done with unscrupulous intent.

If this is the case, immediately ask to see some identification. If refused and questioned about your intentions, stay calm and tell them that you believe you are being harassed and wish to report this incident. Usually, this does the trick and you will find yourself on your merry way, since the policemen are well aware that recriminations

could lead to suspension, loss of pay or even removal from the force.

Hope this helps – just remember to remain calm, no matter what the situation. It’s a proven fact that policemen get quite disconcerted when they accost people remaining calm under pressure as they expect certain amount of resistance.

Keep your cards close your chest (again, figuratively speaking!) and you will emerge victorious.

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kalpana chakma | crime

15

eighteen years of night The story of Kalpana Chakma, the indigenous women’s rights activist who disappeared in 1996 and never returned Rifat Islam Esha

T

he serene vastness of Rangamati is alluring.

Visitors invariably fail to see beyond the overwhelming natural beauty.

Beneath the placid surface of this community, however, a pervasive insecurity grips the local population.

Political and ethnic tensions have occasionally spilled over into violence.

On my visit last week, I found that the memory of one particular incident looms large in their minds.

It was there almost exactly

18 years after the disappearance of Kalpana Chakma. She was an indigenous women’s rights activist and one-time general secretary of the Hill Women’s Federation.

The police say they are still looking for her.

I had gone to Rangamati to see how the investigation had progressed. The reinvestigation report still had not been submitted to the district’s Judicial Magistrate’s Court of Rangamati.

The police have missed the submission deadline for the eleventh time.

A shoe worn by Kalpana Chakma Photo: Shahidul Alam

These pictures are taken from last week’s exhibition ‘18,’ by photographer Shahidul Alam. He uses objects, newspaper clippings, pages from Kalpana's personal dairy and other belongings to recount the story of her abduction. This exhibition was part of Drik's public awareness campaign ‘No more’ The current investigating officer, Rangamati Police Superintendent Amena Begum, offered little information on the state of the investigation, only saying she had been following the court’s instructions.

“Everything is still hypothetical,” she told us. “No one has said Kalpana Chakma is dead. Maybe she has been held captive, or something else might have happened to her.”

She also claimed the initial investigation report had not contained the names of the accused, who had been

reportedly identified by Kalpana’s younger brother Lalbihari Chakma.

She insisted that she had questioned the accused and made some progress in the investigation.

Nobody knows what really happened to Kalpana. There is no closure for her family. The gunshot that was heard by Kalindi Chakma, her older brother, and Kalpana’s disappearance after that point, are not incontrovertible proof of her fate, but it takes little imagination to infer a grim ending.

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The story of that fateful night

A

mid the wide paddy fields, high mountain paths and forests of Baghaichhari upazilla, lies the village of New Lalyaghona. A small earthen house sits 10 minutes walk from the village market. Here a family of five live: Kalpana Chakma (the protagonist of this story), her

Kalpana Chakma’s personal diary Photo: Shahidul Alam

mother Badhuni Chakma, her two brothers Kalindi Kumar Chakma and Lalbihari Chakma and her sister-in-law (Kalindi’s wife) Charubala Chakma.

It is not typical for an indigenous girl to stand up against the authorities who deny the locals their rights. But Kalpana isn’t typical.

However simple and ordinary she seems, she is very upfront when it comes to perceived injustices.

It is said she recently had a heated row with a military official Lt Ferdous.

The cause of her anger was an incident in the village, where houses had been set ablaze. She confronted the military officer after other youths guarding the village identified him as the arsonist.

On July 12, just after midnight: The night is still. Kalpana and her brothers have just returned from the house of a family friend, Ripal Chakma, who always supported Kalpana and says he treated her as his own sister.

Ripal can still remember when Kalpana used to stay at his house while she was studying at college, since her own village was too far away. She was not a particularly distinguished student, although she was an excellent debater who once won the school debating prize.

According to Ripal, she was a fearlessly honest person who stood up for the rights of others.

It’s almost 1am now, and everyone is asleep. Kalpana's younger brother Lalbihari wakes up suddenly upon hearing a call from outside. He gets up slowly.

By now, he can hear footsteps – an indication that people are within the boundaries of the property.

He carefully steps outside and finds several armed soldiers. It is too dark to recognise them immediately. A torch light is shone in his face and he puts his hand up to block the harsh light. He sees a man wearing only a singlet, gun in hand. It's Lt Ferdous. At this point Lalbihari is blindfolded.

Kalindi and Kalpana come outside too, and they are also blindfolded at gun point. They are taken to a swamp. Kalindi holds on to his sister and they both await their fate.

In the confusion and darkness, none of them knows what will happen. They can only hear their own hearts pounding.

Then a gunshot rings out.

Kalindi, terrified, jumps into the water and swims away. He hears his sister shout: “Dada mahre bacha!” (“Brother save me!”).

At daybreak, the brothers find each other. But there is no sign of Kalpana.

So they start searching. Her mother and sister-in-law, who were inside the house during the abduction, await her return.

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16 TOUGH LOVE | DINA SOBHAN

Mama’s girl and the flirt Q A

My grandmother has been living with us for more than a year now. She is one of my best friends and I love her with all my heart, but my mother has been totally preoccupied with

her ever since she moved in. They have their own conversations, which I am not invited to join.

It hurts that my mother doesn’t spend time with me anymore. How can I get my mother back?

I’m going to hazard a guess and assume you are not 7, which begs the question: why do you sound like a whiny infant?

Your grandmother is probably old and infirm and has a few years left in which to enjoy her life; do you really want to begrudge her a little extra time with her own daughter?

So what if your mother is “preoccupied” with her, and

makes an effort to ensure your grandmother has her meds on time and visits her doctor regularly?

Or are they hitting the Bashundhara mall for long ladies lunches and the latest Bollywood fashions? Huddling in corners whispering quietly in an effort to exclude you from their conversations? Out partying ‘til the wee hours of morning leaving you at home to watch reruns of Friends all on your own? If not, I

strongly suggest you suck it up.

Take up knitting, bowling, even trolling – anything to keep you busy and relieve you of your current “Poor Me” predicament.

Or here’s a wacky idea, go make some friends your own age!

I’m almost certain that having a semblance of a life would resolve this inability of yours to share your loved ones and allow them to have lives of their own.

Dina Sobhan is a freelance writer, and cautions readers not to take her ‘advice’ here too seriously!

Cartoon: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, J U N E 20, 201 4

Got a problem?

Write to Dina at weekend@ dhakatribune. com

Q

It drives my girlfriend crazy when I flirt with other women.

I only do this playfully and it really doesn’t mean anything. I have always been loyal and I plan on being loyal till the end. But she gets crazy mad whenever she catches me flirting.

What should I do?

A

Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Or did you play vigorous games of cricket in high school, in which you subbed for the stump? There must be an explanation for your idiocy, because it is incomprehensible to me that you would even ask this question.

Your girlfriend is not interested in your theoretical loyalty. She wants to experience it. She wants to see you put your wagging tail between your legs and heel in her presence.

You are not allowed to frolic and chase furry animals and enjoy yourself, dear. You are in a relationship, which means precisely that flirting and enjoying yourself are strictly off limits.

As far as you should be concerned, your girlfriend is the only woman on this planet and you must conduct yourself not unlike a horse wearing blinders; do not look left, right or in any direction for that matter in which your girlfriend is not the central focus.

Who cares if in your mind the flirtation is harmless and doesn’t “mean anything?” Maybe your girlfriend is pathologically insecure – perhaps as a direct result of your “innocent” flirtations – and needs you to be more demonstrative to her, not to every other woman at the party.

If you want to flirt, break up with your girlfriend and go to town. Literally. But if you want a relationship based on mutual love, respect and appreciation, you better cut that crap out. Loyalty means just that, and if you think it’s no biggie I would advise you to consider how you would feel if the tables were turned.

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football | Origin story

17

Game of courtiers and rebels Born in Asia, football traversed the globe to become the ‘beautiful game’ we know today James Saville Tales from the Orient

According to Fifa, the earliest form of football originated in ancient China. The Chinese military manual Zhan Guo Ce, compiled during 300-100BCE, mentions “cuju” (kick ball), which originally involved kicking a leather ball through a small hole in a piece of fabric that was fixed to bamboo and hung roughly 9m in the air.

The Japanese variant “kemari” was played at the imperial court in Kyoto from 600AD onwards. In kemari, several players stand in a ring and kick the ball back and forth amongst themselves, trying to keep it from hitting the floor.

Even in Australasia, early anthropologists report tribes of indigenous people playing games that involved kicking and catching stuffed balls covered in a possum skin.

European persuasion

The ancient Greeks and Romans also played ball games. The Roman politician Cicero (106–43 BC) writes of a case in which a man was killed while having a shave after a ball was kicked into a barber’s shop.

This Roman game “harpastum” is believed to be the modified form of an earlier Greek team game called “episkyros,” first mentioned in the writings of the Greek playwright Antiphanes (388–311 BC).

While these games may be the ancient roots of the beautiful game, the evolution of the modern sport centred on medieval Europe, particularly England.

Where’s the goal?

The early forms of football played in England, sometimes referred to as “mob football,” were played between neighbouring villages, and involved an unlimited number of players on either side who would all be on the “pitch” – any open space between the villages – at once. Players on each side would hustle a primitive ball to particular designated palaces, for example their opponents’ village church.

The sport was generally played during religious festivals.

Young man’s game

The first detailed description of a football match in England was written by William FitzStephen regarding a match played on the annual festival of Shrove Tuesday sometime in the late 12th century.

He described the excitement of football as a spectator sport: “Older citizens, fathers, and wealthy citizens come on horseback to watch their juniors competing, and to relive their own youth vicariously. You can see their inner passions aroused as they watch the action and get caught up in

Depiction of an ancient Greek ball game

Chinese children playing Cuju

the fun being had by the carefree adolescents.”

Some things never change.

The great bans

It seems hooliganism is a longstanding tradition of the game.

There were many attempts to ban football in its nascent years, with more than 30 acts passed in England alone from 1314-1667: • In 1314, London merchants got the sport banned by complaining: “There is great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls from which many evils may arise which God forbid.”

• In Scotland the game was banned by the Football Act 1424 which, although widely ignored, was not technically repealed until 1906.

• In 1608, the sport was disparaged

by William Shakespeare, who has one character insult another by calling him a “base football player” (King Lear, Act I, Scene 4).

• In early 17th century Manchester, the city now so famous for its football teams, the local authorities complained: “With the ffotebale...[there] hath beene greate disorder in our towne of Manchester we are told, and glasse windowes broken yearlye and spoyled by a companie of lewd and disordered persons.”

Evolution of the ball

Early English footballs were made, somewhat disgustingly, out of

inflated pig’s bladders. Only later were leather ball covers introduced to prevent the balls from deforming after repeated use.

An English cobbler, Richard Lindon, is believed to have invented the first footballs with rubber bladders, and the first brass hand pumps to be used for inflating them. Sadly this was not before Lindon’s wife died of lung disease caused by inflating pig’s bladders the old fashioned way, by mouth.

Surprisingly, the distinctive patchwork coverings seen on modern footballs is believed to have come from America. In 1855, the US inventor Charles Goodyear, who held the patent for vulcanised rubber, exhibited a round football with an exterior cover made of a lattice of rubber panels stitched together.

It was in 1950s Denmark that this design evolved into the iconic modern football, in which the ball cover comprises 12 regular pentagons and 20 regular hexagons, arranged to form a “truncated icosahedron.” When inflated, it stretches into a sphere because the faces bulge outwards due to the internal air pressure.

During the 60s, this was the style that was widely adopted throughout Europe, and it became recognised around the world after its use on the “Adidas Telstar,” the official ball for the 1970 World Cup.

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18 Stay in

youtube: Cinema sins Shah Nahian

Y

ouTube is without a doubt one of the biggest distractions on the internet. However, no matter how counterproductive it may be during the week, it is a great escape from boredom if you’re stuck at home with not much to do during the weekends.

One good channel is all you need to keep yourself entertained for hours, and CinemaSins is a channel that does just that.

All movies have flaws,

inconsistencies and annoying cliches – some more evident than others. The narrator of the channel calls these “sins.” Each episode deals with a single, new or moderately old movie, where the narrator points out these “sins” and pretty much everything wrong with it in the funniest possible way.

The channel will make you laugh out loud and gasp for air by the time you’re done watching it. So if you’re planning on staying in this weekend, or have time to spare,

surf down to www.youtube.com/ user/cinemasins and check out the channel first hand.

Note: Every episode is full of spoilers so make sure to only watch the episodes about movies you have already watched.

Recommended: Pacific Rim, Spiderman trilogy, Godzilla, Volcano, Man of Steel, Independence Day, Iron Man 3, and Batman and Robin.

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Taming

stray animals

Mini

cryptics Clues

ACROSS 1 Spice mixed for fans (7) 4 Cardiovascular Bio-care movement (7) 6 Drool as Agnes displays Italian cooking (7) 7 We sent back soup first for damp (7) DOWN 1 Superficial performance contains everything (7) 2 Sacks of fries ordered (5) 3 Uncle confused America with central part (7) 5 Instrument the French used under insect (5)

Shah Nahian

A

pet is a lot of responsibility. But you can enjoy the company of a furry friend by getting to know the cats and dogs in your own neighbourhood.

Stray cats and dogs live very difficult lives. They are often mistreated, and can die from hunger, dehydration or simple illnesses. Feeding and providing a shelter for these animals is not only a good deed, but will earn you their loyalty and friendship, and have all the benefits that come with having a pet.

Get to know them, feed them and play with them. Provide them with trips to vets if they ever need it.

A house pet needs to be fed, bathed, trained and disciplined.

You have to spend a lot of time with them in general. With the added pressures of life, at times it can be really difficult to keep up with.

So, if work or something else

keeps you away for too long, it might not be the best idea to be bringing home a new pet. It’s not just going to be stressful for you, neglected pets also live out sad and terrible lives.

Animals on the street are usually better at looking after themselves than house pets, so you don’t need to worry about them too much when you’re not there, as long as you’re not keeping them locked in.

By the time you get back, you can be sure that they’ll be there to greet you and welcome you back home.

Do exercise caution when approaching them initially. They are wild animals and might not trust you enough to let you pet them at first, or even for the next couple of days.

Throw them little bits of food from a distance and be patient.

Before you know it, you’ll have a loyal companion, with half the responsibilities of a pet.

Sudoku

Use the numbers 1-9 to complete each of the 3x3 square grids such that each horizontal and vertical line also contains all of the digits from 1-9

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Last week’s sudoku solutions

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, J U N E 20, 201 4

Go out

19

Dhaka Pop Culture Expo 2014

Weekly Planner

When June 25-26, 2pm-9pm Where The National Shooting

Federation Hall, Gulshan 1 What Until very recently, proud geeks in Bangladesh were forced to relegate their fandom obsessions to the online world. However, comic cons and pop expos have finally become popular in Bangladesh, giving them an outlet for their passions.

Dhaka Pop Culture Expo is a convention where fans of comic books, film, TV, anime, and video games will get together and celebrate the popular (and obscure) media they love. The organisers – the same as those of the last Dhaka Pop Expo in August – are bringing many of the same elements to this pop expo. A costume competition will take place, with prizes for the best dressed up for grabs.

There will be an Artist’s Corner, as well as many stalls selling

merchandise, including: Jamil’s Comics & Collectibles, SRK ShowTime Shop Hollywood, Mazecity, Saadi’s Collectibles, Dhaka Museum of Toys, RollOut, BDCollectors, AniFinity, Bullfrog Creations, Doms Corner, Scavengers, Action Collectibles, RCMart and We Draw Stuff.

The pop expo is also an opportunity for any first-time fans to gain some knowledge and exposure, as well as a place to discover and celebrate new developments – such as John Green finally becoming famous with The Fault in Our Stars.

Food will also be available at the venue.

The entry fee is Tk100 for each day. There are no advanced tickets available as the pop expo will be operating on a stamp system this year.

Evening with Arnob & Friends

When June 21, 4pm Where National Library,

Agargaon, Dhaka What Tired by the weeklong hours of work? Energise your weekend by grooving to some beats.

It’s good for mental health, both your own and the community’s, as Arnob & Friends raise money for Kaan Pete Roi, a suicide prevention hotline.

Arnob, the well known singer and composer, performs with a creative independent band of young and enthusiastic musicians.

They experiment with mixing contemporary compositions and local folk songs, interpreted in their own style. They have both national and international

performance experience.

Kaan Pete Roi is an emotional support helpline operated by trained volunteers to help people with emergency counseling.

The mission of the helpline is to alleviate feelings of despair, isolation, distress, and suicidal feelings among members of our community. The organisation, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, plays an important role in suicide prevention and the promotion of mental health.

Tickets are available for Tk800 or Tk600 for students at Cafe Hello (49/A Sat Masjid Road, Dhanmondi) and Just Juice (187 North Gulshan Avenue). You can also book your ticket by calling 01718011867 or 02 9890538.

June 20

June 21

Biking | Ride 07: Birthday of Mirpur Cyclists

Ecology | Free a Tree (Mukto Koro Shobuj)

When 3pm Where Japan

Garden City, Mohammadpur, Dhaka What Mohammadpur Cyclists celebrate the anniversary of the creation of Mirpur Cyclists. The route for the ride will be ShyamoliMirpur. Register on Facebook.

Theatre | Bangla-r Mati, Banglar Jol When 7pm Where Bangladesh

Shilpakala Academy, 14/3 Segunbagicha, Ramna What Theatre troupe Palakar performs this play to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Written

by Syed Shamsul Haque and directed by Ataur Rahman, the play features Tagore’s life during his stay in Kushtia.

Music | EMK platform presents Pushpita When 7:30pm Where EMK Center

House 5, Road 27 (old Rd 15), Dhanmondi What Featured artist Pushpita has been learning music since her childhood, and it has earned her a number of awards. She has released two solo albums, Chooto Chhoto Asha and Ontorey Dola Dey.

June 20-23

When 7am-11am Where Dhanmondi Lake What Join in the project to

remove ads from the trees around Dhanmondi Lake. Ropes and barbed wire will also be removed from the trees. Register online with Volunteer for Green. Volunteers will be awarded a certificate

by Bangladesh Environment Movement and Sabujpata.

June 23 Photography | Advanced Course on Practical Photography When 6pm-8pm Where Counter Foto

(Uttara Campus), 29 Gareeb-e-Newaz Avenue, Sector 13, Uttara What Counter Foto is arranging a two-month photography course at the advanced level. Applicants must have had a basic/elementary course on photography or at least six months experience in practical photography. The fee for the course is Tk6500. Register by June 21.

June 24 Music | Jamming With The Stars

When 3pm-9:30pm Where Canadian International

School, North Gulshan Avenue in this charitable concert, participants will have the chance to perform with their favourite bands. Each band will jam with their fans for 15-20 minutes.

Fans will be randomly selected from the crowd and will only need to bring their instruments. Tickets are available at Tk200. Musical bands The Crowd, Circus Police, MiNERVA, Blunderware, ARBOVIRUS and Indalo will be performing at the show.

What

Charity | Raincoats for rickshaw-pullers When All day Where Fool’s Diner, Banani What This is a fundraising

drive to provide raincoats for rickshawpullers in the Dhaka area. Anyone who is unable to drop off their contribution can contact the page on the Fool’s Diner Facebook page.

Send your events to weekend@dhakatribune.com

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WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, J U N E 2 0, 2 0 1 4

20 Interview | rafi mohammad

A new tune

in Bangladesh

In conversation with the man behind the scenes at MTV Bangladesh Punny Kabir

W

ith two hours screentime every week on Maasranga TV, MTV hosted three shows during its first season in Bangladesh: MTV Hits, My Celeb and Chart Attack. The second season kicks off this July.

We caught up with Rafi in anticipation of another exciting season, and in celebration of World Music Day on June 21.

Anything like MTV India’s Splitsvilla or Roadies?

Nothing like those since these shows directly contradict with our cultural values. We will never air anything that hurts our cultural norms and values.

We are very strict about it. MTV India is also heavily influenced by Bollywood.

In no way are we following MTV India.

We are working very hard to give Bangladeshi music international recognition What can we expect from MTV’s second season?

The second season comes with more promises. We are launching two new shows: MTV Sound Trippin and MTV Sync.

MTV Sound Trippin is what you get when a travel show meets music. Here we have a composer who travels around and uses everyday sounds like birds chirping, sounds of children playing etc to create a new, original track.

MTV Sync, on the other hand, is a show about young musicians collaborating with renowned and more experienced musicians to create fresh tracks.

What about non-musical shows?

Following the pattern that is adopted by MTV in different countries around the world, we are also planning to launch a few non-musical shows in future.

Rafi Mohammad is the group lead of AV concept and production at Creinse Limited,the company responsible for launching MTV in Bangladesh. Rafi is also currently an adjunct faculty member of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, J U N E 20, 201 4

How successful has the MTV Programme Platform been in Bangladesh so far?

We have received very positive reviews from the audience who have a good orientation of world music.

The target rating poing (TRP) is very high, and within a short span of time the shows have become popular among the local weekly musical programmes.

In Bangladesh, the film industry doesn’t influence the music scene much and we have musicians who are extremely passionate about their work. So MTV Bangladesh will provide them with a platform to perform and get a global recognition.

What can we expect from MTV Bangladesh in the future? When are we getting a full-fledged music channel?

We are here to eventually bring out a full-fledged channel. That is currently our main objective.

But the industry is not yet ready to help us consistently produce shows of international standard.

Thus, we are not ready. Furthermore, we want to build towards that goal, not rush it.

We’ll kick off as soon as we’re ready.

Photo: Courtesy

We will never air anything that hurts our cultural norms and values Although we can’t give a time frame for when this would happen, we hope to start the journey in a year or two.

What will be the impact on musicians?

Our show Chart Attack featuring top five new music videos voted by viewers is an example of our impact on musicians.

In the beginning, we were struggling to get quality music videos. But the show interested musicians to take part in a healthy competition.

Thus, in the latter part of the show a good number of quality videos were submitted every week.

Moreover, we featured a number of young musicians in our shows and through our social media flatforms such as Facebook.

How are you working to promote Bangladeshi musicians internationally?

We are working very hard to give Bangladeshi music an international recognition.

There is a programme called MTV World Stage hosted all over Asia. All the top artists get to perform in that show. We’re trying to send someone from Bangladesh to attend the show, get front row seats and attend the post-show meeting. We’re also trying to send a representative from Bangladesh to attend the Video Music Award (VMA) or European Music Award (EMA).

Lastly, we want to start Bangladesh’s own MTV Music Award, where we will have our musicians play and we will bring in artists and bands from around the globe.

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