Weekend Tribune Vol 2 Issue 16

| vo l 2 I ssu e 16 | F R I D AY, A UG UST 29, 2014

state of mind

4

Who killed Archie?

12

Digicafe 1.0

17

Chamber Orchestra

CONTENTS

1

Volume 2 | Issue 16 | August 29, 2014 Editor Zafar Sobhan

News

Executive Editor Shahriar Karim

2 News

Managing Editor Jahangir Hyder

3 Meanwhile ...

Features Editor Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

Features

Assistant Magazine Editor Rumana Habib Weekend Tribune Team Tasnuva Amin Nova Mark S Baidya Farhana Urmee Rifat Islam Esha Faisal Mahmud Shah Nahian Farina Noireet Tausif Sanzum Art Direction/Photography Syed Latif Hossain Cartoons Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy Priyo Rio Shuvo

4 Nostalgia Archie comics 5 Tribute Pran Kumar Sharma

6 FEATURE

8 Top 10 Cinematic trendsetters 12 Digital Bangladesh Marketing savvy 15 Culture Most Welcome 2

BEAUTY BOARDING

17 Music Chamber Orchestra 20 Interview Tipu Sultan

Contributors Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi Md Shahnewaz Khan Ruwaida Khandker Dina Sobhan

Regulars 14 Legalese Slap him back 16 Tough Love Prof Confucius and

Graphics Md Mahbub Alam Alamgir Hossain Tahsin Momin Colour Specialist Shekhar Mondal Kazi Syras Al Mahmood Production Masum Billah Advertising Shahidan Khurshed Circulation Wahid Murad Website dhakatribune.com/weekend facebook.com/WeekendTrib Email your letters to: weekend@dhakatribune.com

the cover

The many layers of torn posters on a wall in Suhrawardy Udyan remind us of the coexistence of past and present.

Photo: Kazi Riasat Alve

potentially bi-curious

9 Photo story

Children AT WORK

17 Stay In 18 Go Out

Then and now This week we bring you a zamindar bari artist’s hotel and tips for savvy digital media marketing. The past, present and future coexist.

Beauty Boarding hotel was once the meeting place for many of our greatest creative minds, and still has undeniable appeal (pg 6-7).

We honour the art of recently passed comic book writer Pran Kumar Sharma (pg 5), as well as beloved comic character Archie Andrews, who met a heroic end after more than 70 years of laughs (pg 4).

Did you know Dhaka has a school for western classical music? (pg 17).

Check out their performance on Saturday, a good day to be about town (pg 19).

Today’s hero #1 is definitely

Editor’s note

Ananta Jalil, and he’s brought back his kitschy magic with Most Welcome 2 (pg 15). For other films that have created a genre all their own, check out our top 10 cinematic trendsetters (pg 8).

An unfortunate current reality is child labour, brought to life by an award-winning photo story (pg 9-11). More optimistically, we meet a restaurant man who climbed from busboy to manager, proving that we do have social mobility (pg 20).

From there we move to social media, with 5 great tips on how to capture an audience in “digital Bangladesh” (pg 12-13).

Onwards and upwards we go.

- Rumana Habib

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2 News | This week

The world at a glance

Tasnuva Amin Nova

Kidnapped US journalist freed in Syria

Russia and Ukraine in talks

Photo: AFP/ Al-Jazeera An American journalist kidnapped nearly two years ago has been freed in Syria following Qatari mediation, and handed over to UN peacekeepers in Golan Heights on Sunday.

Peter Theo Curtis was then turned over to representatives from the US government.

News of his release came less than a week after a grisly video surfaced showing the beheading of American reporter James Foley at the hands of an Islamic State militant.

Curtis’ family thanked both the governments of the US and Qatar, as well as others who helped negotiate his release.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was relieved Curtis was returning home, before laying blame on al-Nusra Front for the kidnapping. “We are all relieved and grateful knowing that Theo Curtis is coming home after so much time held in the clutches of [al-Nusrah Front].”

Kerry also said the US was using “every diplomatic, intelligence, and military tool” available to release other Americans held hostage.

Photo: AFP Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (L) and Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko (R) shake hands during a summit in Belarus’ capital of Minsk on Tuesday.

Putin and Poroshenko are meeting in Minsk for key talks, after the US warned of a “significant escalation” in the crisis over Ukraine, and Kiev announced the capture of 10 Russian paratroopers.

Poroshenko said he had not yet had Qatar’s foreign ministry issued this statement about its role in the release of Peter Theo Curtis: “Qatar exerted relentless efforts to release the American journalist, out of Qatar’s belief in the principles of humanity and its keenness on the lives of individuals and their right to freedom and dignity.”

News: Desk

Jewish centre reopens 6 years after Mumbai attack Rabbi Nachman Holtzberg spoke in front of the portrait of his slain son Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and daughterin-law Rivka at the reopening ceremony of Nariman House on Tuesday. It had been damaged during the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai.

Rabbi Holtzberg called on people to remember those slain and “celebrate their lives and the message of light that they spread.”

Nariman House, home to the Mumbai chapter of the ChabadLubavitch Jewish movement, an Asian

Jewish Orthodox group, was one of 10 sites attacked by gunmen during a 60-hour siege in the city that began on November 26, 2008.

Rabbis from across Asia are celebrating the reopening of Nariman House. Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, who now runs the centre, said the rebuilt six-story Nariman House would house a $2.5 million Jewish Museum as well as Mumbai’s first memorial to those slain in the attacks.

News: Desk.

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a bilateral meeting with Putin on the sidelines of Minsk talks on the crisis in Ukraine.

Asked whether he has already held a one-on-one meeting with Putin, Poroshenko said: “It’s all still to come.”

Asked if such a meeting would take place, he replied: “Multilateral talks are going on for now.”

News: Desk

Turkey to send power ship to Gaza Turkish shipbuilder Karadeniz Holding plans to send an electricity-generating vessel to Gaza to provide urgently needed power in the enclave, left reeling by an Israeli bombing campaign that began last month.

Karadeniz announced its intentions on Tuesday, shortly after Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that a power ship - a floating power station - would be sent as soon as Gaza’s port facilities had been upgraded.

“The Palestinians have contacted the Israelis concerning the dispatching of the platform, and there has been no adverse reaction from the Israeli side,” Yildiz said in Ankara after a meeting with Palestinian Energy Minister Omar Kittaneh.

Israel began military operations in Gaza on July 8 in response to rockets being fired into Israeli territory by fighters loyal to Islamist group Hamas.

The bombardment has left much

of the enclave’s already fragile infrastructure in tatters, sparking warnings from the UN over spiralling prices and food shortages.

Karadeniz said in a statement to Reuters that it had received a request from the Palestinian authorities, and that the ship would be sent within 120 days, once necessary approvals had been obtained.

The Istanbul-based company, the world’s only manufacturer of selfpropelled floating power stations, already produces electricity for Iraq and Lebanon, part of its fleet of seven power ships with a combined capacity of 1,200MW. Gaza’s 1.8 million residents suffer from blackouts for as many as 20 hours a day. The enclave’s only power plant is regularly switched off for weeks at a time because of fuel shortages.

News: Desk

meanwhile ... | News

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Doctors remove Say 36-year-old foetus what? from Indian woman

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the NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences in Nagpur.

The woman was “terrified” of having surgery at the time to remove the remains of the foetus, and instead sought medication for the pain at a local clinic. Although the pain gradually subsided, it returned years later, forcing the woman to seek medical help in a city hospital, Akhtar said.

Doctors felt a lump on her lower right abdomen and feared it could be cancer, but further tests and scans revealed a calcified mass.

“A 60-year-old woman with a foetus lying in her abdomen for 36 years is a medical marvel. It’s something we had never heard about,” said the doctor.

A team of doctors in Nagpur successfully performed surgery to remove the mass that was lodged between the woman’s uterus, intestines and bladder.

“She was shocked when she first got to know what had happened.

But she is fine now and is recuperating,” Dr Akhtar said.

News: NDTV, Photo: The removed skeletal remains can be seen in video footage, all laid out on a hospital bed. They include AFP numerous parts of a rib cage, leg and arm bones and sections of a skull, spine and pelvis

octors in Maharashtra removed the skeleton of a foetus that had been inside a woman for 36 years.

The 60-year-old woman became pregnant at the age of 24, but suffered a miscarriage because the foetus was growing outside of her uterus, the doctor told AFP on Monday. It is believed to be the world’s longest ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when the egg implants outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tubes.

“She came to us complaining of pain in the abdomen,” said Dr Murtaza Akhtar, head of surgery at

I AM DHAKA

#ALSicebucketchallenge

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ou’ve probably seen the hash tag #ALSicebucketchallenge – accompanied by a video of people dumping ice cold water over their heads – take over your newsfeed for the last couple of weeks.

The New York Times reported that more than 1.2 million of these videos were shared on Facebook between June 1 and August 13, and that the challenge was mentioned on Twitter more than 2.2 million times since July 29.

Not all those who have joined the video challenge actually know what ALS is, or what the movement is all about.

What is ALS?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS patients eventually leads to their death.

When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralysed.

Chilling challenge

Pete Frates and his family helped to make the Ice Bucket Challenge go viral on the social sites Facebook

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alking on the culvert stretching from Bashundhara mall to Kathal Bagan earlier this month, I was taking photos of people wading through waterlogged alleys to reach their homes.

This man stretched his neck from behind a wall yelling: “Ki bhai, moja lon?” (Does this seem funny to you?)

“The situation here is pretty bad, I see,” I replied guiltily, knowing some

and Twitter. Frates, the 29-year-old resident of Massachusetts, USA, has lived with ALS since 2012, and has worked with The ALS Association’s Massachusetts Chapter.

The challenge involves dousing people with buckets of ice water on video, posting that video to social media, then nominating others to do the same – all in an effort to raise ALS awareness. People can either accept the challenge or make a donation to an ALS Charity of their choice, or do both.

Celebrity bandwagon

“Nashville” star Hayden Panettiere confirmed her pregnancy when she nominated her unborn child to participate. Lady Gaga sat in silence as she poured ice water over her head.

Popstar Katy Perry took the challenge on a boat. “Girls” star Lena Dunham said she was “honoured” to be nominated. Charlie Sheen surprised fans with an incredible twist when he dumped his donation on his head: $10,000 in cash. Similar variations of these celebrity ice bucket challenges are the new craze on the internet.

Success story

As of Monday, The ALS Association has received $79.7 million in donations, compared to $2.5 million during the same time period last year.

These donations have come from existing donors and 1.7 million new donors to the association.

News: Desk recent photographers who make money selling photos of people’s lives, whose situation never improves.

“The rainwater used to go through the sewers to Hatirjheel lake before they made fancy bridges and roads there for the rich people.”

“Really?”

“Bhai, you are a journalist. You should know better. Tell them that humans live here, not animals.”

Photo: Syed Latif Hossain

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4 Nostalgia | Archie comics

Who killed Archie?

Saying goodbye to our favourite freckled redhead Faisal Mahmud

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he fictional town of Riverdale has nothing in common with Dhaka.

While Riverdale is the quintessential small and peaceful American town, Dhaka is the quintessential noisy populous capital of a third-world country.

Yet for lifelong Dhaka citizens like me, that small fictional town has long been the perfect getaway from the din and bustle of daily life, thanks to the wholesome Archie Andrews and his friends.

I fell in love with the redhead and his gang at an early age. One of my cousins had a huge collection of Archie comics. Whenever I visited his house, I would spend hours engrossed by them. (Although, I have to confess now that I may have spent far more time staring at pictures of Betty and Veronica sunbathing on the beach than on actually reading.)

But eventually I did start reading, and I was quickly hooked.

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Collection competition There was a time when I would visit Nilkhet once a week in search of more Archie comics. It was an addiction. I remember the joy of collecting all the digests one by one from old bookstores.

During those long Nilkhet hours spent in hunting down comics, I met a few fellow Archie fans: Imran bhai, Banni bhai, Tushar amd Taisir. We were always competing to get the latest volumes.

For that reason, we used to bribe the bookshop owners (Mostafa Mama, Suruj Mama and others) to hide the book from other customers so we each could get a copy. I am talking about the late 90s, when mobile phones were not that common, and we had to physically visit the stores to get updates.

Tragically, a large part of my Archie collection was chewed up by bookworms.

As an adult, that enthusiasm

for collecting and reading Archie comics has mellowed somewhat.

Once in a while however, I still visit Nilkhet, buy my favourite comics and enjoy drifting off into the tales of Riverdale.

Why kill Archie?

When I read on an Archies Facebook fan page about the death of the beloved redhead last month, I became very sad indeed. Of course, as comic book fans know, death is not necessarily an absolute ending.

Look at the superheroes.

While Archie is no superhero, his history is a bit fanciful and the diehard fan like me knows it.

From 1960-2013, Archie Comics sold 85 million copies, according to data compiled by comics circulation news site The Comics Chronicles.

First published in 1941, by 1969, it was the single most popular comic in America, beating both Superman and Batman for the top spot.

So why did he have to come to an end despite being one of the most successful comic characters ever?

Well, single-issue sales have steadily dropped over the past decade. Although sales of the digest books have bolstered the numbers, as Publisher’s Weekly reported last year, there are fewer and fewer people keeping up with Archie.

In recent years, deaths of highprofile comic book characters like Peter “Spiderman” Parker and Steve “Captain America” Rogers have made headlines and garnered intense reactions from fans. That’s one of the reasons why Archie comic’s Co-CEO and publisher John Goldwater opted for Archie’s death.

In an interview with NewsOK. com, he said: “We wanted to not only grab people’s attention by this death but really show the heroic nature of the character.”

Archie dies protecting a gay friend from a hate crime. Goldwater said

Pran Kumar Sharma | Tribute

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To Chacha with love Remembering the extraordinary cartoonist whose work inspired a generation Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

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hirty-five years ago, when Pran started drawing full length comics outside of newspaper strips, the subcontinent did not have many significant comic characters it could call its own.

If we look back, the 90s children from India and Bangladesh have grown up with everyday characters like Chacha Chaudhury, Billoo, Pinki, and Raman.

After school, I remember, I used to buy Pran’s Chacha Chaudhury comic books for Tk7 each. Reading them breathlessly as I did, it wouldn’t even take 7 minutes to finish them.

On the back cover of each one was an ever-smiling photo of the cartoonist Pran. This photo of Pran as a young man in his forties is forever engraved in my mind. I never thought of him as someone ageing, or believed that he too could leave us, even at the age of 75.

In Bangladesh, we could buy pirated versions of Pran’s comic books. This hugely popular comic book, with its glossy paper in four colours at half the original price, smashed all plans for a local comic industry in Bangladesh.

Nevertheless, for those of us now thinking about Bangladeshi comics, that experience taught us much. How quickly pirated copies of Chacha Chaudhury comics spread to

all neighbourhood libraries, and the hawkers in front of the schools, proves the supply and demand possibilities of the market.

More importantly, it taught us that a simple character, with his extraordinary wit, can steal the hearts of thousands of people.

The strength of Pran’s comics lies in the simplicity of his storytelling technique. All the characters of his books – Billoo, Pinky, Raman, Shrimati Ji, Chacha Chaudhury, Channi Chachi – feel like people we meet every day, with ordinary stories we can relate to.

When I was younger, and even today, many parents complained about their children reading “useless” comic books. I want to tell those people (who have clearly forgotten the essence of childhood) that because of the habit of reading these so-called “useless” books, the kids of the 90s were able to hone their reading habits, and dared to dream.

I still believe that when Sabu and Raka fight, there are volcanic eruptions on their home planet Jupiter, or when Chacha Chaudhury’s brain starts working faster than a computer, somewhere in the corner of this city there is a child whose eyes twinkle with joy. Encircled as they are with iPhones, iPads and ten thousand TV channels, children desperately need to

Archie’s passing also offers a lesson about gun violence and a declaration of diversity in the new age of Archie Comics.

“Archie is not a superhero like all the rest of the comic book characters,” said Goldwater. “He’s human. He’s a person. When you wound him, he bleeds. He knows that. If anything, I think his death is more impactful because of that. We hope by showing how something so violent can happen to Archie, that we can, in some way, learn from him,” Goldwater said.

designed to appeal to readers young and old alike.

All-aged comics are arguably the hardest to pull off, because they need to be relatable for the younger demographic while still offering up a compelling narrative for older readers.

They managed to do it by keeping the core qualities of classic characters like Archie and the gang, but updating the subject matter and the tone, as well as adding innovative series’ like Kevin Keller, The Fox, and especially Life with Archie.

According to Goldwater, Life With Archie has become the flagship of the new era at Archie Comics. This series’ focus is on Archie as an adult, not the eternal teenager (whose adventures continue in Archie) and explored two possible futures for

New look and new life

Changes in the Archie comics were inevitable due to relatively poor sales. Over the past five years, Goldwater has lead the change to bring Archie Comics into the 21st century by offering up a wide variety

Cartoon: Syed Rashad Imam Tonmoy re-experience this joy.

Pran died on August 5, 2014, in a hospital in Gurgaon. With him ended a major chapter of Indian comics.

Pran left the world with a generation of comic book readers who will always hold dear their beloved Billoo, Pinky

him: in one, he is married to Betty, in the other, Veronica.

Goldwater told The New York Times that The Married Life storyline just opened up a whole new world to the readers, and the Life With Archie series has allowed the readers to go into areas that they had never thought Archie would go into.

So, it was kind of fitting to put an end to Archie in the Life With Archie series, Goldwater said.

“Archie dies heroically. He dies saving a life. He dies in a way which you would expect Archie to die in. It’s not something that you see coming throughout the entire issue.

It’s very sudden, it’s very impactful, and frankly it’s shocking. But ultimately, it’s satisfying – if anyone’s death can be satisfying.”

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and Chacha Chaudhury. They will dare to dream, embracing the resistance to grow up. n Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy is Dhaka Tribune’s resident cartoonist

Archie history in a nutshell • Dec 22, 1941: Archie Andrews is born, conceived in the mind of John L Goldwater, publisher and one-third owner of MLJ Magazines • September 1968: Archie gets his own animated cartoon show • 1969: Archie comics reaches number one on the charts for comic books, and for the next three decades remains at the top of the list • 1990: Archie stars in a live action made-for-TV movie, Return to Riverdale, set at the gang’s 15 year high school reunion • 2009: Archie finally grows a bit older and graduates from high school • July 16, 2014: Archie dies, and his last words to Betty and Veronica uphold a 70-year love triangle: “I’ve always loved you.”

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6 FEATURE | Beauty Boarding

The art and adda hotel

Through both peace and turmoil, this century-old building in the middle of old Dhaka has been a proud sanctuary for many of our most famous minds Farhana Urmee gardens, attracted people who sought a homey environment for thinking and writing in serenity.

During his stays there, poet and writer Syed Shamsul Huq wrote his novels Ek Mahilar Chhobi (Portrait of a Woman, 1959), Anupam Din (Best Days, 1962), Simana Chhariye (Beyond the Bounds, 1964). The script for the very first Bangla talkie film, Mukh O Mukhosh, was also written by director Abdul Jabbar Khan in the yards of Beauty Boarding.

Legendary poet Nirmalendu Goon made it his home for almost five years, and his autobiography includes a special mention of this place.

Painter Debdas Chakrabartee, and the poets Shamsur Rahman, Abu Zafar Obaidullah, Rafiq Azad and Al Mahmud were among the many who had their evening tea here.

Even the beloved magician Jewel Aich lived in Beauty Boarding when he first came to Dhaka.

All in the family Former Beautians pose for a picture

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he name Beauty Boarding may sound like your convenient neighbourhood hair salon, but to many cultural figures, this place has a much deeper significance. If you read Bangla literature, you may have heard of it, as it has made an appearance in various works.

Beauty Boarding was the historical hub of the intellectual adda of Bangali littérateurs, politicians, cultural activists and poets. It has been commemorated in their art and biographies.

The hotel and restaurant is a distinctive two-storied old building, standing proudly in the middle of old Dhaka. A witness of bygone times, Beauty Boarding is far from losing its charm. It still has the power of inspiration for creative minds, and a perfect place for adda over the simple and hearty Bangali food it serves.

Age before Beauty

The property belonged to a zamindar named Shudheer Das. The spread of the grounds is in the style of a typical zamindar house. It has an open central courtyard flanked by a long veranda attached to the bedroom and

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Photos: Mahmud Hossain Opu living apartments, with a separate section for the dining and drawing rooms.

Before Partition in 1947, the building was used as the office of the daily newspaper Shonar Bangla.

By 1951, due to political turmoil, the newspaper owner moved his office to Kolkata and abandoned the property.

Soon after the newspaper left, the property was rented by local neighbour Nalini Mohon Saha, who thought of starting a restaurant and hotel business.

Due to its location in a busy neighbourhood of Banglabazar, which has long been the centre of book publishing, printing and stationery wholesaling, Nalini’s initiative got a great response from the very beginning.

It attracted book traders from all over the country who made regular trips to Banglabazar, and often had to stay overnight.

Nalini named the boarding house after his eldest daughter, Beauty.

asked one of his friends to come over for a chat during his stay there.

That was Beauty Boarding’s first illustrious adda. Gradually the word spread, and more and more names from the cultural arena started to gravitate towards the place. After that there was no looking back.

The availability of tea and snacks at modest rates, accompanied by the calm greenery of the surrounding

First adda

Shahid Qadri, eminent poet and writer of post-1947 modern Bangla poetry, visited Beauty Boarding and

Inside the boarding compound

Nalini initially ran his business with the help of his younger brother Prohladh Chandra Saha. During the Pakistan period, Nalini decided to move to Kolkata with his family, leaving Prohladh with the authority for the business.

In 1971, Prohladh and 17 others – including guests, staff, and some of Prohladh’s friends – were abducted by the occupying Pakistani army and killed.

He was survived by his two sons and wife, who left the country during the Liberation War. They returned

7 after the war, and the business was restarted by Prohladh’s widow. It was then handed over to Tarak Saha, Prohladh’s eldest son, who has been running the business since 1978.

The beauty of Bangali food

Whenever someone mentions the food of old town, the first thing that typically comes to mind is Mughlai delicasies. The cuisine served at Beauty Boarding, however, is of a more home-grown variety. Everyday its restaurant cooks up delicious, authentic-flavoured classics such as shorshey ilish (hilsa fish cooked in mustard sauce), gulsha fish gravy, chicken, spicy lentil soup, vegetable curry and steamed rice – all served in stainless steel plates and glasses.

Two people can feast on a lunch of fish, chicken, lentil, vegetable, and dessert, all for only Tk400.

The restaurant serves lunch to around 120-150 people daily. Book traders still come here for business.

Other regulars include neighbours and visitors from new Dhaka, who also frequent Beauty Boarding for its healthy and authentic “Bangali Bhoj” (feast).

For those who fancy an overnight stay, there is a total of 25 rooms in the hotel: 12 single-bed rooms at Tk200 and 13 double-bed rooms at Tk300.

the initiative to reunite those writers and poets, who had spent a good amount of quality time here in Beauty Boarding. In 1994, the reunion of those old “Beautians” inspired them to form a community of Beauty Boarders, who get together here to share fond old memories.

In 1995, they formed an official association under the banner of Beauty Boarding Shudhee Shongho.

It also has a 60-member trustee board that has been honouring former “Beautians,” as they call themselves, since 2000.

Reviving a tradition

The current owner Tarak Saha was a little boy when his mother captained the business. He grew up hearing stories about the addas of the famous personalities who frequented the hotel over the years.

The lost tales from his uncle were somewhat revived when Tarak took

Although this old Dhaka hotel is is no longer a hotspot, it has not lost its touch. A group of young poets from Dhaka regularly meet at the Beauty Boarding premises. It has also been used as a venue for several exhibitions.

Tarak Saha dreams to recreate the vibrant intellectual adda scene that took place during the Pakistan period and after independence.

While flipping through an autograph book signed by at least 300 renowned personalities who had been guests at the hotel, Tarak says: “I hope to create a platform for young people who can come here and sit for hours and have a productive time.”

He plans to start construction of a library in the hopes of attracting more readers and thinkers.

Tarak admits: “The adda that used to take place here may not be possible in the same manner, as writers no longer need to come to Banglabazar for the printing of scripts. Technology has brought so much change.”

Today, the building and its

Owner Tarak Saha

A front view of the zamindar bari

Board of Beautians

Poet Nirmalendu Goon’s signature in the autograph register

The authentic dining style of Beauty Boarding establishment stands unchanged by time, proud of its legacy. The banner bearing the names of its writers and poets is one of the first things one sees upon entering the office room.

Tarak also plans to build a monument honouring the 17 martyrs who were killed by the Pakistani

army, and install a plaque with all the names of the famous guests Beauty Boarding has hosted over the years.

For a trip down the memory lane of some of our nation’s greatest minds, Beauty Boarding – its corridors, hallways and restaurant – is definitely worth visiting.

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8 top 10 | Cinematic trendsetters

Birth of a genre

Agree with our ranking? Did we miss a good pick? Let us know at weekend@ dhakatribune. com

Movies that changed what we see on the screen forever Tausif Sanzum

1

3D: Avatar (2009)

One of the most expensive movies ever produced went on to become the most successful movie of all time more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide ticket counter. The previous record holder was Titanic, by the same director. James Cameron changed the art of filmmaking forever and showed the world how 3D and stereoscopic techniques can transform the experience of watching a movie into a magical experience.

Directed by James Cameron. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver.

2

Animated feature: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

concept premise, released to summer crowds on thousands of screens accompanied by heavy marketing.

Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss.

4

Lovers and fans of American Pie, the Hangover series and countless other Hollywood sex comedies: You should thank this movie.

For the first time a major movie star (Mansfield) appeared nude on screen. Though there had been nude scenes in earlier movies, never had sex been used to sell a movie as blatantly as Promises! Promises! did.

Directed by King Donovan. Starring Jayne Mansfield, Marie McDonald and Tommy Noonan.

5

It was the first animated movie produced by the studio that would become a brand to reckon with, churning one cartoon blockbuster after another. This was a big risk taken by Walt Disney, as many people associated with the company felt that the audiences were not ready to watch a full length animated motion picture.

However, the czar of animation went ahead with the project, and even mortgaged his house to finance the film. Once it came out in theatres, it went on to become what is still one of the top 10 most successful movies (adjusted for inflation) ever produced.

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Summer hit: Jaws (1975)

We agree that Jaws was never the critics’ darling, but it set the box office ringing like never before.

The movie was instrumental in establishing what today is considered the summer blockbuster: big budget cinematic spectacles with a high

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Naked humour: Promises!

Promises! (1963)

Doc-tivism: Super Size Me (2004)

This is neither the first documentary nor the biggest money-maker, but it was successful in changing a lot of people’s minds about fast food. In this documentary, the director shows what happens to to his health when he consumes food from McDonald’s for an entire month, which affected him physically and psychologically. It also how fast food chains advertise their products in such a way that they become addictive.

This movie spurred McDonald’s and many other restaurants to add healthy and organic foods to their menus.

Directed by Morgan Spurlock.

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X factor: Midnight Cowboy (1969)

While we consider the Bangladesh censor board to be strict, even Hollywood was not very liberal a

few decades ago. When “Midnight Cowboy” was screened before the Motion Picture Association of America, they awarded it an X rating, meaning that the movie was obscene and couldn’t be seen by a major section of the society. However, it went to become the first X rated movie to be nominated for a best picture at the Oscars, in addition to seven other nominations and three wins. This movie blurred the line between pornography and artistic liberty. Directed by John Schlesinger.

Starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight.

7

Protest-bait: The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Never in the history of moviemaking was a film as equally successful and controversial as this one.

Released in 1915, The Birth of a Nation was lauded for its technical aspects but the outcry against the racism it depicted onscreen was powerful. Riots, bans and protests followed the premier of the movie, and it had a deep impact on the political culture of America, which was still quite racially charged.

Directed by DW Griffith. Starring Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh and Henry B Walthall.

8

Porno chic: Deep Throat (1972)

Though it was not the first ever pornographic film, it did lay down the basis for what modern porn movies were to become. Prior to this, adult movies mainly consisted of 10 minutes of footage placed in a loop so that it seemed longer. Deep Throat changed all that with its one hour runtime, and it had a plot and some form of character development. For the first time, people drove to theatres to watch a porn flick and considered it a date movie.

Directed by Gerard Damiano. Starring Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems.

9

Propaganda: Triumph of the Will (1935)

This film revealed that the art of moviemaking can be exploited for propaganda.

It chronicles and praises the towering personality of and the greatness of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi army. Though the movie was seen mainly in Germany, it is credited with creating a cult following for Der Fuhrer and prophesied an everlasting support for his policies. Though the director’s career was ruined after the fall of the Nazi government, she is still considered one of the leading female directors of all time.

Directed by Leni Riefenstahi. Starring Adolf Hitler, Hermann Goring and Max Amann.

10

Book adaption: Greed (1924)

If you felt that Les Misérables was lengthy, you may be surprised to know that Greed, a silent film directed

by Erich von Stroheim based on the novel McTeague was initially almost eight hours long. The director wanted to make a page-by-page adaptation from the book for the screen. However, the studio backing the movie felt that it was too long and cut it down to 2hrs and 20mins by an editor who hadn't even read the book. When the movie was finally released, it was a commercial and critical failure, though many people who had seen the actual movie claimed it to be the greatest movie ever. Greed made directors and studios realise that it was foolish to not leave out details from the novel while adapting it for the big screen.

Starring Gibson Gowland, Zasu Pitts and Jean Hersholt.

.

CHILDREN AT WORK | Photo story

9

Shafik, 11, works above a pile of burning bricks

Diamonds in the ash Photos: Md Shahnewaz Khan (in partnership with Counterfoto) Child labour is a tragic chapter of many children’s lives in Bangladesh.

Children are given heavy work. They are exploited and paid very low wages.

Employers often prefer employing children because they are cheaper, and often more compliant and obedient than adults.

According to the International Labor Organisation, there are about 3.2 million child labourers in Bangladesh. On

Counterfoto is one of the leading independent photography institutes in Bangladesh

average, children work 28 hours per week and earn Tk222, or $3.30. About 93% of the children work in the informal sector, which makes it challenging to monitor and enforce protective laws.

Many child labourers miss out on their right to education because they have no time to go to school. As a result, working children get stuck in low paying, lowskilled jobs, thereby perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

Turn for more photographs

.

Md Shahnewaz Khan is a freelance photographer, from Goshaildanga village in Chittagong. His work has won many international awards, and has been published in numerous newspapers and journals.

This photo story was given the honorable mention award at Ian Parry Scholarship 2014 in the UK.

WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, AUG UST 2 9, 2 0 1 4

10 PHoto story | CHILDREN AT WORK

Accidents often occur at brickfields, like Shafik suddenly tripping here while carrying a pile of bricks to the cart, which is lower than the average height

Workers have only rice and vegetables for lunch

Shakil, 12, covered with aluminum which is very risky for the workers at the factory, where they are completely exposed without any protective gear

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AUGUST 29, 201 4

11 Shakil, falls asleep on his tools after a long day at the aluminum factory

Shafik and other children catch a moment of joy during their break, watching music videos on a mobile phone

Rubel, 12, tries to wash the aluminum substance off his body at home

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12 digital bangladesh | marketing Savvy

5 MARKETING LESSONS FROM DIGI CAFE 1.0 Digital marketing specialists speak about global best practices at last week’s Digi Cafe 1.0 Tasnuva Amin Nova

M

arketing gurus from global and local companies shared their insights on digital marketing last week.

The exclusive digital marketing event Digi Cafe 1.0 was hosted by Magnito Digital at The Wave located in Banani on August 20. It was organised in partnership with Google Business Group (GBG) Dhaka, and StartupDhaka.org.

They focused on marketing in

Jason Voon imparts advice at The Wave the digital world, which involves the use of various social media and technology platforms.

Among the speakers at the event were Adrian Lim and Jason Voon from VLT Malaysia, a top award winning independent digital agency of Asia, and Bicky Russell, Head of Agency Development, Google USA. The essence of the event was most succinctly expressed in Bicky Russell’s words: “Consumers continue to move forward (from

one device to another), so don’t you (companies) get left behind.”

Here are the five main marketing takeaways from the event:

1. Keep the consumer in perspective

Jason Voon, Director of Strategy at VLT, opened the session by explaining how, over the years, companies have managed to confuse consumers with detached brand messages by targeting the wrong group of consumers and/or missing the right group.

Keys to content marketing

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AUGUST 29, 201 4

WebAble Digital

Photo: Courtesy Hence it is now up to marketing agencies to help consumers make better choices.

Digital marketing tools should be used to enable consumers to have a collective experience of the brand.

Social influence plays an important role in purchasing decisions, so the key is to build content that will effectively engage with consumers on various digital platforms including but not limited to social media. It is also important to reach out to

13 consumers through other existing marketing channels.

2. Use technology to overcome offline limitations

Reaching consumers through content marketing is convenient when consumers are online, but VLT’s Adrian Lim urges marketers to use technology to develop offline marketing channels too, to keep consumer engagement alive even when they are not connected to the Internet.

Because of Web 2.0 marketing breakthroughs, consumers today are “co-producers” of the products they use. With the type and volume of user data they give out to the Internet, producers are able to design and modify products suited to consumer needs/wishes.

Development of a word-of-mouth culture among people before/during making purchases, which is very popular among social media users, is also a major reason why marketing should be designed to engage the consumer at every hour of the day.

Marketers should pay attention to the various offline and online features of websites at their disposal that allow them to reach consumers.

3. It’s about relationships

After convincing the audience about the might of technology in marketing, Adrian also warned them about the

Social Motion

Digi Cafe 1.0 was part of Magnito’s outreach initiative called Social Motion.

As Magnito’s campaign manager Mazharul Rezvi mentioned, the “virality” of web content depends on

risk of concentrating exclusively on non-human media such as technology for building consumer relationships.

As a client service director he greatly values personal interactions with consumers. His three principles for building relationships are: • Learn to integrate technology into existing communities and social networks wherever they exist • Listen to what consumers are talking about on digital platforms • Engage with consumers constantly by creating and fostering dialogue with them

4. The role of marketing remains the same in a multiscreen world

Google’s Bicky Russell startled the audience with a visual comparison of how the world welcomed its new popes in the last decade. In 2005, it was mostly analog, with a few people snapping pictures with feature phones. But in 2013, the surrounding space is illuminated by the glow of tablets and smartphones in the hands of almost every member of the crowd.

Bicky believes that the core of marketing is still to reach out to people, influence them and measure results through their return on investment (ROI) and sales changes.

But the shift to a multiscreen world does mean that people are available on more devices than ever, thus modifying the role of marketers.

To be able to reach out to

relevant content, not just any content.

With Social Motion, Magnito aims to build a community around digital and social media marketing for marketing enthusiasts.

This first event by Social Motion was concluded by Fayaz Taher, the director of

consumers on all devices, as they continue to be developed, marketers should always: be present, be relevant, and optimise.

Simply put, be present on all the devices the consumers use, at the right time, in the right place with the right content. This will get the best results from consumer searches and data available from different social media by optimising the use of different devices.

Part of the job of a marketer is to identify what content is relevant to consumers, because the ultimate goal is to engage them.

5. Mobile sells

Although people do not usually use their mobile phones to make direct purchases online, when we see a product offline we often go online through our phones to search for it, its user reviews, and location.

According to Bicky, these activities ultimately lead to actual purchases.

For example, Adidas’ marketing team used its store locators to increase ROI for the company.

It tracked customers who were searching for its store locations through mobile phones to direct content to influence them to purchase its products in real time. (Due to lack of local data, Bicky used US data to show that mobile phone use actually improves the ROI of companies.)

Magnito’s CEO Riyad Ahmed said:

Magnito, informing the audience about the company’s plan to host several events focusing on digital marketing.

The program is working towards creating a knowledge-sharing platform through its blog: www.magnitodigital. com/socialmotion.

“In Bangladesh, more than half of the 9.4 million Facebook users are accessing the site from their mobile phones. With more mobile-focused digital marketing plans, the scope of reaching out to consumers will be vast.”

Hence Bicky urges companies to get innovative about using mobile phones to stimulate ROI.

.

Bicky’s bonus points

Before parting with the audience, Bicky Russell gave a room full of marketing enthusiasts two Google tools to make digital marketing more fun: Page Speed Insights: This measures the performance of a page for mobile and desktop devices. It fetches the url twice: once with a mobile user-agent, and once with a desktop-user agent. The PageSpeed Score ranges from 0-100 points. A higher score is better, and a score of 85 or above indicates that the page is performing well.

Mobile Playbook: Last year Google published the first edition of “The Mobile Playbook: The Busy Executive’s Guide to Winning with Mobile.”

Based on hundreds of conversations Google had with businesses, it found that most of their questions were not around “Why I should invest in mobile” but “How I should invest in mobile.”

Google originally created the playbook to help executives find answers to those questions, and help them take action on the mobile platform.

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14 Legalese | Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi

Slap him back Q

My husband is having an affair with a woman at his work, and wants to end our marriage.

Since I have no problem leaving a man who does not want to be with me anymore, I asked him to send me divorce papers. He says he

won’t. He wants me to file the case.

When I refused to be the one sending the divorce notice, he started abusing me verbally and physically. Is there a legal solution to help me get out of this mess without having to file for divorce first?

Got a problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

A

Dear Reader: Why do you NOT want to file for a divorce?

From what you have just stated, you’ll be much better off without a husband, rather than having a husband like this.

Adultery I can deal with – to err is human and all that. Add to that the fact that he has, at least, been honest and open about his affair at work, rather than attempting to hide it and eventually getting caught.

However, what really gets to me is the abuse. Verbal abuse, though not acceptable, may be forgiven at times if he realises that he is in the wrong and apologises. Physical abuse, on the other hand, is simply inexcusable.

Nothing will ever justify hitting your spouse – nothing, nada, zero, zilch.

Apologies for the little rant, but this is a serious issue and one that needs to be addressed without any delay.

Since you appear to be reluctant to file for divorce yourself, a strategic solution may be to institute a suit under Section 11 of the Nari O Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain 2000. A tribunal will then direct the parties (ie both of you) to file for divorce, and if the aforementioned charge under the Nari O Shishu Daman Ain is proven, there will also be minimal complications with your dower.

However, before you go rushing into this, there is one little fact that you need to be aware of. If

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, AUGUST 29, 201 4

Cartoon: Priyo/Dhaka Tribune

physical and verbal abuse cannot be established, as per the aforementioned 2000 Act, you will be facing adverse consequences, pursuant to Section 17. Section 17 states that if anyone falsely accuses another person under the provisions of this act with the intention to harm or harass them, they may face punishment of seven years rigorous imprisonment or fine, or both.

There are also a couple of other options you can explore.

You could file a suit under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939. However, you seem reluctant to file for divorce yourself, and I am guessing this is also a route that you

would not like to take.

A further strategic solution for you would be to file for maintenance from your husband for yourself and your children (if there are any). This follows the purpose of prompting your husband to file for divorce. According to Section 9 of Muslim Family Law Ordinance 1961, a husband is bound to maintain his wife, as long as they are married and until the completion of Iddah. If there is an order from the arbitration council, it could be a tool to pressure the husband to file a divorce, as once the divorce is done he will not have to pay you maintenance.

If the husband refuses to pay the maintenance then he may face prison

under Section 16 of the Family Courts Ordinance 1985 and Section 58 and Order 21 rule 30 of CPC. These are scary consequences, I know, but drastic times call for drastic measures. If you wish, this maintenance suit can also be parallel to the suit under the Nari O Shishu Nirjaton Daman Ain. Once again, I urge you to leave behind your reservations and be the mature one by filing for the divorce first. Far from being construed as a sign of weakness, this is actually a liberating step.

Hope this information does help you sort out your predicament. Do keep us updated. Best of luck!

.

Most Welcome 2 | Culture

15

UR Most Welcome 2 watch The recent Eid release and Ananta Jalil’s biggest hit Farhana Urmee

C

an you name at least three Bangladeshi films that you have watched in theatres? If you’re scratching your head without an answer, you are not alone. But recently, Most Welcome 2 has been the talk of the town.

Pictures of people going to watch the film flooded Facebook newsfeeds over Eid. For many city dwellers, watching an Ananta Jalil film has proved to be sound investment for good old-fashioned entertainment.

Last laugh

It first started with the practice of watching Ananta Jalil’s films just to make fun of him. He has been widely ridiculed for his peculiar accent, eccentric appearance and conspicuous self-obsession. He has called himself the James Bond of Bangladesh.

Prajna Tasnuva, a teacher at Sunnydale School who went to watch Jalil’s movie over the Eid vacation, said: “Who will judge his films from a critical perspective? None of us want that critical appraisal, but want to be entertained when at the movies.”

She adds: “His effort is very praiseworthy, that he could create hype among middle class audiences, for whom watching Jalil’s films have now become a must.”

film industry by investing a great deal of money. His style consistently uses: foreign locations for shooting, no stuntmen for action scenes, computer animations both funny and unrealistic, and very-filmy costumes.

People have come to not only accept this self-styled genre, but even look forward to his films throughout the year. And they are further honed with each effort.

The film

Most Welcome 2 has a better story line than the first film, including consistently connecting scenes and a believable cause-and-effect flow to the story.

The innovation of a cancer vaccine by a Bangladeshi scientist attracts the international mafia. A courageous police officer Aryan (Ananta Jalil) takes responsibility for preventing the vaccine from falling into the wrong hands. Along the way, Aryan falls in love with the scientist’s granddaughter (Barsha).

The Bangladeshi cinema formula of having one romantic plot accompanied by at least five songs, four fight scenes and one tragedy is all present in this film.

It also touches on a few social issues. The heroine’s brother is an autistic child who attends a special school. The hero catches the godfather behind maiming of street children who are forced to beg. And in a post-victory press conference, he urges journalists to report real facts for the sake of responsibility towards society.

Solid acting from Masud Parvez, Prabir Mitra, Champa and Diti make up for the weaker performances from Ananta and Barsha. There is, however, also a notable improvement in the duo’s pronunciation of both Bangla and English.

In this film, clad in police uniform, he shot with perfect aim and dodged every single bullet. An interesting new style was to not lipsync with the music but just retain the expression on their faces.

Fans respond

Most Welcome 2 received immense positive responses from different types of viewers, which is a positive sign for the film industry, and of course for the audience itself, which thirsts for new film entertainment.

Sazzad Hossain, a photojournalist,

after watching Most Welcome 2, said he highly appreciated Ananta addressing various current social issues in the film. This was his first movie from the AJ range.

Prajna, another audience member, said: “I have seen his other movies too, and can hardly remember watching any other Bangla mainstream film at the theatre. That is what Ananta Jalil is to me. He has succeeded in getting me and my friends to the cinema hall.”

She believes Ananta Jalil could create real competition in the film industry. Other filmmakers are also adopting new things in their films that were first introduced by Ananta.

Forhad Hossain Rony, a university student, prefers the fight sequences of the film Most Welcome 2, which has tried to imitate other foreign films.

About watching the film in the theatre, Forhad feels he is contributing to a successful local film industry by buying a ticket, and not by downloading or buying pirated versions. “I find films like Most Welcome 2 to be more entertaining and easy to watch in theatres.”

.

His own genre

Ananta Jalil is inspired by a number of South Indian action films and Hollywood films. Like those typical action films, the heroine in Most Welcome 2 also has an insignificant role in the storyline.

But unlike those sources of inspiration, Ananta’s film does not objectify the female body. Instead it focuses on objectifying himself: his success, his manhood, his courage and his particular sense of humour.

In many of his TV interviews, he has appeared with his wife and permanent co-actor Barsha, and they have labelled their films as the complete entertainment package.

And what an entertainment it is.

Anata Jalil claims to be an international standard hero, who owns his accent and sells it. He has undoubtedly set new trends in the

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16 TOUGH LOVE | DINA SOBHAN

Prof Confucius and Potentially Bi-curious

Q A

I have a huge crush on my professor. I find myself flirting with him every chance I get. He is pretty old, though – and when I say pretty old, I mean

Sounds like Lolita all over again, although you’re a bit long in the tooth to be thought of as a precocious temptress.

Anyway, we all know how that ended, right? If you don’t, two words: Not well.

The practice of younger women dating/mating/cohabiting with older men is not only acceptable, it used to be forced onto unsuspecting nubile children back in the day, due

bunions, it does make one wonder about your “daddy issues.”

I mean you couldn’t even get through three sentences without mentioning your father. Was he so absent a figure in your life that you’ll now take on any geriatric with a set of gleaming dentures who happens to cross your path? Or is it possible you really like the guy?

Think long and hard before you commit yourself to anything, because should you decide to be with the old geezer, you may spend the best years of your life cleaning bedpans.

dhakatribune. com

I broke up with my boyfriend a few months ago, and I haven’t met any interesting guys since.

I did have a bit of a crush on one guy, but he was a few years younger, so I had to take a step back because of the social taboo attached to dating and marrying younger guys. Lately, I am finding women more attractive, but I don’t know whether or how I should pursue this. What do I do?

A

So let me get this straight: You were concerned with how society views women who date younger men, so you decided to pursue lesbianism

instead?

That seems to me to be what is referred to, in common parlance, as counterintuitive.

Not that I’m judging you or anything. I am strongly in favour of going wherever your heart (or your loins, as the case may be) takes you, as long as it’s not illegal, dangerous or cruel.

What society thinks is wholly irrelevant, although if you happen to have a parent with high blood pressure or heart problems, it’s probably wise not to flaunt your proclivities excessively.

However, a bigger question looms large on the horizon, and that is: What necessitates an immediate relationship, be it with men, women, or otherwise? Having just gotten out of a relationship, why not allow yourself a little breathing room, time to work on yourself, maybe discover a hidden talent for, say, macramé?

Perhaps if you spend a little less time chasing the booty, and a little more time sitting on yours and contemplating the fundamental truths of life or whatever, you’ll actually know who and what you want instead of asking complete strangers for advice.

.

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

Cartoon: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AUGUST 29, 201 4

Write to Dina at weekend@

Q

older than my father. I know it sounds bad, but I am an adult now, in my late twenties. However, I do realize that it is probably wrong to pursue him, so I am trying really hard to ignore him. It’s not working though. I’ve got it bad. to all sorts of absurd norms that are still upheld today in some parts.

Which naturally begs the question: why is it soooo wrong for older women to date younger men, when the Michael Douglases of the world go home with the likes of Catherine Zeta-Jones? But I digress.

What I’m trying to say is, while it’s a matter of personal choice to date someone so wrinkly that he’s frequently mistaken for a Chinese Shar-Pei and to spend your Friday nights rubbing Bengay on his

Got a problem?

chamber orchestra | music

17

Bangladeshis on violin A western classical chamber orchestra group offers the city a whole new feel for music. Check out their musical performance of Raham Ali’r Putul Nach (Doll Dance of Raham Ali) at Chhayanaut on Saturday

Farhana Urmee

C

hristina Clara De Costa, a 12-year-old violinist in a frilly white shirt, was roaming around the green premises of Centre for Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific ( CIRDAP) near the National Press Club in Dhaka.

Christina was waiting for her call to get up on the stage, and would be performing in the next ten minutes, but she was not nervous at all. “I have performed on stage and in TV shows many times before. I feel thrilled with my violin in hand. The stage cannot intimidate me,” she said.

She is one of the youngsters, uniformly dressed like rest of the team of 25 members of the Raham Ali’r Putulnach production, who will be performing together on Saturday.

Raham Ali’r Putul Nach

Narrator Heera Chowdhury will be commanding your attention to the story of Raham Ali, a man who recently arrives in Dhaka from his village, where he used to do puppet shows.

His venture to the big city does

CMA teachers and students performing on stage

not turn out as expected, thanks to forgery, mistrust and other traumatising experiences. He returns to his village and continues his puppet show as before. His brilliant work draws the attention of newspapers, but he denies name and fame, choosing to stay in the village to continue to do what he loves.

Written by Iftekhar Anwar, Md Akasha and Smaron Prottoy, the story is accompanied by music created by the chamber orchestra for the entire 40 minutes of the show.

Rodriguez has been working with several music ensembles in Mexico.

According to him, even though there are a number of music schools in his country, these are taken for granted by young Mexicans.

In Bangladesh however, the academy is more appreciated, as young people are really enthusiastic here about western music and learning new things.

Rodriguez spoke fondly of Lalon folk songs, which he says sounds magical to him for their simplicity and depth of meaning.

Special attraction

With an objective to form an orchestra with bright and creative instrumentalists, the Classical Music Academy (CMA) started its journey back in 2010 with extracurricular programmes in three schools in Dhaka. Today, they have their own institute.

Iftekhar Anwar, the founder of CMA says: “I wanted to start

Visiting musician Ricardo Elias Rodriguez will also play in Raham Ali’r Putul Nach. He is a violin professor in University of Veraruz in Mexico, and came to Bangladesh by the invitation of CMA to conduct a performance workshop with the students of the academy earlier this week.

Raham Ali’r Putul Nach

When: Aug 30 at 7pm Where: Chhayanaut Auditorium, 15/A, Dhanmondi Tickets: Tk200 (available at the gate)

The narrator ready to tell the story

Dhaka’s Classical Music Academy

Photos: Mumit M

Admission at Classical Music Academy

Age limit: Above 10 years old Monthly fee: Tk2,000 Qualifications: Love for music Adress: 67/D, Talukdar Bhaban, Central Road, Dhanmondi Contact: 01716486851

a western classical school just because we did not have one. Our effort is to familiarise western classical and form a full fledged orchestra in the country. A number of music schools here specialises in eastern classical music but western classical remains unexplored.”

Iftekhar and Shariful started the academy, which currently provides three-tier training on western classical music. They plan to expand their academy with more teachers, trainers, students and a permanent compound.

CMA performed in at least 13 events in the last few years. Akash, assistant trainer at CMA who himself had learnt eastern classical music from childhood, believes there is no way other than to familiarise oneself with music from different parts of the world, and then blend them together.

“We all have music inside us, often we just need some help to bring it out. An academy teaching classical music, especially western classical, will help music enthusiasts in Dhaka to know western musical instruments and learn to play them,” says Shariful Islam.

.

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18 stay in

Mini cryptics Clues

ACROSS 1 4 6 7

Steal from the French in afternoon catch (7) Garble a strange kind of maths (7) Caught up fish in hollow thread (7) Mythic creature makes coin for gold King (7)

1 2 3 5

Photograph contains final fake (7) Instrument makes confused groan (5) Myself and Queen Elizabeth wander about (7) Lifted up a big chunk of wood (5)

DOWN

Rifat Islam Esha

T

here are many good TV dramas to choose from these days, but for serious entertainment, watch the American adaptation of the House of Cards. This political drama is bound to give you goosebumps from the twists that arise in the tale.

The story revolved around a villainous protagonist, US Secretary of State Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) who goes on a power-hungry frenzy. He may well be the most manipulative, narcissistic character to ever burn up the small screen.

His strong-willed and ambitious wife, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright)

always backs his evil intentions. They are the modern-day Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

This binge-worthy show is for people who like the thrill of watching something that stimulates the brain cells. Frank speaks directly to the audience at different intervals, which work just like soliloquies in a play, making the show even more intellectually engaging.

The devious world of Frank Underwood sheds light on a kind of politics that the layperson doesn’t get to watch otherwise. The show is possibly Kevin Spacey’s best work – and that’s saying something. n

Last week’s Mini Cryptics solutions

PLAY THE RIGHT CARD

Solved it? Email answers to weekend@dhakatribune. com and win one free month of the Dhaka Tribune.

ACROSS 1 Game animal (7) 4 Small country with or round about first (7) 6 Enjoy a book and choose to use again (7) 7 Power type can rule in a new order (7) DOWN 1 Smile following tea humiliation (7) 2 Popular assistance up country (5) 3 Land area or vehicle to farm it (7) 5 River of lavender honey (5)

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

Last week’s sudoku solutions

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AUGUST 29, 201 4

Go out

19

Music |

The Bodhisattwa Trio When Sept 3, 7:30pm Where EMK Center, House 5, Road 27, Dhanmondi

T

he Bodhisattwa Trio is a Kolkata based experimental rock outfit that believes in the expression of unadulterated human feelings. They say they do this in the form of powerful raw sounds created by energy from deep within.

The trio – with Bodhisattwa Ghosh on guitar, Bijit Bhattacharya on bass and Premjit Dutta on drums – delivers a mix of original songs, as well as interpretations of famous pieces who have inspired the musicians.

Bodhisattwa

He is a disciple of Indian guitar legend Amyt Datta. Essentially a Blues musician, he is constantly looking to stretch the boundaries of music. Bodhisattwa has been an integral part of critically acclaimed ethno-jazz group Kendraka, and is the songwriter/guitarist of the electronic/alternative group Zoo. Bodhisattwa has also been performing regularly with the pop-funk band Crystal Grass. He

is also currently working on an experimental acoustic duo.

Premjit

An endorser of Drumcraft and Meinl Cymbals, Premjit is a ‘sangeet bisharod’ in tabla from Bangiyo Sangeet Parishad, and a grade 8 non-classical scholar under Trinity College in London. He has also been learning Latin jazz for the last seven years under veteran congoplayer Monojit Datta. He has been teaching drums at The Calcutta School of Music since 2007.

Bijjit

He is one of the most talented bass players in Kolkata, actively involved in studio sessions as well as the live music scene. He has been a permanent member of bands like Safire, Catch 22, nationally acclaimed folk-fusion act Friends of Fusion, Nukkad Salsa Project and Crayon Joint. n Tickets are Tk300 and available at the venue.

Weekly Planner Aug 29

Aug 30

Music | Mozzaria Funk featuring Pandu and the Jadu Quartet

Education | Education Expo ‘14

When 9pm-12am Where Mozzaria, 101 Gulshan Avenue, RM Centre 2nd Floor, Gulshan What A night of funk music, featuring covers from Otis Redding, Ray Charles, David Bowie, The Beatles, Rolling Stones and CCR, as well as samples of original music composed by these talented musicians. Tickets are Tk1500 and include an Italian buffet dinner. Call 01681330055 or 01610014074 to book.

Aug 29-31 Photography | Break the Circle - 4th Step

When Aug 29 at 3pm-8pm, Aug 30-31 at 11am-8am Where Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Shegunbagicha What IUTPS is arranging an international photography exhibition in seven categories: portrait, action, life, still life, nature, conceptual and photostories.

The judges for this exhibition are three of Bangladesh’s top photographers: Director of Map Photo Agency Hasan Saifuddin Chandan, Co-Founder of Counterfoto and Reuters photojournalist Andrew Biraj, and Pathshala faculty member Ashraful Awal Mishuk. The curator is Aninda Kabir Avik of Media-mix Enterprise.

Aug 29-Sept 4 Photography | 9th International Inter University Photography Exhibition

When 11am-6pm Where National Art Gallery, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy What International Inter University Photography Exhibition is a platform for promising artists to showcase their skills and creativity to the world. IUPE not only brings out and showcases peoples’ hidden talents, it also establishes a network among photography enthusiasts both professional and amateur, giving them a chance to interact, a chance to learn from each other, and a chance to expand their horizons even further. The exhibition is open for all.

When 11am-4:30pm Where All Community Club, Road 35, Gulshan 2 What For student interested in studying abroad, there will be representatives from Lund University in Sweden and six universities in Australia: La Trobe University, Curtin University, CQ University, Southern Cross University, Monash University, UTS Insearch.

The organisers recommend bringing academic documents to the expo. Call 01713243423 or 01713243424 for more information.

Art | Discussion with Dilara Begum Jolly and Sajjad Sharif

When 6pm Where Bengal Art Lounge, 60 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan What Dilara Begum Jolly, whose solo exhibition is currently featured at Bengal Art Lounge, will talk with Sajjad Sharif about the themes in her work, namely the feminine condition and its relation to dominant orders and its tension with motherhood. A question and answer session will follow. The event is open for all.

Music | Raham Ali’r Putul Nach When 7pm-8pm Where Chhayanaut Auditorium, Dhanmondi What Classical Music Academy presents Raham Ali’r Putul Nach, the narration of a story with musical by a local chamber orchestra (see pg 17).

Sept 1 Photography | Life and Works of Tajuddin Ahmed

When 12pm-8pm Where Gallery Twenty One, 751 Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi What This photo exhibition celebrates the 89th birth anniversary of Tajuddin Ahmad, the country’s first prime minister.

The exhibition will feature photographs on the leader’s life and works.

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, AUG UST 2 9, 2 0 1 4

20 Interview | Tipu Sultan

From busboy to businessman

This gentleman has big dreams for himself and the Bangladeshi hospitality industry Ruwaida Khandker

O

n a hot Thursday, I meet Tipu Sultan in Gloria Jean’s at 11am sharp. He greets me with a firm handshake and buys me a Chocolate macadamia espresso – a gesture I certainly appreciate. A sharp, smartly dressed and surprisingly young man, I felt immediately honoured to hear about his life experiences. We sit down at a secluded table and he reveals to me his incredible story about working his way up the restaurant-industry ladder.

How did you get started in hospitality?

I’ve been in the hospitality business since 2000. That’s a long time, right?

And it certainly has been a journey! I started off as a busboy.

After that, I completed my post grad in Dhaka College. I didn’t have a fancy degree or anything like that, just a lot of hopes and goals.

Then I worked at Movenpick for four years. It was pretty exciting back then because it was the first ice cream parlour in Dhaka of its kind.

I also worked at Barista for some time. I wanted to know what working in different food outlets in the food industry was like.

What made you choose Nando’s?

I actually went to South Africa for some extensive training. This helped me prepare for new opportunities for my return to Dhaka.

This training helped me to become the team leader at A&W, where I saw the restaurant develop so quickly in front of my eyes.

When I found joy in working in a more managerial/leadership role, I filled out a successful job application to be the Assistant Restaurant Manager at Nando’s Dhanmondi branch in 2006. This was the first ever Nando’s outlet in Dhaka.

Do you enjoy what you do?

Oh yes, very very much.

Did you always see yourself working in hospitality?

Yes, that’s what I always wanted to do. There’s a lot of fun and festivity in this type of work.

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AUGUST 29, 201 4

Tipu Sultan is currently the assistant manager of Nando’s in Gulshan 1 just catching up. You can get private institutes and schools that train people to work in the hospitality industry. You don’t get that in Bangladesh.

My main goal therefore is to open one of these institutes in Bangladesh.

But not a private one with ridiculous entry fees, because most of the people I work with in the hospitality business need these jobs to support their families.

Think about it – there are not really many other part time jobs that those people can get that are outside the hospitality sector. So I want to provide them with training so they can learn how to make the most of what they do, and then stick around at their jobs for longer.

Photo: Courtesy

There’s nothing more rewarding than having a customer praise your hard work I have also learned so many skills working here. Not only skills about food preparation and such, that are only needed in the hospitality business. I also learned English, good posture and poise. These skills are important also in the outside world.

I also feel like you are always in the know at a job like this. If customers like your food, they will pay their compliments. If they don’t, then they will complain. Both ways, you are given room for improvement and there are always guidelines to follow, so you can make the best of your business.

You get the whole package in this industry. No matter what mentality you have, there is a place for you

here. I found that you can’t get that in any other industry.

I always wanted to stand out from the crowd – not just work to be a banker or engineer like everyone else around me. There’s nothing more rewarding than having a customer praise your hard work.

Are you working towards any goals right now?

Currently I am working to be the Chief Operating Officer at Nando’s.

Is this your main goal?

No, it is not! You see, in India for example, the hospitality industry is far more developed than us. We are only

What advice do you have for people wanting to be in this industry?

I find that people often ridicule and ignore jobs in the hospitality sector.

Sixty percent of males who sought employment last year applied to be in the army, because it’s seen as more manly and you learn things like keeping fit, bravery and manners.

But the truth is, you learn all these in hospitality. We teach you how to put yourself out there. We teach you manners definitely, and if you eat all the nice food you make, I’m sure you will have to learn to keep fit too!

So don’t be put off by the reputation the industry may have, or the salary. You just have to get a “yes” attitude. In this industry you can be yourself, expose your skills, travel and even meet big personalities. No other industry gives so many opportunities.

The bottom line is, just open your mind to the possibilities.

And finally, your name. Is there any sentiment behind it?

Ah, Tipu Sultan! Well, as a child, my father used to read me stories of the great Indian emperor and all of his bravery and courage. I’d like to think he named me after these qualities.

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