Weekend Tribune Vol 2 Issue 18

| vo l 2 I ssu e 18 | F R I D AY, se pte m b e r 12, 2014

Make it happen

6

Coolest offices in bangladesh

8

Drivers in Qatar

13

Child’s play

CONTENTS

1

Volume 2 | Issue 18 | September 12, 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 Farina Noireet Rifat Islam Esha Faisal Mahmud Shah Nahian Art Direction/Photography Syed Latif Hossain Cartoons Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy Rio Shuvo Priyo

4 Culture Mime school 6 Business Coolest offices in town

9 Photo story

A Potter’s process

Colour Specialist Shekhar Mondal Kazi Syras Al Mahmood Production Masum Billah Advertising Shahidan Khurshed Circulation Masud Kabir Pavel Website dhakatribune.com/weekend facebook.com/WeekendTrib Email your letters to: weekend@dhakatribune.com

the cover

When this boy looks upon Dhaka, he sees a land of opportunity.

Photo: Syful Islam Rony

12 Post-Riposte Youth population: Blessing or curse?

13 Education Child’s play 17 Media Multimedia journalism 20 Obituary Firoza Begum

Contributors Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi Dina Sobhan Gopa B Caesar Shadman Hasan Ishrat Jahan Mahmood Sadaat Ruhul Rizwan Shamim Graphics Md Mahbub Alam Alamgir Hossain Tahsin Momin

8 Tea with WT Bangladeshi drivers in Qatar

Regulars 14 Legalese Sharing is caring 16 Tough Love Overexposure & underachiever

15 listology

Bangla cinema posters

18 Stay In 19 Go Out

Editor’s note

Make it happen Who has the coolest office in town?

These startups and corporations are living the new Bangladesh dream (pg 6-7). We’re a country on the verge, folks, and the Rural Visual Journalism Network is capturing every moment – on their iPod Touch devices no less (pg 17).

The kiddo on the cover is not the one with big dreams. As our population surges, we are in for huge changes both good and bad (pg 12).

We’d best take care of them, and research shows the first three years of life are the most crucial in a child’s education and well-being (pg 13).

Let them have arts. A local mime collective brings their unique theatre to BRAC schools across the country

(pg 4-5). We popped into a potter’s studio to watch his feats of clay, a passion born from playing with mud as a kid (pg 9).

We take a good look at the everyday artistry/hilarity of Bangla cinema posters (pg 15). And we remember the Nazrulgeeti songstress Firoza Begum, who passed away on Tuesday (pg 20).

Finally, we introduce our new regular feature, Tea with WT. This week we share a cuppa with two hardworking Bangladeshi drivers, making the best of a tough life in Qatar (pg 8).

Because yes, yes we can.

- Rumana Habib

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

2 News | This week

The world at a glance

Japanese PM’s visit to Bangladesh

Weekend Tribune Desk Flooding

More than 200 people are now thought to have died in Pakistan, where flood waters have destroyed thousands of homes and large areas of farmland.

In Indian-administered Kashmir some 175 people have been killed, many of them swept away by surging rivers.

Leaders of India and Pakistan have offered to help each other provide relief.

MH17

The Malaysian Airlines plane was likely struck by multiple "highenergy objects from outside the aircraft," causing it to break up over eastern Ukraine, a preliminary report into the deadly aviation disaster concluded Tuesday.

Russia signalled on Monday it might ban western airlines from flying over its territory as part of an "asymmetrical" response to new European Union sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. Blaming the west for damaging the Russian economy by triggering "stupid" sanctions, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow would press on with measures to reduce reliance on imports, starting with increasing output of domestic aircraft.

Islamic State

After threatening to destroy and degrade Islamic State militants, the United States will court sceptical Gulf Arab allies this week and consider expanding training and arming of moderate Syrian rebels to lead the fight against the jihadists.

Arab League foreign ministers agreed on Sunday to take all necessary measures to confront Islamic State and cooperate with international, regional and national efforts to combat militants who have overrun swathes of Iraq and Syria.

French Muslim leaders called on the nation's imams on Tuesday to use their pulpits against the Islamic State group and offer a message of support for Christians in the Middle East. Christians and other minorities there are fleeing the militant organisation by the thousands as they face a choice

between conversion or death.

The prime minister of Australia is due to sign a deal Friday allowing nuclear fuel exports to energyhungry India, as he meets the country's new premier on a visit to boost economic ties.

World Health Organisation staff battling an Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone are working in larger quarters and no longer live with people from other agencies, after a scientist with the UN group was infected with the dreaded disease last month, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Israel has illegally coerced almost 7,000 African migrants into returning to their home countries, where some face persecution, Human Rights Watch said in a report published on Tuesday.

Dubai's ruler has endorsed a $32b expansion plan for the city's second airport that aims to make it the world's biggest, the emirate's airport operator said Monday, in the latest sign that the Middle East's brash commercial hub is determined to move on from its 2009 financial crisis.

South Korea said last Thursday it would create a joint military unit with the United States, as a report suggested the contingent would target North Korea's weapons of mass destruction if a full-scale conflict broke out.

Gambia's National Assembly has passed a bill imposing life imprisonment for some homosexual acts officials said Monday, potentially worsening the climate for sexual minorities in a country with one of Africa's most vocal anti-gay leaders.

One person commits suicide every 40 seconds - more than all the yearly victims of wars and natural disaster - with the highest toll among the elderly, the United Nations said last Thursday.

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina poses in a photo with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after a signing ceremony at her office in Dhaka on Saturday.

The Japanese premier Shinzo Abe secured Dhaka's support for Tokyo's bid for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council during his threeday visit to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

It is the first visit of a Japanese prime minister in 14 years, since the former premier Yoshiro Mori visited Dhaka in 2000.

During his visit, the premier also met Leader of the Opposition in parliament Rawshan Ershad and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. News: Desk, Photo: AFP

Bangladesh in top 5 illiterate countries in Asia BANGLADESH’S LITERACY CONUNDRUM PROJECTED LITERACY BY SEPTEMBER 2014

100%

ACTUAL LITERACY CLAIMED

BY MINISTRY 2014

65%

ACCORDING TO POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD CENSUS 2011

51.8%

ACCORDING TO BANGLADESH BUREAU OF STATISTICS 2012 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX, UNDP 2014

THE ATTEMPTS TAKEN

• Tk2,500 crore have already been spent to achieve literacy • Tk1,000 crore came from national exchequer • Foreign donors give Tk1,500 crore WHY WE FAIL TO ACHIEVE TARGET

53.7% 57%

World Literacy Day was on Monday, prompting examination of the current level of illiteracy in Bangladesh.

As the Dhaka Tribune reported earlier this week, the Awami League was unable to keep its campaign promise from 2008 of reaching 100% literacy by this year, missing the mark by 35%, which is approximately 55 million people.

Though Bangladesh has marked significant progress in terms of achieving literacy in the last couple decades, it stands among the top five countries with the lowest rate of literacy rates in Asia:

• Widespread corruption • Non-formal education remained ignored • Irregularities in spending in foreign donor funded project

1. Afghanistan: 28.1%. Interestingly and perhaps unsurprisingly, a far higher percentage of men (43.1%) than women (12.6%) are able to read.

2. East Timor: 42% 3. Bhutan: 52.8% 4. Nepal: 56.5% 5. Bangladesh: 65% 6. Pakistan: 68% 7. Laos: 69% 8. India: 72.8% 9. Cambodia: 76.3% 10. Iran: 80% News: Desk, Infograph: Dhaka Tribune

meanwhile ... | News

Say what?

I

Modi’s eponymous tea

ndian pavement dwellers cook food in their makeshift tents behind hoardings of the new NaMo brand of tea, featuring a photograph of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, outside a railway station in Mumbai last Friday.

Hoardings and banners featuring Modi – along with slogans coined

by him during the recent general elections – feature prominently on ads for the new tea brand named after his popular moniker, NaMo. The brand, to be available in regular and premium varieties, is expected to be launched by September’s end.

News and photo: AFP

I AM DHAKA

Rahima, 27, has been working at Demra dumping yard for the last 12 years. She earns around Tk7,000 per month. She says: ‘It is very hard to do this work but there is no other way. I don't have any other choice. I have two kids to feed at home. My husband left me soon after my second child was born’ Mahmud Hossain Opu Send us your photos about Dhaka and its people. Email your submission with the subject ‘I Am Dhaka’ to weekend@dhakatribune.com

3

Man dives into active volcano with camera

G

eorge Kourounis stood at the edge of a red hot lava lake, the fiery molten rock gurgling just feets away as caustic acid rain splashed his protective suit.

It was a "window into hell," he said. "Dramatic and violent."

Kourounis is an explorer and documentarian. Last month, he and fellow explorer Sam Cossman dived deep into the Marum crater, located in an active volcano in the archipelago of Vanuatu in the South Pacific.

The fearless duo brought cameras in with them to capture their momentous adventure.

Kourounis, Cossman and two guides, Geoff Mackley and Brad Ambrose, spent four days on the

volcano and descended twice into the crater. According to Kourounis, the descent was a whopping 1,200ft.

That's "about as deep as the Empire State Building is tall," he said.

A documentarian who specializes in capturing extreme forces of nature, Kourounis – who has chased twisters and even got married at the edge of an exploding volcano – is no stranger to extreme adventure and danger. But the journey into Marum, he said, was one of the most intense experiences he's ever had.

Kourounis says he got so close to the lava that splashes melted a hole into his rain jacket and also a part of one of his cameras.

News: Desk. Photo: From Youtube video

Dreadnoughtus: World's biggest dinosaur discovered

Straw poll

Scientists have discovered the fossilised remains of a new longnecked, long-tailed dinosaur that takes the crown for largest terrestrial animal to have ever lived.

Measurements of bones from its hind leg and foreleg reveal that the animal weighed 65 tonnes and was still growing at the time of death on the Patagonian Hills of Argentina about 77 million years ago.

“To put this in perspective, an African elephant is about five tonnes, a T-Rex is eight tonnes, Diplodocus is 18 tonnes, and a Boeing 737 is around 50 tonnes,” said study author and paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara at Drexel University. “And then you have Dreadnoughtus at 65 tonnes.”

Dreadnoughtus, meaning “fears nothing,” is named after impervious early 20th century battleships.

News: Desk. Infograph: Lacovara Lab, Drexel University

If you’ve ever tried using a straw with a can of soft drinks, you know what happens: The straw comes flying out and falls onto your desk.

Well, not anymore.

You can use the tab on a soft drink can to hold your straw in place.

It’s as simple as turning the tab 180 degrees and sliding the straw through it. This keeps it from rising on a carbonated cloud and falling out.

You’re welcome

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

4 culture | Mime school

Time for mime ‘It’s not just another style of performing art, it’s the very base of performing arts,’ says Nithor Mahbub, founder of Mime Arts Ishrat Jahan

Nithor Mahbub in the rehearsal room with the Mime Arts troupe

I

walk into the second floor of Nattoshala at Shilpakala Academy to find a group of twelve men gathered in a circle, engrossed in avid discussion and laughter. As I take up an observation corner near the now shut down elevator, the discourse comes to an end, and the artists begin warming up for rehearsal.

Nithor Mahbub, the senior-most member and leader of the group, approaches and takes a spot next to me on the dusty floor, a non-verbal cue for me to begin our very informal round of questions and answers.

His face wears a look of exhaustion that speaks of days spent in tireless work. But as he starts describing the art and techniques of pantomime, the exhaustion fades away, and he comes alive.

I soon learn that this is the group’s usual spot. They had converted the marble-floored corridor of Nattoshala into a quasi-classroom. Classes take place every Friday, starting at 10am and often stretching late into the afternoon.

Within a few hours, the group

colours its little corner with impromptu roles of jhalmuri vendors, eve-teasers and a very convincing stray dog. Sometimes they turn their bodies into human props of park benches and machines.

Amidst all the laughter and surprise

on eve-teasing awareness.

School of passion

Mime Arts is a collective of mime artists and enthusiasts founded in 2008, with the intention of keeping the magic of the art alive and

BRAC co-curriculars explore how the art of miming can be utilised for the development of children

Photo: Shadman Hossain

understanding of the implications of this art know that it remains underappreciated.

Founder Nithor has a persistent passion for the art, which he shares with the other 22 members of Mime Arts. The current artists involved have either been engaged with the theatre or come here on their own to learn something new.

The members meet once a week in Shilpakala, and have had several productions of their own since 2008. The group also holds a yearly workshop, where interested participants can join for a fee of Tk500.

Mimer’s art that their acts inspire, the most captivating parts of the performance are the expressions and precision of time.

“Most of these works have a message in them. An act without a message seems hollow to me,” says Nithor, as the group presents a snippet of their previous production

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

spreading it across the country.

Miming, being an underdog of the performing arts, has had its share of success in Bangladesh. Partho Pratim Majumdar became a famous mime artist in France, and his success brought the art to the people’s attention here in his home country.

But for those who have a true

So much goes into producing this form of art, it becomes much more than a type of performing art. It becomes a lifestyle.

“It’s the very core of performing arts. Miming builds the abilities of acting and theatrics in individuals.

Unfortunately the better part of Bangladesh’s media and theatre remain unaware of this fact,” Nithor says.

5

Mime from behind the niqab Living in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Mayada had received no prior training in miming, but taught herself mime by reading about it and through practice. Her talent was considered an unorthodox form of art by most around her.

But there were also a few other talented young people who felt a passion for pantomime in the grim surroundings of the refugee camp.

Mayada soon began performing with a troupe in the al-Karmel Association, an NGO that promotes Palestinian folkloric culture in Nusierat camp.

Because of the Israeli blockade, the aspiring artists had no opportunities to travel or train abroad. Mayada's own

“You need to know how to divide your body into independent components,” he explains. “The nitty-gritty of gestures and postures are essential in a mime performance.

The true form of pantomime demands dedication, flexibility and constant practice.”

Mime became a more appreciated form of theatre after the Liberation War, which was when artists like Partho Pratim Majumdar and Kazi Mashrur Huda emerged as celebrities. But according to Nithor, somewhere along the way the art got pushed back. A major concern of Mime Arts is to put it back in the spotlight again.

Nithor finds hope among his audiences, and believes it works as an inspiration.

“In all the years that I have been miming, I have never come across an audience that was not enthralled by the performance,” he says.

Taking it to classrooms

Three years ago, Nithor Mahbub went into collaboration with BRAC in order to introduce miming as an in-school activity for BRAC’s schools all across Bangladesh.

“It is because of BRAC’s initiative that miming has now spread so

troupe faced everyday challenges of their own, including lack of costumes as well as space for practice.

Photo: Rami Almeghari/Electronic Intifada

In 2010, the website The Electronic Intifada released a story about Mayada al-Hallaj, a 25-year-old Palestinian, who had been a mime artist and teacher.

After years of political turmoil, war and destruction, that are synonymous with Gaza, Mayada's buried story is an example of the undercurrent of talent and youthful passion that has still survived.

Below is an excerpt from the Electronic Intifada's article on a seven-minute long performance Mayada lead while wearing a niqab: Nine artists with painted faces, ages 15-21 prepared to perform the show “Good and Evil” with Mayada, while Egyptian symphony music played in the background. Wearing a traditional facecovering known as a niqab, Mayada leads the show, steering the movements of her team.

“I wear the niqab because in the

far and wide across Bangladesh,” Nithor says. “BRAC believes in the holistic development of children, and our curriculum is shaped with that in mind. Co-circulars have been a part of our education programme since 1984, but it lacked a specific structure and implementation.”

“A few years ago we had revised a solid structure for co-circulars, with

Mayada al-Hallaj with her team of mimers in Gaza mime tradition, the performer wears a mask,” Mayada explained. “The niqab,” she added, “represents for me the conservative community of the refugee camp. However, I am pleased that we can do our performances without impediment.”

Mayada further explains: “As you noticed through this performance, we wanted to send out a message of peace, harmony and reconciliation among the community. Evil and good always encounter each other, but evil cannot triumph over good. We hope that Palestinians will be united.”

their audiences with the concept of co-circulars, and how beneficial they could be. The show became a big success among the audience and the children themselves.

Miming is one among a wide range of co-circulars. In order to reach 22,500 schools all over Bangladesh, BRAC came up with a framework to introduce mime classes comprised

in comparison to the other cocurricular activities taught in BRAC schools, but according to Nithor, who is the chosen expert trainer, the initiative proves to be promising.

“BRAC is helping me establish the one dream I had held so closely: spreading this art across Bangladesh.”

In all the years that I have been miming, I have never come across an audience that was not enthralled by the performance an intention to re-introduce it in our schools,” says Nishath Sultana, the manager of BRAC education programme in Bangladesh.

They launched a talent hunt show titled Deep Shikha, a competition for children under the BRAC education programme. The goal of the talent show was to familiarise students and

of 48 core-master trainers and 636 master trainers. The core-masters, who are BRAC employees, are trained by an expert, and they in turn teach the master trainers, who then complete the final link by training the BRAC school teachers in more than 600 regions in Bangladesh.

Mime is still a young concept

The message

Miming has also been an instrumental part of spreading awareness through theatre, a method many NGOS take up. “I have worked with Care Bangladesh on several productions that concentrated on spreading awareness on different social issues,” says Nithor.

“I always wanted to be different,” he says as he observes the artists performing one last act before calling it a day. “Grades and school work can only get you so far. It’s your passion that counts. Your passion takes you places. My passion took me into theatres and then into miming and I can’t imagine doing anything differently.”

Our conversation finally comes to an end as the group ends their practice for the week with cups of tea and a hearty dose of selfies.

.

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

6 business | The coolest offices in town

Think pads

Size: <5000 sqft Location: Road 27, Dhanmondi Features: The Edward M Kennedy Center office has open planning that takes into account the view of the city from the ninth floor. It is also one of the few locations in Dhaka with a clear view of Sangsad Bhaban. The architect designed the center keeping this view in mind.

Startup Dhaka finds some of the slickest workspaces in Dhaka Rizwan Shamim

R

ecently, small and large companies in Bangladesh have been creating creative and unconventional working spaces and offices.

Startup Dhaka launched an online contest to find the “coolest offices in Bangladesh.” Companies sent in basic information along with photos of their office. The winners were announced in September 1.

There were a large number of responses, and it was challenging for the judges to come up with the list. The coolest offices were selected based on the photos submitted, office details and the overall presentation of each company.

Here are the top picks, in no particular order.

EMK Center

Banglalink Size: >10,000sqft Designed by: Vitti Sthapati Brindo Location: Gulshan 1 Features: • Butterfly cubicle desk with honeycomb orientation to optimise space usage • Differentiated illumination system in different areas as per function • Open porches with plantations

Cookie Jar

Reprinted with permission from Startup Dhaka

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

Size: 1600sqft Designed by: Asiatic Space Design Solutions Location: Road 1, Banani Features: This small office space accommodates 23 desks. The nature of the business requires employees to be constantly innovative and active.

As a result, an office space was needed where people would want to spend more time than they do in their own homes.

Instead of large cubicles, people were given small work tables. Instead of a large board room in a comfortable lounge with large screen TVs, a full collection of Garfield comics, remote controlled cars, and cushions for a nap were provided. Another small gallery shaped meeting room serves for the other private room for meetings.

7 Applebox Films Size: <5000 sqft Designed by: Sabina Yeasmin Location: Road 23, Banani Features: Leading film production house, Applebox Films can be considered as a garage equipped with all the tools a creative person needs.

Some key philosophies behind the design are openness, an organic approach and a human touch. It is meant to invite everyone to open up and let their creativity flow.

Openness is present even in the transparent cover of switchboards that show the wires inside, and the highly sensitive knobs that make

switching on a light or fan a “turn on” experience.

To keep the space dynamic, areas of the office are not labelled for any particular work. This makeshift approach allows any corner of the office to be transformed into a mini theatre from a proper auditioning studio, or used in the next moment as a fully equipped meeting room.

A swing and a punching bag are hung in the middle of the office.

From wall colours to furniture design, every bit the office space shouts: “Be playful, be human and add life to work.”

Renata Size: >10,000 sqft Designed by: Shahriar Alam Location: Mirpur Features: Renata Park, the corporate headquarters of Renata Limited, is located in a 3-acre wifi enabled woodland covered with wild trees, beautiful flowers and medicinal plants. The objective is to create an

Grameenphone

Size: >10,000sqft Designed by: Consortium of VistaaraIcon Architects: Mustapha Khalid Palash, Md Foyez Ullah and Saiful Kader Location: Bashundhara Features: The conceptual idea behind this corporate headquarters building was to create an association between the company and the words: involving, transparent, empowerment, inspiring,

informal working environment where ideas flow freely.

Key features include: Cogitation zones for quiet thinking, outdoor conference rooms with glass ceilings that are open from all sides, a 335-meter walking track and a fully equipped outdoor gym available to all employees and their families.

openness, knowledge sharing, innovative and fresh – with a “here to help” mindset.

The vision was to create “the region’s leading workplace for creative activities” in alignment with the company’s declared objectives of being pioneering, creative, and innovative in the market.

Grameenphone says they aim to encourage a business process of constant renewal, and wants to become a “No Wall Company.”

NewsCred

Size: >10,000sqft Designed by: NewsCred Dhaka team Location: Kemal Ataturk Ave, Banani Features: Beyond the stylish appeal lies a purposeful design principle that emphasises teamwork and collaboration.

Employees sit together in an open space in full view of each other, allowing for better coordination and camaraderie. It also maximises light and air circulation.

Two comfortable seating lounges, a dedicated prayer room, spacious balconies, a pool table, and a ping pong table are also available for employees to use as they wish.

Lastly, a large expansive mural done in a nakshi-kantha motif is meant to reflect its Bangladeshi identity, and symbolises NewsCred’s development as a company through a journey down a river.

.

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

8 tea with wt | Bangladeshi drivers in Qatar

BEHIND the wheel in Doha Taking a tea break with the Bangladeshi men driving Qatar’s buses and taxicabs Sabrina Toppa

“D

haka is a huge city,” he tells me. “Doha is small.”

Dulal Miah Ismail is a 39-year-old Bangladeshi bus driver.

Wearing a starched white shirt, Ismail’s maroon tie is emblazoned with a logo for Mowasalat, Qatar’s stateowned transportation company.

Ismail is standing against the sandcoloured walls of Qatar’s Al Ghanim central bus station. He enters this bus station several times a day, as his route jags through the arteries of Sanaya, the beating heart of the industrial areas, to anywhere from the Sealine Beach Resort or Souq Al Attiyah, back to the central bus station.

Here in Al Ghanim, Qatar’s car-less population – consisting largely of South Asian men wearing cotton panjabis – wait to board air-conditioned buses underneath a white tent-like structure intended to shield them from the sun.

“In Qatar, there are too many Bangladeshis,” Ismail says, sipping his cha.

“Every day, they come.” He points out two men nearby, both attired in the same Mowasalat uniform. Recently, Ismail has seen the station swell with men from South Asia, imported as the economic bedrock behind the comprehensive national strategy enshrined in Qatar’s National Vision 2030.

A South Asian family

Although the migrant community is diverse, there is a sense of unity and kinship among the labourers. The nation-state boundaries of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India seem to collapse in Doha’s heat.

“All of us came here for money,” a 27-year-old Riyadh says, “because we have to support our family.” A Dhaka native, Riyadh remits anywhere from Tk5,000-10,000 monthly back home to Bangladesh, where his family depends on him as the sole breadwinner.

“I’m the eldest in my family. I have two brothers and one sister. I made the decision to drop out of university – even though my sick dad told me not to – to come here. I pay for my younger brother’s tuition for a BBA,” he says.

Qatar hosts approximately 150,000 Bangladeshi labourers. Ismail is one

of the 7.7 million Bangladeshis – 5.3% of the population – seeking employment outside Bangladesh.

Lingua franca

Riyadh spends his days driving taxis, and his nights studying English, which he associates with improved job prospects.

“While I’m on the job, I am always writing. What is this word? Or how can I use this word? Learning English is my hobby in Qatar.”

But the limited interaction with non-labourers makes mastering the new language a challenge. In fact, he insisted we conduct our interview in English. “In Qatar,” he tells me, “day by day, my speaking skills are going down because there is no one to practice with.”

Qatarisation

Foreigners outnumber nationals in Qatar, where the government created a Qatarisation programme guaranteeing public sector jobs for Qatari citizens. At least half the energy and industry sectors must be filled with Qataris.

Human Rights Watch reported that 99% of Qatar’s private sector is expatriate labour.

Riyadh, a taxi driver living in Qatar for the past 15 months, tells me: “I don’t like taxi driving. I don’t think it’s a professional job. In Qatar, there is good money, but no honour.”

Around the gold souk, Al Ghanim grows alive. Here, stalls serve labourers tea, biscuits, and shwarma – anything cheap and quick. Ismail, adhering to his Bangladeshi hospitality, refuses to let me pay for the tea, which is served Sulemani stylewithout milk.

no picnic

As Ismail and I walk around the station, eyes stick to us because I am the only woman. Sometimes, days will pass before he speaks to a girl, Ismail tells me.

Although it is a public bus station – the largest in the country – Al Ghanim’s only women are the occasional Filipino or Ethiopian caretakers on their journey homeward. Finding a Bangladeshi woman here is rare. For Ismail, the only women he sees are his customers, or those women walking on Doha’s sun-baked streets – many of

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

Dulal Miah Ismail

Photo: Sabrina Toppa

Although the migrant community is diverse, there is a sense of unity and … boundaries of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India seem to collapse in Doha’s heat which are not yet pedestrianised.

A 2013 International Organisation for Migration report stated women account for a mere 6% of Bangladeshi migrants worldwide.

Ismail and his colleagues live in all-male dormitory-style accommodation 30 minutes from the city centre, in the 500,000sqm Karwa City Housing complex. Lauded by Qatar’s Emir as an exemplar for company housing projects, the $96 million accommodation includes medical facilities and a self-contained gym – ensuring workers never need to leave.

It’s not clear where they would go, however. Though there are entertainment options in Doha, such as Bangladesh’s 2013 Channel i Music Awards, Ismail’s work hours prevent him from participating.

He leaves the Karwa City complex at 6am and returns so late in the eve-

ning that the Karwa’s canteens have usually stopped serving dinner. And although there are free things to do nearby – the Museum of Islamic Art is a 20-minute walk from the station – Ismail and his colleagues have never been inside.

Making the best of it

For Ismail and Riyadh, the biggest challenge is usually breaking up the tedium of the day. Hour after hour, the men circumambulate the same blue taxis and buses, watching customers pile in and out. “Qatar is a small country” Ismail tells me. “Each day is the same.” He looks at Riyadh sipping his tea, and they erupt into laughter after a Bangla joke.

At least for now though, the tedium of a daily driving schedule is broken by familiar jokes and warm cups of cha.

.

A potterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process | Photo story

9

Feats of clay

Story: Tasnuva Amin Nova Photos: Shadman Hasan

S

wapan Kumar Sikder never outgrew his childhood of playing with mud, and now makes a living out of it.

Since his college days at the ceramics department at the Fine Arts Institute of Dhaka University, Swapan has nurtured a passion for making art with different types of clay.

His day job is as the

assistant professor at the same department, and from the time he returns home, usually midday, he invests the rest of his waking hours making pottery, tableware, and sculptures using clay.

His workshop in Mirpur, where he also lives, is a temple of his terracotta creations in various shapes and shades of tan. Even the tableware used in his house

are handmade by him.

He starts by making rough sketches of the images he wants, then copies them onto sample prototypes of wood or plastic, before finally embedding the designs onto clay cakes.

Then the clay products are left to dry for several days, before they can finally be burned in the kiln to the desired shade of tan.

Swapan has been in this profession for more than two decades, and is approached by many companies and individuals with orders for making these products.

He makes tableware for Jatra and also supplies artifacts to foreign companies and governments.

Swapan carves smaller figures from clay tiles using wooden spatulas to make terracotta art

Turn for more photographs

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

10 PHoto story | A potterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process Tableware made by Swapan are stacked to the left side of the canvas bearing the sketch of a woman, which will be given life through his work

The black clay tile on the left is baked in chimneys to give it the reddish-brown tinge like the top right tile

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

Sculpture of a w body made from has been glazed wooden texture

This round shaped pottery with engraved drawings of RadhaKrishna was made by Swapan during his student days

11

womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s half m clay, which d to give it a e

Women in Swapanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art are represented in different hues of terracotta, as they are in life

Swapan engrossed in copying an image from a book onto his clay tile at his Mirpur workshop

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

14 post-riposte | Youth population

Does growth mean progress?

Is the exponential growth of Bangladesh’s youth population a blessing or a curse? Mahmood Sadaat Ruhul

Yes Mo’ money Bangladesh is undergoing a major demographic transition – one that will shape the country’s future for generations to come. Thanks to reduced infant mortality and successful family planning, more and more children survive till adulthood.

As dependency ratios continue to decline, the youth population (ages 15-24) will rise.

With 32.3% of the populace still under the age of 14, according to the CIA Factbook, the country is well poised to reap the economic rewards of an expanding workforce in the near future.

This booming economic growth, said to accompany falling fertility rates and increasing youth labour force participation is commonly known as the “Demographic Dividend.”

As a result, Bangladesh has enjoyed “a 6% annual GDP growth

over the last decade, which has coincided with plummeting birth and mortality rates, ballooning school enrolment, rising life expectancy and per capita income,” US researcher Edward Bearnot wrote in the Dhaka Tribune.

These positive effects have been most prominent in RMG sector, which accounts for almost 80% of all Bagnladesh’s export earnings. The sector employs an estimated three and a half million people, mostly young women.

However, the key for achieving a sustained rise in the standard of living is to re-invest the demographic dividend.

In 1993, The World Bank released a report titled “The East Asian Miracle” detailing how investment in human capital for youth boosted economic growth in South Korea, Hong Kong and other Tiger economies. Their

Population pyramid for Bangladesh (2014) prudent governments allocated resources into primary and advanced level education.

“It is the opportune moment for Bangladesh to capitalise on the demographic dividends by addressing issues such as gender equality, youth engagement and employment opportunities,” said Prof Nurun Nabi

Infograph: CIA Factbook of University of Dhaka at the Global Leadership Meeting on Population Dynamics.

If Bangladesh is to maintain its goal of transitioning into a middle income country by 2020, the explosion in the working-age population must be properly channelled to reap maximum economic gains.

n0 Mo’ problems

Distribution of civil conflicts across 1970-1999 in countries without recent conflict.

The greatest concentration is in countries with 60-80% of their populations under the age of 30 Infograph: Wilson Center

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

The burgeoning youth population will create the perfect conditions for civil unrest.

More than 50% of Bangladeshis are under the age of 24, according to the CIA Factbook.

Recent studies in demographic age structures indicate a correlation between countries with a high percentage of youth and the likelihood of political violence.

“A large proportion of young adults and a rapid rate of growth in the working-age population tend to exacerbate unemployment, prolong dependency on parents, diminish selfesteem and fuel frustrations,” writes Richard P Cincotta, a consultant for the National Intelligence Council.

If Bangladesh cannot rapidly produce millions of jobs, it will leave a large, disenfranchised underclass of unemployed young people with no stake in maintaining the status quo.

With a significant percentage of the youth population left without the means of climbing the social hierarchy, alternative, extra-legal avenues of income such as black markets

and criminal gangs are certain to proliferate.

Young men, often with heavy economic burdens on their shoulders, are particularly at risk of joining extremist organisations which give them a medium to express their grievances – thus, providing militant outfits with a ready supply of young hormone-charged cannon fodder.

“If you have no other options and not much else going on, the opportunity cost of joining an armed movement may be low,” notes Michelle Gavin, international affairs fellow for the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dhaka is home to a whopping 1.7 million people, which is far beyond the city’s capacity to provide basic services like sanitation, electricity and healthcare. According to Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, a noted urban planner: “If the population continues to increase, residing in Dhaka will become unbearable.”

Chances of a social upheaval are only multiplied by Bangladesh’s lack of robust public institutions and the unstable law and order situation.

child’s play | education

13

Early learning insights

The first few years of childhood is said to be the most crucial time for learning Faisal Mahmud of the setting, quality early childhood education must include both nurturing care and enriched learning experiences designed to stimulate a child’s progress in all key developmental areas: cognitive, physical, and socioemotional.

The crucial first three years

Photo: Bigstock

Human personality is formed during A the first two years, and in the first three years we learn the basic skills we will use in later learning

M

ost of the people gathered at the seminar room on a sunny morning last Saturday agreed on one thing: Teaching children is not an easy thing.

The attendees were teachers from the junior sections of Dhaka’s best schools and well-qualified to make this observation.

Aga Khan Education Service, Bangladesh, in an effort to make the job of the teachers easier and more efficient, organised the workshop titled “Exploring how young children learn,” held at the Ismaili Jamatkhana in Bashundhara area.

big job

“Sometimes children can really try your patience. When they are not yours, you may even find it difficult in coming up with the right action,” one teacher said. “It’s not only education that you give. It’s combined with caregiving too. Balancing these two is tough,” said another teacher at the gathering.

Over the years, there have been intense debates over what types of learning programmes qualify as care and which as education.

Increasingly, child development research shows that regardless

A child’s mind is a complex world, according to Dr Karen L Kelly, senior manager for early childhood and primary programmes at the Aga Khan Development Network and a trainer at the workshop. “Without understanding that world, you cannot make children learn something,” she said.

Referring to a 13-year-long Harvard University study on early childhood development, she said research has shown that by the age three, most children have the potential to understand about 1000 words – which is most of the language they will use in ordinary conversation for the rest of their lives.

“Most of the research works done on early childhood have shown that the first few formative years have actually shaped the child’s future skills. So the education that they have received from their parents is really important,” Kelly said.

Furthermore, research proves that while every child is born with a natural curiosity, it can be suppressed dramatically during the second and third years of life.

Human personality is formed during the first two years of life, and during the first three years children learn the basic skills they will use in all their later learning – both at home and at school. Past the age of three, children primarily continue to expand on their existing knowledge of the world.

Besides parents, preschool teachers also play a very important part in a child’s life. Kelly said: “Parents send their children to preschool with the hope that their children will be taught the basic habits and skills that will prepare them for school and life in general.”

“That is a huge responsibility on the teachers, and it is their duty to do it in an efficient manner,” she said.

Playing is learning

Parents often hear of the importance of play in preschool. But to most of

them, playing with dolls and blocks seems to have little to do with the academic knowledge children need to succeed in kindergarten.

Saira Nazrali, the technical advisor for early childhood development for the Aga Khan Education Learning Centre, thinks otherwise. According to her, playing is also an extremely important part of a child’s life.

“Play is the foundation for all learning for young children, and giving your child the time and a few basic toys can provide him or her with a variety of valuable learning opportunities,” said Nazrali.

“Play is how children begin to understand and process their world.

Playing unlocks their creativity and imagination, and develops reading, thinking, and problem solving skills and further develops motor skills.

It provides the base foundation for learning.”

Nazrali believes that playing with other children or adults strengthens a child’s vocabulary and language skills. “Your child will listen and learn the language he or she hears.

Children will learn to use language to communicate meaning as well as pick up new words and grammatical structures.”

Consider, said Nazrali, that playing with cars, trucks, trains, as well as with animals, provides children opportunities to learn the names of each – what they do, what they eat or where they can find them. Playing with dolls allow a child to reenact what happens in everyday life, using the words and phrases she hears.

“Children who are not given frequent opportunities to play may have a difficult time entertaining themselves, as they simply do not know what to do without instruction.

By providing opportunities for open-ended play, your child will automatically get his or her creative juices flowing.”

About the importance of playing, Dr Kelly said the preschool teacher’s role in the development of play is critical. “Parents should look to see that the teacher has organised the environment and is using the curriculum in a way that guides him/ her to plan for how the children are going to be engaged in play.”

“Play really is a structured way of learning.”

.

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

14 Legalese | Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi

SHARING IS CARING

Q

I am 62 years old, and have a step brother who is 30 years younger than me. I got married when I was 20 years old and I had a son.

The problem is, my father married another woman when I was 25, and my stepbrother was born when I was 30.

I never imagined I would have to give my stepbrother a share of the property. My son has started business on my father’s (our) land, and has increased the value of the property.

I wanted to ask how the property would be divided between me and my stepbrother.

Got a problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

A

Dear Reader: Thank you for writing in to me. Inheritance law always appears a little complicated on the surface but, in fact, it’s really quite simple if you think about it. To answer your question shortly and simply: the estate of your deceased father will be equally divided between you and your brother.

This is, of course, based on the assumption that there are no other heirs to the estate, which is also based on the fact that you have not mentioned any others in the paragraph above.

Under the Muslim Inheritance Law, there are three kinds of heirs: “sharers” who are entitled to a prescribed share of the inheritance, “residuaries” who take on prescribed share but succeed to the residue left after satisfying the claims of the sharers, and “distant kindreds” who are blood relations other than the sharers and residuaries, and succeed generally in the absence of sharers and residuaries.

In the classification of the heirs, it is important to note that though the son’s son and son’s daughter have been made residuary and sharer respectively, daughter’s children have

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

Cartoon: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

been made distant kindreds. The principles of succession among the sharers and residuaries are two-fold: i. The nearest in blood relationship excluded the remote one ii. Whoever is related to the deceased through any person shall not inherit while the person is living.

Under the Muslim Law, the wife (or wives taken together) get oneeighth if there is child, and one fourth if there be no child from the estate of her husband, though the husband gets exactly double. This is the case

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

if the second wife is still alive, also not specified in your question. As per the Muslim Law of Inheritance the wife/husband, deceased father and mother, children (daughter) are the primary sharers. If they are alive, no other person will be the inheritors of the deceased’s property.

The property will be divided as fifty-fifty among the deceased’s sons as they will be considered as the residuary. And the grandson will get nothing from his grandfather’s property. Both of you will be

considered as residuaries.

I realise that this may seem a little complicated, but please note that its the best that I can do, owing to the limited information provided.

Also, why would you have initially thought that you would never have to give your stepbrother a share of your property? Step or otherwise, the fact remains that he is your blood relation and therefore your family kin.

Hopefully this clarifies the questions that were troubling you.

.

Bangla cinema posters | Listology

15

The art of melodrama

The low-down on the defining characteristics of dramatic and colourful Bangla cinema posters Gopa B Caesar

Over populated

These posters are crowded with people, just like our beloved country.

They often try to accommodate all the main characters crowding the silver screen picture – even minor characters, ranging from the overemotional and endlesslysuffering mother, to the close associates of the malevolent villains wearing their sinister expressions.

They all typically have artificial and theatrical expressions in these posters.

Overly-saturated

The usual trend of Bangla cinema posters is a graffiti-like appearance, as if they were all painted on walls

painted with polychromatic paint.

The most dominant colour is red, closely followed by yellow, blue, green, hot pink and “queen pink.”

What emerges are heroines with almost-pink faces and heroes with have light stubble on their green faces. All have teary eyes with bluish drops as the blood on their body bleeds in red-orange-yellow hues.

Unsurprisingly, the blood flows profusely in these films and on their posters.

Bloody

Armaments

As most of the films are formulaic, viewers can expect the usual love affairs that either require heroines to be saved, or conflicts between two characters to be resolved by fight sequences. Both require a large number of action sequences.

Highly sensuous

Women are seen in their most luscious and attention-seeking poses.

It is worth paying attention to for the sexualised and ludicrous dresses alone.

Besides the over-affected stars and cast, not to mention the melodramatic twists, there is one more thing that these posters largely concentrate on: armaments. The villain(s) on the posters are always seen with a weapon, be it a sword or rifle. It is interesting to note that action film posters will almost certainly feature the weapons used in the films, causing the poster to look like an ad for a gun dealer.

Series of shouting men

An interesting characteristic of posters is the series of aggressive men. The hero and the villain(s) are the regulars, with unusually white chattering teeth and vengeful eyes – seeking justice and retribution respectively.

Joining the pack are often a) the father(s) of either the hero or the heroine, b) the uncle(s), c) associates

of the villain and d) the most faithful servant(s).

Sometimes, we even meet a few enraged elderly women as well. All of them seem to directly communicate with the audience, pointing their index fingers in a threatening gesture.

Stars need no introduction

Even though around three-quarters of the poster space is occupied by the protagonists, it is very unlikely that you will find their names in the posters.

Stars in the subcontinent are so famous that it can be unnecessary to bother to list their names – one of the surprising differences between western film posters and ours. Film critics like Roger Ebert and Ashish Rajadhyaksha have discussed this issue in their reviews as well.

Even the most irregular Bangla cinema viewer knows who ShabanaBobita-Shabnam are. And stars like Alomgir, Razzak are household names.

In recent times, these names have been replaced by new ones, but the pattern remains the same.

Stardom is not only about the hero and heroine. There is hardly a cinema-goer ignorant of the ubiquitous villain Misha Showdagar or slapstick screenstar Dildar.

.

Gopa B Caesar teaches English at BUET, and is currently studying Television & Film Studies at Dhaka University

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

16 TOUGH LOVE | DINA SOBHAN

Overexposure & underachiever

Q A

My wife and I both work at the same place. We are very busy and work late hours. I look forward to unwinding with her when we get home.

But lately I find that she is always preoccupied. If she is not texting,

she is playing one of her stupid games, and is always staring at some screen or the other.

She never makes eye contact with me anymore. I am starting to feel neglected.

What can I do? I am tired of talking to someone who is only half there.

Oh, man. Thou art so vain and foolish. Not to be the one to burst your little bubble, but maybe your wife simply does not want to talk to you. After a hard day’s work, maybe the last thing she wants is to interact with you for another second. You live AND work together, so undoubtedly your little demands start at 7am and go on ‘til bedtime …

Every. Single. Day. It’s not beyond the bounds of reason to think that your wife would be happy to never see you again. Or maybe she just wants to zone out and relax … which involves not having to feign interest

in you, converse with you or even look at you.

If you’re feeling neglected, it could be a result of your pathological neediness stemming from inadequate nurturing from your mother. Don’t expect your wife to be your mother. That’s just wrong.

Go out and take some selfesteem courses, take up a hobby, or find some other like-minded, frustrated husbands and go talk about your neglectful wives at the bar over white-wine spritzers.

Just leave her be and appreciate the few scraps of affection she throws at you once in awhile. You’ll both be happier for it, guaranteed.

Cartoon: Priyo

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

Q A

Got a problem?

Write to Dina at weekend@ dhakatribune. com

Photo: Bigstock

I am new in college and hope that maybe things will look promising in the romance department (just like in so many American college films where the

hero finally gets a real girlfriend).

I am your quintessential nice guy who has never been in a relationship before.

I was hoping you could advise me on how to approach girls so that I can avoid heartbreaks.

Once again, I dislike being the bearer of bad tidings, but I don’t know why you “nice guys” – as you like to call yourselves – think that your lives will change dramatically as soon as you go to college. Yes, you are in a new and larger environment where old stereotypes won’t haunt you and you’re likely to meet a greater variety of women, etc.

However, you are not Zac Efron.

You are still the same loser you were in high-school, and need to develop your personality and interests instead of hoping you’ll meet a girl who likes you for “who you are.”

For starters, women like confidence. They’re so mired in

insecurity most of the time that it won’t do to have a boyfriend who is too. Secondly, you need to rustle up some sex appeal. Most women don’t want just a nice guy. Of course they want a guy who is nice to them, but also knows to park him at the bedroom door.

Also, if you’re broke, get yourself a job. Don’t be the guy who can’t even afford a slice of pizza and a movie on Friday night.

As for approaching girls, remember only bimbos and hussies fall for a pick-up line. Keep it simple and aim for someone in your league with similar interests. If you’re a nerd, your library is the best bet. It’s cliché, yet true. Stick with what you know, kid.

.

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

Multimedia journalism | media

17

Telling impactful stories

Multimedia journalism could unlock the power of the people, and Drik’s Rural Visual Journalism Network is making it happen in Bangladesh Mark S Baidya

I

t was a common story, but this time it had a different ending.

The once majestic Boral River in Rajshahi, which had sustained thousands of families living on its fertile shores, had been reduced to a narrow stream.

An influential group of people in the Chargate upazila had appropriated a section of the river as their own private fishery, illegally building embankments and dumping fertilizers, pesticides, animal dung and other chemicals into the water.

A district correspondant who was part of the newly formed Rural Visual Journalism Network, asked affected local residents: “What did you do about it?” People scuffled their toes and looked down.

The residents were suffering but felt powerless. The colour of the water changed, and was giving them skin irritation, for which they had no medication. Though they were losing their only water source, they were unsure whether raising their voices would change things for better or worse. Would it bring forth more trouble?

But they underestimated the power of human voices and faces to convey a story. Their multimedia tale was uploaded onto the driknews.com website, and word quickly spread.

Local authorities could no longer turn a blind eye, and they brought the fisheries to a halt. The river is recovering and can once again be beneficial to the local residents, who no longer suffer from skin rashes and boils, diarrhea and other water related diseases.

Why multimedia?

The medium of multimedia journalism is perhaps the only way that Bangladesh can make its mark in the world, says Aminuzzaman Amin, project manager of the Rural Visual Journalism Network (RVJN).

Multimedia journalism is using more than one medium – text, still images, video and audio – into one single format to communicate and construct video news stories. The medium engages global audiences

and can potentially tell emotive and impactful stories. It also allows for personal and meaningful experiences with the story in focus, allowing the viewer to grasp the bigger context, and not just the particular news event.

The word “multimedia” is no longer new to the world of journalism today. In fact, it is an expected format and a desired preference for international news media outlets.

Journalists can make good use of modern technology like smartphones, tabs, and different new media to produce compelling news stories in a relatively short time. These can now be processed and shared between countries via the internet in a matter of minutes.

Rural Visual Journalism

RVJN has been advancing the multimedia journalism network in Bangladesh by providing training, and equipping reporters and photographers with Apple iPod Touch devices.

The programme takes into account the realities of rural communities, such as high illiteracy rates, less access to information, and the recent dramatic rise of radio penetration, mobile phone usage and TV. The disadvantaged representation of women and children in the media sector and the limited press freedom in the country remain a constant matter of concern.

Dr Shahidul Alam, photographer, writer, curator and activist, took the initiative to create this network with partnership with World Press Photo, Amsterdam.

For about four years now, RVJN has been telling impactful stories from rural Bangladesh. District correspondents report on good governance, livelihood, climate change, education, human rights and cultural activities.

The initiative earned Drik Picture Library the Manthan Award in 2012 and the World Summit Award (WSA).

In 2013, RVJN accepted a WSA award in the “e-Media & Journalism” category at the gala ceremony in

Supriyo Chakma uses an iPod Touch in the field

Photo: RVJN

This is an opportunity to show the world that people in the heart of Bangladesh – despite horrific statistics – possess happiness within the simplicity of their lives Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The network is quickly gaining momentum and spreading its coverage across Bangladesh. RVJN has made a significant impact in the lives of people by giving them a chance to voice their opinions, needs and complaints. One story in particular begs to be told because it is a story of hope and justice.

The necessary 3G

It all looks promising, but there are still challenges. In Bangladesh, 3G internet bandwidth facilities just got started and has yet to see its peak.

As the technology becomes more accessible, it will become easier to output multimedia news stories, and even open portals for people to join in, share content and post comments.

Strong command over this new and ever-changing medium can only

benefit the viewers and improve the journalistic experience. As news reporting is not limited to traditional media outlets anymore, a range of variance is therefore made accessible to storytellers through this medium.

This is an opportunity to show the world that people living in the heart of Bangladesh possess a state of happiness within the simplicity of their lives. Despite horrific statistical reports, the main problems lie within the existing infrastructure.

Once the world watches well produced journalistic reports from rural Bangladesh, Aminuzzaman says, it will communicate our identity and culture to the world and liberate us from the backwards reputation of being a disaster prone, poverty stricken, corruption ridden and basketcase nation.

.

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

18 stay in

Mini cryptics

Mind the sting

Clues

ACROSS

1 Storage place of album in 8 Down (5) 5 Nothing goes in Spain like eggs (3) 6 Babies have them, like a short sleep (5) 8 Bloom is in 24 hours (5) 10 Endless public disorder of Olympic venue (3) 11 Claw back at London’s West End (5)

Shah Nahian

I’

ve always wondered what it would be like to keep a real wild animal in the house.

While keeping a Bengal tiger is practically impossible (and extremely illegal), you can still bring home something exotic. The fish famed for taking out Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter, are now available

DOWN

of thumb is that the tank should be at least twice as wide as the disc width of the mature sized stingray (but preferably six times wider).

Just like all fish, stingrays need to be introduced to a fully cycled tank.

If you’re an inexperienced aquarist, this is not the fish for you.

The tank water needs to be

changes are a must along with a RO (reverse osmosis) filtration system.

Stingrays are best kept alone, but can also be maintained in a group with a single male and multiple females. In the wild stingrays are opportunistic carnivores, but aquarium specimens prefer live foods such as earthworms, river

1 2 3 4 7 8 9

Country lair Germans used to buy (7) Explosion in hip operations (3) Tired of your first plaything (3) Continue with hand luggage (5,2) Vegetable energy held by father (3) Short word for Dorothy in Morse code (3) Tablet doesn’t begin to make unhealthy (3)

at local fish stores in Dhaka.

I’m talking about freshwater stingrays.

Stingrays are exceptionally expensive and difficult to keep.

However, it can also be a rewarding experience.

All freshwater stingrays grow quite large and must be housed in a very large tank. Depending on the type of stingray you get, a good rule

slightly acidic to neutral (pH 6.5-7) and adequate filtration is critical for long term success. Without exception, stingrays are highly sensitive to ammonia and nitrite, and on no account should they be maintained in an immature aquarium. Besides zero ammonia and nitrite levels, nitrate has to be kept as low as possible, preferably below 20 mg/l. Regular water

shrimps and feeder fish.

Rays tend to be quite peaceful and get along with large but docile midwater fish, such as the Oscar.

Though fatalities are extremely rare and mostly occur in the wild, serious caution is advised when dealing with these fish. Stingrays are venomous, and while setting up a tank, you’re advised to use external filters and maintenance equipments (such as canister filters) to avoid putting your hands in the tank as much as possible.

Extensive research must be done before bringing home a stingray. If you feel you’re up for the challenge, these fish are available in Water Zoo BD (43 University Market, Katabon) and Unimart (Road 90, Gulshan 2) for around Tk17,000 a pair. n

Last week’s solutions

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

ACROSS 1 Repeat nonsense after knockback (6) 6 Burning the Spanish inn (5) 7 Marry in south east european country (5) 8 Number left in empty tray (6) DOWN 2 Confused the tale of sports star (7) 3 Back off about gift (7) 4 Gift for holding beer in explosives (6) 5 Shut top of the wardrobe (6)

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, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

Go out

19

Photography | Ghuddee Community Photography Contest

Weekly Planner Sept 12 When Until Sept 30, 12pm-11:55pm Where Ghuddee.com and House 36, Road 1, Sector 5, Uttara

I

n observance of World Tourism Day on September 27 and World Rivers Day on September 28, ghudde.com has arranged a photography contest to highlight the tourism sector in Bangladesh.

Anyone can participate.

How to join

Participation is absolutely free. Just send your photos to info@ghuddee. com with the subject line “Ghuddee Community Photography Contest.”

Rules and Regulation

One person can send a maximum of three photos. Each photo should have a caption. The participant can send technical photo descriptions as well, though that is optional. At least one photo with the subject of “rivers of

Bangladesh” is recommended.

Participants should use proper copyright signature, watermark or logo on the photo.

Last day of photo submission is September 18 at 11:55pm.

Photos will be published in the Facebook group Photo which gets the highest number of “likes” from others will be the winner.

Voting on Facebook will continue until September 26.

The winner will receive a prize, and the photograph will be featured as a banner on ghuddee.com’s Facebook group and page. It will also be featured in the webpage.

For further details contact 01717218315 or 01712591664. n

Happy Hour: Born under a bad sign

Business | Workshop on SEO training

When 10am-6pm Where SPEEDHOSTBD, House 28, Road 7, Banasree, Rampura What The workshop will cover topics like understanding Search Engine Optimisation, website essentials, internal ranking factors, web stats monitoring, search engine submission, sitemaps, keyword research, social networking phenomenon, search engine marketing and search engine spam.

The course fee is Tk800 per person. For further details contact 01782391434.

Sept 14-15 Tech | DUITS-ERICSSON 3rd National Campus IT Fest 2014

When 10am Where TSC, University of Dhaka What Dhaka University IT Society (DUITS) & ICT Division, MoPTIT have jointly organised Campus IT Fest 2014, sponsored by Ericsson. The theme of this festival is “IT enabled campus for better education.” Events will include: project showcasing, Apps in life (mobile based application development), a business idea contest, a gaming contest (Counter Strike, DOTA, NFS) an IT quiz, and on-the-spot creative writing competitions. For further details contact 01722002532.

Sept 14-16 When Sept 13, 7:30pm Where EMK Center, House 5, Road 27, Dhanmondi

T

his blues-inspired concert features the musical stylings of Chotu Khan, Panduranga Blumberg and Saad Chowdhury.

Panduranga Blumberg (on electric and acoustic guitar, laptop, electronic programming) played with Ike Turner for 10 years and won a Grammy for best traditional blues album in 2007 for Rising with the Blues. He was a student of Ravi Shankar since 2004, and has worked and recorded with many Bangali folk legends such as Kangalini Sufi and Tun Tun Baul. He also produced Rai by Anusheh Anadil and Bhaab by Baul Shafi Mondol.

Chotu Khan (on vocals and guitars, lead vocalist of Stone Free) has been

covering classic rock over the past 25 years. He put together projects paying tribute to favourites such as Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, America, Simon & Garfunkel and James Taylor.

Saad Chowdhury (on piano, bass guitar) is a British-Bangladeshi musician and producer based in Dhaka. Saad has been active on the scene as a professional musician and a producer since 2006. Among his achievements, he scored the music for Al Jazeera’s Witness (Dhaka’s Cholera Wars), as well as scoring music for other documentaries and films for Save the Children, UNDP and the World Bank. n

Business | Training: Social media marketing secrets

When 4pm-5:30pm Where WebCode Institute, 13th floor, 228 New Elephant Road What WebCode Institute is arranging free training on social media marketing, moderated by the organisation’s senior internet marketing professional Tafseer Ahmed. A total of 30 participants will

SEPTEMBER

2014

be trained in the current session. For registration log in webcodeinstitute. com. For further details call 01678170593.

Registered participants of this workshop will get 20% off on future workshops arranged by WebCode.

Education | 3-Day TOEFL workshop

When 5pm-8pm Where EMK Center, House 5, Road 27, Dhanmondi What The speaker will give tips on how to crack the exam, practice questions and hone study skills.

There will be worksheets and listening tapes for students to solve, which the instructor will check. This programme will be highly useful for anyone studying for TOEFL, so take this opportunity to learn some valuable skills in a short course. For further details contact edusa@emk.com.bd or 9119752, 9119768, 9119776.

Sept 19 Tech | Mecceleration 2014

When 10am Where Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Board Bazar, Gazipur What For the first time in Bangladesh, The department of mechanical and chemical engineering (MCE) of Islamic University of Technology (IUT) will host a Mechanical Festival. The festival will allow innovative ideas, by mechanical engineering students from all around Bangladesh, to be portrayed in a competitive manner in front of the whole country. This festival will facilitate the display of potential and prospects of mechanical engineering and its students. Registration is open until September 12, and the deadline for payment is September 15.

Send your events to weekend@ dhakatribune.com

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

5 7

1 8

2 9

3 10

4 11

5 12

6 13

14 21 28

15 22 29

16 23 30

17 24 1

18 25 2

19 26 3

20 27 4

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

20 OBITUARY | firoza begum I feel so proud when I hear people saying: ‘Look who is passing by … that is Miles’s mother.’ To be known as Miles’s mother feels wonderful performed before Kazi Nazrul Islam in Kolkata when she was very young, and was inspired by her family to continue learning music.

Musical career

Songbird flies away Legendary Nazrulgeeti singer Firoza Begum passed away on Tuesday Farhana Urmee

F

iroza Begum, whose name has become synonymous with Nazrulgeeti (songs by the national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam) passed away on Tuesday at the age of 84 at Apollo Hospital.

The singer, who had learned from Kazi Nazrul himself, had been suffering from kidney and heart complications for some time.

Her body was kept at Central Shaheed Minar on Wednesday to allow mourners to pay their respects.

President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and JaPa Chairman HM Ershad expressed their grief at her demise.

“She was an unbelievable singer who had the power of taking someone with the emotion of the song into the world of music,” said Prof Rafiqul Islam, Chairman of the Nazrul Institute Trustee Board. “It is a matter of great sadness that we lost her. She can never be replaced.”

Early life

Firoza Begum was born to a zamindar family in Gopalganj on July 28, 1930.

Her childhood was very colourful as she had always been active in dancing, singing, acting and painting in school. She had a knack for art and was a true learner.

Her talent in music was extraordinary and her family’s progressive outlook allowed her to perform in public – which was rather unusual in that era.

She had the great fortune to have

Her first recorded song was an Islamic one, and was a big hit. She got her second invitation to record an Urdu song with composer Kamal Dasgupta, who she eventually married.

After completing her recording, she relocated to Kolkata with her sister, which enabled greater opportunities to learn music.

She was a brilliant singer of Urdu, ghazal, thumri and modern Bangla songs.

When she became a regular singer for All India Radio, she decided to sing songs by Kazi Nazrul Islam, which require great vocal expertise.

It was a challenge that she took up as a promising young singer. She had always been drawn to learning and playing with complex tunes.

“Ami Gogono Gohoney Shondhatara” was the first Nazrulgeeti she recorded. After that, she never looked back.

In 1960, she got another break during the Puja festivals by recording “Momero Putul” and “Dur Dwipobashini.” In 1961, she was the first person from either East or West Pakistan to record Nazrul LPs. She recorded “Shawana Raatey Jodi” in 1968, which sold more than 200,000 copies, which earned her the Gold Disc from CBS Japan.

Her profound love for music was not for complex tunes only. Along with her unique style of singing, she loved the words and tried to perceive the feeling of the songwriter. She recorded Tagore songs as well.

She remained an iconic artist in the music industry for six decades.

Family

Her father was Khan Bahadur Moham-

Did you know?

• • • • •

She received her Nazrulgeeti lessons from Kazi Nazrul Islam himself She was often called Sraboni as she was born in the Bangla month of Srabon She said her first music teacher was a gramophone Beautiful Firoza refused a movie role when she was 15 During the British and Pakistani periods, her total number of records were 1,600 • She never sang as a playback singer

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, S E PTE M B E R 1 2, 201 4

Lifeline 1930 Firoza was born, on a full moon night 1942 First recording at the age of twelve with Gramophone Company 1949 She recorded her first Nazrulgeeti, also with Gramophone Company 1956 Married the singer, composer and music director Kamal Dasgupta 1972 First stage performance in Kolkata 1979 Received Independence Day Award

mad Ismail and mother, Begum Kaokabunnesa. With her husband Kamal Dasgupta, she had three sons—two of them, Shafin Ahmed and Hamin Ahmed are the founding members of rock band “Miles” and her other son, Tahsin Ahmed, lives abroad.

In a TV interview Firoza Begum once said, “I feel so proud when I hear people saying, look who is passing by...that is Miles’ mother. To be known as Miles’ mother feels wonderful.”

Awards and recognition

She had been presented with numerous awards including: Independence Day Award, Shilpakala Academy Award, Best TV Artist Award (Pakistan, Bangladesh), Nasiruddin Gold Medal, Deennath Sen Gold Medal, Sir Salimullah Gold Medal and Satyajit Ray Gold Medal.

She was honoured with the Nazrul Shommanona by the West Bengal government in India in 2012.

Like her first recorded Nazrulgeeti “Ami Gogono Gohoney Shondhatara” (I am the evening star in the distant sky) she will remain the leading light in Nazrulgeeti forever.

.