Weekend Tribune Vol 2 Issue 22

Dhaka Tribune | vo l 2 I ssu e 22 | F R I D AY, OCTOB ER 17, 2014

Up, up and away

4

3d printing

12

nobel laureates

17

Probarona Purnima

CONTENTS

1

Volume 2 | Issue 22 | October 17, 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

4 Digital Bangladesh 3D printers

Weekend Tribune Team Tasnuva Amin Nova Mark S Baidya Farhana Urmee Ishrat Jahan Farina Noireet Faisal Mahmud Tausif Sanzum Sabrina Toppa

8 Feature Child marriage

Art Direction/Photography Syed Latif Hossain Cartoons Syed Rashad Imam Tonmoy Priyo

6 business Making tea

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

Last Tuesday was Probarona Purnima, a Buddhist holiday marked by the release of fanush (floating lamps), which symbolises “enlightening the world with wisdom.”

To learn more about this beautiful tradtion, see pg 17.

This photo was taken at Dharmarajik Buddha Vihar, Bashabo, Dhaka

15 Social construct Marriage for gay men 17 Origin story Probarona Purnima 20 Funny bone Yamin Khan

Regulars 14 Legalese Food poisoning payback

Contributors Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi Shadman Hasan Reema Islam Arif Kabir Yamin Khan Shah Nahian Dina Sobhan Graphics Md Mahbub Alam Alamgir Hossain Tahsin Momin

12 Feature Meet the Nobel laureates

16 Tough Love Jealousy and judgement 18 Stay In 19 Go Out

9 Photo story Bihari camp remnants

Up, up and away A nd, we’re back. After our long Eid/Durga holiday, we were charmed to come to last Tuesday’s Probarona Purnima celebration (pg 17). It pulled us right out of our hangover from our meatgorging and dhol dancing.

This week’s announcement of Nobel prize winners (pg 12-13) also gave us a lift, despite the decidedly unpeaceful behaviour of India and Pakistan, home countries of the joint peace prize winners.

Bangladesh, not to be left behind, is on the rise with social-minded businesses like Teatulia (pg 6-7), a real turnaround in the tea planting story.

Local designers are about to get a leg up with 3D printers (pg 4-5), which can

Editor’s note

turn ideas into products with the click of a button. But some creatives still have their work cut out. It’s hard out there for a comic, Yamin Khan reminds us in his signature droll style (pg 20).

There are a few things we’d like to do away with, like the new law on the table to legalise child marriage (pg 8), the social and familial pressure for gay men to marry (pg 15), and the violence done to minorities, like the Bihari camp fire this past Shab-e-barat (p 9-11).

Onward and upward.

- Rumana Habib

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2 News | This week

The world at a glance Bomber hits Baghdad, killing 24

private activist group from the South, carrying leaflets with messages critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Some bullets landed in South Korea and its military fired back. There were no casualties.

Earlier last week, the two sides exchanged fire after a North Korean patrol boat crossed a sea border that the North has long disputed, in an area where naval clashes have killed scores of sailors on both sides in the past.

A suicide bomber detonated his vehicle full of explosives near a congested security checkpoint into a predominantly Shia neighborhood in northern Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday.

It killed 24 people, including a Shia member of Parliament, and wounded 40, officials said.

The attack was the latest in a rash of bombings in and around Baghdad over the past few days. The Islamic State often sends suicide bombers into congested, predominantly Shia neighborhoods in the capital.

In another attack on Tuesday, a roadside bomb exploded in the Qahira district of northern Baghdad, killing four people and wounding 11, hospital and police officials said. As of filing this report on Wednesday night, no group had claimed responsibility.

Putin, Poroshenko discuss measures to restore peace

A long-running dispute over natural gas supplies will be on the agenda when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko hold talks in Italy on Thursday and Friday, the Kremlin said.

They are expected to continue discussions on the conflict and the gas dispute on the sidelines of a summit of European and Asian leaders, which they are both attending in Milan.

Officials from Russia and the European Commission, which is mediating the talks, say a deal could be near.

Poroshenko said on Saturday he hoped for “significant progress” on the issue during the talks.

North, South Korea militaries hold talks High-ranking military officials from North and South Korea met on Wednesday to discuss recent border altercations including exchanges of fire, but they did not resolve their differences, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said.

North Korea’s military fired shots on Friday at big balloons released by a

Weekend Tribune Desk Hong Kong protesters clash with police

About 200 pro-democracy protesters were in a standoff with police near Hong Kong’s government headquarters late Tuesday as the “Umbrella Revolution” stalemate continued. There were tense moments when demonstrators rushed past officers to take control of twin road tunnels, prompting loud cheers.

Protesters regrouped around new barricades after the clashes, at about 10:45pm local time.

Much earlier on Tuesday, police began to take down barriers using electric saws and bolt cutters. Officers will continue to take down barriers, spokesman Steve Hui said. It follows the government’s abrupt cancellation of talks scheduled last Friday with the activists, who are demanding that China drops plans for a pro-Beijing committee to screen candidates in the territory’s first direct elections, promised for 2017.

Brazil election candidates spar over corruption, nepotism

Brazil’s two presidential candidates traded accusations of lies, corruption and nepotism on Tuesday night in a bruising television debate that had no clear winner, ahead of the hotly

contested October 26 election runoff.

Leftist incumbent President Dilma Rousseff warned Brazilians that the election of her pro-business challenger Aecio Neves would lead to unemployment and put at risk the social benefits gained under 12 years of rule by her Workers’ Party.

Neves charged that the Rousseff campaign propaganda was a pack of lies, which had misinformed voters that he was planning to end cash transfer programs and privatise state banks.

Bermuda in Hurricane Gonzalo’s line of fire

Hurricane Gonzalo gathered strength moving over open water, away from the eastern end of the Caribbean, and forecasters said it could become a powerful category 4 storm sometime Wednesday as it headed towards Bermuda.

Authorities on some of the smaller islands buffeted by Gonzalo said at least one person was dead and two were missing. Dozens of boats were damaged and power was knocked out in St Maarten.

The storm had top sustained winds of 205 kph and was centred about 1,100 km south of Bermuda late Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Center said. It was moving northwest at 20 kph.

Cyclone Hudhud hits Visakhapatnam V Zubair (L) and Kadir (R)

Zubair alleged murder solved

O

n Sunday, the Detective Branch of police claimed they solved the mysterious death of Zubair Ahmed, saying his swimming instructor Abuubaida Kadir killed the teenager while trying to sexually assault him.

Zubair Ahmed, 17, an O-level student at the private coaching institute QED Academy, drowned in a shallow pond on October 4 at the sector 4 playground in Uttara. He

isakhapatnam, the largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, is now in a ravaged state after it was hit by cyclone Hudhud on Sunday.

Since the severe cyclonic storm Hudhud battered the city’s coastline and took down its electricity lines, the city of 1.8 million people have remained in darkness and deprived of potable water. Piped potable water supplies have run out as well.

Motor pumps installed in homes

and apartments are not running either, with the power supply yet to be restored. Lack of other essential commodities have added to the woes of the residents of the port city.

On Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the cyclone-hit city as well as other parts of north coastal Andhra, also affected by the cyclone. He announced a package of Rs1,000 crore for cyclonehit Andhra Pradesh.

News: Desk. Photo: AP

drowned in front of Kadir, despite knowing how to swim. Police recovered his body with the help of fire service rescue and salvage divers on October 5 after Kadir notified the police of the boy’s drowning.

Police later investigated and believe it was Kadir who killed Jubair and drowned him after he refused to be sexually involved with Kadir.

News: Desk. Photo: Dhaka Tribune A car damaged by uprooted tree in Visakahapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

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meanwhile ... | News

3

Photo of the week ‘Oh my lord!’

The photo was taken in Monowara Hospital in Dhaka, by Amlin Iqbal Eshita, a BArch student at BRAC University.

Eshita said: ‘The gesture of the baby inspired me to take this photo of a new born suffering from jaundice. After birth he was kept in this machine to help him recover, and his eyes were covered to protect them from the blue light. It expresses vulnerability, and at the same time concern for the world. The title refers to his astonishment, as if the world seems interesting already.’

Photo: Amlin Iqbal Eshita, a BArch student at BRAC University

This photo was the winning photograph (single) at Voyage of Visuals, a photography exhibition and competition being held this week (see pg 19). It was organised by BUET Photographic Society. Dhaka Tribune is a media partner

You’re welcome

Say what?

Protect your privacy online

China searches for Putin’s roaming tiger

On the web: When browsing the web, use Tor Browser to anonymise you location, known as the IP address, which your computer transmits automatically to every website you visit.

C

hina is on the hunt for a Siberian tiger released into the wild by the Russian president Vladimir Putin after the animal roamed across the border, likely in search for food, said state media last Thursday.

The tiger, named Kuzia, was one of three rare wild cats that Putin helped release into Russia’s remote Amur region in eastern Siberia in May. Tagged with a tracking device, Kuzia has been spotted in China’s Taipinggou nature reserve in north-eastern Heilongjiang province, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing officials.

“A Russian expert called to tell us the location of the tiger and expressed the hope that we can protect it,” nature reserve director Chen Zhigang told Xinhua.

On your mobile: Turn off “location services: for your apps. Opt out from companies that track cellphone users via the Wi-Fi signal emitted by our phones.

Photo: Bigstock Chen said forestry officers would set up dozens of cameras to capture images of the tiger and notify local farmers.

The tiger should find plenty of food among the wildlife inside the reserve, Chen said, though officials were prepared to “release cattle” into the area to feed it.

Putin was feted by Russian media in 2008 for supposedly saving a television crew from an attack when he shot a Siberian tiger with a tranquilliser gun

after it escaped from wildlife specialists at a national park.

The former KGB spy has carefully cultivated a macho image with other wildlife stunts, activities he has said are worthwhile because they draw attention to conservation projects.

China’s insatiable demand for tiger products, often used in Chinese medicines, has helped drive indigenous subspecies of the animal in the wild to the brink of extinction.

News: Reuters. Photo: AFP

You’re welcome

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4 digital Bangladesh | 3d printers

Imagine and press print 3D printers have landed Tasnuva Amin Nova

A

shique Bhuiyan has a vision for the engineers of our country.

“We have a pool of highly talented engineers who should be made to drive innovation in product designs and manufacturing,” he says.

After he came back to Bangladesh with a degree in mechanical engineering from University College London, Ashique found the current jobs for engineers intellectually unfulfilling, and their skills undervalued by our job market.

“This culture of manufacturing engineers to do run-of-the-mill jobs has to change,” he says.

Dream machine

The engineer-turned-entrepreneur is seeking solutions to this problem, and he may have found a tool in the black steel box, open on three sides, that sits in his here Dhanmondi office.

It's a 3D printer.

It does not look like a dream machine.

At first glance, the outlandish rectangular cuboid seems broken.

It has a rectangular silver steel tray, almost the same surface area of the top wall of the box, drilled with numerous breathing holes, and suspended by two cylindrical rods the thickness of marker pens from the back of the tray.

Photos: Shadman Hasan

Easy as 1-2-3D

3D printers are of great value to product designers and architects ... who can design at a lower cost and in lesser time

Zircon in the rough

This June, Ashique and his childhood friend Arefin Spursho co-founded Zircon Technologies, a company that sells 3D printers in Bangladesh.

“We've always been interested in exploring new gadgets and innovative products. Three-dimensional printers have not yet been commercially marketed here. We wanted to be the first in this market,” the duo say.

Meanwhile, 3D printers are increasing in popularity elsewhere in the world. Optimists say these will eliminate the need for factories in the future, as people will be able to “print” their own products at home from their printers.

The printers come in various sizes with varying functions, some designed for industrial production and some for personal use.

Currently Zircon Technologies is only selling desktop 3D printers. They import the machines from a Polish company, Zortrax, which also supplies

to technology giants like Dell. By September, Zircon Technologies had already sold their sixth unit, of which four were bought for personal use.

“Two of our customers were architecture students. 3D printers are tools for creativity. These are of great value to product designers and architects, as they can design new products at relatively lower costs and in lesser time,” Arefin says.

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Check out our timelapse video of their 3D printer at work at facebook.com/photo. php?v=641663239283290

After much debate among the two friends about what to make for me, they decided on a Taj Mahal for me.

A blueprint of the Taj Mahal was already stored in the memory card of the printer, as they had made one when the printer was first brought.

For a couple of minutes, they tinkered with the dimensions on their computer screens. Knowledge of measurements is the key here, for a successful construction of your imagination.

ABS plastic is the printing material used. They went through their stock and found they had ample supplies of it in yellow, blue and black. But it was decided that we'd stick close to the original – a white Taj Mahal it was to be.

So, a white plastic reel was inserted.

The printer was turned on beforehand to get the extruder hot enough to melt the plastic. As soon as the print option was pressed, the machine whirred to life. A nozzle deposited the melted plastic over the steel tray following patterns on the blue print.

After about an hour of the activity, out popped the small Taj Mahal in the brightest shade of white.

Quickly, Ashique took it out of

5 the printer and trimmed the extra plastic sticking out from the edges of the model while it was still hot. This production technology is also known as additive manufacturing, because the products are built by adding one layer of plastic at a time.

Ashique explained that the material is not restricted to plastic only, though this is the one most commonly used.

Printers come with a list of materials that can be used in printing.

Economics of 3D printing

Printers sold by Zircon are priced at Tk239,999. Currently they are only selling one model, the Zortrax M200, suitable for home and office use.

The filament cost varies according to usage and material. Smaller models turn out to be much more economical, as bigger models use up more materials and cost more.

However, the cost of making models through 3D printers seem cost-effective when compared to the time and effort it takes to test new

products using traditional means.

Getting access to proper tools, space and low transportation costs can be a big issue, whereas 3D printers minimise your efforts to the designing process, where creativity breaks the barrier between reality and your imagination.

Farabi Bashar, an architecture student at North South University, says: “Having a 3D printer in our department would reduce the time and effort it takes in cutting out our models. It would also reduce human error in modelling. Life would be a little faster with these printers.”

With less time and effort spent per project, students like Farabi can reinvest their energy to create more designs.

Use of 3D printers may help reduce inefficiency as well as encourage product development and design in our country. With opportunities for innovation in the hands of the masses, maybe someday soon many Bangladeshis can acquire intellectual property rights for their own products.

Optimists say these will eliminate the need for factories ... as people will be able to ‘print’ their own products at home

.

3D world

3D printed automotive parts

In 1984, Chuck Hulls created the first functional three-dimensional printer, and technology has come a long way since then. Three dimensional printing has popped up on the cutting-edge of some surprisingly diverse industries including: food, healthcare, real estate, retail, aerospace and automotives.

Ford Motor Company uses 3D printing to make prototypes of many parts in their vehicles, such as cylinder heads, brake rotors, shift knobs and vents. 3D printing was used at Ford’s Torrence Avenue Assembly Plant for the production of the Explorer and EcoBoost engines.

3D printed jaw

3D printed bionic ear

This past summer, Princeton University scientists created a bionic ear using a 3D printer. The bionic ear can hear much better than what average human ears can detect. The purpose of this experiment was to explore an efficient method of merging electronics with tissues. The scientists created the bionic ear using the 3D printing of cells and nano particles.

3D printed vertebra at Peking University Third Hospital

Photo: Peking University

3D printed plane parts

Boeing uses 3D printers to make some of its components, and is constantly working on more ways to use the technology. The airplane company has even built an entire cabin using one of their 3D printers.

As of last year, Boeing has produced more than 20,000 3D printed parts. It used those pieces in 10 different types of military and commercial aeroplanes, like the luxurious Dreamliner. The Dreamliner has about thirty 3D printed parts. 3D printers help to reduce the time between the design and manufacturing stages. It's also a much more cost-efficient process.

3D printed house

A Chinese construction company is building houses that can be massproduced using a 3D printer. Using a

Last year, medical researchers in Belgium and The Netherlands replaced the jaw of an 83-year-old woman with a 3D printed model of her lower mandible. Doctors had to remove her jaw due to a severe infection, but surgery would be a major risk due to her old age, and several other health factors.

The researchers worked with an implant company called Xilloc to replace the jaw. The implant was put together by a 3D printer using powdered titanium through the laser melting process. In only one day after the surgery, the 83-yearold woman could already speak and swallow normally.

3D printed vertebra

Princeton bionic ear

mixture of cement and construction waste, the houses can be produced for under $5,000 (£2,970). The walls and structure of the house are printed layer by layer using a process that allows up to 10 complete houses to be printed in one day.

3D printed guns

High tech gunsmithing group

Photo: Princeton.edu

Defense Distributed created the first 3D printed gun, which it calls the Liberator. Fifteen of the gun's sixteen functional parts are made of plastic.

Its body can be printed overnight, a new barrel in a few hours.

Defense Distributed's founder Cody Wilson argues that the Liberator demonstrates governments' inability to enforce gun control.

After a soccer injury revealed a malignant tumour on the spinal cord of a 12-year-old boy from China, he required extensive surgery at Peking University Third Hospital. Doctors needed to remove his second vertebra to prevent the cancer from spreading, and the bone required an implant afterwards. The device used was created with a 3D printer, making him the first person ever to receive a vertebral implant crafted in this manner.

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6 Business | Making tea

A cup of progress and prestige

How a tea steeped in deshi flavour landed on the shelves of Harrods and Whole Foods Tausif Sanzum and Ishrat Jahan

Photos: Courtesy

tea, they did not want to use land that had been exposed to chemical fertilisers or other non-organic substances.

Once the land was purchased, the company faced their first major challenge. Despite being a mere 97km from India’s famed Darjeeling tea region, why had Tetulia not been previously irrigated? The answer, it turned out, was because the area was barren and filled with coarse soil, which made it difficult for plantations to survive. They had their work cut out for them.

Labour of love

W

ho would have thought that people sitting in the UK, the US and Malaysia would one day sip a Bangladeshi brand of tea?

Sold at high-end purveyors, Teatulia has put us on the map of the premium tea market. Though Bangladesh is the world’s tenth largest tea-growing location, it did not have a strong international reputation, and home-grown tea was mostly consumed within the country’s borders.

Consumers in Bangladesh may be more familiar with its local name,

Kazi & Kazi Tea, which is widely available at supermarkets in Dhaka and offers a variety of flavours.

Kazi & Kazi Tea realised there was a dearth of organic tea in the local market, and this particular area could be tapped. So in 2000 they started their 100% organic tea project in Tetulia.

“Making a successful premium tea brand is no easy game. We did not believe in compromising quality for profits, and we took the hard way. But now, you can see it’s paying off. And Teatulia is appreciated internationally as a premium brand,” says Asma-ul-

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Roxana Sylvia, head of operations for Kazi & Kazi Tea.

Unlikely upazila

The name Teatulia comes from the area where the tea is grown: Tetulia in Panchagarh, one of the northernmost upazilas of Bangladesh.

Tetulia was an unconventional location to grow tea. Until then, the Sylhet belt was considered the hub of tea plantations in the country.

So why did they go for a region in the northern end of the country instead? Precisely because it was virgin land. Since the company was promising consumers 100% organic

Part of the story behind the Kazi & Kazi Tea brand is that of sustainable development – profit for all involved, including the community and the environment.

As such, they wanted to involve the local population. The Kazi & Kazi Foundation was set up to train local labourers who had no previous experience in tea cultivation. They also established innovative health and education programmes.

Then they undertook improving the local ecology. They started by planting a large number of herbal plants, particularly neem. These served the dual purpose of acting as shade for the future tea plants, as well as improving the quality of the soil.

Then came the matter of fertilisers.

Since any artificial chemical component was out of the question, the company zeroed in on the natural fertiliser of the ages – dung. But where would they obtain such large amount of dung, on a continuous basis in a sustainable way.

The foundation set up a cooperative whereby it would

7

Before

provide cows to women of local households, but instead of them repaying for it in terms of money, they would give the foundation the milk and dung. The milk is used in Meena Sweets, a sister company.

Once the foundation recouped the equivalent value, the cows and any offspring then belonged to the women.

For six years, the foundation and everyone associated with the project toiled away, and finally in 2006, the first batch of Kazi & Kazi Tea was ready to be launched in the local market.

Dressed for success

The company was aware that their product needed to look good for it to sell. In the eight years it has been in the market, it has changed its packaging four times.

While some might argue that continuous package altering confuses consumers, the marketing team managed to turn this into a unique selling point. People now anticipate a change of packaging from the brand on a regular basis.

The plastic sachets in which the tea now comes in is miles away from the jute bags it used to be in when it was first launched. The sachet ensures hygiene, and is a first for a locally produced tea, in line with international brands like Dilmah and Twinings.

To gain people’s trust, the company has put their international certification on the packages sold locally, based on investigations done at the very source where the tea originated, in Tetulia. It has also made the packaging the same for both its exported and locally available products.

Export quality

Kazi & Kazi tea started exporting to the US and the UK in 2008. It was certified organic by the local governing bodies, and was soon labeled as a premium brand of tea.

Teatulia is also the first Bangladeshi tea brand to be carried

by Harrods in the UK, known as “where the Queen shops.”

In the US, the demand for regular and specialty tea – or tea of a very high quality or coming from a well

After

known tea-growing region – was building, despite the recession and the American preference for coffee. Teatulia’s sales took off, even though it was more expensive than conventional tea. Part of the appeal of a specialty tea is that it is “an affordable luxury.”

Since then, Teatulia has become a top-seller at Whole Foods, the world’s largest organic supermarket chain, with over 400 stores. It is also available at other prestigious stores.

Additionally, Teatulia has it’s very own Tea Bar, situated in the Highlands neighbourhood of Denver, Colorado. It has been a hit among the local populace for redefining their perception of tea bars with it’s chic, cosy outlook.

“Located inside Green Garage, they have transformed the space so it is inviting, and not garage-like at

all! Drinks are good, especially the tea-latte Zuni Cup. Expect to wait a bit if you order tea, as they wait for it to properly brew, unlike some larger chain coffee places,” says reviewer Robin M on Yelp. “Snacks and pastries are available, as is Teatulia tea, in bulk or in teabags.

Definitely worth stopping in and checking out when in [the area].”

With commendable success in the American and European markets, Teatulia approaches the Japanese market with the same zeal, and its unique blend of welfare and business in a cup of tea.

Full disclosure: Three members of the board of directors of Kazi & Kazi Tea are also members of the Dhaka Tribune’s board of directors.

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Twin leaves

Because of the two different names, there is a common misconception the premium quality tea is exported as Teatulia, while the local markets are flooded with a sub-par product as Kazi & Kazi Tea. But the two products are the same.

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8 Feature | child Marriage

Barely legal Child marriage is considered a form of slavery by international aid agencies, and Bangladesh is trying to legalise it Tasnuva Amin Nova

A

wave of controversy washed across the country last month when the cabinet proposed lowering the marriageable age for men from 21 to 18, and for women from 18 to 16.

This would be tantamount to legalising child marriage, since anyone under the age of 18 still continues to be identified as a child under the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2014.

Child marriage is a punishable crime in many countries, but Bangladesh is not one of them. Forced marriage, on the other hand – where one party is coerced into forming a conjugal tie with another – is a punishable crime here.

Worldwide, women are the worst victims of untimely and forced marriages, because marital relations often become a restraint to their independence and development.

For urban dwellers belonging to a privileged class, discussions about child marriage often do not go beyond a mouthful of harsh words directed towards the uneducated “farmers” who marry off their daughters at an age when they should be going to schools in pretty uniforms, and talking about idealistic social development and progress.

A common village story

The reality of child marriages is different, especially in villages, because the fixed gender roles are often sealed at birth, depending very much on whether the child is a he or a she.

Asma, who works as a housemaid in the capital’s Bashundhara area, talks about her daughter who lives in their village in Jamalpur. Her son and daughter married years ago, and both were under 16. They live in her village in Jamalpur.

At 13, her daughter was removed from the village school to marry a man in his 20s. It was a mutual decision, though her daughter previously showed more interest in studying than keeping house.

“Raising a girl child requires a lot of money,” Asma said. “We did not have enough money at that time to support her education and other expenses. She is better off with her own family and a husband who can provide food on the table.”

Asma’s son married at 15, when he was working as a mechanic at a local electronics shop. First he ran off with a 12-year-old girl studying at a Brac school. Three months later they got divorced, and he married within a year to a girl of almost the same age as

Photo: Laura Elizabeth Pohl his first wife.

“I am happy with my daughter-inlaw,” Asma says. “She is so beautiful and takes care of my son well.

That’s all I ask for. My son earns well enough to feed his family. I help too sometimes.”

Had Asma’s daughter and daughter -in-law not been married in their early teens, they would be going to school for a few more years. But for how long?

“We belong to a conservative society. If our daughters are not married off early, people talk dirty about their characters. That’s why it is better to get them married sooner

Photo: SAM Nasim

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than sending them to school. At the end of the day, they will have to be married. After that, it is up to the husband to decide whether to send her to school or not.”

Teach

Getting married at an early age has multidimensional effects, not only on the partners in the marriage, but also on their immediate families and future progeny. Once girls as young as 12 are were married off, they automatically become subjected to mental and physical pressures well beyond their years.

In addition, questionable reproductive education and abortion rights in our country are likely to push once-healthy young girls into further misery and deprivation.

At 240 deaths per 1,000,000 live births in 2010, Bangladesh has one of the highest maternal mortality rates according to the UN World Population Policies Database (2013 revision).

Abortion rights are only permitted in life-threatening situations whereas issues of physical health, mental health, rape/incest, foetal impairment, or economic/social reasons affecting the mothers are not permissible conditions.

Our cabinet is obliged to take all these factors into consideration.

Instead of the cabinet’s proposal to lower a girl’s marriageable age to 16, a holistic approach, analysing socioeconomic situation of the country, is needed.

After all, it concerns children, often poor and vulnerable, who are most in need of protection.

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bihari Camp remnants | Photo story

Things we lost in the fire

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Counterfoto is one of the leading independent photography institutes in Bangladesh

Photos: Arif Kabir (in partnership with Counterfoto)

Turn for more photographs

T

en people, including eight members of a family, were burnt alive as locals set several houses on fire at Kalshi Bihari Camp in Mirpur on June 16.

It was the night of Shab-e-Barat.

It started with a petty incident that turned into a bloodbath.

Some youths, allegedly of the local Jubo League, blasted crackers in front of a mosque inside the camp during Fajar prayers. It triggered sporadic clashes and eventually turned into a nasty violence. Houses were burnt to ashes.

Biharis are an Urdu speaking linguistic minority who have generally lived a ghettoised life in different relief camps in Dhaka since 1971 – amid sustained suspicions and fears by the state and society. It was not until 2008 that these “stranded Pakistanis” were eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship or voting rights.

I collected the remains of items after the fire, and photographed them to portray the nightmare the victim family must have gone through.

Baby, 40, read from this everyday

Arif Kabir is a photographer from Chittagong, currently based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is interested in photographing humanitarian issues.

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10 PHoto story | bihari Camp remnants

Burnt sari of Shahana, 26

Burnt eyeliner, comb and child’s toothbrush

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Burnt stationery used for studying by twins Lalu and Bhulu

Burnt thread cone and frame

Burnt

t jewellery

11

Burnt toy

The burnt sandal of Roksana, 16

WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, O CTOB E R 1 7, 2 0 1 4

12 feature | Meet the Nobel laureates

Reaching the Nobel summit

Everything you need to know about the this year’s winners Weekend Tribune Desk

F

rom Albert Einstein to Mother Teresa, Nobel prize recipients have been immortalised for their unrivalled contributions in the fields of peace, medicine, economics, chemistry, physics and literature.

This year’s list is no less impressive. There’s also a $1.1 million award, but the prestige is priceless.

Nobel peace prize: For South Asian children

The most famous Nobel prize is also the most controversial, and this year’s choice is no exception. The decision to jointly honour both India’s Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai awoke scepticism, as the arch-rival countries exchanged fire on the Line of Control this week instead of celebrating peace. However, more than other regions, perhaps South Asia needs two icons to fight the “struggle against the suppression of children and young people, and for the right of all children to education.”

Malala Yousafzai: Seventeen-yearold Malala is the world’s youngest Nobel Prize recipient, and the second Pakistani to receive it. She joins Abdus Salam, Pakistan’s last Nobel laureate, in the tradition of receiving it in exile.

Malala was shot in the head as she boarded her school bus on October 2012 by a group of Taliban gunmen. The attempted assassination highlighted Malala’s brave educational advocacy in the conservative Swat Valley.

Malala’s accolades range from being one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” to receiving honorary citizenship from Canada. Although Malala Yousafzai has been feted worldwide for her prize, the reception back home

Photo: Bigstock

in Pakistan has been temperate. PM Nawaz Sharif labelled her “the pride of Pakistan,” while others celebrated her win with conspiracy theories.

Malala has been characterised as everything from a CIA agent to an adroit salesperson, selling the west the saviour narrative necessary to legitimise its war on terror.

Against this criticism, Malala says: “I used to say I don’t deserve the Nobel Peace prize. I still believe that ... But (it is) an encouragement.. giving me hope and courage to continue this campaign, to believe … that I am not alone.”

Kailash Satyarthi: In 1980, Kailash began his fight against child slavery.

After leaving his previous job as an electrical engineer, he founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) that year.

Satyarthi’s last name translates to “seeker of truth,” and the sixtyyear-old activist has saved 80,000 children from slavery since 1980. In an interview with Nobelprize.org, he said: “Everybody has a responsibility to save and protect the children on this planet.”

He is the seventh Nobel prize winner from India. He is now working on bringing child labour and slavery into the post-2015 development agenda for the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals.

Kailash categorizes his Nobel as his life’s second-happiest moment, the first being working at and “being rescued by” Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

Nobel prize in economics: Monopoly and other games

Jean Tirole, 61, was recognised for his insight into industrial organisations with a small number of powerful

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, O CTO B E R 17, 2014

Malala Yousafzai

Kailash Satyarthi

firms. Taking tools of game theory and information economics, his work shaped how experts think about the regulation of monopolies.

He began his work on regulation and oligopolies in the 1980s and published an influential book on regulation in 1993 with the late JeanJacques Laffont. He is the first French economist to be awarded the prize since Maurice Allais over a quarter of a century ago.

lightbulb transform over 50%. White LEDs allow for higher-efficiency bulbs and electricity, meaning our iPhones stay on for much longer.

In the developing world, most people without access to electricity can rely on LED lights and solar panels for basic power needs. LEDs are thus marked as a key component of anti-poverty strategies globally, with over 2 million sold in the past half of the year alone.

Nobel prize in physics: Illuminating our screens

Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano produced a critical chemical for blue LEDs called gallium nitride. Shuji Nakamura created gallium nitride alloy-based structures and found out why these specific chemicals glow when treated with a semiconductor.

Fun fact: Shuji Nakamura sued Nichia Corporation for not paying royalties on his blue LED invention, and won the highest amount of money

In the 1990s, three Japanese scientists discovered blue LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which led to white LEDs – which now power our computer screens and smartphones. We also see these their work in our Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs. While incandescent bulbs convert 4% of electricity into light, white LED

13 Nobel prize in literature: Modern-day Proust

Nobel facts Faisal Mahmud

• This year Malala Yusufzai, 17, became the youngest person ever to win a Nobel prize. The previous youngest winner (physics, 1915) was Lawrence Bragg, 25, jointly with his father William Henry Bragg. They are also the only father-son joint Nobel prize winners so far.

• JJ Thomson won the prize (physics, 1906) for discovering that electrons act as particles, while his son George Paget Thomson won the prize (physics, 1937) for discovering that electrons act as waves.

• Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator,

Hiroshi Amano

was nominated in 1939 by Swedish lawmaker EGC Brandt for the Nobel Peace Prize. He didn’t win, obviously.

• Jewish people account for 20% of all Nobel Prize laureates, despite being only 0.2% of the world’s population • To prove stomach ulcers were caused by bacteria and not stress, Australian physician Barry Marshall drank a Petri dish containing cultured H pylori. He developed stomach ulcers within days and won the prize for it 20 years later (medicine, 2005).

• As someone who actively

Isamu Akasaki

ever awarded in a Japanese court.

Nobel prize in physiology or medicine: Internal GPS

This year’s shared award was “for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain.”

Four decades of research revealed the existence of nerve cells that build a map of the space around us, and then track our progress as we move around.

The revolutionary study transformed neuroscientists’ understanding of the brain’s ability to navigate.

John O’Keefe: In the 1960s, dual British-American citizen O’Keefe set out to record signals from individual nerve cells in rats’ brains as the animals moved around a room. He discovered that certain nerve cells in the hippocampus fired when the animals reached a specific place in the

room. This discovery helped the rat build inner maps of its environment.

May-Britt and Edvard Moser: The husband-wife duo noticed an extraordinary activity pattern in a neighbouring part of the brain called the entorhinal cortex. Their research discovered “grid cells” that provided the brain with the equivalent of latitude and longitude, and together with place cells formed an inner GPS in the brain.

The Mosers are the fifth husbandwife pair to have won the Nobel prize, and got engaged on top of the dormant volcano Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Nobel prize in chemistry: Nanoworld revealed

J

avoided attention, Paul Dirac wanted to refuse the prize (physics, 1933). He accepted only when advised that, as the first person to refuse a Nobel Prize, the publicity would be even greater.

• Two people have refused their awards. Jean-Paul Sarte (literature, 1964) declined all official honours because “a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution.” Boris Pasternak (literature, 1958) was threatened with exile and forced to decline the award by the USSR government, who had banned his novel Doctor Zhivago.

It’s now possible to see how molecules create synapses between nerve cells in the brain, allowing humans to track proteins involved in Parkinson’s,

ean Patrick Modiano was was honoured “for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation,” the Nobel committee said. Born in 1945 in Paris, at the end of WWII, to a Jewish father and a Flemish mother, his writing reflects a lifelong obsession with that dark period in history.

Here are excerpts from two of his works available in English which exemplify his style.

Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases as they aggregate.

This was awarded jointly to Eric Betzig, Stefan W Hell and William E Moerner “for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy.” In 1873, the microscopist Ernst Abbe predetermined a physical limit for the maximum resolution of traditional optical microscopy: it could never become better than 0.2 micrometres. With the help of fluorescent molecules, Eric Betzig, Stefan W Hell and William E Moerner bypassed this limit.

Due to their achievements, the optical microscope can now peer into the nano world. In what has become known as nanoscopy, scientists view how molecules generate synapses between nerve cells in the brain.

Eric Betzig: At 54, he is the group leader at Janelia Farm Research campus at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Virginia. He developed new optical imaging tools for biology. His work involved taking images of the same area multiple times, and illuminating just a few molecules each time. For Eric, winning the Nobel Prize was an ironic twist of fate as his field of research had been physics.

Stefan W Hell: This 52-year-old German scientist is the director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and the division head at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg.

William E Moerner: This 61-year-old professor was the first scientist to be able to measure the light absorption of a single molecule.

.

The Search Warrant (2000) Description: A meditation on the immense losses of France’s Nazi occupation – people lost, stories lost, human history lost.

Excerpt: “In 1965, I knew nothing of Dora Bruder. But now, 30 years on, it seems to me that those long waits in the cafes at the Ornano crossroads, those unvarying itineraries – the rue du Mont Cenis took me back to the Butte Montmartre hotels, the Roma or the Alsina or the Terrass, Rue Caulaincourt – and the fleeting impressions I have retained: Snatches of conversation heard on a spring evening beneath the trees in the Square Clignancourt, and again, in winter, on the way down to Simplon and the Boulevard Ornano, all that was not simply due to chance.

Perhaps, although as yet unaware of it, I was on the track of Dora Bruder and her parents. Already, imperceptibly, they were there.”

Honeymoon (1992) Description: Narrator Jean B is submerged in a world where day and night, past and present, have no demarcations. Having spent his adult life making documentary films about lost explorers, Jean suddenly decides to abandon his wife and career, and takes what seems to be a journey to nowhere.

Excerpt: “At Juan-les-Pins, people behaved as if the war didn’t exist.

The men wore beach trousers and the women light-coloured pareus. All these people were some twenty years older than Ingrid and Rigaud, but this was barely noticeable. Owing to their suntanned skin and their athletic gait, they still looked young and falsely carefree ... Fleeting signs of anguish could be read on their faces under the suntan: To think that they were going to have to be permanently on the move, searching for a place that the war had spared, and that these oases were going to become rare all the time.”

WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, O CTOB E R 1 7, 2 0 1 4

14 Legalese | Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi

Food poisoning payback Got a problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

Q

I got food poisoning after eating at a certain restaurant in my neighbourhood. It charges high prices for the food, but shows no responsibility towards its quality. Is this issue worth filing a case over in Dhaka? What are my legal options to stop this?

A

Dear Reader: So sorry to hear about your food poisoning scenario. Having been a victim myself in the past, I completely feel your pain, and can empathise with the frustration you must be currently feeling.

The last thing any one of us should worry about is the quality of food we’re consuming, especially when you’re paying top dollar for it,

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

Cartoon: Priyo/Dhaka Tribune

as you mentioned. Unfortunately, Bangladesh appears to have reached that stage where no food items, however organic they may claim to be, are “safe.”

I’m sad whenever I think about the fact that our country supplies thousands of tonnes of food products to foreign countries each year, in compliance with those countries’ food laws, and yet fails to maintain the same for Bangladesh’s own citizens.

You queried about whether this issue is worth filing a case over in Dhaka. Were you the only one suffering as a victim of food poisoning? Did any of your companions feel the same? What

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, O CTO B E R 17, 2014

about other patrons of the restaurant?

How severe was the food poisoning you suffered? And, most importantly, how can you be certain that the food poisoning was caused as a result of the aforementioned restaurant’s shortcomings? What evidence do you have?

Practically and honestly speaking – if it was not too major (read: lifethreatening), and if you were the only individual suffering from the food poisoning post restaurant meal, then filing a case over it may not be the ideal solution.

As appealing as Suits or Boston Legal may make these situations out to be, it could not be further from the reality. And in the location and justice system of Bangladesh, be prepared to be disappointed. You will be facing an uphill legal struggle, especially with the lack of evidence.

Additionally, in the likely event of it all amounting to nothing that you hope for, you also stand to lose thousands in legal fees and costs.

I don’t want you to assume that we do not have food laws in Bangladesh – we do.

The penal code contains provisions

for the sale of noxious food or drink: “Whoever sells, or offers or exposes for sale, as food or drink, any article which has been rendered or has become noxious, or is in a state unfit for food or drink, knowing or having reason to believe that the same is noxious as food or drink, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with a fine which may extend to Tk1,000, or with both.”

Not just that. There is also another provision that identifies the problem at its core – ie dealing with the people who are responsible for the principal adulteration of food or drink: “Whoever adulterates any article of food or drink, so as to make such article noxious as food or drink, intending to sell such article as food or drink, or knowing it to be likely that the same will be sold as food or drink, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to Tk1,000, or with both.”

There are also additional legal provisions that you will need to consider and be aware of in this instance, especially under the Consumers’ Right Protection Act 2009.

The restaurant may argue that you are bringing forth a vexatious and frivolous claim, and you need to be aware of the consequences, ie: “If any person, with a motive to harass any person, businessman or service provider or to defame him publicly or to damage his business reputation, files any false or vexatious case, he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or with fine not exceeding Tk50,000, or with both.”

Therefore, any decision to push forward is not something that should be taken lightly, and needs to be considered carefully. Having said that, do ensure that you do not take TOO much time. You may accidentally pass the limitation period of filing a claim.

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MARRIAGE PRESSURES FOR GAY MEN | SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

15

Gay and (un)married

Bangladesh’s gay men walk delicate tightrope on marriage Sabrina Toppa whether they are attracted to girls.

These misconceptions partly spur parents to push for marriage that may never work.

"Some gay men try to be straight after marriage, but you can't force it," Taskin says. "How can you change your sexuality?"

Economic burden

"I

f my mom asks me, I will say I am not financially ready for marriage. Or I still need to undergo more schooling," says Taskin, who asked not to disclose his real name.

"Maybe I will be in school for the rest of my life," he laughs.

Taskin, like many young gay men, faces a difficult choice in his 20s: Deciding whether to marry or to come out as gay to his family. In Bangladesh, most young Bangladeshis tie the matrimonial knot before the age of 30, thanks to strong societal pressure to wed and establish oneself economically.

Twenty-three-year-old Sajib (real name changed) from Rangpur is his family's only son. His parents wait with hungry anticipation to see him betrothed to a Bangali woman. But that day may never come, nor will the attendant discussion about Sajib being gay.

"In Bangladeshi society, it's compulsory for everyone to get married," Sajib says. "My parents have always thought I would marry a girl.” By eschewing the question, he hopes never to upset the peace. “I don't plan to tell them. I will just say I don't want to get married – I want to be single."

The gay advantage

Still, Sajib notes a gendered advantage. He claims his sister faced greater impediments while secretly

Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu

dating her boyfriend (now her husband). She often brought him over for dinner, claiming he was a friend, but her parents nagged her and saw through the ruse.

In many ways, Bangladesh's permissive attitudes toward friendships between men – it is common to see heterosexual men holding hands on the street – allows gay relationships to be swept under the rug.

"I can invite boys over to my home without a problem,” Sajib says. "We can even have sleepovers together and my parents will never suspect anything romantic between us. But if I bring home a girl, this would not be allowed."

Around Dhaka's Lalbagh Fort and the University of Dhaka, young couples hold hands – and more riskily, peck kisses – behind verdant bushes or underneath gangly trees. Often barred from familial households, opposite-sex couples have no choice but to meet in public.

Conversely, gay men can meet in private spaces, including in their parents' own homes. The couples can even introduce the men to the parents – just not as their lovers.

Parental denial

On the homeward journey from Dhaka to Tangail, Taskin says his parents dog him with questions about a girlfriend he does not have. Though many parents in Dhaka wish to

Parents push for marriage, insisting gay children lack the experience to judge whether they are attracted to girls

Gay children who depend on parents for their fiscal safety are loath to disclose their sexuality. “Until graduation, I need money from my parents. After being established, maybe I will tell them," Taskin says.

Extended families, which tend to influence parental viewpoints on marriage, can be more aggressive.

One of Taskin's friends gifted him with a well-ornamented panjabi. His extended family bedevilled him with questions about the gift donor.

"It's not common in Bangladesh for guys to give other guys gifts, so I had to say it's from a friend. But why does my friend have to be a girl? Why does a friend need a gender?"

Marrying straight

arrange their children's marriages, his parents would be overjoyed to catch him with a girl.

Then there are parents who object altogether. "I have a friend who is very well-established (financially)," Sajib says. "He told his mother he would never marry because he's gay.

His mother directly told him never to think about men and just get married."

Although mainstream Bangladeshi society is aware of the term shomokami (denoting same-sex attraction), confusion surrounds the practice. Most prescribe marriage as a panacea.

"Parents in Bangladesh think that if your son likes a boy, force him to get married, then he will change," Taskin says. "If you have sex with a girl, then you will fall in love with a girl."

Parents contend that gay children have not had the experience to judge

Within the gay community, there are mixed feelings about gay men marrying straight. Most gay men know someone who is in a loveless, heterosexual marriage – for the sake of "appearances," while clandestinely pursuing romantic trysts outside the marriage.

Among gay men, attitudes range from reluctant acceptance to outright contempt for this practice. Some note that it is the only way such men can operate in society, but others say it's destructive for both marital parties.

"When I know he's gay and he's marrying a girl, he's completely destroying that girl's life. I have my right to protest to my family that I am not marrying. I cannot ruin another girl's rights by marrying her. Then I am not receiving my right, and I am destroying someone else's right to be happy and in love," Taskin says.

But shielding oneself behind an argument of delaying marriage to a gain a better economic or educational footing only does so much.

"In the future. I should tell my parents," Sajib says, noting that his anti-marriage stance could break down against parental pressures.

"I know they will force me to get married. At the end of the marriage discussion, I will have to tell them I am gay."

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WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, O CTOB E R 1 7, 2 0 1 4

16 TOUGH LOVE | DINA SOBHAN

Jealousy and judgement Q A Lately I’ve started to feel as though my girlfriend is still infatuated with her ex-boyfriend. The way she looks at him dreamily after class (he is two years senior to us) and giggles every time he speaks gives her away.

It’s cruel, and I feel like she is taking me for granted.

I tried talking to her about it, but she refuses to admit that she still has something for her ex. Is she playing me? What should I do?

I wouldn’t say she’s playing you per se – she’s just not that into you.

You’re the consolation prize, the runner up, the poor substitute for the one that got away. She probably likes you just fine, but she’s dreaming of him at night, honey.

The only thing to do in this situation, sadly, is to turn the tables on her. Let her know how crappy you feel when she swoons over her ex by flirting with some other chick. She need not be an ex – especially problematic if you have none – but any girl who is smoking hot, and preferably better looking than your own girlfriend.

Make it a point to give this girl your most dazzling smile, followed by your most charming one-liners, and finish off with your best attempt at humour.

And don’t forget to follow her with your eyes when she walks away. Your girlfriend has to know you’re pulling out all the stops with this one female in a bid to impress.

There’s nothing like a little good ol’ fashioned jealousy to make your girlfriend sit up and take notice.

She will then pursue one of two options: Either she will start looking better, acting nicer and generally doing everything in her power to win back your attention and prove that she is in every way superior to this other woman, or she will demand to know why you’re behaving this way towards someone other than her.

In the latter scenario, you will simply turn around and reply: “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” That should do the trick – unless she’s a complete dimwit, in which case your problem ain’t the ex.

Q A

Got a problem?

Write to Dina at weekend@ dhakatribune. com

Cartoon: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

My partner is smart and talented but has poor judgement, especially when it comes to his best friends, who have a reputation of being

players.

I don’t want him to be with people who objectify women, and don’t understand why he has to have them over when he knows that I don’t like it.

I need to make him realise that he keeps bad company. How do I do that?

The short answer is, you don’t.

You’re his girlfriend, not his mother. You cannot dictate who he chooses to hang out with, nor should you want to. That’s akin to saying that your boyfriend is a mindless monkey who can be influenced by the company he keeps. Which is clearly not the case since he’s dating you.

I’m assuming you don’t feel

objectified, or else you wouldn’t be seeing him in the first place.

Moreover, “players” don’t have girlfriends, in particular girlfriends who act like their mothers.

Maybe he hangs out with these guys because he likes them. Maybe they actually possess qualities such as kindness, loyalty and a sense of humour. Or maybe it’s just that they remind him of the days gone by when he used to be able to do as he pleased without getting a lecture from his

girlfriend.

Whatever the case may be, I suggest you back off and, on the days he wants to have them over, make yourself scarce. But if nothing short of complete domination will make you happy, marry him.

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, O CTO B E R 17, 2014

.

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

Probarona Purnima | origin story

17

Buddhist festival of lights

Symbolising the floating away of all worries, Buddhists dot the night sky with the lights of hope and the welcoming of good wishes Reema Islam Full moon, full heart

The full moon holds a very special place in Buddhism. The most important events in the life of the Buddha occurred during a purnima (full moon). His birth, enlightenment and exit from a life of luxury to one of modesty all occurred during the full moon.

Hence in an annual cycle, Buddhists mark 12 purnimas of significance.

Probarona, which means fully adopting and forgiving, represents the 12 purnimas of significance in the Bangla month of Ashwin.

Monks celebrate their seclusion, repentance and abstinence with food and festivities.

The shape of these balloons or sky lanterns varies from country to country, but the most popular ones are quadrangular-shaped. Known as khoom fey in Thailand, these lanterns are presented to monks, who let them float into the night sky, symbolising the floating away of worries and troubles of the giver.

The idea is to hope your lantern floats out of sight, which would signify that your troubles have also left.

P

robarona Purnima last Tuesday marked the Buddhist festival of lights, when hot air balloons are released into the night sky with prayers and best wishes from devotees to help them float far and high.

Marking the end of a three month period of abstinence, self discipline and confessions – considered the Lent of the Buddhist monks – the ritual is a joyous release of beautifully lit floating lanterns, popularly known as fanush.

Younger monks ask their elders for advice on how to let go of bad influences and welcome the beginning of a more auspicious period.

During Ashwin, a practice of the Theravada sect of Buddhism, this festival makes way for a more subtle tradition of offering a few selected monks with a yellow robe; monks may possibly don these until the

Photo: G’son Biswas

end of the month of Kartik, or for three months, to offer more serious prayers and meditation.

Knotted history

Siddhartha left his princely abode on a path to self discovery, enlightenment and search for answers that would help humanity.

He became Gautama Buddha.

But before he set out on his remarkable journey, he promised himself he would snip off the knot of hair on his head that represented his royal lineage. Not far outside his kingdom in Kapilvastu in southern Nepal, Siddhartha walked to the banks of the Anoma River and chopped off his knot before setting off for his life as an ascetic.

Buddhists believe Buddha’s hair went up in to the sky and was collected by the god Indra. The fanush ritual pays homage to that incident, and the lanterns are also intended to reach Indra.

Grown from the soil

Prof Dr Bikiran Prasad Barua, author of numerous books and an international representative of the Bangladeshi Buddhist community, is also the general secretary of the Bangladesh Boudho Kristi Prachar Sangha (BBKPS).

BBKPS runs a number of institutes

and organisations including the Dharmarajika monastery in Basabo, Dhaka.

Acquired during the times of East Pakistan, the area is now used to house a monastery, medical centre, school and research centre. With a coordinated system of carrying out their religious rituals, the monks enjoy a large number of visitors each year during the festival of lights.

Barua points out the significance of the agriculture based cultural calendar that influenced traditions followed during particular months in Buddhism.

As each purnima holds a certain distinction, each month similarly has its own place in the agricultural calendar. Cultural and environmental changes are also taken into consideration.

For instance, the Chaturmas – or the four months observed by Hindus ending in the month of Kartik – are when monks remain in one place and give sermons. This is a practice that Buddha started while he stayed at the royal palace of King Bimbisara of Rajgir in Bihar.

Another reason for this could be to avoid the rains and trampling on tiny insects that come out during this time. The culture of the region, the weather and general practices of people have played a major role in shaping the rituals observed by Buddhists today.

So let the fanush float and take away our sorrows, as we all hope and wish for a better year ahead.

.

Photo: Reaz Ahmed Sumon

WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, O CTOB E R 1 7, 2 0 1 4

18 stay in

Mini cryptics Clues

ACROSS 1 4 6 7

Cheater rearranged land area (7) Arranged seminar for military unit (7) Best to choose sorted mail (7) Galley equipment revolutionary and new (7)

DOWN 1 2 3 5

Poke fun after bad actor made cloth bed (7) Barrow holds a measure of gemstones (5) One slip changed Greek letter (7) New York speed of woodland spirit (5)

A Cautionary Story It is essential for band mates to have something in common when starting out Shah Nahian

P

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

Last week’s solutions

ACROSS 1 Cunning shout holding back (6) 6 Scent of a European capital (5) 7 Distances from centre air I’d relocated (5) 8 Run when a boy becomes grown up? (6) DOWN 2 African was in charge of holding stick (7) 3 Calf finally making noise and moving along (7) 4 Before time after your first annual (6) 5 A marsh transformed into religious retreat (6)

Cryptic crib sheet The trouble with the mini cryptic is that it is often so ... cryptic. With that in mind, we are introducing a new column to talk our readers through the last week’s mini-cryptic.

Let’s start with 7 Across.

Relocated means an anagram.

Distances from centre = radii, anagram of air I’d. We are on the scoreboard!

Scent of a European capital (6 Across) in 5 letters, has to be aroma, scent = aroma, a-Roma.

Get it?

Coming to 2 Down, we already have A and D. Was in charge = ran, and holding stick, means that you put a synonym for stick – wand – inside ran to get an African. A Rwandan is an African.

Typically, the first word of the clue is the answer. In 1 Across, cunning = crafty. Shout = cry, and back = aft. Since we fit the aft inside the cry, to get crafty, it can be said to be holding (like 2 Down).

4 Down, annual = yearly. Before time = early. Which comes after the first letter of your = y.

3 Down, moving along = flowing. Calf finally = f, making noise = lowing.

5 Down, transformed means another anagram. Religious retreat = ashram, anagram of a marsh.

Which brings us to 8 Across, M_ N_ G_ clearly manage. Run = manage.

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, O CTO B E R 17, 2014

laying in similar styles and being inspired by the same artists are all common reasons for starting a band. However, what if the main reason for starting a band together is spending all of your life savings so you can look more like your favourite celebrity?

As bizarre and impossible as it may sound, a band with such a motive actually came into existence earlier this year. Toby Sheldon, a man who underwent $100,000 worth of plastic surgery to look like his idol, Justin Beiber, has teamed up with Kitty

Jay, a woman who spent $25,000 on surgery to look like Jennifer Lawrence and Venus D’Lite, the RuPaul’s Drag Race (a reality show searching for the next drag superstar) contestant who dropped some serious cash to morph into Madonna, to form a group called – The Plastics.

The Plastics have recently released their first music video of their untitled track, opening with creepy lyrics: “Are you one of those boring people who don’t want to be beautiful? Because everyone can be beautiful when you’re made of plastic.”

S

o

u

d

k

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

u

Last week’s sudoku solutions

It is no surprise that this is not a song you would want in your playlist. The lyrics are scary, the music is boring but the song manages to be highly entertaining for reasons much different than the group was originally aiming for (I think).

If you like watching crazy things on the internet, log on to www.youtube.com and search for “The Plastics.” It’s the first video from the search, titled, “THE PLASTICS” - TOBY SHELDON, KITTY JAY, VENUS D’LITE feat. ADAM BARTA (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO),” or follow the link, “https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=55Csg0XCGIk#t=82” The music video is nothing more than a cautionary story, if not entertaining. However, if you feel the need to neutralise your mind from everything you see and hear, scroll down to the second link from the search titled, “The Plastics – Stereo Kids” (or follow the link – https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=3_Ye1JZAWtI).

Don’t be alarmed by the name of the band though. This is an Indie Retro Rock band all the way from South Africa, making some really decent music. n

Go out

Music | End the Stigma: Save Lives – Mental Health Awareness Concert When Oct 18, 2pm Where Russian Cultural Centre

Weekly Planner Oct 12-23 Art | The Macabre World

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risis Point is arranging a concert to raise awareness on mental health. The entire concert is designed as a musical and visual artistic metaphor for bipolarity.

The concert will start out with metal bands featuring local thrash metal music, including Matal Matlamir

When 9:30am-8pm Where EMK Center, House 5, Road 27, 9th Floor, Dhanmondi What Painter Subrata Das is having his third solo exhibition. Subrata seeks to break away from the tradition of presenting objects as they apparently are, and to provoke a myriad of human thoughts and emotions. His paintings portray man, life, society, politics and time in a way that strikes newer relationships among the ingredients of art.

Mamla, Inadalo and Nemesis.

Tickets are Tk300 each and will be available at the gate before the show.

The first 100 attendees will get free T-shirts with the End the Stigma: Save Lives logo on the front and the names of the featured artists on the back.

Music |

Stone Free: Takin’ to the streets When Oct 24, 9pm-1am Where Mozzaria, RM Centre, 101 Gulshan Avenue

Oct 16-22 Photography | Inspiration

When 3pm-8pm Where Drik Gallery, House 58, Road 15A, Dhanmondi What The Spanish Embassy in Dhaka and Drik jointly organised the Spanish Week 2014 Photography Competition and Exhibition at Drik Gallery, on the theme of “inspiration.”

Out of 4000 submitted photographs, the panel of judges – comprised of some of the country’s eminent artists – found 57 inspirational images which will be showcased during the exhibition.

Oct 17 Education | Training on domain, hosting e-mail and web-based business

When 10am-5pm Where Speedhostbd, House 28, Road 7, Block C, Banasree, Rampura What This training session is aimed to help participants learn how to start their own businesses from home using only a computer. The registration fee for the training is Tk600 per person.

For further details please contact 01782391434.

Music | Music for All 2

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xcalibur Entertainment and Mozzaria bring back the glory days of the Le Saigon’s rock and folk sessions. Stone Free was the house band at Le Saigon, and the band enjoyed cult status among Dhaka’s music lovers.

The organisers say this show is about music played the old fashioned way, not the kind made merely with machines.

Stone Free’s line up includes Chotu

When 2:30pm-8pm Where Russian Cultural Centre, Dhanmondi What TnR is bringing back this Khan on vocals and guitar, Fahim Haque on vocals and guitar, Abu Safa on bass and Emon Hasan on drums.

Stone Free will start with feet tapping songs, followed by classic songs from the Doobie Brothers, the Eagles, CSN, Stevie Wonder, the Allman Brothers and America – while the audience enjoys the Italian Buffet.

Ticket are available for Tk1,500 at Mozzaria.

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musical programme after one year. The concert will be showcasing bands such as Poizon Green, Stentorian, Cadaver.

The show will also feature new bands.

Oct 18 Film | Club Fair Movie Show Fall 2014

When 10am-4:15pm Where Brac University Auditorium, UB-02, 66, Mohakhali What The Brac University Film Club has arranged the screening of three blockbuster movies. Showtimes: 1011:30am: How to Train Your Dragon 2, 11:45am-2m: Kick, 2:15-4.15pm: X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Oct 19-23 Henna for Life

When 9:30am-5pm Where Mall Chattwar, Business Faculty Road, Dhaka University campus What A three-day henna programme has been arranged to raise money for Dhaka University marketing student Tasnova Shaheed, who needs financial assistance to treat her two damaged kidneys. Anyone can contribute by purchasing tickets, which range from Tk50-200. All money collected will be donated for Tasnova’s treatment.

Oct 23 Education | TDD in Practice with Pankaj Rabra

When 4:30pm-7:30pm Where Newscred, 58/E, Road 12, Kamal Atartuk, Banani What A special lecture by technical evangelist Pankaj Rabra from India, invited by NewsCred to share his expertise and knowledge on Test Driven Development (TDD). This is a free event, but registration is required at http://tinyurl.com/o5sotft, Registrants who qualify for a seat will receive an official confirmation by email.

Applicants are requested to check their calendars and confirm their availability prior to registering.

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, O CTOB E R 1 7, 2 0 1 4

20 funny bone | yamin khan

Offstage hysteria It’s hard out there for a comic Yamin Khan

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tandup comedy is an artform where a performer takes the stage with a single microphone and entertains the audience with his or her sense of humour – or the lack of it.

In a comedy show, the comedian is normally allotted a time limit, and he or she must prepare a set accordingly.

It’s basically a speech the performer delivers, which may revolve around a series of jokes, humorous anecdotes, funny observations, witty interactions, parody songs or anything that he or she finds funny.

In fact, there is a saying among comedians: “A show is a good one as long as people are laughing.”

In other words, as long as the people are laughing – the show goes on.

It doesn’t matter if they are laughing with you or at you.

In Bangladesh, a standup comedian comes in the social hierarchy right after mugger/goon and just before politician Bushwacked

Then there will be those odd days when no matter what you say the audience just won’t laugh. To make it worse, you can’t even walk off the stage because, well, you have been paid in advance.

During those testing times you can’t help but respect the great talent of people like Mr George W Bush.

Every single word that comes out of his mouth is a comedic gem. Trust me when I say this: Comedians all over the world were relieved when Mr Bush did not try his luck with standup comedy after retirement. I mean, it must have been so difficult for him to restrain himself, especially with the sparkling reputation he has built for himself over the years.

Me, if I had hair or could afford a tux

You’re a what?

As for myself, you can read my name from the top left corner of this page, and I work as a professional standup comedian in Bangladesh. It’s been almost four years since I embarked on this journey, and my experience has been quite unique to say the least.

I say unique because, for most people, a standup comedian comes in the social hierarchy right after a mugger/goon and just before a politician.

That is, if they have even heard of the profession.

For those who haven’t, they come up with questions like: “Yamin, your chachi was saying that you have joined a standing committee?”

To these people, I reply with a smile and thank them for feeding me with material for my upcoming show.

Joke machine

If I move up the ladder, the next social challenge as a comedian is that people expect us to be funny ALL THE TIME. It’s like expecting a singer to chant every single word that comes out of his or her mouth. Just imagine how it

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, O CTO B E R 17, 2014

Photo: Bigstock would be if a person yodels his order at a restaurant? Or he gets into a fight but is only allowed to deliver curse words like an opera song?

This is the exact expectation people have with us. Sometimes when I am about to speak, I see the anticipation of a hilarious joke on people’s faces.

So I just pretend I am about to say something and then stay quiet. Joke’s on them!

With the passage of time, I have learnt to enjoy people’s unrealistic expectations. When I started off, I would get distressed about disappointing people at social gatherings.

Most interactions were a series of fake laughs over mundane statements. In fact, it took me a while just to figure out why my “Hello” was funnier than other people’s. I even got laughs over statements like: “Excuse me, do you know where the loo is?” or even: “Did you know that 91% of HIV positive children live in Africa?”

But after trying to keep it up for a while, they would walk away with a disappointed look.

The irony, of course, is that these very people would sit with poker-

straight faces when I was trying to make them laugh on stage.

Go for broke

Now the biggest and fiercest challenge of being a comedian in Bangladesh is being broke all the time.

In fact, every time I call my bank to check my account balance, they offer me a job.

To be honest, it quite like being unemployed, if not worse.

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Let me paint a better picture for you. This is a conversation with my six-year-old niece Raidah: Me: Happy Birthday Raidah Raidah: Thank you!!

Me: So Raidah, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Raidah: (thinks) I want to be a barrister.

Me: That’s nice.

Raidah: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Me: (awkward silence)