THE BITS THAT MAKE US UP

Dhaka Tribune | vo l 2 I ssu e 28 | F R I D AY, N o ve m b e r 28, 2014

The bits that make us up

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Classical music

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TedxDhaka 2014

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Hay festival

Editor’s note The bits that make us up

H

ow does one describe a country? By its vistas?

Its people? Its culture? If so, Bangladesh is never more introspective than when festival week hits, and art, poetry and music bring together people from across the ages and sexes. Our most recent festival season is still in full swing, right ahead of Victory Day week, so it’s an exciting time to be Bangladeshi in Bangladesh right now.

This week, we take glimpses of our country in its various incarnations. With the Bengal Music Festival in mind, we’ve listed the kinds of people you meet at a festival (page 4). Which one are you? We’re also mapping the journey of South Asian classical music (page 5). Speaking of journey, we celebrate Jatra’s recent achievements on an international platform (pages 6-7).

While the memories of the Hay Festival are still fresh, we explore what this year’s festival had to offer (page 15). We caught up with Farah Ghuznavi for a chat about writing (page 8), and if that grabs you, check out our review of her “Fragments of Riversong” (page 18).

And if you didn’t realise just how eventful last Saturday was, flip to our review of the TEDx seminar, and all its cool and creative panellists (pages 12-13).

We’ve got the people, we’ve got the artifacts, and the culture. We wrap it up with a beautiful photo spread about the connection between man and his land in a harvest special in this week’s Photo Story (pages 9-11).

Here’s hoping you have a fantastic weekend.

Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

the cover An aerial view of agricultural lands in Jessore district, reveals a picturesque patchwork of grey, brown, yellow and green. The collage of plots – with recently harvested crops, next to bright patches of freshly planted winter vegetables – brings out a stark contrast of colours.

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

CONTENTS

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Volume 2 | Issue 28 | November 28, 2014 Editor Zafar Sobhan Executive Editor Shahriar Karim Managing Editor Jahangir Hyder Features Editor Sabrina Fatma Ahmad Weekend Tribune Team Tasnuva Amin Nova Mark Baidya Farhana Urmee Faisal Mahmud Farina Noireet Tausif Sanzum

6 Art

Jatra’s crafts

8 Interview

Farah Ghuznavi

Art Direction/Photography Syed Latif Hossain

News

Cartoons Syed Rashad Imam Tonmoy Priyo Rio Shuvo Contributors Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi Shadman Hasan Reema Islam Ishrat Jahan Dina Sobhan Sabrina Toppa Graphic Md Mahbub Alam

2 News 3 Meanwhile

9 Photo Story Harvest season

Colour Specialist Shekhar Mondal

5 Origin Story Classical music 8 Interview Farah Ghuznavi

15 Feature Hay festival

Advertising Shahidan Khurshed

Regulars

Circulation Masud Kabir Pavel

Email your letters to: weekend@dhakatribune.com

4 Listology Music maniacs

12 Event TedxDhaka 2014

Production Masum Billah

Website dhakatribune.com/weekend facebook.com/WeekendTrib

Features

14 Legalese To advocate or arbitrate?

17 Feature

16 Tough Love Unmarried and unresolved

18 Stay In 19 Go Out

Food business WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

2 News | This week

The world at a glance

North Korea holds rally against UN rights resolution

Weekend Tribune Desk

North Korea held a mass rally Tuesday in its capital to protest a United Nations resolution condemning its human rights record.

The resolution was made following a UN commission of inquiry report, earlier this year, that said North Korea’s human rights situation “exceeds all others in duration, intensity and horror.”

Thousands of protesters in Kim Il Sung Square carried banners praising their leaders and condemning the

Greek journalists on strike

Veena Malik gets 26 years in jail Pakistan actor Veena Malik along with the owner of Pakistan’s biggest media group, Geo TV, have been sentenced to 26 years in prison for allegedly airing a blasphemous programme. Veena’s husband was also given a jail sentence on the same charges.

Judge Shahbaz Khan of an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan announced the verdict on Wednesday.

According to several Pakistani newspapers, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, owner of Geo and Jang group, was accused of allowing the airing of a blasphemous programme

by Geo television in May, which played a religious song while staging a mock marriage of Malik with Bashir.

The court sentenced both Malik and Bashir along with TV host Shaista Wahidi for 26 years each.

Photo: AP

Pope confirms calling Spanish sex abuse victim Pope Francis says he personally called a Spaniard who said he was sexually abused by a priest and urged him to report it to the diocese.

Three priests and a layman were arrested Monday in connection to the case in the southern city of Granada.

Francis, speaking to reporters while returning home from Strasbourg on Tuesday, says he received a letter from the alleged victim and then phoned him, telling him to go to the Granada diocese in person to report the abuse that took place about 10 years ago. Francis says he wrote to the bishop and urged him to launch an investigation.

Photo: Reuters

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Greek journalists are on a 24-hour strike, pulling all newscasts off the air a day before a nationwide general strike against austerity measures.

Thursday’s general strike is expected to disrupt services across the country.

Schools will remain shut, state hospitals will only handle emergencies, and ferries and flights will not operate.

Journalists’ unions usually hold work stoppages a day early so reporters can cover the general strike.

Greece has been dependent on billions of euros in international bailouts since 2010. In return, successive governments have had to impose deep spending cuts and tax hikes in an effort to reform the economy.

Photo: Reuters

United States.

North Korea says the UN move is based on trumped-up allegations by defectors and backed by the United States and other countries seeking to overthrow its ruling regime. Its state media have been producing articles critical of the human rights situation in the United States and threatening severe retaliation against any attempts to bring down its government.

Photo: Reuters

India’s state-owned bank to launch Islamic fund India’s largest state-owned bank will launch an Islamic equity fund next month aimed mainly at attracting investments from the country’s 170 million Muslims. The Securities and Exchange Board of India, the country’s banking regulator, recently allowed the government-owned State Bank of India and three mutual funds to launch Sharia funds.

An official said Wednesday that the bank was expecting to attract an initial 1 billion rupees ($16.4 million) to the fund which will launch on Dec 1.

A large section of India’s Muslim population remains outside the banking system, partly because Islamic law known as Sharia prohibits interest. Shares of companies linked to alcohol, tobacco, gambling and casinos and financial institutions that earn interest would be excluded from the fund.

Dhaka deplores Pak resolution on war crimes trial The government has protested a resolution adopted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Provincial Assembly of Pakistan expressing concern over the conviction of the perpetrators of crimes against humanity and genocide during the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh against Pakistan.

The Foreign Ministry yesterday sent a diplomatic note to the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka in this regard.

The ministry deplored the resolution, which, it said was a “brazen denial of justice for the victims” of the heinous crimes committed by the convicted individuals and that the KPK

Assembly chose to speak for Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

The KPK Assembly was advised not to make such sweeping, biased, misinformed and politically-motivated remarks about the independent legal system of a foreign country.

Through adopting the resolution, Bangladesh considers that the KPK Assembly has seriously undermined the standing as a responsible, credible and representative body speaking on behalf of its constituency.

The resolution was “tantamount to direct interference in the domestic affairs of Bangladesh,” the note said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune

meanwhile ... | News

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You’re welcome

Photo of the week

5 steps to fall asleep in 30 seconds Try these simple steps backed by scientific findings to help you fall asleep quicker.

Five motorcycle riders narrowly escape a possible crash in the capital’s Farmgate area as they skidded and fell in the middle of the road, due to some substance that had made the road slippery and treacherous. Traffic sergeants, with the help of some pedestrians, stop other vehicles from coming and alert them.

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

Say what?

Tourist fined $30,000 for tagging Colosseum

A Russian tourist has been fined 20,000 euros (TK1,920,274) for engraving a big letter ‘K’ on a wall of the Colosseum, the latest act of vandalism by tourists at the ancient structure.

The news agency ANSA reported that the 42-year-old tourist was given a summary judgment last Saturday of a fine and a suspended four-year jail sentence.

He was spotted by a guard as he used a pointed stone to carve the 25cm tall letter.

Union leaders, citing recent acts of vandalism, have complained about the lack of personnel to properly monitor

Rome’s archaeological treasures – with increasing numbers of visitors seeking to leave their trace on antiquity, causing incalculable damage.

It was the fifth incidence of vandalism by foreign tourists at the Colosseum this year.

News: Desk. Photo: Australian Associated Press

1. Read a book: Reading helps facilitate sleep by forcing you to remove yourself from electronic equipment – items designed to keep your mind visually stimulated – and into a relaxed activity.

2. Set a formal bedtime: Setting a certain time for you to go to sleep helps your mind recognise that it is time for you to start unwinding and relaxing, much in the same way a child learns to sleep through the night.

3. Eat a healthy diet: Research has found that increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, and pulses can help improve your sleep and the time it takes for you to go to sleep dramatically, thanks to enhancing your levels of magnesium, potassium, or other essential minerals that your body needs.

4. Meditate: Meditation allows you to calm your restless mind and focus on the kind of slow, rhythmic breathing that helps make sleeping better. In fact one of the suggested breathing techniques, the ujjayi breath (or ocean breath), is perfect for calming you down and helping you nod off to sleep.

5. Drink some warm milk: Psychologists have considered that drinking warm milk may have an unconscious psychological effect, and that it relates to the childhood experience of breastfeeding and the comfort associated with it.

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4 Listology | Music maniacs

The people you meet at a music festival While the Bengal Classical Music Festival might be a relatively sober event, you should still prepare yourself to face different types of people who you may come across at a concert Tausif Sanzum The updater

The continuous status updater who will dedicatedly include literally everything going around him/her – even if any one sneezes too loudly.

Cartoon: Syed Rashad Imam Tonmoy

The selfie maniac

Cartoon: Priyo

The hater Cartoon: Rio Shuvo

The expert

That person in your group who claims to be the resident expert on the theme of the evening and duly chimes in with bits and pieces of news and info, regardless of whether the rest of the group desires it or not.

While the entire crowd might be cheering the bands performing, there will be a group of people who can never be completely satisfied. They will be booing throughout the entire concert.

The headbangers

The singer and the dancer

Not many know why rock stars head bang and even fewer can find any rational explanation as to why some in the audience try to rattle their brains out in the effort to follow in their idol's footsteps.

He/she will know every word in the lyrics of the songs performed and will happily exhibit dance moves which may make even Shakira feel shy.

The yo and peace posers

A rock concert without yo and peace signs is almost a cardinal sin.

The Odd One out

Cartoon: Rio Shuvo

The devoted wife or the doting girlfriend who cannot leave the side of their better half and accompany them to the concert only to feel completely lost.

Cartoon: Syed Rashad Imam Tonmoy

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The pervert

You may come across roadside romeos who will stare at girls as if they are aliens. Then there is also the “oops!

I am sorry” moment where they will fall on you or push you and pretend that it was by mistake.

The quest for the perfect selfie with your favourite band member and countless others with your friends is the only driving force in the life of a selfie maniac.

The pot head

A soul blankly staring into thin air – too high to bother about what is happening around him/her.

The wrestler

Those fights which suddenly erupt out of nowhere and then disappear even more randomly.

The screamer

Talk about someone being really really into the show. Do any of us know why we sometimes end up screaming like crazy during a gig?

The spiller

There is bound to be one who carries coke bottles or food and end up spilling all around.

The get a room couple

The Romeo and Juliet whose PDAs can get too uncomfortable even for a wild concert. n

Classical music | Origin Story

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A timeline of Indian classical art A historical outline of classical music and dance from the Indian subcontinent Reema Islam

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n 1926, British archaeologists of the Indus Valley Civilisation excavated the bronze statue of a young girl, arms stacked with bangles standing with confidence, in the South of Pakistan. This statue was dubbed the “dancing girl” and tells of a bygone era where dance and music were an integral part of the Indian sub-continent.

An Ancient Art

As far as our civilisations can go back in time, classical music and dance have played a major role in the Indian Sub-continent. Classical music originated from the need to memorise the Vedas in ancient India as the Hindu religion was spreading across the four corners and a rhythmic tune was attached to each hymn or prayer.

Influenced by the sounds found in nature – birds, winds and flowing water – all were represented through music. The Natyashastra, a handbook written by the sage Bharata around 200BCE outlined the rules and regulations of stage performances, which included everything from make-up to dancing styles and type of music for certain occasions.

Most consider this document the foundation of the fine arts in India and it only goes to further prove how advanced the performing arts already were by this time. Religious inferences defined each music and dance form and the Lord Shiva in his popular avatar as Natyaraj is considered the god of Bharat natyam with his popular tandava sequence.

Know your ragas

Ragas were apparently named according to Lord Shiva’s movements

Photos: Syed Latif Hossain

across all four directions and the sky and were called Bhairav, Hindol, Megh, Deepak and Shria and Raga Kaushik was created by the Goddess Parvati herself.

The earlier versions of singing were a simple Dhrupad form while the more varied Khayal, Thumri, Tapas, etc arrived much later.

Pulaskar and Bhatkhande are attributed to popularising the modern version of Indian classical music at the turn of the 20th century. They made it more mainstream and offered the opportunity for musicians to educate themselves where Pulaskar formed the school Gandharva Mahavidyala in Lahore in 1905 which later became the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Mumbai.

Although the famous Sufi poet Amir Khusrao is attributed for the creation of the tabla and the sitar, there have been historic evidences that the tabla was in use even during 200 BCE, as the Bhaja Cave carvings in Maharashtra depict.

As no written reference has been found linking Khusrao making changes to the two instruments, there are references to his being the inventor of the style of singing Qual, the Tarana, Ragas Aiman or Yaman and possibly, influenced Khayals.

The Thumri was formulated in the 19th century courts of Syed Wajid Ali Shah while the Khayal was later revamped in the 18th century.

dance form, mostly telling the tale of Radha-Krishna, Kathak was redefined in the Mughal courts.

Influenced by the whirling dervishes, the chakkars were incorporated and a costume change for the dancers added, to make Kathak look more like court entertainment than a religious art form.

Rukmini Devi Arundale made Bharat Natyam a widely accepted art form in the 1930s and helped it get rid of the image of being the dance of the “locals.”

Revival through festivals

The 20th century saw a revival of the classical music genre and concerts and festivals, which had dwindled since the advent of the British Raj. The Madras Music Season started in the 1920s. India was a country going through a period of turmoil with the advent of independence but even at such times, people missed out on a Mahatma Gandhi speech to rush

to the Master Madan concert in Simla.

The child prodigy who died at the tender age of 14 from possible poisoning by his rivals, had a voice that held more charm than the words of the man who helped India gain independence in the coming years!

After the independence of India and Pakistan, the 1950s saw a sudden surge in music festivals being organised in both countries, as the post partition era had left the musicians in need of work and recognition.

The Dover Lane festival in Kolkata at the Nazrul mancha in 1952, the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav in Pune since 1953 and the All Pakistan Music Conference in Lahore, Pakistan, sought to bring classical musicians from all over the country for a festival spanning over a number of days.

Audiences flock from all over the country to this very day as all three festivals draw massive numbers of classical music lovers. n

The dance of ages

Temples all over India are carved with the dance poses of a Bharat Natyam dancer where the Vedas have often mentioned the Kathakas, or the story tellers. Popularised as a religious

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6 Art | Jatra’s crafts

Photos: Bayezid

ON-TREND

In light of their international recognition this year, we look at Jatra – flag bearer of the hand-made handicraft revolution Farhana Urmee

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his year, two products from the Bangladshi arts and crafts company Jatra were selected for the Nantong International Contemporary Crafts Biennial 2014, a festival that celebrates traditional craftsmanship.

The artists behind the awarded items are Shihab Mahmud Baten, Nargis Akhter, Yasin and Anowar Hossain.

STIFF COMEPTITION

This year there were a total of 1,880 submissions from 64 countries. Two submissions from Jatra was selected, one was a Jamdani scarf while the other one was the painted rope bound wooden chair.

Anowar Hossain - who has already been recognised as a national “Young Craftsman” - made the Jamdani piece.

The painted chair was the work of Shihab Mahmud Baten in association with Nargis Akhter.

While Anwar is a trained Jamdani craftsman, Shihab and Nargis work for Jatra full-time. Yasin is a carpenter.

This was their first professional project, and the award is their first international recognition.

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THE TALENT

Shihab is a skilled painter: he used to do Alpona for weddings in his village in Munshiganj and was known for his ability to copy any style. When he started at Jatra 10 years ago, he never thought he could be a professional.

Yet, according to Jatra’s designer Farhana Hamid, he has become one of the company’s most skilled hands: “As a painter he was supposed to take inspiration from other’s work, but he grew up so fast as a painter that his paintings now inspire the rest of the designers.”

Shihab and Nargis dreamt of a very simple life before coming to Jatra. They did not graduate from any design school, nor did they ever plan to become professional designers craftwork was merely their hobby. But their passion got the better of them, and now it’s their full-time job.

Shihab and Nargis are extremely proud of their work. Shihab tells me: “Whenever I see handicrafts anywhere other than the outlets I work for, I feel proud to be one of those contributing to the restoration of colourful Bangladeshi crafts.”

Nargis agrees: “Young people, like

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d Bin Waheed

Photos: Shadman Hasan

TRADITION us, who work in handicrafts are not only reviving our traditional trades, but also creating a new trend for these traditions - this is way more rewarding.”

ETHICAL BUSINESS

Jatra believe the future is hand-made, and when lifestyle products or clothes are hand-made it has major social and economic implications. It creates few environmental hazards (in fact almost none if well maintained), artisans have jobs and do not need to quit their forefathers’ trade for the sake of earning money to buy bread, and very importantly: lots of recycling is possible - as every by-product can be turned into something new and exciting.

THE JATRA STORY

Jatra was founded in 2000 by a bunch of artists and musicians to promote traditional Bangladeshi art. Their objective was to highlight the country’s vibrant culture, and to revive its forgotten songs. They believe the land is not defined by borders, but rather by shared culture. And they want to promote craftsmanship not by making showpieces, but rather products that can be used.

In creating things that people need, Jatra hopes to preserve the skills passed down from generation to generation. Today, they are widely known for their handicrafts that take folk stories for inspiration. Plus they have recently opened Jatra Biroti, a restaurant that serves typical

Bangladeshi finger foods.

Anusheh Anadil, a musician and the owner of Jatra, explains why she chose the name Jatra, which means “journey” in English: “Jatra comes from my idea of a journey through Bangladesh. The streets seem full of colours. With the bright rickshaws and trucks, the rainbow colours of all the garment workers coming out of the factories, our folk art, Bauls, the colourful Gamchas and Lungis, printed saris covered with flowers, neon cinema posters, the multi-coloured boats carried by the wind through our silver rivers. To me this country always seems colourful, I just wanted to see that translated into art and crafts - and used in our everyday lives.”

“I spent a long time seeing Jatra in the future, but things don’t necessarily happen the way you envision them. I think Jatra has its own journey, a very organic one in which we, as a family, are all learning more about this country, ourselves and what it really means to be an artist … So I would say we try to be in the present and walk fearlessly towards a brighter future.”

For Anusheh the company philosophy is as important as its products: “Because there is an idealistic element to the business working with local artisans directly, emphasising the value of handmade things - there are many barriers in terms of “business”. Hand-made is hand-made after all! We can’t expect it to be flawless like machine-made.

The people involved end up taking precedence over the business.” n

Photo: Shadman Hasan

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8 INTERVIEW | Farah Ghuznavi

9 Questions

with Farah Ghuznavi

As the biggest literary festival of the year comes to an end, we get in touch with our aesthetic sensibilities and talk with Farah about writing and its necessities, procrastination and her favourite picks for Hay Festival 2014 Ishrat Jahan

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development professional who has also been writerin-residence with the Commonwealth Writers, Farah Ghuznavi has a wealth of creative non-fiction, fiction, translations, and columns under her belt.

Farah’s story “Judgement Day” was highly commended in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition 2010, and she participated in the panel organised

by Commonwealth Writers at the Hay Festival Dhaka in 2012.

Outside of writing and her profession in the development sector, Farah has been working as a professional translator from Bangla to English for over a decade.

What is the most important thing your writing needs to have?

For me, the most important thing is authenticity. I want what I write to be firmly rooted in reality.

Sensationalising a story to make it sell, or relying on clichés and stereotypes are the sign of a lazy story-teller, in my opinion – and it shows a lack of respect for the reader’s intelligence!

Our literature scene is more or less dominated by Bangla – has that ever made you doubtful about your success as an English language writer in Bangladesh? How hard is it to write in English in Bangladesh?

The literary scene in Bangladesh is indeed dominated by Bangla writers, as it should be, since most people in this country read Bangla. The audience for English-language writers is tiny, but we do have a wider regional audience, and a global one, too. I tend not to think about it too much.

My reasons for writing are internally-driven. I have stories to tell, and putting them down on paper is a way of keeping myself sane! So

while I am immensely grateful to have readers for my work, the truth is that I would still write regardless.

Your writing contains an underlying sense of feminism – what does feminism mean to you?

I think my writing reflects an underlying concern about justice, and the need to respect the rights of every individual, whether man, woman or child. For me, feminism – defined as equality between women and men – ties in with that. I find it frustrating when people misrepresent feminism as aggressive or selfish. Surely a world with greater equality would be a better world for all of us?

How important is “marketing” your work as a writer? What has been your approach?

There is a danger of getting carried away with “marketing.” The first step is to actually produce something worth reading. Only then can you think about marketing it.

So, I have focused primarily on getting the work done, and then putting it out there (eg, in a magazine, on a website, in an anthology) so that people can find it. If you craft the best stories that you are capable of writing and send them out into the world, I actually believe that your readers will find them.

What was the best advice you have received about writing?

Learn to take constructive criticism gracefully! When you write, you put a piece of your soul on the paper, so any criticism feels both painful and personal. It’s important to recognise that you can actually improve your work by using constructive criticism.

Feedback from editors and betareaders has really helped me improve my work, however much I may have preferred to have received undiluted

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praise.

If there is one word of advice you would give to aspiring Bangladeshi English language writers – what would it be?

Polish your work until it really shines, because your story has a lot of competition out there, and only the best work will get the reader’s attention. That means not only getting your grammar, spelling etc absolutely perfect, but also putting in the necessary time and effort to get a story right. The truth is, most writing is actually re-writing!

What is the most amusing thing a fan has ever said to you (Facebook stalkers included)?

When I read my story, “Waiting for the Storm” (which appears in the “Fragments of Riversong” collection) at the Jaipur Festival, a senior police officer told me that he had found the story thought-provoking.

Since the storyline is about getting away with murder, I couldn’t help but wonder if he would henceforth be viewing reports of apparently natural deaths with greater suspicion!

Even funnier was a non-fan, who wanted to be my friend on Facebook not because he liked my work, but because he liked other writers on my

Photo: Courtesy

friend-list! So on Facebook, I prefer to interact with people on my Facebook authors’ page. At least that way I know that it’s my work that they are interested in.

Do you think the introduction of Hay Festival in Bangladesh has helped create a marketing platform for new writers and aspiring ones?

The Hay Festival Dhaka has provided a unique opportunity for writers of all kinds to showcase their work.

The audiences at the festival are really engaged and passionate about literature. For Bangladeshi writers to be able to connect with an audience like that has enormous benefits.

“Procrastination is good for writers” – do you agree?

As a master procrastinator, I have to say I think otherwise. You have to do what you have to do, so procrastination isn’t very helpful. On the other hand, I do think that writers need time for reflection – what I refer to as “headspace” - and this can be difficult for other people to understand.

Most writers need time to think, and it’s hard to explain to those around you that sometimes, when you are staring off into space, you are actually working!

.

Harvest season | Photo story

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Fruits of our labour Photos: Syed Zakir Hossain

Turn for more photographs

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his is the season of harvesting, which triggers the celebration of the Nobanno Uthshob – the festival that commemorates the new harvest. Nobanno literally means “new food,” and is an occasion that is close to the heart of every true blue Bangali. Although originally celebrated only in rural Bengal by farming communities, the festival, through the efforts of institutions such the Nobanno Udjapon Parishad in Dhaka, has been integrated into the lives of those living in the urban areas as well, particularly in the form of the Nobanno Utsab at the Bakultala of Dhaka Univerity’s Institute of Fine Arts.

This week’s Photo Story features vivid images of harvest in the heartland of rural Bangladesh and were taken in the areas along the stretch of the Dhaka-Sylhet highway, in Ashuganj.

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10 PHoto story | Harvest season

Grains and gratitude

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Post-harvest processing is a team sport

Behind the clouds

The grain rain

To the water ways

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12 EVENT | Ted Dhaka x

Eyes on the future All about TEDxDhaka 2014 Faisal Mahmud

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his year’s TEDx event, which took place on November 22, at the Krishibid Institute’s newly built auditorium at Farmgate, hosted a fascinating array of speakers.

Session 1: Saving Tomorrow

The conference opened with Iqbal Habib, the notable architect and environmental activist. He started his lecture referencing a play by Samuel Beckett “Waiting for Godot.” The play was about the arrival of Godot, who would come and change the society by ridding it of all sorrows and misdeeds.

“But Godot never came in that play and nothing was changed. Nothing will be change unless you break the barrier and become Godot by yourself.”

His opening speech perfectly set the mood for this year’s conference, which was themed “Breaking Barriers.”

Habib spoke on inclusive housing and living conditions in Dhaka.

According to him, the urban slums in Bangladesh house some 60% of the urban population and dwellers there pay around Tk34 per square feet whereas a dweller in non-slum habitats in Gulshan or Dhanmondi pays Tk31 per square feet.

“With little to no ventilation, unhygienic facilities and insufficient space, the slum inhabitants of Dhaka still contribute an amazing 10% of total GDP due to their hard work and resilience.”

Habib said that the key to addressing these citizens’ critical living situation is convincing policymakers to adopt a more inclusive attitude. His initiative broke barriers of non-inclusive housing policies, and triggered awareness among policymakers. Garments industry leaders in Bangladesh who employ millions of people, are now undertaking housing initiatives for their workers. Policy-

Photo: Mirza Salman Hossain Beg

makers have provided investment incentives to make this possible.

Iqbal Habib reminded us that “Once you raise your voice, changes will follow.”

After Habib, came eminent photographer Munem Wasif.

With his inspirational speech and photographs, he gave the audience a virtual tour of Old Dhaka.

Wasif said that he was first drawn to Puran Dhaka by its mysticism and liveliness. Meandering down its winding streets, Wasif captured a series of vivid images of people going about their daily lives.

Right after Wasif, came Shehzad Noor Taus, a brilliant high school student with a serious knack for programming. The first question he threw at the audience was: “How many of you can code?”

Observing a few raised hands, he said, “Coding is easy, isn’t it? I learned to code when I was 10. If I could do it then, you of course can do it now.”

Taus, one of the youngest Zend certified coders said that only 0.3% of the population produces software.

This means the majority of the world’s population is ill-equipped to find software-based solutions to their problems. “Learn how to code and

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 28 , 201 4

become a software innovator because the world needs you,” Taus urged.

The last two speakers of the session were two wonder kids – Abrar Zawad, 9 and Safwan Rahman, 12.

According to Abrar and Safwan, with the right platform, kids as young as nine, can come up with groundbreaking innovations. Both attended The Tech School and have fostered an interest in technology from a very early age. The two already actively participate in tech competitions and are coming up with their own inventions.

The Batman Gadget they designed detects obstacles in front of whoever is wearing it. “The purpose of the gadget is for playing outdoor games and in maze solving,” explains Abrar. “But later on, after further development, it can be used as an aid for the blind.”

Session 2: A Better World

The second session began with Peter Eigen, founder of Transparency International (TI) and he came on stage playing a saxophone. “It relaxes me,” said Eigan. The audience seemed to agree vehemently.

Eigen talked about corruption and good governance and the idea

behind founding TI. He emphasised on his belief that the three actors of governance, the state as prime actor, plus the commercial sector and civil society organisations, can break the barriers of corruption and exploitation by playing their separate roles.

Next on stage to talk about the transformation of urban waste were Iftekhar Enayetullah and Maqsud Sinha. They introduced themselves as “Garbagologists.” Enayetullah and Sinha make a compelling duo, with experience in civil/environmental engineering, urban planning and architecture. They informed us that the urban areas of Bangladesh currently generate 20,000 tons of solid waste per day!

Their initiative, Waste Concern, is a simple solution to this problem. Using a decentralised mechanism to collect waste from developing countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Vietnam, Waste Concern turns biodegradable waste into organic fertiliser.

“We believe that waste is not a problem, it is a resource,” claim the duo.

Rosie Hart, the founder of Impactt, an international organisation

13 working for labour rights, came next.

According to Hurst, Bangladesh, home to one of the largest garments industries (second only to China), can become number one in the world by empowering its workers to reap more benefits from the market.

Benefits for Business and Workers (BBW) and UP! are organisations working to address the problem of dehumanisation in the workplace by building warmth and competence through interactive sessions between line workers, supervisors, managers and welfare officers.

“A few tiny changes can make all the difference,” affirmed Hurst.

After such serious issues like governance, waste management, etc, the audience required a much needed break, which was provided by the maverick singer Farzana Wahid Shayan, the last speaker of the session.

Session 3: Body and mind

Nina Smith, executive director of GoodWeave International started session three by narrating the story behind the intricately designed rug she was standing on. It had over 500,000 knots and was hand-weaved

by Sanju, an 11-year-old from Nepal, who was stolen from her home and taken to a weaving facility far away.

She was forced to work day and night, in inhumane conditions.

Deprived of her childhood, Sanju was trapped until GoodWeave, an organisation working to eradicate child labour in the rug weaving industry, found her.

“The only thing modern about modern slavery is that it is happening now,” Smith continued.

Smith invited everyone to look beyond these handmade goods to realise the struggles behind them.

GoodWeave works to raise awareness

and promotes ethically made carpets that are not the product of child labour or slavery.

After Smith, came Monira Rahman, founder of the Acid Survivors Foundation. She surprised the audience by claiming that she wants to shut down the foundation.

“I don’t want to have such a foundation which works with acid survivors because I don’t want acid attacks to take place in Bangladesh.”

During her talk, Rahman shared outstanding stories of courage and bravery of the acid survivors. She mentioned how the hard work of the foundation paid off and the government finally enacted the The Acid Crime Control Act and the Acid Control Act in 2002.

Well known beatboxer Shanto was next on the stage. “Life starts with a beat,” he began. He spent the bulk of his presentation showing off his beatboxing skills, looping one beat on top of another.

Anisul Karim, researcher at the Transform Nutrition Consortium came next. In his speech, he informed the audience that Bangladesh has the fastest prolonged reductions in childhood stunting in recorded history. Bangladesh surpasses Pakistan and India, even after spending less on public health.

“So what did Bangladesh do right that neighbouring countries did not?” asked Karim. He of course answered the question: “A female secondary school stipend programme launched in 1990 made all the difference. The programme was so successful that Bangladeshi women now surpass men in secondary education.”

The last speaker of the session was Tanzeem Choudhury, director of the People-Aware Computing group.

“How many of you have taken care of or supported a person with cancer?

Photo: Nafisa Islam

With heart disease? With mental illness?” Tanzeem Choudhury began with this question.

Not surprisingly, the numbers among the audience were staggeringly low. “Mental illness is an illness,” confirmed Tanzeem. “If treated, people who are mentally ill can be successful, powerful, productive, and brilliant.”

Around 1 in 6 people suffer from mental illness. Signs of mental illness include unusual sleeping patterns and behavioural factors like the pace at which we speak and how we walk.

However, even with technological support, treating mental illness is multidimensional and requires social participation. Tanzeem reminded the audience that there is nothing to be ashamed of in regards to depression.

Session 4: Dreamer and Achiever

The fourth and final session of the day was more light-hearted than the former ones. The first speakers were

Photo: Sayed Ahmed

Kushboo and Rakib. They started their talk referencing a popular TV series of the 90’s – Robocop.

“Almost every 90’s kid is familiar with the popular science fictional character, Robocop. I was no different.

I was fascinated by robots and all things scientific,” said Khushboo.

Kushboo’s journey began with her spouse who is also a tech lover, in their small lab at home. Kushboo quit her day job and the pair set off on a journey filled with robotic endeavours.

To this day, Khushboo and her husband Rakib, have had quite some breakthroughs. Their biggest achievements include participating in the NASA Lunabotic Competition, where they designed a robot that can collect soil samples on the moon.

“We wish to make an advanced selfconfigured robot in the future,” she said.

Next up, were cartoonists Manik and Ratan. Their journey began when they sent some of their regular artwork to Unmad, a cartoon magazine. Soon enough, they got a call from Ahsan Habib, a professional cartoonist.

However, the pair faced an obstacle: their parents wanted them to become computer engineers.

In their final computer class presentation, their software project was a flop, but their animated cartoon work was a huge hit.

“Everything was possible because of the courage we had to choose our own path and pursue our own dream,” they said.

Last but not least, comedian Yamin Khan took the stage to close off TEDxDhaka 2014.

“As far as I know, I am Yamin Khan,” he began. “Among all the speakers, I am the one with the least accomplishments.”

He revisited the previous speakers’ achievements, inviting a round of applause for all of them. n

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14 Legalese | Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi

To advocate or arbitrate?

Q

I am a first year law student at BRAC University and wanted to enquire about my possible career options in the field of law.

Despite my fascination with business studies, my parents have finally convinced me to embark on the path of becoming a barrister.

I am a little disheartened but take solace in the fact that I can always study business law and branch out in the corporate sector. I’ve been to court a couple of times, but it doesn’t seem to be my cup of tea. I have heard about arbitration and would prefer being an arbitrator, instead of an advocate to be honest. Could you please advise on which steps I need to take if I want to pursue a career in business arbitration?

Got a problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

A

Dear Reader: Firstly – ouch! The last thing anyone should accept is to be pushed into a career they are not interested or comfortable with.

There’s a clichéd saying: “He who loves his job will never work a day in his life,” with the underlying subtext being that work wouldn’t actually feel like work. Your passion appears to be business, not law. It’s important to keep in mind that business and law are two very different things, so the solace you seek wouldn’t be very comforting.

Now, let us explore the possible career options open to you. You mentioned that you are not a big fan of the court – frankly, I do not blame you for that. A lot of decent and qualified legal minds are choosing to distance themselves from the courts and litigation procedures, instead focusing more on the corporate and commercial aspect of things.

This is attractive for so many reasons: you don’t have to battle a horde of people every single waking moment, just to get from point A to point B. You get to spend your days in comfortable offices and airconditioned rooms, as compared to the hot and humid court environment.

Cartoon: Priyo/Dhaka Tribune

You can avoid the apprehension of dealing with people who deal in an underhanded manner or conduct under-the-table transactions. And, frankly, the money in the corporate legal field is much better, especially if you specialise and build your practice in a demanding legal arena.

I guess that rules out practising as an advocate. Your parents want you to be established as a barrister.

However, having said that, do keep

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

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 28 , 201 4

in mind that you would at least have to qualify as an advocate and be a member of the Bangladesh Bar Council in order to establish your legal peer community standing. You mentioned that you are currently studying at BRAC University.

Whilst BRAC has an excellent LLB programme, it is worth mentioning that this LLB degree will not help you to apply for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), which is necessary to qualify as a barrister.

This is because the BPTC accepts English degrees, which means that you may have to appear for a second LLB (taking up another minimum of three years of your life), before you

can even apply for the Bar Programme. Quite a waste of time owing to lack of awareness, don’t you think?

Also, to conclude, I do want to mention that you appear to be slightly confused about the concept of arbitration and what an arbitrator’s duties entail.

You can always be the arbitration counsel and assist your clients in the usual manner, but in order to be an arbitrator, you will need years of experience and vast legal knowledge. Retired judges often serve as arbitrators – that should give you an idea of how solemn the position is. One cannot simply just choose to be “an arbitrator instead of an advocate.”

I would advise you to take a step back and completely re-evaluate your strategy. A law career is not really as glamorous as it seems. Sure you may see pictures and publicity of a few parties and events, and love shows like Suits or Boston Legal, but what you don’t realise is the back breaking (sometimes literally!) hard work, sleepless nights, acne breakouts owing to stress, dark circles and complete lack of a social life – these also go hand in hand with this profession. Therefore, unless you’re completely passionate about law itself, this is not the profession for you. And, honestly speaking, you’re simple wasting your time and your parents’ money!

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Hay Festival | Feature

Hay takeaways A list of the top five takeaways from this year’s Hay festival Tasnuva Amin Nova

False seduction of cities

Rana Dasgupta, author of Capital, spoke to an urban audience about his experience of living in Delhi for over a decade. In the late 90s he saw immense hope among Delhi-ites because of burgeoning growth which later faded as new forms of inequality and injustice emerged in the society. His book Capital is as much about Delhi as it is about neoliberal capitalism. As the conversation progressed, panelists K Anis Ahmed and Somnath Batbayal and Javed Jahangir spoke about corruption, abuse of power, and injustice taking place in cities and how media is a tool

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

for the affluent in the society to shape the thinking and aspirations of the urban population.

Science is fun

For the first time this year, Hay Festival Dhaka explored the scope of introducing science and maths into literature. At a session titled Science Matters, Lucy Hawking, Marcus du Sautoy, and Muhammad Zafar Iqbal talked about their experience of popularising the field of academia among masses. According to Marcus, the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of

Science and professor of maths at Oxford University, it is the snobbery among academicians that acts as a barrier in spreading knowledge to the masses. In his opinion, science and mathematics have their own stories to tell which will emerge with experts embracing the power of popular media. At the Q/A session the audience asked the panelists about ways of integrating the growing popularity of academic writing in media with mainstream education.

Zafar Iqbal concluded the session by urging the government to increase its spending for innovation in the education sector.

Publishers to writers

At Lessons from the Slushpile, a panel of publishers - Alexandra Pringle, Meru Gokhale, Dwight Garner and Olivia Smith - discussed the process of getting published. The panelists agreed that they hardly ever published anything found in the slush pile. Agents are the best channels to reach reputed publishers and following the system is the best way to getting published. According to Alexandra, Editor-in-Chief of Bloomsbury, there is no hard and fast

15

rule to determine what topic works at any point of time. She said that if a story is good, it does get published.

Meru Gokhale, Editorial Director of Random House India, said, “I don’t think everyone has a book in them.”

Meeting the faces behind the books

Publishers such as Bengal Lights Books, Universal Press Ltd, Bengal Publications, Writers.ink, and Daily Star Books brought new publications to the people at the festival. In the Writing the Self session, author of The Lovers and the Leavers, Abeer Hoque, and Beloved Strangers, Maria Chaudhruy, spoke about writing autobiographies and memoirs. After the session, the authors signed books at their publisher’s - Bengal Lights Books - stall. About meeting readers, Abeer said: “I wish I could spend more time with my readers and get to know more about them. I like to make my signing messages personal. I see this as a way of connecting with my readers.”

Arifa Rahman, professor of English Language at Dhaka University, who bought 15 books at Hay, said, “Listening to the authors speak is important for me before investing in a book.”

Inspiration for writers

Aamer Hussein, a Pakistani author, said, “There is so much diversity in the crowd. Having guests from different countries at the festival has given us the opportunity to explore new cultures and get fresh perspectives about different cultures.”

At a session titled The Long Form, Rana Dasgupta, an Indian author, expressed the importance of literary festivals in getting to know about countries for authors.

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New reads at Hay Festival 2014

1. “Forty Steps” (Bengal Lights Books) by Kazi Anis Ahmed: An insightful and humorous story based on characters who possess universal appeal for their hopes, desires and dilemmas.

2. “Piazza Bangladesh” (Bengal Publications) by Neeman Sobhan: Like the Italian “piazza,” where two or more streets meet, this debut anthology is the fictional confluence of eleven richly textured and delicately nuanced stories, some intertwined across continents and lifetimes.

3. “The Guerilla” (Daily Star Books)

by Shahzaman Mazumder: A personal recollection of the 1971 war – a moving story of a teenager learning hard facts of life and death, with machine guns instead of pens.

5. “On the Side of the Enemy- Short stories in translation” (Bengal Lights Book) Edited and Translated

by Khademul Islam: This collection of translated short stories by different Bengali writers is a brilliant portrayal of Bangladesh from its 1971 Independence War to the present.

WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

16 tough love | dina sobhan

Unmarried and unresolved Q A

My son is almost 32 and is still unmarried. He was never in a relationship with a girl but is convinced that he can find a wife, but I worry because he is running out of time. I don’t want him to rush into things but I know that marriage is the right way for him. Recently, a few of my friends have suggested possible candidates. How can I convince my son to take interest and meet these women?

Never fear, mummy dearest, your son is not a carton of milk that he cannot get married once he “spoils.” Men these days marry at all ages, as do women, so he is quite likely to find an old spinster should he choose to settle down in a few years.

More to the point, however, is why your darling boy has never been in a relationship seeing as he’s practically middle-aged. Has it occurred to you that perhaps he is inclined towards a different type of (wo) man? Now before you fall on the floor, clutching your chest and screaming, “Hai hai, ki shorbonash!” let me assure you that it is quite common these days and acceptable in many places in the world to have alternative lifestyles … just maybe not in Dhaka.

In any case, it’s also quite possible that your son is completely straight but just has no game and couldn’t find a date if his life depended on it. As such, you may need to wrestle him into a headlock and drag him to these meetings with potential “candidates,” as you like to refer to them. Although, perhaps if you made it sound less like a presidential election and more like a date, your son would be more acquiescent and this whole rigmarole would be less traumatic for all parties concerned.

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 28 , 201 4

Got a problem?

Write to Dina at weekend@ dhakatribune. com

Q

I am divorced and in a relationship with a young man, a few years younger than myself. Our relationship is strong but my relationship with his mother is not. She has her own ideas about who her son should be in a relationship with and tries to introduce my boyfriend to other girls. My boyfriend does not think this is a problem and believes that relations will get better between his mother and me with time. He does not want me to talk with his mother about this issue. What should I do? I feel very confused.

A

Cartoon: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

Sweetie, of course his mother loathes you.

What mother would want her sweet baby boy preyed on by a cougar such as yourself, who has obviously lured him into your den of inequity with your older feminine wiles?

She believes, much like the rest of society, that a man is suddenly rendered incapable of logical thought and emotion just by being in the presence of an older woman. I think his mother believes the relationship is a threat to her own territory, neglecting the fact that being older than her son does not automatically bridge the 30-year gap between you.

You’re just going to have to grit your teeth and smile because you can’t get a man to choose between his mother and his woman, especially if that woman is not his wife.

Which begs the question: Will you ever be his wife? It’s entirely possible that he does not consider this relationship dynamically problematic because he sees no future with you.

More often that not, men like to play the field with those who play the game well, but end up recruiting the novice, so as to train the novice themselves and to appease the team manager.

What I’m trying to say with my convoluted sports metaphor is that he will likely end up doing what his mother wants and marry a woman of his own age who will make a good “bou.” Enjoy this for what it is and without expectation, or else cut your ties and find someone willing to commit.

.

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

Food business | Feature

17

When it comes to picking our favourite wedding dish, biriyani has stood the test of time and taste in this part of the world

Photo: Bigstock

Battle of biriyani There’s no compromising on taste when it comes to our favourite wedding dish Tasnuva Amin Nova

W

ith the fall of mercury, wedding preparations are going on in full swing. Just the thought of having “biye barir khabar” (wedding cuisine) - biriyani, pulao, korma, zarda – makes us drool, and sometimes it is the only reason why we will attend a party.

When it comes to picking our favourite wedding dish, biriyani has stood the test of time and taste in this part of the world. “Biye barir” biriyani (biriyani served at weddings) is a brand in itself, which serves as a benchmark for the dish found in any other place.

Finding a place that serves mouthwatering biriyani can be a battle in itself, especially in a place where the options are endless. Here is a quick review of the most talked about biriyani dishes in Dhaka:

Haji Biriyani

Found in 1939, Haji Biriyani offers one of a kind biriyani, which looks simple and tastes honest. People at the restaurant say they are the first to introduce biriyani in Bangladesh.

At Tk130 per plate, this slow cooked

kataribhog rice mixed with just enough bite-sized mutton pieces melts in the mouth. The smell of mustard oil wafting from a steaming hot plate full of scrumptiousness adds to the taste. Squeeze in some lemon juice and take each morsel with a bite of a green chilly to make all the flavours pop in your mouth.

Unlike most oily foods, a plate of Haji’s biriyani does not make you feel bloated but leaves you wanting for more.

The large chunks of potatoes are just as good as the beef. A signature blend of spices gives the dish its distinctive aroma. The unique taste of Fakruddin’s biriyani has crossed the boundaries of Bangladesh, and is now served in countries like the UK, the UAE, Australia, and Singapore.

Nanna Biriyani House

Originating in Old Dhaka, Nanna is a popular destination for food lovers. Order half a plate of their mutton biriyani for Tk110 and the generosity of the portion will leave you wondering how much a full plate would contain. Basmati rice is mixed with two pieces of mutton and a potato. The rice feels a little dry and the amount of spices could be used more sparingly, but the succulent mutton makes up for it. Recently Nanna Biriyani has branched out

from Old Dhaka and opened outlets in Mirpur and Banani.

Tarka

If you want a taste of Indian biriyani, head over to Tarka for their Hyderabadi or Lucknow varieties.

Tarka is barely a year-old restaurant, but it has already made a name for itself in the market for biriyani. Unlike traditional Katchi biriyani, it is nonsticky and light. Despite being oilfree, it does not feel dry or flaky. The dish is packed with flavours true to its Hyderabadi origins. Adding a little lemon makes all the spicy flavours come together. The aroma that wafts over the golden-yellow rice brings an essence of the Mughlai cuisine. Priced at Tk220 for half a plate, generosity with the amount of meat would make the dish even more appetising.

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Fakruddin Biryani

This is probably where the quintessential kacchi biriyani got its origins. For a taste of the classic “biye barir” biriyani, a helping of Fakruddin’s biriyani satisfies the soul. Mutton and potatoes are mixed in ample amount and slow cooked in Basmati rice using the age-old cooking method of dum pukht, where the meat and aromatic rice are cooked together over a low flame in a sealed container. For Tk240 a plate, the portions are enough for someone with a huge appetite. The mutton is so tender, it almost melts off the bones and will leave you wishing for more.

Photo: Westin

WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

18 stay in

Fragments of Riversong Ishrat Jahan

Simultaneously exhausting and inspiring What all the characters in these short stories have in common is the spirit of survivability, to hope against all odds. They appear to

Clues

ACROSS 1 6 7 8

Proposals of iron rights empty (6) Squeal head off and move around even (5) Inflexible American soldier in ditch (5) Thin liquid consumed in sardonic way (6)

2 3 4 5

Fighter destroyed cargo (7) Country road turns after miscue (7) Poses models rarely (6) Man’s first projectile a vegetable (6)

DOWN

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

Last week’s solutions

Short stories have always been a tricky playground for all writers.

The shorter a story is, the harder it becomes to bring in depth and colour to the story. The implication being that if a short story is wellwritten, it speaks volumes of the skill of its creator. All of this is evident in “Fragments of Riversong.”

Farah Ghuznavi’s stories and flash fiction have been published earlier in various Bangladeshi and international publications. She has also previously edited Lifelines, a 2012 collection of short stories in English from Bangladeshi authors.

“Fragments of Riversong” is the first debut collection of short-stories that is entirely under Farah’s name.

Seven of the twelve stories in “Fragments of Riversong” had been previously published elsewhere.

The author displays a deep understanding of human emotion, there is a sense of carefully placed anger, regret, tears and even humour etched throughout the book.

After the last page, what stays with the reader is the haunting sense of the fallacy of being human.

Most of the stories end with a hope for a new beginning and leaves the readers marvelling at the power of resilience and strength of Farah’s characters.

Mini cryptics

be vulnerable in the face of their situation as the story begins but by the time one reaches the end the characters become strong role models, fighting against the current.

In “Big Mother,” written against the backdrop of the deadly Rana Plaza collapse, a woman gathers herself to start afresh in the United States after her husband is killed in the lethal garment-factory accident.

“Fragments of Riversong”

features a variety of characters and situations – from Laila, a successful architect who reluctantly becomes the temporary guardian of two young nieces, to Diya, a confident urbanite who grapples with the challenges of a rural environment during a field trip and many more.

Sad stories or happy stories?

A little bit of everything – just like life. n

ACROSS 1 Bird place in disarray (7) 4 Abbreviation a friend made initially (7) 6 Assorted Danes aboard SS Blue Mood (7) 7 Containers for sketch artists (7) DOWN 1 Messy diapers enthusiastically received (7) 2 Bright and free after lunch starters (5) 3 Enemy seems in confusion (7) 5 French resort holds first of events for relative (5)

Sudoku

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

Last week’s sudoku solutions

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 28 , 201 4

Go out

19

Weekly Planner Nov 28-30 Wedding | The Bibaho Utsaab Season-2 When 3-10pm Where Drik, House 58, Road 15A,

Dhanmondi

What Dream Weaver & Shahjahan

Wedding Planner & Event Management Ltd have come up with a festival that will celebrate all things related to weddings.

The Utshab celebrates the art of deshi weddings and the warmth and richness of our services.

It’s a three-day wedding fair, showcasing stalls by: wedding photography institutes, wedding planners, designer wear boutiques, bridal makeover salons, ice cream parlours, invitation card designers, hena artists, and many more.

Nov 30 Music | South Asian day for

Peace, Democracy, Justice & Human Rights When 5:30-8:30pm Where Main Theatre Hall,

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Segun Bagicha, Ramna

What One Billion Rising For

Revolution is coming up with 16 days of activism protesting violence against women and celebrating the South Asian day for Peace, Democracy, Justice & Human Rights. Pervati Baul, Quazi Krishnakali Islam, Sangat Bangladesh, and others will also take part in the event.

Dec 3 Cooking | Meet us in Victoria When 9am-3pm Where Victoria Convention

Centre, House 3, Road 14, Dhanmondi

What A training programme by

Music | Bengal Classical Music Festival 2014 Bangladesh When 4pm-4am, Nov 27- Dec 1 Where Bangladesh Army Stadium This five-day musical extravaganza will feature the major proponents of classical music from both Bangladesh and India. Organised by Bengal Foundation and supported

by ITC Sangeet Research Academy, it is emerging as perhaps the mostattended Indian classical music festival in the world.

In the 55 hour-programme, the festival will feature nearly 50 prominent Bangladeshi and Indian artists.

Day 1: Thursday Performers include: vocalists Kishori Amonkar, Ulhas Kashalkar and Girija Devi, flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and santoor player Shivkumar Sharma.

Day 2: Friday Tabla Quartet by Enamul Haque Omar, Bishwajit Natta, Goutam Sarker, Md. Zakir Hosen, vocalists Supriya Das, Omkar Dadarkar, Pandit Umakant Gundecha, Pandit Ramakant Gundecha, Pandit Rajan Misra and Pandit Sajan Misra, sarod maestro Abir Hossain, santoor player Rahul Sharma and Carnatic Percussionist

the best chefs on tricks and tactics of quality cooking. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Le Cordon Bleu’s programmes in Ottawa and around the world.

& print media will gather to discuss and share views. Persons interested in visual production, radio, journalism and social media can participate.

Pre-registration is required.

Dec 4-9

Dec 4-6

Education | Media Youth Leadership Summit 2014 When 3-8pm Where EMK Center, Dhanmondi

Fair | Join Aarshi @ Officers’ Club Barshik Anondo Mela 2014 When 10am- 9pm Where Officers’ Club, Bailey Road What Aarshi will be exhibiting their

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products for the very first time at the fair.

What MYLS is the first summit in Bangladesh for young people who are passionate about working in the media. It is a place where future leaders of film, TV, new media, radio

Send your events to weekend@dhakatribune.com SUN

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Calligraphy | Shobdochitro When 4pm, Dec 28 Where Counter Foto Studio, 29, Gareeb-E-Newaz Avenue, Sec 13, Uttara

Guru Karaikudi Mani.

Day 3: Saturday Group performance by vocalists Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Vidushi Aruna Sairam, Asit Roy, Manjusha Patil, sitar players Nishit Dey and Pandit Kushal Das, and santoor player Pandit Shivkumar Sharma.

Day 4: Sunday Performances by: Bharatnatyam dancer Amit Chowdhury, tabla player Swarup Hossain, sarod players Amaan Ali Khan & Ayaan Ali Khan, vocalists Sameehan Kashalkar, Kaushiki Chakraborty, sarod player Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar and Carnatic violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, and flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.

Day 5: Monday Group performance by vocalists Vidushi Kishori Amonkar, Pandit Uday Bhawalkar, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Pandit Uday Bhawalkar, Kathak dancer Vishal Krishna, flautist Moniruzzaman and sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

Bangla Contemporary Calligraphy exhibition is a meet up session for art enthusiasts. Calligraphy artists MD Morsalin, Rahman Royal and Silvia Resmeen will be present at the event to discuss how Bangla calligraphy has become their way of expressing their love for art and culture. The

artists are media professionals – one a printing press owner and the other an architectural engineer.

They are teaming up to experiment and innovate the way of seeing and showing Bangla letters through calligraphy.

WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, NOVE M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 4