Weekend Tribune Vol 3 Issue 1

vo l 3 Issu e 1 | F R ID AY, Apri l 24, 2015

Dhaka Tribune

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Fashion Revolution

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Renewable energy

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TSC Sexual assaults

CONTENTS

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Volume 3 | Issue 1 | April 24, 2015

Editor Zafar Sobhan

4 Feature

News 2 News 3 Meanwhile

Fashion Activism

Features 6 Environment

Features Editor Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

Renewable energy

8 Crime File TSC Sexual assaults

Asst Magazine Editor Farina Noireet

12 Interview Ibnul Wara 13 Reflection Health

Weekend Tribune Team Farhana Urmee Faisal Mahmud Tausif Sanzum Sakib Mridha Lameya Alma Amin Contributors Yamin Khan Sakib Sarker Dina Sobhan

9 Photo story

Bangladesh through our eyes

Production Masum Billah Circulation Masud Kabir Pavel Website dhakatribune.com/weekend facebook.com/WeekendTrib Email your letters to: weekend@dhakatribune.com

garments workers

16 Post-Riposte City Corporation Election

20 Funnybone Yamin Khan

Regulars 18 Stay In 19 Go Out

Graphic Md Mahbub Alam

Advertisement Zia Ur Rahman

15 Rant Stigma faced by

17 Tough Love

Cartoon Priyo

Colour Specialist Shekhar Mondal

14 Feature Garments scenario

Editor’s note Dear Readers, It’s been a dark week for us. To begin with, we’re still reeling in the aftermath of the heinous attacks at TSC on Pohela Boishakh. We’ve put together a timeline of the events that unfolded on the occasion in a revival of our Crime File.

Today marks the second anniversary of the Rana Plaza event. How far have we come since arguably the biggest industrial disaster in living memory? The Fashion Revolution event, which begins today, should give us an idea.

How has the event impacted the garments industry? We’ve also taken a look.

About the cover April 22 was observed as Earth Day, a perfect day to think about renewable energy and ways to conserve what we have.

April 23 was also World English Day, presumably because that’s Shakepeare’s birthday. Funny man Yamin Khan entertains with an imagining of what it would be like if the Bard directed a Dhallywood film.

Here’s hoping the week ahead is a good one.

-Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

“Seize the moment”

Both the recently observed Earth Day and the two-year-old Rana Plaza incident should serve as a reminder of how fragile and precious life is Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

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2 News | This week

The world at a glance Weekend Tribune Desk

Young prince leads Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen He wields enormous power and leads a war against rebels in neighbouring Yemen for his father King Salman, but Saudi Arabia’s defence minister is still in his early 30s.

Just weeks after he was appointed to the key post in January, Prince Mohammed bin Salman assumed huge responsibility when the kingdom sent its armed forces into conflict.

The young prince has overseen nearly a month of air strikes by a Saudi-led regional coalition against the Yemeni rebels. Eight Saudi

troops have also died in skirmishes along the border.

Prince Mohammed, part of a new generation of Saudi rulers, also heads the royal court, is special adviser to his 79-year-old father and sits on two key political and economic councils.

“He is the strong man in Saudi Arabia,” a Western diplomatic source said. “Look what this man is controlling,” including access to the king.

“He oversees everything important which is going on in this country.”

Abandoned wife ordered to live with male neighbour in India Russia just unveiled its new Armata battle tank The Russian military has released its first official picture of the new “Armata” Universal Combat Platform that will form the base of its main battle tank.

The pictures come as part of the preparations for the Victory Day parade on May 9 in the Russian capital. Among the over 100 vehicles that will drive through the streets of Moscow during this year’s event, there will be ten T-14 battle tanks that are built on the “Armata” platform.

The tanks will ultimately replace the current main battle tank of the Russian Ground Forces and Naval Infantry – the T-90, according to independent Russian news service Interfax.

The tank on the “Armata” platform is intended for use as a new main battle tank Russian Ground Forces with fundamentally new performance characteristics, including a new gun ammunition feed.

Photo: AFP

ISIS, Taliban announce Jihad against each other

A village council in northern India allegedly ordered a woman, whose husband ran off with their neighbour’s wife, to live with the abandoned man or pay him compensation, police said Tuesday.

Police are investigating a complaint that Rajendra Meghwal asked the council in the desert state of Rajasthan for help after his wife and their two children disappeared with Kalulal Meghwal.

Kalulal’s wife Mamta has told police that the council or “khap panchayat” ordered her to pay Rajendra 300,000 rupees ($4,775) in compensation for her husband’s actions or move in with Rajendra.

“The woman was not present in the khap meeting but she complained to us that she has been asked to pay money or live with Rajendra,” local police officer Sanjay Kumar told AFP.

It was unclear whether the woman was asked to live with him as his spouse or as his employee in the house.

Kumar said officers have started questioning council members in Bundi district after Mamta filed a harassment complaint with police.

Panchayats often comprise an unelected group of elders, who are seen as the social and moral arbiters of village life.

Although they carry no legal weight, khap panchayats can be highly influential and have been blamed for numerous abuses such as the sanctioning of “honour killings” of women whose actions are deemed to have shamed their family.

Branded “kangaroo courts” by their critics, they have been known to hand down public beatings and other punishments for perceived crimes.

Eight slain in dramatic bank heist

Mashaal Radio has published a report stating that Daesh and Taliban group have announced Jihad against each other.

Nabi Jan Mullahkhil, police chief of southern Helmand province has told Mashaal Radio during an interview that he has received documents in which both the terrorist groups have announced Jihad against each other.

Mashaal Radio which is related to Azadi Radio quotes Mullahkhil as saying when the matter of peace talks between government and Taliban comes into discussion some intelligence agencies make new groups to keep the war

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ongoing in Afghanistan.

Reports of minor clashes between the fighters of Taliban group and the newly emerged Daesh have been published in the past.

Both groups oppose each other.

Abdu Bakar Al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS has called Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar “a fool and illiterate warlord”.

Al-Baghdadi has said that Mullah Omar does not deserve spiritual or political credibility. While on the other hand Taliban fighters have been ordered by their leaders not to let Daesh flag raise in Afghanistan.

Photo: Reuters

Seven people were killed by bank robbers and 11 injured in the Ashulia industrial area near Savar on Tuesday.

Another man, one of the robbers, was beaten to death by an angry mob that got hold of two of the gang. The other was rescued by police in critical condition.

Those killed by the robbers are bank manager Waliullah, 45; security guard Badrul Alam, 38; client Palash, 48, a businessman; Munir Hossain, 60, who sells snacks near the bank; Zillur Rahman, a local shopkeeper; Zamir, 38, resident of the Kuturi area; and Nur Mohammad, 35, local rice trader.

Witnesses said that around 2:30pm, a team of eight to 10

armed robbers came in front of the Kathgarha branch of Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited located in the Hazi Nazimuddin Super Market in Ashulia. Three entered the branch while the rest waited outside.

Police said those who entered the branch asked the manager to give them cash. When he refused, they held the bank staff at gunpoint and snatched Tk6,94,225. Of the amount, Tk1 lakh was taken from one of the clients and the rest from the bank’s cash.

When the hostages tried to resist, the robbers hacked them, killing manager Waliullah, security guard Badrul and client Polash on the spot.

News: Dhaka Tribune

Meanwhile

Photo of the week

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You’re welcome Four things that you should never eat Artificial Sweeteners

In small doses (think: one teaspoon per serving), sugar is totally fine.

But it gets a little dicey when you have too many artificial sweeteners.

Here’s the deal: Sweeteners are way, um, sweeter than sugar, and they can reset your taste buds to crave sugary foods. As a result, you end up eating more junk. Plus, people who limit their artificial sweetener use find that they have more energy and don’t have as many cravings.

“Don’t touch that” – a little girl selling bangles she can’t wear.

Photo: Sakib Mridha

Say what?

Margarine

Most of us think it’s a healthy alternative to butter, but margarine has loads of trans fats, which increase your cholesterol. And it contains a lot of ingredients versus butter’s one or two. The calorie count is also similar to butter, but we tend to eat more of it because we think it’s healthier. Your best bet: Stick with small doses of butter or use heart-healthy olive oil.

Soy Protein Isolate

Beauty contestants walk along the world’s highest catwalk These models are clearly scaling new heights as they stroll along a ledge 2,000 metres up a mountain.

Dressed in bikinis and sashes the beauty contestants tottered along the pebbled path in Henan province, China, wearing stillettoes to test their composure. Not surprisingly, some look a little nervous.

Clearly not mountaineers, perhaps they should stick to social climbing…

In January a model was left

stranded in China after discovering the beauty pageant she travelled to had been cancelled - without anybody telling her.

Thanks to the help of a Chinese restaurant back home in Liverpool, he was able to find a hotel and arrange her travel home.

Sophie Brizell, 19, from Aigburth, found herself in an empty Qingdao Airport when her plane arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning.

She had travelled to China to

compete in the Top Model of the World competition- unaware it had been put off until March.

She said: “I messaged my mum and I said ‘this isn’t right, the airport is empty.’

“Nobody spoke English and men were around me trying to take my bags.”

“I’m so happy I’m home – although I can laugh about it now.”

News and photo: Daily Mail

All soy isn’t bad, but the isolate (a refined, often genetically-modified form of soy that pops up in a lot of soy-based products) resembles estrogen, which is iffy – some research has shown that it can increase the risk of cancers and infertility in women. If you want to go vegetarian, opt for veggie burgers with quinoa, chickpeas, or black beans as a base, and eat protein bars that are based on nuts and seeds. And for meat subs, go for beans, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and natural sources of soy like edamame, tofu, and tempeh.

Diet Foods

Unfortunately, “diet” or “low-fat” doesn’t mean low-calorie. Diet bars and low-fat foods like yogurts usually have more sugar, salt, and unhealthy fillers to make them taste okay. Even worse, we typically eat double the serving we should because we’re not satisfied or think that it’s okay to eat more because it’s “healthy.”

News: Daily Mail

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4 Feature | Fashion Activism

Fashion Revolution day Roots of fashion Farhana Urmee

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ver checked the label of the outfit you have on your back? The names on tags in the inside of your clothes have much to reveal and can take you back to the hands of who made them.

Today is the day to raise your voice and not just remain a passive consumer in the world of fashion. It is on this day, exactly two years ago, when 1,134 garments workers lost their lives in what is said to be the largest catastrophe in the RMG sector in the country.

In commemoration of the many lives lost on that fateful day, the local fashion industry has come up with an action plan through which they can do something meaningful for the ready-made-garment industry in making sure that workers are no more exploited. This strategy is enacted in the form of a campaign, through which, consumers not only get to know where their products

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are coming from and under what condition, they can also contribute towards the welfare of the workers.

Fashion revolution is a campaign to connect everyone.

“This is a consumer activation campaign to bring the workers, brands, consumers and all the other stakeholders together to bring transparency in the sector,” says Nawshin Khair, country coordinator, Fashion Revolution in Bangladesh.

A total of 65 countries around the world will be commemorating the Rana Plaza catastrophe today and observing Fashion revolution.

Who made your clothes?

Clothes will be the thread of connection among people. The aim of the campaign is is to pave a way to get to know the hard-working people behind the creation of our clothes. The campaign “who made your clothes” will allow consumers to do so.

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Photos: Courtesy

This aspect of the campaign will reestablish the long lost curiosity about the makers of our clothes. The initiative expects to bring together the brands and retailers too in the discussion of knowing the people behind the making of clothes.

Showing off the labels by turning your shirt inside-out is a striking aspect of the campaign. Students and young people can make it viral in the virtual world and get themselves engaged in the campaign.

The Day Fashion Revolution wishes to motivate and engage consumers into becoming more aware of where their clothes some from, as well as to promote and highlight some of the positive changes our RMG industry has undergone following the fateful incident of April 24. That day of loss and defeat in the garments sector can be turned into power and the day can be the uprising of people for those workers who are still giving away their labour in cheap so that the clothes become affordable to the consumers. This is the first Fashion Revolution day to be observed in Bangladesh.

Fashion revolution is a coalition worldwide involving designers, academics, writers, business leaders and policy makers having the objective to alteration of the fashion supply chain. “In short we believe

that 1133 is too many people to lose from the planet in one factory, on one terrible day without standing for something,” believe the fashion revolution initiators, “Fashion Revolution sees the Rana Plaza disaster as a metaphorical call to arms, and Fashion Revolution Day, to be held annually on April 24, will keep the most vulnerable in the supply chain in the public eye. We need to show the world that change is possible.”

The power of fashion and global trend cannot be wasted as lifestyle and consumerism rather that can inspire a sustainable change in the fashion industry.

Trace my fashion The initiative will be launched today. The campaign has been taken to value the people behind the ready garment industry. The initiative has the vision to celebrate fashion as an institution that has only positive influence on people, bring sustainable developments to the lives of the workers in many countries. There will be events today to commemorate that Rana Plaza tragedy and yet, starting a new day towards change in fashion and garments industry where people care for people. The programme will be followed by rally participated by innovators, fashion students, media practitioners, activists, makers and

above all the wearers.

The highlight of the programme is the QR Code project #tracemyfashion intended to promote transparency in the fashion industry. Through QR codes BUFT students and Trace My Fashion will present an interactive experience highlighting the ethical practices of the case companies for consumers. Visitors will be able to use their smart-phones as scanners on the QR Code, which when scanned, will provide information on the company, its supply chain, the invisible workforce behind making the products.

The official website of Trace My Fashion will be launched today at Daily Star-Bengal Art Precinct.

It will feature the recent case studies worked on jointly by Bengal Research and Design Initiative and BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology(BUFT).

Lensational This is a project where workers from different factories are given digital cameras to capture the moments of their lives to tell their stories. These workers participated in a photography workshop on how to use camera. Lensational is a Hongkong based nonprofit organisation that puts light into the lives of the workers through lenses.

Trace My Fashion is a partner with lensational in fashion revolution. n

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6 Environment | Renewable energy

How green are we?

The current state of the country’s energy consumption and having alternative modes of energy as an option Faisal Mahmud

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ach year, Earth Day, April 22, marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

At the time, industrialised countries of the world, especially Americans, were slurping up leaded gas through massive number of cars. Their industries belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity.

“Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the news.

Although the people in the west remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson's New York Times bestseller ‘Silent Spring’ in 1962.

The book represented a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up until that moment, more than any other person, Rachel Carson raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health.

Earth Day 1970 capitalised on the emerging consciousness, channelling the energy of the antiwar protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and centre.

Earth Day turns 45 this year.

Much like 1970, Earth Day 2015 came at a time of great challenge for the environmental community. Climate change deniers, well-funded energy lobbyists, reticent politicians, a disinterested public, and a divided environmental community all contributed to a strong narrative that overshadowed the cause of progress and change.

degradation of the world. When we talk about energy consumption, we’re talking about the sources of energy that generate our power: oil, coal, natural gas and alternatives like solar, wind, hydropower and bio-fuels.

Currently, the world’s population consumes 15 terawatts of power from a combination of these energy sources [source: The Economist].

Making electricity contributes 40% of world carbon dioxide emissions.

They and other greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels trap solar heat in the upper atmosphere that would normally be radiated into space. This process is causing the global temperature to rise. The effects are already having an impact on all life and could cause the extinction of as much as 30% of all species.

Energy consumption is reportedly

higher in countries where less than 5% of the population lives below the poverty line than it is in countries where most people live in povertyfour times higher.

For example, Americans make up less than 5% of the world’s population yet consume 26% of the world’s energy. Together, the United States and Canada account for 50% of energy consumed by the world’s richest industrialised countries and Europe comes close at 33%.

But the power landscape is changing. Collectively, developing countries are now using 30% of the world's energy, but with projected population and economic growth in those markets, energy demands are expected to rise 95%.

Bangladesh is a developing country and energy demand, mainly to produce electricity, has risen up by more than 60% in the last one decade.

Electricity generation in Bangladesh The country's electricity generation system is dependent mainly on natural gas (almost 63%).

Unfortunately, the conventional energy sources so far discovered in the country are limited and can no longer support the growing needs for power generation.

The gas supply curve will come closest to the demand curve in 201718 and henceforth the two will be separated from each other further and further with time. A large gap between the demand and supply thus produced will remain and will never be close again.

The State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid, recently informed that the government would not allow any new gas-fired base-load power project in the future, as it is

Earth day and energy demography Energy consumption is intricately related with environmental Photo: Bigstock

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Photo: Bigstock

estimated that the supply shortage of natural gas could increase to 764 mmcfd in the period between 2015 and 2019.

With fast depletion of our natural gas reserves, the country now has started looking for the answer to the question -how long can the gas reserves sustain the present gas based installations? A limited time frame for the above means a replacement source of gas is required.

An alternative imported LNG (liquefied natural gas) source, conclusively initiated in 2014, means that we will replace $2 to $3 per unit own gas by $14 per unit imported LNG. But how long Bangladesh could sustain such costly venture and how will this affect the economy?

Coal is a logical alternative to gas under the above situation and the government is planning mega scale mostly import based coal fired power plants to that end.

Every industrialized country in the world has gone down this path and Bangladesh has no other choice.

The nuclear option has just been launched through a state-to-state contract with Russia for two power plants and it provides an alternative to mono sourcing of primary energy.

Renewable energy as an alternative Environmentalists in the country however have for some years been advocating for the scrapping of both coal based and LNG based electricity generation. Instead of depending on those, the environmentalists have opted for increased use of renewable energy sources which will help Bangladesh to not only fight global warming but also to support the initiatives for supplying electric energy to all.

It is technically very challenging for Bangladesh (with a nearly 7,500MW power generation capacity)

to accommodate huge flexibility in the grid system. A 400 MW power trip caused a countrywide black out for 10 hours last November. Such incidents demonstrate the state of our power system limitations.

Also the primary energy balance for grid power generation (natural gas-62.39%, liquid petroleum (Furnace oil and diesel)-28.46%, coal-2.33%, hydro-power-2.15% and import electricity-4.67%) so far has no share of renewable energy.

The government's target for generation of 5% of our total electricity from renewable sources within 2015 is indeed a challenge.

Approximately 500 MW electricity generation target within 2015 has been proposed.

As planned, approximately 340 MW power from solar parks, solar irrigation, solar mini-grid, solar rooftop will be generated from commercial solar power projects within 2015. The published data indicates that so far nearly 2% of the total generated power (not grid power) in the country is being produced from renewable sources excluding hydro power.

Including Kaptai Hydro 230 MW (installed capacity), approximately 360 MW renewable power generation capacity has been installed in the country.

Meanwhile, there still has been no tangible progress in the construction

of the country’s first 60MW wind turbine power plant in Cox’s Bazar even though Bangladesh has huge potential to generate electricity through wind power in the coastal areas.

A hard choice The chairman of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), AR Khan said that the renewable energy development in the country will not thrive without subsidies and guaranteed long-term package incentives.

Stakeholders have been urging the government to introduce 'feedin tariff' (a tariff structure which guarantees the renewable energy producer a long-term contract with electricity tariff rate higher than the existing retail market rate. Feed-in tariffs also offer costbased compensation to renewable energy producers, providing price certainty and long-term contracts that help finance renewable energy investments) for generation of power from renewable energy sources.

BERC has been working on 'feed-in tariff' structure to be offered to renewable energy producers.

Experiences from India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and many other countries of the world for renewable energy development in the recent years have encouraged the Bangladesh government, said the chairman.

India is generating more than 17,000 MW of electric energy from solar sources and more power is expected from the same sources in the near future. Only rooftop solar power contributes approximately 1,000 MW in India now. On average, renewable (excluding hydro) energy contributes 12% of the total power generation mix in India. Germany expects 35% share from renewable sources within 2020. But the Germans pay highest amount of electric power bills per month in comparison with other nations in Europe.

“If we intend to include and increase the power generated from renewable energy sources for the grid power, we should prepare our consumers for the increased cost for electricity and allocate huge resources for upgrading significantly flexible power systems,” said the BERC chairman , also stating that power system management efficiency needs to be improved many folds which in isolation is a fantasy to be materialised. n

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

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8 Crime File | TSC sexual assaults

Bengali’s biggest celebration, Pohela Boishakh, tainted Lameya Alma Amin

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exual harassment is on the rise, with the most heinous incident occurring during this year’s Pohela Boishakh celebration. This is one of the biggest festivities for Bengalis, where people celebrate together irrespective of religion or class. The incidents occurred on women in the Dhaka University campus on April 14, Tuesday evening, creating outrage from various walks of life. Witnesses said around 20 women were sexually harassed including a 10 year old girl, around 6pm by 30 to 40 rowdy youths at the Suhrawardy Udyan gate near the TSC area. Victims and winesses alleged that there was law enforcement officials stationed some 20 yards away from the spot, but they declined to help.

Crime Timeline April 14 5:30pm: Approximately from this time onward the sexual assaults started.

7:00pm: Various national dailies reported the assaults ended during this time.

Around 30 to 40 people molested 15 to 20 women including a 10yr old child.

No news of this came in the electronic media but reported through online portals and via the social networking sites.

April 15 The police stick to their stand that no major incident of sexual assault took place.

April 16 A high Court bench in its own volition issued the ruling upon on the authorities concerned to investigate the incidents of sexual assault. The bench came up with the order after two female lawyers brought the matter to their attention.

April 18 Authorities close the police officer, Hasan Abu Sayeed, sub inspector of Shahbagh police station, who was alleged for freeing one of the assaulter caught and handed over to him by the mob.

April 20 An entertainment page, Moja loss? Announced their closing down, because of all the death threats they have been receiving for identifying the offenders of the sexual assault incident that took place in the TSC area.

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Role of police The police were stationed less than 20 yards away from the spot, and allegedly refused to help. After an explosion of outrage from social media since the day of the incident, police later stated that they are following CCTV footage and have noticed one such incident occurring near the TSC roundabout and are investigating the matter now. SM Jahangir Alam Sarker, deputy commissioner of police (media) also said it was an unfortunate incident, and that they got some clues from the footage which is still undergoing analysis.

Victims According to witnesses and reports published in the leading national dailies, around 20 women were molested, among which there was a 10 year old girl. After this girl was rescued, it was reported that she had bite marks on her body and clothes torn. According to a report published in Dhaka Tribune, a witness, Liton Nandi, stated that he received severe injuries trying to rescue the victims, and had given his panjabi to cover a woman whose clothes were torn off by the miscreants. The victims haven’t filed any cases or reports against this assault, so there are no official identification of the victims.

Suspects As reported by the national dailies and the electronic media, around 30 to 40 men assaulted these women.

The police are yet to identify any of the suspects.

Witnesses According to a report published in Dhaka Tribune, Liton Nandi, president of Bangladesh Chatra Union's DU unit said he saw miscreants assaulting a girl and almost tore off all her clothes. He was beaten while trying to rescue this girl, where his right arm was broken. He had given his panjabi to cover up the girl. He blamed the police for being so reluctant during

the incident, as they visited the crime scene almost one and a half hour after the cruel acts took place.

By that time, the attackers had smoothly left the place. Another activist of the party, Amit Dey said police who were stationed 20 yards away from the spot played the role of spectators, and when asked for their help, they said they couldn’t as the crime spot was beyond their jurisdiction. He along with some of his fellow activists saved the 10 year old girl who had come with her mother and brother. One group beat up her brother, while another took her mother away. They were shocked to see bite marks on her body.

Response of University Authority According to a report published in Dhaka Tribune, acting DU proctor, Professor Amzad Ali stated that security detail made earlier during the meetings with law enforcement officials were not fully implemented as per the plan. He further noted that most people present during the festivities were not students of the university, and that the lack of assistance from the police were also to be blamed for these incidents on women.

Protests Huge protests are being organised from various sections of the society through social media. According to a report published in Dhaka Tribune, rights body Ain O Shalish Kendra demanded the government take serious action against those who are responsible for the grievous acts.

Eminent citizens under the banner Bikkhubdo Narisamaj formed a human chain in front of Suhrawardy Udyan condemning the acts. Even though so many protests are pouring in, it is surprising that on the night of April 14, none of these incidents were reported in the electronic media. The news of these assaults spread through online portals and the social media on the Pohela Boishak evening. n

Bangladesh through our eyes | Photo story

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Rick Albertson Embassy of the United States

A New Year’s Present The diplomatic community of Bangladesh this year gave the Bengali people a New Year’s gift, a photography exhibition showcasing the various aspects of life of the people here. Organised jointly by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey and Drik Gallery, the exhibition was titled, “Bangladesh Through Our Eyes.”

The exhibitions reception was held in the Turkish Ambassador’s residence on the 12th of April, 2015. The foreign minister of Bangladesh, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, inaugurated the program as chief guest, while the Turkish Ambassador Mr Hüseyin Müftüoğlu delivered the speech and the Drik Gallery Managing Director, Mr.

Shahidul Alam announced the winners’ names.

The diplomatic community is a big component of our society, and they have helped Drik and the Embassy of Turkey for the last two months in organising this exhibition. This week’s photo story features some of the exhibits from the event, which had displayed photographs taken by the diplomatic community members, where 39 Embassies/Missions contributed with 63 photographs.

The exhibition showcases pictures which show how our Bangladesh is perceived by the foreigner community.

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10 Photo story | Bangladesh through our eyes

Patrick Sandoval Nichols Deputy Head of Mission, The Spanish Embassy

Nicole Malpas European Union Delegation Merete Lundemo Ambassador, Royal Norwegian Embassy

Sumit Bikram Rana Embassy of Nepal

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Greg Wilcock, High Commissioner Australian High Commission

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Hüseyin Müftüoğlu Ambassador, Turkish Embassy

Carel De Groot First Secretary The Netherlands Embassy

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12 Interview | Ibnul Wara

A booming industry

A conversation with Ibnul Wara sheds light on the leather industry of Bangladesh, its potential, lackings and impact on the national economy Tausif Sanzum

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being equipped properly and well protected. In addition to this they look at various factors as it is a very in-depth audit.

What is your opinion on the current state of Bangladesh's leather industry?

We have all the potential of being right next to the RMG sector. If you want to talk about the potentials of the sector, I can go on for hours. We have raw materials in abundance.

When I started my journey in the leather sector back in 2010, it was worth around $450 million. Today, the sector stands at $1.29 billion in worth. There are lots of FDIs coming into this sector.

There is more potential for growth in this sector at this point as there is a move away from China.

China is becoming more expensive for manufacturing, particularly its leather sector. The Government has shut down a lot of environmentunfriendly tanneries, and the rising wages in China adds to the added cost. As such, there is a move towards India, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

I personally feel that our biggest competitor would be Vietnam and not India. They have actually shown tremendous growth over the last five years. From 2009-2013, their leather sector in 2009 was about $2.5 billion and in 2013, it grew up to about $7.3 billion. One important fact, though, is that they don’t even have their own raw material whereas we do. We have an upper hand right there and also when it comes to competitive labour force. There is immense

bnul Wara is the Managing Director of Austan Ltd, which is the needs classification of the leading leather goods manufacturer of Bangladesh, Picard Bangladesh Ltd.

How did you find yourself in the leather sector?

It is a family business. My wife comes from a leather bag manufacturing background owning a leather goods factory. Together we started the tannery business. The opportunity came when a Korean tannery in Savar, from where we acquired raw materials for our hand bag factory, went bankrupt in 2010.

At that time, we thought that there would be a problem of sourcing these raw materials. We took a chance and took over the tannery even though the tannery business was an altogether different business model.

Where do you draw the line between leather good manufacturing and tannery?

When we talk about the leather sector, some people interpret it as the tannery, some as hand bag manufacturing sector and others as the foot wear manufacturing one. From my understanding when we talk about the leather sector, it includes tanneries, footwear, and leather bags. These three sub-sectors form our leather industry. This sector recently reached the 1.2 billion dollar mark and it is considered to be next to the RMG sector in the near future.

The leather sector contributes to about 4.3 percent of Bangladesh’s total export.

Just in 2013-2014, there was about 31% growth in this sector. This growth

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AP R I L 24 , 201 5

has come from all the sub-sectors of the leather industry – there was about 26.5% growth in the tannery sector, about 31% growth in the footwear sector, and about 48-49% growth in the leather goods sector averaging a total growth of 31%.

Can you elaborate on the recent ISO certification which Austan Ltd acquired?

We are the first from the leather sector to have the ISO 14001 certification. It covers the environmental management system. Since it deals with the environmental management system, it is particularly important for the leather sector because people from all over the world keep pointing fingers at Bangladesh for not being environmentally compliant. This could be a story for the world to show that Bangladesh can be compliant, it has all the intention to follow rules and regulations in the leather sector and we are doing it. It will take time but this is a start.

Before the audit which goes on for the certification, the concerned factories hire a consultant to work with them to fine tune and take the factory up to the mark where you can pass the audit. The audit focuses a lot on environmental management within the company as well as documentation – whether water is being discharged properly, chemicals being stored properly, workers are

Photos: Courtesy

13

growth opportunities but it has to come hand in hand with some policy changes to support this growth.

Tell us a little about how Austan Ltd works.

From a business perspective, you cannot put all your eggs in the same basket. We keep our business (tannery and leather good manufacturing) completely separate. We source a part of our leather requirement from our own tannery, a part of it from outside.

From the tannery end as well, we give a portion to your manufacturing factory but outside that we import our finished leather to China, Vietnam, Korea etc.

The true picture is, we are still exporting a lot of semi-finished leather, not even finished leather.

We are exporting around 60-70% of our raw material in the crust stage (semi-finished) itself to China, Vietnam etc. A big amount of our raw materials are getting exported before becoming finished product. These raw materials are then converted into

finished products in China, Italy etc and then sold after value addition.

We are trying to take this sector to the next level within the next five years. We can achieve this level of growth only through value addition.

We need to retain a major part of the raw material in our country. A lot of foreign companies want to set up leather good factories in our country; our local entrepreneurs are also showing interest in this sector. To sustain and accelerate this growth, we need raw material in abundance.

As far as finished products are concerned, we export them to a lot of countries like Germany, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Japan, even in the European, be it handbags, footwear.

Does the government play a supporting role in all this?

We can already see initiatives like the one where the government is relocating the tannery industry from Hazaribagh to Savar. Here they are setting up a tannery area with provisions for water treatment plant

and also providing financial support for this movement. We can see that the government initiatives are already in process. However, I would like to add that the government needs to focus on the leather sector a little more and have a road map with short run, mid run and long run stages in place.

You preciously mentioned foreign direct investment. What's your take on the competition that comes with it?

Isn’t competition good? I am not saying that the foreign investors should be given any extra preference.

But we should try to attract them into our country. There is bound to be competition and that will improve the quality of our products and efficiency. It is particularly important because if a country has only few leather factories, it is very difficult to attract customers into the country. When the customers has more options to chose from, they will be easily convinced to come to Bangladesh because then they can

explore a wide variety of options and chose from them.

If comparing with foreign products, are we up to the mark?

A lot of times the products that you are picking in Europe, Australia etc, are made in China, India or Bangladesh but if we look into the premium brands from Italy or Germany and compare them with those from Bangladesh, we have to do a lot of improvement to reach that point. They give more attention to details, their stitching is more intricate and the finishing is more fine tuned giving you a more perfect product. However, I think that it is not that a country like Bangladesh or India cannot do this, but to reach that amount of productivity, the time required would not be feasible for us.

What's your aim for the near future?

Basically we now manufacture for mid to high end brands. In the long run, I would like to see us manufacturing for the more premium luxury brands. n

WE E K E N D TR I BU N E | FR I DAY, APR I L 24, 20 1 5

14 Feature | Garments scenario

Garments economics Two years after the Rana Plaza tragedy, we take look at the current status of our RMG sector Faisal Mahmud

closure and new norms Incidentally, since the collapse of Rana Plaza, a total of 450 factories were shut due to compliance issues and relocation.

Lack of enough work orders, noncompliance with the rules, labour unrest, exit from business and factory relocation are reasons for the closure of the factories. According to the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) latest data, a total of 450 RMG factories were closed. Of the closed factories, 220 were the members of BGMEA, 170 belonged to Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturer and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

The rest are neither linked with the BGMEA nor the BKMEA that work on subcontract basis. The data also said about 40 garment factories were closed due to labour unrest. At least 1.5 lakh workers, mostly women, were employed in those factories.

In the wake of the Rana Plaza tragedy, European and American retailers and brands came together to form organisations focused on

ensuring quality, intensive inspection and fixing problems in the factories they source from.

Two major private initiatives were created in 2013 by those global brands and retailers – the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (‘Accord’) and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (‘Alliance’).

These represent an unprecedented collaboration among most of the biggest clothing companies in the world to collectively address structural weaknesses in the garment sector.

However neither the Accord nor the Alliance addresses the role of indirect sourcing practices in their members’ supply chains. Both are prioritising rapid inspection of those factories that maintain direct relationships with their member brands, but neither initiative has yet developed a coordinated and clear system for financing remediation efforts based on the results of their inspections.

Why Bangladesh for indirect sourcing?

O

Photo: Rajib Dhar/Dhaka Tribune

n April 24, 2013, the world watched with horror as a concrete building known as Rana Plaza cracked, buckled and ultimately collapsed atop the garment workers inside its factories. It turned out to be the worst accident in the garment industry anywhere.

More than 1,100 people were killed, and 2,500 injured.

After that horrible incident, Bangladeshi workers and officials feared that Western retailers would stop doing business in the country because of outrage from consumers. That would have put millions of people out of work.

But luckily, that didn’t happen. The country’s export earnings from the ready-made garment sector have registered a 3.18% growth in July-March period of the current fiscal year. It rose to $18.62 billion against the last year export value of $18.05 billion.

The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data showed that Bangladesh earned over $22.9bn posting a 2.98% growth in first nine months of the current fiscal year over the same period earning of $22.24bn last year.

Not only that, but also the country’s apparel exporters are also gradually penetrating new markets including Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Turkey – a strategy to reduce dependence on traditional markets like USA and European Union which often poses threat to the industry.

Fact box More than 4.0 million workers work in the RMG units, of whom around 80 per cent are women.

The RMG roughly covers 78 per cent of the total export of the country.

Garment workers make about two-thirds of the number of employees engaged in the manufacturing sector.

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AP R I L 24 , 201 5

There is no doubt that the garment sector is the golden goose for Bangladesh. The country has emerged as the second largest exporter of ready-made garment products trailing just behind China. Experts concerned in the field observed that due to declining profit margins and capacity constraints in China, the European and the US buyers plan to strengthen their presence in Bangladesh.

A report produced by the Stern School of Business of New York reveals the way RMG business operates at different levels of the supply chain in Bangladesh. The report focused on global business relationships and especially what is known as “indirect sourcing.”

Indirect sourcing relies on the routine practice of subcontracting, often through purchasing agents and in a manner that is not transparent to buyers, to increase margins and boost production capacity while keeping costs low.

Sterns report identified that as orders are subcontracted and in some cases re-subcontracted, production moves into facilities that are outside the scope of the existing regulation and often are “non-compliant” with

minimum standards for safety and workers’ rights.

Sazzad Hossain, a garment sector expert and entrepreneur said, indirect sourcing is indeed an essential, though poorly understood, feature of the business models of global buyers and national-level suppliers in Bangladesh.

Acknowledging these relationships is a key to understanding the real scope of the factory safety challenges in Bangladesh. “Indirect sourcing increases risk by reducing control and transparency in the supply chain,” said Hussain.

He said that while this is the most prevalent sourcing model in Bangladesh, an alternative model is beginning to emerge. A small group of leading buyers and suppliers are starting to practice a more direct, transparent sourcing model in which the buyer works with partner suppliers on a long-term basis.

“We discuss the elements of this more direct and transparent sourcing strategy as an important alternative to indirect sourcing. I think with this sort of initiative, the garments sector of the country is expanding defining all odds.” n

Stigma faced by garments workers | Rant

15

Taboo of being a ‘Garments er meye’ Lameya Alma Amin

“W

omen empowerment” – these two words have been creating a lot of hype around these days, with every society trying to achieve it relentlessly.

Countries are trying to accomplish equal rights for women, where this gender would have enough freedom to take decisions of their life, to be able to work and become financially independent. Our country is also in this running, where various organisations are working to empower women, so that they have an identity of their own, taking the reins of their own financial responsibility.

Garments factories in our country are part of a huge sector which employs a large number of female workers. Various sectors of the country take pride in the fact that women from the underprivileged class have been given the chance and the opportunity to work in this sector. Their contribution is immense, and the country recognises it with great kudos. We all agree without any argument that women empowerment is happening – females of all social classes are involved in taking the country further towards development, and that they have reached the level of self-actualisation where they can take their own decisions. But how far does this empowerment go? Is it only limited to the work place, or does it also prevail outside in the everyday life of our society?

As we all imagine, the perfect scenario displays a women being successful and independent in both professional and personal life. But sadly, this perfect picture is just an imagination. For female garments workers, the moment they leave their offices, they are the prey to the social stigma that has been linked to their work. The taboo of being a “garments er meye” (meaning a woman working in a garments factory).

“I used to wake up early in the morning before sunrise, cooked the food that the kids and the elders of the house can eat, and then leave for work. I worked

Photo: Rajib Dhar/Dhaka Tribune

tirelessly in the factory till the evening, just only with a lunch break in the middle. And then after reaching home, it’s my husband and the parents-in-law who takes my hard earned money and decide to spend it however they want.

Secretly I tried to save money several times, but when my husband found out, he beat me because I lied and kept it from him. On the roads, people cat-call at us and just because we are, 'garments er meye', we are never given any respect.

We do have a good enough job in the garments factories, but people term it as some kind of curse. There are people who do jobs far worse than ours,” says Kalpona about how women like her are emotionally abused. Sadly, she left her job being forced by her family to look after the kids.

This is just one experience which shows the grim scenario that almost all the women working in the garments sector face. It is extremely sad that people refer to them as an example of someone not respectable. The word “garments-wali” is considered synonymous to someone that is tacky and not respectable. This is is unfortunate, as these women are independent financially – they buy their own clothes and foods, and also that of their family, and walk with their heads held high.

Looking at examples like these, we are forced to wonder, are the women of our country really empowered? Empowerment should come from every aspect, and it just doesn’t mean being financially independent. A woman is entitled to security, freedom of expression, to take decisions, and to be respected.

We are supposed to respect these people, in their workplace, outside in the society, as they struggle to work through each day, in the hope to live a better life. They should be proud of their job; we should help them to take pride in their work. The people should work to create a society free of stigma for these beautiful ladies. Because being a ‘garment er meye’ is not a taboo, it is rather a great honour for them, for the country and for us. n

WE E K E N D TR I BU N E | FR I DAY, APR I L 24, 20 1 5

16 Poste-Riposte | The Mayoral Elections

Does the city corporation election empower/ encourage the concept of “city-government”?

Yes Farhana Urmee The more decentralised and local the public administration, the more good governance is undoubtedly ensured.

This city corporation election has scrapped the scepticism about lack of democratic environment in politics of Bangladesh.

The mayoral candidates' pledge to make the city secure, clean, liveable, and corruption free is of course a silver lining of hope in the recent chaos of political turmoil and violence in the country. Further, public political debate by the candidates, declaring their manifesto for having a prosperous Dhaka ahead, their free and fair electoral campaign is a gesture of political stability and healthy democratic environment.

The seven administrative division having a total of nine city corporations can be the centre of independent and autonomous administration run by elected mayor affiliated with any political party.

However, the mayoral aspirants have also expressed their dissatisfaction over the insufficient power of a mayor in a recent discussion held in the city.

The autonomy to work, separate budget from the central government will allow the city corporations of Dhaka to be a self-governing body. It can obviously become an impelling platform for the government to let the city run and have sustainable development as big portion of population live in cities.

The city corporation can work with the legislative power delegated to the mayors from the higher level of governments, which can work for the betterment of the lives of the city dwellers still keeping the corporation autonomous from the national politics, which can be a start to the concept of city-government.

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AP R I L 24 , 201 5

Photo: Rajib Dhar/Dhaka Tribune

No

Faisal Mahmud

The much hyped mayoral elections have generated some sort of excitement among the city dwellers as they have gone through a painfully protracted period of confrontational political postures and action.

The reality however is that despite not very strong disclaimers from the two main political parties, the mayoral election is, in effect, being contested on a political party basis.

In fact, senior political leaders have opined in favor of politically supported and influenced local body election.

This raises the question again. Will this strong backing by the political parties make the civic bodies just puppets of the political government or will the new mayors be able to break the shackles?

Ironically, that seems unlikely.

None of the mayoral candidates in their election manifesto talked about the empowerment of the local government. The pledges that

they make however need the power and authoritative capacity of a fully empowered city government for materialization.

May be they have learned the lesson from history. Mayor Hanif of Dhaka, during the tenure of the last Awami League government was berated by his own party colleagues for becoming vocal on the issue of city government.

The truth is extensive use of standing orders from the centre, limiting the powers and activities of the city government, indicates that the democratically elected governments and the bureaucracy wielding power over the local government system are not interested in relinquishing power in favour of a strong city government at the local level.

Laws were enacted, empowering local government organisations to proceed with their administrative and development activities.

But, unfortunately, most of the administrative and development activities were made conditional, prior government approval is necessary before proceeding with any major development work.

The Government often gives standing orders or frames rules to limit the activities of a local government institution/organisation.

These organisations are purported to be autonomous; but in reality they are just a puppet in the hand of de facto administrators based in the central secretariat in Dhaka.

Sometimes they cannot even spend their own earnings for their own development activities without prior government approval. It has become a norm, waiting for months together for a decision to tickle down from Dhaka.

So “changes” still seems like a farfetched idea. n

Dina Sobhan | Tough Love

Aunty madness

17

Got a problem?

Write to Dina at

weekend@dhakatribune. com

Cartoon: Priyo/Dhaka Tribune

Q

Dear Dina, I have two unmarried aunts who live with my ailing grandfather.

They haven’t had jobs over the last two decades, and have been provided for by the extended family.

My grandfather needs round-theclock care. My parents and uncles have dipped into their savings to arrange for staff to help out - a chauffeur on call, nurses to tend to his medical needs, as well as maids to help keep house. In addition, at least one of them visits the old man every day.

The aunts keep driving away the help, demand that granddad be transferred to a hospital or taken abroad for treatment, and badmouthing my parents whenever they feel ignored, and accuse them of criminal negligence. This is starting to get embarrassing. What do we do?

A

Dear Familial Piety, I know you think of your aunts as sad old busy-bodies who have nothing better to do than extract the milk of human kindness from your longsuffering parents and spend their days making almighty nuisances of themselves. And it would be true.

But they are also the ones who have devoted their lives to living with and taking care of your grandfather, who is probably no walk in the park either. The least the other offspring can do is bankroll the old guys’ medical treatment and visit him once in a while. I think it’s a fair trade-off to having been birthed and tended to for half their lives.

As for your aunts’ demands for further treatment, their mistreatment of the help, and their idle talk, ignore it. What are you going to do? Steam up to their door and demand that they change their wicked ways, or else end up homeless? They’re lonely, old ladies who’ve never experienced the pleasure of love and family; all they’ve got left is their role in the world as the annoying aunts. Leave them to it.

Q

Dear Dina, I’ve been in a sort of relationship with this guy I’ve known for quite a while now. He’s a good friend and I like having him around, especially when I feel lonely. We’ve never promised each other more than what we have between us, so it’s not like we’re leading anybody on, and this seems to work well for us. But recently, he seems to want more from me and has been quite persistent about it, even though he knows our situation.

I don’t know what to do because I like the way things are and I really don’t want to be in a serious relationship right now. How can I resist him without upsetting him and ruining what we have?

A

Dear Heartless, You sound like a dude.

Like the sort of dude who doesn’t know why a girl would develop ‘feelings’ all of a sudden, when he’s made it very clear that their ‘relationship’ is ‘casual’.

Well, here’s the thing, Einstein,

feelings change, particularly when you spend a lot of time with someone; they kinda grow on you, not unlike mould. It just happens, regardless of the fact that you know that the ‘relationship’ is not necessarily a romantic one. So, you need to now make a decision, as hard as it might be for you to sacrifice your ‘friend’. Frankly, he sounds more like a convenient pet who you’re just biding your time with until someone better comes along.

That being the case, the nice thing to do would be to tell him that it ain’t never gonna happen and he should do himself a favour and walk away.

Of course, he won’t want to do that, in the earnest hopes that you will change your mind and fall in love with him. So, it’s up to you to be the bigger man in this scenario and walk away first. Go on, you can do it.

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

WE E K E N D TR I BU N E | FR I DAY, APR I L 24, 20 1 5

18 stay in

Saqib Sarker Abul Fazal was one of the founding members of the Muslim Sahitya Samaj, which was started by the prominent linguist and scholar Dr Muhammad Shahidulllah. Abul Fazal was also among the leading Bengali Muslim writers who started the “Shikha” movement, which was one of the first liberal movements in Bengali Muslim society. He came to be known as “the Nation’s conscience” for his bold stance at moments of national crises.

This book is a collection of articles

by Abul Fazal that were published over many years. Society, the role of literature, the relationship between literature and the state, social justice, freedom of thought – these are some of the core themes that run throughout the book.

There are a total of 53 articles in this book. In the opening article, Abul Fazal talks about the role of literature and its scope. He discusses the relationship of the sacred with the ever changing human society and how it is reflected in literature. Fazal thought that Bengali Muslim writers were very complacent in accepting the norm and lacked diversified thinking. He also criticized writing only for ‘entertaining’ the readers.

In the article titled “what does tradition really mean?” Abul Fazal put down some scathing criticism of excessive reliant on foreign literature, which a group of 30s writers started and the future generations followed uncritically. “Jashim Uddin’s writings

are filled with structural flaws; but they are entirely original…”, Abul Fazal wrote, stressing the point that literary value isn’t derived only from stylistic mastery.

Abul Fazal repeatedly criticised his peers, the fellow intellectuals.

In “politics and intellectuals” Fazal writes: “if irrationality and senselessness start to dominate the national life then the intellectuals can no longer remain uninterested.

It is true that people who are blinded by greed, power and emotions will not heed their words but despite that it is the responsibilities of the intellectuals to speak out and tell the truth.”

Other articles deal with topics such as modern poetry, the future of Bengali culture, the prevailing

problems in the teaching profession, communal riots, Rabindranath and the Muslim society, nationalism and religion, Buddhism, Communism, film, Islamic clerics, Muslim journalism, fundamental rights and rule of law, language movement, Socialism, and art among many others.

There are a number of articles written on notable figures discussing their lives and work. Writings featured in this book include articles on Rabindranath Tagore, Shahid Hossain Suhrawardi, Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah, Ramesh Shil, Habibullah Bahar, poet Doulat Uzit Bahram Khan, Lenin, Moulana Moniruzzaman Islamabadi, Maxim Gorky.

Overall, this book is indispensable for anyone interested in the progression of Bengali Muslim intellectual tradition and its evolution. These articles are also amazing time capsules that reveal the issues that were discussed and debated in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

The reader will also find himself admiring the sophistication and flexibility in the writer’s thinking. It is also quite interesting how much we have that changed since the time Abul Fazal wrote these articles; even more intriguing to note is how much actually hasn’t changed at all.

The copy of the book being reviewed was first published by Gatidhara Publications in 2005 (Shikdar Abul Bashar, Bangla Bazaar, Dhaka; ISBN 984-461-217-4). n

Mini cryptics Clues ACROSS

5 Talk, tempt and so on inside (7) 6 Block is back in sink (5) 9 Quarantine is nothing overdue (7)

DOWN 1 2 3 4 7 8

Endless play up a mountain (3) Race duo toured country (7) Count up one calorie for Evita, say (7) Vegetable found in crepe again (3) Fruit stone climbing rubbish pile (3) Trap swan (3)

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

Last week’s solutions

‘Society, Literature, State’

by Abul Fazal

ACROSS 1 New bog all round the world (6) 6 Indicate nothing in imperial measure (5) 7 Animal mother found after all returned (5) 8 Laying low to avoid a big defeat? (6) DOWN 2 Boy keeps map of frozen domain (7) 3 Cleverness keeps it in the country (7) 4 Liberally distribute kittens (6) 5 Moorland keeps 50 in fitness (6)

Sudoku

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

Last week’s sudoku solutions

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AP R I L 24 , 201 5

Go out April 24-26

April 25-May 9

Cause | Fashion Revolution Day, 2015: Project Trace My Fashion

Painting | Inner Words: An exhibition by Pijush Kanti Sarkar

When 6-8pm Where Bengal Arts Precinct The event will highlight QR Code project #tracemyfashion in order to promote transparency in the Fashion Industry. Fashion Revolution Bangladesh in partnership with BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology - BUFT and Hong Kong-based non-profit, Lensational, will launch an interactive platform to answer #whomademyclothes.

Trace My Fashion will feature the recent case studies jointly undertaken by Bengal Research and Design Initiative and BUFT in order to learn about sustainability, transparency and ethics from several industry giants, including: Desh Garments, BexTex and from

19

When 4:30-8pm Where EMK Center, Midas Center, Road 27, Dhanmondi

Social Enterprises: Friendship Bangladesh and Living Blue.

Support and celebrate the exciting sustainable strides being taken in Bangladesh RMG, while contributing your presence to the global Fashion Revolution! This is history in the making and cannot be missed!

Drop by and be part of the revolution. #fashrev #fashrevbd #tracemyfashion #whomademyclothes Media partners at thee vent include: Dhaka Tribune, Daily Ittefaq, ICE Today , ICE Business Times and Colours Fm 101.6.

For more, see article on page 4.

What EMK Center is arranging a solo painting exhibition of Pijush Kanti Sarkar. Professor Syed Abul Barq Alvi, Faculty of fine Arts, University of Dhaka and Nurjahan Sulaiman Ajanee, Art Collector and Designer, will inaugurate the exhibition on April 25, 2015. EMK Center

welcomes all to the exhibition.

His work borrows generously from nature and shows the subtle influence of the landscape works of artists like Rene Magritte. The result is an intriguing and unique hybrid of pure design and playful modernism.

Weekly Planner April 26-30

April 27

Education | Satyajit Ray Fest 2015

Education | Undergraduate University Search Process

When 5pm Where EMK Center, Midas Center, Road 27, Dhanmondi What To celebrate birth and death anniversary of legendary Bengali film maker Satyajit Ray, International Academy of Film and Media and EMK Center, Dhaka are going to jointly arrange “Satyajit Ray Fest 2015”. This initiative is not only to screen few films. International Academy of Film and Media EMK Center.

Schedule: April 26, 2015: Pather Panchali April 27, 2015: Ashani Sanket April 29, 2015: Apur Panchali April 30, 2015: Uttoran

When 3:30-4:30pm Where The American Center, Plot 1, Progati Sharani, Block J, Baridhara What Join this free group advising session on searching for US universities and programs on undergraduate (Bachelor’s) studies. No prior registration is required to attend this program.

April 27-30 Education | Three-Day GRE Workshop (Day 1) When 12-3pm Where The American Center, Plot 1, Progati Sharani, Block J, Baridhara What The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a

standardised test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools (Masters/ PhD) in the United States. If you need some help studying for your GRE test, The American Center’s Education USA is hosting a free 3-Day GRE Tips and Strategies Workshop.

Registration is required to attend.

Register your name by calling the American Center at 880-2-55662836 or 5566-2820 during our office hours from8am-4:30pm, Sunday-Thursday.

April 27 Music | American Center Music Buzz When 4-5pm Where The American Center, Plot 1, Progati Sharani, Block J, Baridhara What The American Center

presents Music Buzz, a music club offered every other Monday in the American Center library.

The event welcomes all vocalists, musicians and anybody who just feels like jamming to good music.

The program is free and open for all.

April 30 Education | English Club: EMK Center When 3pm Where EMK Center, Midas Center, Road 27, Dhanmondi What Join the free English Club at the EMK Center. Those interested can come and practice speaking in English with fun activities like watching English movies, reading poems and essays.

WE E K E N D TR I BU N E | FR I DAY, APR I L 24, 20 1 5

20 Funnybone | Yamin Khan Romeo And Juliet

Photo: Bigstock

Dhakar Pola Shakespeare Now that’s one mean love story!

Yamin Khan

“O

Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” Anyone who has never even read Shakespeare will know this line by heart, which was thought of around 500 years ago. Such is the greatness of this timeless man! However, despite the illustrious life of this amazing writer, he always had this one wish unfulfilled.

Something which bugged him till his last breath. And that is, he always wanted to write the screenplay for a Bangla cinema. And by Bangla cinema I don’t mean translating his plays into Bangla, but a “Yaaa Bishoomaikh” and “Bhalobasha gorib-dhoni maaney na Chowdhury Shaaheb!” kind of Bangla cinema. So today we are going to try and pay tribute to this great man by trying to give life to one of his greatest unfulfilled desires.

Yamin Khan is a comedian and CEO of Bangladesh Struggling Artist Survivors Foundation

WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, AP R I L 24 , 201 5

Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest love stories ever written. It’s about a young couple belonging to rival families, who refuse to give in, and go against all odds in their quest for love. But unfortunately they meet a tragic death, and death is what unites them at last.

But what if it this same plot was recreated with Dhaliwood aesthetics in mind?

First of all, it would have been a sweet love story – 'aka ekti nipun premer kahini' between nobagoto sensation Romiz and dancing queen Julekha.

Romiz, the main protagonist of the film, wears denim jeans and imported shirts, and pulls rickshaws for a living. However, he does sport a gamcha around his waist as a token of his socio-economic class. Romiz’s mother, who is actually younger than Romiz in real life, has perfectly drawn strands of white hair, only on one part of the head (budget constraint), is completely blind, and has to sew clothings for a living. As for Romiz’s father, he is the least paid artist on the set, and his only job is to lie on a bed and cough every 30 seconds to let us know that he is still there. No one knows what is actually wrong with him. But we all know that he is very sick and his treatment will need a lot of money.

As for Julekha, she is the spoilt brat of the university and is allowed to get away with anything because her father is a member of the board of trustees. Her fashion sense cannot be explained because in my 28 years in this city I have never seen a girl wear a red miniskirt and a red blazer to college, and that too on a scorching Bangladeshi summer afternoon. But to her credit, she is the best dressed and by far the best looking girl among her friends, whose only job is to follow her wherever she goes, giggle without any reason, and break into a perfectly choreographed dance at the hint of a beat.

Both Julekha and Romiz are unaware of each other’s existence but their families go a long way. In fact, both their father used to be business partners before Romiz’s father decided to propose the idea of wife swapping which in turn infuriated Julekha’s dad and he cheated Romiz senior of all his wealth. Since then they have both been arch rivals who hate each other to the core.

However, as fate would have it, both Romiz and Julekha end up falling in love with each other.

And that too because both of them were so repressed that the moment they collided into each other and their books fell on the ground, the momentary contact triggered their desires and they decided to spend the rest of their lives in each others’ arms.

With this new change in their lives, things were going fine and dandy for both Romiz and Julekha as they were seen happily singing and dancing around trees while making out behind rotating umbrellas and abnormally big sunflowers.

Interestingly, Romiz was no longer seen pulling rickshaws and suddenly had an improvement in terms of standard of living as he was treating his girlfriend to expensive lunches at Chinese restaurants.

And then suddenly news reached the households that their offspring were up to no good. Not only were they romancing around with rival family members but people also complained that they would randomly block traffic while playing loud music and dancing in the middle of the streets.

As a consequence, both Julekha and Romiz were grounded by their parents and they were not allowed to see each other at all. However, with the raging hormones and pulsating libido, both Romiz and Julekha decide to elope and get married at some remote village. When both the parents hear this news they instantaneously forget their years of rivalry and nasty history, just so that they could teach the kids a lesson.

Next up, both the fathers go looking for their children in the villages. Julekha’s father in a Jeep with a convoy of bodyguards, and Romiz’s father in an ambulance.

They drive for an entire few seconds to reach their destination and reach just in time, as their arrival coincides with the ending of yet another song.

After realising that separation is inevitable, both Romiz and Julekha decide to clobber each other to death with soft cushions as they choose to unite in death instead of staying separated as living soles.

And all this started with just a mere involuntary collision. That’s why you should always watch were you are going! And wife swapping is also not a good idea. n