Weekend Tribune Vol 2 Issue 38

Dhaka Tribune | vol 2 Issue 38 | FRIDAY, FebRuARY 6, 2015

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Indomitable spirit

Indomitable spirit

WEEKEN D TRI BU N E | FRI DAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015

1CONTENTS

Volume 2 | Issue 38 | February 6, 2015

EditorZafar Sobhan

Features EditorSabrina Fatma Ahmad

Asst Magazine EditorFarina Noireet

Weekend Tribune TeamFarhana UrmeeFaisal MahmudTausif Sanzum

CartoonsSyed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

Priyo

ContributorsJennifer Ashraf Kashmi

Gopa B CeasarShazia Omar

Pragya RahmanReza Shahriar Rahman

Dina Sobhan

GraphicsMd Mahbub Alam

Tahsin Momin

Colour SpecialistShekhar Mondal

AdvertisementZia Ur Rahman

ProductionMasum Billah

CirculationMasud Kabir Pavel

Websitedhakatribune.com/weekendfacebook.com/WeekendTrib

Email your letters to:[email protected]

Editor’s note

Dear Readers,

This week is a busy one, in spite of all the hartals and political unrest. First up, we have the month-long Amor Ekushay Boimela kicking off, and to commemorate, we have, not only the first instalment of a four-week special column called Boimela Beat (page 17), but a special feature on the dying art of penmanship (page 4), as well as a feature on the plight of the southpaw (page 5).

In addition to the literary festival at home, the Jaipur Lit Fest recently concluded in India, and we’ve been lucky to get into conversation with two authors who participated (pages 12 & 13) .

This is also the week we observe the World Wetlands Day, so do check out our piece on the state of our own wetlands (page 6). We’ve also got a beautiful photo feature on the river Padma (pages 9-11), not to be missed.Finally, in observance of the World Cancer Awareness Day, it’s time to have a serious discussion about the state of cancer research in our country (page 15).

Have a great weekend, and an even better week ahead.

Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

News 2 News

3 Meanwhile

Features 4 Reflections Penmanship

5 Feature Lefties

8 Travel The Sajek valley

12 Literature Joanna Rakoff

13 Literature Mukul Deva

15 Health Cancer research in Bangladesh

17 Boi mela Beat

20 Business Finanzas

regulars14 Legalese

16 Tough Love

18 Stay In

19 Go Out

PHOTO STORyThe BankS oF The PaDMa

6

9

Indomitable spiritA fisherman begins his day’s work as he pushes his boat towards the river, which flows into the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world. Satkhira 2014

Photo: Reza Shahriar Rahman

ENvIRONMENThaor areaS


2 NEwS | This week

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday escaped a suspected suicide bomb blast after he left a campaign rally in northeast Nigeria, as the country braced for fresh Boko Haram attacks before polling day.

The head of state had been addressing supporters of his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe city and had just left the venue when the blast happened in a car park outside.

Rescue workers and health officials said the bodies of two women were brought to the Gombe State Specialist

Hospital almost with 18 people who were injured. The target of the attack was not clear.

“We have evacuated two bodies of females we believe were suicide bombers behind the blast,” said the rescue official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak to media.

Two bombings in the city killed at least five on Sunday, when the Islamists were also repelled from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, for the second time in a week.Photo: AFP

Blast after presidential rally in Nigeria, fear of attacks grows

Pakistan prepares for Saudi royal to hunt ‘protected’ birds

S. Korea soldier sentenced to death for killing 5 comrades

China builds second aircraft carrier

Pakistani authorities are finalising arrangements for a Saudi prince to visit its southwestern desert region to hunt the Houbara bustard, a bird supposedly protected by law, officials said Monday.

Saudi Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz is expected to join the group in coming days. He led a hunting party to Baluchistan last year that officials said killed more than 2,000 bustards.

The birds are listed as “vulnerable” and declining in numbers by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “Red List” of threatened species. Hunting them is banned in Pakistan.

But authorities issue special permits to wealthy visitors from Arab countries. Permit holders are in theory

restricted to hunting a maximum of 100 of the protected birds over 10 days, but only in certain areas.

Saifullah Zehri, district forest officer for wildlife in Chagai district of which Yak Much is a part, told AFP the advance party arrived on Sunday in a C-130 transport plane.

“They were fully equipped and had all the material which is required for bird hunting,” Zehri said.

Arab sheikhs are known as enthusiastic hunters, travelling to Pakistan each year to hunt the bird using the traditional Arabian method. They arrive by private jets from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

A South Korean soldier was sentenced to death Tuesday for killing five comrades and injuring seven others in a shooting and grenade attack last year, the Defense Ministry said.

Shooting rampages by bullied soldiers are not unusual in South Korea, which requires all able-bodied men to serve about two years in the military in the face of threats from North Korea.

The soldier, surnamed Yim, has told investigators that he threw a grenade and opened fire on his colleagues in June after seeing drawings they made of him that

he considered insulting. Yim had fled into the forest near the border with North Korea but was captured following a failed suicide attempt.

Yim, who has been identified only by his surname, was sentenced to death in a military court in the eastern Gangwon province, a Defense Ministry official in Seoul said on condition of anonymity citing department rules. He said Yim can appeal.

South Korea has not executed anyone since December 1997, although death sentences are still occasionally issued by courts.

A firm has won a contract to supply cabling for a second Chinese aircraft carrier, comments by local authorities suggested in the latest sign that Beijing is boosting its maritime power, although news of the development was swiftly deleted online.

Authorities in Changzhou said on a verified social media account that “in 2015, our city will focus on promoting some major programmes”, including Jiangsu Shangshang Cable Group “winning the contract for China’s

second aircraft carrier”.The Changzhou Evening

News carried a similar report at the weekend, although both the newspaper article and the post on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging service, were deleted shortly after publication.

Neither report gave details of the ship.

Robin Williams’ wife, children fight over his estate

Robin Williams’ children and wife have gone to court in a fight over the late comedian’s estate.

In papers filed in December in San Francisco Superior Court, Williams’ wife, Susan, says some of the late actor’s personal items were taken without her permission and asks the court to exclude the contents of the Tiburon home that she shared with Williams from the jewelry, memorabilia and other items Williams said the children should have.

The children, Zachary, Zelda and Cody, counter that Susan Williams is “adding insult to a terrible injury” by trying to change the trust agreement and rob them of the late actor’s

clothing and other personal items.“The Williams’ children are

heartbroken that Petitioner, Mr. Williams’ wife of less than three years, has acted against his wishes by challenging the plans he so carefully made for his estate,” attorneys for the children said in court papers.

James Wagstaffe, an attorney for Susan Williams, said Monday that his client was only seeking guidance from the court about the meaning of certain terms in the trust.

“This is not ugly,” he said. “I would not say this is anticipated to be a highly contested proceeding.”

The world at a glanceWeekend Tribune Desk

Residents who live near the Gulshan office of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia have been subjected to a Telecom dead zone after network services were disabled early Saturday morning.

A written BTRC order sent via email early Saturday morning ordered Telecom operators to shut mobile, data, land phone, radio and other service connections to House 6, Road 86, Gulshan 2 until further instructed.

“For two days I did not get any mobile or internet network services in this area. Today, although I can sometimes connect, the line is either very bad or is quickly dropped,” said Mazharul Haque, who lives adjacent to Khaleda’s office.

Alamgir, a guard at Gulshan Model School and College which is situated just a few yards from the office said: “For two days the network was totally disabled. Today I see a weak network sign on my mobile phone but the connection is bad. But when I go to the main road near Gulshan 2 crossing, my

phone detects a full network.” Following a BTRC order to

suspend connectivity centring on Khaleda’s office, the country’s six mobile operators switched off a total of 60 Base Transmission Stations (BTSs) in the Gulshan 2 area.

On Sunday, the number of disabled BTSs came down to 20 – narrowing the blocked-off area – according to a mobile operator source, who has asked not to be named.

Although mobile operators had reactivated most of the BTSs on Monday, they have changed the direction of some of their antennas in the Gulshan 2 area, he said. “This hampers smooth and non-stop network service.”

The Bangladesh Telecommunication (Amendment) Act, 2010 allows the government to direct mobile phone and internet operators to suspend entire network services or services in a particular area if there are concerns about security threats.Source: Dhaka Tribune

Khaleda’s neighbours in Gulshan suffer communication blackout


3meanwhile ... | NEwS

You’re welcome

Five tips to improve your reading skillFor all those who missed out on good read ing skills, it is not too late:

1) Know your purposeEvery one should have a pur pose for their read ing and think about how that pur pose is being ful filled dur ing the actual read ing. The advan tage for remem ber ing is that check ing con tin u ously for how the pur pose is being ful filled helps the reader to stay on task, to focus on the more rel e vant parts of the text, and to rehearse con tin u ously as one reads. This also saves time and effort because rel e vant items are most attended.

2) skim firstSome read ing tasks require no more than skim ming. Proper skim ming includes putting an empha sis on the head ings, pic tures, graphs, tables, and key para graphs (which are usu-ally at the begin ning and the end). Depend ing on the pur pose, you should slow down and read care fully only the parts that con tribute to ful-fill ing the read ing purpose.

3) get the mechan ics rightFor in-depth read ing, eyes need to move in a dis ci plined way. Skim-ming actu ally trains eyes to move with out dis ci pline. When you need to read care fully and remem ber the essence of large blocks of text, the eyes must snap from one fix a tion point to the next in left– to right-sequence. More over, the fix a tions should not be one indi vid ual let ter or even sin gle words, but rather on sev eral words per fix a tion.

4) Be judi cious in high light ing and note takingUse a high lighter to mark a FEW key points to act as the basis for men tal pic tures and reminder cues. Add key words in the mar gins if you don’t find use ful clues to highlight.

5) think in picturesA pic ture may not be worth a thou-sand words, but it can cer tainly cap-ture the essence of dozens of words. More over, pic tures are much eas ier to mem o rise than words. Those mem ory wiz ards who put on stage shows owe their suc cess (as do card coun ters in casi nos) to use of gim-micks based on men tal pic tures. Source: Daily Mail

Photo of the week

Migratory birds in Sylhet take flight

Photo: Mainoor Islam Manik

Say what?

Comic fan told he can’t change his name to superhero after Ninja and Gandalf given go-ahead

A comic book fanatic has lashed out at his country’s government after officials put a halt to his plans to change his name to Superhero.

Benjamin Preisler Herbst, who owns a toy shop in Denmark, had his heart set on changing his name to Superhero as a nod to his love of figures like Batman. He submitted an application to officially change his Christian name, but has been left reeling after his country’s killjoy government rejected it outright.

The same government recently gave the green light to name changes, including Ninja and Lord of the Rings characters, Gandalf and Legolas.

The 26-year-old said: “I fully understand that people under 18 should be protected from being given silly names by their parents.

“But I think it should be up to adults to change their own name to whatever they want.”

Government officials took four months to reject Benjamin’s application.

A spokesman said: “The word superhero is the name of a fictional/non-existent figure who performs heroic deeds.

“We do not believe that ‘Superhero’ meets the criteria for accreditation as a Christian name.”News and photo: Daily Mirror


4 REFLECTIONS | PenmanshiP

Once upon a time, my twelfth-grade teacher exclaimed, “Your hand-writing is so ugly!” I then

snapped without a second’s delay, “No, ma’m! It’s not even near being ugly. It is just a font which I liked and you didn’t.” It took quite a few seconds for my dumbfounded teacher to reclaim her senses.

Handwriting was then considered a near-derivative form of art. Our city walls which now advertise FM Methods and S@ifur’s, then

held names of institutions and teachers who taught “inattentive” students how to write “beautiful letters.” And owners of “beautiful letters” were always doted on and in many instances hired to write letters. Regarding billet-doux, good handwriting mattered to the fullest levels. As it also did in job applications. I recall from my early child-hood when I saw how my youngest paternal uncle at a remote village used to charge a few takas per letter. Many of us have experienced the rage against those who had good hand-writing, which always earned them better marks even though content-wise we were no less (at least we thought so).

Today, all of a sudden a whole bunch of people, having savvied up on the latest gadgets, have opened up

accounts in social networking sites as a staple. And the previously mellow folk, who only knew to talk over a cup of tea, started shouting virtually through key-pads and key-boards. The often-irritated ones who referred to any moving screen as an “idiot-box,” now have their eyes glued to the phone PC-screens instead.

Offices have ceased to consider hand written documents as “formal.” The government is also pursuing the digitalisation dream and investing a good amount to accelerate the pace. In many developed countries, even tests and assessments are being done through computers. Thus, many predict that a time will come when we would not need to write with pen and paper. It would all be in keypads and printers. Therefore, what status would hand-writing hold?

gopa B Caesar is a lecturer at BUET and a Master student at University of Dhaka.

The charm of writing by hand is a habit that is fast becoming extinctGopa B Ceasar

Cry me some rivers over hand-written letters

On one hand we have a group who believes that it is all about communication and as long as the kids are able to do that using keyboards. Therefore, authorities in a few states in the US and New Zealand have thought that it is high time we stopped worrying about teaching the next generation how to write by hand.

On the other hand, many old-school people will argue ferociously that the ability to use cursive handwriting is a fundamental life skill. They strongly disagree with those who argue passionately that the message is more important than the means of communication.

It is also worth mentioning that handwriting still forms an integral part of our education system due to the fact that the majority of our examinations are still handwritten and has many cognitive benefits.

Interestingly, in many cases while the potential bride (in this part of world) is presented in front of the potential groom’s troop as a display of the norms of a patriarchal society, beautiful handwriting is also considered a “qualification” of the girl besides music and cooking.

A theory by criminal psychologists states that handwriting is deeply personal. One develops one’s own handwriting styles in concert with the way one’s brain signals fire in unique patterns that are remarkably different and constant for each. Handwriting is a primal and unconscious act that could be tough to change.

Let me strive back to my tale of mischief that enraged my teacher. After listening to my excuse for my miserable handwriting, she grabbed my right ear and dragged me to the corridor. I stood there for the rest of the class hour as a penal exhibit. I didn’t mind much as at that special age most students are inclined to feel more comfortable (or, should I say a little proud) to undergo public humiliation than attending monotonous classes. Little did I know then, that the reason behind my punishment, would grow to be quite trivial in the future, when typing and texting is all that seems to matter! n

Photos: Bigstock


5lefTies | FEaTuRE

When one hands out something to you do you really notice which hand is approaching

towards you? You do. When you give away something to some one you believe you ought to use your right hand, that is what we’ve been taught from early on, as it is considered polite.

The left side is correlated with all the negative things in many cultures and religions. Thus, left handers, too, are sometimes regarded as unlucky. If a child is performing his or her task by

left hand that kid is often forced to do it by right hand. Farzana Ilaf, a university student believes that she has terrible handwriting because she was forced to write with the right hand when she was in kindergarten. “I didn’t even know when I would take the pen in my left hand. And I only realised that I did, the moment I was rebuked by my mother or my teachers at school. I had to literally force my self to re-learn how to write using my right hand,” says Ilaf.

Other than her writing, however, Ilaf faced no other problems or so-called stigmatisation, due to her being a lefty. Although, in the case of her aunt Khadiza Yasmin, who is also left handed, she had to face a starkly different reality as she was raised in a village. When Khadiza instinctively took her notebook back from her teacher with her left hand, she was punished for “disrespectful behaviour.” Again, when she used to serve guests food with her left hand, the recipients would judge to be rude and ill-mannered. “For me life has been inconvenient in many aspects for doing things by my left hand.” says Yasmin.

Fortunately, with education and more exposure to other cultures, most people in Bangladesh today, are now less inclined to take being left-handed as a cardinal sin.

Who is right? Being a lefty in a world of ‘righties’Farhana Urmee

Left handers in Bangladesh In a society like ours, where most prefer the comfort of homogeneity, there are those who often react to things which are different from the usual. Left Handers Sowngha is a Facebook group opened by a Bangladeshi south paw, Shahid Hossain Shamim, a craft entrepreneur with the objective to have a network with left handers from around the world and share their stories. Shamim finds left handers to be more focused other than the right handers and he thinks left handers are the most confident people.

He plans to extend the scope of his virtual group to real life. Left handers can meet, share their interesting stories and, above all, recommend some solutions for the problems they face which can make their lives easy, especially, for the next generation. Lectures in educational institutes by successful south paws can also be motivational for left handed children and teachers too who are giving them lessons and teaching manners. Last but not the least, Shamim plans to make some lefty-friendly products with motivational messages of “being right.” The products could include rulers, scissors, notebooks, desk and pens. “No assessment

can be done without making the environment hazard free. Sitting for an examination on a right handed desk is nothing but a struggle for a left handed person. When the left handed student sits in an awkward position to write on a right handed desk, the quality of delivery may be harmed, the pace of writing may slow down or and promptness of thinking may be halved for the discomfort that the right handed decision makers hardly notice,” says Shamim.

Things are changing in today’s society, left handers do not need to face that much suspicion that we have seen in our generation, says Shamim, “A little bit extra can be done to in enhancing their efficiency by having left handed friendly products. And moreover, talking about left handers’ problem or stories can make their existence visible in the society and give them the feel of rightness and not being left out.” n

Facts about left handers: Lefties remember tunes better than the right handed. Lefties are good at multi-tasking. Nails grow faster for the lefties. Lefties are more creative than the right handed persons.

Famous left handers Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander the Great were, Napoleon Bonaparte and Charles Darwin was left handers. Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey are left handers too. Mahatma Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Shakib Al Ahsan is left handers.

Did you know:1. The left side of human brain

controls the right side of the body and the right side controls the left side. Thus lefties’ brains are rightly functioned.

2. August 13 is the international day for left handers. Fidel Castro was a lefty and his birth day is August 13.

3. The English word “left” comes from “lyft”, which means weak or broken.


6 ENvIRONMENT | haor areas

In light of World Wetland Day this Feb 2, we highlight the current situation of Bangladesh’s haors, a wtland ecosystem unique to only this region

Faisal Mahmud

Unique wetlands

The beauty of the haor areas of Bangladesh has been immortalised by many littérateurs and in recent

times, the great Humyaun Ahmed. As one of the most popular writers of our country, Ahmed, a native of Netrokona, a major haor district, was fascinated with the serene, picturesque scenario of these wetlands, unique to this region of the world, and the lifestyles of its people, which he frequently brought into his books and movies.

Ahmed described the lifestyles of the Haor folk in one of his books: “Their lifestyles are strange. During the monsoon, all the agricultural lands are submerged in water. Wherever you see, you will find water. It’s like a waveless ocean. Amidst this water, lie small villages like islands. The people there don’t work during the monsoon. The crops they harvest after the monsoon are enough to feed them for the whole year. During monsoon, they stay idle.”

That picture-perfect scenario of the haor area, however, has changed since. Unplanned and uncoordinated development has not only taken a toll on the lifestyle of haor dwellers, but also on the biodiversity in 373 haors across the country.

The contributions to the country’s

agriculture and fisheries sector from the haor districts – Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Netrokona, Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria – which were once considered as the “food basket” of Bangladesh, have dwindled considerably over the years.

What is a haor? Why it is important?Bangladesh is blessed with huge inland open water resources – the haor is one of them. Situated at the north eastern part of Bangladesh, this wetland ecosystem is considered to be of international ecological importance due to the extensive waterfowl population that uses the basin as a habitat.

The haor basin is estimated to stretch over an area between 4450 square kilometres and 2.5 million hectares. It is further estimated that the total area of haor-type wetlands throughout Bangladesh exceeds 8 million hectares. The haor Basin is surrounded by the mountain ranges of India, with Meghalaya to the north, Tripura and Mizoram to the south, and Manipur and Assam to the east.

These vast areas are rich with various fish species. The lands across the haor area are made fertile by the sediment which flows in to the low lying cultivable lands during monsoon.

The problem in haor areasThe regions near the major haors like Hakaluki, Tanguar and Itna have fallen victim to unplanned development. With the increase in population, people have started filling haor areas to construct housing. The fertile lands surrounding the haors are fast losing their fertility because of rapid construction of roads and unplanned flood protection embankments.

Also, some people are in the practice of catching brood fish by draining out water from the haors during the dry season, which impedes the breeding patterns and pushes some species into extinction.

“The problem is the development in haor area has always been neglected by the subsequent governments. There was never a masterplan to protect these unique water bodies. Finding no other option, the people in those areas have started construction and other works according to their own whims,” says Giasuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, former executive director of the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS).

He adds that around 20 million people live in the haor areas in the country’s north-eastern region.

“Haors are unique in terms of rich ecosystems and biodiversity. People in these regions are poorer than in any other parts of the country. More than 28% of the total population here lives below the lower poverty line but the government hasn’t taken any master plan to remove the peril of the people of these areas.”

Chowdhury suggests that the rivers Surma and Kushiara ought to be dredged to save the biodiversity of the haors. “There should be planned construction of embankments, including repairing of submersible flood protection embankments to protect the crops,” he said.

The call for an autonomous bodyTo take the development work of the haor area to the fast lane, in September last year, the secretary committee on administrative reform had recommended that the government should give approval to the Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Board as a statutory autonomous body under the Ministry of Water Resources.

It was also suggested that the government enact the Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Board Act to legitimise the board established on September 11, 2000 by a presidential order. By doing so,


7

Major haors of Bangladesh

Hakaluki haor This is one of Bangladesh’s biggest and one of Asia’s larger haors. The haor spreads across Kulaura, Juri and Baralekha upazilla under Moulovibazar district and Fenchuganj and Gopalganj upazillas under Sylhet district.

The total area of this haor is about 39322.422 hectares or 97,166 acres. But during the rainy season its total land area is reduced to 7000 hectares. It was recognised as an Ecologically Critical Area by the Director General of the Department of Environment. This haor is a protected Ramsar site of international importance for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.

The Hakaluke haor offers a very different type of ecosystem. It is home to many kinds of fish, birds and animals. There are 107 species of fishes available here, according to IUCN report in 2008. But only 75 species remain today, some of which include : Chela, Dhela, Pabda, Lal chanda etc. The people of this area are mainly fisherfolk.

tanguar Haor Tanguar haor, located in the Dharmapasha and Tahirpur upazilas of Sunamganj District in Bangladesh, is a unique wetland ecosystem of national importance and has come into international focus. The area of Tanguar haor including 46 villages within the haor is about 100km2 of which 2,802.36 ha2 is wetland.

The Government of Bangladesh declared Tanguar haor as an Ecologically Critical Area in 1999 considering its critical condition as a result of overexploitation of its natural resources. In 2000, the hoar basin was declared a Ramsar site – wetland of international importance. With this declaration, the Government is committed to preserve its natural resources and has taken several steps for protection of this wetland.

Tanguar haor plays an important role in fish production as it functions as a ‘mother fishery’ for the country Every winter the haor is home to about 200 types of migratory birds. The haor is an important source of fish. In 1999-2000, the government earned 7,073,184 takas as revenue just from fisheries of the haor. There are more than 140 species of fresh water fish in the haor.

the haor and wetland development board would be strengthened with necessary finance and manpower.

The plan however is still stuck in the initial phase thanks to red tape.

The development masterplanAfroza Moazzem, director general of the Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Board however, says that they have prepared a master plan for the development of wetlands and haors. “We’ve also taken up a project of Tk554 crore in this regard,” she adds.

Moazzem states that the specific objectives of the masterplan are: • Developing integrated programmes

to prevent degradation of resources and ensuring sustainable management,

• Ensuring crop production• Protecting homesteads and

infrastructures, • Conserving bio-diversity• Guiding and controlling the

expansion of settlements and infrastructural development for wise management of wetlands

• Maintaining aquatic environment and preserving natural waterbodies,

• Facilitating drainage• Maintaining the existing wetlands

in and around natural canals to mitigate flood risks

• Preparing and recommending integrated approach-oriented interventions and future action programmes based on proper survey, investigation and department or agency-derived action plans

• Framing projects in line with local demands for the development of the haors, depending on the size and nature of the projects to be implemented through local government institutions or any other appropriate organisations.

She also said that water ambulances will be introduced in the haor areas and 500 sanitary toilets will be provided to mitigate the health hazards. Besides, the houses would be raised from lowlands by dredge spoils to protect them from flood water during monsoon, she added.

“The department is working on issues like improved water management, agricultural development, food security and social protection, biodiversity enhancement and wetland management, social safety net and improved standard of living, building of physical infrastructure, comprehensive disaster management, industrialisation and trading, among others,” she said.

“With the implementation of the masterplan, the lifestyle of the people of the haor area as well as the biodiversity and agricultural yield of the region will be improved,” said Afroza Moazzem. n

Phot

os: H

asan

Hab

ib


8 TRavEL | The sajek valley

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it

is to be happy.” This quote by Sylvia Plath sums up the entire experience of visiting the Sajek Valley.

Getting ThereYou can catch a bus ride from Fokirapul to Khagrachari. A normal Shyamoli bus ticket will cost you Tk650. It is advisable that you book tickets in advance to avoid any last minute mishaps. It is ideal to take the 9.40 pm bus. Pack few things to munch on the way though you wouldn’t want to over eat and feel nauseated as the ride gets bumpy in the Bandarban hilly area.

The ride might be a little overwhelming for female passengers as the bus we took did not stop at any motel or rest room area expect for a five minute break at some remote tea stall. In case there are females traveling along, you can ask the driver to take a break at a motel with the necessary provisions.

If all goes well and there is minimum traffic on the road, you will likely reach the Khagrachari bus stop by 5 -5:30am. The roads are likely to be completely inhibited at this early hour. As such the bus conductors precautionary advice to you will be to sit with the night guards until dawn. By 6am, the restaurant next to the stop will open. Soup, paya, roti, naan, egg fry are the safe bets to order.

If you have a few minutes on hand

visit the mosque just 2 minutes away. The shared wudu area with its open water and sunlight coming in from the patterned holes in the wall has a mystical effect particularly during the twilight hours.

Off to Sajek ValleyAround 7am, you can hire a Chander Gari which is ideal for traveling in this terrain. It will cost you tk5000-6000 for a two way trip. Though if there are only two of you, you can also hire a bike. In that case, it will cost Tk2000 for an up-down trip. The route it follow is, Khagrachhori - Dighinala Bazaar – Bagaihat Bazaar – Machalong Haat and finally Sajek. Don’t forget to confirm your return ticket before leaving the bus stop area. In case you want to do your own cooking or a BBQ, do some grocery shopping at any of the fresh produce haat or bazaar on your way.

If you are up for a little adventure, sit on the roof of the Chander Gari. The cold weather, warm touch of the rising sun along with picturesque view as you go up 18,000 feet up to the valley is going to be one of the few rare moments you will cherish forever.

At the ValleyYou will reach Ruilui Para in about two and half hour. Unlike other resorts which are secluded, this one consists of tourist accommodation area placed right with the living area of the tribal people and Bangladeshi military.

It is advisable that you order lunch at one of the restaurants as soon as you set root in the resort area. They cook on order basis only and as such wont be able to provide you with instant food in case you are hungry later on. The food is minimalistic but tasty and the local tribal flavor gives it the extra zing.

As far as accommodation is concerned, there is a big platter for you to choose from. You can choose to hire an entire apartment for Tk18,000, double bed room accommodation for Tk4,500 or even shared rooms for as low as Tk150.

If case you do not have an attached bathroom, you will need to use the shared public washroom. Though the hygiene factor is not a problem, water supply is scarce here. As such these washrooms get water only for a few hours. Ask the locals and they will direct you to a stream at 15 minutes walking distance. Talking a shower in the cool water of this stream with

your friends will be completely rejuvenating to say the least.

Getting aroundAfter the shower, lunch and a tiny nap, visit the stone world. Entry fee is a mere Tk20. This portion of the resort consists of variously shaped huge rocks placed in a pile with a bench on top overlooking the entire valley. You can also click a few pictures standing on the artistic wooden bridge.

It gets dark pretty early so if you want dinner don’t forget to place your order before 7pm. After dinner take a walk on the ruilui para road. You will notice the native kids studying in the thatched houses, old Salman Khan songs playing in a small stall and lighting your way will be countless bright stars in the sky.

If you are in Sajek Valley, there is no way you can bail out on seeing the rising sun. Wake up by 5.15 next morning and walk to the helipad. Seeing the clouds below and the sun rising from them is like a glimpse from a movie.

After this surreal experience, grab breakfast. This time try the military run restaurant. They serve warm local roti, egg with a mouth watering vegetable dish. Lunch at this restaurant will costs you Tk250 and consists of rice, dal, beef/chicken, vegetable and salad.

From here, have a trekking experience to the komlok para. The hour long walk to the top of this tribal settlement is worth the effort. You will get a first hand glimpse into the simplistic lifestyles of the locals as well as the stone graveyard area which is surely a highpoint of the visit.

In the afternoon, visit the Adventure land. This zone consists of man made steps created so that you can walk down the mountain and climb back up. As such you have a comparatively comfortable experience of the wilderness

How about cooking your own food at night? The locals will help you with the logs and stove. Food, bon fire, friends, under the star studded night sky is a perfect farewell to the Ruilui para resort. One last joyrideIf your bus for Dhaka is at 2pm, start by 11am. Take an hour and a half bus ride to Dighinala area and you will come across a road-sign pointing to a waterfall. A mere ten minutes walk and if you are lucky, you will be able to take one last shower in the wild under it. Once you reach Khagrachari, eat at the System restaurant. This local restaurant has gained much prominence due to the unique local cuisines they serve. Our recommendation: mushroom fry, grilled fish and begun bhorta. n

The perfect getawayTausif Sanzum

A rendezvous with natureA rendezvous with nature

Phot

os: T

anvir

Alim


9By The Banks of The Padma | PHOTO STORy

The river that killed my grandfather

Turn for more photographs

The river begins drying up with the advent of summer. Now this particular section of riverbank has become a meeting place called “Padma Garden.” Rajshahi 2014.

I grew up by the banks of the Padma. I learnt how to swim in this river. My grandfather had a beautiful

house on its bank. During the monsoon of 1996, the river’s all-engulfing water washed away that house. My grandfather couldn’t forget the sounds of the crashing waves that took away his home. he had a heart attack soon after, and silently left the world. The river Padma took away my grandfather and the only memory of him, the house.

This is the story of a few of the millions of people living by the bank of the Padma. During the monsoon,

they have no other option but to keep shifting their homes and lives to higher lands. Many are left homeless.

on the other hand, during the scorching months of summer, thousands of hectares of land alongside the river dry up, bringing woe upon the poor farmers living there. a major reason behind this drought is India’s Farakka barrage, constructed in 1975.

I have been travelling

along the banks of the Padma – 120 kilometres from the north to the south, where Padma becomes Meghna and the major part of the Ganges Delta inside Bangladesh – observing the shifts in the lives and landscapes of the region. I will be travelling and photographing for the next few years in pursuit of the story of “The river that killed my grandfather.” n

Photos and story byReza Shahriar Rahman

Counterfoto is one of the

leading independent photography institutes in Bangladesh

reza shahriar rahman is a freelance photographer who works at counterfoto


10 PHOTO STORy | for The love of food

The river’s eroding waves eat away at the banks of the char island during monsoon. Rajshahi 2014

The low bank of Gabura Island in the south is the last human habitat before the largest mangrove forest. The tide keeps getting higher each year. Shatkhira 2014


11

Just like the 750 other rivers, the Dakatia river is almost dead. In the summer there is no sign of the river which used to be the bringer of life to the people of Kushtia and the folk king “Lalon Shai.” Kushtia

2014

In the past there used to be hundreds of fishing boats roaming this river, but the drop in the number of fish in these waters has also led to the disappearance of the local fishermen. Only a few boats with empty

cases and nets can be seen now. Rajshahi 2014

Illegal sand grabbing is a regular business during the dry season. The removal of tons of sand contributes to the displacement of

water during monsoon. Rajshahi 2014

The largest ferry terminal that connects the south with the capital city. Rajbari 2014


12 LITERaTuRE | joanna rakoff

On being a writer and a mom

Joanna Rakoff hails from New York and has written two novels. Her first novel was fiction, A Fortunate Age,

which explores the dot com crash in 2008, while her second novel, a memoir, My Salinger Year, is about her experience working at a literary agency in New York, indeed the same agency that represented J D Salinger.

I met Joanna at the Jaipur Literature Festival and had the opportunity to interview her about her writing. She says the experience of writing a memoir and a novel of fiction was remarkably similar. Both books required her to think about the narrative structure, the shape of the story arc, and the journey of the characters. She says some memoirs are about self-revelation rather than self-exploration, but not hers. She was restrained in her story and does not feel she has exposed her secrets to the world.

Joanna grew up in New York, coddled by protective parents. She studied at Oberlin, a small liberal arts college that encouraged students to be passionate about learning and idealistic about the world. It wasn’t till her first job in New York that she learned about the real challenges of eking out a living in the harsh and material world. Her first job however, at a literary agency, had its perks. The biggest perk: J D Salinger!

When asked about J D Salinger, she says he was a reserved, isolated hermit but at the same time he was warm and respectful. He liked his privacy and had very little contact with the outside world, even his fan mail was dealt with by Joanna. Reflecting on this, she says some of his fan letters were so emotional and grateful. Fans often alluded to how his books had transformed their lives. This affirmed Joanna’s love of literature. Working at his agency,

Joanna had many opportunities to speak to him. In each instance, he inspired her and guided her own writing by encouraging her to take herself seriously.

When asked about the audience she writes for, she says she writes for herself. She tries to write a book that she would like to read.

Being a writer as a profession requires a certain hermit discipline, divorcing yourself from the world. Full body parenting makes that tough. Joanna speaks of her two children with great affection but also appreciates the challenge of being a working mother. She describes her mornings: getting two kids ready for school, making sure they eat something healthy and wear warm clothes, leaving the house on time, with school bags, umbrellas, laptop bag, gym clothes and yoga mat, ensuring the kids aren’t fighting and the rabid neighbourhood dogs aren’t biting, not forgetting to lock the

doors, dropping them off at school, fending off teachers and parents association members who want her to volunteer for the bake sale, and finally settling down with her coffee and laptop. It’s a frenzied start, but that’s what mom’s are expected to do.

Joanna talks about her boss in her memoir, a powerful woman who had to sacrifice family and relationships in order to achieve success in the professional world. Joanna says she is still searching for positive role models, because as a woman, it is not easy to balance family and professional success.Rakoff’s memoir won The Guardian Best Books of 2014, GoodReads Choice Awards Finalist, BookPage Best Books of 2014, BookRiot Best Books of 2014, Booktopia Books of the Year, Oprah.com Summer Must Read Books. n

The new York based author talks parenthood, career and writingShazia Omar


13

Write a good climax first

Mukul Deva is the best-selling author of military crime fiction. He has written nine

thrillers and several other books of various interests. He was a story-teller since he was in grade eight and he says he is more like one of those tribal elders in Africa who sit around a fire and tell a story to an audience, rather than a particularly bookish literary type. For him, it’s the story that holds all the appeal and his audience around the fire is his laptop.

“When you sit around a fire, you have people of three or four generations, women and men, people who take in stories in audio and visual ways. You have no editor, no dress rehearsals, no props, just your mind and your tongue, and its – GO!” he says of his writing technique.

I met Mukul Deva at the Jaipur Literary Festival last month and had the pleasure of speaking to him about writing. When I expressed my

admiration for his prolific writing ability and probed into the science of it, he explained his process. He begins with a two-line plot idea that then becomes a two-page story outline, which he then breaks into chapters. He does research on whatever parts he needs to and once he has validated all the facts, he begins writing, starting with the climax.

I asked Mukul to talk a bit about how he writes dialogues. “The human mind is not linear,” he explains. “You meet someone, you make a first assumption, then you look for evidence to support that assumption. We are not rational or logical. We try to link things to our memory.” He adds also the importance of tension. “The main character should always be under some sort of threat,” he suggests.

Mukul has an eidetic memory. He can remember everything. He says this never helped him much in school because he was never interested in academics.

He dropped out of school at the age of 16 to join the Indian army. He was commissioned in ‘81 and left in ‘96 as a major, to set up a security company in India and a learning and development company in Singapore. He is also a mentor with the UN for national capacity building in conflict countries.

Mukul’s newest release, The Garud Strikes, is about the 1971 War of Liberation. Mukul was fascinated by our war because it was the fastest military victory in modern warfare. The London Times called it the “Lightning Campaign.”

Mukul wanted to write a story about the war in Bangladesh because within a few years, all the people who fought in the war will be dead. His novel isn’t only about warfare, but rather, is about human emotions and fears. As research, Mukul interviewed 200 people who took part in the battle and watched video transcripts of another 100 war veterans whom he did not interview directly.

Mukul has dedicated the proceeds of this novel to the war widows’ trust fund. He will be in Dhaka, we hope, sometime this year, to launch his new book.Bio: Shazia Omar has written one novel, Like A Diamond in the Sky, one mind-body-spirit book, Intentional Smile, and one play, Karma Coffee. For more information about her visit: facebook/shazia omar. n

recipe for a great readShazia Omar

mukul deva | LITERaTuRE

shazia Omar has written one novel, Like A Diamond in the Sky, one mind-body-spirit book, Intentional Smile, and one play, Karma Coffee. For more information about her visit: facebook/shazia omar.


14 LEGaLESE | jennifer ashraf kashmi

Dear Reader:Thank you for writing in to us. Your friend is indeed quite correct – investing in Bangladesh could not have come at a better time. Bangladesh

also does provide quite attractive taxation benefits to foreign investors, which can be quite appealing.

The first thing to establish is what route your friend would choose to explore in order to establish a business entity in Bangladesh. For an existing foreign company, there are three options available: establishment of a liaison office, establishment of a representative office, or establishment of a branch office. Of the three

A

Bringing in the bread

aforementioned options, the best route to follow for smooth business operations (minus restrictions) is the establishment of a branch office. There is also a fourth option available – sometimes foreigners wish to establish a company in Bangladesh with 100% foreign shareholding.

The following are the documents to be filed for incorporating a Company: MOA AOA FORM 1: Declaration on

registration of company Notice of situation of registered

office in FORM VI Particulars of Directors in FORM IX

along with consent letters to act as Directors

FORM X for list of persons consenting to be Directors

Form XII for the particulars of the Directors, Manager and Managing Agents and of any change

Power of Attorney authorising a person to represent the incorporation process before the RJSC

Original name clearance letter confirming name availability issued by the RJSC, along with any other documents that may be necessary.

In case the company is promoted by a parent company then a Copy of Resolution and Power of Attorney by the parent company to invest in the company is also required.

Another important point to keep in mind is that for any form of foreign investment in Bangladesh, Board of Investment (BOI) approval is required. However, the applicability of whether BOI approval is necessary or not is to be decided once all the documents of the foreign entity have been correctly assessed to determine the nature of the business entity. Additionally, no distinction is made for the purposes of corporate income tax between foreign owned companies and Bangladeshi-owned companies, although some firms may qualify for a tax holiday in the initial years after entering Bangladesh. A company is obliged to submit income tax return by fifteenth day of July next following the income year or, where the fifteenth day of July falls before the expiry of six months from the end of the income year, before the expiry of such six months.

The policy framework in Bangladesh is also quite flexible in terms of accommodating foreign investors. Industrial policy ensures equal treatment for both local and foreign investment, and foreign investors can also take advantage of additional benefits offered by Bangladesh Government.

I need to mention that the information provided here should be referred to as a mere guideline only. The correct form of business entity to be established can only be recommended after a thorough discussion with the foreign investor and a lot of details regarding their future objectives will need to be taken into account. I suggest that your friend prepare a business plan for the future, conduct a little bit of independent research and then decide on the form of business establishment that he would like to set up. I hope the above has been helpful! .

Q My university friend (from Australia) has recently contacted me as he is interested in establishing a business entity in Bangladesh. He has read up on the internet that Bangladesh provides a good platform for foreign investors, the cost of labour and manpower in Bangladesh is quite low and additionally there are certain tax benefits that foreign investors can avail. He is now interested in exploring this further and has asked me to advise regarding the

potential routes available to him and any benefits he may be entitled to as a foreign entity. Can you advise?

got a

problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@

dhakatribune.com

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

Cartoon: Priyo/Dhaka Tribune


15CanCer researCh in Bangladesh | HEaLTH

The Dreaded c-word

Rowshan Ara Khan, a coordinator at an English Medium School started sounded worried as she

stated: “This is the third person in my family to have been diagnosed with cancer in the last year. Is it just me or is the number of cancer patients actually increasing in the country?”

Rowsahn’s question makes us ponder. These days, finding a cancer patient in anyone’s greater family or among close acquaintances has become a common phenomenon.

The estimate of National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, Bangladesh also seems to agree with this claim. According to their data, the country now had approximately 1,500,000 cancer patients which was just under 4,00,000 lakh just a decade ago.

Alarmingly, each year about 200,000 people develop cancer while 150,000 die of the disease in the country.

Rising stats in BangladeshIn the last decade, cancer has been appearing as an important public health problem in Bangladesh. Due to

the lack of a reliable reporting system and under-diagnosis of cancer, the real situation is yet unknown.

Lung and breast cancer are the most prevalent forms of cancers among male and female patients respectively in Bangladesh, with 28.39% male cancer patients fighting lung cancer and 26% female patients battling breast cancer.

As per the Hospital Cancer Registry Report 2011-2013, 46,110 new cases attended the outpatient department of National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH). Among them, 27,281 were confirmed as cancer cases. Out of these 27,281 patients, 56.1 % were male and 43.9% were female.

The top five organs affected in both sexes were: lung (18.1%), breast (11.7%), cervix of uterus (9.3%), oesophagus (4.9%) and stomach (4.1%). In males, the five leading cancers were: lung (28.39%), oesophagus (6.14%), liver (3.98%), larynx (3.01%) and rectum (2.17%). In females, the leading five cancers were: breast (26.0%), cervix of uterus (21.1%), lung (5%), ovary (3.3%) and oesophagus (3.3%).

as World Cancer Day passed by on February 4, we take a look at the current situation in terms of treatment and research on cancer in the country Faisal Mahmud

In patients aged 10 years or more, about 78.4% male patients had been smokers during their lives and 63.9% were current smokers. Among female patients, these rates were 3.5% and 3.3% respectively.

The reasons behind the cancer phenomenonCancer specialist Dr Syed Mohammad Akram Hossain cited some reasons behind the increasing number of cancer patients in Bangladesh. According to him, the main reasons are:

Tobacco Tobacco smoke contains approximately 4000 chemicals, of which at least 438 can cause cancer. Tobacco is the single most important modifiable risk factor (30%) for cancer. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, cigarette production has grown tremendously since 1980, and bidi production has grown even faster.

A World Health Organization (WHO) study showed that 20 million people in Bangladesh use tobacco in some form, including five million women and 57,000 people die every year due to tobacco-related diseases. Smoking prevalence in Bangladesh is 41% among men aged 15 years and over. In women, it was 1.8% among those aged 15 years and over.

Sexual and reproductive factors Sexual and reproductive factors are associated with cancer of the uterine cervix and breast. Sexual behavior factors, like young age at first sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, and poor sexual hygiene, are associated with cancer of the uterine cervix.

The Human Papilloma Virus

(HPV) has now been identified as the etiological agent responsible for cervical cancer. HPV prevalence increases with high-risk sexual behavior and poor sexual hygiene. Late age at marriage, nulliparity, and late menopause have been linked to breast cancer.

Diet Foods which are responsible for cancers of oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, and breast include red meat (cow, goat), sugar, artificial sweetener, tea, fried food, dried fish, preserved foods, food adulteration and soft drinks. Changing dietary patterns will lead to increased contribution of diet in cancer causation in Bangladesh.

The possible remedyDr NM Nuruzzaman, former director of directorate of health said that at least 40% cancers can be prevented if tobacco usage in the country is reduced. “Tobacco is the main culprit that should be targeted for cancer prevention”, he said.

Aside from the curb in tobacco usage, the government should take appropriate steps in controlling food adulteration. “The chemicals that are being mixed in the foods are carcinogenic agents. This poisonous substance slowly infects our organs and cause cancer”, he said.

Citing example, Nuruzzaman said, the number of child cancer patients in the country is on the rise because of food adulteration, with blood cancer affecting the children more than half a total number.

“If we can’t stop this, it will destroy our nation’s future,” he said. n

Anti-cancer drugs sale on the rise With increasing number of cancer patients, the anti-cancer drug market in Bangladesh is growing at 20 percent a year due to an alarming rise in cancer patients.

Locally-produced drugs are meeting 86% of the country’s demand, while the remaining 14 percent is met through imports, according to Intercontinental Marketing Services, an international research firm.

Beacon Pharmaceuticals, a Bangladeshi-owned company, is the market leader with a 31 percent share, followed by Roche Bangladesh, the local arm of the Swiss healthcare company, at 24 percent.

Not enough treatment facilitiesAccording to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), two teletherapy machines and one brachytherapy machine are needed for one million population. According to this estimation, Dhaka city alone needs 20 and the entire country needs around 300 Teletherapy (radiotherapy) machines respectively.

However, in Bangladesh there are 17 radiotherapy centers in public and private sector; only one is situated in a rural area. There are only 15 Linear Accelerators installed in the country with two installed in a rural area. 12 Cobalt- 60 machines and 12 brachytherapy machines are installed in Bangladesh.


16 TOuGH LOvE | dina soBhan

I’m confused about what the first part of your question has to do with the latter. Your friend is clearly not

concerned or affected by your marriage since you’ve managed to maintain your friendship as before. You have to consider the possibility that maybe she’s got something else going on. Perhaps she’s started seeing someone and is not ready to let you in on that aspect of her life. You’ve indicated that she doesn’t seem interested in marriage. Have you considered the possibility of a Sapphic attachment? In this day and age, anything is possible, even in Dhaka. Or you may have to consider the possibility that she’s just not that into you anymore. Maybe the differences between you two have finally taken a toll on the relationship. It happens. Either way, stop sweating it. Take a step back and give her some space. If she’s as close to you as you say, she’ll come around. If not, maybe it’s time to make some new friends.

Why are you with Nice Guy if he annoys you so much? His moniker seems to indicate that his outstanding quality is his niceness, but you seem to value other

things more. He’s not a mind-reader,

so if you’re hungry, tell him. If he doesn’t have money, pay for it. Maybe he is “poor” as you say. If you’re not, then pay your own way. If you are, learn to curb your appetite or satisfy yourself with samosas and tea from your very own kitchen. What I’m trying to say is, if you like the guy, try

and appreciate the qualities he does have instead of putting him down for what he lacks. Frankly, you sound kinda like a mean girl yourself. Maybe you were better of with the callous guy. .A

A Dear Dina, I was in a relationship with a callous guy for four years, during which time I cheated on him with “Nice Guy.” I broke up with the callous guy

and I am kinda rebounding with Nice Guy. However, the problem is that Nice Guy is a sissy. For instance, he never asks me out on dates. He just

expects me to call him over at home. Which I don’t mind, but I do want to be courted. When we do go out to eat, he hesitates to order enough for two, which makes me wonder, is he poor? I have often picked up my half of the bill, secretly feeling sorry for him. When we’re out with friends, he acts like an awkward teenager who doesn’t know how to behave. He lingers in a corner and gives me these

awkward smooches. He makes me feel like an old hag dating a younger guy with no experience whatsoever. His behaviour irritates me. He doesn’t think about things normal guys do, like how to get me home at the end of the night, taking me out to eat or ordering in when I’m hungry. Basically, I want him to man up and be a gentleman. How do I get him to do that?

Q

The cracks in our foundations

I’m married. My best friend is not, by choice, and she’s not one of those resentful faux feminists who decry marriage in public and then secretly pine after

an elusive prince charming. She’s a smart and independent career woman with an amazing life. After I got married, we managed to maintain our friendship as before. I didn’t talk about my family life unless she asked; our conversations revolved around our careers and our mutual hobbies and interests.

Recently, however, I’ve had the feeling that we’re starting to drift apart. She finds excuses to cancel on our meetings, doesn’t have time to talk on the phone. She waves everything away when I ask, and I don’t want to pry. I feel like I’m losing her. What do I do?

Q

got a problem?

Write to Dina at weekend@dhakatribune.

com

Cartoon: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

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


17BOI MELa BEaT

Ekushey Boi Mela: bigger and betterekushey Boi Mela is here again. What could be a better outing for Dhaka-dwellers than a stroll on the grounds of the Bangla academy and Suhrawardy Udyan. This year’s Boi Mela is bigger than ever before. Farhana Urmee

• BanglaAcademyhasarrangedafour-dayinternationalliteraryfestivalontheoccasionofits60thanniversary.Thishasgiventheeventawholenewdimension.

• FourforeignwritersgavespeechesinBanglaattheinauguralceremony.

• Alongwithwritersandpoets,thisyear’sbookfairfeaturesbookswrittenbyvariouscelebritiesfromtheentertainmentindustry.ActorsAbulHayat,BipashaHayat,KusumShikder,TaukirAhmedandAmjadHossain,andsingerFakirAlamgirhavetheirbooksoutthisyear.

• Forthefirsttime,theentirevenuehasWi-Finetworkavailability.

Tasmiah Afrin Mou, the 31-year-old independent film maker, is making her literary debut this year. “Bakshobondi” is the collection of 20 short stories published by Adorsho publication.

Tasmiah has been writing since her graduation from Dhaka University. What started as notes on social media garnered enough “likes” to inspire

her to contribute to newspapers, and eventually resulted in a book. “As Bakshobondi is my first book, I am really excited,” says Tasmiah. The filmmaker-turned-writer Tasmiah remains in the search for stories everywhere and she finds her stories and characters from real life. “My life and my surroundings are my inspiration to write, whenever I come

across a new experience or feeling, I feel like that the very moment should be documented. Often I can do that through films and sometimes by creating pictures through my words,” says Tasmiah about her inspiration and modus operandi.

Bakshobondi is available at the fair for Tk150.

Who’s in?

Hot on the Shelves

In focus

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina also has a book out this year. Sheikh Mujib Amar Pita, published by Agami Prokashoni is based on her experience of Sheikh Mujib as a father. The book is an autobiographical one, with many hitherto untold stories of the Mujib family. The prime minister also has had ten of her other books re-printed this year by the same publications.

Mithya Bolar Odhikar O Onnanya MuhammadZafarIqbal

Bhoy Kingba BhalobashaMuhammadZafarIqbal

Ekhon Tumi Kemon AchhoHarishankarJaladas

Din Kaler KathkhorSelinaHossain

Getuputro KomolaHumayunAhmed

1

2

3

4

5

Fun fair facts


18 STay IN

S u d o k uUse 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

Mini cryptics

aCrOss1 Young lady holds frenchman back from soldier (7)4 I retain movement through inactivity (7) 6 Win with evil rap ensemble (7)7 Party keeps identity discernible (7)

DOwN1 Quick look at sprite through wobbly legs (7)2 French resort has energy of girl (relative) (5)3 Handbill late elf put together (7)5 Find origins of the first marathon (5)

Last

wee

k’s

solu

tion

s

aCrOss1 Spice mixed for fans (7)4 Cardiovascular Bio-care movement (7) 6 Drool as Agnes displays Italian cooking (7)7 We sent back soup first for damp (7)

DOwN1 Superficial performance contains everything (7)2 Sacks of fries ordered (5)3 Uncle confused America with central part (7)5 Instrument the French used under insect (5)

Clues

Solved it? Email answers to [email protected] and win one free month of the Dhaka Tribune.

Hannibal is an Americal psychological thriller that revolves around an FBI profiler Will Graham who

suffers from a hint of Aspergers syndrome. He is also a brilliant profiler who not only empathises with the killers but also visualises every crime scene as if he were the killer himself. Graham also suffers from encephalitis which sometimes makes it difficult for him to focus on his mental recreations. He is often found downing aspirins because of his headaches. Graham is not someone who is close to people, at least not in the first season but finds companionship with dogs. He has a healthy and friendly litter at home whom he rescues from the streets, mostly those who are lost and abandoned.

Graham is first seen as a lecturer and is then convinced into heading an investigation about missing college girls by special agent Jack Crawford. Crawford, concerned about Graham’s mental well-being hires a psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter, specifically to monitor Graham and help him cope with the load of the cases.

It is soon revealed that Lecter is the cannibalistic murderer in the series and is a connoisseur of culinary delight. But Lecter is extremely intelligent as he somehow manages to get people to commit murders for him and then he gets his hand on the organs that he

needs. He is also seen warning the murderers in advance when the police are on their trail but none of them seem to know his real identity.

What’s really interesting and slightly praiseworthy about Lecter is that in the first episode of season one, Lecter even cooks breakfast for Graham a dish of scrambled eggs and sausage and offers it to him and Graham of course being oblivious to the fact what the sausage meat is truly made of even comments that it is “delicious.” This particular scene gives us a hint that Lecter knowingly

feeds Graham his own dirty laundry.The series takes an even more bizarre turn as Abigail Hobbs recovers, the daughter of Garett Hobbs who was the first murderer in the series. She develops a complicated father-daughter relationship with Lecter. All in all the series is full of twists and turns and never fails to amaze you. What’s even more surprising is, the dishes that Lecter creates out of human organs, may even leave you salivating. n

Pragya Rahman

Food for thought


GO OuT 19

WEEKly PlAnnEr

Studio Bubbles & NCD is arranging a common platform for young and talented photographers of Bangladesh, where they will be able to share their creative work with a big audience and brand their photography and get photography orders. Participants will also get certificates. There will also be an award for the “Best Space Decoration & Photo Display.”

For any more information,contact: 01611977802 , 01989456702 or email: [email protected]

Red Shift is organising a tribute to Elton John, Rod Stewart & Billy Joel, with performances by Saad (Piano), Chotu (Vocals), Nafeez (Drums), Fahim (Guitar), and Ashraf (Bass).

There will also be a guest appearances by Armeen Musa and Kaiser Kabir.

Susanne Altmann, an art historian, art critic and curator from Germany, will talk about her recent curatorial practice on gender and feminism issues. Her exhibition “Discovered! Rebellious women from the late GDR” at the Mannheim Kunsthalle in 2011 introduced a hitherto largely unknown tendency of experimental women art in the 1980s in communist Eastern Germany. By investigating how the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 affected artistic production in the countries of Eastern Europe, Susanne Altmann has also conceptualised a series of video art presentations between 2008 and 2014. She will also give an overview about her community-based and public art projects and emphasise on the importance of creative strategies outside of institutions.

Feb 12-14

Photography | Photographer’s Fest - 2015wHeN 11am- 7pmwHere Bangladesh Shilpakola Academy, 14/3 Segunbagicha, Ramna

FeB 10

eDuCatiON | COuNseliNg FOr uNiversity OF essexWhen 02:30 pm Where 1/12 Lalmatia, Block-CWhat Mr Sandeep Sharma from the University of Essex will be speaking at a lecture discussing study options abroad. Those interested are to make appointments through: 880-2-588154807, 88-01199121331, [email protected]

FeB 11

leCture | visit tO PalestiNe aND JerusalemWhen 6:30pmWhere Red Shift Coffee Lounge, Radius Centre, Bays Galleria 5th floor, 57 Gulshan Avenue

What Conducted by Ms Hayat Imam, Board Member, Grassroots International, USA, who visited Palestine in October 2014 as part of a delegation representing Grassroots International, this lecture will be a compelling first-hand account of the intensely-charged situation prevailing in the Occupied Territories, the full story of which is hardly reported in the Western media. This talk represents a rare ground-level look at one of the world’s political and military hot spots. There will be an opportunity to ask questions after the lecture.

FeB 10-12

exPO | First iNterNatiONal elevatOr & esCalatOr exPOWhen 10am-6pmWhere International Convention City, Bashundhara, Joar Sahara, Khilkhet

What The first ever International Elevator & Escalator Expo in Bangladesh will provide a platform showcasing the latest products and technologies and a great opportunity for business interactions and forging partnership. There will be participants from different countries including Germany, Japan and India.

The event will be organised by VIRGO in association with E3 Solutions and supported by REHAB. It will be free for all.

FeB 12-18

eDuCatiON | uK exHiBitiON 2015When 12-6pm Where British Council Bangladesh, British Council, 5 Fuller RoadWhat The 17th Education UK Exhibition is taking place in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. Many

institutions from across the UK are participating and will offer counselling and spot admission to students interested to study in the UK. British Council welcomes everyone to attend and discuss education opportunities in the UK. Those interested are requested to bring photocopies of academic documents.

Please register at: http://bit.ly/RegEduUK2015. An entry fee of Tk50 will be applicable.

Send your events to [email protected]

Feb 07

Music | Singing for the Soul: Reason to BelievewHeN 06:45-09:05pmwHere Red Shift Coffee Lounge, Radius Centre, Bays Galleria 5th floor, 57 Gulshan Avenue

Feb 8

Lecture | ARTIST TALK by Susanne AltmannwHeN 06:00 pmwHere Goethe-Institut, Berlin Hall, House No. 10, Road No. 9 (new), Dhanmondi R/A


Saiyab Amal Ahmed, Director & Chief Executive Office Courtesy

Tell us a little about finanzas. When and why did you decide to start this?Saiyab: The idea of Finanzas came during a Viber conversation with Sadid when he was still based in Manila. I clearly remember, we were both very tired after an exhaustive day at our previous organisations, and Sadid came up with the idea of pooling our professional expertise and educational background to start a consultancy firm that would focus on providing business solutions of an international standard.

What is your USP?Sadid: Finanzas acts as a one-stop service centre for corporations. We strive to provide our clients a holistic solution to cater to their business needs starting from obtaining the license to hiring of employees, setting up the corporate structure and meeting their capital requirement in an efficient and sustainable manner. Our specialisation includes internal control structure, financial management, corporate governance and market research and development.

Why should people pick your services over any other firm’s?Saiyab: We have an extremely rich and diverse pool of consultants – ranging from local industry experts to internationally recognised specialists. Finanzas provides some niche products like Corporate Governance, Bank & Alternate Financing Advisory Services, Gender Empowerment

Services among others.

In Bangladesh, how important is corporate governance for companies in general? What kind of service do you provide to firms who don’t have strong corporate governance?Sadid: Corporate governance broadly refers to the procedures, processes and relations by which corporations are controlled and directed. In recent years, cases like Enron (the energy corporation that went bankrupt in 2001) and its alleged accounting fraud made regulators and investors realise that a more transparent and robust governance structure is essential for the development of an organisation. More so in Bangladesh, as most of the industries are third generation firms, where the board still has many experienced but elderly members who are yet to realise the full potential of a structured and transparent board of members with sustainable succession plan. It is important that the power and the decision-making authority is not centralised to one or few individuals, which would help to ensure that proper checks and balances are in place.

Finanzas helps to design a structure in such a way that the distribution of roles and responsibilities among different stakeholders in the company are well segregated with proper accountability and responsibility. Finanzas conducts institutional due diligence on entity’s senior management, commercial

dealings and legal aspects. We also conduct extensive internal

audit. Internal audit would include: a) Verification of the mathematical accuracy of invoices, b) Review of administrative practices to improve efficiency and achieve management objectives, c) Consideration of the internal control structure, d) Preparation of internal financial reports for management purposes. What other services do you provide and how do you do it differently from others?Saiyab: Apart from Corporate Governance Advisory Services, we mainly focus on Financial Risk & Portfolio Analysis, Internal Audit & Control process, Market Research and Bank & Alternate Financing Advisory Services. We also have strategic partnership with key local players and experts therefore we pool in the best resources from the market. We put utmost importance on client satisfaction by ensuring timely delivery of our services as per commitment and strive to provide tailor-made solution for each client.

What kind of companies do you provide your services to?Saiyab: Any company/entity/organisation can approach Finanzas. As a starter, we conduct a basic diagnostic of the client prior to the acceptance of work in order to assess their needs and our scope of work. So far our clients range from varied sectors, which include a leading local

pharmaceutical company, NBFIs, a local airline, hotel & resorts, NGOs, among others.

What kind of changes do you wish to see for the companies in Bangladesh? How can you help in implementing those changes through Finanzas?Sadid: The service we offer through Finanzas is no magic bullet that will change things overnight in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is going through a transition phase where the world economy is watching its every move as it is considered an active player now. Hence, we want Finanzas to be a part of the change that brings more structured and international practices to the local businesses similar to developed markets like Hong Kong, Singapore in terms of company reporting, transparency, internal control structure and overall governance. Because personally we believe, it is only a matter of time call before companies here in Bangladesh will start evaluating the essence of developing a more robust internal control structure to prevent fraud, lapses which are in-built in the system of many family-run businesses in this country. We want to be a part of that team, which would start pioneering these changes in Bangladesh. n

For further information, please send your queries and concerns to [email protected]

Zooming to the topYoung entrepreneurs, Saiyab amal ahmed and Sadid reza Chowdhury talk about their labour of love, Finanzas, a consultancy firm specialising in financial consultancy among other servicesNatasha Rahman

20 BuSINESS | finanzas

Sadid Reza Chowdhury, Managing Director Courtesy


Documents

Weekend Tribune Vol 2 Issue 38