Weekend Tribune Vol 1 Issue 12

Decently indecent 4

Marine Shipyard 13

FRIDAY JULY 5 2013

vol 1 Issu e 12

In search of Nessie 26

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CONTENTS

A Weekly Pro ducti o n o f

8 post riposte Ramadan business hours

DhakaTribune Vo lume 1, Issu e 1 2 J ULY 5, 2 0 13 Editor Zafar Sobhan Magazine Editor Faruq Hasan Weekend Tribune Team Fahim Razzaq Sumaiya Shams Faisal Mahmud Tamoha Binte Siddiqui Sheikh Mohammed Irfan Yusuf Banna Fuad M Hossain

2 THIS WEEK 4 Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Decently indecent?

5 Big Mouth Strikes Again Friends and frenemies

Art Director/Photography Syed Latif Hossain

9 Top 10 Iftar items

Cartoonist Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

12 6 of connotations Nigerian youth and social media

Contributors Naheed Kamal Adeyanju Pinheiro Zubier Abd Veejay Sai Bassema Karaki Dina Sobhan Nile A Rahman Muneeba Fakhrul Sama E Deen Navila Kabir Design Mohammed Mahbub Alam Production Masum Billah Advertising Shahidan Khurshed Circulation Wahid Murad Email: weekend@dhakatribune.com Web: www.dhakatribune.com Cover Photo A worker at the Western Marine Shipyard. For more go to our Photo Story section by Din Muhammad Shibly.

10 feature Crafts Fair 2013

6 editor’s pick A walk to remember

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13 Photo story Marine Shipyard

22 Tough love

17 Culture vulture World Cultural Convention 18 Thought Plot Youth Works Bangladesh

24 Day in the life of An advocate 25 The Way Dhaka Was Tara Masjid

20 What’s the Problem Home bound, or home away?

26 Travelogue In search of Nessie

21 Stranger in a strange land The help

27 Obituary James Gandolfini

23 Backbenchers’ Club

28 Last Word

EDITOR’S NOTE

Towards a sustainable handicraft market

Digital Democracy 4

Dublar char 13

nepali encounters 26

FRIDAY JUNE 28 2013

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here was a time when Bangladeshi handicrafts actually had access to a global market. Nowadays, local artisans can’t even make a profit in the domestic scene. Our Staff Correspondent Yusuf Banna writes how home-grown handicraft makers may have finally turned a corner. With the help of CARE Bangladesh and local nonprofits, artisans from the north-west region are finally allowed a slice of the handicraft market’s pie which till very recently had a very foreign flavour. In addition Tamoha Binte Siddiqui writes about the inspirational life of Nelson Mandela, in our Editors Pick section.

Elsewhere, Faisal Mahmud writes how being blind is no longer a hurdle to check your email on the computer and commemorates the late James Gandolfini, while the DWT team argues about the rationale of having limited business hours during Ramadan. As usual, you have a lot on your plate this weekend, so start reading! n

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THIS WEEK

REUTERS/Stringer

INTERNATIONAL

Brazilian soccer player Kaka, wearing a traditional Chinese costume, kicks a ball during a traditional Chinese ball game called Cuju after the opening ceremony of the China-Brazil soccer carnival in Beijing July 2, on the second day of his trip to China.

Residents walk past as armed paramilitary policemen patrol along a street in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region June 30, 2013. The deadliest unrest in years in China’s western region of Xinjiang was carried out by a gang engaged in “religious extremist activities,” state media reported, saying the group had been busy buying weapons and raising money.

Picture taken June 30.

AP/Khalil Hamra

REUTERS/Stringer

Egyptian protesters ransack the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in the Muqatam district in Cairo, Monday, July 1. Protesters stormed and ransacked the headquarters of President Mohammed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood group early Monday, in an attack that could spark more violence as demonstrators gear up for a second day of mass rallies aimed at forcing the Islamist leader from power.

A door covered with graffiti is seen at Former National Security Agency (NSA) listening station at the Teufelsberg hill (German for Devil’s Mountain) in Berlin, June 30. The United States taps half a billion phone calls, emails and text messages in Germany in a typical month and has classed its biggest European ally as a target similar to China, according to secret U.S. documents, quoted a German newsmagazine. The revelations of alleged U.S. surveillance programmes based on documents taken by fugitive and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden have raised a political furore in the United States and abroad over the balance between privacy rights and national security.

REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski

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A couple exchanged wedding vows at City Hall in San Francisco, on June 29. Dozens of gay couples lined up outside the City Hall as clerks resumed issuing same-sex marriage licenses one day after a federal appeals court cleared the way for the state of California to immediately lift a 4-year freeze on same sex marriages.

AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez

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NATIONAL

Bilal, 25, a young man who lost one leg to Polio, earns a living for his family selling sweets on the streets. The photo was taken on July 1 in the capital’s Gulshan area.

Mita Noor, the 45-year-old actress alledgedly committed suicide. Her corpse was found at her Gulshan residence in the capital early Monday, June 1

Courtesy

Discarded polythene bags of toxic industrial chemicals are washed, for recycling and reuse, in the river Buriganga adding to the pollution level of the river. The photo was taken at Kamrangir Char on 25 June.

Activits of Islami Chhatra Shibir attack a private car with bricks on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the hartal enforced by the organisation for Wednesday, June 3

Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

Dhaka Tribune

Bangladesh hockey team’s new coach Naveed Alam (C) conducts his first training session at the Maulana Bhashani Hockey Stadium on July 2.

Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

Mumit M./Dhaka Tribune

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whose line is it anyway?

Decently indecent The word chudurbudur is a legitimate word and not unparliamentry.

No more chudurbudur when it comes to arranging the caretaker government.

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Speaker of Parliament

Rehana Akhter Ranu, BNP

The last time I used that word, I got sent to the principal’s oďŹƒce.

Aam Jonota

Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

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Big Mouth strikes again

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Naheed Kamal

Friends and frenemies If a man’s best friend is a dog, is a woman’s best friend a bitch?

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riendship involves a degree of give-and-take, a great deal of sharing and trusting, and oddly enough, research indicates women are better at building close friendships.

Compared to men, women are better communicators, have better social skills and can read nuanced reactions, behaviour and body language in others, better than men. This ability was evident, even in newborns as young as a few hours old. Studies found baby girls keep eye contact longer, while baby boys lose interest, preferring moving shapes instead …

and life-sustaining, yet when these friendships end, they are so vicious they leave long lasting scars. More than 60% said past relationships with girlfriends caused them to be anxious, cautious or wary of other women, and nearly 85% said they had suffered terribly because of their relationships with other women.

The evidence vindicated Valen’s point; the impact of women’s negative attitude towards each other had not been studied until then, and all the undermining and bitching by women about other women, considered as

Perversely, women tend to compete over who is worse off. I lose count of the number of times I heard female friends complain about how bad their lives are (which evidently aren’t) and then heard another friend claim she has it worse (she clearly has a great life too). They insist on arguing over who has the fattest thighs, most horrid husband/boyfriend and dullest life There is compelling evidence that friendships are rewarding and linked to happiness. Non-romantic relationships of any kind improve mental and physical health; people with friends are less likely to catch colds and recover faster from illnesses.

Most women have at least one (I hope) girlfriend they trust and rely on.

As we grow older, we develop different friendships, comprising our partner’s friends and work mates instead of having just one “best friend”, we have a few. Perhaps by the time we hit 30, we develop a distinct personality and outgrow the need to identify with someone exclusively, which is the case for younger women.

While female friendships bring many benefits to our lives, they are also marked by some very negative traits, verging on the destructive.

Just like we have at least one special friend, we can also name at least one (and I hope there is just the one), usually a girl who, with hindsight, we can say was pure poison. It seems the flip side of intense female bonding is encapsulated in that awful word “frenemy,” – the friend who is an enemy, or the enemy pretending to be a friend.

Before you start berating me for dissing sisterhood, let’s get one thing straight: you know I speak the truth.

Kelly Valen surveyed over a thousand women on female friendships to write: “The Twisted Sisterhood: Unravelling the Dark Legacy of Female Friendships.” Most women said friendships are sacred, essential, authentic

harmless clearly has darker repercussions. Such thoughts influence Serena Williams comments on the Steubenville rape case, allows Liz Jones to call Rihanna a toxic role model, and enables self-loathing, body shaming, slut shaming and rape culture, among other ills, to exist in society.

Perpetuated by the mainstream media, who dress up women’s issues with “cute, inflammatory mean girl, catfight and frenemy headlines that pit women against one another and perpetuate the very problem we’re trying to abate,” Valens examined all that is good, bad and ugly about women undermining other women. But that doesn’t mean all women are complete psychopaths, although some definitely are, so it’s good to know how to identify the crazies from the besties, and then run like hell. Change your number, name and move continents if you can.

I’d like to believe no one is inherently bad and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps that toxic bitch was going through a bad phase, having a wobble if you will, but facts are facts: some people are pure evil. Mike Albo and Virginia Heffernan’s book “The Underminer: Or the Best Friend Who Casually Destroys Your Life” was a sensation when it was published, but it removed the blinkers worn so willingly by so many, and also showed how the “underminer” and “undermined” easily change their roles.

We need genuine and supportive friends in our lives – girlfriends, espe-

cially. Even men turn to women when desperate, which shows the value added by women to any relationship. But given the nasty sniping, bullying and insidious behaviour so many women excel at (let’s not forget the effect of the “harmless comments” on someone like Amy Winehouse, for instance), no one can blame us for wanting to run out and find testosterone balance when things go out of kilter!

Some may say “Sex and the City” is the epitome of female friendships, I don’t think it is, but then I only ever managed to watch one and half episodes, so my comments may not count.

But I think it was not the sex, the city or the shoes that captivated women; it was the supportive, nonjudgemental and noncompetitive bonds. In other words, strong and meaningful female friendships.

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he flip side of such friendships was best encapsulated, in my opinion, by ex-besties Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. I only ever saw two episodes of that show, enough to convince me the friendship hinged on Ritchie’s weight.

As long as she was the fat girl and Hilton the lovely waif, it was cool. As soon as Nicole lost weight, Paris hated her. Hilton and Ritchie were the nightmare female friendship, with competition, secrets, lies, weight issues and reality TV to make it a train wreck.

Yet, in every instance of female bonding, there seems to be an unspoken rivalry. Perhaps there is also an element of identification and attraction that develops into hostilities, eventually.

If there is a lesbian subtext to relationships between women, it is an element worth exploring, because women (regardless of sexual orientation) respond to the bisexual, not always consciously. Most women probably first experienced emotional treachery at the hands of a girl as a young girl.

The devastating effect of being “cut off” from a clique for no rhyme or reason can be as painful as the end of an intense love affair.

In the film “Black Swan,” we see the dark side of female rivalry. The cut-throat competition between the two ballerinas is familiar: expressed indirectly, though felt intensely and aggressively. The women are polite, almost restrained, just like women are taught to behave in real life. Only two other films had similar story lines – the 1939 classic “The Women” and “Single White Female” from 1992.

pant (SATC), competitive and spiteful (Mean Girls/Gossip Girl), idealised and narrow (Steel Magnolias) and worse yet, ridiculed and ludicrous (Bridesmaids).

Naomi Wolf thinks: “Adult women’s rivalries can have tremendous power,” which brings me to a fascinating book

by Leora Tanenbaum. In “Catfight: Rivalries among Women – from Diets to Dating, from the Boardroom to the Delivery Room” she says modern lifestyles and pressures are to blame for the way women treat each other. In a woman-hating world, women are “groomed” to think of each other as adversaries instead of allies. Tanenbaum delves deep into why women are aggressively competitive towards each other, and concludes no matter what a woman chooses to do, it will probably go against some deeply ingrained idea of right and wrong. But competition comes from feelings of inadequacy; and for women it stems from contradictions and restrictions.

Competition is not natural, according to educator and author Alfie Kohn.

It has nothing to do with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, and “survival of the fittest”, which implies we must fight to survive. When in fact, to survive we must work together, not against each other. No one is born competitive, and Kohn cites examples of children en-

Naheed Kamal is an irreverent and irreligious feminist.

An old soul of indeterminate age, with one too many opinions and a very loud voice (for a little person), she laughs a lot, mostly at herself.

She lives in Dhaka, against her best judgement. Mostly, Ms Kamal rants, a lot!

Sorry guys, but there is no denying the plus points of positive female connections, with many studies confirming strong female friendships bring a plethora of health and mental benefits, which do not necessarily extend to, say, male-female friendships or bonds between men couraged by parents and teachers to compete; similarly, women “learn” to see other women as sexual competition, which can be un-learned.

It is time women considered looking at the dark side of female friendships to become mature, secure and aware of the dynamics behind our perceived rivalries, because as long as we ignore them, they will hold us captive.

Only by treating them as fallacies can we set ourselves free. n

The media’s narratives of female friendships are: sentimental and flip-

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EDITOR’S PICK Nelson Mandela

A walk to remember

Tamoha Binte Siddiqui commemorates one of the most inspirational figures of our age

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Tamoha Binte Siddiqui is staff correspondent for Weekend Tribune, because weekends are the highlights of her life. True story!

A picture of young Nelson Mandela taken in 1937

Wikimedia Commons

No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion.

People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite

pril 23, 1964: Mandela, along with seven other members of the National High Command of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC), is placed behind a specially constructed dock in a segregated courtroom in the South African capital, Pretoria. The group is charged with a number of serious crimes by the apartheid government, including sabotage, ordering munitions, recruiting young men and conspiring to obtain foreign funds for guerrilla warfare. The death penalty is looming in the dark corners of the courtroom.

Mandela steps up to give a statement from the dock, giving up his right to be cross-examined. He knows that his testimony will be given little weight. But he sees the trial as a rare opportunity to explain to the nation why he felt compelled to undertake a campaign of sabotage against the South African government. Mandela opts to give a statement, knowing this move may well result in him being awarded a death sentence.

“I am the first accused,” Mandela says, and tells the story of his life and the reasons behind him joining the struggle for racial equality. “During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live

together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die,” Mandela finishes his speech in the pin-drop silence of the room.

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emocracy, freedom and equality— these are concepts we all value.

But Mandela is one of the few people in history who was prepared to die for them. Fortunately, it never came to that, as the judge decided against the death penalty. What Mandela had to give up instead was his freedom. Mandela served 27 long years in prison for his lifelong fight to end racial discrimination and attain equal rights for the people of his country.

In fact, not all of the years Mandela served behind bars were forced, but can be termed as being voluntary. He was three times given the option by his jailers to earn his freedom in exchange of some terms and conditions. He rejected them all three times. Even when he began his talks with the government towards the end of his imprisonment, he did not compromise to earn his freedom quickly, but rather stood his ground until the government met his demands. Moreover, Mandela stuck to his promise and gave up his position as the President of South Africa when his term ended in 1999 as he put the progress of his country and its transition over his own personal interests.

More on Mandela Due to the death of his son Makgatho Mandela in 2005 from AIDS, one of Mandela’s primary concerns was the fight against AIDS. He backed the 46664 Aids fundraising campaign, named after his prison number, and called for more openness in discussing the condition

Nelson Mandela

AFP/Gerard Julien Nelson Mandela, President of South African National Congress (C) and South African President Frederik de Klerk (R) display their Nobel Prizes after being awarded jointly for their work to end apartheid peacefully.

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In 2007, he formed a nongovernmental organisation called the Elders and brought together elder statesmen, peace activists and human rights advocates, including Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland and Li Zhaoxing. They aimed to combine their collective wisdom to solve some of the world’s toughest problems

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Inspirational Mandela

Due to his integrity, negotiation skills, and persistence, Mandela is seen as a role model in the business world.

According to a global survey on 1,330 chief executive officers in 68 countries, Mandela ranks in one of the top positions in a list of admired leaders amongst Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs and Mahatma Gandhi

AFP/Stephane De Sakutin

AFP/Franck Fife

Mandela is a source of inspiration for many music artistes. The most popular song written on him is ‘Free Nelson Mandela’ by The Special AKA, a song sung by 72,000 people at the Free Mandela Concert in London in 1988

Highlights of his life

South African former President Nelson Mandela holds the World Cup, 15 May 2004 at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. Following, Mandela also played a key role in the decision to let South Africa host the 2010 World Cup.

President Obama, who hailed Mandela as a “personal hero”, said that Mandela stands for values such as putting the well-being of a country before the interest of any one person.

He further stated: “Mandela shows what was possible when a priority is placed on human dignity, respect for law, that all people are treated equally.”

The African revolutionary leader

also remains an inspiration for civil rights activists worldwide. The UN declared Mandela’s birthday July 18, as Mandela Day in 2009. According to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, the annual event is meant to encourage citizens worldwide to take inspiration from and adopt the ideals with which Mandela led his life.

A statement on the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory’s website reads:

Art work by pre-school children wishing former South African President Nelson Mandela (on poster) well, are displayed at the entrance of the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital on June 24, 2013 in Pretoria, where Mandela is staying.

“Mr. Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community.”

Mandela was unique as a politician.

Where other politicians seek power by highlighting differences, Mandela gained power by appealing to people’s common humanity. Instead of harbouring vengeful impulses against his enemies for his long imprisonment, Mandela reached out to them to ensure his country’s transition from tyranny to democracy. In fact, the ever optimistic Mandela saw the positives in even being held captive; according to him, his long imprisonment gave him the time to cool his anger and gain a more objective perspective that helped him towards earning his people’s freedom.

In his autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom”, Mandela wrote: “I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” As the former President and Nobel Peace Prize winner battles death in a hospital in Pretoria, the world holds its breath, hoping his long walk is not over yet.

May he get to climb many more hills ahead. n

July 18, 1918 Rolihlahla Mandela is born 1943 Becomes a member of the African National Congress (ANC) 1960 The ANC is banned and Mandela goes underground 1964 Nelson is tried for treason and sabotage and is sentenced to life imprisonment 1980 Oliver Tambo launches an international campaign to have Mandela released 1990 Nelson Mandela is freed from prison after 27 years 1990 The ban on the ANC is lifted by President de Klerk, and talks on forming a multiracial democracy begin 1993 Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1994 Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as the first black President of South Africa 1999 Mandela relinquishes the Presidency of South Africa to Thabo Mbeki 2004 At 85 Mandela announces retirement from official life

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POST-RIPOSTE

Ramadan Business Hours

Do we need an exception?

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mployers should bear in mind that fasting makes the day seem longer. Since most employees will be fasting during Ramadan, they might as well start a little late. This, in retrospect, makes the day seem shorter till iftar, allowing them to be rested enough to perform at optimum levels. Besides, in a tropical country like

Bangladesh, travelling in the humidity through endless traffic jams and then working while fasting only hinders one’s performance, if anything else.

It is a well known fact that businesses tend to slow down during Ramadan for countries where Islam is the major religion. As a result, most businesses in Muslim countries, like

Qatar and UAE, have a Ramadan labour policy in place. In order to compensate for the limited or reduced working hours, businesses are advised to plan ahead. Showing those observing the fast some consideration also helps improve the employer-employee relationship. n

Definitely!

day during Ramadan. It wouldn’t have been a problem had the whole world decided to take a break during Ramadan as well, but guess what, life goes on, international payments have to be made, orders have to be received, goods (including iftar food!) have to be imported and sold. In a rapidly globalised world, it just doesn’t make sense to have limited office hours for a

whole month. So chin up Bangladesh, Ramadan is supposed to be a month of sacrifice. Let’s fast, pray, have iftar with loved ones, and work at the same time.n

Fuad M Hossain

Morshed Mishu

It’s not necessary

Faruq Hasan

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amadan is supposed to be a holy month, but it might as well be declared “I hate work” month. In the name of fasting, people take their feet off the gas, and things just don’t get done. The irony, of course, is that the spirit of fasting is all about leading an everyday life and fasting at the same time. But, apparently, work doesn’t fall under the purview of an average

TOP 10

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Iftar Items

Fasting and feasting

A year raced by us in a blur and the countdown is nearly at its end. As the holy month draws closer, Muneeba Fakhrul and Sama E Deen present a list of the 10 most sought after iftar items, based on a popularity vote

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Pakora

9

Chhola

8

Piaju

7

6

Beguni

5

Aloo Chop

4

Kebab ‘n’ Naan

3

2

Doi Bora

Deep fried balls of spinach dipped in besan (chick pea flour) and other spices, pakoras are found in many food outlets.

Sliced eggplant fried after being dipped in a besan batter, is a must-have at any iftar spread.

Spicy, savoury and cheap, chhola is one of the main attractions of Ramadan and it is often devoured with mouthfuls of crunchy muri(rice puffs).

Fried balls of mashed potatoes mixed with herbs and spices dipped in a batter of besan, aloo chops are an all time favourite.

Doi boras are spongy lentil dumplings dunked in spicy savory yogurt, and topped with a myriad of spices.

Crispy fried lentil fritters, which are devoured within seconds when served, are ubiquitous during Ramadan.

Kebabs coupled with the much loved, fluffy naan, is a popular option for iftar .

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Biryani

Biryani, with its aromatic fragrance, teases our nostrils and makes us crave for more.

Jilapi

This scrumptious, zigzagged deep-fried sweet is a hot favourite on the iftar menu. These beautiful, knotted golden rings fly off the shelves when on sale in sweet shops.

Haleem

Every iftar seems incomplete without this phenomenal cuisine.

Haleem, a must have iftar item, has its demand at peak throughout Ramadan. Because of its lip smacking taste, Haleem is highly sought after during the month of Ramadan. It is readily available at most shops with its price ranging from 80 taka per plate to 360 taka per kg.

Photos: Wikimediacommons

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Yusuf Banna is a staff writer at Weekend Tribune. He would be happier if he could be a poet. He also dreams of being a painter and is envious of those who can paint

FEATURE

Crafts Fair 2013

A CARE initiative

Yusuf Banna writes about the fair hosted by CARE Bangladesh and JITA Baskets, penholders, file holders, fans made from materials such as bamboos as well as straw and palm leaves exhibited in the stalls.

Photos: Courtesy

C “I lost face in the society for being a divorced woman.

Now everyone is interested in my work and many women aspire to follow in my stride,” says Aparajita Banu, a CARE beneficiary

ARE Bangladesh and Jita Bangladesh recently hosted a crafts fair during which the products manufactured by individuals and micro, small medium enterprises (MSME) trained supported by CARE projects were exhibited. The CARE Crafts Fair 2013 demonstrated CARE’s

successes in promoting sustainable rural sourcing, MSME access to mainstream value chains and workforce empowerment and created a scope for new enterprises to come forward and join or replicate such initiatives.

CARE is one of the world’s

An artisan from NCVI sewing intricate designs on a scarf in Rangpur, for the Social Economic Transformation of the Ultra Poor (SETU) project.

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largest international humanitarian organisations, with presence in Bangladesh for over six decades through a wide range of initiatives and programmes . Its mission is to improve the quality of life of poor, marginalized and vulnerable urban and rural households and empower women in poor communities by building capacity, creating opportunities and engaging them sustainably in productive work, mostly through effective partnerships with the private sector. The organisation supports its dynamic initiatives with elaborate market research to identify opportunities for the poor.

It has supported establishments of numerous MSMEs that aim to work for social benefits. Jita Bangladesh itself has evolved from a project of CARE to an organization that seeks to empower rural women and create access of remote populations to essential personal products through partnerships with the private sector.

CARE works with the poor and ultra poor, focusing on issues like food security, health and nutrition, women empowerment and engaging the impact groups with the private

11 An eclectic mix of handicrafts made from coconut shells and other natural materials displayed at the fair.

CARE’s core programmes

Food security and access Health, hygiene and nutrition – with nutritious foods for mother and child Disaster risk management Women Empowerment Private Sector Engagement

sector for sustainable livelihoods. It implements activities that harness the poor and undernourished in the community to work towards socioeconomic development and social change in a sustainable manner. Many of the initiatives exhibited at the Craft Fair involved training these people to use waste materials of garments in a productive way – this enhances poor populations’ capacities for work as well as promoting environment and socially responsible and sustainable business practices.

Among the products displayed in the fair, there were shaggy carpets made of recycled materials, bamboo products, hand -fans and plastic ribbon bags from Mymensingh. With some of these products exported to Germany, the beneficiaries of this programme are now able to make an income of almost Tk 8,000 per month.

Jatrik Craft from Tangail brought lampshades, animal models, key chains made of coconut shells, shatranji mats, table mats, rugs and carpets, all of which were handmade.

Women from Sirajganj brought hand fans, dala, hosa and chaluny (kitchen utensils) made from bamboo and cane. Apart from these, there were camouflage hats and nets exclusively made for the Bangladesh Army.

Crafts from Rangpur included handbags, runners for dining tables and different kinds of mats, all of

Interested buyers surveying handmade items presented at the fair.

which were noteworthy products on display at the fair.

Living Blue is another brand of CARE’s Nijera initiative, which stands for high quality, handmade clothing and quilts dyed with natural indigo – the true blue of Bengal, an environment friendly alternative to cheaper, synthetic dyes that harm the environment. These products are made by poor, rural artisans of northwest Bangladesh and are mostly supplied to high-end fashion brands, craft fairs and environment boutiques in Europe, Canada, Australia, Turkey

and India. Quilts designed with the motif of Lohari kantha(a traditional style of embroidery) are worth Tk 58,000, and shawls and stoles dyed in the Japanese shibori (tie-dye) technique with indigo are in high demand abroad.

Sea Gold, a brand name for sun-dried fish, which are free from preservatives, is another enterprise supported by a CARE project.

The Shonar Bangla Tat of SB handicrafts, BHS Crafts and Ashar Alo Tati Dal are beneficiaries of CARE projects that produce jute based products both for ornamental and practical use as a means of creating access to livelihoods.

During the course of the fair, several prospective buyers were seen viewing the products. Certain intimate contacts with a few producers were notable. Aparajita Banu, who has undergone vocational training of CARE said: “I have built my own house, sent my children to school and earned respect.” Fatema, who emulated Aparajita, said: “My husband died leaving me with two young children and no money to survive. But I survived because I became like Aparijita.”

CARE’s work on workforce empowerment and MSME development has provided a platform for marginalized, rural artisans to make a living out of their own skills, democratically manage their own businesses, as well as have total control over their profits. CARE’s role in promoting women empowerment in Bangladesh is commendable. .

By working on capacity building and creating market access for marginalized women, CARE has contributed to improving gender equity in the country. n

CARE in brief CARE started working in Bangladesh from 1949 Jita, a social business of CARE, is working extensively to employ the women of Bangladesh

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12 As a Nigerian journalist, Adeyanju Pinheiro consistently gives a critical eye to activities and events around her.

When not working, she is an outspoken and lively person who enjoys travelling, meeting people and playing Scrabble

6o of connotations

Adeyanju Pinheiro

Nigerian youth and social media

It’s the new platform to voice your opinion in a troubled country

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ocial media has been greeted with mixed feelings in the Nigerian society. There have been calls to establish a working framework to regulate its usage. Then again, there are many who believe it is an extension of free speech that’s every individual’s right. At the centre of these two opposing ideas are people who neither have access, nor the capacity, to fully appreciate the essence of social media tools. There have been a plethora of arguments on the assumed benefits of using social media. Typically, in every argument, there are people that will insist on the merits of the subject, those that will quickly call attention to the demerits and most certainly those that would not care about the subject, its merits or its demerits.

Everywhere on the street of Lagos, looking around me, I see numerous young people clinging passionately to their communication gadgets, some laughing and others donning a serious look on their faces. They all have something in common: they are all youths and they are building strong, long-lasting relationships that transcend all bias, be it religious, political, or ethnicity-based.

There is a fundamental need to communicate, and the bulk of this communication takes place through various social media platforms. It is apparent that this is the most effective method for getting the word out and stimulating interest about important topics From Facebook and BBM, to Twitter and Skype, and all other social media platforms, the young generation are engaging in creating a network of people who think alike. Facebook and Twitter have become invaluable tools for keeping in touch with friends and family. Indeed, social media is opening up the social space of Nigeria in new ways. It is now the new equaliser breaking the information monopoly that was once enjoyed by the state and a few media houses. In the process,

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, J U LY 5, 2013

it is unleashing hidden journalistic talents as we witness mushrooming of bloggers, social commentators and critics. The latter are part of a new generation of social activists who have now appropriated this new technology and use it to share ideas, criticise and vent their frustrations.

Elatedly, citizen power is now growing. Those who didn’t have a platform to speak before now do. This is now possible once you sign up to an account on, say, Twitter or Facebook. An exciting, brave world of information democracy is thus upon us, as social media has become a veritable tool with vast potential for raising awareness, sensitisation and social mobilisation.

Information democracy and a widening of the political space through social media are real, though participation still reflects some harsh class realities.

Since effective participation in and the enjoyment of this new “freedom” depend on the internet, its expansion is still confined by the social classes, favouring people with certain income quintiles residing in certain locations.

Internet access in Nigeria is still not fully “democratic” or “equitable” as there are clear geographic inequities in its distribution. Social media is giving platforms to the educated, urban population in their clamour for greater political say and space. The voice of the rural, poor still remains under-represented in this situation.

The question of to what degree social media can ultimately influence public opinion and motivate more people to get involved in responding to global change seem to have started getting answered.

Youths in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya positively engaged themselves to liberate their country from the shackles of bad leadership and ensure a brighter future for the coming generations. In a similar vein, Nigerian youths, earlier last year, also emulated their Northern African counterparts by opposing various obnoxious government policies.

Like most things, this new freedom can also be abused and indeed is beginning to be seen as the intoxicating fresh wine. Restraints and respect are vanishing. In this brave new world of

information democracy, liberty is now confused with license and capacity to insult with intelligence; people confuse the capacity and propensity to defame and slander for courage.

Currently, there are 5,357,500 Facebook users in Nigeria, 35th according to Facebook’s ranking by country. The largest age group is currently 18-24, with a total of 1,930,460 users, followed by the users in the age group of 25-34.There are 69% male users and 31% female users in Nigeria Perhaps unguarded youthful exuberance has taken over the airspace; unclad, offensive, sexually appealing and sexually abusive pictures are the new strategies inhibiting the youths from the productive use of social media. They crave for cheap fame and tend to step over the line by introducing this technique to attract and expand their network base. How this translates to success beats my imagination. Proponents of this trend argue vigorously that the social media network is strictly for matured minds only, thus the age limit requirement imposed on all prospective clients while registering, but as we all know, one can falsify one’s age in order to register on these social network sites.

On the other hand, various youths have debated extensively on this worrying trend, arguing that it is sheer abuse of social media, infringement on the rights of other intending users by intentionally posting such pictures on general sites and a violation of the tenets of religious doctrine. Operators of these social media sites have been putting punitive measures in place to discourage the sharing of explicit pictures. However, a recent survey shows that a majority of the young Nigerians want sterner measures to checkmate such users who indulge in this practice. n

PHOTO STORY

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Marine shipyard

Marine Shipyard A photo story by

In recent times, achievements of a number of industries in individual sectors have been imperative in portraying a positive picture of Bangladesh. The ship building industry is one of them.

The shipbuilding industry is not only a source for foreign currency earning, but also a source for employment of skilled & semi skilled labour. The country, which had for long been criticized for being a manipulative ship

Din M Shibley

breaker, has now finally emerged as the builder, of both ships and hopes. The credit goes to a few shipbuilders who, by dint of their farsightedness and bravado, have showed the world that they can also flex their muscle in hitech industries. Western Marine Shipyard is one of them.

On November 26, 2010 Western Marine created history in the shipbuilding industry of Bangladesh by delivering two

5,200 DWT multi-purpose vessels to their German owner, Grona Shipping. These ships, each 100m long, are the largest sister vessels ever made In Bangladesh. They delivered four more vessels of the same series to Grona Shipping last year as well. These vessels have sailed to Germany, thus demonstrating, to the whole world that Bangladesh has entered the world of heavy and hi-tech construction of ships. n W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, J U LY 5, 20 1 3

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PHOTO STORY marine shipyard

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PHOTO STORY marine shipyard

Din Muhammad Shibly is a freelance photographer based in Dhaka with a special interest in documentary photography. He has worked for Daily Prothom Alo, ICE Today, and The New Bangladesh Business. He is currently working as a visiting lecturer at Dhaka University. Through his photography, he wants to depict social dilemma and societal conflict to enable civic discourse

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, J U LY 5, 2013

CULTURE VULTURE

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World Cultural Convention

Sultry South Asia

Veejay Sai is a well-known, award-winning writer, editor and culture critic from India. He may be contacted on vs.veejaysai@gmail. com

Veejay Sai writes about Indo-Bangla arts and music culture

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or the last thirty six years, a one man army, literally, has been brushing every nook and corner of India’s populace making them aware of the country’s rich artistic heritage and tradition. One can’t slot this act in the narrow brackets of philanthropy or soft-handed benevolence. With thinkers like Dr Kiran Seth constantly pumping in the much-needed catalyst, the world of Indian and South Asian arts has much to thank for its lucky starts. What more, at the first international convention of the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst

nook and corner of India via schools and colleges. With over 300 chapters covering 350 cities in India and abroad, thousands of volunteers working selflessly for the cause, this movement is no less than a Cultural Convention.

The convention hosted highly enthusiastic representatives from Pakistan to Poland, high on arts for a week. Thousands of students camped with some of the biggest stalwarts from the world of performing and visual arts and returned completely rejuvenated to take on this movement further. The movement’s ‘Vision 2020’, under the leadership of Vikas Nagrare

Foundation that has done groundbreaking work in promoting classical music, arts and handicrafts in Dhaka, was there through and through, totally smitten by the sheer magnitude of positive energy the movement exuded.

From celebrated Baul music exponents like Vidushi Parvathy Baul to Dhrupad Rudra Veena, stalwarts like Ustad Bahauddin Dagar, sitar maestros like Ustad Shahid Parvez to Kathak exponents Pt Birju Maharaj, ace painters like Anjali Ela Menon to Jogen Chowdhary, Raas Sankirtan from Manipur to folk singers of Chhattisgarh, a big host of experts and

among the younger generation, a lot would have been lost to the black hole of distractions such as the internet and television, which is doing more harm than good at present times.

“We need to leave behind for the future generations the legacy of our rich cultural heritage that we inherited from our seniors”, said Seth in one of his talks. It is this intense sense of responsibility and ownership that drives the movement ahead.

All humanity is one family and this notion couldn’t have been asserted or embodied any better, thanks to SM. n Veejay Sai

Ustad Bahauddin Mohiuddin Dagar in a Rudra Veena performance

Youth, more popular as SPIC MACAY (SM), delegates from across the world thronged to the prestigious Indian Institute of Management Campus in Kolkata.

What began as a voluntary nonprofit venture in 1977, gradually turned into the world’s only cultural movement to propagate arts. With an agenda to promote the rich heterogeneous cultural tapestry among youngsters, SM spread out in branches and chapters reaching every

is aimed at covering a staggering 1.7m educational institutions in every part of the country by 2020. Many other nations are comfortably replicating the pattern, silently benefitting the arts in this process. Art and culture can never be constricted by the imaginary geographical or political boundaries drawn by a selfish few. A sign of this was the presence and support of some of the head honchos from across the world of arts that graced the occasion.

Abul Khair, the chairman of the Bengal

maestros from various fields took time to patiently sit with the students and initiate them into the richness of arts.

The week-long retreat was enough to keep them refreshed and charge their psychological batteries for the rest of the year.

What one needs to see is how within the span of just one week, countless bridges were built and new relationships blossomed under one umbrella. If not for Kiran Seth’s missionary zeal to create awareness

Arts rule where politics and religion fail and SPIC MACAY is a monumental example of that. Three cheers to Kiran Seth, SPIC MACAY and its loyal army of cultural ambassadors that is set to prove that another world is possible

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THOUGHT PLOT

Youth Works Bangladesh

A new generation of eco-warriors

Zubier Abd writes about the contributions of Youth Works Bangladesh

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Photos: Courtesy

ay by day the detritus of our society degrades and our environment becomes unliveable. We sometimes stop and ask ourselves what can be done about it. Among the many youth organisations in this great city, Youth Works Bangladesh is one who hopes to provide a platform for concerned citizens, to let their ideas speak for themselves.

Youth Works is a young organisation, barely a year old and yet in that time has made a large impact on society. It has organised numerous events spanning over the five months of activity since its inception in January. Youth Works Bangladesh is the brainchild of founder Nazmus Saddat and its mission is clear: to focus on the primary environmental and developmental issues which plague our country, and find sustainable methods to help solve them. Last month, its members organised a workshop at Brac University entitled “Exploring Environment of Bangladesh: Towards Effective Actions” and on June 21, they organised an event at the University of Liberal Arts, Dhaka called “Youth Strategy ‘13: Environment.”

The event was a franchise of Youth Works Bangladesh, and ULAB was the first episode’s venue partner; it was launched in association with the Social Welfare Club of ULAB. The motto for the conference was “Development of the environment in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh.”

The conference focused on bringing forth preservation, development and sustainability of the environment through usage of community service and enlightenment of the youth, with regards to taking part in protecting the environment.

The key structural component of Youth Strategy ‘13: Environment was small focused group discussions with the delegates. The delegates hailed from a variety of educational backgrounds, all united in their common drive to help the country and the people. There were delegates who are yet to finish their schooling

A focus group, wherein the speakers talked about these topics: Sustainable crop production through organic farming

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Air pollution due to heavy metals from industries

Rainwater harvesting and surface water usage

Development of disaster management techniques, reduction of salinity problem in the soil and the water system

Minimizing river pollution

Waste management through the 3R method (reduce, reuse and recycle) to limit urban waste

19 and those who are already working 9 to 5 jobs. The process encompassed breaking them down into groups and asking them to discuss probable solutions to a wide variety of topics.

The key speakers at the event were: Dr H M Imamul Huq, professor, Department of Soil, Water & Environment, University of Dhaka; founder director of Bangladesh-Australia Centre for Environmental Research, University of Dhaka and Dr Md Didar-ul-Alam, professor, Department of Soil, Water & Environment; University of Dhaka, who before the discussions commenced provided the delegates with background and a brief overview regarding the pertinent issues of the day.

After a lengthy discussion on varying topics, a brief Q and A session was held, following which the delegates pooled all their resources into making their ideas come to life.

After much discussion and a brief prayer/lunch break, the delegates were asked to present their ideas in the form of a presentation to the judge panel, which consisted of Imran Rahman, vice chancellor, Juditha Olmacher, advisor, communication and student affairs, Pinki Shah, faculty advisor; ULAB SWC, and Helal Hussain, Program Manager, Art & Society from the British Council, Bangladesh.

After the presentations were over, the judges deliberated and

Youth Works are dedicated to utilising the ideas they have gathered, seeing their feasibility and then applying them to solve problems in the real world

Photos taken at the workshop on “Youth Strategy’13:Environment” on June 21, at ULAB.

presented awards to the delegates.

The awards conferred were for Best Speaker, Best Strategic Group and Outstanding Contributor. The winners were Saad Abd’ar Rafie for Best Speaker, Team Y-Zlatan for Best Strategic Group, as well as Mustasin Billah, Nafisa Jayed and Sazed Sibria Shezan jointly for Outstanding Contribution. Subsequent to the prize giving ceremony marking the end of the long day, the delegates were presented with certificates for their contributions and many left with smiles on their faces, having made new friends along the way.

This event, and others like it, bring tidings of hope. Too long people have adopted a cynical and apathetic attitude toward the environment and Bangladesh in general, but hearing some of the ideas from the youth of our country, hearing their impassioned words and ideas, makes one feel that there is still hope left; hope buried in fertile young minds. n

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WHAT’S THE PROBLEM

REAL ESTATE

Home Bound or Home Away?

Part I

Sheikh Muhammed Irfan discusses the problems in housing sector in Bangladesh Sheikh Mohammed Irfan is a pragmatist, bringing spotlight to the persistent problems in Bangladesh

Today, there are over 20,000 ready flats for sale that nobody is buying, as opposed to 10 years back when flats would be sold out before they were even built

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ue to the ever-increasing population of an already overpopulated country, the cost of housing in Bangladesh has soared irrationally in recent times. A twobedroom house will now cost around Tk 15 lakh ($18,000) in areas outside the capital. Within the capital, the price of a similar-sized apartment will start at Tk 30 lakh and go up to Tk 3.5 crore ($430,000) in posh areas like Baridhara or Gulshan. In contrast, the average income of most professionals here is around Tk 20,000 ($243).

Considering this colossal discrepancy between income and cost poses a serious question: Are Bangladeshis receiving the correct value for the money they spend on housing? Or is Bangladesh experiencing an economic bubble in the housing sector? If so, what is to be predicted of the future of real estate? Will Bangladesh suffer the same economic downfall that became of America due to inflation? In order

to find out, one must reflect on how Bangladesh is developing of late.

According to official census, the population of this country has increased by 1.8 crore over the last 10 years. As most of these people were either born in or migrated to the capital in order to make a living, Dhaka became strained with pressure to provide additional housing when it was already over-crowded. Due to the high demand for living space in the capital, the pricing of houses soared uncontrollably while the quality did not improve. No regulations were set by the government to control pricing or development within the city, and so inflation began its vicious cycle throughout the country.

Today, people are paying large sums of money to live in apartments comparable to sardine tins. With extremely low ceilings, tiny bedrooms, even smaller bathrooms, and kitchens almost impossible to work in, such low-

Congested buildings in Dhaka are built without regard for the forbidding future scenario

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standard apartments would not even be considered habitable anywhere else in the world. Buildings are literally inches apart, and walls are so thin that neighbours have to whisper if they don’t want to be overheard. Parking lots are ridiculously designed as if to challenge drivers on how tight a space they can fit their cars in without creating damage. Facilities are poor and lack even basic 24 hours’ provision of electricity and gas. There are no playgrounds or backyards for children, who are basically trapped within these sardine tins until their creativity is completely stifled.

With such low-quality housing, one can say with certainty that Bangladeshis are not getting the proper value for their money. Perhaps this is the reason why no one is buying houses nowadays and the real estate market is under recession.

Although demands for living space continue to increase, people

Navila Kabir

are less willing to buy flats, which they know are of very low standards.

The owners take advantage of this fact by randomly deciding to spike the rent. This, as a result, is causing many Bangladeshi families to suffer the hassle of moving out and finding cheaper flats of even lower quality than their former abodes.

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owever, low standards are not the only reason the real estate market has gone down. People are less willing to commit to a huge financial burden because of decreasing security and the uncertain future of Bangladesh.

People have moved on to alternative solutions, like buying property in foreign countries. In countries like Malaysia and Thailand, people can acquire better housing and secure better futures for themselves for the same or lower cost than they would pay in Bangladesh. In a world of globalisation, markets are compared worldwide and buying property outside of Bangladesh is a win-win situation for Bangladeshis.

Although the economy is suffering on this basis, the housing sector in this country isn’t bothered to undertake any drastic steps to re-evaluate the market. Banks are offering mammoth home loan packages to consumers, but have decreased offering loans to the developers. This has created a major rise in property value as most developers are trying to make their ends meet. Bangladesh is now developing an economic bubble that is bound to burst, it is only a matter of time. This will create a state of havoc in the economy and have disastrous consequences. Regulation bodies are hugely corrupt and are overlooking this major problem the country faces.

There may still be a solution at hand.

If we, as the people, choose to develop an alternative city and demand viable housing with affordable prices, things can be quite different. State resources can be used in a more efficient manner to create better infrastructure for residential houses all over Bangladesh.

Participation in active democracy by the people would result in a stable and more secure country. The roles of the government and people are reciprocal, so both are necessary in order to create the opportunity for optimum housing.

If the two can work together, then Bangladeshis can expect to remain in Bangladesh and live with the same freedom that we aspired to during the birth of this very nation. n

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STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND Maids in Bangladesh

The help

Bassema Karaki describes the ridiculous senselessness of Bangladeshi housekeepers

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efore being introduced to Bangladeshi maids, aka “buas,” I had no idea what lack of hygiene really meant. From mopping floors in urine to mixing snot in food, my experience with local “housekeepers” has led me to the conclusion that either I have OCD, or all buas have made a secret pact to nurture filth under the excuse of “cleaning.” Most of the time, they sit around and do nothing, but when they do work, it’s only to turn the house topsy-turvy!

My current bua has been working for me for a year now, but still behaves as confused as she was the first day she entered the house. It’s possible she fakes it to avoid work, but she always appears to have no idea what her routine is.

After receiving instructions, she never fails to do the exact opposite of what she’s been told, always with a dumbfounded look on her face.

When asked to clean the tablecloth, she’ll do so with the mop with which she wipes the bathroom floor! When asked to wash clothes, she’ll make sure to dye every shirt I own a new colour.

The other day, to my horror, I even found her cleaning the sheets with the same broom she uses to sweep the floor! Whether it’s dusting the “soofa” (sofa,) scrubbing the “fireeze” (fridge,) or cleaning the “pan” (fan,) she will always act clueless when it comes to doing her job.

Perhaps I sound like a horrible person complaining about a poor woman trying to make a living, but as somewhat of a neat freak, her behaviour drives me up the wall! The whole point of hiring a maid is to keep the house clean, but with her around, the house seems to be crawling with every insect ever created! At first I assumed she would eventually learn how to clean, but after a month, I realised she simply did not want to.

When asked why she behaves so senselessly, she simply laughs and says “mathai dhookhe nai,” which to me means her brain is dysfunctional.

A former bua, who also used to make me want to rip my hair out, was nicknamed “Buddha” due to her senile behaviour. No matter the question, whether it was what she had cooked or where her son was, her reply was always the same: “Allah janu!” Her main source of nutrition was “pan,” and I could smell her breath from a mile away when she spoke. I felt especially bad for her two-year-old son, who constantly had to put up with the revolting stench. Because she never ate, she assumed he didn’t need to either.

Only when he cried nonstop would she

Bassema Karaki is a LebaneseAmerican married to a Bangladeshi. She shares how strange, crazy, and humorous life in Bangladesh can appear to an outsider looking in

Mishu

Rio Shuvo

finally give him food, only to let him throw it all over the floor! She also let him run around without a diaper, so he marked his territory in every nook and cranny of the house, including my bed!

Buddha would never bother to clean up his mess, and the house became a pig stock whenever they were around.

It didn’t take me long to realise she was making the house dirtier than she was cleaning it, and so I found a replacement, who turned out to be even more of a nightmare.

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he worst bua I ever had was a fat, lazy woman with quite an attitude.

Under the impression that I was in dire

need of her services, she chose not to show up to work half the time, and left at her leisure on days she did bother to show up.

Most of the time, she would sit and watch television for a couple of hours, eat and then leave without a word.

Whenever she was instructed to do something, she would huff and scoff in annoyance before purposely doing it wrong. She broke countless plates and glasses, most of which she hid.

When she was paid half her salary for doing absolutely nothing, she threw a fit! Claiming that I was stealing from her, she sat in front of the house and wouldn’t leave until she received her

The funniest excuse I’ve heard from my bua is that if the sun doesn’t shine, she thinks it’s still nighttime, which is why she doesn’t show up to work on cloudy and rainy days

full salary. I learned the hard way that because they were poor, people would believe anything buas claim, no matter the facts.

The funny part about housekeeping in Bangladesh is, the people who are meant to keep your house spotless are the ones who waste it. Their chaotic and inconsistent behaviour makes me laugh my heart out when I’m not gritting my teeth. I know I’m better off without a bua, but I also know I would feel homesick without my bua messing up my room, burning my food and calling me “ma moni” before breaking the bad news of yet another horrible “accident.” n

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TOUGH LOVE

Dina Sobhan

Dina Sobhan is a freelance writer and cautions readers not to take her “advice” here too seriously

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I’m a high school student in a steady relationship. Lately, I’ve noticed that my girlfriend spends a lot of time with her “study group.” She cancels our dates at the last minute and won’t talk to me on the phone for more than five minutes. I didn’t think anything of it at first, seeing as our A-Level exams are in October, but since then I’ve heard that she’s been seen hanging out with a “shady” crowd I didn’t even know she was friends with (and I know all of her friends.) One time, I called to ask what she was doing, and she blatantly lied and said she was studying! I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen. Should I confront her about this? I really love her and don’t want to lose her.

If you’re a high school student, why do you sound like a 50-year-old sweater vest wearing uncle? Are her friends “shady” because they’re drinking, taking drugs and hanging out in illicit bars in Badda, or simply because you don’t know their names and addresses. If she’s lying to you and canceling dates, take the hint mate! You’re BORING. She’s moving on up, like the Jeffersons! If you want to keep up, show her you’re not a

geriatric trapped in a young person’s body and ask to join in on one of her outings with her new buddies.

If she continues to shut you out, get some new friends of your own whose idea of a good time extends beyond playing ludo with their grandparents.

I’m pretty sure if you stop being such an albatross around her neck, your chances of graduating from high school with your relationship intact are better. n

Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

2

I am 26 and recently got married to a businessman. It was an arranged marriage, and husband’s family is nothing like my middle-class family. My parents have always emphasised family bonding. Having meals together was a must in my house; I’m not sure if my husband’s somewhat dysfunctional family is even familiar with the concept of eating together. I’ve been here for a few months already, and we still haven’t sat down together for a proper meal. If I’d known this was how it would be, I’d never have agreed to this marriage. What do I do now?

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Hmm, let me see if I understand the situation correctly. You’re unhappy in your marriage because your in-laws won’t eat at the same table with you … ? Wow. That is a bit of a pickle. I was worried that it was something trivial like, I don’t know, your husband is an alcoholic who occasionally uses you for target practice. Or, say, he wants to marry again (perhaps because his present wife invents problems) and make you sleep in the garage. But THIS … this constitutes a real problem!

If you haven’t picked up on it, I’m mocking you. While I understand that you’re not used to his kind of family, that lives and eats separately, I am here to assure you that it is, in fact,

considered normal in most countries.

In-laws, particularly in this part of the world, live to terrorise their “notun bous,” so the fact that yours leave you in peace is something to be celebrated.

Why not use this unusual state of affairs to actually foster a real relationship with your husband, the man you married, as opposed to his family? Maybe that is exactly what your “dysfunctional” in-laws have planned, that you two eat dinner together like a man and wife, especially if he works during the day and is otherwise busy.

Stop complaining and go fix your husband some korma, woman! n

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BACKBENCHERS’ CLUB Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

Across 1 6 7 8

Wine for girl, first of three (6) Dirty without an aunt’s companion (5) Cowboys here had no mounts? (5) Street band for procession (6)

Down 2 3 4 5

US city submerged for wash (7) Car club sounds impressed by new beast (7) He sits madly producing essay (6) Carpenter’s mate unravels RU laws (6)

Solution and clues for last week’s crossword

Across 1 4 6 7

Huge disaster (7) Rice dish, mix, stir too (7) Good times and pastry for arriviste (7) Length and maturity of back garden (7)

Down 1 2 3 5

Coastal town hill secret, we hear (7) Treetop demands missions (5) Sit last in church or the French giggle (7) Sparkly headgear put up top mark in art (5)

Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

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24

DAY IN THE LIFE OF

An advocate

The Bangladeshi Rainmaker Yusuf Banna cross-examines a young lawyer

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aisal Siddiqui, a 28 year old advocate currently practicing law at the Judge Court of his hometown in Gopalganj, is slowly learning about the nooks and crannies of the legal world. Day in and day out, he lives the life of examining and cross-examining witnesses or defendants and going through piles of notes on cases at hand.

Getting used to the life of a lawyer can take some time. Getting accepted in the lawyers association, making the jump from text books to real life cases, and adjusting to the unique world that exists within the courtroom can be a challenge.

Faisal, having started his career in his hometown, had the benefit of becoming a widely known lawyer over a very short time. However, he had also faced some disadvantages, such as school friends being involved with drug dealing or extortionists coming to him for help.

How is it like to stand in the courtroom against the opponent and in front of the judge? Here lies the magic of advocacy’, says Faisal. He feels nervous and shaky as the judge approaches the bench, but as soon as he stands and pledges to the judge with the universal quote “May I pledge your honour?”, , adrenaline rushes to his brain and the “lawyer within Faisal” takes over. The court room seems like a drama set to him where he sometimes witnesses parrots spewing what they have been taught to say, as if it were a pre-written script. Moreover, akin to a drama, court proceedings tend to involve dramatic twists and turns. According to Faisal, a lawyer’s reputation is often built on his ability to orchestrate drama in the courtroom. n

Advocate Faisal in action Courtesy

Yusuf Banna is a staff writer at Weekend Tribune. He would be happier if he could be a poet. He also dreams of being a painter and is envious of those who can paint

Faisal Siddiqui working in his chamber at home.

A typical working day 10am Go to court and make queries regarding the status of his case at hand, look for bail papers, prepare documents, review notes from previous night’s research etc

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11am-2pm Put on his black gown and take part in court proceedings either alone, or with his senior partner. If the case is minor, such as a dowry case, Faisal handles the case himself. If the case is a major one, he sits behind his senior partner or stands alongside with him. His job is to ensure that his senior is not missing out on any points and give suggestions when possible

4pm Go to his senior partner’s chamber where they discuss the cases at hand, handle new clients etc

8pm He returns home and sits in his own chamber, which is going to be his future workplace.

Here he either prepares for the bar exam or finishing off paperwork

One of the challenging cases mentioned by Faisal was regarding an on-going rape case in which Faisal, along with a senior lawyer, represented the defendant.

During the 12th session of the case, every shred of evidence and associated witnesses were going against his client, thus he resorted to his final option—cross examination.

After gruelling the victim in a cross examination, he pointed out to the judge that the definition of rape constitutes the act taking place against the victim’s consent, and there was nothing in the victim’s account that pointed to the act being as such. Faisal and his senior partner won the case based on this one point. Faisal says that this is a very normal scenario in rape cases where illiteracy and mental trauma makes the victims weak and their narratives inconsistent during cross examination. n

THE WAY DHAKA WAS

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Tara masjid

Born and raised in Gobindo Das Lane, Old Dhaka, the Tara Masjid was a frequent and familiar sight for me while growing up. As a school-going child in the 60’s, I remember being transfixed at the sheer elegance of the building.

The starry domes, especially, captured my imagination. I often found myself trying to count the number of stars on each dome Ashrafunnessa Siddiqui, 58, housewife

Bangladesh Old Photo Archive

Navila Kabir

Tara Masjid 1985

Today W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, J U LY 5, 20 1 3

Nile A Rahman is a development practitioner by profession, and traveller by passion.

You can contact him at nile555@outlook.com

TRAVELOGUE

Glasgow

In search of Nessie

Nile A Rahman recounts visiting the birthplace of the Loch Ness Monster

W

hen I think of Scotland, the first things that come to mind are bagpipes and a blurry photo of a mysterious creature peeking out of the water in a lake. Yes, I am talking about the famous Loch Ness and its equally famous monster Nessie.

Mysterious places fascinate me, so, naturally, I’ve always wanted to see Loch Ness. The opportunity arose when I went to Glasgow to attend a training programme. I got a week off and decided to visit Loch Ness, and found out that three of my fellow trainees were interested too. So the four of us set out to find one of the most famous and adored monsters, Nessie.

Our trip started at 8am. It was a sunny day, which was lucky, since it’s rare to have a sunny day in August in Glasgow. Our bus moved along the Scottish highlands. I now knew why Scottish highlands were so famous: the scenery on both the sides were a great treat to the eye. After almost two hours, we stopped for a quick snack and rest room break. Then we took off again. After a while, our tour guide announced we were stopping to visit a memorial. Named The Commando Memorial, in respect of the British commandoes who died in WWII, it was an interesting place: it was literally in the middle of nowhere, with only highlands all around it.

Unlike other memorials, there was no souvenir shop, or localities.

It was past 11 when we left the memorial and started towards Loch Ness, and we got there by 1pm. It was indeed a breathtaking sight. I’d never seen a lake so big and blue! The very

Photos: Courtesy

26

The present ruins of Urquhart Castle which sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland.

wind and the waves in the water gave off the impression of the sea.

There was a large number of tourists enjoying the day too. Our tour guide said we had two and a half hours to hunt down Nessie before we had to get on the bus to return to Glasgow.

We decided to take a cruise in hopes of getting a glimpse of the monster.

By the time we started the cruise, it got chilly. The water was dark blue; there were small waves, but mostly the water was clam. I was looking for signs of Nessie in the water.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of any prehistoric monster. I let the hope of seeing Nessie go.

I had braved the chilly wind long enough, but it was getting very

uncomfortable, so I went to the lower deck, and discovered that it offered an equally excellent view of the lake.

The ship passed by the ruins of the Urquhart Castle, an ancient castle from the sixth century.

The boat journey ended after a while and we went back ashore. We went to the souvenir shop, which was all about the lake and its famous mythical monster. At around 4pm, we got on the bus and started for Glasgow. This time, the bus took a different route, offering us yet another great view of the Scottish landscape. At around 6pm, we reached the beautiful city of Inverness, a quiet, small city, and made a stop for dinner.

We started again at 6:30pm and

reached Glasgow at 8:30pm.

The “commercially nurtured” myths aside, it was a fun and interesting trip. The scenic beauty, the cruise, the ambience and the company – everything altogether made it very memorable. n

Need to know?

Statue of Nessie in front of the Loch Ness cruise center.

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, J U LY 5, 2013

Tickets for a day-long trip around Glasgow are available at the Tourist Information Centre in Cochrine Street, costing £36 each person An hour-long cruise in the lake would cost £10 more, and for refreshments and other expenses, you’d need around £65-70 For a fee, some cruise ships will let passengers use their sonar equipment to see if there is a large monster lurking at the bottom of the lake

OBITUARY

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James Gandolfini

The Don of ages Faisal Mahmud pays tribute to the star of the Sopranos

A

lot of people thought this venture wouldn’t make it past a pilot episode. However, ”The Sopranos”became a cultural phenomenon, and is universally nominated as one of the greatest television shows of all time.

The actor almost solely responsible for making the show what it is now is none other than James Gandolfini, the protagonist who played the enigmatic New Jersey crime bossTony Soprano in the iconic series.

Somehow, Tony Soprano has become larger than life and overshadowed the human”Gandoflini”.

Gandoflini recently passed away on, June 19 of this year, at the age of 51. But Tony Soprano still lives on, in the hearts of millions of fans.

James Gandolfini built one hell of a career for himself, while mining the many layers of a complex and conflicted Tony Soprano. He’s a man constantly at odds with the demands made on him daily by both professional and personal sides of his life.

He struggles at times to make the right choices, but like most of us, he manages to screw up quite often. And like a lot of us, he loves and is fiercely protective of both his immediate family, and the family he is part of in”The life he has chosen.”

Of his upbringing in New Jersey, Gandolfini, the son of Italian immigrants, said to the London Times: “I was a bit wild, but hey, I didn’t stab anyone.” He graduated from Rutgers and went on to work as a bouncer and nightclub manager. After a friend invited him to attend an acting class in the late 80s, Gandolfini caught the acting bug and began studying at the Actors Studio in New York.

He gained steady stage experience in a number of small venues, finally making his Broadway debut in a revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire” starring Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin.

Gandolfini played Steve Hubbell, the Kowalski’s upstairs neighbour, and also understudied the role of Blanche du Bois’ suitor, Mitch. That same year, he debuted in director Sidney Lumet’s film “A Stranger Among Us,” which featured the unlikely premise of Melanie Griffith investigating a murder in a Hasidic community of Brooklyn.

Before landing his career making role, James Gandolfini paid his showbiz dues partaking in roles such as thuggish lowlifes, rapists, and of course — gangsters. Sure, there were standouts in his pre-Sopranos oeuvre such as playing the sadistic hit man Virgil in True Romance, having a bloody

Faisal Mahmud is a staff reporter at Weekend Tribune who specialises in writing IT and telecom articles with depth and analysis

About James Gandolfini Graduated from Park Ridge High School, Park Ridge, New Jersey (1979) Attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey

REUTERS/Fred Prouser

one-on-one session with tougherthan-she-looks Patricia Arquette — but these roles barely distinguished him from other stereotypically sadistic actors such as Michael Madsen of “Reservoir Dogs” or Tom Sizemore of “Strange Days.”

All that changed when The Sopranos debuted on HBO in 1999, and the balding, overweight Gandolfini found himself an unlikely sex symbol at the age of 38. “Usually, I’m raping women, not you know, having them talk nicely about me,” the sheepish actor told Entertainment Weekly. The first awards of his career started to come his way, with a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award, and after an initial snub an Emmy. Critics hailed the show with declarations such as: “It’s the greatest work of art in the last quarter-century”.

The actor’s busy schedule forced him to drop out of another highprofile project, “Catch Me If You Can,” which starred Leonardo DiCaprio, and was directed by Steven Spielberg. After Spielberg came on board, the role once earmarked for Gandolfinithat of an FBI agent on the trail of Leo’s teenage con man was reassigned to Tom Hanks.

Personal quotes:

I’m a neurotic mess. I’m really basically just like a 260-pound Woody Allen I’m an actor... I do a job and I go home. Why are you interested in me? You don’t ask a truck driver about his job

Although he was committed to The Sopranos through a planned fifth season, Gandolfini is reportedly tired of his small-screen alter ego’s violent ways. “I don’t think I will do a Mafia character again,” he was quoted telling the London Telegraph on May 2001. “I want to get away from the violence a little bit, because it is starting to bother me personally.”

However, what made Gandolfini’s performance as Tony Soprano galvanising for the masses was that it felt new, suggesting that television could tackle different emotional and moral tones which previously had been reserved for movies or novels.

There’s a debate to be had about

Played the trumpet and saxophone Although often played thuggish or brute characters, he was actually somewhat of a pacifist off-stage; he had reservations about continuing his production contract as Tony Soprano due to the show’s violent content and stereotype of Italian-Americans

what actually constitutes television’s “Golden Age,” and what kickstarted it. But Gandolfini’s death and the slow evolution of the anti-hero role, a role he pioneered, pose a hindrance to television as a medium.

James Gandoflini and The Sopranos proved that television could radically reinvent itself. n

W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, J U LY 5, 20 1 3

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LAST WORD Faruq Hasan

Faruq Hasan is the Magazine Editor of Weekend Tribune and the resident devil’s advocate

Sexonomics

How I learnt that demand, supply and the marginal utility graphs help you with your love life

A

lmost a decade ago, while I walked out of university with a degree in economics in my hand, I knew I was probably getting a good job with a decent salary. What I did not know was, like Luke Skywalker and Daniel-san before me, I was also being trained for something bigger than a life spent on a farm in Tatooine, or dealing with high school angst. All the while my sensei were drilling pie charts and definitions of opportunity graphs inside my head, I was actually being trained to be the Zen master of love.

The Master Yoda in my case is young American economist William Nicholson, who, in his new book “The Romantic Economist,” explains that the world of microeconomics and romancing the opposite sex may not be too dissimilar. In fact, mastering the intricate theories of demand and supply will probably increase your chances of bedding a Princess Leia lookalike.

The dating scene has its own rules and regulations, and understanding economics will also help in understanding the opposite sex Each chapter in Nicholson’s book takes a concept from mainstream economics and applies it to the mating game. Take the quintessential dating game of “playing hard to get” and compare it with the concept behind increasing product price by artificially restricting supply.

Take diamonds, for example, which face no natural supply constraints but more of an artificial supply crunch: global diamond suppliers collude together to form an oligopoly of sorts to give the buyer a sense that you are buying into something exclusive, which at the same time allows them to jack up the prices without fearing

W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, J U LY 5, 2013

any hike in manufacturing costs.

You can run a similar strategy at the beginning of the mating game. People often play hard to get when they meet someone they are trying to attract.

Making yourself seem exclusive increases your market value as the opposite sex feels “they are buying into something exclusive.” Being pleasant from the beginning, says Nicholson, is a problem for the same reason: “If your partner doesn’t have to put much effort into getting you, it makes them feel like anyone could have got you. They don’t feel special or unique to have won that person over.”

But, of course, restricting your supply in the market is one thing, being a douche attempting to be a brand name quite something else. The road to being a cache item is a long and arduous process; Rolls Royce and Louis Vuitton didn’t become kings of exclusivity overnight. “Playing hard to get when no one knows who you are isn’t going to work because you’re not a brand at that point, like you haven’t identified yourself. The reason Prada can charge so much is because everyone knows who they are, they’re a unique brand, and no one’s going to be able to replicate them,” Nicholson explains.

T

he takeaway from that bit of wisdom is, of course, know your game before you game your partner.

Establish your street credentials as the charming guy, or the strong and silent type, or the sensitive guy who realises being a good listener is the greatest aphrodisiac, and lo, you are no longer a homogenous product.

Another concept to dabble in would be “signalling preferences.”

In the murky domain of information economics, it means being in an environment where you don’t have access to all the information you need, and thus having to rely on signals or indirect messages to figure out actual meanings and scenarios. In dating

terms, this means being selective in the kind of messages you want and, at the same time, trying to decipher the coded messages your partner is trying to get through to you.

Restricting supply, creating your own brand name, mastering the signalling technique – all will make you a better student in and outside the classroom A signalling technique, says Nicholson, would be going on a lunch date in a party of four, as opposed to a more intimate scenario where only the two of you are involved. Such a decision would imply that you’re still getting to know the person, and aren’t really attracted to him yet, and that you’re happy to be patient and want to develop a relationship over time, while at the same time genuinely see him as a potential partner. Mastering the signalling technique is especially important in conservative societies like Bangladesh, where people often say something and mean something else, and where candour is not necessarily seen as a virtue.

The underlying assumption (it wouldn’t be a book on economics if there weren’t any) to Nicholson’s book is that dating is a game, and like all games, there are rules. Understanding those rules and, more importantly, the reasons why those rules exist in the first place, is what will make you a key player in the market. I would urge you to read the book as a primer on how crusty academic theories can actually find their way into our everyday lives.

The caveat would be, of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Alas, the trick to winnowing out the exception from the norm is something you probably won’t find in a book. If only real life were that easy. n

AV EN UE T TH UR SD AY, JUNE 6 , 2013