Letters

Letters

Student Politics
Recently we have been informed that the present caretaker government has decided to ban student politics from campus for the sake of creating a peaceful and congenial atmosphere for education.
Though a lot of politicians have criticised this decision, as a student I thought that it was a very courageous decision under the circumstances. Students have a glorious past in the history of our country. In 1952 during the language movement, in 1971 during the liberation war, in 1990 against the autocratic ruler the students played a very important role. But today's students are divided by partisan politics. Now they work only for their party. They are getting involved in many criminal activities instead of paying attention to their education. It is very important to bring them back on track by banning student politics. Thanks to the CG.
Abdul Malek Shikder
Amor Ekushey Hall, DU

Music Piracy
Piracy has certainly become a nuisance for quite a few years now but it is not only Bangladeshi music that is being pirated. Software, movies, and games we use on our computers are also pirated. In a country like Bangladesh, it is impossible for people to purchase original software.
I also think music piracy has its advantages. Before buying a CD, listeners can hear some of the songs and if they like it they download the whole album online. But this also means that more and more people will get to know the artistes and that is a positive thing. As Fahmida Nabi said, before trying to stop piracy, there should be proper and legal contracts between the music company and the artiste. Piracy cannot be stopped overnight because you have to think about the listeners and the economic condition of the country first.
Riyadh Al Nur
By email

TV Commercials and Soaps
Entertainment in our country has undergone great changes over time. A few years ago people could enjoy a good number of drama serials which ended within an acceptable time range. The number of advertisements was also limited. Now more and more satellite channels are emerging and creating a wide and open medium of entertainment day by day. With the growing demand the need for standard and truly entertaining programmes should be the issue to focus on. But the reality is different. Most of the TV soaps are based on very similar plots. Sometimes the stories are made unnecessarily long to extend the number of episodes. With the increasing number of episodes, the commercial aspect comes in. The time allocation for the advertisements and the soaps are almost equal. The lengthy soaps eventually lose their initial appeal and become irrelevant to the central theme.
I would like to draw the attention of all the concerned authorities to ponder over this issue and take pragmatic steps. We expect the interest of the viewers to receive precedence.
Nafijur Rahman Wasi
Department of Finance, DU

Water an Elixir of Life
A few months ago, the country observed the International Day of Action for River. Out of an estimated 1,011 million km3 of the total water present on earth, only 33,400 m3 of water is available for drinking, agriculture, domestic and industrial consumption. The rest of the water is locked up in oceans, polar ice-caps and glaciers and underground. On an average, a human being consumes about two litres of water everyday.
But, it is a cause of great concern that with exploding population and increasing industrialisation and urbanisation, municipal and industrial sources have become a major concern. In our country water is being polluted by sewage and wastes from various industries. Our respective authorities are quite apathetic towards this matter. The menace of water-borne diseases and epidemics still threatens the well-being of the populace. We hope that the caretaker government will take some steps regarding this issue at the earliest possible.
Chandni, Tonney, Tamanna and Shimu
Khulna

Feedback: It's Time to Take Action
I would like to exchange some of my opinions regarding the letter 'It's Time to Take Action' (May 18, 2007) by Rubaiya Tasnim. I strongly disagree with the writer on her views that writing about this issue can't change the tradition of practicing slavery in our society. We shouldn't misinterpret the theory. Newspapers are a strong media and play a central role by giving news and analysis thus raising awareness among the readers on various issues on a regular basis. Behind the scenes the journalists have a challenging job and this is persistently being done by Star Weekend Magazine where we find plenty of articles and stories related to the deprived and underprivileged people of our society.
Now it's our turn to take bold steps. Our duty is to raise awareness in our family and society to stop this violation of human rights. We have to change our stereotyped point of views. Let's start the change in our family first and pass this message to everyone.
Mahbub
Narayangonj

A Deadlock Gymnasium
I want to earnestly request the respectable authority on behalf of all the students of Dhaka University to put a stop to the misuse of the university gymnasium through army deployment. As university students it is our basic right to use the gym for exercising purposes, to swim in the pool, play in the playground, research in the laboratory, and learn in the playground.
Unfortunately the army-backed government has kept the gym locked up in the name of an army camp and the students' daily routines have been severely hampered as a result. I would like to request the authorities to quickly resolve this problem.
Farhad Kabir
BBA (Marketing), DU

The Real Nepal
I'd like to thank Nader Rahman for his article 'The Real Nepal'. It was delightful for us Nepalese students to read an article about their country in the foreign land of Bangladesh. It's true that we have come a long way through a decade of bloody war, where our life was full of uncertainties. We are the examples who have survived the war that took the life of thousands of innocent people.
Now, there is a ray of hope for resurrection and moving ahead with an ultimate goal for a better future. In this situation Nader Rahman seems somewhat pessimistic. The current situation is far better than the yesteryears. We are very hopeful about our future. I'd also like to notify the writer that the real Nepal is not just about hippies and the present turmoil. The 'real' Nepal is a naturally blessed nation striding towards a goal.
Jyoti Ranabhat, Samrat Khanal
International Medical College
Gazipur