Worse than initial
As if the bus accident that killed Shammee Akhtar wasn’t bad enough; what followed as aftermath exceeded the worst nightmare. Words of concern, expressions of outrage, indignation — all seem unequal and insufficient when classic symptoms of mindless violence and factional strife overtakes incidents much more than one death or five injuries. That alone is a shuddering thought; it frightens, it also numbs and makes one despair none of which will bring relief or cure of a very pernicious social malady that is engulfing a much needy and poverty stricken country yet struggling with democratic governance.
Options are few but very clear if we have the eyes open without blinkers. Work hard and talk less to establish a society ruled by law; give people safety and security that is their right even before you give them jobs; give uniform, minimum education as a right to all. Bring all citizens equally before law. Show by deeds what you preach; that goes for the rulers and the ruled.
That is not as tall an order as it looks at first.
Husain
Dhaka
* * *
After the twin incidents at DU and Charukala Institute on May 28 and 29, it is hard to imagine that DU is still considered an educational institution. It really doesn’t matter whether Chatra Dal or Chatra League was responsible for the incidents, bullying innocent students is a common phenomenon at DU. Being a students there for two years during my masters, I have seen enough of shameful acts from our so-called student politicians. And we are loosing our decency day by day. The language used by the police at the female students was so obscene (as heard on ATN Bangla), it is not hard to imagine that our law enforcing (for whose behalf!!) agencies don’t have any sort of respect for DU as a legendary institution.
And who were the police protecting? The bus driver who I am sure doesn’t even have a real license or the owner’s interests? It is common mob psychology after such an incident (like the unfortunate death of the charukala student-Happy); burning the vehicle responsible, agitation etc. The VC and the proctor could have calmed the situation along with the law enforcing authorities, but they were acting as spectators instead.
Gone are the days when the student leaders used to fight for rights of their fellow colleagues, rather they now fight against their own! Some I know are older than many of the faculty, should we then expect them to respect our respected teachers?
Actually, in a country where even faculty nominations in the public universities are controlled by political agendas how can we think of an institution which is purely dedicated to knowledge dissemination? Ex-president HM Ershad probably did the right thing by banning student politics.
Faisal Khair Chowdhury
Dhaka
Love, marriage and divorce
In response to Azad Miah’s appeal to write about the complexities of many modern marriages (May 27) I have the following to offer. I have some experience in this having been married for forty-five years, raising two well-educated well-adjusted successful children who are doing the same in their turn.
Azad Miah has identified the main cause of such failures and it is ‘the idea of a life-long full-time commitment with one person which is unthinkable!’ Marriage is an institution which requires exactly that, i.e. two people to form a lifelong partnership to set up a household, raise a family, pass down the inherited tradition and wisdom, as well as to enjoy love and companionship and mutual loyalty. ‘In sickness or in health/till death do us part’ as the marriage vow proclaims, but alas this is nothing but lip service now-a-days.
It is disastrous to have two captains on a ship and a similar fate is in store with two leaders in the same household. Of course within marriage most of the time there must be give and take, compromise and fair play, however on some rare important issues which have impact on third parties including the children only the more knowledgeable and experienced partner should prevail over the other in informed and rational decision devoid of emotion. If this cannot be done, detached professional opinion is to be sought in the matter. With a ‘properly arranged’ marriage i.e. without any coercion, fraud, compulsion or illegality the girl is normally a few years younger, less educated and experienced in life, and with earning capacity (if any) much less than the groom’s. The mantle of leader falls on the man most naturally here and the girl looks up to him, and a mutually beneficial relationship can be maintained and established by the unfolding of mutual love and wisdom as life moves on.
This is no longer so in the West. During and after the Second World War, women here have obtained ‘equality’ in the context of society and feminists are constantly fighting hard to give it concrete manifestation everywhere including the married household. So there are now two captains in charge of the ship of marriage and it is bound to hit rocks sooner or later as is well lamented with examples by Azad Miah. That is why many people just couple up together for ‘good time fun and frivolity’ without any pretence of marriage. Many have pre-nuptial contracts anticipating divorce or many just make a mockery of the institution by moving in and out of it like a hotel room. Many genuine couples are so disgusted by such abuse of marriage that they would much rather live in a sincere loving relationship bringing up children outside marriage. There are also the many juvenile opportunist unmarried mothers angling for state hand-outs and housing benefits dragging down the institution of marriage and a two parent family.
Shafi Ahmed
London, UK
MAIN PAGE | TOP
|
|
