So, so you think you can tell...a barrage from a dam, nature from nurture, hope from hype, patriotism from antipathy, culture from religion?
India is our major neighbor who is coming of age on the world stage. We cannot deny that it helped us gain our much eulogized liberation, going against the world super power. That surely does not mean we should bow to all its needs. But just like we expect Pakistanis to own up to their 71 misdeeds, we should not step back from acknowledging India's role in our struggle for sovereignty. We would do well to remember though, that India is not to continue in their benevolent role of aiding our interests. India will put its national interests first and cannot be blamed for it. It is our ministers and government representatives who should be able to negotiate a balanced deal for our country.
Even without the particular historic instance, we share a common inheritance. India itself was united only in their movement to oust the British colony and we were with them then. In the cumulative Bengal region, we speak the same language, have similar attires and cuisines as well as many shared culture and traditions. Our national anthems are by the same Indian poet. After more than a half a century of separation though, we are now perhaps more under Indian influence than we ever were. It is our largest source of import. We wear Indian textiles, eat Indian spices, watch their movies and channels, go to India for health services as well for tourism. It is estimated that 1.5 million cows are smuggled annually from India providing more than half the beef consumed in Bangladesh [LA Times]. This in turn fuels the tannery and leather based industry. Prices of so many commodities will go up if we were to stop trade with India. We do however need to decrease the trade deficit. We should be able to offer attractive alternatives to dubbed Doremon to our innocent children. It is not India's fault that they can sell their products. It is our fault that we have not been able to match even up to their standards.
There is a lot of strong sentiment against Tipaimukh Dam. This is based on the bad experience of Farakka Barrage. The diversion of water from the main river as in Farakka barrage is different from building a storage dam for generation of hydro-electricity, like Tipaimukh Dam on the Barak in India or the Kaptai Dam on the Karnafuli in Bangladesh. The Kaptai Dam has not dried up its downstream area. So the desertification of the highest rainfall area of Sylhet area is unlikely [Retd Director, BWDB]. Dams can not be so unilaterally evil. Hydroelectric power plants around the world supply 24 percent of the world's electricity. USA and Canada have 50% and 69% of their electricity from dams. Brazil, China, and Norway are among the other top hydroelectric-generating countries [Water Encyclopedia]. As the world is getting environmentally conscious and going green, the advantage of dams become more important as a green renewable process which does not require pollution-emitting burning of fuels [U.S. Geological Survey].
Now most of the impacts of river engineering are extremely difficult, and in many cases impossible, to predict with certainty [International Rivers]. Of course there are negative environmental impacts, but so does driving a car and cattle farming. India in all likelihood has decided to invest in such a mammoth setup only after the cost-benefit analysis has been favorable, taking into factor the cost of risk management and environmental effects. The good news for us is that the upstream region faces more challenges and we are the downstream in case of Tipaimukh. Assam and Nagaland, like Bangladesh, are also lower riparians and Barak passes through these states before entering Bangladesh. Governments of these two states have welcomed it because they also will benefit from its flood mitigation, dry season augmentation and power generation components. So we need a proper study to validate any qualms we have, and then perhaps bargain for a share of the electricity and proper mitigation of risks. Obstinate denial is not a solution. We have to embrace progress and development and do so by cooperation with our neighbors and allies.
[See much more about the Tipaimukh Dam at http://horizonspeaks.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/tipaimukh-faq/]
The long ongoing border killings by BSF have been jolted into our consciousness by the video that went viral on Facebook in mid January. With all due respect for the victims, I must add that our government acted promptly and properly by filing an official complaint as well as expressing its dismay to Indian headquarters. Apart from that, the news on an international channel should be message enough for India [BBC]. India itself did not delay the suspension of the 8 involved officers and their court martial is arranged almost in a month [The Daily Star]. I would say that is a exemplary time line. In fact, the video was made by a BSF guard, first shared on a Kolkata website [Asia Times] and then leading Indian newspaper like The Hindu owned up to their fault. I, however, did not find any of our papers questioning what our border guards were doing when the victims crossed the border illegally. Anyways, let us hope that someone posts a video of the atrocities on the people of Chittagong Hill Tracks in our very own Bangladesh.
It is utterly funny that we want to hold another country responsible for our plights. Instead of taking measures to work on our shortcomings, we find solace in pointing fingers elsewhere. I got a few online invitations to ban Indian goods for the entire day of the auspicious day of today - Mar 1 2012. But why just one day? I mean, it is good for the economy to use our own national products. By all means let us forever boycott and ban all Indian and other foreign products, especially for items for which we have home made substitute. One cannot drop patriotism at the drop of a hat.
Being geographically proximate and having a lot of shared infrastructures, there are many other simmering issues between the two countries like transit, Teesta treaty and 3-bigha corridor. But I find that all propositions on any issue are criticized harshly by some stakeholder or the other. We are following the offense is the best defense strategy in this age of globalization. Let us try to look through the political brainwashing of India being our enemy and try to look at issues objectively. We could instead learn from their effective policies, barter hard for the benefits we can provide them, and deal maturely with their atrocities. It is indeed impossible for a general citizen to form independent opinions and take a social stand on all issues. It is more confusing when technical 'experts' also vary in their opinions. With so much information at our disposal, we should not let old or new media brainwash us into taking sides on important national matters.
But then again, the most we do about national issues is share a post on Facebook or sign a cause online, and this really does not change things in the real world. We end up hating the ruling party for 5 years.
The Enemy Within
Those who can, do.
I am a pessimist. I would rather be right or be pleasantly surprised. Still I am fed up of the constant denunciation of the government and the state of the country. Everyone badmouths the system. but we forget that the system is made and run by us only. We all have 'chachas' and 'mamas' in important political, government, administrative and business positions. But things go on as they have been going, by the grace of Almighty Allah. No one wants to improve his own surrounding and always blames someone or the other. How are we all so helpless?!
I am thinking that we were lucky the liberation war took place when it did. If it were now, the guerilla forces may easily be named as terorists and NATO could come in on humanitarian grounds. Until 2008 Mandela and ANC party members were designated as terrorists. We are lucky that we did not have to fight the mightiest force like Vietnam did for 20 years. Had Pakistan been mightier, they could have suppressed the insurgency like the United Kingdom suppressed the Irish. We are lucky that Sheikh Mujib was not killed before he achieved our independence, unlike say Omar Mukhtar.
That was then. Now the situation is almost unlivable. Infants visiting from abroad have not only their food but also drinking water brought into the country. Their parents seldom take them out of the house. Those who can afford it prefer to have their baby delivered in Bangkok. Think about what this says of our and our off-springs living standards. Most of us suffered the fall of the stock market and the comments of the finance minister were furiously nonsensical. Trying to control social media is pathetic, altough even USA is trying the SOPA. The traffic and the rising prices are the bane of the common people's daily life.
We now tend to look back fondly to the times of Ershad as the road infrastructure and foreign relations development period. Some even say that Tarique Zia for all his corruption would be a better leader as he knows how to run a party. I however beg to differ. If we want democracy, we have to put up with its loopholes too. The economic state we are in is not the result of the current government. It is the result of decades of instability and lack of proper long-term policies. It will take time to change those policies, implement them and get a better outcome.
This is perhaps most transparent in the electricity situation. There was no new power generation for years and the efficiency of the existing plants also diminished while the demand increased. The AL government resorted to costly rental power plants for immediate needs while planning a long term solution, by nuclear power plant and also by partnership with neighboring states like Tripura.
I see that we are keeping a check and balance in our relationship with the two biggie brothers India and China. A deep sea port in Sonadia instead of Chittagong will be more beneficial for the latter. Trade with China has also increased considerably in the last couple of years. Bangladeshis has been given access to the Teen Bigha Corridor by India, and although much hyped during the Indian PMs visit, the NE transit is still is discussion as a barter for the Teesta water treaty. Its almost hard to believe that the demarcation of our borders was finalized only recently. Policies for water, coal, education are also being upgraded one by one. For the first time perhaps we host a grand international event, the opening ceremony of 2011 Cricket World Cup. Paypal has announced it will be in Bangladesh by 2012.
Whatever else Digital Bangladesh has or has not achieved, they have put up websites for all government institutions. Parjatan, Biman, Department of Immigration and Passports, and many if not all of them have reasonable websites with all forms and much information available online. If NBR can succeed in implementing online tax collection, it will end a long vicious circle.
The arts and music diaspora evolves better under a secular rule. We must have noticed that the band culture of the 90s did not continue to boom, and budding music artistes often disappeared after a few hits. We Dhakaites complain of no outdoor recreation except restaurants, but there are plenty of stage dramas, film shows, art exhibitions, music performances and even a weekly stand-up comedy show that we may chose to attend. And most of their information is published online too.
There are issues that we need to pressurize the government to resolve. The civil society and academia can and should draft a solution and campaign for it. The war crimes tribunal needs be completed justly and in time. The Hill Tracks peoples' have been suffering brutally at the hands of our own men. The tea-plantation workers are forced into a life of abject slavery. We could advocate for basic safety measures of garments and other factory workers. The administration and judiciary needs to be decentralized. Child labor is not cool, not in factories and not inside our houses. Taslima Nasreen should not feel threatened to live in her own country. BCB chairman should not be politically appointed. Lets not fall prey to issues that try to keep us otherwise occupied like Day Light Savings, forced retirement of Yunus or even Teesta water sharing policy which is not for laymen.
If we do not feel so chivalrous, busy as we are in this hectic city, we could at the least come together to improve the one thing that directly affects all of us - transport system inside Dhaka as well as within Bangladesh. We hear the government is bribed and pressured by private bus companies. Let us all come together demanding the best and quickest implementation of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) proposed by JICA. Every project has its cons and critics, the important thing is to draw a line at an optimum point and get something done. If Anna Hazare can revive India's Lokpal Bill, I am sure our intellectuals and activists can garner mass support for the MRT. I call upon the Zafar Iqbals and Anisul Haques to unitedly help us unite ourselves. The next campaign can be for an inter-city express train system. Given the small size of our country, Teknaf to Tetulia should be covered in 6 hours.
We cannot expect a radical change in our political leadership. It is not a matter of one party over another. We have to make do with the best we have. They will be inefficient like us and do some trial and many errors, because they are not posted on their technical competence. Democracy is the way it is. All I wish for us is the subjectivity to differentiate a whim from a cause. If we all take a single step to improve our immediate circumstances... this may well have a ripple effect.
The Silver Bullet!
More often than not, Bangladesh seems to be a failed state, with no telltale signs of improvement. Some might argue we are a young nation that needs more time to settle down, that being in a land of plenty had made us less enterprising, and a subservient nature was cultured by the long colonization. Others may counter with the boom of the garments sector and statistics of per capita income, national growth or GDP. All the same, the earlier we do the SWOT analysis, the faster we can step on the path of progress.
After much soul-storming and brain-searching, the meaning of the phrase 'People get the government they deserve' hit home.
Bypass Doctors At Home
Summary:
My father had 4 blockages and was operated by Dr Jahangir Kabir of United Hospital.
1. Beating heart surgery was done but it should have been an open-heart surgery.
2. All 4 grafts made during the surgery malfunctioned. This was revealed 1.5 years later when the patient suffered another severe heart attack.
3.The surgeon in charge Dr Jahangir Kabir denied to attend to patient's post-operation complications.
4. Duty doctors and nurses in step down CCU could not handle any post operative problems.
Review :: Shahrukh Khan Live @ Army Stadium
You may love him or love to hate him, but you cannot deny his mega-stardom! TIME magazine's 2010 TIME 100 Poll ranked him as the 13th most influential person in the world. In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world. He was accorded the 'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres' by the French government for his 'exceptional career' in 2007. His statues have been installed in Madame Tussauds wax museum in London and New York, as well as in Grévin museum in Paris. The International Lunar Geographic Society honorarily christened a lunar crater after him. He is the brand ambassador for names like TAG Heuer, Nokia, Pepsi, Videocon, Airtel.
Shahrukh Khan is a global phenomenon. Hats off to Antar Showbiz for managing to bring a celebrity of this stature to our humble lackluster city. SRK Night at Army Stadium this Dec 10th was surely one of the biggest international events ever hosted in Bangladesh. Shahrukh's schedule and security seemed to be efficiently executed. However, the same cannot be said about the arrangement for audience.
To start with, ticket sale venues were not advertised well. Antar Showbiz was in controversy for not returning ticket prices the last time they tried to arrange SRK show but failed. This time, ticket prices and sale agents were announced very late. There were about a dozen events on Facebook and the largest one was created by some unrelated company called Off Track Events & Advertising. There was no published genuine source of information about the show. The Antar Showbiz website had the 'sit plan' but not many other useful details.
Not even the ticket mentioned the start or end time of the show. There was no conformity in the titles by which the show was referred to - a trivia that limits the expectation for the attention to details.
At the venue, finding out which entry line was for which gate was a challenge. There were no signboards, and volunteers and organizers were not able to help. There were no toilet facilities inside the stadium, and there were some 25000 people!
The stage was set at the long end when it would have made more sense to have the stage at the center of the elongated side. This would reduce the maximum distance to the stage and more people would have a closer view. And the stage needed to be at least elevated enough to have some view. One cannot blame the crowd for standing up to catch a glimpse of the stars as the stage was hardly viewable from seated position. No wonder even ‘ayeen-srinkhola protirokkha bahini’ members were seen standing on stacked chairs. You would think people with 20 years of event management experience would take these basic aspects into consideration.
The LCD TVs were not placed high enough either but then most of them were not working.
Neither the organizer chief Swapan Chowdhury nor the anchors had any scripts or anything worthwhile to say. We love getting on stage. So it's okay if a sponsor just wants to announce his juice brand or the organizer's personal family takes a bow. And the lady hostess, what was she saying or wearing? Did not find any glimpse of our culture in the show. Even the royal granddaughter did not find it unbecoming to get on stage with her boyfriend who appeared confused about what he does. Modesty would dictate she at least not publicly declare her political identity.
There was virtually no separation of the seating areas of different priced tickets. In addition, it seemed many people who did not really belong to the crowd entered the premises at the last moment. There was almost no checking and partial bamboo fences akin to cow hut were no good for keeping people in their place. How else can one explain the demeanor of the people who got on stage from the premium front rows?
No mention was made during the show of the celebrities who did not turn up, in spite of having their faces on the ticket - Kumar Biswajit being the prime example. The Facebook event above claimed Preity Zinta and the temptation crew. On the other hand, surprisingly there were no interviews of the star visitors even on media partner Boishakhi TV.
The real show did not start until 8 after being advised to go at 3. In the early hours, each performance (local artistes, hosts) had long boring gaps. That all changed once the Indian organizers took over. They did what the came to do, and did it well. Delivered 3 hours of non-stop well coordinated performances. The stars were overwhelmingly gallant in their effort to connect with the audience, speaking our language and talking our talk.
Service is not Bangladeshi businesses' forte and we as customers are accustomed to making do with whatever is offered. But the fatal let down of the show was of course not being able to view the stage even from the area of gold (Tk. 10,000/=) tickets. This led to random rowdiness and some chaos. It was sheer luck that things did not go out of control. God is surely with us. The show sidestepped any major mishap, just like 'Sonar Bangla' sidesteps becoming unlivable despite all ingredients there to make it so.
Related posts:
- The Daily star reports King of Bollywood entertains Dhaka.
- Prothom Alo puts the event news on the last page - Surely this was not such a small event. Mahabub Morshed analyses on Facebook.
- Review of a TV viewer : In transit: from fun to folly.
- NDTV , Bollywood Hungama and the likes are reporting the BD-SRK event apparently based on some opinionated and sensationalized online sources like Weekly Blitz-Shahrukh Khan's vulgar show in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Guardian-Delhi’s cultural expansionism. It's all so sad. We made a fool of ourselves on stage, our hospitality took a backseat at the chance of scandalizing the guests, and the fundamentalist in many is awoken in different forms.
Just Another Mugging Event
Ryan and I were returning home by rickshaw at around 10:30pm yesterday (Fri Nov 12). We had just got on to our road #95, taking right turn after the lane behind Dhali at Gulshan 2 DCC market. Suddenly a car (private) stopped infront of us. 1 man stopped the rickshaw on my side and two others came to Ryan's side. There may have been a couple more. They asked for our belongings and we obliged. They took my purse, Ryan's wallet and mobile and checked my neck for chain which I didn't have. They were not too organized/calm in the sense that they kept asking one another whether specific items were taken. One man searched Ryan's pocket. In less than a minute, they had all they wanted and returned Ryan's key and asked the rickshaw to pull on straight ahead. I wanted to ask for my key set but they were warning then that they will shoot if we stop or turn.
I think it was a silver car but Ryan says it could have ben a white one. We do not know the model. I feel queasy relating event of a rickshaw passengers being robbed by car owners, but hey truth is stranger than fiction! They were probably residents of the same area, trying to get some extra pocket money before Eid. I say this because they did not sound uneducated or unpolished.
It was just about 15 to 20 yards from our apartment gate. So we got down from the rickshaw at the gate of our apartment. Ryan for the first time noticed that the trouser was ripped by a cut. Who knows why they did this in spite of our compliance - they panicked or wanted to make sure we did not cause any aftermath or may be just for the heck of it.
Felt very lost with no phone, no memorized numbers and no money. Did not want to wake parents with such a news at that late hour. God bless the hijackers for at least returning Ryan's keys (no one else was at home). I went up to collect some cash and any phone number. Luckily my 3 year old phone book was in my bedside drawer. With that we started for Apollo in neighbor's car.
In the hospital, they bandaged the cut first as the only available surgeon was attending another patient. The cut was about 3 inch in length and half inch deep, on the outer side of the left thigh. Only muscle, no major damage. About an hour later Ryan came out of procedure room with two layer of stitches. Dont know the inner layer count; 7 on the top layer with the non-biodegradable thread that will need to be cut later.
While paying the bill, I found the cash I had was not enough and there was no way to arrange to pay the bill later although we are registered card holders of the hospital. Our friend Bappi cleared the bill and gave us a lift back home. Oh and also had to arrange trousers for Ryan in this late hour and shocked state. Hospitals should have some necessities available for sale.
I went to Gulshan thana today evening to file a General Diary stating the hijacking. The first officer said there were hundreds of such cases everyday so it was no use reporting. On my insistence, another officer explained that its against the law!! To report any crime, one has to file an FIR (First Information Report) for a case instead of a GD, and that too only if the OC approves. So thinking now whether it would be wise to get into any legal hassle. After all, today Khaleda Zia too complained about the state of law enforcement that threw her out of her cantonment residence!
Ryan can walk and move. He has been advised not to take too much stress (go out) until the stitches are cut 2 weeks later. 2 antibiotics have been advised only.
Ryan got his sim replaced today by his office. I will try to get mine soon. Need to buy mobile sets too and change locks. Tomorrow is hartal and after that there are Eid holidays. That might delay things but gives us sometime to recover the shock.
Update on 22nd Nov
My cell phone set record has not been good of late. Sony Ericsson K810i motherboard malfunctioned soon after the 1 year warranty coverage. Got a Nokia 6124 classic (vodafone edition) which got bag-lifted from Gausia on Aug 4 this year. Fed up with Aktel customer service and unsure of what changes Robi will bring, decided to change the number/provider as well. Hence got rid of the 01819293921 number that I have been using since late 2001. And wanted to stick to Nokia so got the feature rich E66. It turned out to be very convenient for me with the Ovi store and with Wi-Fi at home.
After this mugging event, I thought I will buy a second hand E66 so that it has all features but costs less. So I checked online- clickbd and cellbazaar- and found quite a few. At first wanted to go for the black version but then thought better to stick to the silver one. So Ryan started contacting sellers - one was in Jatrabari which is too far, one or two more had their cell phone off and another was already sold. On Monday, found a new sale posting and planned to meet the seller the same day evening to buy it. Met in Dhanmondi Helvetia, Sumon was with us. As soon as the seller showed us the set, I knew it was mine, with the top of the screen protector cut at an angle and a corner coming off. Of course the display customizations were reset and all data (and memory card) removed. The seller said that this set was left behind by this brother who moved to England and also box/papers were lost when they shifted house. Considering it risky to get involved with such people or show them that we suspect anything, paid him his asking price and bought back the set for Tk 6,800! After that checked IMEI number (unique ID of cell phone) and it matched...small world!!
Later found that many sellers in these online buy-sell sites are selling multiple mobile sets within a short span of time. Very suspicious. And if police wanted to, they could easily make life for stolen mobile dealers difficult by tracking IMEI number.
Sat Nov 27 : Ryan's stitches are cut.
CNG 3 wheelers – Demand and supply
Thanks to Muhammad Eusha for putting the effort to figure out the cause of the unreasonable fares demanded by the CNG 3 wheeler drivers (June 6, 2010 edition of Star Campus). The lack of hire-able transport causes immense suffering to most of us indeed. However, while interviewing the CNG 3 wheeler drivers is a good place to start, it will undoubtedly give a one-sided view. Hence I would like to add a couple of dimensions to the case, admittedly based on assumptions.
What is the cost price of a CNG 3 wheeler (henceforth referred to as just CNG) ? Last I heard it was 7 lacs. Once this may have been the monopoly business of our future PM, but the price has kept escalating even after the new government came in. Excluding garage, maintenance and repair charges, this leaves the owner with an annual profit of 15.6% at the rate fixed by the government (considering 1 off day per week). This is not likely to make much business sense to an investor.
Often we are hard pressed to find a CNG willing to go to destinations of our choice, fare aside. This can only be explained by the demand-supply model: there are more passengers in need of a ride than there are CNGs. Otherwise the drivers' high demands would not be met. In my experience CNG drivers charge an average of Tk 120 per trip that takes them about an hour. Now if they work 10 hours a day, utilizing 100 Tk worth of gas and pay the vehicle owners Tk 600, they are still left with a earning of Tk 500 per day, which should be a decent enough amount for their living. What really then tilts the equation in the CNG drivers favor is the condition of public busses as well as the shared short distance trips passengers are forced to take due to unplanned banning of rickshaws on crucial link roads. For example, a CNG carrying 4 passenger will earn a minimum of Tk 80 on a round trip on Kemal Ataturk Avenue. This makes the CNG driver even less willing to take longer passenger-customized routes.
If the government cared at all for the general car-less class of people wanting to lead a barely decent life, it could introduce large number of cheaper CNGs. Whilst our neighbors have the Tata Nano, can we not manufacture CNGs that cost 1 lac? Having enough CNGs on the road will ensure that competition brings down the fares as well as the owner fees. Oh, how wonderful it will be to bargain with a CNG driver that the fare will be Tk 10 less than the meter!
Let there be Rickshaws!
A Rendezvous with AKTEL
Mehrin Shahed
To: AKTel <123@aktel.com>
Hello.
My line is disconnected since yesterday. I donot believe my bill has crossed the security deposit. Please let me know why the line is disconnected.
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A Banking Experience
People tediously fill out page after page of personal information when opening a bank account. But why?
I have a number of bank accounts, opened in various stages for various purposes. In all my experience, banks do not bother to call the account holder when a deposited check bounces. They just file it away and do the customer a huge favor by digging up the files if and when asked about it. On the other hand, you may well receive a marketing call of their new credit card offer!
Saying NO to DST
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=90815
The first thing that struck me about the news was that we are set to start DST without deciding how long it is to continue. The overall ease with which this decision was taken amidst so many other pressing national concerns shows that not much consideration was given to it. This bothered me as I always considered Daylight Saving to cause much unnecessary confusion and hassle.