weekend tribune may 27th 2016

vol 4 Issue 6 | FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016 Dhaka Tribune

6 Cook YouR own wAY 8 oRIgIn

stoRY 20 the Bong MoMMA

WEEKEN D TRI BU N E | FRI DAY, MAY 27, 2016

Volume 4 | Issue 6 | May 27, 2016

EditorZafar Sobhan

Features EditorSabrina Fatma Ahmad

Asst Features EditorFarina Noireet

Weekend Tribune TeamSaudia Afrin

Moumita AhmedN Anita AmreenSakib MridhaSaqib Sarker

Mahmood SadiShuprova Tasneem

ContributorsMinu Ahmed

Jennifer AshrafAashni Bhansali

Reema IslamFarzana Romine

CartoonsSyed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

Priyo

GraphicsMd Mahbub AlamAlamgir HossainTahsin Momin

Colour SpecialistShekhar Mondal

AdvertisementShahin Ahsan

ProductionMasum Billah

CirculationMasud Kabir Pavel

Websitedhakatribune.com/weekendfacebook.com/WeekendTrib

Email your letters to:[email protected]

Editor’s noteOn the cover

Dear readers,

June 1 is Global Parents day, which has us taking a critical look at parenting practices in Dhaka. One of the most alarming statistics we’ve seen in the past year or so is the rise in number of cases involving severe corporal punishment inflicted by parents on children. With this in mind, we have two stories looking at the laws and social climate surrounding this situation. We also have a very touching photo story about working mothers.

Before we get into that, start fresh with our skincare tips and

fashion advice in Tempt and Tailored. Our Origin story traces the journey of the perfect tropical fruit, the pineapple, and we have some tempting cookie recipes for you to try this week.

Since we recently observed World No Tobacco day, we take a look at how the new smoking awareness campaigns are faring.

Finally, settle down with the Bong Momma as she talks about getting to know a beloved member of her new household.

Wishing you comfort in the week to come.

Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

News 2 News

3 Meanwhile

Features

4 Tailored

Men’s fashion

5 Tempt

DIY face masks

8 Origin Story

Tropicalflavour

12 Issue

Smokers’ health

14 Issue

Corporalpunishment

16 Laws

Protecting Children

regulars17 Legalese

18 Stay In

19 Go Out

20 The Bong Momma

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

CONTENTS 1

COOk YOur OwN waY KItChen ChronICleS

PhOTO STOrY WorKIng MoMS

6

9


2 NEwS | This week

Pope embraces Al-Azhar imam in sign of renewed relations

She has ladled out countless bowls of her pork noodle soup, but the owner of a Hanoi streetside restaurant says she was stunned when Barack Obama strolled in, pulled up a plastic stool and slurped down Vietnam’s famed “bun cha” delicacy.

The US president slipped away from his hectic Vietnam visit on Monday night to sample the dish with Anthony Bourdain, a chef and food critic who fronts a travel show about hidden culinary gems around the world.

While 54-year-old restaurant owner Nguyen

Thi Lien knew a foreign television

crew was on the way, she had no idea they would be bringing a very special guest.

“His presence in our restaurant

was a great surprise for my whole family, who could never have imagined it, even in our dreams,” she told AFP on Tuesday.

“Obama was nice, smiling, cheerful and popular with everyone,” the shop’s owner told AFP, adding that she regretted not posing for a picture with the president.

Bourdain posted a picture of the dinner on his Instagram feed with the caption “The President’s chopstick skills are on point”.

It showed the two sitting on tiny plastic stools that are a common feature of Vietnamese street restaurants, Obama clasping a bottle of Hanoi Beer in his right hand.

“Total cost of bun cha dinner with the President: $6.00. I picked up the check,” Bourdain, who is renowned for his love of cheap streetside food, later tweeted.Photo: AFP

Desmond Tutu’s daughter has been forced to give up her duties as a priest in South Africa’s Anglican church after she married a woman, she told AFP on Tuesday.

Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu-van Furth can no longer preside at holy communion, weddings, baptisms or funerals after handing in her licence because the church does not recognise gay marriage.

She said her father, the retired archbishop and celebrated anti-apartheid campaigner, was “sad but not surprised” at the news.

“The canon (law) of the South African Church states that marriage is between one man and one woman,” Tutu-van Furth said in an email.

“After my marriage... the Bishop of Saldanha Bay was advised that he must revoke my licence. I offered to return my licence rather than require that he take it from me.”

Marceline Tutu-van Furth is an Amsterdam-based professor specialising in paediatric infections.

The couple – who are both divorced and have children – officially tied the knot in the Netherlands in December.Photo: Reuters

Pope Francis on Monday last week embraced the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the prestigious Sunni Muslim center of learning, reopening an important channel for Catholic-Muslim dialogue after a five-year lull and at a time of increased Islamic extremist attacks on Christians.

As Sheik Ahmed el-Tayyib arrived for his audience in the Apostolic Palace, Francis said that the fact that they were meeting at all was significant.

“The meeting is the message,” Francis told the imam.

The meeting came five years after the Cairo-based Al-Azhar froze talks with the Vatican to protest comments by then-Pope Benedict XVI.

Benedict had demanded greater protection for Christians in Egypt after

a New Year’s bombing on a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria killed 21 people. Since then, Islamic attacks on Christians in the region have only increased, but the Vatican and Al-Azhar nevertheless sought to rekindle ties, with a Vatican delegation visiting Cairo in February and extending the invitation for el-Tayyib to visit.

Francis and el-Tayyib spoke privately for 25 minutes in the pope’s private library, bidding each other farewell with an embrace. El-Tayyib and his delegation then had talks with the Vatican cardinal in charge of interreligious dialogue.Photo: AFP

Islamic State is trying to ride a wave of religious radicalisation by falsely claiming a spate of killings in Bangladesh, a government minister said, adding there was enough evidence implicating domestic militant groups.

Analysts say that as Islamic State loses territory in Iraq and Syria and its finances get drained, it may be trying to build affiliates in countries such as Libya, Egypt and Bangladesh for jihadists to launch attacks locally and cheaply.

But Shahriar Alam, Bangladesh’s state minister for foreign affairs, told Reuters in an interview that no local or foreign agency had found any presence of Islamic State in the country.

“Those claims (of killings) are definitely false,” Alam said on Tuesday. “But what we’ve agreed with our partnering countries is that

we’ll not argue over it – that sends a wrong message.”

His comments came just days after a EU delegation said there was an unprecedented threat to human rights and freedom of expression in Bangladesh and urged Dhaka to tackle the challenge to protect its international reputation.

Since February last year, the Muslim-majority South Asian nation of 160 million has seen the killing of at least 26 people, including five secular bloggers, a publisher and two gay right campaigners.

Al Qaeda has claimed some of the attacks, while Islamic State has claimed 17 killings since first taking responsibility for murders in Bangladesh in September last year, according to US-based monitoring service SITE.News: Reuters

Obama drop-in for pork soup stuns Vietnam street shop owner

Tutu’s daughter loses S.African church licence after gay marriage

Shahriar: IS falsely claiming attacks in Bangladesh

The world at a glanceWeekend Tribune

Desk


. . . MEaNwhILE 3

Photo of the week

Barack Obama is close to making a groundbreaking announcement regarding UFO and extra-terrestrial activity before he leaves office, it’s been reported.

The US President is under pressure thanks to similar disclosure promises made by the campaign of Democratic candidate for Obama’s replacement, Hillary Clinton.Stephen Bassett, executive director of US-based Paradigm Research Group (PRG), believes that there could be a massive announcement to come.

And he says David Cameron will follow suit almost immediately after.

The 69-year-old has been lobbying the White House to release these details for 20 years and is excited about being “on the brink” of discovering the truth.

The possible revelations would come just months after Clinton told a US talk show that she was keen on transparency of information on ET and UFOs.

The Democratic candidate spoke out on Jimmy Kimmel Live as she leads the race against Bernie Sanders for the party’s nomination for November’s election.

News and photo: Daily Mirror

say what?Barack Obama will reveal alien and UFO details held by the US before he leaves office

Storm clouds loomed over Dhaka last Wednesday, throwing the city into near darkness.Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu


Rise against the rainfall4 TaILOrEd | Men’s fashion

OutfitsforarainydayMahmood Hossain

One day it’s pouring, the other decides to welcome non-stop drizzle, and finally, those energy draining days plagued

with unbearable heat. All in a single week! This can get tiring really fast. But keep in mind, fashion or your personal style doesn’t have to be effected by this. It’s simpler than you think, to keep your cool and the rest of you dry.

The mash-up casualThere might cloudy skies, blanketed in shades of grey, but there’s no reason you have to be brought down by it. Noting says super cool than a leather motorcycle jacket. And if you want to stand out, look ridiculously stylish, you’ll want to unzip that jacket and put it on top of a nautical striped t-shirt. Throw on some casual, fitted trousers, with top quality sneakers and the streets might look a bit more optimistic. Okay, it’s Dhaka; maybe it’s wishful thinking. The most important thing about this look is the fit of your trousers.

The quality of your leather jacket will already speak volumes but if it doesn’t compliment the rest of your look, there’s no point in wearing it. Rock some fresh shades with the rest of the outfit to take things up a notch, you never know when that sun might want to make an appearance.

Office and datesSometimes a proper tailored suit is all you need for the entire day. The more tiring the day gets, the more layers you can take off or loosen up. The desired choice for the rainy season would be a patterned suit in the subtlest form. Dark grey or even charcoal would be the most ideal choice when you have to suit up. It’s also important to keep the underpinnings clean, tonal and as simple as possible.

As the suit itself is patterned (like plaid), you won’t have to go out of your way to match it up with loud ties, shirt or other accessories. It’s like letting your suit do the talking, while everything else in the outfit is the best supporting cast.

The same can be said for those suave soirées with a significant other or close friends of yours. Keeping things light,

you’ll want to pop out with some colour. Doesn’t really matter if it’s pouring outside or not, the entire idea is to look good and relaxed at the same time. Think about a tan or khaki suit that can frame a crisp light-blue, dress shirt. And making sure you’re indoors, some classy suede shoes will round up the look just fine. To get a better picture, imagine yourself as a movie star in the south of France about to stroll into a Cannes Film Festival brunch.

Have some fun, dang itWhile Ramadan is right around the corner, don’t limit yourself to falling back into the mundane way of living. Whether you choose to completely devote yourself to an entire month or not is all up to you. However, keep in mind, your personal style will never take a back seat. It doesn’t matter if you’ve decided to wear a panjabi for the remainder of the 30 days, it’s not a sin to keep yourself well-groomed and your clothes fitted. Some of us love this weather, while others can’t stand to imagine how they’ll survive the day without being sprayed by mud. No matter which category you fall in, it’s important to keep your priorities straight. No one is telling you to wear a white seersucker suit. Just try and keep clean and take care of yourself.

InspirationsYou don’t always have to follow every little trend that you see online. However, there are certain sources on the web and smartphone apps that provide countless tips on keeping things fresh and somewhat clean through the rainy reason. So while you take a gander through the many services, keep the following in mind. After every day, when you arrive at home, make sure to let your clothes air out before you decide to toss in the laundry bin. It could be possibly really wet, damp or backed up with plenty of dust and grime. That’s just the kind of place we live in, and at times, unfortunately unavoidable. Letting your clothes breathe helps with the odour and evaporation, which makes it easier for the washer or washing machine when it’s time to making things brand spanking new. n

Illustration: Priyo/Dhaka Tribune


So what should you do?Simple. Go natural. Just to clarify, I don’t mean go on a lookout to find any product under the sun that has the word ‘natural’ on its packaging. No. Go natural for real. The only person you can really trust with your skin is yourself. Only you know what’s best for your skin and how it feels with what you rub on to it. Just trust your gut! It’s real quick and easy to make your own skincare products, and it’s the most economical as well. For starters, try a couple of my DIY face masks as your new skincare routine and to tackle various skin problems.

Acne Warrior: use this mask to battle your pimples. Mix together one teaspoon of orange juice, one teaspoon of lemon juice, two drops of olive oil and one teaspoon of rose water. The orange juice works on shrinking and closing open pores, while the lemon juice gets itself busy fighting acne and lightening your skin. The additional olive oil and rose water work on moisturising and hydrating your skin. You can sit at home, spend next to nothing and get this aggressive Acne Warrior to start defeating that acne on your skin!

Turmeric Crush: this is the secret behind every South Asian bride’s beauty. Mix together two teaspoons of gram flour, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and two teaspoons of milk. Gram flour is an excellent exfoliator, fully equipped to unclog your skin pores whilst our secret ingredient, turmeric powder, is absolutely set on fading away your blemishes and gently lightening your skin. Adding milk complements this fairness recipe as milk is great in shedding off pigmented skin and works as a natural cleanser. Trust me, the Turmeric Crush will work wonders in

skipping a heartbeat of your crush!

Beet Blush: ever wanted to get that natural blush, without actually having to use tons of blush? Try this face mask for that pinkish blush and a natural glow. Mix together two teaspoons of beetroot juice and one teaspoon lemon juice. The beetroot is guaranteed to give your face with the much desired glow by solely exuding its own beautiful colour onto your face.

Delicate Avo: Suffering from the dry skin syndrome? Try the Delicate Avo to deeply moisturise your skin. The oils of avocado closely match our skin oils, which means a direct application of avocado on your face will leave your skin feeling soft and rejuvenated. What are you waiting for? Use this recipe to wash away that dry spell on your face!

Seriously, make a transition to natural, DIY skincare now, and forbid commercial beauty products from stripping off your natural oils. It’ll do wonders for your skin. Your face really is important, and getting it right will come with a healthy dose of natural beauty and confidence. n

DiY face Masks | TEMPT 5

Are you the fairest of them all?

It’s right there! It’s the first thing people notice about you. Your face. Sprout a pimple and you’ll get bombarded with questions

of whether you’ve been indulging in spicy food. Have bags under your eyes and you’ll suddenly raise huge concerns about your sleep cycle. Get a new wrinkle and your friends will start reminiscing about your good old ‘young’ days.

So naturally, every person asks - “Mirror, mirror on the wall, how can I be the fairest of them all?”A good marketer picks up on this and introduces you to their newest selection of products, be it Estée Lauder, Olay or even Clinique, with an exceptions-based guarantee to turn you as fair and lovely as you can possibly imagine. And they end up getting you good too. Have a think about your regular day, and you’ll probably find yourself slathering on around ten different skin products each day.

Is it really natural, or a hoax?Well, beware! Such clever marketing, more often than not, covers a myriad of sins. Try picking up one of your beauty products and take a good look at its ingredients. You’ll find oxybenzone, benzalkonium, parabens, sulphates, and a whole load of other chemicals you’re unwittingly rubbing into your skin every single day. I can’t even pronounce half of these, let alone

understand their effects on my skin. Do you know of the longer lasting effects of these substances on your skin, and overall health? Probably not. Not-so-fun fact – many of these products can have toxic effects on your skin over time. Phthalates, for example, can shockingly affect your hormone levels and are linked to birth defects.

The only reason these chemicals are added to your products is because they act as preservatives, making them smell nicer and last longer. And the bitter truth is, most of us are either unaware or choose to ignore these lasting effects, thanks to the heavy marketing around them. Should you be concerned? Absolutely!

Every concerned amateur turns to natural, chemical-free skin products to their rescue. But don’t be fooled. Products termed as ‘natural’ are more likely to be a marketing gimmick rather than actually being chemical-free. Take, for instance, Dr Organic’s new line of ‘natural’ products. The packaging and eco-friendly buzzwords around the brand might make it sound non-detrimental, but that’s nothing more than an idea sold by the brand’s marketers. A closer look at the ingredients of their ‘natural’ skin lotions will show you that they do contain worrisome ingredients such as sodium benzoate, which is a toxic preservative. Moral of the story - a commercial product will always be far from natural.

TradingincommercialproductsforDIYface masksAashni Bhansali

The author is a Indian-Belgian marketing grad turned blogger/Youtuber based in London. To know more, check out her YouTube channel @laughingananas and blog at www.laughingananas.com, and find her on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook @laughingananas


6 COOk YOur OwN waY | kiTchen chronicles

Of cookies and biscuitsPhotos and text: Farzana Romine

I have been collecting different cookie recipes over the years and these three recipes are my most favourite. These are nutty, buttery and chocolaty; very easy to make and you can adapt them according to your choice.

Swedish Saffron Rusk

I got this recipe from my Swedish colleague when she was visiting Dhaka. I fell in love with the taste. This is my most favourite cookie.**(This recipe yields about 25 cookies) Ingredients:1/2 cup butter1/2 tsp saffron1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (pecan, walnuts, cashew, almonds)2 eggs1/3 cup sugar2 cups flour1+1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 cup raisins

Directions:Preheat oven to 400°F/ 200°C.

Melt butter and stir in the saffron. Allow this butter mixture to cool, then add the chopped mixed nuts and combine.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and raisins together.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until fluffy. Add the butter and nut mixture and mix well. Once combined, add the flour mixture and form it into a cookie dough-like consistency.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Shape the dough into two thick

logs as long as your baking sheet. If your baking sheet is small, then divide into three equal logs. Flatten the logs slightly by pressing them on the top. Make sure there are at least two-inch gaps between the logs.

Bake in the middle rack of the oven for about 12 minutes. The logs will puff up, some cracks will form on the top, but the logs will still be slightly raw in the centre.

Working quickly, slice the logs into one-third-inch slices with a serrated knife (if they cool down, they will become dry and crumble).

Lower the temperature of the oven

to 350°F/170°C. Toast the slices, cut side up for about ten minutes. Turn them over after five minutes to cook the other side. Depending on your oven, you may have to bake them longer. If they still seem soft after ten minutes, bake for few more minutes.

Turn off your oven and let the rusks cool down inside, keeping the oven door slightly open. Once totally dry and cool, they will be ready to eat.

Note: You can use any kind of nuts. You can experiment with different combinations of nuts or any one kind. n

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Anywhere you find biscotti, you’ll invariably find a cup of coffee paired with it. Biscotti have a reputation of being a dry, flavourless “grown-up” cookie. However, my Double Chocolate Biscotti are so good, you can eat them solo. You won’t even miss the coffee!** (This recipe yields about 20 cookies)

Ingredients:2 cups of flour3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60%, but you can use any high-quality baking chips)3/4 cup cocoa powder1 tsp baking soda1/4 tsp baking powder1/4 cup melted butter1 cup brown sugar1 tsp vanilla extract3 eggs (at room temperature)1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used cashew, pecan and almonds)One extra egg and a little sugar for the glaze

Directions:Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C.

In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder.

Chop the nuts coarsely. If the chocolate chips you use are larger than average, chop them too.

Beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy and then mix in the vanilla extract.

Add the flour, butter, nuts and chocolate. Mix well. The mixture will be very sticky.

Now divide the dough into two even logs. Brush the dough with egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until firm.Cool for 15 minutes. With a serrated

knife, cut the log into 1/2 inch slices.Bake the slices cut side down, for

12-15 minutes, turn them over, then bake for another 12-15 minutes.

Let them cool completely. Enjoy with friends and family.

Note: The technique for shaping and cutting these cookies are same as the Saffron Rusk. n

Italian Double Chocolate Biscotti

Scottish ShortbreadWhen I am lazy I make this cookie. It takes only five ingredients to make these. All these ingredients are very common, so it’s easy to make them any time.** (This recipe yields about 15 cookies)

Ingredients:1 cup soft butter1/2 cup brown sugar or white sugar2 cup flour1/4 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp vanilla extract1 pinch salt (if using unsalted butter)

For the glaze: 1/4 cup chocolate chips2 tbsp butter

Directions:Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C.

Beat the butter and sugar together until the sugar is totally melted and the

mixture is fluffy. Gradually add in the vanilla.

Combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Add this to the butter mixture. Mix well and knead until fully combined. Form the dough into a ball. Make sure not to over-knead the mixture, as that will make the cookies hard.

Roll the dough into a half-inch thick sheet and cut the cookies into any shape of your choosing. Prick the cookies with a fork so that they don’t puff-up.

Put the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until slightly golden.

Let the cookies cool completely.To make the chocolate glaze, melt

chocolate and butter together and dip half of the cookie into the mixture. Let the glaze dry for 20 to 30 minutes before eating. n

TIP: Cover your hands in melted butter before handling the dough. It will be easier to shape.

Farzana Romine is a food lover and travel enthusiast whose mission is recreating restaurant quality dishes at home and she invites you to come along for the ride


In Lawachara Forest Photos: Reema Islam

8 OrIGIN STOrY | Tropical flavour

History of the Pineapple

Christopher Columbus was out to discover a New World and ended up making all sorts of discoveries,

including finding the refreshing pineapple on the shores of a Caribbean island. On his second voyage in 1493, Columbus discovered pineapples in Guadeloupe and called them pina de Indes or Pine of the Indians and this was the first recorded meeting of a European with the spiky fruit. Columbus and his mates obviously fell in love with the fleshy fruit and gladly took it back with them. However, the return journey had spoiled some of the pineapples and King Charles V was least impressed by the acidic, foul smelling fruit that reached him. Yet, pineapples soon took over the hearts of the European aristocrats and became a sought after delicacy that tested the efficiency of a hostess if she could serve her guests this soft, juicy fruit in all its freshness. The fruit however is said to have originated in the Orinoco Basin of South America and possibly also in Brazil and Paraguay and was introduced eventually to the Caribbean, where Columbus finally met this fruit that reminded him of a pine cone.

It was initially a challenge to grow the pineapples on European

soil, especially after the vehement dislike King Charles V had taken to it but soon the Duchess of Cleveland’s hot house in 1642 was successful in allowing the locals to enjoy locally grown pineapples. A French Hugeunot who had invented the hot houses was instrumental in this move but it was still an expensive fruit to sell in the markets, given the cost of growing it. Yet, pineapples were a favourite ingredient for colonial confectioners who started renting them out to women who wanted to impress their guests with their resourcefulness. It must have been quite a task concealing the fact from their dinner guests that the central piece of the dinner ensemble was in fact, a pineapple just barely being kept fresh on its third round of being rented out! Alexander Dumas was never a great fan of it and suggested immersing the pineapples in water then serving it with wine and sugar.

A symbol of welcoming guests, when Columbus and his men were touring the Caribbeans, they soon learned that a pineapple placed outside a village entrance meant the locals were welcoming them and this concept travelled far and wide and when the pineapple eventually made its worldwide journey, across

FromaPinaColadatoanaroshbhortaandupsidedownpineapplecakes,thespikyfruitthathasstartedfloodingourmarketswithitsheadyaromaandsucculenttasteshasalsotravelledmanymiles,acrossthecenturiestoarriveonthehillyslopesofSylhetandotherpartsofBangladeshwhereitisgrown.WetakeasmallpeakintothehistoryofPineapples.Bonappetite!Reema Islam

tumultuous seas and through the hands of greedy traders and colonists, it continued remaining a symbol of welcome. In Hawaii, door knobs were carved in the shape of a pineapple and in many gardens or plantations around the US, pineapples were carved near the entrances. Many of us must have passed those houses on the way out of Dhaka via Jatrabari, where the huge concrete pineapples have been carved on their rooftops. At least that is what I believe those spiky monstrosities resemble…! Hence the pineapple continued being represented symbolically and once the Portuguese had brought it with them to the islands of Java and Indonesia and eventually India, it soon became an integral part of the Asian cuisine as well. The Portuguese however called in Ananaz, a word taken from the original term of nana which meant excellent fruit, from the language of the region of Tupi, which included many South American countries.

Pineapples are grown abundantly in many parts of India which was brought in by the Portuguese traders in 1548, after visiting the nearby Indonesian islands. India in turn was the supplier

to later missionaries from Australia who first imported their plants from India’s soils during the early 1800s. However, as is the case with many other fruits and vegetables, it is possible that pineapples were already consumed in parts of India as claimed by the book, “Ancient India: History and Culture”. It is thought that the fruit was introduced during the Maurya (322 to 185 BC) and Gupta Empire (320 to 550 CE) while later day Mongolian immigrants also played a role in its transport. Similarly anthropologists have stated that pineapples existed in ancient Egypt as early as Queen Hatshepsut’s reign from 1492 to 1458 BCE. Evidence of pineapple and corn is painted on old murals, suggesting that the ancient Egyptians visited the New World by ship over 3,000 years ago.

In Bangladesh, we enjoy the anarosh in its many varieties. It was introduced to us through Assam and Manipur in India and was first cultivated in Sylhet in the beginning of 20th century. Pineapples are now cultivated almost all over while Sylhet, Tangail, Dhaka, and Rangamati remain the hubs of pineapple plantations. n

Reema Islam works at Jovago, the global hotel booking platform. Her main interest lies in archaeological heritage conservation & working with communities that live around a heritage site. Reema raises awareness about Bangladeshi archaeogy through articles in the US magazine Archaeology & other foreign & national publications.

Scientific Name:Ananas comosus

On the slopes of Srimongol


working MoMs | PhOTO STOrY 9

Theconstructionindustrycontinuestoemploymanuallabourersinjobsthatcanbedonebymachines.Manuallabourers,typicallywomen,breakingbrickswithhammersisacommonsightinDhakacity.Ourphotostorythisweekcapturesimagesofwomenlabourersattheirworkandtakingcareoftheirchildren.Amotherchangingahomemadediaperbyaheapofbrickslooksfamiliartoanymothertendingtoherchild.InthecontextofthecomingGlobalDayofParentsdayonJune1,thesepicturesmaybeseenasasmalltributetothemotherswhoendureincrediblehardships.Evenwiththehardenedmusclesoftheirarmsandroughcallousesontheirhands,theystillholdtheirchildrenwithasmuchtendernessasanyothermother.Thisweek’sphotostoryfeaturesthelabourermothersatworkinandaroundDhakacity.

Labour and love

Photos: Syed Zakir Hossain


10 PhOTO STOrY | working MoMs


11


12 ISSuE | sMokers’ healTh

Going up in smokeArethegraphicwarningsoncigarettepacketsbeingignored?N Anita Amreen

“Joghonno,” Sherman Sheridan Moreino says was his first and initial reaction to the graphic

image on his pack of Benson lights. The pictorial warning depicts an image of the insides of a man’s decayed throat - gory and frightening. “It’s a disgusting photo, but I do think, to some extent, it’s an effective campaign,” shares the 25 year old, who smokes around five to nine cigarettes on a regular day. Bangladesh recently implemented the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Rule 2015 where the use of pictorial health messages on packets of all tobacco products came into effect on March 19 this year. Ever since, most leading tobacco products have had images that graphically show the death and disease that smoking tobacco causes. With up to 50% of the main display areas taken up by these photos, some believe that these images may help smokers kick the habit better than those who read verbal warnings alone.

Positive step forwardBangladesh was the first country to sign the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), alongside being one of the first 40 countries to become a party to the FCTC. Prior to the new law that makes it mandatory to have pictorial warning labels on every tobacco product, most cigarette and bidi packs had text-only health warnings. ITC Bangladesh’s 2011 survey on the need for pictorial warnings in Bangladesh found that text only warnings weren’t actually effective in conveying the harms of smoking effectively. The study found that smokers in Bangladesh demonstrated “a relatively high level of awareness of text-only labels”.

What was interesting to find is that a minority of smokers reported that the warnings made them “try to avoid the labels, think about the health risks of smoking or made them think about quitting,”

showing that pictorial warnings could, to some extent, improve the level of awareness on the harms of smoking as well as motivate smokers to quit. With only two months since the new law has been in effect, it’s difficult to say if these most recent measures have really been effective in curbing smoking.

“Every time I see the packs, I feel a sense of self abuse,” shares Shafkat Sakin, a marketing professional who smokes Marlboro Advance. When asked if this has led to any difference in the number of cigarettes he smokes, he says it hasn’t. “I haven’t stopped smoking and neither do I smoke less because of the pictures, but I definitely think that feeling of self abuse will one day perhaps motivate me to stop smoking completely,” he adds.

One study’s findings have been in line with Shafkat’s thoughts - although the images may not immediately curb smoking habits, viewing graphic images over time has an impact on smokers and does lead them to think more carefully about the risks of smoking. The study published in the journal PLOS ONE is the first to study the impact of pictorial warnings labels on smokers outside of a laboratory and over a relatively long period of time. It found that smokers that looked at the labels for four weeks felt worse than those that just looked at text warnings. Eventually, it led them to believe that their habit was more dangerous, thereby increasing the chances of them giving it up in the long run.

Is the change too slow?“You can’t help but think twice before having a smoke but what matters is that these images at least make you think about it first. I wouldn’t say there has been a direct decrease in the number of cigarettes I smoke, but it definitely makes me feel more strongly about quitting in the long run,” shares Sherman. Every time he buys a pack, he is compelled to think about what if he also suffers the same fate as the man in the image.

“I think the force of habit of smoking is a much stronger factor than these warning signs or images,” explained Wasif Ahmed Naveed, a 24 year old who has been a smoker for the past eight years. As someone who smokes Marlboro reds, ever since the images have been imposed, he looks at the pack less but it hasn’t reduced his consumption. “They might have long term subliminal effects but I wouldn’t think it’s coming into effect right now or any time soon.”

“I feel like the packaging will have no effect as Bangladesh is a late adopter and this has been in effect throughout the whole world, and smoking incidence has only increased throughout Asia. The images are not a bigger turn-off than the addiction the cigarettes cause. Plus most of these images are so unrealistic that the smoker perceives them as lies,” says a former employee from one of the leading cigarette and tobacco company’s in Bangladesh, on request of

Although the images may not immediately curb smoking habits, viewing graphic images over time has an impact on smokers and does lead them to think more carefully about the risks of smoking


13

anonymity. “The images are absolutely appalling

and it does make me wonder - will this happen to me?” says Sheikh Irfan, an entrepreneur who’s been smoking for nearly 20 years now. Ever since the new packaging has been introduced, Irfan has been unable to find any store or shop selling packs that don’t have the images or are still selling cigarettes from the last stock that hasn’t had the images imposed.

National efforts to reduce smoking Packpeople.com.bd is a Bangladeshi website that takes things a step further via their campaign to make the harms of smoking even more real by sharing actual testimonials of smokers suffering from the same disease and illness depicted on the country’s graphic health warnings. The People Behind the Packs campaign is supported by Vital Strategies, a global expertise to build large-scale health programs in every region of the world, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. The campaign was filmed at cancer hospitals in Dhaka where four tobacco victims reveal their horrifying stories about their illnesses and disfigurements that have resulted from their tobacco habit.

“Tobacco kills more than 92,000 people every year in Bangladesh – that is more than 250 people every day! Sign this petition against tobacco and smoking in Bangladesh,” reads a sign on the website encouraging viewers to

sign a petition against tobacco. So far the petition has 710 signatures as of May 25.

The website also encourages people to report immediately to the National Tobacco Control Cell - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Tel: +88 02 9585135 if any pack of unlabelled cigarettes is found. With a fine of Tk200,000 for this breach of law, one would imagine that most retail stores would only carry packs with warnings, however, a report by UNB suggests otherwise.

The UNB report states that 75% packets of tobacco have no pictorial warnings. A survey conducted by seven anti-tobacco organisations, including Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Environmental Council Bangladesh and Ubinig and National Heart Foundation, revealed that 14 brands of bidi that was covered under the study are yet to follow the law. It was also revealed that about 55% cigarettes in the market had no warning, directly breaching the law in place.

The Health Ministry’s recent statistics revealed that around 57,000 people die of tobacco-related illnesses every year and nearly 300,000 suffer from related disabilities. Even though the government has put into place important measures to curb smoking, with this year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day being “stop illegal trade of tobacco products,” the government still has a long way to go in ensuring that these measures are being effectively implemented. n

Photos: Bigstock


14 ISSuE | corporal punishMenT

These words, written by one of the most famous 15 year olds in the world, portray all the innocent love and

admiration a child can feel for their parents. While there is some truth to this view, one cannot argue against the huge impact that parents have in forming their children’s personalities and determining their behaviour, especially when they are younger. Parenting can be difficult and children can be naughty, and quite often parents have to resort to punishing children for their mistakes, in order to teach them right or wrong.

It is an open secret that families in Bangladesh often resort to beating their children in order to discipline them. While corporal punishment at schools was outlawed in Bangladesh in 2010, it is still prevalent in a lot of academic institutions, and although the Children Act 2013 does make ambitious provisions for ending child cruelty, there is still no specific prohibition against

all corporal punishment at home. According to a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF report in 2014, a survey conducted in 2012-2013 showed that 65.9% of surveyed children (age 1-14 years) had received physical punishment, and that respondents with no educational attainment (35.1%) and residing in poorer households (41.7%) considered beatings to be a necessary form of discipline.

This may lead some to believe that it is only the economically and socially excluded who beat their children since they do not know any better, but this is simply not true. In his book ‘Better Days, Better Lives’, Kamal Siddiqui wrote in detail about the culture of physical punishment as a disciplinary tool all across the country, arguing that pain is inflicted on children “to secure better academic performance and to enforce obedience”, which is “augmented by the traditional view in Bangladesh society that parents, guardians, teachers and elders ‘can do

no wrong’”. However, when you dig deeper, it

is almost shocking how many children from educated middle-class families in the capital have been beaten as a form of discipline, whether it be for bad behaviour or doing badly at school. But are these strict views on parenting changing among the young, educated urbanites of Dhaka, and what are the views of this generation who were given corporal punishment when they were children?

The little things that hurtAccording to 29 year old businessman Zafir*, “I used to get beaten up all the time, with belts, shoes, hangars – you name it. It wasn’t always severe obviously, after a while it became a part of our upbringing and it didn’t bother me. The worst beating happened to my younger brother – he came home under the influence of something and got beaten with a golf club. I don’t agree with corporal punishment though, because I know what sort of

Spare the rodShuprova Tasneem

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” - Anne Frank

Photos: Bigstock

Spare the rod


15

resentment it builds, and I think there are other ways to handle kids but my parents just weren’t aware of them, and we were definitely a handful.”

On the other hand, 32 year old Onik* who works as a sub-editor in a business magazine, argues that some forms of corporal punishment, such as an open-handed slap, can be used as a tool of discipline. “I was never beaten severely and never in public, but I think sometimes you do need to be reprimanded for really bad behaviour, such as swearing at parents or hitting them. I grew up abroad, and most minorities like us did have some form of physical punishment at home for terrible behaviour.”

However, 26 year grad student Nawrin* argues that corporal punishment only made her act out more, and that parent-child relationships aren’t just a one-way road of obedience and respect. “I believe that if my parents had not hit me, I wouldn’t have hit my little sister as a child. There was one time that I instinctively hit my father back, and they stopped doing it after that. I know it was disrespectful, but they shouldn’t have hit me at all if they wanted to earn my respect too.”

26 year old electrical engineer Musa* is more forgiving of his upbringing, but still emphasises its negative effects as well by recounting his most traumatic experience with corporal punishment, when his dog tried to save him from the beating and was quite seriously injured instead. “The thing is, I committed a crime and was meant to be punished, but he was an innocent creature who didn’t deserve that, and it made me see red,” he said. “I was old enough to understand what I had done wrong. I think my brother and I being beaten had less to do with discipline and more to do with my mother’s issues on controlling her anger.”

Psychological aftereffects of physical punishmentAccording to Tanmi Akhter, educational psychologist at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), such feelings of aggression are likely to happen with children who are given corporal punishment, as well as low self-esteem and depression.

“There are just too many negative effects of corporal punishment, and it is only a temporary solution. The only way to ensure your child’s well-being is to ensure that rules are established and good behaviour is reinforced from a very young age,” she said. “We also

have to stop comparing children to each other and empower them instead, but of course that does not mean you should condone bad behaviour either.”

These views are echoed by Chaitali*, development professional and mother of a toddler. “In my mind, the most effective way of disciplining kids is through an open and clear communication channel. Positive reinforcement is invariably more effective than negative in ensuring that children have the space to share, rather than hide, their thoughts. Beatings not only alienate the child but also set the wrong example and can permanently scar a child’s psyche,” she said.

26 year old writer Shurobhi* agrees with this view. “I was never beaten as a child, I can’t imagine my parents would ever have hurt me like that. But my friend in the neighbourhood was always beaten by his parents, and I could see how it slowly dehumanised him. I was once over at their house and saw his mother hitting their hired help who can’t have been more than 14 herself, but he didn’t bat an eyelash. It just didn’t register that she was doing something really wrong.”

Helping ourselves to help our childrenShaheen Akhter, professor of paediatric neurology at BSMMU, also talks about her professional experiences with parents who beat their children and how it just creates a vicious cycle. “I have so many people who come to me and complain about their children being aggressive. And while I question the child’s history, often enough it comes out that the child is being beaten, and you have to explain that the most likely scenario here is that the child is only internalising his/her parents’ aggressive behaviour and acting out as a result.”

“When you’re growing up, your parents are everything to you. I know sometimes bad behaviour can be frustrating, but I think parents end up beating their children when they aren’t aware of other parenting methods

out there, adds Zafir. “Most people in Bangladesh think about getting married and having children as a normal progression in life without really thinking of the giant responsibilities that come with it, especially since in our community we get a lot of support from other family members in child-rearing, which is great but I think that only adds to the problem.”

Doctoral candidate and mother Karima* adds to this, and argues that corporal punishment shouldn’t even be used as a last resort. “If the option is still on the table, and you use it on the rare occasion, you’ve still beat your child and given them the impression that some form of violence is sometimes acceptable. I know parenting is difficult, but I think

it really helps to ask others for help – be it online or your friends and family. We are a close-knit community, but often strict practices can be passed down between generations, whereas to me it makes more sense to have a community of new parents who can give each other helpful advice in bringing up happy and healthy children.”

“At the end of the day, we have to move past the assumption that unconditional family and teacher obedience and the best academic performance is the norm for each and every child,” said Prof Akhter. “Every child is different and can have different behavioural or psychological problems that need to be gently dealt with, not with blows and raised voices.” n

** The names used in this article has been changed for confidentiality.


16 LawS | proTecTing chilDren

Beating them into obedience

Redwan was ticked off. That known sensation of frustration and anger crept into him. He gets this

feeling whenever something happens to remind him that he is labouring away at a dead end job. A job where he knows the slow increment in salary will never catch up to the expenses and where he is likely to spend the rest of his life, because the hope of getting a better job is nonexistent. His one entrepreneurial attempt proved hazardous, to put it mildly. He blames his wife for it. He knew from the beginning that amateur tailoring skills wasn’t going to cut it. But they went for it anyway.

Redwan looked down at Towsif who gave him a sly smile. “The spoiled little brat,” Redwan thought. Redwan resented the fact that this school strictly prohibits corporal punishment. “In our time the teacher would have smacked the smile right off. Heck! We wouldn’t have the nerve to look at the teacher, let alone smile,” he thought. Towsif, Redwan’s student in class 3, section C, drew a questionable shape on the whiteboard and named it after another student.

Redwan gathered all his will power to not strike his insolent student. “Shammi did it and now…” Redwan grimly remembered how one of his colleagues was fired for slapping a class 6 student. All of the teachers were shocked to hear about it, particularly after what that student did. But it did happen. Redwan cursed the stupid school and its stupid rules.

The story of Redwan is a real life experience of a teacher working in an English medium school in Dhaka. His question is the same question many people ask: “How do you discipline children if you cannot admonish them through corporal punishment?”

There is also a widely held perception among the older generation that getting beaten up as a child may have been a positive thing for them. “If I didn’t fear that my dad would beat me up I wouldn’t bother towing the line. I would have done a lot of stupid things,” Redwan echoed the sentiment.

Is there any truth to this feeling or have people been conditioned to adopt and carry on a perspective uncritically from their previous generation? A good place to start to understand the impact of corporal punishment would be to listen to the other party in this issue: the children.

A series of opinion polls of children were carried out in Bangladesh by UNICEF from 2005 to 2008. From the 2005 study, children identified more than 1,000 behaviours they disliked within the family, school and workplace. Of these, 293 were categorised as physical discipline, 206 as verbal punishment and 66 as other forms of discipline, representing the top three disliked behaviours.

Despite Bangladesh’s commitment to reforming the laws in order to prohibit corporal punishments in all settings, adequate legal instruments are still not in place to impose an all encompassing restriction on corporal punishment. At this point the

Supreme Court ruling against corporal punishment in schools needs to be codified in legislation.

The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children observed in its country report that in Bangladesh corporal punishment needs to be prohibited in alternative care settings, day care, schools, penal institutions and as sentence for crime.

In the 2011, ruling on corporal punishment in schools, the High Court Division of Supreme Court of Bangladesh called for prohibition of corporal punishment in the home and directed the Government to consider amending the Children Act 1974 to make it an offence for parents

(and employers) to impose corporal punishment on children.

A following legislation entitled ‘The Children Act 2013’ was enacted to address this but The Global Initiative says that the law “failed to achieve” the

goal. The Global Initiative report states that the law “includes the offence of child cruelty (art. 70), punishing “any person having the custody, charge or care of any child [who] assaults, abuses, neglects, forsakes, abandons unprotected, uses for personal services, or exposes in an obscene way such child and such assault, abuse, negligence, forsaking, abandonment, or the use in personal service causes unnecessary suffering or such injury to his health that it leads to loss of the child’s eyesight or hearing or injury to any of limb or organ of the body and any mental derangement”, but it does not prohibit all corporal punishment.”

In a way pressure groups, such

as The Global Initiative, put a lot of emphasis on enacting meticulous legislations because then it would be possible to demand the implementation of the law. Specific laws simply remove the room for ambiguity in upholding rights and that is why legislations are so important.

But in a way the safety of children from physical and mental punishment is de facto prohibited under the Constitution if we accept a humanistic and logical interpretation of the Constitution, as the High Court clearly did in 2011.

From a cultural standpoint we still need to go a lot further to achieve a tenable atmosphere where laws prohibiting corporal punishment of children can be enforced with effectiveness. A lot of the times the reason for beating up children has more to do with the adult’s own difficulties and challenges in life.

It would be too self-righteous and unrealistic to think that child beating only occurs because of a wanton psychopathic need for the adults to torture children. Poverty and a sense of insecurity are very potent factors that play a role. It is true that appropriate legislation is the first necessary step. But without a holistic approach to the problem no amount of laws would be able to make the phenomenon disappear. n

ArelawsinplaceagainstcorporalpunishmentofchildreninBangladesh?Saqib Sarker

Photo: Bigstock

The Supreme Court ruling against corporal punishment in schools needs to be codified in legislation


Dear ReaderThank you for writing in to us with your queries. Bangladeshi employers tend to follow the

guidelines of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 and make the 2006 Act an integral part of the employment contract. In cases of dispute the Courts also tend to follow the guidelines provided by the BLA 2006 in the absence of any particular guideline.

A company or establishment can hire employee and/or labour as their employees by entering into an agreement, referred to as an “Employment Agreement” in Bangladesh. A mere ‘offer letter’ is not enough to constitute an agreement between the parties unless it is not accepted by the prospective employee. The Employment Agreement serves as a contract between the employer and employee and is governed by the “Contracts Act, 1872”.

Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 was enacted to consolidate and amend the laws relating to employment of labour, relations between workers and employers, determination of minimum wage, payment of wages and compensation for injuries to

workers, formation of trade unions, raising and settlement of industrial disputes, health, safety, welfare and working conditions of workers, and apprenticeship and matters ancillary thereto.

Therefore, BLA 2006 is applicable only for those whoever falls under the definition of ‘worker’. Under BLA 2006, a ‘worker’ does not include a person employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity and in such cases the employees need to rely on the terms and conditions of the contract with the employer. Generally various compliant companies have their own set of rules, e.g. ‘staff hand book’, ‘service manual’, etc. through which they govern their employees. An employer is bound to follow the provisions laid down in the BLA 2006 as long as the employee could be termed as an worker as defined in the Act.

Contract terms are a variable and usually upheld, as both the employee and the employer implicitly agree to it prior to commencement of employment.

It is not difficult to terminate an ‘Employment Contract’ provided the ‘termination clause’ exists

in the Employment Contract. An employer can terminate a contract of an employee (who is not a labour) by serving him notice for the period stipulated in the Employment Contract, or make payment in lieu of such notice period. If the employee falls under the category of a “worker”, termination is possible in the two ways outlined below:

Discretionary terminationTo terminate permanent employment, the:• Employer must give 120 days’ notice• Employee must give 60 days’ notice.• For temporary workers, either side

must give 30 days’ notice.

Disciplinary terminationSummary dismissal (that is, without notice) is permitted only for convictions of a criminal offence. For other disciplinary grounds, the employee has seven days to justify his misconduct. If his reply is unsatisfactory, the employer must call a hearing to decide whether he should be dismissed on disciplinary grounds. The following disciplinary grounds apply:

• Wilful insubordination or failure to obey.

• Theft, fraud or dishonesty in connection with the employer’s business or property.

• Taking or giving a bribe.• Habitual late attendance.• Habitual breach of any law, rule or

regulation.• Riotous or disorderly behaviour, or

any act subversive of discipline.• Habitual negligent work.• Habitual breach of any rule of

employment.• Falsifying, tampering with,

damaging, or causing loss of the employer’s official records.A severance payment is payable for

disciplinary termination (other than due to conviction for a criminal offence or theft, fraud or riotous or disorderly behaviour, including arson and vandalism). The severance payment is equal to 15 days’ pay for each completed year of employment.

I hope the above is helpful to you and your company. If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch! n

Jennifer ashraf | LEGaLESE 17

The fine print

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

I have just secured a relationship with a foreign company to help them advertise and hire employees

in Dhaka. They had a few queries, which I need assistance about. Is it required/common practice to sign up labour contract with employee in Bangladesh? Or an offer letter is enough? Is there any regulation about the labour contract term? Is it difficult to terminate contract with an employee in Bangladesh? In what circumstance can an employer terminate contract with its staff and is there any cost to terminate an employee’s contract?

Q A

Photo: Bigstock


18 STaY IN

S u d o k u

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Last week’s sudoku solutions

Last

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Clues

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

Mini crypticshoroscopes

Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19)- it’s time to get out and network with key people. And you could even find yourself attracted to someone on the spur of the moment. Go easy, though, it could turn out to be an on-and-off relationship.

Taurus (Apr 20-May20)- A week full of passion and creativity engulfs the artist inside you bull, so let it flow. Gemini (May 21-June 20)- The planets aligning your fate are finally out of slumber, which means this is the start of new beginnings and adventures for you. Go get ‘em!

Cancer (June 21-Jul22)- Seems like the cat’s got a hold of your tongue for quite some time now. This week brings you opportunities to finally open up and speak and get out of your tiny bubble and explore everything around you.

Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22)- You’ve got money on your mind this week but having said that it does seem like that sometimes money doesn’t matter. Try holding on to it for as long as you can, maybe opening up a savings account could help.

Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22)- The weather has been gloomy lately but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to bring yourself down with the rain.

Libra (Sep 23-Oct22)- Your life has been stable and running at a steady speed for quite some time now. Be prepared for some adventurous thrills and excitement.

Scorpio (Oct23-Nov21)- You’ll be surrounded by friends all throughout this week, it may not be bad idea to take a road trip with them just to ease the mind. Sagittarius (Nov22-Dec 21)- The creative side of you has been hiding for a while, it is time to give it a nudge and wake it up. Now is a good time to think of starting an entrepreneurship.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan19)- The world is your oyster and you’ll soon be travelling to many a great city for work.

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18)- You’re usually very calm, composed and hardly ever lose your cool. However it seems like you’ve been under a lot of stress lately.

Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20)- It’s time to clear away the clutter from your mind and be as positive as you possibly can be.

aCrOss5 Revolutionary car

dial switch (7)6 I’m sad about

golden King (5)9 Organ moved to US

city for cereal (7)

DOwN1 Attempt a score at rugby (3)2 Sailor is a confused dam liar

(7)3 Race duo tour South American

country (7)4 Take to the sky like an insect (3)7 Weekly pay doesn’t begin to

get old (3)8 Looked up formerly (3)

aCrOss1 Cheater rearranged land

area (7)4 Arranged seminar for military

unit (7) 6 Best to choose sorted mail (7)7 Galley equipment

revolutionary and new (7)

DOwN1 Poke fun after bad actor made

cloth bed (7)2 Barrow holds a measure of

gemstones (5)3 One slip changed Greek letter (7)5 New York speed of woodland

spirit (5)


GO OuT 19

Weekly Planner

When 7pm Where Red Shift Coffee Lounge, Radius Centre, 5th Floor, Bay’s Galleria, 57 Gulshan, DhakaWhat The Bodhisattwa Ghosh Trio launching their new album Heart of Darkness.They are a jazz-rock outfit which believes in the expression of unadulterated human feelings, in the form of unrefined powerful sounds created from energy, deep within the human soul.

Drawing influences from musical

ideas, musicians, feelings, and experiences in Bodhisattwa’s life, the trio, with Bijit Bhattacharya on bass, and Premjit Dutta on drums, delivers a mix of original songs as well as interpretations of pieces written by legends who have inspired the musicians in the band.

Tickets are available for Tk600 at Red Shift/Radius or online for Tk660 at www.imdhaka.com or www.jetechao.com (Limited seating so please book early).

Exhibition | The Milkshake CollectiveWhen 5:30pmWhere Cityscape Tower, 53 Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka What ‘The Milkshake Collective,’ is a blend of 22 local artists banding together for the ultimate art fair of their own creation.

Flecked with pop culture, modern and street art, witness the visual explorations in method, medium and madness of these underground maestros. There will be prints, limited edition tees, merchandise, and more.

So come mingle with the artists and share a collective bond at the

calm and charmingly contemporary Cityscape International Ltd, in the heart of Gulshan, Dhaka.

Participating artists include: Alia Kamal, Dibarah Mahboob, Farah Khandaker, Gazi Nafi, Ismail Ferdous, Istela Imam, Kabir Ava, Liza Hasan, Mahenaz Chowdhury, Maleena Dhrity Gomez, Manik N Ratan, Nuhash Humayun, Nuzhat Tabassum, Saiqa S Chowdhury, Saria Saguaro, Sayeef, Mahmud, Shevi Vee, Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy, Tanzia Haq, Tausif Sabir, Wasi Ahmed, and Waseka Nahar.

June 2

June 2

Concert | Concert by the Bodhisattwa Ghosh Trio

June 1Food | Grand Opening of Platform Nine and Three QuartersWhen 7pmWhere Platform Nine and Three Quarters, 5 Lake Drive Road, Sector 7, Uttara, 1230 DhakaWhat The first ever Harry Potter themed restaurant in Dhaka, will open on June 1st, 2016. If you are a Potterhead, then participate in their contests, like and share their page, and you will get a chance to inaugurate Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and enjoy delicious meals with your family.

May 27Concert | Jatra Biroti Live PerformancesWhen 7pm Where Jatra Biroti, 60 Kemal Ataturk Ave, 1213 Dhaka, BangladeshWhat ‘Ek Bangalir Upakhyan’ is a project that lives up to it’s name that translates into the tales from a bengali bloke. A brainchild of globe trotting bassist/music producer, Mainak (Bumpy) Nag Chowdhury, this project is an attempt to capture the imagination/ dialogues of and between contemporary bengali artists set to the backdrop of Bengal. With fearless co artists like percussionist Ratul Shankar and jazz-rock guitarist Bodhisattwa Ghosh, EBU is creating a hybrid space where the traditional and modern music co-exists.Doors open at 7pm, music will start at 8pm.Tickets available at Tk300.

May 27Play | An Inspector CallsWhen 8pmWhere Gulshan Club, House NWJ 2/A Road 50, Gulshan 2, 1212 Dhaka, BangladeshWhat An Inspector Calls is a play written by English dramatist J B Priestley, first performed in 1945 in the Soviet Union and in 1946, in the UK. It is one of Priestley’s best known works for the stage, and is considered to be one of the classics of mid-20th century English theatre. The play’s success and reputation has been boosted in recent years by a successful revival by English director Stephen Daldry for the National Theatre in 1992, and a tour of the UK in 2011–2012.

May 29Education | Advising on US University AdmissionsWhen 3:30pmWhere EMK Center, Midas Center Building (9th Floor), House 5, Road 27 (old), Dhanmondi, DhakaWhat Interested in pursuing your higher education in the United States? Join this EducationUSA session at the EMK Center on US university admissions process and requirements. The program is free and open for everyone interested in studying in the US. No prior registration is required to attend this program, simply come to the EMK Center and attend the session.


First impressions can be a very deceptive thing. You think you know someone, but then you really don’t. Everyone

goes through this experience many times in their lives, at different stages, with different people.

When I got married and entered shoshurbari, I can honestly say that I didn’t know anyone well other than my husband. Over the years, I’ve developed different relationships with the different people in our household, and each relationship is as different as the other.

The thing about people is, you might not like them at first, but if you stay with them long enough and get to know them, they end up growing on you. I think it’s safe to say that I not only married my husband, but his family, extended family, and assorted cousins as well, haha!

For someone like me, this was a big change in personality, since I was so used to being independent, frank, and not taking any crap from anyone. When one comes in to live with a new family, there are expectations on both ends, and well, I went through a mega personality ‘upheaval.’ I can be very adaptive, but shoshurbari was a whole new ballpark.

Everyone has different experiences and it’s how you deal with different situations that sets the footprints for your future. I am personally a very anti-conflict person, and prefer to diffuse a situation in the best way possible rather than rile up volcanic eruptions. But sometimes, it’s important to speak up and clear the air, or else it eats away at you, until you turn into Venom from the Spiderman movies.

It’s true! If I could morph into my ‘angry state’ it would probably look like an amalgamation of the alien from The Aliens movie mashed with The Blob.

Attractive, I know.One person who cannot go without

mention is the elderly part-time maid at our house, the essential chuta bua, our beloved “Jharna’r Ma”. It might seem strange to those unfamiliar with our customs, but it’s quite normal to refer to someone as “someone’s mom” or “someone’s dad”. Coincidentally, Jharna (the daughter) also works afternoons at our house. Elderly house

help are so used to being “someone’s mom”, that they get surprised when someone wants to know their real name, which is what happened with me when I asked Jharna’r Ma what her real name was. She gave me a sheepish grin and said, “Zohora”. I told her it was a nice name and she dutifully informed me that no one called her by that name anymore. She has been Jharna’r Ma for as long as she could remember.

Despite being part-time, Jharna’r Ma is an integral part of our familial system. When it comes to first impressions, when I first met her, I was afraid of her. She carried an authoritative personality and has a voice harsh and broken with time. When she first saw me, my hair was dyed a different colour. For them this was strange, and she promptly gave me the once-over before asking my mother in law if I was a foreigner. When she was told that I wasn’t, she scrunched her face, and murmured, “Sool rong korse?”

Highly opinionated, Jharna’r Ma does only what she thinks is right and often gets into arguments. Most of the other part-time maids who worked nearby were afraid to even attempt to look for work at a house that Jharna’r Ma worked at. It was only a year later when I had Jellybean and was home alone with the both of them that I got to know her well.

Jellybean calls her Jharna Dadu, and absolutely loves to pick on her, despite Jharna’r Ma fondly calling her “Buri” and treating her with affection. Jellybean often steals a spoonful of Nocilla now and then with Jharna Dadu as her accomplice, and blames Jharna Dadu whenever she does something naughty.

Their love-hate relationship is glued even further with their inability to communicate with each other - Jharna’r Ma with her village tongue and Jellybean with her shuddho bangla and broken English. One day I found Jellybean calling her grandmother, “Ai dadiiii!”, and I was stumped at how my barely three year old had learnt to be

rude. I found out soon enough when I heard Jharna’r Ma calling Jellybean, “Ai Buriiii!”

And that wasn’t all, once I heard Jharna’r Ma teaching Jellybean the Bengali words for head, hands and feet and I had to go running to stop her, absolutely terrified because she was teaching Jellybean in her village accent and those words came out, “Matthaa, haaath, paao.”

Whenever I would go to visit my parents over weekends, Jharna’r Ma would hardly show up for work, at the great annoyance of my mother in law. If by chance she came in and I wasn’t there, she would ask, “Bou koi, bou?” and I would hear about it later, about how I had managed to penetrate the tough exterior and create a soft spot for myself in the persona that is Jharna’r Ma.

Despite her faults, she is extremely caring and possessive about us like her own family. She will yell and argue, but she often did things she was not particularly asked to do, and went out of her way many, many times for us. Okay, so she was aging and her

eyesight wasn’t the same as before; her sweeping and mopping was equal to NOT sweeping and mopping; and your dirty laundry will come out exactly the way they went in, just wet and smelling slightly soapy – but, she is still forgiven because of how much she cared for us.

Jharna’r Ma hopes to live long enough to see Jellybean married off, but until then, these incidents are all stories to tell Jellybean when she grows up. So for now, we will make do with Jharna’r Ma’s oily but delicious food, overflowing with all her love! n

20 ThE BONG MOMMa | Tales froM a firsT-TiMe MoM

Minu Ahmed is your not-so-average homemaker, norm-shirker and abomination of awesomeness, juggling a career in communication, mother- hood and a fatter half. Questions? Send to [email protected]

Mattha, haath, paao

Photo: Bigstock

Minu Ahmed

weekend tribune may 27th 2016

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