weekend tribune vol 2 issue 46

Dhaka Tribune | vol 2 Issue 46 | FRIDAY, ApRIl 3 , 2015

6 peRu 4 Hell Is otHeR people 20 eDRIc

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WEEKEN D TRI BU N E | FRI DAY, APRI L 3 , 2015

1CONTENTS

Volume 2 | Issue 46 | April 3, 2015

EditorZafar Sobhan

Features EditorSabrina Fatma Ahmad

Asst Magazine EditorFarina Noireet

Weekend Tribune TeamFarhana UrmeeFaisal MahmudTausif SanzumSakib Mridha

ContributorsJennifer Ashraf Kashmi

Tanusree GhoshReema Islam

Pragya RahmanSabah Rahman Habib Torikul Sakib Sarker

Shehzaad Shams Dina Sobhan

CartoonsSyed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

Priyo

GraphicsMd Mahbub Alam

Tahsin Momin

Colour SpecialistShekhar Mondal

AdvertisementZia Ur Rahman

ProductionMasum Billah

CirculationMasud Kabir Pavel

Websitedhakatribune.com/weekendfacebook.com/WeekendTrib

Email your letters to:[email protected]

Editor’s note

About the cover

Dear Readers,As we wrap up March and move

into April, we’ve got a mixed bag of stories for your enjoyment.

There’s some of the crazy in the form of not one, but TWO list stories. From crazy aunties who think your business is their business, to the entertainingly paranoid who think that the moon is a giant projector show, there’s plenty of weirdness for you to witness.

Having just passed Nowruz, we take a look back into the traditions behind these ancient celebrations.

Our photo story this week takes us to the char areas, where we get to meet some lovely children and walk a mile in their shoes.

As the Kalboishakhi storms begin to brew, the mind travels to tempestuous Mother Nature in all her deadly glory. We’ve got a piece on the state of disaster management in Bangladesh.

We stop for a chat with Edric Ong, about Asian crafts and the industry in Malaysia.

Finally, pack your bags and join Team Onetimefashionista as they set sail for Peru, and climb the peaks of Machu Picchu in yet another marvellous adventure.

Here’s wishing you a happy Friday, and we hope you have a fabulous week.

-Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

News 2 News

3 Meanwhile

Features 4 Listology Hell is other people

5 Listology Theory or fact?

6 Travel Peru

12 Feature Disaster Preparedness

16 Project Partnership for health

17 Event Ancestors

20 Interview Edric Ong

regulars14 Legalese

15 Tough Love

18 Stay In

19 Go Out

PhOTO STOryCHilDrEn Of CHArs

8

9

to dye forThe polluted river soaks up some colourful dye.

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

OrIGIN STOrynOwruz


2 NEwS | This week

China closes 66 ‘illegal’ golf courses

North Korea threatens strike against UN rights office in Seoul

US drone ‘killed two Iranian troops in Iraq’

US admiral says China ‘creating a great wall of sand’ in sea

China’s Communist rulers have turned against the exclusive sport of golf with the government saying nearly 70 “illegal” courses have been closed, seemingly enforcing a decade-old ban for the first time.

The announcement by the ministry of land and resources comes amid a high-profile anti-graft campaign spearheaded by President Xi Jinping, which has seen crackdowns on banquets, lavish gift-giving and other official excesses.

The ruling Communist Party has long had an ambivalent relationship with golf, which is a lucrative opportunity for local authorities and

a favoured pastime of some officials, but is also closely associated with wealth and Western elites.

“Presently, local governments have shut down a number of illegally-built golf courses, and preliminary results have been achieved in clean-up and rectification work,” read the announcement on the ministry’s website late Monday.

News of the closures was soon followed on Tuesday by a commerce ministry announcement that senior official Wang Shenyang was being investigated for playing golf in violation of Xi’s “eight rules” on official behaviour.

North Korea has threatened “merciless punishment” against South Korea if it goes ahead with plans to open a UN field office in Seoul for monitoring the North’s human rights record.

The Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), a state body handling inter-Korean affairs, said late Monday that the office was

an “unforgivable provocation” and would become a “first-strike target.”

The United Nations first proposed opening the field office in May last year, following a searing report by a UN commission that concluded North Korea was committing human rights violations “without parallel in the contemporary world”.

The report formed the basis of a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in December, urging the Security Council to consider referring Pyongyang to the International Criminal Court.

The field office is expected to open in Seoul sometime in the first half of this year.Photo: Reuters

Two Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen were killed by a US drone in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, Iranian state media said Monday, in a report that was denied by the Pentagon.

The official IRNA news agency said the two had been posted to Iraq as advisers in the war against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists and that they died in the drone strike on March 23.

Pictures of the two men, named

as Ali Yazdani and Hadi Jafari, were posted on Iranian news websites after their funerals on home soil.

The Fars news agency called Jafari, 29, the third “martyr in defence of the shrines” from the northern Iranian city of Amol. Yazdani was buried

in Tehran, it reported.Iran, the predominant Shiite

Muslim power in the Middle East, has said it is supporting ally Iraq and will protect its Shiite holy places against IS.

However, the US Department of Defense said in a statement that it had not conducted air strikes in the Tikrit area on the date the men were said to have been killed.Photo: AP

China is “creating a great wall of sand” through land reclamation in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet said Tuesday.

Admiral Harry Harris Jr. told a naval conference in Australia that competing territorial claims by several nations in the South China Sea are “increasing regional tensions and the potential for miscalculation.”

“But what’s really drawing a lot of concern in the here and now is the unprecedented land reclamation

currently being conducted by China,” he said.

“China is building artificial land by pumping sand on to live coral reefs — some of them submerged — and paving over them with concrete. China has now created over 4 square kilometers (1.5 square miles) of artificial landmass,” he said.

Harris said the region is known for its beautiful natural islands, but “in sharp contrast, China is creating a great wall of sand with dredges and bulldozers over the course of months.”

Endangered bighorn sheep moved to Yosemite, Sequoia parks

For the first time in a century, endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are back on their ancestral range and headed toward recovery, wildlife officials said Monday.

During an ongoing relocation effort, dozens of bighorns have been captured with nets dropped from helicopters then moved to Yosemite and Sequoia national parks.

“We’ve got the sheep where we

want them on a broad geographic basis, which is a huge milestone,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Tom Stephenson said. “We’ve still got to get their numbers up a bit.”

Thousands of the sheep once roamed the Sierra Nevada but overhunting and disease spread by domesticated sheep

herds caused near-extinction.Between 1914 and 1986, no bighorn

roamed Yosemite, and statewide their numbers hit a low of about 100. The animals were placed on the federal endangered species list in 1999.

Today, about 600 exist statewide in areas critical to their survival, Stephenson said.Photo: AFP

The world at a glanceWeekend Tribune Desk

Radical Islamists hacked to death blogger Md Oyasiqur Rahman Babu Monday morning in Tejgaon, Dhaka allegedly for his atheist views.

A travel agency executive, Oyasiqur’s murder was premeditated. Three assailants swooped on Oyasiqur, 27, armed with machetes around 9am on Dipika Mosque Lane of Begunbari, close to Tejgaon Textile Engineering University, when he was going to office in Motijheel.

While fleeing, two of the killers – Zikrullah, a student of Hefazat-e-Islam’s Hathazari Madrasa in Chittagong, and Ariful, student of Mirpur Darul Uloom Madrasa – were held by two transgendered persons as locals remained reluctant to

chase the killers. The other member of the team, Abu Taher, escaped.

The duo was handed over to police, who later recovered the machetes from the crime scene, Tejgaon industrial police OC Salauddin said.

The incident took place only a month after secular blogger and former Buet teacher Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya came under attack by extremists. Avijit succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. Police are yet to solve the case but claim that the killers might be linked to the banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir and Ansarullah Bangla Team.News: Dhaka Tribune

Blogger Oyasiqur hacked to death


3meanwhile ... | NEwS

A group of ULAB students under the guise of #VoicelessBangladeshi are drawing social awareness graffiti on the busy roads of Dhaka.

This photo was taken near the bridge on Dhanmondi road 8

Photo: Sakib Mridha

Want to get things done? Here’s how:

Bright and earlyThere’s something to be said for that old adage of “early to bed, early to rise”. Establishing an early morning schedule ensures that you get more done. Grab a big breakfast to fuel the old engine up, and grab life by the horns.

Paint me a pictureGoals become more achievable if you know what they look like. Visualise what success means for you, and you will feel more motivated to achieve it. If meditation alone won’t help you summon the vision of your end game, install a mood board near your work station with photos, or a mission statement, or a flowchart of steps to take, and you will always have something to look forward to. Literally.

Bite what you can chewTackling a big job head-on might prove to be too daunting, and lead you to abandon your

cause midway. Breaking a large project down to manageable tasks, and then completing them one at a time will gradually, and surely, lead to completion. The glow of achievement that you get after you finish each task will further motivate you to keep going.

soak it upCriticism, advice, heads up, you’ll be surprised at how easily people hand you the tools you need to do your job if you only pay heed. Listen to what people have to say before you commence a project, and you may save yourself a world of confusion and trial-and-error.

Consistence is keyYou could have your moments of brilliance, and your off days, but the one thing you should aim for is consistency. No one likes working with a flake. Honour your commitments and you’ll build trust and valuable relationships that will help you move forward in your work and life.

Newly discovered species of mushrooms look like little, tiny humansWith fleshy heads, arms and legs, these magical mushrooms look like real fun guys.

Discovered by Jonathan Revett in Cockley Cley, Norfolk, the fungus has just been classified as a new species.

They have been named as geastrum britannicum to reflect them being unique to the UK.

Jonathan, 49, said: “They do look like little mushroom men.

“It’s really strange how their shape makes them look like they have a head and arms.

“That’s what drew my attention to them.”

Despite first spotting them in 2000, the fungus was at first dismissed as a species of earthstar fungi which is prevalent in Norfolk.

However, 15 years later, mycologists in Spain carried out DNA sequence analysis and have just confirmed they differ slightly.

Jonathan – who has been interested in mycology – the study of fungus – for more than 40 years, and runs the website fenfungi.com, said: “It felt brilliant knowing I’d found something new.News and photo: Daily Mirror

Say what?

You’re welcome5 steps to productivitySabrina Fatma Ahmad

Photo of the week


4 LISTOLOGy | hell is oTher people

Aunty, please!

Your love, my businessThe worried Aunty:They say: “How come you're not married? No one likes you?”You think: No. No one likes me. Even Shrek found love, but I haven't been that lucky. Why are you so concerned? Will you be paying for the events?

The smug, mother of three:They say: “You're not getting any younger. Don't you want children?”You think: Thanks for your fake concern, but my feminine plumbing is in tip-top shape. I haven't reached my expiration date, yet, if that's what you were worried about.

Young Aunty in Training:They say: “Oh, you broke up? Again?”You think: One day your toddler will also break up with someone. Why don’t you think about that?

FattitudeThe obese Aunty:They say: “Oh, have you put on a few pounds?”You think: My whole body weighs the size of your left thigh, woman.

The lazy Aunty loitering in front of the gym:'They say: “If you work out, what will happen to me?” (While inhaling a double cheeseburger)You think: Your body is not my problem.

People say the darndest thingsSabah Rahman

People in Dhaka have a knack for asking inappropriate questions and making random comments that can make you want to smack them in the face. There's the holier than thou Aunty Brigade, the young aunties/bhabis in training, and even though men are a bit better at

minding their business, there can be some awkward interaction with them as well. Our minds fill up snarky comebacks that we really can't say aloud. Maybe it's time we should.

Back hand chefThe sceptical Aunty:They say: “You look very different.” While eyeing you suspiciously.You think: Well, I don't remember having any aesthetic surgeries and the last time you saw me, I was still in diapers.

The perky Aunty:They say: “You look tired. What's wrong?”You think: I am tired because my day doesn't involve sitting on my ample behind eating bonbons and watching 'Hitler Didi'.

The “Moydar Bosta” Aunty:They say: “You're beautiful even though you're so dark.”You think: Wait! Did you just insult me or compliment me?

The amorous Aunty:They say: “All those blemishes will disappear when you get married.”You think: So, you're saying regular horizontal acrobatics will cure me of all my skin issues?

The straight up weirdosThe Aunty who has never worked a day in her life and has two nannies per child:They say: “Oh, you job?” (exact words)You think: I'll think about speaking to you when you learn the fact that the word “job” is not a verb.

The Aunty who tries to outdo the bride at a wedding:They say: “Why do you look so plain? Didn't you get so and so Apa to do your make-up?”You think: No. I don't want to look like the creepy mother in law from most Hindi serials. I don't want to match my lipstick to my eye-shadow, blush, sari, purse and shoes. I also don't want guests chuckling behind my back, saying I attempted to outshine the bride and failed miserably.

Honourable mention: The DruncleThe random uncle who gulped down four glasses of Scotch before dinner was servedThey say: “Is the beef Halal?”You think: No comment...

Cartoons: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune


5Theory or facT? | LISTOLOGy

No matter what your government tells you, conspiracy theories have always existed. From the time when extraterrestrial beings came to the earth to implant lives through to the present time conspiracy theorists have always found ingenious hypothesis to prove that everything you believe is false. You might intuitively think that with the advent of modern communication and powerful media (invented by the Illuminati), conspiracy theories were going to die out. But they are actually thriving. In fact people are being

more and more creative and there is no shortage of bizarre theories on the internet.

But why do people indulge in conspiracy theories? The answer may not be quite as straight forward as it initially appears. In a 2014 book American Conspiracy Theories (Oxford University Press) the authors found that “inducing anxiety or loss of control triggers respondents to see nonexistent patterns and evoke conspiratorial explanations.…There is evidence that disasters (eg, earthquakes) and other high-stress

“I am a conspiracy theoristAnd I know 5 other conspiracy theorists.What! Do you think that’s a coincidence?” - American satirical singer Roy Zimmerman

The truth is out thereParanoid minds have the best storiesSaqib Sarker

situations (eg, job uncertainty) prompt people to concoct, embrace, and repeat conspiracy theories.”

But no amount of scientific data can diminish the absolute hilarity of some of the conspiracy theories people have conjured up. Here we list some of them for your amusement:

Holographic moonThis theory posits that the moon is actually a giant holographic image put up on the sky to conceal the real moon. No, it’s not an April fool joke (just search ‘the truth about our moon’ on youtube). How they explain away the absurdities in this claim verges on Monty Pythonesque skits. But that apparently hasn’t stopped this theory from earning support.

Hitler is aliveAs you have correctly guessed, this theory proposes that Hitler is alive. But why stop there? The proponents of the theory must have thought. They dug in deeper and found that our dear Führer may have even orchestrated the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre. How do they know this? By using simple mathematics! Hitler’s birthday was on the 111th day of the year. And guess what? So were the terror attacks on the World Trade Centre. But the immortal head of the Nazi Party could not find contentment. He even devised the Gulf Oil Spill

disaster. Again, the whole matter was as clear as the scalp of a shampoo model, because the oil spill also happened on the 111th day of the year.

The hollow earth theoryWhat is inside the Earth’s hard exterior? This is the question that bothered curious people for millennia. Thanks to the inventors of this theory now we know. It is totally hollow. The theorists claim that they can prove this but sadly no one has agreed to fund their undertaking.

Who built the pyramids?The proponent of this theory formulated from non-existing evidence that while Egyptians were making the pyramids they had the dinosaurs help them in the building process. Our long extinct reptile friends, it appears, had much greater interest in human architecture than we initially thought. It is unknown at this point if our dino buddies had any input in the design or they just provided manual labour. In any case, after this discovery the role of dinosaurs in our civilization seems much underappreciated.

What do all the powerful people have in common?That they are wealthy? Wrong! That they are very influential? Nope! The answer was just staring us right in the face, only we never figured it out. But thanks to David Icke we now know that all the powerful people are an ancient herd of shape shifting Lizards. What? Yes! David Icke says that humanity is ruled by a predatory reptile race that takes human form and controls the human population whilst eternally perpetuating their reptilian evil in the world. Richard Kahn and Tyson Lewis argue, Wikipedia article on Icke mentions, that the reptilian hypothesis may simply be Swiftian satire, a way of giving ordinary people a narrative with which to question what they see around them; whether or not that’s true this will always be on the top of any ridiculous conspiracy theory list. n

Photo: Bigstock


6 TravEL | peru

Mystic, Majestic Machu Picchufirst Morocco, then Argentina, now team OneTimefashionista would like to take the readers of Dhaka Tribune to the magnificent South American country of Peru where calmly awaits for you the majestic peaks of Machu Picchu Tanusree Ghosh and Shehzaad Shams

In September 2014, we made our maiden trip to this exciting country to discover for ourselves why this sacred land of the Incas

has been drawing so many travellers to its arms year after year.

Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu is unfathomable in its beauty. It is important for you to be physically immersed in the environment with the regal Machu Picchu in front of you. This is important because while the pious make pilgrimages to various shrines to applaud their creator, for not-so-pious lovers of humanity, similar spiritual enlightenment can be obtained by spending an entire day at this world wonder to absorb what mortal beings had done, how profound their attempts were to conquer nature or how sincere there rituals were to bow down before it, in case they could not evade defeat.

Firstly some useful tips to get you going:• Buy your entry tickets online from

the Government of Peru’s website for Machu Picchu. There are daily limits and once the quota is filled up, they don’t allow entry. You also have to carry your passport on the day of entry. So plan and book in advance.

• Better to fly from Lima to Cusco. You could drive, but only if you have plenty of time in hand. Flight recommended.

• You could use Cusco as your base. You have to go to Ollantaytambo from Cusco to catch the train to Agua Calientes – the host city to Machu Picchu. If you are travelling in a group, we suggest you hire a cab from Cusco to Ollantaytambo.

• There are only two train companies that will ferry you to Agua Calientes- Peru Rail and Inca Rail.

Photos: Courtesy


Reserve online in advance. • You should stay overnight at Agua

Calientes to catch the early morning buses that will take you to Machu Picchu.

• The buses start form 6.30am from Agua Calientes and are located just next to the main train station. Do queue up early. The last bus from Machu Picchu departs at 5pm, so make sure you catch that to get back to Agua Calientes.

• While getting out of Machu Picchu, don’t forget to stamp your passport with the seal of the World Wonder, its worth the souvenir.

The bubbles of anticipation will get stronger when you will get into the

cab from Cusco to Ollantaytambo. The serpentine roads that take you a step closer to the heart of the Inca land will keep unfolding shades of its mysteries with every turn. The unscathed mountain peaks, the habitants of the mountains with their herds, the fresh air and the chill in it – a perfect setting to a mystery you are driving towards. Ollantaytambo itself is a must-visit small town of the Sacred Valley rich with its own history and charm. The train journey itself was an eye opening experience, literally, as it had see-through roofs and big windows. Meals were provided with excellent service.

A train full of travellers from all around the world, with one destination and anticipation. No less than a full-fledged pilgrimage party – this time to celebrate human endeavour over God’s might. As the train made its way through the valleys, the high peaks kept welcoming us to the unknown, to the remote mystery which had been carefully guarded as far as possible from the daily bustles. The arrival at Agua Calientes pretty much confirmed the fact that we were only a short bus ride away from the most well-kept Inca secret. Agua Calientes is the tiny little guardian township as the proud stopover to its darling Machu Picchu. River Urubamba flows through the heart of the tiny town, closely knit markets and hotels, all perfect for the perfect discovery. We had a bit of a hiccup though, as soon as we arrived. The hotel we booked turned out to be really dirty and filthy as if like an anti-climax to the excitement. We had to quickly change arrangements and finally settled for another hotel situated just on the train lines itself.

The following day we joined the bus queue in the misty morning. Unlike many other locations, these buses ran very frequently. You take your seats and say to yourself that this is it – the final journey you have to make up the mountains to reach

7

the magic destination. While the bus made its ascent, you could hardly see at a distance though, because of heavy fog. You maybe left wondering: “Is Machu Picchu not an early riser like you?” or “Were the Incas partying hard last night that the sun overslept?” When we finally arrived at the main entrance, it was still foggy and sleepy. We joined the queues, got our papers checked and entered the premises. We could hardly see what was around us as the visibility was hardly maybe 50 meters. We stood near an edge and stared at a heavy grey, reassuring ourselves to have faith. And rightfully so, mother nature took its time to wake up and freshen up to welcome another bunch of awestruck travellers on another new day. As the day progressed, the ray of the Inca sun cleared the fog to unveil in front of us the best kept secret of the Sacred Valley. You then realise that if it were like any other venue where there were no obstacles, you would not have experienced the agonising wait to see what you have come to see travelling thousands of miles. When it is revealed in bits, it is enjoyed in bursts.

When the fog finally cleared we returned to the edge where we stood earlier just to realise that only because we could not see it did not mean that it didn’t exist. It not only

existed behind the dense fog but it existed with such a magnitude and personality that it will belittle any earthly feelings and adjectives. With the breathtakingly tall Wayna Pichu mountain as the backdrop, there were the beautiful ruins of the Inca town in front of us. We started our climb and walks and wandering around the site to unravel the mystery ourselves. There were some shutter happy resident llamas gently grazing around adding to the context of the atmosphere. Once we were done with nearly exhausting the battery life of our camera, we settled down to simply sit and contemplate at Machu Picchu. What a wonder, what a secret, what travails to get to here – all just worth it. The Spanish could not find this place during their conquest of Peru, and it was discovered only in 1911. You wonder how exactly Incas managed to keep this secret away from the invaders. While you leave the premises later in the day, you suddenly enlighten yourself, as you know fully by then that you have to believe to some extent, in magical miracles of the Sacred Valley. Nature protects those who nurture nature in return and the cycle of gift and giving continues – ages after ages. n

Read more about their adventures at onetimefashionista.com


8 OrIGIN STOry | nowruz

Rose water sprinkler: an old family heirloom Photos: Sarah Islam

Nowruz or literally the New Year is thought to mark the day the universe was set into motion. A festival that

has transcended generations is now celebrated as a truly secular one, not just for countries and cultures with any Persian influence. The ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism taught goodness and monotheism in the form of the god Ahura Mazda. Jamshid was the 4th messenger of this religion that dates back to 1700 BCE and he was given the charge of nourishing the earth and its people. Thus Jamshid is accredited with being the one to change a civilisation of hunters and gatherers to more stable, grounded agriculturalists with crops and animal husbandry playing a big role. As part of his tribute to the changing seasons and the agricultural cycle, Jamshid is thought to be the one to celebrate Nowruz as the vernal or spring equinox, where the sun is directly above the equator and sunlight is equally

distributed along the two hemispheres. Nowruz is therefore possibly the oldest festival that celebrates the changing of seasons and pays homage to an agricultural calendar.

Somewhat like the Bangladeshis and our Pohela Baishakh, Nowruz is perhaps celebrated in Iran more enthusiastically than Eid. Festivities start from the last Wednesday before the New Year and Haji Firuz, the Persian equivalent to Father Christmas makes his raucous appearance on the streets of Iran. Decked in a red outfit with a blackened face, Haji Firuz plays the tambourine and puts up a lively performance to herald the coming of spring. The red outfit is thought to be a symbol of the fire which razes all sorrows of the past year (Kurdistan and some central Asian countries burn a bonfire before Nowruz, while children dress up as their ancestors and go around homes banging a spoon on a bowl to ask for treats).

The Ancient Persian New YearChildren dressed up as ancient characters, knocking on doors to collect sweets and treats, decorated eggs in a basket on the table, roaring fires that raze down all the troubles of the previous year and a table set for a feast. sounds all too familiar? welcome to the Vernal or Spring Equinox and Nowruz celebrations Reema Islam

Haji Firuz’s blackened face however (black is an ancient symbol of good luck), has a deeper seated context to it: the Persians only aborted slave trade in the 1920’s and with a vast empire as theirs, slaves from far and wide served Persian lords, including those of African descent. In fact North Iran is still populated with these dark skinned Iranians so the blackening of Haji Firuz’s face refers back to this shameful practice of slavery and is much looked down upon these days. So Haji Firuz now simply arrives in his red attire and rambunctious songs!

Nowroz starts at precisely the moment when the sun leaves Aries (Burj e hammal) to enter Pisces (Burj e hutt) and the timing is accurately calculated by astrologers, much like the Hindu mahurats arriving at the exact time of matrimony. This year, Nowruz started at 3:45am on 21st March, 2015 and the handful of Iranians and Shias in Dhaka celebrated it in all its traditional glory. The day also has special significance for Shias as Imam Hazrat Ali (AS) assumed Caliphate on this day in 656 CE, but also marks a time in the Indian subcontinent when Nowruz brought together people of all faiths in a celebration of colours to welcome spring equinox!

The oldest Shia family in Dhaka, headed by Syed Taqui Mohammed, a member of the National Waqf Committee, under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and an eminent Shiite scholar, reside at the age old Imambara thought to have been built in 1707. Situated at 48 Abul Hasnat Road, old Dhaka, I was privileged to pay their family a visit on this special occasion. With a table decked out in all of Nowruz’s symbolism, Ali the eldest son and his sister Tauqeer, greeted me with a spray of rose water (a cleansing agent) then explained each element of the food being served. Every year a colour is chosen to represent the

ensuing 365 days and this year’s theme was black. The table was laid out with the customary Haft-seen which stands for the seven angelic heralds of life: rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience, and beauty. Black was symbolised in the fruit basket with grapes and seven items, each starting with the Arabic alphabet “seen” ( ) was served: coins for 'sikkah', apples for 'saib', vinegar for 'sirka' something in green or 'sabz' which could be vegetables or in this case the halwa, courtesy green food colouring. Vegetables played a huge role to amplify the coming of spring and everything fresh so a beetroot halwa and sweet potato halwa were present, all instantly gobbled up by me. The other symbolic feature were decorative eggs placed in a bowl, signifying the new beginning or fertility, while blatantly signalling to the true origins of the Easter eggs, another upcoming solar event. Tauqeer informed me that fruits of the season were not consumed until Nowruz had arrived so the family had been eagerly waiting to try out the new watermelons in the market. Mr Taqui’s family remains a symbol of an age old tradition among the Shias of Dhaka, when everyone was invited to celebrate Nowruz, melting away those social and religious barriers. It was a time of good food, colours, sprinkling of plenty of rose water and communal harmony.

Nowruz is now a UN recognised day of cultural importance as its significance has crossed religious, cultural and social realms. Political entities, religious hard-liners, conquering, marauding armies, none could quell the tradition so entwined with the changing of a weather pattern and a new kind of life for the next few months. As we gear up to greet our new year with an array of traditional and local food fit for the season, we wish all our readers a belated Nowruz and a very happy new year!

The Haft Seen spread


9children of chars | PhOTO STOry

Stories of Survival, Resilience and HopePhotos and text by Habib Torikul

Turn for more photographs

Chars are islands formed through the continual process of erosion and deposition in the major rivers and coastal areas which are particularly susceptible to floods, drought and river erosion. These seasonal islands are abundant all over our deltaic country and are dotted across the hearts of most of our major rivers.

some of the island chars are up to 40 years old but others have more recent histories. Char areas are unstable and prone to annual flooding as well other climatic extremes. It creates uncertainties and environmental instability that restrains development interventions and in turn, traps communities into a sluggish or feebly developed economy. statistical data shows that an estimated 6.5 million people live on the chars and associated erosion and flood prone areas which are 5% of the total population of Bangladesh – 5 million on the main river char lands and the rest (approximately 2 million) on the coastal chars.

Char dwellers are effectively landless (have owned no land/having lost land in the river/have access to little or poor quality land) and when chars start eroding their sufferings become enormous. They lose almost every physical and social asset along with their community bondage.

in Gaibandha, there are 641,142 char dwellers, which make up 30.3% of the total population. The children in particular in these areas are at the mercy of the river and face many risks. But this does not make their lives tedious – they have learned to adapt like the rivers they are surrounded by can smile even through hardship.

Habib torikul works at Islamic Relief Bangladesh and can be reached at [email protected]

In answer to my query on why he doesn’t go to school, Abu Salam, 9, replies: “I am much happier caring for my Potka.”


10 PhOTO STOry | children of chars

It was ten minutes past 10am, with half an hour to go before recess ended. Shouts could be heard from the schoolground where restless children were busy playing. Sunny days bring smiles to the faces of the char children, which are not easily seen during the monsoon flood season

I met Amit, 7 and his baby goat, Babla, his best friend. He came to me and asked me to take some photos of them. “O bhaiya, I am getting ready to pose with my Babla please take our photo. Is my style ok? I love my Babla, but he is too naughty. If I don’t hold him right he tries to spoil my pose.

“Potka is my cow’s name. He keeps me busy all day long with all the running I have to do after him. You know, he is my best friend,” says Abu Salam,9. He suddenly furrows his little eyebrows and says: “I get worried when I think about the days to come. There used to be more rainfall before and many crops grew along the bank area, as well as an abundance of grass. For about five years now, though, there have been no rains. That is why there is not enough water for crops or green grass to feed cows or any other livestock.”

On our very first meeting, nine-year-old Abu Slam bombards me with a series of excited questions: “Who are you? I’ve never seen you before. Oh, you have such a big camera! What do you do with this? Do you want to take my picture?


11

The early morning sky brought no cheer. It was a 6 mile trip from Gaibandha to Bajatelkupi char – about a half-day’s journey. When I arrived at the river I waded into the muddy water, and climbed aboard a flimsy boat for the quarter-mile crossing.

Soon after I entered the char, I took off my shoes where the paths was sandy. It was at the bank of Jamuna. Riverbank erosion is one of the most unpredictable and critical types of disasters – such calamities take their toll on the livelihoods of the inhabitants. The Jamuna not only gives, but also takes a lot in return. Years come and go with ups and downs rhythmic like the river’s waves

“Hur hur hur hey hey!” The sudden sound of the familiar words piqued my interest as I turned to look at the cheerful little face. I had just arrived at the char. The little boy was holding a stick, in a tattered pair of shorts, chasing his cow across the barren field. His body was covered in dirt. But there was no dearth of excitement in his face. Roping a cow, running off cattle rustlers, sitting out a winter storm or in a sunny day – adventures like these are all part of the everyday life of the cowboy Abu Salam, 9

“Our school has been in this dilapidated state since as long as we can remember. When the flood comes the school ends up under water for more than five months in a year so the attendance during monsoon season is low. It is difficult to be at school when the roads are inundated. Some have to leave their homes after sunrise and return back during dusk. Despite all these obstacles, nothing can lessen our willpower to study.”

It was a warm morning. Neither blistering nor pressing – the sky blurring all colours. Beyond that the river shimmered in the first glow of the morning sun. Hasan, 12, cast his net in the water. Something had moved just below the surface; he froze and carefully eased his foot back. I stood at the back curious to see his catch, but After about half an hour, Hasan came back empty handed.


12 FEaTurE | disasTer preparedness

Keeping calamities at bay

looking into the current situation of the country’s disaster management system Faisal Mahmud

Once a month, Bashuria, a small village in Jamalpur looks like a training ground of UN rescue workers.

Clad in bright yellow and orange life-jackets, the villagers are found doing various drills including giving first aid, building temporary shelters, forming lines under community leaders to do specific tasks and many more.

“We are getting training for flood preparedness,” said Ansar Ali, a villager. “Every month, we get this training for one day.”

Jahera Khatun, another villager said that she had learned a lot about flood. “Not only flood, I have now learned a lot about river erosion. I know where to go, what to take and what not to take if it happens.”

Concern Universal, the NGO which provides this training exercise to the villagers said that this a project under the government’s community based disaster management program. “Several NGOs are working under a government backed network to

provide this sort of training exercise to different people in different villages across the country,” said Runa Jesmin, project coordinator of the Jamalpur project.

In Jamalpur, the training is on flood and river erosion as this a flood prone district. In coastal districts, the main issue is cyclone, so the concentration is on cyclones there. “In disaster management, preparation for the disaster is of paramount importance. Through this sort of programmes we are on the right track towards tackling disaster,” said Runa Jesmin.

Our success in disaster managementBangladesh has achieved remarkable success in disaster management in the past few decades. Damage caused by natural disasters has sharply been reduced since April 29, 1991 when a cyclonic storm ripped through the coastal region, killing nearly 138,882 people and 1,061,029 livestock.

The ability to tackle disasters like

cyclone, tsunami, earthquake and fire in Bangladesh has improved gradually due to precautionary measures taken by the government and its preparedness for dealing with disasters.

As a result, damage caused to lives, livestock and infrastructures by such disasters has also been reduced amazingly, data shows.

According to data from the Disaster Management Ministry, around 138,882 people and 1,061,029 livestock died and 13,798,275 other people rendered homeless in the cyclone that hit the coastal districts on April 29, 1991 with a wind speed of nearly 225km per hour and 15-20 feet high tidal surge.

But the death toll from November 15, 2007 cyclone Sidr was reduced sharply as the government had taken precautionary measures. Around 3,406 people and 1,873,694 livestock died and 8,923,259 people became homeless in the Sidr.

Besides, only 190 people and 150,131 livestock died while 3,928,259

people became homeless when the cyclone Aila lashed parts of the country.

The long road to successMohammad Abdul Wazed, director general of the Disaster Management Directorate said, Bangladesh has become a role model in disaster management for many countries. “The success in disaster management however comes over a long period.”

Wazed said, not only several disaster management projects is being taken by government as well as different NGOs at the root level, but also various legislative procedure is being done to facilitate the process.

He said Disaster Management Act, 2012 has been passed, the building, maintenance and management of cyclone shelter policy 2011 has been circulated and the National Disaster Management Plan 2010-2015 has been approved.

With an objective to strengthen disaster management, 48,000 volunteers have been trained


13

Photos: Courtesy

under the cyclone preparedness programme.

Wazed said that the development of a revised Standing Order on Disaster (SOD) with emphasis on disaster risk reduction, the National Plan for Disaster Management (NPDM), the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAP), among others, have positioned Bangladesh as the global leader in disaster management practices.

Mohammad Abdul Qayyum, National Project Director of Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) said that the CDMP, implemented by the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, has an Urban Community Volunteer Programme which has seen the Fire Service and Civil Defence department train 64,000 volunteers nationwide to be effective first responders in the face of disasters.

“These community based volunteers are now contributing greatly in training and aiding people in pre, during and post disaster management”, said Qayyum.

Women at riskAll the pictures however are not that rosy for the country. Bangladesh is the second worst country after Pakistan in South Asia in terms of women’s capacity for disaster risk reduction and recovery, according to an international report.

Low access to power, institutional

resources, transportation, sanitation and technology as well as a huge gap between policies and implementation are the key reasons for women’s poor capacity to deal with the challenges, says the report.

Among the South Asian nations, Bhutan is the best performer followed by Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Maldives, according to South Asia Women’s Resilience Index.

The Economist Intelligence Unit prepared the report with support of ActionAid on the basis of 68 indicators in four categories -- economic, infrastructure, institutional and social.

The report says out of 100 marks in each indicator, Bangladesh got 48.6 in economic, 22.3 in infrastructure, 45.4 in institutional and 43.8 in social indicator.

The report says Bangladeshi women represent the majority of microfinance borrowers – 90.1 percent – but their access to credit at both formal and informal institutions are limited. Besides, women own only 34.9 percent of total bank accounts.

“When it comes to infrastructure, Bangladesh does have many aspects of an end-to-end early warning system, with improvements shown in the success of the response to more recent cyclones,” it says.

However, most infrastructures don’t follow building code while the road infrastructure is vulnerable to disasters such as flood and cyclone.

The report also says women representation in different institutions is very poor in Bangladesh. For example, women make up just 3.9 percent of police force.

Women are disadvantaged by a lack of legal awareness or access to “institutional recourse” and they presently don’t have inheritance rights to properties.

Moreover, socio-cultural norms restrict a large proportion of women to domestic responsibilities and limited access to education and health.

The role of local governmentDr Rezwana Moslem, an Australia based Bangladeshi disaster management expert however believes that the local government can play a vital role in improving women’s role in disaster risk reduction and recovery.

She said that the role of local government in building disaster resilient community has been recognised as the key factor in most of the policy frameworks in Bangladesh related to disaster management issues.

In a country like Bangladesh, which is severely prone to natural and human induced disasters, the local governments have a key role to play in coordinating and sustaining a multi-stakeholder platform to promote disaster risk reduction (DRR)

at the grassroot level for specific hazards, she said.

“At the grassroot level, the preparation for disaster starts with training the women because they are the ones who take care of the member of the family. So if they are being trained to tackle disaster, then it is most likely that other members of the family will also get the same sort of training”, said Rezwana.

“That’s why preparing the local government financially and skillfully to face disasters is vital”, she said adding that local government deals with different stakeholders and line departments of the government to implement any local level DRR action and for effective emergency response, therefore, active commitment and leadership are very much essential.

She said that in recent times, the leading role of Upazila and Union Parishad in risk assessment and development of risk reduction action plan at community level, especially for the women is appreciable. “The process also effectively engaging the women as very important stakeholders, identifying the risk reduction activities and linking their concerns with government priorities is indeed a very good initiative.”

“This, indeed, helped the community people to mainstream the local DRR issues in the development planning process through local government facilitation.” n


A

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Dear ReaderThank you for writing in to me. I am familiar with what you are describing and we will look at the legal and practical complications/

consequences shortly. The legal authorities in Bangladesh have powers to conduct raids and spot inspections on grounds of industrial factories and offices if they suspect illegal activities or generally to ensure that the appropriate laws and regulations are being followed in the proper manner. However, for this purpose, the authorities are required to obtain a search warrant to conduct such raids. With regard to the spot checks/inspections pertaining to immigration, the authorities are

empowered to conduct regular inspections and deport any foreigner who is not holding a valid visa. Therefore it is the company’s duty to ensure that any employed foreigners or expatriates hold a valid Bangladeshi working visa while being employed by the company.

There are no such provisions in Bangladesh law which would allow leverage of local laws and regulations in order to avoid or postpone spot checks and inspections. If the authorities are in possession of a valid search warrant, and they are either prevented from entering the premises or the staff would behave uncooperatively, it may be viewed as an ‘obstruction of justice’, and is therefore inadvisable.

If suspicion exists about whether a place is being use for the deposit or sale of stolen property, a District Magistrate or a Government empowered Executive Magistrate may authorize search and inspection of such a place by issuing a warrant, which can be executed by any police-officer above the rank of constable. Such a warrant can also be issued upon suspicion of a place being used for deposit or sale of any forged documents, false seals, counterfeit stamps and coins, or for any instruments or materials for counterfeiting coins or stamps. The same applies for the deposit, sale, manufacture or production of any obscene objects.

Warrants are also granted for the seizure of any publication which is grossly indecent, scurrilous or obscene; or may contain defamatory content against the President of Bangladesh, the Prime Minister of the Government, the Speaker of Parliament or the Chief Justice of Bangladesh; or which may contain any words or visible representations which incite, or which are likely to incite, any person or class of persons to commit any cognisable offence.

Warrants are also granted in the event that any Metropolitan or Executive Magistrate has reason to believe that a person or persons are being wrongfully confined in any specific premises. Such warrants will give the bearer of the warrant the right to conduct theyt46 search for the person(s) allegedly confined. If the said person(s) is found during the event of the search, he/she should not be kept in detention but be immediately brought forward in front

of a Magistrate who shall make the appropriate order as deemed proper by the circumstances of the case.

Such a warrant will enable the authorized Police Officer to enter the place specified in the warrant in or to search and inspect it in the manner specified in the warrant. The Officer will also be able to take possession or seize any property, documents, seals, stamps or any other materials which he believes to be stolen, forged, false or counterfeit, or obscene. Such documents will be inspected and placed by the Officer before a Magistrate. Alternatively, the Officer may also guard the same on the spot until the offender is taken before a Magistrate or dispose of the documents in some place of safety. Traditionally the latter is more commonly followed, as the documents can be inspected leisurely to determine whether their presentation before a Magistrate will be justified.

However, it is worth noting that these powers are only applicable in instances where stolen property, forged documents, etc. is suspected to be involved. As per case law, if the Magistrate does not mention the place to be searched for stolen property, then the search warrant is illegal. The scope of a search warrant under the Customs Act 1969 is similar to that of a search warrant as mentioned here but both are independent of each other.

The important thing here is to understand your legal position in legal to the searches being conducted at your warehouse and your office. The next aspect would be to train your officers, with specific focus on your office Manager (the person responsible for the duties and welfare of everyone in the office) and the receptionist (because he/she is the first point of contact for anyone who walks into the office). With the appropriate training and understanding, it is relatively simple and easy to avoid situations turning ugly. .

Q Our business has a warehouse, which we usually use simply for storage purposes. Over the last few months, however, we have been constantly plagued by

the local police and the RAB who claim that they have the right to search our premises whenever they feel the need to do so. I was under the impression that search warrants are usually the norm for searches. We are feeling quite discriminated and wondering if this is simply done to intimidate us. Additionally, the same practice is being followed at our office, and we have had quite a few frightened receptionists quit their jobs. How would you advise dealing with this?

got a

problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@

dhakatribune.com

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

Cartoon: Priyo/Dhaka Tribune

14 LEGaLESE | Jennifer ashraf kashmi


15

Dina sobhan is a freelance writer, and cautions readers not to take her ‘advice’ here too seriously!

Dear Biting,Have you ever heard the expression, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’? How about, ‘Old men are more stubborn than old goats’? Fine,

the second one is less of a saying and more of a fabrication, but the sentiment behind it stands. You’re going to have a tough time trying to tell the patriarch of the household, who has raised all of you, worn the pants for many decades, and generally taken care of you little pipsqueaks your whole life that he is incapable of anything. There is no diplomatic way of handling this situation directly without inviting upon yourself a serious chappal beating.

However, what you can do is have

every person in the household come up with pressing matters to attend to every time he wants to leave the house. Save up all your errands for just that occasion, if need be, so you actually have something to do when you insist on accompanying him on his outings. If he’s going to the store, be sure to need milk or other vital ingredients. Similarly, if he’s going by the bank, someone better have a check to deposit urgently. There is no end to the creativity that can be employed in this endeavor but you will have to be clever and somewhat subtle about it because chances are he’ll wise up to this routine PDQ. And once he does, you can start hiding his car keys…or just the car.

A

Dear Dina, My mom has been having an extramarital affair for the last 5 years. I have stumbled upon text messages from the shameless Lothario

on her phone many times by now; messages saying how much they love one another and so on. I have been praying it stops but it just seems to be getting worse. Recently, I came across a text telling her not to worry and there will be a way for them to be together soon. I am devastated. No one else in my family knows about this, and I don’t know what to do. My girlfriend tells me to either confront her or to tell my brother. I love my parents very much, but this makes me disgusted to a point that I can’t even look at her face. What would be the wisest thing to do once and for all? Help,Heartbroken

Dear Heartbroken,While I sympathize with your plight, I must request you to kindly suck it up. While no child, regardless of age, is going to be cool with

their parents having relations with anyone, it really doesn’t concern you. The person it does – or, should – concern is your father, and since your mother is not taking great pains to hide the affair it seems, perhaps he is already aware of it. You don’t know the ins and outs of their relationship, or even what has led to this. It may be entirely unwarranted, and your poor, hapless father will be a shambles if and when this eventually comes to light, or maybe not. If you desperately need answers, go straight to the source. There’s no point dragging the whole family into some ‘sordid scandal’ without getting your bearings first. Talk to your mother before creating a melodrama out of someone else’s life..

Q

Dear Dina, My father is in his late 60’s, and his vision and reflexes aren’t what they used to be. He’s still pretty fit and capable considering his age, and

tries to do everything by himself. We do get a little nervous, however, when he drives by himself, but he insists he’s fine. Although nothing untoward has happened yet, Dhaka’s traffic is a nightmare even for the young and the sprightly. What’s a diplomatic way of suggesting he always take a wingman without hurting his pride?

Sincerely, Biting-nails-in-suspense

A

got a problem?

Write to Dina at weekend@dhakatribune.

com

Cartoon: Syed Rashad Imam Tonmoy/Dhaka Tribune

SEARCH MEdina soBhan | TOuGh LOvE

Q


16 PrOjECT | parTnership for healTh

Saving the lives of one million childrenGsK, save the Children and BrAC university come together at BrAC frugal innovation forum in savarTausif Sanzum

Joining handsThe pharmaceutical giant, GSK and the international NGO, Save the Children have joined hands for a long term strategic global partnership project aimed to tackle preventable diseases that take the lives of about six million children under the age of five every year around the world. As part of this partnership, they are going to pool in their resources and expertise in an attempt to save the lives of such children. The partnership is aimed to be more than just a corporate fund raiser, where GSK intends to use its research and development sector in the project.

There are diverse factors which need to be addressed to save children living in the most remote and poor locations of the world. However, there are a few major and common ones relevant despite the geographical differences: vaccines, medicines, nutritious food and healthcare workers.

There are going to be four major focal points for this project, one being developing new nutritional food products at an affordable price, to reduce malnutrition among children. The second focus point of the project will be to make crucial vaccinations available in remote areas in Asia and sub-Saharan regions where such medication are a far cry. Their third initiative will be to focus on the lack of child-friendly medicine in developing nations. Their fourth and final focus is to train and widen the reach of health workers in remote areas to make health care sustainable and reduce child mortality.

BRAC University comes into the pictureAs part of the partnership between GSK and Save the Children, BRAC University will also participate by establishing an Academic Chair. This is aimed towards the improvement of management and leadership among the Civic Society Non-Governmental Organisations.

Commenting on how local organisations have a key role to play in this project, Ramil Burden, Vice President of Developing Countries Asia and External Affairs at GSK said: “We are committed to improving access to healthcare and contributing to long-term growth in some of the least developed countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. We can only achieve this through establishing innovative partnerships with organizations and institutions that share our outlook and values. This collaboration with BRAC University is a key enabler to help harness the expertise and insight required to drive and deliver sustainable change.”

The academic collaboration is important to help individuals and

organizations to reach the remotest of locations and provide health care facilities. The courses will go beyond the walls of the classrooms, with field work involving the students, interns and researchers in programmes under Save the Children.

Taking innovation to a grass-roots levelMichael McGrath, Country Director of Save the Children Bangladesh explained how the collaboration will have a major impact in improving health care facilities: “The partnership with BRAC University and GSK is very much in line with Save the Children’s strong commitment to facilitating practical, effective and innovative approaches to ensuring

that all children and their families – particularly those at the margins of society – are able to access quality health services. It is also consistent with our emphasis on capacity building of local organizations and fostering South to South learning. We are very pleased that programmes implemented by Save the Children throughout Bangladesh will provide a platform for graduate students and researchers from around Asia to assess the impact of cutting edge innovations in the in the field of maternal, neonatal, child and reproductive health and nutrition.” n

Photo: Courtesy


17ancesTors | EvENT

art, culture, history, the present and the pastTausif Sanzum

The Gujral FoundationFounded by Mohit and Feroze Gujral in 2008, The Gujral Foundation is a non-profit trust. It aims to support contemporary art, design and culture within the Indian sub-continent. The Foundation has spearheaded the loan for “Aspinwall”, the primary location for the Kochi Muziris Biennale in 2012 and 2014. It has been lending its support to the 55th Venice Biennale, South Asian Artists at the 8th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, the Guggenheim Museum and New York Exhibition. It aims to build an infrastructure within which cultural freedom, societal engagement and artistic imagine will flourish.

My East is Your WestThis project is to be funded by the Gujral Foundation at the 56th Venice Biennale. It features the works of Mumbai based artist, Shilpa Gupta and Lahore’s Rashid Rana.

AncestorsSince neither India or Pakistan has a permanent pavilion at the Venice Beinnale, a platform needed to be created where artists from the Indian sub-continent can come together and have a place for artistic exchange. This led to the birth of Ancestors which is meant to be an

interdisciplinary events platform for the My East is Your West project. They aim to do it through film screening, performance, colloquia and workshops. It tries to locate the transformation of ancient knowledge systems into Modernism which has been a major factor in shaping the nation-building process in South Asia during the 20th Century.

Ancestors wants to unearth a sense of belonging to a community, language, geographical location or religion. In short, it seeks to find a narrative of belonging. The event will bring together South Asian and International filmmakers, artists, writers and theorists to come up with a multi-layered timescale of planetary belonging across terrestrial, cosmological and decolonial terrain. Components such as geographic connectivity, oral memory, acculturation, myths and rituals will enable Ancestors to re-locate individuality within a collectivity.

At the end, Ancestors want to sum up all these ancestral findings and answer few conflictual questions of the contemporary world. Questions such as the mainstreaming of cultural identity amidst resistance from political and ethical forces or the relationship between human and non-human entities constituting of

“Rights of Nature” and finally in what direction is the non-rational forces taking knowledge towards.

Ancestors: Erosion and Emergence (Episode # 1)This is the first leg of the Ancestors multi-layered program for My East is Your West project being held in Bangladesh. It consisted of a seminar followed by a workshop the next day curated by Natasha Ginwala. She is the curatorial advisor and Public Programmes curator for the project. The seminar held at Goethe-Institut Dhaka aimed to draw a picture beyond the nation-state model by interconnecting various aspects of nature, geography, community and environment. The event was chaired by Nabil Ahmed, Marina Tabassum and Eric Baudelaire. The workshop held at Shikha Chirantan at Suhrawardy Udyan in collaboration of Britto Arts Trust and has contribution by notable Bangladeshi artists and art patrons such as Reetu Sattar, Mahbubur Rahman and Molla Sagar.

About the seminar participantsMarina Tabassum is a known name among the architectural society of Bangladesh. She is the founder and principle architect of Marina Tabassum Architects and founder

partner of Urbana Dhaka. She also happens to be a visiting faculty at BRAC University. She presented a selection of her projects focusing on the Modernists and vernacular aspects in construction. She also spoke about how regional history, matrilineal society influences her choice of building material and design.

Eric Baudelaire is a filmmaker and artist based in Paris. His is a regular at the international film festival circuits such as the New York Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival etc. Through his docu-fictions he tries to show the difference between the narrative and the image. He screened his docu-fiction, Letters to Max based on the letters he shared with a former minister from a disputed country of Abkhazia not recognized by all nations in the world.

Nabil Ahmed spoke about the geo-history of the Bengal Delta, Asian Arsenic Belt and its relation with colonialism and developmental history. He is a visual artists, writer and musician whose projects have been globally presented including at the House of World Cultures. n

Photo: Courtesy


18 STay IN

S u d o k uuse the numbers 1-9 to complete each of the 3x3 square grids such that each horizontal and vertical line also contains all of the digits from 1-9

Last week’s sudoku solutions

Mini cryptics

aCrOss1 Study spot in Scandinavia (7)4 Red fringes in Conservative party (7) 6 Clan die horribly in volcanic isle (7)7 Body part solved a murder(7)

DOwN1 Refuse slide (7)2 Sound refusal is beginning of end (5)3 Monk dig ruined sovereign land (7)5 Street oxygen used on the way up (5)

Last

wee

k’s

solu

tion

s

aCrOss5 Singer crazy about North America (7)6 Streetcars come back looking neat (5)9 Stole chip end sneakily (7)

DOwN1 Girlatfirstbelongstome(3)2 Firm blockage found in an insect (7)3 Entry into any lawless state (7)4 God useful in the kitchen (3)7 A pint is called for (3)8 Not even weird (3)

Clues

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

Mr Smiles

Patrick Jane is an emotionally wounded, stern and confident member of the California Bureau of Investigation. Australian actor Simon Baker plays the character on the hit TV show ‘The Mentalist’. He is someone who is devoid of empathy and solves cases with his keen powers of observation. He comes across as a witty and an extremely confident man who seems to know more about you than you know about yourself. When you first meet Patrick Jane you will want to keep meeting him and remember him for the rest of your life. The California Bureau of Investigation team is headed by supervising agent Virgil Minelli followed by special agent Teresa Lisbon who’s accompanied agents by Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby and Grace Van Pelt; Patrick Jane is the consultant who helps them with their cases.

Jane used to be a psychic but he refuses to call himself that as he is often seen in the series saying “there are no such things as psychics’’. Behind his broad smile lies a tale of horrific terror and pain. When Jane went on a TV show to talk about his abilities, he spoke a little too much about a killer named Red John and how he would catch him with his mentalist abilities. This public and national interview enraged Red John and Jane came home to find his wife and child murdered in his home, with a note left for him that said how he knew he was a fraud and that he would pay his price. Red John, by this time was already a well-known serial killer and his signature was a smiley face drawn in the victim’s blood with three fingers of the right hand whilst wearing a rubber glove clockwise. But this time Red John made things a little special and added a different touch to things, he painted Jane’s wife’s nails with her blood

so that she would be special and one of a kind-a present just for Patrick Jane to be cherished. After this incident it is revealed Jane suffers from a nervous breakdown and spends some time in a psychiatric facility though this information is not on his records. He is a character who is stoic and incredibly well held for someone who is hell bent on revenge, as he still lives in the same house where his family was killed. The room he sleeps in still has the smiley face drawn on the wall in red that Red John drew that night.Jane has a strong penchant for tea and is someone who is very calm in severely dangerous and often life-threatening situations.

Pragya Rahman


GO OuT 19

Weekly Planner

What Being held for the last eight years now, the Dhaka Motor Show stands firmly as one of the flagship events of CEMS-Global in Bangladesh and has become an icon of the country as the one and only International Automotive Exhibition of Bangladesh. With a growing middle-class segment in the country, the rise in sales of motor vehicles has surged to newer heights in Bangladesh. For years, the event has also been a successful platform for the launching of latest models of Hyundai, Mercedes, Range Rover, Mitsuoka, Toyota Prius and many others. CEMS-Global changed its strategy in 2012 in highlighting and strongly backing vehicle distributors showcasing cars/commercial vehicles for the middle/upper-middle class segment of the population and vehicles for rural utilization.

What A policy and solutions conference on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has rightly assumed a central place in the post-MDG global goals. The global ambitions around UHC to enable affordable access to quality health care, however, have to be won in the country contexts. Effective assessment of ground realities is essential to identify optimal ways forward.

With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, Bangladeshi think-tank organization, Power and Participation Research Centre – PPRC, has implemented a multi-component action research study on UHC-relevant issues for

Bangladesh.

Themes (call for abstracts):DilemmasofCare-Seeking•QualityofMedicalEducation•Urbanization and Inequities of Care •GovernanceandEthics•CostofHealthCare•FinancingHealthCare•LeveragingTechnology•DataandIndicators•OvercomingDisabilities•PreventionandHealthyLifestyles•DeliveryInnovations

Conference Partners: TheRockefellerFoundation•TheWorldBank•DiabeticAssociationofBangladesh•GonoshasthoKendro•BRAC-ICDDR’BCenterof Excellence for Universal HealthCoverage•CentreforInjuryPreventionandResearch•NIPSOM•AssociationforMedicalEducation Bangladesh.

The event is free for all but registration is mandatory. To register, visit: www.pprcbd.org/UHC2015

aPr 3-13

Festival | stYlesell BOisHaKH FestivalWHen 9am-9pmWHere StyleSell, House-2, Road-9, Gulshan 1WHaT StyleSell is arranging a huge sale before Boishakh. In this 13 day long festival everyone can enjoy stylesell’s latest boishakh collection for men, women and kids, free pitha for all the guests, in-house fashion shows, and, upto 70% discount on shoes, bags, jewellery and panjabi.

aPr 03

eDuCatiON | O te OJOgOr. a KiDs aDveNture iNtO tHe wOrlD OF sNaKes!

WHen 11am-6pmWHere Jatra Biroti, 60 Kemal Ataturk AveWHaT Jatra Biroti will be hosting a children’s event titles “O te Ojogor” in collaboration with Bangladesh Python Project. It’s an all-day event where kids will not only get to have hands on experience with snake experts but also get to make snakes with clay, recycled materials and more. Snakes often get a bad reputation, although they are an important part of not only our ecosystem but work as “friends of farmers” by being their pest control.This is Jatra’s continued initiative to reconnect us to nature through experience, knowledge and creativity.With the entry fee each child gets: a booklet on snakes of Bangladesh, a T-shirt for block printing, clay for making toy snakes, arts and crafts materials for creating snakes, a chance to see Jolputul Puppet Show

about snakes of Bangladesh.Tickets are 600BDT per child at Jatra show rooms. Adults please come and enjoy. Food will be available for a nominal fee.

aPr 4-9

PHOtOgraPHY | PHOtOgraPHY exHiBitiON ON POwer OF POsitive DeviaNCeWHen 10am-7pmWHere Gallery 5, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Shegunbagicha. WHaT You are cordially invited to the Final Photography Exhibition by Introduction to Photography course, Spring 2015 students of Bangladesh Shilpokola Academy at Gallery 05. A total of 20 students are exhibiting their work, among these five are stories/series and the rest of the 15 are single images.

aPr 07

Culture | sYeD BaDruDDiN HOssaiN smriti NattYOtsHaB ‘15WHen 7pmWHere Bangladesh Shilpakala AcademyPadatik Nattya Sangsad is organising a 5-day theatre festival, under which, 10 plays will be staged in memory of the late Syed Badruddin Hossain, Life President and mentor of the group. The Late Syed Badruddin Hossain was an eminent academic and columnist, a leading activist of the language movement and Ekushey Padak awardee. Theatre Baily Road, Arrannok, Nagorik Nattya Somproday, Bottola, Aneek Theatre of Kolkata, Rangokormee of Kolkata and Padatik Nattya Sangsad will stage plays at the festival among others.

Send your events to [email protected]

Apr 9-11Conference | Realising UHC Goals: Bangladesh realities and way forwardwHeN 9am-5pm

wHere Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel Dhaka, Airport Road

Apr 9-11Show | 10th Dhaka Motor Show 2015wHeN 10am-10pm

wHere International Convention City Bashundhara


20 INTErvIEw | edric ong

Crafts as cultural identity

How did you come to work with textile, designing and crafts?I worked for many years as a consultant architect specialising in tropical architecture, conservation and resorts. During that time I was also founder secretary of Society Atelier Sarawak- the Arts and Crafts Society of Sarawak, East Malaysia in 1985.

One of Malaysia’s first major projects was a revival of natural dyes in traditional Iban warp ikat textiles. And in 1986, I curated the first major exhibition in Malaysia on these textiles. Later in 1988, we also introduced silk yarn to the weavers who were weaving only in cotton.

Since then, I have been involved with the Iban weaving community in developing and marketing their textiles.

Through that experience, I

continued to work with other communities and introduced more contemporary designs with their traditional skills, such as, the Lun Bawang people in the mountains with their hats and Bidayuh people with their bamboo carving.

And I have continued to work with them ever since.

What inspires you?While designing crafts, first I understand the technique and explore how far I can innovate within the constraints of the technique and make the new design functional and useful in a contemporary way.In my own textile design, I work only with natural dyes and natural fibres. Thus one can say I am inspired by nature. In my designs too, the motifs are often taken from what I see around me in nature. Again, I am a

born Christian, and I believe that I am inspired daily by the Holy Spirit.

What is your major area of interest in crafts and textile?In Asia, crafts and textiles mean livelihood for many people and so we need to always think about markets. In seeking new markets, we need to understand what sells to each new market, as in designs, patterns and colours. And another most important thing is of course the right price.I am involved in many international craft organisations like ASEAN Handicraft Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA), World Crafts Council Asia-Pacific, World Crafts Council International, and Global Folk Art Network. And so my interest is particularly in talking about networking amongst international organisations for crafts

and craftsmanship.

What does fashion mean to you?Fashion should mean the “art of clothing”, and generally people take it to mean the sheer “changing trends of clothing”. Therefore, I subscribe to that what one may call “slow fashion” meaning an art of clothing that doesn’t get outdated. But one that is evergreen to me is a saree or a kimono or a sarong.

In the age of technology, how can crafts and indigenous forms of art be revived? Or has the revival process already been started?

We have a slogan in the World Crafts Council that says: “The future is hand-made”. In a growing industrialised and technology-run world, more and more people are going back to appreciate and seek out the hand-made things, that is crafts.

Edric Ong, a Malaysian architect turned designer who works with different ethnic groups of his country in promoting, preserving, researching and sustaining their ethnic textile and crafts of villages in Asia talks to weekend Tribune

Farhana Urmee

Exhibiting his hand painted batik and Shibori


21

For example, Japan could be one of the key examples of a first world Asian country. There are young people wanting to go back to the country and to learn the old skills of hand-spinning, hand weaving, ceramics, wood-work and explore many more indigenous ways of art and crafts. In other countries like in Scandinavia or Germany, the artisans are getting more recognition and rightfully also sharing the same limelight as other fine artists.

Have you ever worked with any Bangladeshi designer or craftsman? How was your experience?I know several Bangladesh designers and fashion houses who have crossed my path in the arena of arts and crafts over the past years, such as Ruby Ghuznavi, Chandrashekhar, Shamin and Kumudini to mention a few and I have greatly admired their dedication and work among the weavers and craft artists.

I was at a back-strap loom weaving conference once in Dhaka to present a paper and we also had a World Crafts Council Asia Pacific Assembly in Dhaka once in the past.

What do you think about Bangladeshi textile, crafts and fashion?I truly admire and appreciate your jamdani textiles and kantha embroidery in Bangladesh is really exceptional. There is a lot of traditional skills you have in fibre crafts, although in wood work, I don’t see much innovative and contemporary work done as in other crafts.

I know a number of foreign designers who have come to Bangladesh to tailor, and to design

clothing but in fashion, what I remember seeing from my previous trip is that you get either very traditional clothing or very western (jeans and shirts) clothing styles in the markets. So I guess if you want something different, you can get it custom-made.

How fashion can be a medium to connect the world?Fashion in form of “changing trend” is already connecting the world through all forms of media: TV, magazine, films, and nowadays the internet.

What is shown on the catwalks of Paris or Milan and New York is immediately available to you to see on even your smartphone.

Fashion, as I like to define it, as “the art of clothing”, can therefore be a bridge to understanding people’s cultures which is essential, therefore, as what UNESCO would say, as an “intangible cultural heritage”.

How can crafts be a medium for the asian cultural identity?Many countries and people have been listing their unique crafts and textiles under the Geographical Indicator (GI) as a way of protecting the identity and copyright.

Craft techniques are shared and are sometimes common to more than one people, but it is the expression and skill that uses the craft technique to create a form and object that gives versatility and character to things, that makes it an art.

I believe that it is this very essence of self expression in the craft that cannot be lost if our Asian cultural identity is to be perpetuated. .

Motifs from moon and cloud on naturally dyed cotton shawl Indigo fashion collection of Edric Ong featuring hand-stamped indigo leaves or ‘tarum’ indigo.

Modelling Edric Ong’s creation atKL Fashion Week

weekend tribune vol 2 issue 46

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