Made in Bangladesh
6
Cyberbullying
16
Tagore meets Einstein
20
FRIDAY
MARCH 14
2014
vol 1 Issu e 46
Made in Bangladesh.
Meet Sadaf.
Sadaf Siddiqi is the chairperson of SAFE, a local non-profit trust that provides
emergency relief, and one of the organisations working on the ground after Rana
Plaza collapsed. SAFE also provides health and safety awareness and training for
the garments industry. She is also runs a garments factory. ‘We are responsible
for the well-being of the people who work for us. We feel the weight of that
responsibility, and take it very seriously.’ Since 1992, Sadaf has been involved
with Naripokkho, a women’s activist group. They formed Doorbar – a network of
550 women-led organisations throughout all 64 districts of Bangladesh – to fight
violence against women and ensure the establishment of women’s rights. Sadaf
is also passionate about the arts. Through Jatrik and Shadhona, she promotes
Bangladeshi culture and heritage, and arranges events such as the World Music
Festival and the annual Hay Festival in Dhaka. She is a poet and a writer. She
has collected narratives from Bangladeshi workers and activists, which have
been performed for the stage. Sadaf grew up in the UK, and came to Bangladesh
when she was 16 years old. She did her HSC at a Bangla medium college. At that
point, Bangla was a language she could read but didn’t yet speak fluently. ‘It was
huge culture shock. I learned very fast.’ Her father decided to come back and
do something for the country, so he left Cambridge to start a research centre at
Chittagong University. His passionate drive was contagious. ‘Something shifted
in me in those two years of college. I knew I had to come back.’ After university
in the UK, she did just that. Sadaf was photographed in a Jamdani sari, made by
artisans following a centuries-old Bangladeshi style of handloom textile-weaving.
1
CONTENTS
EDITOR’S NOTE
A Weekly Pro ductio n o f
DhakaTribune
Vo lume 1, Issu e 46
M ARC H 14, 2 0 14
Editor
Zafar Sobhan
Weekend Tribune Team
Rohini Alamgir
Esha Aurora
Rumana Habib
Faisal Mahmud
Shah Nahian
Syeda Samira Sadeque
James Saville
Adil Sakhawat
Sumaiya Shams
Farhana Urmee
Art Direction/Photography
Syed Latif Hossain
Cartoon
Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy
Rio Shuvo
Contributors
Tasnuva Amin Nova
Elizabeth Bass
Promiti Prova Chowdhury
Hasibul Islam
Chanchal Kamal
Tausif Sanzum
Dina Sobhan
Design
Mohammad Mahbub Alam
Alamgir Hossain
Meet the real ‘Made in Bangladesh’
“U
ndressing the American Apparel ad” dissects the controversy
surrounding the retailer’s newest stunt. We debate whether
we are overreacting to it? And Elizabeth Bass shares the philosophy
behind a company with a much better claim to the ‘made in
Bangladesh’ moniker.
It’s also Startup Week, and we’re celebrating our burgeoning
homegrown enterprises with a collection of stories, like “Dhaka
MOOC Exchange” and “Co-working,” about fostering the ongoing
development of local entrepreneurship and technology.
Meanwhile, “Cyber-bullying” looks at the dark side of the
internet.
Finally, even Einstein meets the real Bangladesh. In honour of his
birthday today, we revisit his stunning conversations with Tagore,
and remember his collaboration with Satyendra Nath Bose on our
Top 10 important Bangladeshi scientists.
With our cover, and this issue, we celebrate what ‘made in
2
3
4
5
Standpoint
A journey into life and lifestyle
Undressing the American Apparel ad
Bangabandhu: The man behind a nation
Crowning the confident
10 Post-Riposte
The American Apparel ad
11 Top 10
Cover photo
Sadaf Saaz Siddiqi
by Syed Latif Hossain
Say What?
9 Interview
Production
Masum Billah
Email: weekend@dhakatribune.com
Web: www.dhakatribune.com
16 Feature Cyber-bullying
8 In Review
Circulation
Wahid Murad
Letters to the Editor
6 Cover
Colour Specialist
Shekhar Mondal
Kazi Syras Al Mahmood
Advertising
Shahidan Khurshed
This Week
20 Thought Plot
When Einstein met Tagore
Bengali innovators
12 Photo Story
Mosaic in Green
18 Out and About
Startup Weekend
19 Culture Vulture
Partha Pratim Majumder
22 Tough Love
23 WT Leisure
24 Business Dhaka mooc
25 Business Young entrepreneurs
26 Business Co-working
27 The Way Dhaka Was
Ramna Gate
28Last Word
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
2
THIS WEEK
March 7-13
According to a study published in nature Medicine,
the likelihood of a person developing Alzheimer’s
disease within the next two to three years can
be easily detected by doing a blood test. The
test detects the concentration of 10 chemicals
associated with Alzheimer’s disease and the result
is 96 percent accurate.
The Verge
Bangladesh had its first ever
bone
marrow
transplant
procedure on a 52 year old
cancer patient. The operation
was carried out at the BMT
unit of Dhaka Medical College
Hospital-2. The patient had
been suffering from multiple
myeloma since 2009. The
treatment was given free of
cost. Professor Dr MA Khan, head
of hematology department and
programme director of the BMT
unit said to reporters that the
treatment has been successful
so far. However, he mentioned
that the possibilities of postprocedure risks cannot be
dismissed.
Dhaka Tribune
Maoist rebels killed 16
policemen in the state of
Chhattisgarh in India. The
police officers were guarding
workers who were building
a road in Sukma district.
Alteast 26 officers were
wounded in the attack. The
police force have pushed the
rebels back to their forest
strongholds and the violence
level has fallen. However,
hit-and-run attacks are still
common
BBC
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
The videos on YouTube are a big business for the YouTube stars that get almost thousands of views daily. A report
published by Business Insider ranked 20 of the biggest stars on YouTube according to their earnings from ads. Each of
them earn a minimum of $US1 million annually. With 3.69 billion total views PewDiePie earns $825,000-$8.47 million
annually topping the list.
to the editor
3
LETTERS
Great theme!
I loved how you made an entire issue for women! I especially liked
reading The Help and Always A Fighter. You should really do more
issues like this one.
Shumaila Khan
Dhanmondi, Dhaka
Back to the pavilion?
What happened to the magazine? Why have you guys gone back
to the old designs? Please bring back the new look! It was exciting
and made me want to read it.
Soheli Khan
Gulshan, Dhaka
Not much variety
I understand that you guys tried to follow a theme for the Women’s
Day issue. The problem is, you went a little overboard. Don’t get me
wrong, I am not against having an issue dedicated to women. I just
think there should have been more variety. I only got halfway through
the magazine and got bored.
Shahriar Azam
Uttara, Dhaka
Great call
I loved Tausif Sanzum’s article on domestic workers. I agree
with him too – these women are the true face of feminism.
Great work Tausif.
Abdullah Zubayer
Mohammadpur, Dhaka
A heart-melting
story
Adil Sakhawat’s monologue about how fatherhood changed
his entire life brought tears in my eyes. I absolutely loved
reading it, and it reminded me how precious my own children
are to me. The joy of fatherhood really is indescribable.
Abdur Rajjak
Tangail, Dhaka
LETTER
of the week
Send us your feedback at: weekend@dhakatribune.com
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
SAY WHAT?
4
A tribute to the passengers and crew
onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines
flight MH370 is seen inside a Buddhist
temple in Kuala Lumpur March 12, 2014.
Malaysia’s military has traced what
could have been the jetliner missing for
almost five days to an area south of the
Thai holiday island of Phuket, hundreds
of miles from its last known position,
the country’s air force chief said on
Wednesday
“If you are single,
you could just
fade away. If you
are separated or
divorced, you may
struggle all your life so many women stay
in a bad marriage
and suffer. And
in some families the prospect of being
widowed does not bear thinking about.”
REUTERS
Rupa Jha, BBC Hindi commenting on the
marital life of Indian women
Disney has cut around 700
jobs from Disney Interactive
-- the digital media division
that deals with video games
and online entertainment.
Wired.co.uk
“With hindsight, I know Adam
would have killed me in a heartbeat,
if he’d had the chance,” Peter Lanza,
father of Adam Lanza talks to New
Yorker magazine. Adam shot his mother
before fatally shooting 20 children, six
staff members and himself at Sandy
Hook Elementary School in Newtown,
Connecticut, in December 2012.
A gunman shot dead Swedish journalist
Nils Horner outside a restaurant in a brazen
attack in one Kabul’s most heavily guarded
districts on March 11, 2014, police and embassy
sources said, underscoring growing insecurity
threatening next month’s elections. The
Swedish Embassy identified the victim as Nils
Horner, 51, who worked for Swedish Radio
and had dual British-Swedish nationality.
Horner had been waiting outside a Lebanese
restaurant with his driver and translator when
two men in Western clothes approached and
one shot him at point-blank range in the
back of the head, said Zubir, a guard at the
restaurant who uses only one name. Picture
taken August 15, 2002
RUETERS
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
HMS Vanguard, Britain’s
oldest nuclear-armed
submarine will get a new
core following safety
concerns over radioactivity
found in the cooling water of
a test reactor.
Wired.co.uk
A suicide bomber driving
a car filled with explosives
killed 34 people and
wounded another 121 at a
police checkpoint in the
southern Iraqi city of Hilla.
CNN
Standpoint
5
Elizabeth Bass
A journey into life and lifestyle
Elizabeth Bass is one
of the members of
the creative team at
Made in Bangladesh
Think you’re patriotic? Think again, unless you’re only buying what’s Made in Bangladesh
Having evolved from the idea that
class shouldn’t matter, Ajo and Made in
Bangladesh are both products of an idea
that spans across cultures and mandates one
to lose themselves in their identity as global
citizens while being centred by the gravity of
being a Bangali
Photos: Courtesy
I
f you think about it, we come
from a culture of food. We
celebrate with food, grieve with
it, mull ideas over it and deliver all
news with food in our hands or on
our laps. Yet over the years, we’ve
stopped showing up at our friends’
places with sweets in our hands
because reality is such that we give
little thought to social gatherings
anymore. Where once we would
shower the house we visited with
doii and mishti, we now shower
the guests with well-worded
verses of discussion. Where has
all the gratitude gone? Through
globalization, we as a people have
changed. Where once we would
bring happiness into people’s lives
with gifts, which were decadent
and sweet in nature, we now stop
short of crass rudeness and a lack
Where once we would
bring happiness into
people’s lives with gifts,
which were decadent
and sweet in nature, we
now stop short of crass
rudeness and a lack of
respect for those who
want to entertain us by
showing up empty handed,
and sometimes not even
showing up at all
of respect for those who want to
entertain us by showing up empty
handed, and sometimes not even
showing up at all. Our bodies
present, but minds elsewhere.
Why are we not extending
the ceremony of being alive
anymore? Why not offer people a
gift they can take, representative
of who they are and where
they come from and share that
happiness with those around? Our
cosmopolitan life has mandated
that we divide our attention and
time into a million things a day,
but what would happen if you
were reminded that you have to
have a heart that’s open enough
to give, in order to receive? In order
to commemorate the life we have
right now, we give. And we need to
give more of what we believe in.
In
a
rapidly-expanding
economy such as Bangladesh’s, it’s
not often that a business starts
just to tell a story and remind us
of what we believe in. But that’s
what Made In Bangladesh, a crafts
store tucked into a corner of the
bustling Dhanmondi, is here to do.
They sell lifestyle products such as
phone covers, iPad covers, totes,
notebooks, bags which are unisex.
What started as recently as August
2013, already made it to the Dhaka
Crafts Fair earlier this year.
There’s also Ajo Café. Nestled
in the heart of Dhanmondi,
Ajo was designed as a place to
entertain those of us who believe
in alternatives, in independence,
in being able to afford a top-
notch lifestyle at a non-heartattack-inducing price. And there’s
a story behind this location.
Ajo – meaning the unborn, the
undefined, the ethereal, is a
space that offers more than just a
sweeping polarized classification
of either “cafe” or “restaurant.”
Having evolved from the idea
that class shouldn’t matter, Ajo
and “Made in Bangladesh” are both
products of an idea that spans
across cultures and mandates one
to lose themselves in their identity
as global citizens while being
centred by the gravity of being a
Bangali. Both the space and the
products utilise a keen sense of
aesthetics which merge available
resources and knowledge.
Where Ajo caters to behavior,
to eating (a perishable act with
a short shelf-life), Made in
Bangladesh caters to the extension
of a perishable idea – to extend
a certain amount of ceremony
into life. Our life is getting more
complicated but our means of
dealing with this complication is
getting simpler. A phone, which
is also a camera, a reminder, an
alarm, a GPS tracker is always at
our fingertips, which makes it
important for us to create goods
which are sustainable and ‘keepable,’ if you will. We are focused
on saving, to prolong the longevity
of a thing with which we create
a bond. Made in Bangladesh uses
recycled materials is an effort to
extend our consciousness.
Made in Bangladesh aims to
transform the name of a deceased
icon of identification into one that
stands on par with “Joy Bangla!”
Each product is home grown
and carries inside it women’s
empowerment, pride, patriotism,
self realisation, identity and
vulnerability that comes with
being a people who had to fight
so hard to gain independence.
Each product carries inside it the
wants, dreams, sadness, happiness
and discombobulating of a people.
“Made in Bangladesh” is made
with love, with affection and with
sheer dexterity.
Only 16 crore people will
understand the sentiment of
being a global citizen and a
Bangali. That’s to say, there’s so
many of us that we should be
taking on worlds and waging a
lifestyle war. One that is emotional
and deciphered through action.
You see, at the end of the day,
as Bangalis, we are who we are –
we are not copies of other lands or
countries, of other forefathers or
other cultures. Then why should
everything we carry be made
elsewhere? n
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
6
Rumana Habib
grew up in northern
California, but is
thrilled to now be
living in Bangladesh.
She’s also a playwright
and avid cinephile
COVER
MADE IN BANGLADESH
Undressing the American Apparel ad
Rumana Habib canvasses opinions on the retailer’s latest stunt
I
s it a protest about labour
practices? Are they mocking
Rana Plaza? Are they shaming
and defaming the name of our
country? Is it another statement
about “liberation from oppressive
Islam?” A slap in the face for
feminism?
It dropped just days before
International
Women’s
Day,
triggering a maelstrom of
controversy online and off. At
every Women’s Day event in
Dhaka that I went to that day,
people were asking in lowered
voices: “Did you see the American
Apparel ad?”
American Apparel has yet to
comment, reportedly stating that
they “want the ad to speak for
itself.”
What message is the company
trying to send, if any? Is it just
a marketing ploy saying: “Buy
our overpriced t-shirts?” The
company’s
infamous
CEO,
provocateur DovCharney, has
been a vocal supporter of the
Bangladesh garment industry in
the past.
What do our responses to
the
(purposely?)
ambiguous
advertisement say about us?
The reactions have ranged from
indifference to applause to
outrage.
And what about the model,
Bangladeshi-born Maks who
“unreservedly embraced this
photo shoot,” but who, as per
one Facebook commentor, may
henceforth be known as “the
Bengali girl who got her tits out
for American Apparel.”
Meet Maks
The
small
print
below
thetopless photo has a short
biographyofthevoluptuous
model. Maks moved to California
from Dhaka at the age of four, and
“continued following her parent’s
religious traditions and sustained
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
her Islamic faith throughout her
childhood. Upon entering high
school, Maks began to feel the
need to forge her own identity
and ultimately distanced herself
from Islamic traditions.”
In an interview with the Daily
Mail stated thatthe 22-year-old
Maks declined to comment about
the reaction of her “conservative
Muslim parents,” but maintained
that she was “fully comfortable
with the photo shoot.”
She told them: “All women should
feel strong and powerful no
matter what their background
or what they were taught they
had to be. We should all be able
to freely express ourselves no
matter where we come from.”
Fatwa watch
“She and American Apparel will
be sporting their shiny new
fatwas by summer.”
Malina Mohiuddin said,
“I don’t know what disgusts
me more. American Apparel’s
oversimplification of Islam
by pitting it against freedom
in explaining this model’s
motivations, their regular
protectionist campaigns against
Bangladeshi imports, their CEO’s
multiple sexual harassment
lawsuits, or the unimaginative
design of most of their clothes,”
While not overtly stated, Maks’
photo is a clear rejection of the
values of her Islamic upbringing.
Some religious leaning people
considered the ad a middle
finger to Islam. And others have
nail-bitingly wondered what the
backlash will be from Islamic
clerics.
Body positive
In the picture, you may have
noticed that Maks is also sporting
quite a pair… of jean, and um,
well…
“They’re making the phrase
‘Made in Bangladesh’ sexy,”
My very dismayed female
colleague noted that those
who have applauded Maks for
boldly embracing her freedom of
expression have mostly been men
admiring Maks’ figure.But women
have also applauded the move.
Nahareen Rahim, an art
historian, said: “I do love things
related to the body from an art
perspective. I also appreciate
the image because its making
visible the invisible. I love that
it’s a perfect set of tits. Having
seen the made in Bangladesh tag
The text at the bottom of this controversial ad reads:
Meet Maks.
She is a merchandiser who has been with American Apparel
since 2010. Born in Dhaka, the capitol of Bangladesh, Maks
vividly remembers attending mosque as a child alongside her
conservative Muslim parents. At age four, her family made a
life-changing move to Marina Del Rey, California. Although she
suddenly found herself a world away from Dhaka, she continued
following her parent’s religious traditions and sustained her
Islamic faith throughout her childhood. Upon entering high
school, Maks began to feel the need to forge her own identity and
ultimately distanced herself from Islamic traditions. A woman
continuously in search of new creative outlets, Maks unreservedly
embraced this photo shoot.
She has found some elements of Southern California culture to
be immediately appealing, but is striving to explore what lies
beyond the city’s superficial pleasures. She doesn’t feel the need
to identify herself as an American or a Bengali and is not content
to fit her life into anyone else’s conventional narrative. That’s
what makes her essential to the mosaic that is Los Angeles, and
unequivocally, a distinct figure in the ever-expanding American
Apparel family. Maks was photographed in the High Waist Jean,
a garment manufactured by 23 skilled American workers in
Downtown Los Angeles, all of whom are paid a fair wage and
have access to basic benefits such as healthcare.
7
on clothing since I was a kid and
feeling ambiguous about it, I can
fully stand by this association. As
someone on the wilder side of the
Bengali/Muslim spectrum, I’m
relieved.”
Joe Allchin says: “I find it
worrying
that
breasts
are
controversial in a world/country
with so many real problems...
How are a pair of tits controversial
compared to sweat shop labour?”
On Rana Plaza:
Bleeding heart or
opportunist?
The most serious accusation
levelled against the ad is that it is
exploiting the Rana Plaza tragedy.
For us, “made in Bangladesh”
is a matter of pride, something to
brag about when we spot it on a
designer shirt at a fancy store. But
in America, “made in Bangladesh”
is indelibly associated with last
April’s Rana Plaza tragedy, where
1,127 garment factory workers
died after the collapse of a poorly
constructed building.
But Charney is the same man
who said: “People in Bangladesh
are vulnerable, and someone has
to speak for them… it’s a shame,
it’s an embarrassment… I believe
they deserve something better
than they’re getting.”
He made the statement
a month after the Rana
Plaza disaster, in a one hour
interview with Vice’s magazine’s
Bangladeshi-American
writer
Reihan Salam. In it, he points the
finger straight at his competitors,
insisting that the problem is the
“relentless pursuit of low costs
in my industry,” and cutthroat
delivery timelines.
“Sweatshop free” is literally
the company’s tagline. He
proudly proclaims that he pays
Californian minimum wage,
although as we noted in our
editorial on Wednesday, is not a
living wage. Of course, it is in the
interest of his company’s bottom
line to equate a Bangladeshi
garment worker’s earning with
“slave wages” in the mind of a
guilt-prone consumer, who may
not realise that the garment
industry provides one of the best
paying jobs in Bangladesh for
undereducated workers.
Unseamly
“There are few things as insidious
as masking being a perv behind
a smokescreen of faux feminism
and religious freedom,” another
commentor stated.
In the US, American Apparel’s
hypersexual
ads,
which
supposedly feature their “fair
wage” paid employees, has been
stirring controversy in the US for
more than a few years. Scrolling
through their gallery of older
advertisements,
prominently
showcased on their website,
would make many Americans
blush.
And it must be mentioned
that Charney has been sued
many, many times for sexual
harassment.
Earlier this week, his cousin
Oren Safdiestaged a play inspired
by Churney called “Unseamly.”
Here is how the play describes
itself on its website. “A young
woman seeks legal advice
to initiate charges of sexual
harassment against her former
boss, Ira Slatsky, the CEO of an
international clothing company
known for its risqué billboards.
Female sexuality confronts male
corporate power. Who is telling
the truth? Who is manipulating
whom? How far should/can a
young woman go to take down a
predator? n
People in Bangladesh
are vulnerable, and
someone has to
speak for them…
it’s a shame, it’s an
embarrassment… I
believe they deserve
something better
than they’re getting
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
8
In Review
The unfinished memoir
Bangabandhu: The man
behind a nation
Faisal Mahmud
is good at memorising
seemingly unnecessary
information and
finds that journalism
actually appreciates, if
not nurtures, that sort
of futile flair
Faisal Mahmud reviews the autobiography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
D
espite
being
an
autobiography,
‘The
Unfinished
Memoirs’
portrays the early life of a nation
more than that of a man.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman’s memoir was written
during his incarceration of 19671969, a result of the infamous
Agartala conspiracy case initiated by
the Pakistani government; after his
assassination in 1975 the manuscript
lay unfinished.
While in prison, Mujib gave
the four notebooks containing
the manuscript to Sheikh Fazlul
Haq Moni. But after both men
were killed, the notebooks were
lost, and remained so until they
were eventually found by Mujib’s
daughter, Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, nearly three decades after
his death.
With the help of her younger
sister Sheikh Rehana, Hasina
had the brittle and fraying pages
meticulously transcribed and then
translated from Bangla into English.
In the solitude of his prison cell,
Mujib wrote about the political
turmoil that had gripped the Indian
subcontinent since partition up
until the liberation of Bangladesh.
Mujib’s memoir establishes some
vital facts about the history of the
subcontinent, including that the
birth of Bangladesh was more the
result of the Muslim League’s failure
than any other factor. He portrays
the independence movement as
materialising in the context of
constant let-downs by the Muslim
League’s leadership, who were
totally disconnected from the
people of East Pakistan.
On a more personal note,
the reader learns that Mujib’s
philosophy was shaped by his
political guru Huseyn Shaheed
Suhrawardy, a man who believed
in western-style democratic values.
Up until Suhrawardy’s death in late
1963, Mujib remained stubbornly
devoted to him.
We also learn that Mujib was an
avid reader, devouring literature,
philosophy, and political memoirs
from writers as diverse as Bertrand
Russell, Abraham Lincoln, Winston
Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi.
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
In the book Mujib details his
childhood and recalls his days as a
student activist campaigning for
the creation of Pakistan in the early
1940’s.
The writings describe how
although democracy was functional
in Pakistan its liberal attributes were
missing, and how this caused sociopolitical tension.
Mujib’s dissatisfaction with the
Muslim League started at an early
stage of his political career when
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the then
prime minister of Pakistan, declared
at the Legislative Assembly that the
people of East Pakistan must accept
Urdu as their state language.
The Young Mujib came out
against this declaration and became
a fervent activist of the language
movement. An ardent supporter of
the Muslim League he left the party
and joined the newly formed Awami
Muslim League under the leadership
of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy,
evolving into a secularist who
argued that Pakistan needed to
reinvent itself by respecting the
politics of its various regions.
His journey towards political
ascendency had begun. He feuded
constantly with the government
who repeatedly placed him under
arrest for advocating regional
autonomy for the federal units
of Pakistan, especially its Bengali
eastern wing.
The military regime tried to
silence his voice by throwing him
in jail repeatedly. However he never
abandoned the political struggle and
because of his sacrifice and tenacity
the Awami League emerged as the
majority party and, in time, became
the leading voice for independence.
The book, whilst not giving
much insight into Sheikh Mujib’s
personal convictions, allows us to
understand those the conditions
that led to partition and the creation
of Bangladesh. It becomes evident
from his reminiscences that while
the birth of Bangladesh is attributed
to the ‘cultural isolation’ of East
Bengal, the real reasons were more
political. n
Interview
9
Maksuda Akhter Prioty: Ms Ireland
Crowning the confident
A model, a mother and now Ms Ireland 2014: Bangladeshi-born Prioty, who secured
the title in January, tells the Dhaka Tribune of her challenges and stories, and reminds
mothers to keep pursuing their dreams
up, and could not even afford a new
dress for the finale.
“I could only hire a hairdresser on
the last day and even that I chose
over having a babysitter. I requested
one of my friends to babysit my
children.”
Being the only Asian in the contest
was no challenge at all, says Prioty.
“I was confident I would be within
the last three finalists, but wasn’t
sure if they would award someone of
an Asian origin the crown. But they
are very open-minded and had a very
positive attitude.”
For a thousand new
worlds
“S
elf-confidence is the key.
Once you have established
your confidence and made
your space, no one can stop you.”
These words would seem natural
from someone who won a contest
such as Ms Ireland. But the other
identities of Maksuda Akhter Prioty,
Ms Ireland 2014, actually speak of her
struggles and how confidence can
truly vary from context.
Prioty, who won the contest
in January of this year, was no
ordinary beauty pageant contestant.
Originally from Bangladesh, she is
now a single mother of two, and a
student in Dublin. She is the only
woman of Asian origin to have won
such a contest in Ireland.
A walk uphill
For a single mother, being a minority,
and without a job, winning the Ms
Ireland contest was not easy for
Prioty.
“I had to make a lot of
adjustments. There were trips I had
to make, and it was difficult because
I don’t have a lot of relatives here. So
I had to hire a babysitter every time I
left,” she told the Dhaka Tribune in a
phone interview.
Prioty, who is originally from
Bangladesh, has been living in Dublin
for 13 years. She left after completing
her school in Dhaka, and finished her
education there. Although she had
a career in the stock market, she is
currently attending flight school. But
this polar variation wasn’t enough
Photos: Courtesy
in her career path. After enrolling
in flight school, which is on the
other end of the spectrum from
stock market, Prioty approached yet
another absolutely different career
path.
“Life here gets monotonous, and
I wanted to try something new. I
wanted a new rhythm. So I applied
for the contest,” she said.
Having been interested in beauty
pageants from an early age, Prioty
was unable to pursue a career in this
field because of her academic and
work commitments. However, she
has been involved in a few modelling
assignments both here in Dhaka and
in Dublin.
Although Prioty faced no
challenge in being the only
Asian contestant among the 700
shortlisted participants, it was a walk
uphill for her as the contest required
the contestants to pay for all the
expenses.
“Starting from grooming sessions
to photoshoots to food and lodging
expenses – we had to cover it by
ourselves. Many Irish women were
able to manage sponsors, but, being
an Asian here who knows few people,
I couldn’t do that,” she said. “It was
particularly difficult for me as I am
also a student at the moment.”
“This is why my pride for having
won the contest is a lot stronger. It
truly feels like I own this title,” she
said.
With a limited budget, and
huge expenditure on travelling and
babysitters, Prioty did her own make-
Prioty is already on her way to a
few other contests. She is a finalist
for Top Model UK, the result of which
is supposed to be released sometime
in April. She is also participating in
Ms Galaxy International contest in
the USA, and plans to continue with
flight school.
Having curbed the various
challenges that shaped her journey,
Prioty says she has a message not
for the youngsters but the mothers
of our society. “The best part of my
contest was when they announced
me as the winner, they described
me as ‘Mother of two…’ I want to
remind married or single mothers –
the world isn’t over for you. We can
create a new world from wherever,
whenever. Having children does not
hinder any possibilities.”
Although she is living as a single
mother in Dublin and has won
a prestigious recognition for her
modelling career, it may not have
been as easy in Bangladesh where
being a single mother can still be a
matter of social stigma. But Prioty
believes we can brave that storm as
well.
“This world’s nature is to oppress
weakness. Not only in Bangladesh
– but everywhere. If we don’t stand
up and establish our space with
confidence and self-esteem, then
this system will continue. We must
believe in ourselves – amra ekai eksho
(we are all one-man armies).If I could
do it here, all by myself, it should be
easier to do it in my homeland – not
more difficult.” n
Syeda Samira
Sadeque is the
human version of
a turtle - small,
(mostly) confused
and slow. Not quite
bothered about
winning the race.
She loves coffee,
cupcakes, different
kinds of socks,
and ranting about
everything that’s
wrong with the
world
I want to remind married
or single mothers – the
world isn’t over for you.
We can create a new
world from wherever,
whenever. Having
children does not hinder
any possibilities
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
10
POST-RIPOSTE
MADE in Bangladesh
Are we overreacting to the
American Apparel ad?
Syeda Samira Sadeque
W
hat I find offensive is the
use of a nude model –
something not very common
or accepted in Bangladeshi culture – to
make a statement about Bangladesh.
AA’s anti-sweatshop stance, a woman’s
freedom to pose nude, and AA’s need
for attention can all be respected. But
why attach a country’s label to it?
Many argue that the advertisement
is not even made for Bangladeshis.
But when a Bangladeshi sees it that
not something that concerns them.
What concerns them is the offending
nature of a nude Bangladeshi woman
as a symbol of their country to the
outside world. More importantly, the
model has distanced herself from her
religious and cultural identity – so it’s
all the more confusing for the viewer.
Had she gone on to pose nude as
a Bangladeshi, I would respect her
and consider her stance on women’s
liberation. But she’s posing nude, not
as a Bangladeshi, with an identity
confusing to the viewer, about
Bangladesh.
Of course we’re furious. n
A parody for western eyes
James Saville
What is the connection between
AA’s clothes and Bangladesh?
Nothing.
This is precisely the message
of the ad: “Unlike other brands (eg
rivals like Gap and H&M) we don’t
exploit Bangladeshi workers to
create our products.”
Hence, the only thing “made in
Bangladesh” (parody alert) is the
model’s body.
The nudity may very well be
offensive to Bangladeshi culture. So
what? This is about American culture,
where sex sells and American-made
is best. That’s what’s being glorified,
and indeed marketed.
Remember who the ad is for;
AA has no interest in targeting
conservative citizens of a foreign
country where they have no stores
or workers.
Obviously, this is a convenient
excuse to use a pretty naked lady.
AA could have simply have
shown a fully clothed model and the
tagline “Not Made in Bangladesh,”
but anyone in advertising who
thinks that would have been a
good idea probably shouldn’t be in
advertising. n
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
Cartoons: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune
TOP 10
11
Bengali INnoVators
The mega minds
Shah Nahian sheds light on the scientific minds that were made in Bengal, voted for by our
readers. To take part in the next poll, please visit our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
WeekendTrib
Shah Nahian
is a staff writer at
Dhaka tribune with
a passion for music
and art. When he’s
not being forced to
work, he spends his
time daydreaming
and hanging out with
friends
8
1
Satyendra Nath Bose
Satyendra Nath Bose
The boson particle is named
for him. Best known for his
work on quantum mechanics
in the early 1920s, Satyendra
Nath Bose was a BengaliIndian physicist specialising in
mathematical physics. He had
provided the foundation for
Bose–Einstein statistics and
the theory of the Bose–Einstein
condensate. He was also a
member of the Royal Society,
and was awarded India’s
second highest civilian award,
the Padma Vibhushan by the
Government of India in 1954.
2
Dr Jagadish
Chandra Bose
Having completed his
higher education from
England, Dr JC Bose taught physics
at Presidency College in Kolkata after
coming back to the country. In 1894,
he started his research on radio-waves
to make wireless communication
equipment. He invented the “ironmercury-iron coherer with telephone
detector,” and is the first person to
have used a semiconductor junction to
catch the radio waves. Dr JC Bose was
the first renowned Bengali scientist to
have made a significant contribution in
the invention of radio and microwave
optics. Although he was often
Fazlur Khan
regarded as the real inventor of the
radio, the title never became official
due to the communication gap and his
lack of seriousness about patents.
3
Fazlur Khan
An icon of both architecture
and structural engineering,
Fazlur Khan is considered
to be the father of tubular designs
for high-rises. He was one of the
architects of the 108-story, 1,451-ft
tall Willis Tower in Chicago – which
was the tallest building in the world
when it was completed in 1973. The
Bangladeshi-American
structural
engineer and architect was the first
to initiate the structural systems
that form the basis of tall building
constructions today. Often regarded as
the “Einstein of structural engineering”
and “the greatest structural engineer
of the 20th century,” he now has an
award named after him at the Council
on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat,
called the “Fazlur Khan Lifetime
Achievement Medal.”
4
Dr Maqsudul Alam
5
Muhammad
Qudrat-I-Khuda
Dr Maqsudul Alam is a
Bangladeshi-American
scientist and a professor
at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He decoded the genome sequencing
of papaya in the USA, rubber plant
in Malaysia and jute and fungus in
Bangladesh. He is also a member
of the advisory board at Shahjalal
University of Science and Technology.
Bangladeshi
scientist,
educationist and writer,
Muhammad Qudrat-I-Khuda and
his associates patented 18 specific
inventions
that
included
the
manufacturing of Partex from jutestick, malt vinegar from the juice of
sugarcane and molasses, Rayon from
jute and jute-sticks, and paper from
jute. He also successfully extracted
biochemical elements from local trees
and plants for medicinal purposes
and played an important role in
popularising Bangla for scientific
practices.
6
Dr Azam Ali
7
Jawed Karim
8
Salman Khan
Dr Azam Ali is the inventor
of a bio-based wound
dressing that cures severe
wounds more effectively and 40%
faster than any other medicine
currently available. The scientist has
expressed the hope that the product
has bright prospects in Bangladesh
due to our country’s availability of
natural raw materials. Talks are on
with a local pharmaceutical company
concerning the launch of the product
in Bangladesh.
The Bangladeshi-German
internet
entrepreneur
is best known for being
the co-founder of the world’s most
popular video sharing website,
YouTube. He worked at PayPal while
attending university, where he met
Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. The three
later founded YouTube in 2005 with
Karim uploading the first ever video on
the site, titled “Me at the zoo.”
A graduate of MIT and
Harvard Business School,
Salman Khan is the
Dr Jagadish Chandra Bose
founder of the Khan Academy, a free
education platform and a non-profit
organisation. Mainly focusing on
mathematics and science subjects,
Khan has produced over 4,800 video
lessons.
In 2012, Time magazine
named Salman Khan in its annual list
of the 100 most influential people in
the world while Forbes featuredhim
on its cover with the story “$1 Trillion
Opportunity.”
9
Amar Bose
Amar bose was a BengaliAmerican electrical and
sound engineer. He served
as a professor at MIT for 45 years and
was also the founder and chairman
of Bose Corporation. In 2007, he was
listed in Forbes 400 as the 271st richest
man in the world, with a net worth of
$1.8bn. In 2011, he donated a majority
of the company to MIT in the form
of non-voting shares to sustain and
advance MIT’s education and research
mission.
10
Jamal Nazrul
Islam
Jamal Nazrul Islam was a
Bangladeshi mathematical
physicist and cosmologist. His research
areas include applied mathematics,
theoretical physics, mathematical
physics, the theory of gravitation,
general
relativity,
mathematical
cosmology and quantum field
theory. Professor Islam worked at the
Institute of Theoretical Astronomy
(later amalgamated to the Institute
of Astronomy, Cambridge), California
Institute of Technology, University of
Washington, King’s College London,
City University London and University
of Chittagong throughout his career. n
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
12
PHOTO STORY THIS LAND FROM THE AIR
Mosaic in Green
A photo story by
Syed ZAKIR Hossain
Jessore from the air
With concrete creeping in everywhere, we can’t see as much
of the river or the green as we could years ago – at least, not
when we have our feet on the ground. However, it’s still the
green that dominates the landscape that we see when we
spread our wings. Zakir Hossain brings back these aerial
images from up above.
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
13
Shandha River, Shawrupkathi, Barisal
A ‘char’ in Padma River, Rajshahi
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
14
PHOTO STORY
Hardinge Bridge, Ishwardi
A small river in Jessore
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
THIS LAND FROM THE AIR
15
Brick fields in Barisal
Faridpur
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
16
Feature
CYber-Bullying
Promiti Prova
Chowdhury
is passionate about
music, yoga, food
and public speaking.
Though she keeps
stumbling and goes
around in circles, she
often ends up with
something productive
Who has the time to bully me
over internet?
Syed Latif Hossain/Dhaka Tribune
Promiti Prova Chowdhury explores causes, methods, consequences and possible solutions of
cyber-bullying
Case 1
I am a teacher at a school. As a global
citizen, I use social media. As far as
my concern for cyber-bullying, I used
to think. “Who would have the time
to do something like that?”
On May 2, 2013, a senior teacher
messaged me on Facebook asking
me to report a certain “fake
account.” I did not click the link
she sent, but just replied to her
saying I would. The same night, she
contaacted me again, saying she
was sorry for “what had happened
to me.” I wondered why, so I clicked
on the link she had sent only to see
my name come up. When I looked at
the profile picture, I saw my face –
with skin visible below.
At first I did not even have the
courage to scroll down. But as soon
as I did, I realized the picture was of
a naked body. Someone had pasted
my face on a nude body using
Photoshop. That night I could not
sleep. I did not share it with anyone
other than my best friend.
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
Case 2
The next day, I reported the page.
And before that account could be
closed, another account of the
same nature mushroomed up from
nowhere! Someone started sending
friend requests to people who knew
me.
This time I told my mother. My
mother understood my situation
and initially told me to report it to
the police. But then we realized
we did not have any idea who was
running the fake account, and it
would be embarrassing to explain
such a thing to the police.
After reporting it on Facebook,
the accounts were closed down,
but I am still recovering. I have
deactivated my account because I
feel that if I log in, that account with
the nude picture might flash up in
front of my eyes again. The person
who did it, however, could not be
traced. It could be a friend, an old
stalker, a colleague … who knows.
I am a student at Jahangirnagar
University. I got an internet connection
for my PC in 2006. I started chatting
with people in different countries
using the Yahoo chat room. Initially,
it was fun until one day something
happened.
Someone offered to have a video
chat with me. I was skeptical because
this was the first day I was talking
to him. He wrote: “Okay first you
see me, then you show yourself.” He
asked me to turn on my webcam
and I accepted, but instead of seeing
him what I saw was his genitals. He
was showing it through webcam
and then he asked me how I liked it.
I was embarrassed and turned off the
camera immediately.
Now my question is, when
women’s body parts are disclosed it is
a shame for women. But here, the guy
himself was displaying his genitals
with no shame. I was the one who was
embarrassed. What kind of mentality
is this?
17
The cases mentioned above are two of the many stories shared at
an open discussion on cyber-bullying at the Goethe Institute Dhaka
on March 7. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, students,
development practitioners, researchers, social media experts, gathered
there to share their experiences and discuss solutions to the problem.
According to a definition by Merriam Webster dictionary, cyber
bullying is “the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about
a person often done anonymously.” The vicious tactics include
spreading hate-speech over blogs and social networks, and creating
fake accounts to mock people.
Why do such
incidents take place?
Naivety and ignorance.
The vicious cycle continues because of our lack of knowledge.
We do not know who to report to, and how to respond. So take the
following action to avoid cyber-bullying and to recover if you have
already experienced it:
• Immediately take a screenshot of the page where you have been
attacked. Keep a log of the date and time, and the name of your
browser. Share it with RAB or file a general diary at your nearest
police station.
• Do not share your password with anyone, not even with parents or
best friends. This is not a way to show your trust in anyone.
• Contact the Bangladesh Computer Security Incident Response
Team (BD-CSIRT) at +880 2 7162277 ext-444.
• Do not put up cell phone numbers on random sites.
• Some development organisations are already raising awareness
of this issue in schools. You can share your experience with your
teacher, who can provide good counseling.
• Report and continue reporting fake profiles or any group putting
up a smear campaign. Sometimes the number of abusive accounts
is more than five lakhs. In those cases it is hard to report because
in order to take an account down, the number of complaints has to
outweigh the number of fans. So if necessary save a screenshot and
take legal action. n
Where is the line between public and
private spaces?
With the rise of social media sites
such as Facebook, we have put our
personal information, interests,
relationships, and ideologies on
the world’s biggest server, and it
is open to billions. Through likes,
dislikes, emoticons and comments,
we share our lives. This distinction
between public and private spaces
has become blurry. And Beckerbullying occurs when a person or a
group takes the advantage of this
blurriness. In ignoring this heinous
activity, we forget that words can be
deadly.
Is this phenomenon really
confined to a particular age group
or sex?
No. It can happen to anyone,
anytime.
“Not all aggression is bullying
However, bullying is always
aggression,” said Sharat Chowdhury,
a moderator of somewherein blog.
“The
blogosphere
started
developing in this country in 2005.
There were two forces behind it:
One was the ability to blog in your
own language, and the other was
the desire to become part of a
community. Eventually other tools
of media started connecting people.
They now share cell phone numbers
on the blog, meet in person, throw
get-togethers, start group chats. So
eventually they move from online to
offline – and vice versa.”
Things are fine up to a point.
But what if this group does not
like someone? Or a particular
ideology? They can gang up against
that person and start reviling him
using abusive language, putting up
derogatory photos and videos to
harass the person. Here starts the
bullying which can leave a longterm negative mark on someone’s
psyche,” said Sharat, adding that
many often misuse the advantage
of that blogs provide to some people
of choosing to remain anonymous.
Do we have any privacy in the
virtual space?
The talk highlighted the fact that cyber-bullying does not only come from
people we know.
With pages such as “ORNA—oi cheri tor orna koi” and “bibhinno
bisshobiddaloy er bibaho joggo patro o patri,” anyone can be bullied anytime
without being notified. On these websites, pictures of random people are
used by downloading pictures from their profiles, or by taking random shots
from the streets, gardens or holiday spots. Some people who post their cell
phone numbers on sites or blogs find them used by bullies.
Courtesy
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
18
Farhana Urmee
is a forgetful
journalist who is very
serious about taking
her notes, because
without those she is
of no work
Out AND about Startup Weekend Dhaka 2014
Sowing your ideas
Farhana Urmee tells the story behind Startup Dhaka, of their way forward
and their current projects
S
tartup Weekend is a global
campaign that brings together
the fresh ideas of young
potential entrepreneurs, to empower
them and giving them a platform for
their ideas to be executed.
Startup Weekend Dhaka is a part
of the campaign that started last
year, with a successful launching of
new ideas.
Startup platforms for countries
like ours are proving to be a
stage for new performers with
immense potential. Using ideas and
innovation from our youth, instead
of just adopting foreign ideas,
means we can tailor-make more
appropriate and beneficial solutions
in many sectors
The annual event will run March
13-15 at the HubDhaka office in
Mirpur. After a registration process,
selected participants will be invited
to take part in the event.
HubDhaka is a platform for
startup entrepreneurs to work
and share ideas with others in a
professional environment.
What is Startup Weekend
Dhaka?
We all have great ideas. Every once
in a while, an idea can trigger
enormous success in businesses and
ventures.
As in the 100 countries
participating in Startup Weekend
around the world, the event in
Dhaka is platform to support new
local entrepreneurs. The non-profit
organisation operates through
sponsorship. The funds raised from
ticket sales for their events go
towards the three-day event itself.
Surplus funds are banked for followup events, or to help support a
feasible startup.
The service they provide is
entirely voluntary, and no member
of the organising team is paid.
Behind the scenes
The curator and licensee of the
Startup Weekend Dhaka is Sajid
Islam. He is a startup junkie, who
realised that lots of great ideas were
floating around in Bangladesh, just
looking for a platform to turn them
into reality.
That is what inspired the idea
of bringing to Startup Weekend to
Dhaka. He went over to the Startup
Weekend office in Seattle, and
applied for a license. The first ever
Startup Weekend Dhaka was in 2013.
What is the benefit?
“The idea of Startup Weekend is to
create a catalyst-like effect in the
nation. Startup Weekend brings
together people from different
backgrounds -- people with ideas,
people with visions,” Sajid said.
“Startup Weekend Dhaka aims
to help these thinkers make their
dreams a reality.”
The primary goal of Startup
Weekend Dhaka is to teach the
participants four core skill that are
necessary when kick-starting a new
venture: leadership, public speaking,
recruiting and management.
Dugdugi.com.bd was the most
notable and successful startup
formed at last year Startup Weekend
Dhaka. The website lists albums and
singles by many popular Bangladeshi
bands and solo artist, and allows
music lovers from all over the world
to stream to their favourite music for
free. Their idea was not only to make
Bangladeshi music more available
to a global network, but also to help
stop piracy within the music industry
in Bangladesh.
Core Ideology
“People who come to Startup
Weekend come in with the thought:
‘I really want to learn,’” says Sajid.
He describes Startup Weekend as
an “immersion project” following
the core ideology that it is about
providing people with a platform
that allows them “to dip their toes
into the water to see if it is for
[them] or not.”
The basic model
Anyone with ideas can come and
join. All they need is to be a part
of Startup Weekend. The platform
will facilitate a participant not only
to pitch new ideas, but also allow
feedback from fellow participants.
Through a popular vote, ideas are
sorted into a top ten list.
The top ten ideas are then
worked out in business model
creation,
coding,
designing
and market validation. There
are
also
presentations
by
potential entrepreneurs for local
entrepreneurial
leaders
that
would allow a more practical and
professional assessment of ideas.
What’s in it for you?
Photos: Courtesy
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
Outside of learning management
and leadership skills, the programme
has three top prizes. Each winner
will get a 16-week mentorship
programme, after the completion
of which, they will get additional
benefits. First prize is Tk50,000 seed
funding and access and workspace
at HubDhaka for six month, worth
Tk60,000. Second prize is Tk25,000
seed funding and the three months’
access to HubDhaka. Third prize
is Tk15,000 seed funding and two
months’ access to HubDhaka.
Helping out this year
Sponsors:
EMK
Center,
FFC,
HubDhaka, the US State Department
and Inflection Ventures.
Judges: Tanveer Ali (investor),
Nash Islam (entrepreneur), Pankaj
Jain (investor/venture capitalist),
Fayaz Taher (serial entrepreneur) and
Iraj Islam (co-founder, Newscred).
Event Partners: Shetu, G&R ad
network, and GBG Dhaka
Coaches: Mirza Salman Hossain
Beg
(Marketing
and
Sales),
Muhammed Nazimuddaula Milon
(Digital Media), Sheikh Shuvo
(Regional Operation Manager),
Minhaz
Anwar
(Bangladesh
Startup Cup), Bijon Islam (Cofounder, LightCastle BD), Mustafiz
Khan (Founder, Startup Dhaka),
Samira
Himika
(Entrepreneur),
Fayaz Taher (Senior entrepreneur),
Nazmul Ahmed Najm (Founder,
Ennovision), Riyad Hossain (Founder,
Magnito Digital), Razin Mustafiz
(Product
Manager,
Newscred),
Alyssa
Ransburry
(Operations/
Team Dynamics), and Rafu Mustafa
(Marketing and Sales).
Missing Out?
To sign up for the next Startup
Weekend Dhaka, or to get more
information about startups in
Bangladesh, visit their website at
http://dhaka.startupweekend.org
or email sajid@hubdhaka.com. n
19
Culture Vulture Partha Pratim Majumder
Talking with
a mime
maestro
Faisal Mahmud
is good at memorising
seemingly unnecessary
information and
finds that journalism
actually appreciates, if
not nurtures, that sort
of futile flair
Partha Pratim Majumder
became famous by being
silent. The mime maestro
is surprisingly pugnacious speaker offstage, but he
says even more when not
talking at all.
“Though language is
normally the primary
mode of expression, for
a mime artist it’s body
movement … If I can’t
say more with my body
movements then I am not
a mime artist at all.”
I met Partha during his recent visit to
Dhaka. He was staying at a friend’s
place in Dhanmondi. I went to talk
with him about the techniques
of mime. Instead of giving me a
verbal reply, he suddenly leapt to
his feet and gave an impromptu
performance by walking in place.
Then he drank an imaginary
glass of water, sniffed an imaginary
flower and mimed being stuck in a
glass box.
“Do you think you can do it?”
I said no. He said: “I can sing a
song without a sound. It’s not a
technique that you can learn easily.
It takes years of practice.”
I wanted to talk more about
mime but he insisted on talking
about food.
“Did you know that I am a good
cook?”
I told him I didn’t.
“Most people don’t know this,
but I can cook really well, especially
French, Italian and Bangali food.”
He attributes this to 32 years of
living in Paris, the world’s unofficial
food capital. “I am thinking of
introducing
authentic
French
cuisine to Bangladesh,” he said.
As far as I know, there is no French
restaurant in Dhaka. I can cook crepe
(a very thin pancake) really well, and
I believe it would suit the taste buds
of Dhakaites.”
His favourite food however, is
Bangali comfort food.
“In Paris, when I invite guests
to our house, I usually cook a lot of
dishes. But after the guests leave,
my wife and I have our dinner of
boiled rice, boiled potato and gawa
ghee”
While
opening
a
French
restaurant in Dhaka is a recent
dream of Majumder’s, opening a
mime academy in Dhaka has been
his lifelong ambition.
“The mime academy will not only
teach the students the art of mime,
but also educate people how to
move their body.”
He believes lessons on body
movements are useful for everyone.
“Breaking the body geometrically is
not just an art; it’s a science as well.
You need to know the method to
practice it properly.”
“I teach body movement classes
to top management people in
French universities, like how to sit or
approach others during a business
conversation, or how to comport
your body during a presentation.”
Partha believes an international
- standard mime academy could be
a good place to teach people such
an important but overlooked skill.
“I really hope I can collect enough
funding to implement my dream of
establishing a mime academy.”
Partha says there has been a
boom in the mime art industry in
the West ever since the silent movie
The Artist won the Oscar for best
movie in 2012.
“I had been working with Michel
Hazanavicius, the Oscar winning
director of The Artist, since 1996. He
had offered me the opportunity to
work on that movie. I refused, as I
was on a European tour with one of
my dramas.”
When I suggest he could have
gotten an Oscar, he replies: “Awards
aren’t something that I crave.”
Perhaps that’s because Partha
has already had many awards
and honours conferred on him,
including Europe’s highest honour
for theatre, the Molière Award given
by L’Association Professionnelle et
Artistique du Théâtre in 2009, and
the highest honour of Bangladesh,
the Ekushey Padak in 2010.
In 2011 he was also made a
Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et
des Lettres” (Knight in the Order of
Arts and Letters), one of the highest
French cultural honours.
Partha said he asked the French
cultural minister: “Why are you
giving me this award? There are
lots of artists in your country who
haven’t got this award.”
The French minister replied that
Marcel Marceau, the great French
mime artist, had termed Partha,
“the bridge between East and West,”
Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune
at a UNESCO program in 1986, and
that the French government were
acknowledging him as such.
“The
minister
said
their
government doesn’t just give the
award to those who are good at
what they do, rather they give the
award to those who have brought
their roots along with them, giving
something original and fresh to the
audience, thus adding some new
dimension to their culture.”
“I was honoured that I could
bring my roots along with me, and
the French people have recognised
that.”
Though he has been living in
France for a long time, he never
believed that he would stay there
permanently.
“When I first came here in
1981 under a Shilpakala Academy
scholarship to study the art of
mime with Etienne Decroux, I never
thought I could bear the first year, as
it was really cold!”
Though he survived and thrived,
Partha said nothing could replace
one’s homeland.
“When I visit Bangladesh, I
usually go out on a drive to the
rural areas. On my way, I stop my
car and smell the air. I try to get
the fragrance of the paddy fields,
even the decomposing jute and cow
dung. All the precious perfume of
Paris couldn’t replace that.”n
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
20
Sohara Mehroze
Shachi is an ardent
music, aerial arts,
debating, drawing and
writing enthusiast
- who happens to be a
political science major
and a development
worker
Thought Plot
Tagore And Einstein
When Einstein
met Tagore
In honour of Einstein’s birthday today, Sohara Mehroze Shachi unearths a
conversation between two of the greatest minds of East and West
In July 1930, two of the world’s greatest minds –
Rabindranath Tagore and Albert Einstein – met for the first
time at Einstein’s Berlin abode to have one of the most
riveting conversations of all time, exploring the dichotomy
between religion and science.
In almost all arenas including cultural backgrounds
and occupations, the two intellectual heavyweights were
diametrically different. But their mutual love for music,
inquisitiveness, and passion for the truth united them, and
resulted in their stimulating philosophical discourse.
Fortunately, Dimitri Marianoff and Amiya Chakravarty
were present during their meetings, and recorded the
conversations. Marianoff, the husband of Einstein’s
stepdaughter, promptly published the story in August 1930.
The conversation was transcribed courtesy of David Gosling’s
Science and the Indian Tradition: When Einstein met Tagore,
and the January 1931 issue of Modern Review.
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
21
An excerpt from the historic
conversation:
TAGORE: You have been busy,
hunting down with mathematics,
the two ancient entities, time and
space, while I have been lecturing
in this country on the eternal
world of man, the universe of
reality.
EINSTEIN: Do you believe in the
divine isolated from the world?
TAGORE: Not isolated. The infinite
personality of man comprehends
the universe. There cannot be
anything that cannot be subsumed
by the human personality, and
this proves that the truth of the
universe is human truth.
EINSTEIN: Truth, then, or beauty,
is not independent of man?
TAGORE: No, I do not say so.
EINSTEIN: If there were no
human beings any more, the
Apollo Belvedere no longer would
be beautiful?
TAGORE: No!
EINSTEIN: I agree with this
conception of beauty, but not with
regard to truth.
TAGORE: Why not? Truth is
realized through men.
TAGORE: Truth, which is one
with the universal being, must
be essentially human; otherwise,
whatever we individuals realize as
true, never can be called truth. At
least, the truth which is described
as scientific and which only can
be reached through the process
of logic—in other words, by an
organ of thought which is human.
According to the Indian philosophy
there is
Brahman, the absolute truth,
which cannot be conceived by the
isolation of the individual mind
or described by words, but can
be realized only by merging the
individual in its infinity. But such
a truth cannot belong to science.
The nature of truth, which we are
TAGORE: When our universe is in
harmony with man, the eternal,
we know it as truth, we feel it as
beauty.
EINSTEIN: This is a purely human
conception of the universe.
EINSTEIN: This is a realization of
the human entity.
TAGORE: Yes, one eternal entity.
We have to realize it through our
emotions and activities. We realize
the supreme man, who has no
individual limitations, through our
limitations. Science is concerned
with that which is not confined
to individuals; it is the impersonal
human world of truths. Religion
realizes these truths and links
them up with our deeper needs.
Our individual consciousness of
truth gains universal significance.
Religion applies values to truth,
and we know truth as good
through its own harmony with it.
EINSTEIN: We do things with our
mind, even in our everyday life,
for which we are not responsible.
The mind acknowledges realities
outside of it, independent of it.
For instance, nobody may be in
this house, yet that table remains
where it is.
TAGORE: Yes, it remains outside
the individual mind, but not the
universal mind. The table is that
which is perceptible by some kind
of consciousness we possess.
EINSTEIN: If nobody were in
the house the table would exist
all the same, but this is already
illegitimate from your point of
view, because we cannot explain
what it means, that the table is
there, independently of us. Our
natural point of view in regard to
the existence of truth apart from
humanity cannot be explained
or proved, but it is a belief which
nobody can lack—not even
primitive beings. We attribute to
truth a superhuman objectivity.
It is indispensable for us—this
reality which is independent of
our existence and our experience
and our mind—though we cannot
say what it means.
EINSTEIN: There are two different
conceptions about the nature of
the universe: The world as a unity
dependent on humanity, and the
world as a reality independent of
the human factor.
TAGORE: The world is a human
world – the scientific view of it
is also that of the scientific man.
Therefore, the world apart from
us does not exist; it is a relative
world, depending for its reality
upon our consciousness. There
is some standard of reason and
enjoyment which gives it truth,
the standard of the eternal man
whose experiences are made
possible through our experiences.
TAGORE: What we call truth lies in
the rational harmony between the
subjective and objective aspects
of reality, both of which belong to
the superpersonal man.
TAGORE: In any case, if there be
any truth absolutely unrelated
to humanity, then for us it is
absolutely non-existing.
EINSTEIN: I cannot prove my
conception is right, but that is my
religion.
TAGORE: Beauty is in the ideal of
perfect harmony, which is in the
universal being; truth is the perfect
comprehension of the universal
mind. We individuals approach
it through our own mistakes
and blunders, through our
accumulated experience, through
our illumined consciousness. How
otherwise can we know truth?
EINSTEIN: I cannot prove, but
I believe in the Pythagorean
argument, that the truth is
independent of human beings.
It is the problem of the logic of
continuity.
discussing, is an appearance; that
is to say, what appears to be true
to the human mind, and therefore
is human, and may be called maya,
or illusion.
EINSTEIN: It is no illusion of the
individual, but of the species.
TAGORE: The species also belongs
to a unity, to humanity. Therefore
the entire human mind realizes
truth; the Indian and the European
mind meet in a common realization.
EINSTEIN: The word species is
used in German for all human
beings; as a matter of fact, even
the apes and the frogs would
belong to it. The problem is
whether truth is independent of
our consciousness.
EINSTEIN: Then I am
religious than you are!
more
TAGORE: My religion is in the
reconciliation of the superpersonal man, the universal spirit,
in my own individual being.
In spite of their differences in
ideology, Einstein consistently
expressed his appreciation for
his illustrious guest. And Tagore
later wrote in his memoirs about
his host: “There was nothing
stiff about him – there was no
intellectual aloofness. He seemed
to me a man who valued human
relationships and he showed
toward me a real interest and
understanding.’’ n
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
22
TOUGH LOVE
Dina Sobhan
is a freelance writer
and cautions readers
not to take her
“advice” here too
seriously!
Got a problem? Write
to Dina at weekend@
dhakatribune.com
1
DINA SOBHAN
I am a man in early 60s, about to retire from
my job. All my life I have wanted to travel –
go to different places and see the world. But
my mother’s insistence on seeing me “settle down”
forced me to compromise and get married. I accepted
my fate and, all these years, worked hard to be a
good husband and father. But now my children – two
sons – are both settled, with good jobs and their own
families. Now that I don’t have any responsibilities
and soon won’t have a job, I finally have the time
and resources to spend on myself. I want to leave
everything here and start travelling. I feel like I owe it
to myself. Do you think I am being irrational?
I recently started working at
a multi-national company
as a management trainee.
This is a dream-come-true
for me – or it was until I met my
team members. To be fair, they
are friendly enough, and most
of the time they will stop to hear
and answer my questions. But
I never feel welcome. At first, I thought it was just me thinking
that way as I was in a completely
new environment. But lately, I’ve
noticed that my team members –
all of them – hang out a lot both
in and outside the office, and not
once have they invited me. It’s as if
they don’t want me on the team.
This is bothering me a lot. How do I deal with this situation?
Do I think it’s rational, at the ripe old
age of 60+, to abandon your wife and
the life you two have cultivated over
these last many years and just take
off to ‘see the world’? Do I feel that it’s
callous of you to feel nothing for her
after years of her slaving over a hot
stove to cook bhat, dal and illish mach
for you even though she hates fish?
Do I think it incredulous that you have
not grown to feel an iota of love and
compassion for the woman who also
had to conceivably forego her dreams
and ‘compromise’ by settling down
with a complete stranger, which she
nonetheless did willingly and without
complaint? Have you never travelled
and “seen the world” with your family,
or was it all just a long drudgery
waiting to end so you could finally be
free? It’s heart-warming that you feel
you owe it to yourself. What does your
long-suffering spouse feel is owed to
her? n
2
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
Syed Rashad ImamTanmoy/Dhaka Tribune
Wow, it’s just like high-school all over
again, and you’re still the geeky loser
that no one wants to hang out with.
Sorry kid, you’re just going to have to
eat lunch all by yourself in the break
room while sneaking peeks at the cool
table. I mean, really?? First of all, don’t
you have any friends of your own? I
presume you must be in your 20s and
made it through college and such to
arrive at this prestigious position as
trainee. And, presumably, you made
at least one friend along the way
to play dungeons and dragons and
hang out with on dateless Saturday
nights. If not, well, don’t lose hope.
You’re still new and it takes a while to
be accepted into the club. Just play it
cool, do your job well, and don’t make
yourself seem too available. There’s
nothing more off-putting than the
stench of desperation. Eventually,
once you prove yourself worthy, they
might let you buy them drinks at
the local dive where there’s a lesser
chance of being spotted by anybody
who matters. n
WT | LEISURE
23
Solution and clues for last week’s Sudoku
Sudoku
DID YOU
KNOW?
Want to know how much it
costs to make every episode
of the Game Thrones?
According to E! Online, it is
an average of $6m.
According to Forbes,
Snapchat is one of the top
startupd which made a lot
of money in 2013 - $60m,
to be precise.
According to Forbes, out
of 1,645 billionaires, only 172
are women as of February
2014. The net worth of the
richest woman in the world,
Christy Walton is $36.7bn,
which is almost half of the
$67bn earned by the richest
man on earth, Bill Gates.
Crossword
Across
1 Keep an eye on timepiece (5)
5 A quiet tree (3)
6 Finally the long way up hot country
(5)
8 Month for pair around fifty (5)
10 Bolt can be found in here, like Brazil? (3)
11 Joint the Spanish used for violins (5)
Down
1 Break sounds like opposite of strong
start (7)
2 Attempt score in rugby (3)
3 Laugh at end of bowler, for example (3)
4 Put everything into performance
without depth (7)
7 Half keep up with youngster (3)
8 This clue was all-consuming (3)
9 Acrobat holds mug (3)
Solution and clues for
last week’s crossword
Across
1 Tuneful mixture of cod and lime
(7)
4 Writer of tales of tea and a
strange cure (7)
6 Country is French on Italian acres,
initially (7)
7 Weapon no US TV legend returns
(7)
Down
1 Scottish monarch arranges match
bet (7)
2 Minimum rent has a small inclusion (5)
3 Ruin act about drapery (7)
5 River visit after swindle (5)
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
24
Syeda Samira
Sadeque is the
human version of
a turtle - small,
(mostly) confused
and slow. Not quite
bothered about
winning the race.
She loves coffee,
cupcakes, different
kinds of socks,
and ranting about
everything that’s
wrong with the
world
business
dhaka mooc
Answering the world
Syeda Samira Sadeque meets with Dhaka MOOC (Massive Open
Online Courses) Exchange, a Facebook group that promotes
education through research, interaction and free online courses
“T
he world is a monologue, and in order to fix the world, we need
dialogue,” he says, squinting at the sun as we settle down for our
conversation at Chhobir Haat.
It’s a March afternoon, and the heat is just beginning to settle in. Amid
the hawkers’ calls, and the busy tea-stalls, I sit down with Cal Jahan for a
quick chat about Dhaka MOOC Exchange.
Jahan launched Dhaka MOOC Exchange in October of last year, with two
other partners.
“At MOOC, we don’t believe in the concept of titles that differentiate
one another. There is no ‘founder’ or ‘president.’ There are just the active
members: three of us who watch over the programme.”
Jahan and his team have built up an approachable, user-friendly,
grassroots system that focuses on the quality of their service.
“Education in Bangladesh is a big business. And it’s not even high-quality
education,” says Jahan who was educated in the US.
Yasser Aziz, another of the three active members who helped set-up
Dhaka MOOC Exchange, says: “From my little knowledge and experience, I
can say that the low-quality of teaching and the prevalence of session jams
are huge issues for university students; they need to be solved. Solutions
include increasing the accessibility of high quality educational resources
through ubiquitous technologies, and doing so at a little or no cost.”
Jahan adds: “I believe in free education. MOOC makes it possible. If all of
us had access to that, imagine where we would be.”
The journey
Although started only last year,
the idea for Bangladeshi MOOC
has been on the horizon for a
while.
Jahan decided to move to
Bangladesh a few years back to
work in this sector. He had worked
in different companies before
beginning this project with two
others who he met through
TedxDhaka, another educational
project he had started.
“When I was 30, I discovered
my passion: education. I was a
really curious child who always
wanted to learn, but the process
of institutional learning really
devalues and discourages people
like me, even though I may have
something to contribute.”
Jahan says he began to think:
“What if we all did things that
we’re passionate about? The
world would turn wonderful
overnight.”
So, in his quest to provide
free education for all, and give
everyone a platform to realise
their passions, Jahan started the
Dhaka MOOC Exchange. One of
the initial participants has left,
and a new member has joined,
keeping the number of “actives”
at three.
Challenges
Despite the success so far, Dhaka
MOOC Exchange has had a few
challenges, like a high dropout
rate, and a lack of infrastructure.
Students’
absence
and
poor time management are
a particular issue. It appears
that young people are having
a difficult time juggling their
MOOC activity alongside their
conventional education.
The benefits
Despite this, they had had their
very first session at Robindro
Shorobor in October, and since
then many have benefited from
the resource. “Working with
MOOC Exchange has helped me
learn skills I couldn’t imagine to
have learned locally, mainly due to
my restricted routine,” says Aziz,
who is now a 1st year engineering
student at Ahsanullah University.
“For example, I learned
programming
with
an
introductory computer science
course I did during my A-Levels. It
was possible because I could take
the classes at night and during
weekends, and that didn’t affect
my day-time classes.”
He continues: “One of the
innovative features of the Dhaka
MOOC Exchange is that we
believe in open leadership. In
open leadership, everyone in the
community is both a follower
and a leader. Different people will
lead different projects, whatever
they are best at, and the rest will
follow. There is no such thing
as ‘supreme leader’ or ‘forever
follower.’”
In Jahan’s mind the purpose of
all this is clear: “Our focus should
be that our next generation
should be richer, more famous
than us.”
Their launch campaign was called
Disr^4upt because they wanted
to “do something disruptive to
the educational ecosystem.” Their
emphasis is on four areas:
a) Autodidactism: To make
everyone self-learners.
b) Education 2.0: To encourage
students to learn, think, and do
– your education does not end at
school, take it beyond that; read
outside your textbooks, travel etc.
c) r4: Added to the traditional
list of three R’s (Reading, writing,
and arithmetic) is “programming
literacy,” an essential skill for the
future.
d) The power of free: You can
show the world your potential for
free. People will recognise it and
those who profit from education
will disappear from the market.
At MOOC, the exchange of
knowledge takes place through
presentations
and
community
discussions. These focus on coding
workshops,
through
Google
Hangouts, personal tutorials, and
a range of other 2-3 days crash
courses.
Upcoming events
Their next Mooc event is on Saturday
March 15 at at the EMK Center. It will
host two presentations:
1) A Brief History of the English
Language:
This session will discuss the history
of English language from an angle
you would least expect it to. Did you
know English was once considered a
“language of the illiterate”? Though
it has now become one of the most
spoken languages in the world, and
an intersection point for various
cultures, its rise to prominence is
connected to why we, despite taking
years of English classes at school,
still don't know how to speak it.
This 20 minutes session will explore
a 1,000 year history of the English
language.
Photos: Courtesy
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
MOOCs Philosophy
2) Learn to Play Blackjack (21) Like a
Pro:
Attend this session to learn some
strategies that can make you win! n
business
25
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
Global Social Entrepreneurship
Competition 2014
Hasibul Islam writes about Bangladesh’s award winning team
“T
he desire to win a global
competition and make
a difference arose when
we saw all our seniors and friends
bringing in so much acclam for the
country and the institution every
year,’’ said Sabira Mehrin, one of the
team members of “Bhitti.” Aiman
Absar, Parashar Saha and Sabira
Mehrin, from the 21st batch of BBA
students at IBA brought home glory
as runners up in the Global Social
Entrepreneurship
Competition
(GSEC) 2014.
Undergraduate students from
around the world participated in
GSEC with their social business
plans to create solutions for some
of the world’s most challenging
issues including poverty, health
and development. The semi-finalist
students from around the globe
were invited by the committee
to visit University of Washington,
Seattle to present their ideas to
mentors and win prizes. The yearly
competition is sponsored by a
number of notable benefactors
such as Microsoft, NCIIA, and Seattle
Rotary.
Last year, Project ‘Lifechair’ from
IBA, brought home the Global
Health Prize from GSEC 2013. The
team consisted of four 3rd year BBA
students. This year, team ‘Bhitti’
brought home the runners-up prize,
worth US$10,000, becoming the
youngest team in the history of
GSEC to obtain the accolade.
The big IDEA
The idea of Bhitti focuses on
utilising sugarcane bagasse
(fiber) to make affordable,
durable and environment
friendly housing material for the
rural population of Bangladesh.
Bagasse is the fibrous matter
that remains after sugarcane
stalks are crushed to extract
their juice. Bhitti focuses on
three aspects:
• Unemployed population
• Polluted construction
industry
• Waste disposal from sugar
mills
Courtesy
From left: Aiman Absar, Sabira Mehrin, Parashar Saha
Bhitti combats all these problems
by themselves. Their current plan
is to employ local people from
Dinajpur to make these products,
they will first be trained by experts.
The process would be labour
intensive and would consume less
energy. Since the bagasse is also
burnt for power, the ash produced
can be mixed with clay and other
components which can, in turn
through a chemical process, be used
to manufacture bricks. This way,
instead of being burnt, the bricks
will be dried in the sun.
Fortunately, there won’t be
any deforestation or emission of
harmful toxins in this process. With
a zero carbon footprint adding value
to it, the working conditions would
also prove to be healthy for the
workers. And the prime raw material
is sugarcane bagasse which is an
agricultural by-product mostly
considered to be waste. So, Bhitti
is actually turning this waste into
something useful by recognising its
unique properties which make it an
alternative to fly ash.
Unique usefulness
Today, Bhitti is giving homeless
people, and those whose houses
are frequently damaged due to
natural calamities, an alternative
option to build a sustainable and
cheap house. It is also creating more
employment opportunities and
putting a previously known waste
material to good use.
Bangladesh’s youth is fast
growing and fast rising. We can
safely hope for similar breakthrough
ideas in the future courtesy of the
country’s youth who are eager to
help combat social problems. n
Last year, Project
‘Lifechair’ from IBA
brought home the
Global Health Prize
from GSEC 2013. The
team consisted of four
3rd year BBA students.
This year, team ‘Bhitti’
brought home the
runners-up prize, worth
US$10,000, becoming
the youngest team in
the history of GSEC to
obtain the accolade
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
26
Tasnuva Amin
Nova lives each day
to gather enough
courage to start
her own business
someday. Until then
she wants to keep
writing about the big,
bright things around
that inspire her
business
Co-working
The future of the workplace
Tasnuva Amin Nova writes about sharing workspace, a new concept in Bangladesh
There are so many
aspiring entrepreneurs
with startup ideas who
need a platform where
they can share and/
or exchange thoughts.
Sharing a workplace
can be an excellent way
to achieve that
B
ijon Islam, co-founder of
the business analyst firm
LightCastle Partners, has
acquired a new office space for his
startup by co-financing the set up
of The Wave, a recently launched
business incubator, and shares this
space with three other startups that
the incubator hosts.
“Each of us has a dedicated space
for operating, but we share common
facilities such as the event space,
conference room and kitchen. We
split the rent and common costs
among ourselves,” says Bijon.
Adding further about his new
workstation, he says: “We needed an
office space since we are expanding,
and The Wave is the right place
for people like me who find rigid
corporate offices discomforting.
Working in an open space with
like-minded people seems very
“By working together,
we also generate client
referrals and can offer
complete solution suites
to our customers. Work
becomes more fun and
scope of innovation
widens.”
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
Photos: Courtesy
rewarding to me. I really value the
cross-pollination of ideas that takes
place while working with other
businesses.
“By working together, we also
generate client referrals and can
offer complete solution suites to our
customers. Work becomes more fun
and the scope of innovation widens.”
Since moving into The Wave
premises, Bijon has been looking
forward to learning from others,
building synergies and achieveing
higher growth. Mentorship and
other assistance provided to
startups who share the same
workspace provided by incubators
make co-working more promising.
Offices like The Wave are popularly
known as co-working spaces.
These free-style workplaces have
grown in number around the world
over the last decade. This part of Asia
is catching up as people here are
taking more interest in freelancing
and
startups
coupled
with
technological advancements. This
stipulates the need for establishing
more independent workstations.
In Dhaka, there is only a handful
of places – approximately three –
where you can expect to rent work
desks for a day, week or a month
for official use while availing the
benefit of working with others.
After
BizCube,
the
first
independent workstation dedicated
to nurture new startups and
develop a startup ecosystem, shut
down within few months of its
operation last year, Minhaz Anwar,
its founder, analysed the causes
behind its fall: “My experience tells
me that we Bangladeshis are not
very comfortable with the idea
of an open workspace, especially
entrepreneurs. We are too protective
of our ideas because we fear that
they will get stolen. As a result, we
do not share much.
“Then the market reality fails us.
Under the market rate, if renting
a desk costs Tk500 per day and
your company has a team of four
requiring that many tables each
day you operate, for three days
of operation a week, your rental
cost will exceed the prevailing
market price of any ordinary rental
accommodation that is available in
the market.
“Cost is the largest barrier for
startups as they tend to be very
fragile. Unless the government
subsidises the rental rates, growth
of co-working spaces under private
initiative will be slow paced.”
However, Minhaz believes that if
incubators have separate revenue
models which do not rely solely on
the rental income from startups to
cover operational costs, then coworking places will thrive.
He adds: “2014 is an interesting
year for co-working in Bangladesh,
as awareness about incubation
programme is increasing in our
society but only those who can
accommodate the market reality
will survive.”
From
previous
co-working
experience, Saddam Azad, cofounder of the online Bangla music
portal Dugdugi.com.bd, says: “Coworking thrives where serious
entrepreneurs
are
constantly
looking for some space to bootstrap
their ideas from. At present, more
than co-working spaces, we need colearning spaces where young people
are given specialist training on small
business development.”
Some entrepreneurs have also
raised concerns about working in
such workplaces, saying that the
co-working
environment
lacks
privacy. But as long as there are
private arrangements for individual
companies to deal with their
confidential matters, it should be
fine. n
THE WAY DHAKA WAS
27
Ramna Gate
Ramna Gate, 1901
When I was growing up, I
used to play in Ramna Park.
We used to enter the park
through this gate. It was like
walking through a historical
monument – as a child, I
would feel proud of being part
of such an illustrious heritage.
Even though I did not really
know the of its history, I knew
it was old and part of an era
long before me. Now when I
see it, I feel nostalgic. Dhaka
was a sparse city back then.
There weren’t many people
and it was very safe. Looking
at it now, I have floods of
memories and I wish we
preserved our history better.
Bangladesh Old Photo Archive
Aroma Dutta
Ramna, Dhaka
Today
Chanchal Kamal
W E E K E N D TR IBUN E FR I DAY, M ARC H 1 4, 20 1 4
28
Last Word Esha Aurora
Esha Aurora
is a staff writer
at Dhaka tribune
where she excels at
breathing, sleeping,
eating and the
occasional opinion
making
The new face of journalism
The world of the Yanukovych leaks and changes to the landscape of news business
There is no way of
escaping the facts
revealed by the
Yanukovych Leaks;
Ukraine stands at
the fork of a road
today. It can go
either way – the
fight to keep the
country together
wages on a global
stage
B
eing a journalist has always
been a dangerous profession.
There are daily reports
from around the world of murder,
intimidation and abduction. Countries
like Mexico and Syria are one of the
worst places in the world to be a
journalist. But what happens when
reporting the news is not just done by
a select few, but everyone?
The Internet has revolutionised
mass media. The World Wide Web
is a great equaliser. All opinions,
big or small, can be expressed and
transmitted throughout the world in a
matter of seconds. The new buzzword
in journalism is “new media” or, to
be more precise, social media. We
have seen it used throughout the
Arab uprising as an instant source of
information.
The
problem
arises
when
everything that is being posted on
these websites cannot be verified.
There have been times when news
outlets would broadcast a story,
only to be informed that it was
This is a seriously sinister element
of these revelations. What is even
more frightening is that fact that
the freedom of information, whether
imposed or by self-censorship, has left
the mass media at the helms of state
control
W E E K E N D TRIBUNE F R I DAY, M ARC H 14 , 2014
AFP
misinformation. Anyone who uses the
Internet is aware of this phenomenon.
There is, however, this very recent
upsurge in things such as WikiLeaks
and
Yanukovychleaks.org.
Such
whistle-blowing
websites
only
function is to reveal secret documents.
There is no opinion left behind. It lets
the Internet and the rest of the world
form an opinion. Following the very
basic principle of journalism if you
will.
The crisis in Ukraine is in such a
fluid state that it makes it very hard
to analyse - much less predict - how it
will ultimately evolve. Amid this chaos
that first began on November 30 last
year, when deposed president Viktor
Yanukovych backed away from an
EU trade deal, protests began to take
place at Independence Square, which
lasted for months. Yanukovych finally
fled Ukraine on February 22 this year.
Now, here is the clincher. In a bid
to get rid of all the secret documents
he kept at his home, but not having
sufficient time to do so, these
documents were promptly dumped
into a nearby lake. When the public
broke into his home, journalists
followed and found some of these
documents floating up to the surface
of the lake. Some special divers
volunteered to fish them out and,
within days, they had their hands
on a vast amount of the regime’s
documents.
They created what is known as
the Yanukovych Leaks. You can find
all of the salvaged documents there
- either scanned or photographed.
There is a disconcerting amount of
information about state-sponsored
crime, corruption, intimidation, and
wiretapping. Take the case of Tetyana
Chornovol, an investigative reporter
who was abducted, beaten and left
on the roadside on a freezing night
in late December 2013. Investigators
attributed the attack to a “road
rage” dispute at that time. Not to
mention, they found a huge blacklist
of journalists. Or the fact that they
found papers pertaining to a budget
for monitoring mass media.
This is a seriously sinister element
of these revelations. What is even
more frightening is that restrictions on
the freedom of information, whether
imposed or by self-censorship, have
left the mass media under state
control. This is not a problem the
Internet faces. The Yanukovych
leakers could have easily picked a side.
They chose not to principally attach a
moral judgement to their finds. This
is interesting, given the high level of
tension in Ukraine right now. Instead,
we find ourselves having to judge the
good from the bad, whatever our own
perspective might be.
One cannot entirely disregard the
role of traditional media here, because
the leaks were picked up by news
outlets all over the world and given
to us from their own standpoint. But
the face of journalism has changed.
Everyone can be a journalist with a
click of a button or a hashtag. There is
so much information flying out these
days that it’s hard not to be confused
by it. All kinds of views permeate the
global debate.
There is no way of escaping the
facts revealed by the Yanukovych
Leaks; Ukraine stands at the fork of a
road today. It can go either way – the
fight to keep the country together is
being waged on a global stage. Some
people seem deeply affected by the
corruption while others seem to
focus on ethnic divisions. While the
Western powers squabble with Russia
about the state of Ukraine, the world
watches on in fear that is deeply
reminiscent of the cold war days.
The news today would not be the
same without the joint efforts of
citizens and journalists. Even when
that news is sometimes unverified,
or it comes in the shape of a grainy
image, the power of social media
is undeniable. What is even more
undeniable is the fact that we are
now able to - for the first time in
history - have the ability to shape the
perspective of the story. It is not the
one that the state wants you to hear
or the one that is imposed by selfcensorship. It is the voice of the people
whose stories are what journalism is
all about. n