My BANGLADESH

Scott Weiland [1967 – 2015] – Half the man he used to be

2015-12-15T12:53:00.001+06:00

Scott Weiland [1967 – 2015] – Half the man he used to be
By Faizul Khan

*Massive thanks to Arafat Kazi & Ashraful Abedin Khan, they are STRONGER STP fans

Cocaine-crazy Scott Weiland is no more at age 48. Best known for his enigmatic performances, this American singer-song writer was the troubled front man for the bands Stone Temple Pilots (STP), Velvet Revolver, and Wildabouts. He suffered from both addiction and severe bipolar disorder during his heyday. And probably the chorus of Creep is a testament - I'm half the man I used to be, This I feel as the dawn It fades to gray. Fans say this is why his vocal tones both swam and sunk, at times simultaneously, creating a multitude of emotions and resulting in one of the most versatile songwriters of the 90s. Early critics shrugged him off, saying Scott's band STP made a late entry in to the grunge revolution and that his compositions were derivative of his better-known contemporaries — Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) and Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) being the most prominent. But the notion reversed as STP’s debut studio album Core (1992) screamed multiple massive hits in the US and worldwide — “Plush”, “Dead & Bloated”, and “Creep”, to name a few. Times were strange in South-Asian Bangladesh. We had just witnessed the downfall of a tyrant government. We were teenagers, the concept of emotion sickness just having begun to trouble our fickle minds. The grunge uproar and lyrics from the Seattle rock scene made turbulent contributions in our heavily Metallica and Megadeth-sedated angry rock psyche. STP's somnolent aggression of grunge song, starting as they did with soft acoustic riffs, growing heavy and majestic, flirted and resonated with our exhilarating existential crises.

STP survived their chaotic birth when Scott and bassist Robert DeLeo got introduced at a Black Flag concert and soon realized that they were both dating the same woman. Putting this uncomfortable difference aside, they formed Mighty Joe Young, which they later renamed. The duo bonded extremely well and it is said they wrote their debut hit Plush while sharing a hot tub. The rest is history. The inaugural album sold 13.5 million copies in the US alone, and made several of the songs anthems for a disaffected generation.

Today, fans from around the world are weeping as they post “RIP Scott Weiland” on their social networks. He passed away in his sleep on December 3, on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota. They are reminiscing Weiland’s psychedelic wisdom, he who sometimes used a megaphone during live performances — an act which was at first subversive and later often imitated. Many believe his vocal compositions were never the same in the STP albums. It's tough to give individual albums their unique vocal lines and Scott did that under the influence of various chemicals and the demons of his own genius. When he released Interstate Love Song in 1994, my musician brother and I would listen to the track for hours. After Scott's death, my brother wrote: “He created awesome melodies on top of the weirdest chord progressions on earth: that's what defines a great vocalist.” I can do nothing better than say Amen! to that.

‪#‎ScottWeiland‬

Entries pouring in Canberra Times autumn photo competition

2015-05-13T07:13:00.001+06:00

This article was first published in The Canberra Times on May 12, 2015 - 11:30PM

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/entries-pouring-in-canberra-times-autumn-photo-competition-20150512-ggzkzd.html

Autumn's peaceful glory captured
By Faizul Khan

Canberra is always alive with the colours of the four seasons. As the red and golden leaves blow in the wind to usher in the dusk of autumn and dawn of winter as June approaches, Canberrans have been rugging up with beanies and jumpers.

The season has also inspired amateur photographers to seize the picture-perfect moments with their cameras.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Sean Carson said Canberra could expect cooler temperatures ranging from 2 degrees to 12 degrees in the next week with light showers and snow on the mountains.

"We could very well experience El Nino conditions for the second-half of the year which means a warmer climate," Mr Carson added.

On Tuesday, the weather bureau declared a "substantial" El Nino event had begun, raising the likelihood of worsening drought over inland Australia and higher daytime temperatures.

Climate information services assistant director Neil Plummer said prolonged El Nino-like conditions had meant some areas were more vulnerable to the impact of warmer temperatures and drier conditions.

The bureau's weather outlook for May to July indicates much of Australia is likely to be wetter than average.

In Canberra, autumn is providing plenty of inspiration for budding photographers with entries to The Canberras Times autumn photo competition flooding in.

Amateur photographer Renee Hajek, who only started photography less than six months ago, was strolling on Mount Taylor in Woden with her dog when she caught the glimpse of the clouds.

Her entry Laddie on Cloud Nine captures the sunlight, astral clouds and bold rocks striking a balance between white, blue, green and grey colours to highlight autumn.

"My dog looked mesmerised in the clouds while sitting on top of a rock and I instantly wanted to capture this moment of bliss," she said.

Brian Rosenberg, 44, took Kayaks on the lake at dawn at Clare Holland House East, Barton.

Brian Rosenberg's Kayaks on the lake at dawn. Photo: Brian Rosenberg

His image captures the mist, the lazy kayaks, reflection on the rippled watersurrounded by the warmth of golden sunlight.

Renee Hajek's Laddie on cloud nine. Photo: Renee Hajek

"My partner and I were enjoying the dawning of the sunlight and as we saw the golden yellow colour of the sun passing through the leaves it made us stop at this quaint backdrop of peace," he said.

Competition entrants' photos have the chance of being published in
The Canberra Times newspaper or on canberratimes.com.au. Visit the website for terms and conditions.
Send a maximum of three photos to photocomp@canberratimes.com.au as attached JPEG files and include your name, address, phone number, photo title, a description of the photo and the date it was taken. Photos must be between 150 kilobytes and one megabyte. Winners will take home a share of the $1000 prize.

An essential Social Media Project: A project for Open and Social Media M97MC

2014-03-27T04:46:00.003+06:00

***This is our Open and Social Media (M97MC) Project for Ross Varney. These are nano tales/ micro fiction or flash fiction which describes one person's account followed by a photograph. You can add a video, a photograph or any media you deem necessary to compliment and illustrate your one paragraph nanotale, which will be a continuation of this story :-].

The Coventry swimming pool was basking in a flood of warmth, abundance of warm psychedelic sunlight and all the melodies of Disney animations and beyond...it was lile following Alice in to Wonderland 'underwater'. As the powerful rays hit the blue tiled pool bed, a flash of memory assailed my imagination. There were hints of happiness, underwater yoga...to a point where it's therapeutic and then suddenly as I cruised to the other end...my head hits the wall. All of a sudden, I can see a constant diffusion of my red blood cells in front of my eyes...am i drowning?

Social and Open Media with S Hides

2014-02-26T06:09:00.003+06:00

Social and Open Media with S Hides

The first class with Dr Hides on 12/02/2014 dealt with the discussion of how the new media are transforming the cultural landscape of ours irrespective of geographical location.

1. The key element to have come out is how we have created a virtual world of social media as opposed to traditional media. How e-mails replaced snail mails, how Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as apps have changed the way we behave and interact with the community and people around us...how we read more blogs and online newspapers than traditional hard copies...how YouTube has revolutionised our concept of a classroom (TedTalks) and more.

2. These new Media are highly disruptive technology, for example how a Facebook message, SMS intrigues us to avoid the teacher’s lecture and try to focus replying to comments on Facebook because everyone wants to be a ‘social rock star’ and have his/her personalized digital identity.

3. Social media platforms are always consuming large amount of data from us and at the same time feeding us, using the gathered data. For example amazon.co.uk stores our preferences in buying and later, they push those items for sale which were previously selected by us (a specific genre of music).

4. In Broadcast Media – communication became one way whereas in social media, everyone has a say and everyone participates.

5. Our media are no longEr dominant, which means we have the option to switch to multiple media outlets for the same story. For example the story on Ukraine can be heard from TV/Radio, read from newspapers and from online agencies and the Facebook world is there to see comments from the nationals of that country.

6. We have become dependent on social media so much that we gave up the traditional means and becoming more ‘netizens’ than ‘citizens’.

7. The next task was to divide in to groups and choose an element of Disruptive and Social Media to present in the next class.

The next class on 19/02/2014 mainly comprised of the many different Social and Disruptive Media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and more.

The class titled “The Researched Hub” essentially discussed the social media hub and the Network of Connected Hubs (ISPs). Then we went on to discussing the history of how ARPA and DARPA shaped up to be the modern-day INTERNET, networked communication at its best.

Looking at components like

1. Network as Metaphor

2. Search Engine Optimization and how it is helping our ‘preference bubble’.

Montobbo Nishproyojon: The Arbovirus way of saying SHUT UP! to the pseudo-intellectuals

2013-07-18T05:11:00.004+06:00

Montobbo Nishproyojon: The Arbovirus way of saying SHUT UP! to the pseudo-intellectuals

Written by The Rebel Fatman Faizul Khan Tanim

In a post Shahbagh-scenario we could not expect anything other than a rebel rock album from this five-piece band and they have delivered just that. Viewed as a sensational rock compilation due to its urgent lyrics; diverse compositions; tight production; brilliant performances by all the members, ‘Montobbo Nishproyojon’ (No comments required) becomes a DhakaLeaks barometer of society, politics, love, agitation, betrayal revealed through a loud-horn of shredding guitars, break-free vocals and combat drums. It’s a spontaneous combustion of the diverse moods and views of Bangladeshi youth at this very interesting juncture which is why maximum listeners could associate them with Arbovirus’s music as ‘their music’.

It heavily reminds me of the ‘protest and message music’ era of the Beatles songs molded in the epic sound track ‘Across the Universe’ but this time, in a shout-out-loud rock version. Being an avid fan of this band, I was expecting more exposed and assaulting adaptations of their track ‘Omanush’ and hence was disappointed in the beginning. But as the tracks unfolded, I found that what they did here is nothing short of admirable. Starting from the extremely catchy chorus of ‘Rod-er Kinarey’; the fertile, iron clad and up-to-the-minute instrumentation in ‘Aw’ weaving a sonic story; the critical insurgencies of ‘Sharthopor’ and ‘Prolaap’ and in the end, the very beautiful ‘Bodle Gechhe’ - sketching emotion sickness.

The mixing, mastering and production of this home-recorded album is brilliant and did not suffer the conventional blunders of substandard sound of ‘home recording’ because it tastes the same delicious pizza of tunes from whichever devices, be it my ipod, my computer or from FM radio. In plain and simple words, these songs of protest about the pretense is exactly what I am and the millions of youth are feeling right now – angry! And they are about how we want to break free from the monolith of dysfunction created by our Hasina-Khaleda and all the synonyms of dictated democracy.

Sehri - Eating Out before Subah Sadiq

2013-07-18T05:10:00.001+06:00

Sehri - Eating Out before Subah Sadiq

Faizul Khan Tanim

Indiscriminate screams – “Sehri’r shomoy hoyechhe, uthhey porun” (It’s sehri time, wake up and have your meal) or “gorom gorom biriyani, khaya jaan, loya jaan” (Warm biriyani to eat and take away) - these lines fill up the sehri places as scores of people crowd the streets of Old Dhaka to eat out before Subah Sadiq (early dawn). The streets throb with noises of spoon banged on steel plates and loud merry shouts, many different colours and the atmosphere is taken over by the aroma of mutton leg roast, glassi, the different types of biriyanis, naan-kabab, khichuri or the conventional shada bhaat-maach-gosht-daal and more. This is where Ramadan festivity starts for many. And according to the thousands of sehri connoisseurs, these are few of the sweetest lines or catch phrases they listen and experience with pleasure while in the sehri capital – Puran Dhaka. Upon reaching the eatery Al Razzak, Star Hotel (Old Dhaka, Banani, Dhanmondi and Karwan Bazar branches) and about 20 to 30 other places around Nazira Bazar, Kazi Alauddin Road and more, smell of hot and steamy dishes like the biriyanis, teharis will assail your nose and you will find multiple camera lenses focusing the giant dishes, street models up to the little cups of tea.

Due to this happiness, sehri is no longer the meal associated with gentle rude-awakenings at 3 am in the morning, rather, it has become an urban shindigs of old friends, relatives and new. A culture has brewed over the past few years of visiting Puran Dhaka food hotels or new Dhaka restaurants for the Mughlai style or deshi assaults of the dainty dishes. And thanks to this late night journeys and drives of the Dhakaites towards the Puran Dhaka eateries, sehri has become a mammoth venture for food entrepreneurs and now, the traditional Puran Dhaka places are not restricted to exclusive iftaar items only. This is another time we can indulge in the spirit of Ramzan and enjoy not only delicious post-midnight delicacies but harvest friendship and bonding in groups as well.

And this time, couple of restaurants in the newer parts of Dhaka have started their sehri ventures for the stomachs to make their trips and indulge in different types of cuisines. The Backyard Chef from Uttara for example, popularly known for making amazing burgers (which I call ‘burgasms’), has something to offer to those to want to eat out during Sehri time, titled ‘Biriyani Buffet’. Although the more-glamorous eateries are coming up with ideas to catch foodies, these food aficionados love the street-side restaurants and basic bhaat (rice) joints, affectionately known as ‘Italian’ restaurants, because at the end of the night, it’s the oily, greasy and hot curries which give the maximum satisfaction for famished taste buds.

Thanks to @ishtiaque khan for the lamb roast picture

Confessions of a Swimmer

2013-07-17T04:08:00.003+06:00

Confessions of a Swimmer
by ME

Swimming has been the most profound form of exercise that helps me relax, have fun and meditate apart from the usual full body workout. What we know is that this splish-splash can tone and stretch both the upper and lower body muscles while also burning calories. It strengthens the cardiovascular system, improves lung capacity and helps reduce stress. But what we know less is that an hour of vigorous swimming will burn up to 650 calories, which is more than walking or biking by the way. And the best part is, you can continue this until very old age. Swimming can be a sport, a fun activity or even meditation under water. Yes, meditation. I’m not even kidding. Swimming cures emotional sickness. So, whichever strikes your fancy, this is one activity which will never stop making you look good. Always remember the saying, If you look good, you’ll feel good!

If you are member of the elite clubs in Bangladesh, then a fresh water swimming pool is just what you can get without trouble. But not to worry, the border guards Bangladesh (BGB) swimming pool is pretty clean and has good instructors. You can also check out Dhaka University swimming facility or Women’s Complex in Dhanmondi. Remember, once you are getting the knack of swimming, don’t try to do it vigorously until you have crossed 30 minutes at least. After you have reached the half hour mark, your muscles will start relaxing and you will find yourself swimming better so the trick is to not give up until 1800 seconds, only. One of the best online tutorials which can aid beginners can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WreddX9aeGw.

So stop wasting time and go swimming, it not only makes you fit but can save your life in times of water disasters. Happy Splashing!

Is Bangladesh ready for nuclear power generation?

2013-06-28T01:59:00.003+06:00

Is Bangladesh ready for nuclear power generation?

Faizul Khan Tanim talks to different stakeholders of nuclear power generation and also green activists and tries to find if we are ready for a nuclear power plant

Bangladesh is said to be one of the biggest energy-starved countries, with the present demand for electricity at 7500 plus MW (Mega Watt) as opposed to the production of 5000 to 5800 MW. Access to electricity in Bangladesh is one of the lowest, about 40 percent of the total population are without access to adequate, cheap and quality energy. At present, we have to depend on indigenous energy resources, which are finite as well - gas, oil, furnace oil and coal to produce electricity. And about 55 per cent of our natural gas is used to produce this power. The reserve of gas is not infinite and will soon run out and before that happens, we must adopt alternative energy sources, be it renewable with a bio-ecological/green revolution or build nuclear power plants (NPP). Hence, the government recently decided to join the world’s 30-strong nuclear power club, signing an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with Russia on November 2 2011 for a nuclear power plant at Rooppur, Ishwardi of Pabna district, in the country’s northwest region. Rooppur is 75 miles (120 kilometres) north of the capital city. The 2,000 megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant will have two units, each of which will generate 1,000 MW of power, according to the deal.

The plant might cost US$ 1.5 to 2.0 billion and is expected to be completed by 2017-18, as circulated in the local Press. Under the deal, Russian State Nuclear Company (Rosatom) will supply necessary fuel for the reactors during its life-term and take back the spent fuel. Russia will also manage nuclear waste and help decommissioning of the nuclear power plant in future, under the deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) allowed Bangladesh to install nuclear power plant in 2007 along with seven other developing nations for peaceful installation of nuclear power plant.

Now, very interestingly, the NPP stands on the border between citizens of Bangladesh’s greatest hopes of almost uninterrupted power supply and its deepest fears for the future – a nuclear catastrophe with contamination which can destroy scores of livelihood.

On one hand, atomic energy offers a clean alternative energy that can free us from the shackles of fossil fuel dependence. But contrary, it can summon ome of the greatest devils of disaster with examples of quake-ruptured Japanese power plants belching radioactive steam, and the dead zone surrounding Chernobyl’s nuclear contamination site where even today, babies are born with birth defects.

History of building NPP
Bangladesh, then East-Pakistan, first considered building a nuclear power plant in 1961. Since then, several feasibility studies have been carried out, affirming the feasibility of the project.

This reporter spoke to F R Al-Siddique, ex chief scientific officer and a director of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC). He did his Phd from University of Cambridge and started his career with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). He narrated that, “In 1963 (during that time Siddique was working with PAEC)the Rooppur site was selected since East Pakistan was the most power starved amongst the two Pakistans and in East Pakistan, the northern Bengal part was even in worst conditions in regards to power supply. And it was also calculated following trend analysis that Rooppur bears little or no risks of earthquakes and massive floods, which were few of the main reasons to build a reactor there. But then the project never saw light and instead, nuclear power reactors were built in West Pakistan depriving us”.

Talking about some current issues, he said, “We went with a deal with Russia instead of other nations like France (dubbed as the nation with the finest nuclear generation technology) because Russia is more open towards sharing this technology at affordable prices. Our petroleum resources will soon run out; solar energy is still expensive and it yet cannot generate the amount of power needed to fuel industries and bio-fuel technology lacks infrastructure, materials and it requires massive amount of land. Therefore we have to adopt nuclear technology one day or the other as there are no options at the moment. And it must be preferably breeder technology, which produces double or surplus fuel from a single mechanism. (A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor capable of generating more fissile material than it consumes. Breeder reactors are recently of research interest as a means of controlling nuclear waste and closing the nuclear fuel cycle)”.

He also added that, “If we look at the nuclear disasters, especially in Fukushima, the biggest mistake was to build it near the sea but today’s reactors are built in places and not near water bodies and if you talk about the biggest Cherenobyl disaster, it happened because of human mistakes not because of reactor’s fault. In this regard, I must add that we have to be extra cautious. And as days are passing, more new technology is developing and the risk is coming down. Nuclear technology is cost-effective, only the establishment cost is expensive but it is not very pricey to produce energy and it is cheaper than burning fossil fuels. And once we adopt this technology, we have to be bound by rules and guidelines from IAEA to stop any misuse or harvest illicit production of anything harmful. Saying this, we must invest both money and brains parallely on other sustainable sources like renewable energy.”

“We have to adopt this technology like France and engage more in ‘coal distillation’ as opposed to ‘coal burning’ (which emits green house gases), a process which would fetch us many valuable chemicals which can be used for developments in the fields of medicine and pharmaceuticals. The first stage of coal distillation gives us pitch, which we use on roads and why should be impport this material when we can produce it in the country. This process would open a pandora’s box of opportunities for us”, Siddique concluded.

Inside the NPP
So what happens inside a nuclear power plant? In a nuclear-fueled power plant – much like a fossil-fueled power plant – water is turned into steam, which in turn drives turbine generators to produce electricity. The difference is the source of heat. At nuclear power plants, the heat to make the steam is created when uranium atoms split – called fission. There is no combustion in a nuclear reactors.

And in a Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) water is kept under pressure so that it heats, but does not boil. This heated water is circulated through tubes in steam generators, allowing the water in the steam generators to turn to steam, which then turns the turbine generator. Water from the reactor and the water that is turned into steam are in separate systems and do not mix.

Let us look at the process, step-by-step as explained on websites of nuclear power generation and United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission:

•    The Fuel
The fuel used in nuclear generation is primarily uranium 235. It is manufactured as small round fuel pellets. It is said that a single pellet is less than an inch long, but produces the energy equivalent to a ton of coal. The pellets are placed end-to-end into fuel rods that are 12 feet long. Over 200 of these rods are grouped into what is known as a fuel assembly.

•    Reactor
The process of producing electricity begins when uranium atoms are split (i.e., fission) by particles known as neutrons. Uranium 235 has a unique quality that causes it to break apart when it collides with a neutron. Once an atom of uranium 235 is split, neutrons from the uranium atom are free to collide with other uranium 235 atoms. A chain reaction begins, producing heat. This reaction is controlled in several ways, including by control rods which absorb neutrons.
Control rods are inserted among the fuel assembly rods that hold the uranium pellets. When they are in place, they absorb the atomic particles that would normally initiate the chain reaction. When they are withdrawn from the fuel assembly, fission is allowed to occur.

•    Pressurizer
The heat produced in the reactor is transferred to the first of three water systems: the primary coolant. The primary coolant is heated to over 600 degrees Fahrenheit. In a pressurized water reactor, a pressurizer keeps the water under pressure to prevent it from boiling.

•    Steam Generator
The hot, pressurized water passes through thousands of tubes in nearby steam generators. These tubes are surrounded by another water system called the secondary coolant. The heat from the primary coolant is transferred to the secondary coolant, which then turns into steam.
The primary and secondary systems are closed systems. This means that the water flowing through the reactor remains separate and does not mix with the water from the other system.

•    Turbine
Next, the steam is piped from the containment building into the turbine building to push the giant blades of a turbine. The turbine is connected to an electric generator by a rotating shaft. As the turbine blades begin to spin, a magnet inside the generator also turns to produce electricity.

•    Condenser Coolant
After turning the turbines, the steam is cooled by passing it over tubes carrying a third water system, called the condenser coolant or lake water. The steam is cooled so it condenses back into water and is returned to the steam generator to be used again and again.

•    Lake or Cooling Towers
At some nuclear stations, lake water flows through thousands of condenser tubes to condense steam back to water. It is then discharged down a long canal (for cooling) and eventually enters the main part of the lake.
At other plants, the condenser cooling water is circulated through cooling towers to remove the extra heat it has gained. The water is pumped to the top of the cooling towers and is allowed to pour down through the structure. At the same time, a set of fans at the top of each tower pulls air up through the condenser water. This lowers the temperature of the water. After it is cooled, the condenser water flows back into the turbine building to begin its work of condensing steam again.
Concerns of building NPP
Now let us look at some of the urgent concerns or disadvantages of building NPP:

Informed and involved citizens are more concerned than happy. An electrical engineering researcher based in the United States Munsi Haque said, “It should be the safety issue addressed as the top priority since Rooppur area is near the biggest flood zone and it is also a densely populated area. Nothing in the world is fail-safe. Advanced countries like Japan, USA, Russia could not prevent the disasters. Bangladesh being among the poorest countries in the world and harbours very corrupt, indisciplined, near lawless society with morally corrupt majority administrators, leaders, politicians and law-people...we are talking about the biggest calamity soup”.

•    Theft of nuclear fuels, for example uranium.
•    The cost of other issues after installation such as operating fees, servicing fees, fuel cost, waste management cost for transportation of materials from here to Russia can get very expensive.
•    Exposed radioactive waste and its repository in Bangladesh will endanger the ecological balance, put water and marine systems at grave risks of contamination due if there is seepage.
•    Nuclear contamination of any kind in either Bangladesh or India will not only spread like wildfire but affect both the states.
•    An extensive disaster management system must be designed before the NPP operation starts. Since we do not have proper infrastructure to give advanced warnings of earthquakes or tsunamis and have limited resources for making quick evacuations, any of the natural calamity will not only harm the residents but the nuclear reactor as well.
•    A large number of countries, especially Germany are in the process of nuclear phase-out and looking towards renewable energy or other options.
•    Unstable political scenario with governance failure in every terms.
•    Dependance on Russia for our reactors to be run, spare parts purchase and technical difficulties. A game international politics might brew.
Another official of Dhaka University requesting anonymity said, “Inorder to fetch our electricity demand via NPPs, we would be needing a lot of them. Quite frankly, Rooppur NPP will produce 2,000 MW (which will be added to the grid) in 2020/21 but at that time, our demand will be 19,000 MW from 7,500 MW (demand at present). This will be affected more if the projected scenario like population, development, infrastructure are miscalculated now. Hence, instead of building more nuclear reactors, we can start investing parallely in other sources of energy like renewable, solar etc. Nuclear cannot be the only option”.

With all these concerns, this reporter went to BAEC and spoke to one of the top officials. Asking not to be named citing security issues, he thoroughly tried to counter the concerns, as follows:

•    The IAEA has responded to the demand of the embarking countries to NPP by providing them with assistance, standards, guidance, technical documents, reviews, assessments and inspections.
•    Thus, IAEA formulated the Milestone Approach comprised of 19 infrastructure items in 3 phases or milestones in order for Bangladesh to be and to continue and implement a nuclear power program.
•    These 3 phases/milestones are:
a.    Understanding the commitment
b.    Ready to invite bid/negotiation for the first NPP
c.    Ready to commission and operate the first NPP

•    Now 19 infrastructure issues needs to be addressed seperately for each of the phases:
1.    National position
2.    Nuclear safety
3.    Management
4.    Funding and Financing
5.    Legislative framework
6.    Safeguards
7.    Regulatory framework
8.    Radiation protection
9.    Electrical grid
10.    Human resource development
11.    Stakeholder involvement
12.    Site and supporting facilities
13.    Environmental protection
14.    Emergency planning
15.    Security and physical protection
16.    Nuclear fuel cycle
17.    Radioactive waste
18.    Industrial involvement
19.    Procurement

•    The issue of safety and security in siting, designing, construction and operation phases of Rooppur NPP will be given top priority. The selection of nuclear technology is crucial because this NPP project site was selected earlier, the essential characteristics at present, such as site geology and hydro-geology; seismicity; site preparation; excavation; internal and external access routes; emergency preparedness; construction laydown and storage areas; service utilities; administration and technical support buildings – all these will be re-assessed.
•    Authorization or siting license from Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority has to be taken. It is mandatory.
•    Initiatives have been taken for the development of technical and economic feasibility evaluation for the NPP location.
•    The assessment of Rooppur NPP environmental impacthas been undertaken.
•    Bangladesh has decided to involve the NPP design institute of the vendor country in site charecterization of Rooppur NPP so that nuclear reactors must be complimented with the latest safety codes for severe accident prevention and capable of tolerating severe man-made or natural events like flood, earthquakes etc.
•    It is proposed that in order to build and operate the Rooppur NPP, Bangladesh needs to establish a project organization that could function independent of any political and regulatory establishments.
•    Initiatives for capacity building in national academic and research infrastructure in the field of nuclear science and technology have been taken with Dhaka University and some other private universities establishing departments of nuclear engineering. DU started the nuclear engineering courses from this year. These capacity building initiatives will enhance the development of technical competence of regulatory authority personnels, engineers so that there are abundance of trained hands by the time Rooppur NPP is erected.
•    According to a 1997 UN resolution and IAEA’s multilateral approach to nuclear fuel cycle, no new countries joining the nuclear club with NPPs will be encouraged to handle uranium. Therefore, we have a pact that Bangladesh will have to return the uranium fuel rods which will be leased as fuel for power generation. If we even think of adopting the technology of nuclear fuel cycle, this program will be stopped. So stealing of uranium is out of the question.
•    The spent fuel will be taken back to Russia and the recycling will be done there. As per the agreement, the Russian authority would take the responsibility of nuclear waste management taking away all the waste to Russia by a specialized ship.
•    After Fukushima disaster, it has been ordered to the nuclear industry to build NPPs with robust design that can ensure safety, security, and which will provide physical protection to the environment and to the public. We are looking at a generation 3+/Third Generation Plus reactor which will ensure to not allow transmission of radiation beyond 800 meters.
•    Rooppur NPP will have pressurised water reactors (PWR), the generation-III type discussed above, with extra safety features - the core of a PWR consists of slightly enriched uranium as fuel, and water as both moderator and coolant, a combination that makes the void coefficient negative. A negative feedback stabilises a system. If voids are formed in the core for any rise in power level, the negative void coefficient will bring the power down. No power surge, like the one in Chernobyl unit 4, is possible in a PWR making it inherently safe.
•    The reactor at Rooppur will be built with containment buildings. It is possible to build multiple containments around reactors as extra precaution.

•    PWR incorporates multiple barriers to prevent the release of radioactivity in to the atmosphere.
a.    The first barrier is the ceramic fuel pellet where nuclear fissions take place and energy is released. The pellet retains most of the fission products, the main source of radioactivity.
b.    The second barrier is a sealed metal tube called the cladding that contains the fuel pellets. The cladding retains any gaseous radioactive material that may leak out of the fuel pellets.
c.    The third barrier is the closed primary cooling water system that circulates through the core and carries the heat to the steam generator. The cooling system will contain any radioactivity that may leak out of the cladding.
d.    The fourth and last barrier is the containment building designed to contain any radioactivity that may leak out of the primary cooling system through any accidental rupture.
•    Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while observing a nuclear power plant model during the inaugural ceremony of a two-day international conference on nuclear power last month, said that during the bilateral consultation, she had requested Russian President Vladimir Putin for providing Bangladesh the safest and the latest reactors and has received his assurance in this regard.

Meanwhile, as Bangladesh is opting nuclear power generation, many countries have decided a nuclear phase-out. A nuclear power phase-out is the discontinuation of usage of nuclear power for energy production. Often initiated because of concerns about nuclear power, phase-outs usually include shutting down nuclear power plants gradually and looking towards renewable energy and other fuels.

Austria was the first country to begin a phase-out (in 1978) and has been followed by Sweden (1980), Italy (1987), Belgium (1999), and Germany (2000). Austria and Spain have gone as far as to enact laws not to build new nuclear power stations. Several other European countries have debated phase-outs.

Following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Germany has permanently shut down eight of its reactors and pledged to close the rest by 2022. The Italians have voted overwhelmingly to keep their country non-nuclear. Switzerland and Spain have banned the construction of new reactors. Japan’s prime minster has called for a dramatic reduction in Japan’s reliance on nuclear power. Taiwan’s president did the same. Mexico has sidelined construction of 10 reactors in favor of developing natural-gas-fired plants. Belgium is considering phasing out its nuclear plants, perhaps as early as 2015.

According to BAEC more than 25 countries in Asia expressed interest in implementing NPPs as key constituent to their energy mix. Our neighbouring India has 20 operational nuclear reactors in in 20 NPPs, seven new are under construction while Pakistan is operating three NPPs and two new reactors are under construction.

Anti-Nuclear and Alternative Energy Campaigns
As of November 2011, countries such as Australia, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Norway have no nuclear power reactors and remain opposed to nuclear power.

This reporter spoke to Kazi Mamun-Ur Rashid, an anti-nuclear demonstrator and activist and was part of the Green party in Germany working on a massive anti-nuclear movement. He is currently based in Bangladesh and is still working for the movement.

Rashid studied Engineering and Economics in Berlin and got involved in 1977 with the ‘Alternative Liste’ (AL) – a group of students in Berlin, which later emerged as the Green Party in Germany. AL started its journey politicizing the environmental questions and in the 80s the anti-nuclear question became one of the core components of the total ecological movement in Germany. Till 1990 he was involved with a research group around Professor Bernd Senf (see YouTube ) that dealt with the practicability and deficiencies of the Newtonian 2nd Law of Thermodynamics’ that led to design and invention of machines run by fossil fuel, a finite form of energy, the form of energy bound to matter.

Talking about how many atomic energy commission based experts and scientists are saying that renewable energy yet did not get a breakthrough and that NPP is risk free and is the only solution in front of us, to that Rashid disagreed and says, “Nuclear reactors while operating are not at all safe. Even a brand new reactor by dint of its very existence, emits radio activity.

Wherever you place a reactor, within the orbit of 10 Kilometers the environment dies, the trees become fruitless, the soil die because the micro organisms die, animals move away from that place – if they can. Scientists say that 3+ generation nuclear technology is secured and any way the projected probability of an accident is one in 500 years. But the reality has shown that in 42 years we had three accidents. If 3+ generation nuclear technology is so safe, then why Europe has decided to move away from such a secured technology…have they gone crazy? And our scientists in Bangladesh are the only sane human souls? The Risk is also, as to where we are going to deposit the radioactive wastes? These wastes remain radioactive for ten thousands of years, which means given the geological changes and also added to this that the country has become earthquake prone, and in case of any earth quake, we are going to put at least 500 coming generations at life risks…can we take this responsibility ?
Also that Bangladesh is such a densely populated nation and in case of an accident, total country will be affected. We must know that a reactor that we are planning will be equal to 100 atom bombs thrown on Hiroshima and Nagashaki during the Second World War! Imagine 100 atom bombs detonating on the soil of Bangladesh at the same time!”

“Then again, when you stop the operation, can you really stop a nuclear reactor or its contamination? No you can’t, you will have to spend millions to keep the dead project under check! What will happen to this dead but a white elephant, in case of an earth quake? Take the German example, the people there have become so conscious that to whatever extent they can, they are going for alternative energy, they are using solar and wind energy. There, I have found scientists leaving the mainstream line of thought and have started engaging themselves in low-end and simple technologies. During the seventies, the book written by Erich Schumacher ‘Small is Beautiful’ has done tremendously to change the thinking modus of people in the western world. If Bangladesh has to survive, it has to leave the path of Newtonian Mega Machine thinking, we have to opt for Appropriate and Low End technology. Ultimately, the present world will be devoid of fossil based fuel, what will Bangladesh do at that time? Our scientists are opting for NPG just because they are from that branch, they have dedicated or spent their whole life on that subject, they just cannot give up their identity as scientists, the whole life they were not creative enough to see their position critically, and that’s why they also are not in a position to show us any alternative. If there is any alternative option, what will happen to these scientists? They will just be ‘no-one’ in this society. This is what they are afraid of I’m afraid! We must understand that to be prepared for an alternative is also to leave the mainstream school of thought, and this needs lot of courage to say the truth, for which we people are not ready. We always have in the past and at present as well, opt for the path of least resistance. This is one of the basic problems to go for an option that will lead one to a polar opposite pole. In the question of energy, yes, we have to make a u-turn! We have to comprehend the fact that, the mainstream science has created the atom bomb and that reveals the fact that it is in itself destructive. We need to leave this path” Rashid said more.

“I want to end with an example, talking to some experts on nuclear energy does not give you the exact picture of what nuclear power is, its risks, and its socio-ecological costs. Let’s assume that you go to an allopathic doctor who is a cancer specialist. Will he ever tell you what chemo therapy actually is? Chemo therapy has never healed a cancer patient, is never going to heal or cure anybody. He is never going to tell you that chemo is the final assault on a patient and that it is going to kill him/her soon! All you have to do is, to find alternative sources of information to educate yourself. As long as you depend on mainstream sources, you will always remain blindfolded” Rashid added.

*This article was first printed in The Independent Weekend Magazine - http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=27&date=2013-06-28

Anti-nuclear protest near nuclear waste disposal centre at Gorleben in northern Germany, on November 8, 2008...

Album Review - Krishnokoli–Bunoful

2013-06-14T02:19:00.002+06:00

Krishnokoli – Bunoful
by Faizul Khan Tanim

Indigenous music is one of the only forms of organic folk compositions left which takes us to earthen realities, enjoy congenital mysticism and spontaneous combustions. These expressions somehow embody the beauty and significance of ‘wild flowers’. And wild flower (Bunoful) is precisely the name of the album I’m listening to, singer Krishnokoli’s latest studio compilation. This anthology is composed of indigenous folk music - Santali and Jhumur songs - which necessarily do not have great instrumental technicalities, psychedelic compositions but they do possess atmospheric diffusions, powerful words and most importantly, the vocalist, with her magnetism of vocal chords, urgently tries to transport the listeners to a realm where the jhumur dance dawns from the cluster of bells worn round the ankles (jhumur). Her songs and tunes have direct associations with particular festivals, love and everyday conversations. The rest is up to the audience...their perception and absorption and on how much they want to imagine and experience.

These songs have their ethnic and rare appeal... hence the lyrics are simple in their own complex structures spreading aromas of socio-political messages, inner strength, inner peace and rebellion against wrong. And the perfect example is the last track Santal Korechhey Bhogobaan. The lyrics is so simple yet so powerful – Amay Santal korechhey Bhogobaan goo, amay manush koreni Bhogobaan. Ami jodi daktar hotam, koto lok ke fur-he ditam, pochish taka visit litam, barto koto man goo – meaning God has made me a Santal and not a human. If I were a doctor, I would’ve cured so many patients and it would increase my self-esteem and self-respect by miles and I would just charge 25 taka for my services.

The songs, and of course the one mentioned above, captures the essence of homegrown authenticity... something which reminds me of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat talking about the beauty of innocence, summarizing poetry of propriety - I desire only a little ruby wine and a book of verses, just enough to keep me and you alive, and only half a loaf is needful; And then, that I and you should sit in a desolate place and it is better than the realm of a sultan’s palace.

Santals are an ethnic group in Bangladesh, mainly living in the Himalayan sub-mountain region in different districts of Rajshahi division. Their principal home is in Radha (West Bengal), the forests of adjacent Bihar (Jhadkhand) and Orissa, and Chhota Nagpur. Traditional Santal tunes can be heard in many of their villages, especially during their festivals. The santals traditionally accompany many of their dances with two percussion intruments /drums: the Tamak and the Tumdak. The flute and Madol (percussion instrument) are also considered very important traditional instruments and still evoke feelings of nostalgia for many. In this album, Madol was vigorously used along with Esraaj, Flute, Dotara and more.

The Jhumur songs from this album (track 3 Kalo joley kujola toley and track 8 Bakura bajar-e laaj lagerey) are from Bakura of West Bengal. These songs originally incorporate dance and dialogues, illustrating the joys and grievances, yearning and aspirations of everyday lives of the common people. It is believed that Jhumur was originally a means of recreation between phases of tedious agricultural work. It is also believed that this dance form has also been adopted by the Santals. And in the album, these are happy songs - what makes them more chirpy is the sensual voice of Krishnokoli.

Krishnokoli – Bunoful (3.5 stars/5) - http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=34&date=2013-06-13

Iron Man-3: All’s well that ends well? ….NOT!

2013-06-07T02:03:00.003+06:00

Iron Man-3: All’s well that ends well? ….NOT!
By Faizul Khan Tanim

If Iron Man (IM) is a trilogy, then part three is the perfect example of how the last of the three instalments MUST NOT end but if there is a part four then ardent fans expect Jon Favreau be brought back in to action behind the lenses rather than playing ‘Happy’.

Moreover, if you believe in the phrase ‘morning shows the day’ then you’d be disappointed by how the film kicks in with the intro music I’m Blue by Eiffel 65…got the fans puzzled if we mistakenly swapped halls and watching a Chinese Kung-Fu film or a wrongly dubbed movie instead of IM-3? I mean for God’s sake where’s AC/DC or Black Sabbath? And then we realize that it is IM-3 with its semi Terminator-2 rip-off schemes; inappropriate ‘freaking out’ syndromes; no one home inside the Iron Man armours; bad dialogues; an almost fake-Mandarin sporting a villain as hilarious as Admiral General Aladeen and to top it off, Tony Stark blows up all his suits to prove that Pepper Potts means the world to him.

With part three made this imperfect, I wonder how Tony Stark and Iron Man will be carried on to The Avengers-2, Joss will definitely have tough time bringing the mojo of IM back to cover up the disasters left in IM-3. I mean, there was very little Iron Man in the whole film and the acting has been reduced surprisingly to a minimum.

Speaking to a fervent comics and super hero fan and a journalist/writer in this genre, Syd Tashfin Chowdhury said, “Actually I found 'The Dark Knight Rises' like a slap on the face of the average Batman comic book reader as it seemed like a mix-and-match of nearly six to seven different events in the DC Universe. For example, Bane breaking Batman's back happened in the Knightfall event. The involvement of Talia Al Ghul with Batman was in another storyline. The part of Gotham cut off from the rest of the world, leading to anarchy, was the 1999 'No man's land' storyline. For a while I thought Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt) would turn out to be Azrael, a vigilante who was also a thorn on Batman's side. But fortunately that did not happen.”

“A similar drift-off has been done with Iron Man 3. The fans of Iron Man love to hate the Mandarin. So, when they had read that Kingsley would play the noted character, they were nonetheless ecstatic. But mashing the Extremis storyline with Mandarin wasn't something that Iron Man followers were looking forward to. But that is what Shane Black is all about. Sadly, he tried to make a Lethal Weapon out of Iron Man 3”, Chowdhury added.

What ticks off the fans even more is the clip after the end credits rolled. Stark is seen explaining The Hulk/Dr Banner how his life was in an awful misery and due to the boring content, Banner kept dozing off. Was this funny at all or gives a clue on how Avengers-2 might become?

If anyone googles ‘How Iron Man-3 should have ended on YouTube’, one will realize that the mockery could not be done properly since the film is bad enough. One of the worst superhero films and in the league of Daredevil (2003), Elektra (2005), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Green Lantern (2011)…What Tony Stark should not have done during the beginning of the film was flaunt his extreme ego and give his home address to the world media. We hope The Avengers-2 will bring the true Iron Man back and will do justice to Robert Downey.

http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=53&date=2013-06-07

Heroe's fall

Till Death Do Us Part: 20 Years of Cryptic Fate

2013-05-30T05:09:00.001+06:00

Till Death Do Us Part: 20 Years of Cryptic Fate

They call their rock Brutal... no-holds-barred Heavy Metal and the only way to listen to them is to turn up the volume and blow your mind (and hopefully not the speakers!). Writes Faizul Khan Tanim

Arguably the greatest rock act of the country, Cryptic Fate’s four members – Farhan Samad, Farshed Mahmud, K Sarfaraz Latifullah and Chowdhury F Shakib - are in a rock relationship with each other for the past two decades and are still going strong. Fate developed and maintained a sound that was completely unlike of any others in the scene. With a heavy metal influence and an alloy between their individual musical styles, they emerged as one of the most successful heavy metal bands on both the concert and recording circuits of Bangladesh.

Today, Cryptic Fate is respected, revered and they have revolutionized Bangla rock to a point where listening to them equals fighting your own demons, waging war against the 1971 rajakars or terror and even at times, falling in love. In an involved film, the characters of a very brave voice; majestic guitar tones, riffs and solos; and power drumming will generate all the mortal feelings of an immortal phantasm, convince you that you are right here, and can break free...any time and any day. Cryptic Fate was born on February 1993, when Wahed and Sarfaraz garnered the idea of a heavy metal band. Therefore, school friends Shakib, Farshed and Iresh as bassist, drummer, and singer respectively were recruited in quick succession and the original line-up of Cryptic Fate took shape. But what we do not know is that whenever the band is asked if they could travel back in time and change their name, Shakib smirks and says, “Most likely YES.”

And what we know about this band is that their debut album, the first English heavy metal album from Bangladesh – Ends Are Forever, was appreciated by none other than the then Megadeth star, legendary guitarist Marty Friedman. And this is what Marty Friedman said about Ends Are Forever: "It sounds to me somewhat more original than most of the stuff I get. Frankly, what makes it better than most are the vocals. The singer has a good sound to his voice. Also, the harmony vox are GREAT. Song #3 ("Odious Zephyr") could have used much more. The guitars are showing some limitation. In content, I think much of the guitar work is okay. Song #4 ("Captors Of Fate") has lots of cool original guitar stuff in the rhythms and harmonies but watch the intonation during the solo. Drums and bass are good in content. Overall, for me I like the songs that don't have drastic time changes - you will reach a larger audience without them, I think." But what we don’t know is that their ace guitarist Sarfaraz was out of the band for almost a year, around 2001, because of personal reasons and other priorities and missed playing in their anthemic track ‘Cholo Bangladesh’, but he soon re-joined the band.

Shakib, to this day, strongly believes that heavy metal music is very personal to him and he very emotionally explained the significance of being in a band, “I cannot ever imagine sharing this music any one other than my three band members. The spirit we share is a very holy thing and no girlfriend, wife, family member or anyone are allowed in our jamming sessions. There has to be a purpose of jamming heavy metal music, as in something has to come out of it and all three Farhan, Farshed and Sarfaraz has to be there, otherwise I would never call it a jam. I’ve never played music just for the sake of playing music but to make a song. The bonding is very important and this is my idea of a band. I feel this is my destiny – to jam and make heavy metal music with only these three individuals. The first five years is the most crucial for a band, if members can sustain, they will succeed.” Farhan also added that, “A band is all about pure luck and finding the right chemistry with band mates. They do not have to be superstars but possessing the gelling element and the want to move forward is absolutely essential.”

Over the past two decades, this band has had a couple of defining moments which makes Cryptic Fate what it is today. To highlight a few, Shakib and Farhan recollected some urgent and as well climactic moments.

Cryptic Fate: The Journey

1993

It was March and Cryptic Fate with their full line-up played their first gig at Farshed’s sister’s birthday party.

1994

They missed the chance to perform in one of their school events due to too many opening acts and time constraints. Frustrated with not finding gigs, they decided to record a full-length album and thus the idea of ‘Ends Are Forever’ spawned.

1995

Ends Are Forever is released from the record label Soundtek Productions and enjoys moderate success despite being an all-English metal album in the pre-dominant and supermarket pop-saturated audio market. The line-up was Drums – Farshed, Guitars –Wahed, Guitars – Sarfaraz, Vocals/Bass – Shakib.

1997

CF played their first ticket gig in the ICMA Auditorium at the suburb Katabon. They performed 10 to 12 songs and brought the house down with their extremely powerful performance.

1998

It was a hot summer day on July 12th and a moment of joy for the fantastic Farhan who received a call from the members of his most favourite band in Bangladesh, Cryptic Fate to join them as a permanent member. Shakib describes Farhan as the man behind the immense sound of Cryptic Fate.

2001

Cryptic Fate receives sponsorship from Pepsi and during the end of the year, is invited by prominent recording artist Isha Khan Duray to contribute a song to his mixed album ‘Chharpotro’. Shakib and Farhan collaborated for the first time, and the result was their first mainstream success ‘Cholo Bangladesh’. The line-up line-up included Bass/Vocals – Shakib, Guitars – Farhan and introduced Turjo on drums.

2002

Buoyed by the success of mixed albums Chharpotro and Onushilon, their second studio album with the theme of 1971 Liberation War, ‘Sreshtho’ is released from the label G-Series. The album became an instant hit.

2004-2006

Cryptic Fate spent the better part of two years writing and recording their magnum opus album ‘Danob’, which established their identity: Brutal, fresh, strikingly original – Cryptic Fate’s own brand of heavy metal. They took time and delivered their much-anticipated follow-up to their 2nd studio album Sreshtho. The result was nothing short of brilliant and it literally recharged the rage of any music hungry youth.

And Now, comes ‘Noy Maash’

Originally influenced by classic 80s metal, early 90’s grunge and all the other forms of heavy distortion-based melodies, the band’s sound has continued to mature and evolve into a unique style melding all sub-genres of rock. Not only that, the band has started experimenting with concepts of ‘home recording’ and that is how they started their concept album ‘Noy Maash’. It is going to be nine songs in nine consecutive months signifying the essence of our historical war. The significance of this album is for several reasons, the primary being - it’s a tribute to the nine-month span of our Liberation War of 1971. Secondly, Cryptic Fate wanted to make songs speedily and then pass an urgent message - test the strength of a band and its ability to stand on its own minus the support and sponsors from corporate houses and production companies. But fortunately they were blessed with fantastic sponsors. And thanks to Saadi’s Incursion Music, through which they have started this ‘digital revolution’. They have so far released two tracks online – ‘Bhorer Opekkha’ and the latest ‘Kal Boishakhi’ and the core fans believe that they are slowly maturing from Bhorer Opekkha, which suffered mediocre production and evolving into sounds of beautiful thunder in ‘Kal Boishakhi’. Ardent fans are now convinced that by the third track ‘Bidayer Gaan’, which has been released today (the 30th of May), the sound will be very close to perfect, proving that digital home recording can fetch fantastic production value if the right amount of effort and creativity is poured in along with the right balance of good equipments.

Cryptic Fate shows immense gratitude towards their friends, who have helped and surrounded them beyond the call of duty and still serve as inspirations – Neville, Duray, Fazle, Soleman Mozammel sir from IUB, Iresh, Gibran, Shishir and all the guest drummers – Manzur, Turjo, Arafat, Nafi, Shaju and Faraz.

===
The gears used by Cryptic Fate:
K. Sarfaraz Latifullah
I primarily use a POD version 2.0 along with Line 6 MKii floor board pedal. I also use a POD HD400 but for me the best sound so far is the good old pod 2.0. Other gears include a Digitech whammy/Cry Baby Wah/Mod Tone lemon squeeze compressor/VOX Satchurator distortion pedal/ MXR Wylde Overdirve pedal/boss fuzz5 /delta lab digital delay pedal/mod tone deep dive octave pedal - I use these for the pedal board. For guitars I use Gibson Les Paul Studio / Gibson Flying V Heritage Cherry / PRS studio. Gibson flying V for giving me that powerful magnetic crunchy sound... the ceramic hot pick ups of this guitar gives that incredible sustain and harmonies. Obviously, its fully waxed and avoids any mic feedback on stage. The wide fret board makes it easier for me to play all the string pull needed without losing its dynamics. Apart from its good looks, it’s also a monster on stage! And regarding the PRS studio model Eriza Verde, it is one of the most versatile guitars I have used. Starting from rock to blues to jazz, this guitar will never disappoint you. It's very user friendly and an awesome guitar for recording and one can easily tweak it to bring out the sound one needs. The V12 finish and the locking tuners are something that keeps this guitar in shape... the narrow field pickups, which can also be spilt into single coil pickup gives you that very crispy single coil tone needed. It’s got the push-pull tone control with 5 way selector giving the opportunity to play around and produce your own desired sound.

Farhan Samad
I started with a third-hand Ibanez RG350, upgraded the pickups to DiMarzios and changed the bridge & pickup selector. I still have it though I hardly ever use it since I got a matt black Epiphone Les Paul Goth. The stock pickups kick ass so I never changed them. I use a Line 6 Pod 2.0 as my processor. It's still the best processor in the world so never even considered getting anything else. I added a Digitech Whammy and a Boss Octave pedal to my rig. Also, I just got an Electro Harmonix Memory Boy as gift a couple of days ago that will be featured in Jantrik Golojog, CF’s 5th studio album.

Shakib Chowdhury
I use a maroon Yamaha 5 string bass guitar. Its cheap, $499 US (I think) and I don't know the model. I started my life with a 4 string pink, Yamaha, in 1993, and I have had two Ibanez guitars in the middle. I prefer Yamaha simply because it was the first. I am not attached to my instruments; I don't take care of them. As long as it works, I am fine. I don't know whether I am using light or heavy gauge strings. When a string breaks, I go to the shop and get new strings. I have no brand preference for strings.
I also use a bass POD processor. Now, this is an essential piece of equipment because its vital for my bass tone. Farhan tweaks the POD to bring out the kind of tone I like. The POD is simply a life saver.

Farshed Mahmud
I have been playing a Sonor Force series drum kit with Sabian cymbals for the past 10+ years. My setup is fairly straightforward. I have 10”, 12” 13”, 14”, 15” and 16” toms, a 22” bass drum, and two snares – a Pearl Sensitone 5” steel snare and a Sonor 4” wood snare. I use the Pearl snare for live shows, and switch between the Pearl and Sonor for studio recording, depending on the song and what tone I want. My cymbal set up is as follows: 16”, 17” and 18” crash, a 24” in heavy ride with a massive bell, a 20” China, 8”, 10” and 11” splashes, 10” mini china, and 14” hi-hats. I recently acquired a Pearl cowbell, which you can hear on our single “Ondho”. I also got myself a Pearl tambourine hi-hat attachment, which I plan to use in a few of our new songs. My double bass pedal is a DW5000. I used to play Iron Cobras, but I like the DW more because it seems smoother to me, and it also looks nicer. I like to hit my drums hard, which is why skin selection is very important. For my bass drum, I recently switched to Aquarian heads and I love the depth in sound. For the rest of my kit, I use coated Remo heads with clear resonant heads. For a metal drummer, the sound is heavy but with enough musicality to shine through the guitar distortions. The key to a good sounding drum kit is tuning. Without properly tuned drums, it does not matter what you play, it will not sound good. In this context, I recently acquired my new best friend – the Drum Dial. It is the best tool to tune drums, bar none, and I highly recommended to every drummer out there. About drumming techniques, I was self-taught, with no formal training. I learned to play along with my favorite songs and developed my chops that way. However, I would suggest to everyone out there to get online tutorials and get your basics right. Also acquire a basic metronome and get used to playing to them to get your timing perfect. Fast and furious will only get you so far if you do not have good time and if your hits are inconsistent and weak. Therefore, when practicing, hit your drums hard. Make a lot of noise and wake your neighbours up. If you are not getting any sound complaints when you are practicing, you should be embarrassed.

Photo Credit: Sharf Ahmed Saadh for Live Square. P.S.: Will upload a better image. Sorry this one is in a spread and hence the merging was not complete

Photo Credit: Mahmudul Hasan Rony/ Incursion Music

Jute Life Style Expo 2013 Bangladesh

2013-05-24T02:01:00.004+06:00

Jute Life Style Expo 2013

Sweeping away carbon footprints with jute revival in Bangladesh

Jute used to be the country’s largest foreign exchange earner till the 1970s and then slowly with its decline, we saw the largest jute mill in the world – Adamjee in Narayanganj – shut down in 2002.

Recently, the discovery of jute genome sequencing has made us more optimistic about revival of the fibre. Bangladeshi scientists have successfully decoded the vital genome sequence of jute, of which this country is the world’s largest exporter.
After this discovery, opportunities have been created to evolve different stress tolerant (salinity, drought, insects and pests) jute varieties.

And in the series of this success, Traidcraft Exchange (TX) and TARANGO organised Jute Lifestyle Expo’13 from May 10-12. The Opening Ceremony was held on Friday, May 10 at Dhaka Art Centre in Rabindra Sarovar, Dhanmondi.

Around 5500 people thronged to the exposition and organizers said that even with the on-going political turmoil, 394 orders were received for 1300 products which amounted to 5.5 lacs Taka approximately.

A list of interesting items were on display which included designed files/folders, ladies hand bags, photo frames, stationery holders and more.

TX is a British charity organization, and its mission is to promote approaches to trade that help poor people to get out of poverty and transform their lives. The Jute Lifestyle Expo ’13 was organized under the project, ‘Jute: an eco-friendly alternative for a sustainable future’, co-funded by the European Commission and Traidcraft and TARANGO was its implementing partner and INTRADE Private Limited operated as a business facilitation unit for JDP producing SMEs under this project.

Traidcraft is trying to revive the past glory of jute and under this project, for the last four months the enlisted SMEs developed new range of Jute Diversified Products under the supervision of the renowned design consultant Chandra Shekhar Shaha. Around forty SMEs received design supports from the project and finally eighty ranges of lifestyle products made of jute with fashion values and functionalities, of around thirty SMEs, were displayed in the Exposition.

On the second day of the exposition, TX arranged a ‘Poster Art Competition’ where 2000 participants attended and within them 50 people were selected from them. Finally three winners won the competition among those 50.

In our economy and also for the poor communities in Bangladesh jute is becoming a vital sector. With growing global consciousness about environment and jute being almost an entirely environment friendly product, there is an opportunity to promote jute and Jute Diversified Products globally. In addition, Bangladesh, a country of 153 million people, has huge potential for local consumption of JDPs.

According to Bangladesh jute research institute (BJRI) officials under the ministry of agriculture, jute was mostly used to produce packaging materials and there were hardly any other use.

And jute materials lost its potential due to its non-moisture proof characteristics to synthetic materials as packaging substitutes in both large and micro levels. Therefore, large jute mills started to incur huge losses and had to be shut down.

It was only in the late 90’s that we understood that synthetic materials are not biodegradable and are clogging up the arteries and veins of our living. So, a fresh revival effort started and it is said that the jute production in Bangladesh was very high during the last two years.

Although jute is grown in almost all the districts of Bangladesh, greater Faridpur, Tangail, Jessore, Dhaka, Sirajganj, Bogra, Jamalpur, in the North for example Rangpur, then Mymensing, Kishoreganj are considered the better growing areas.

BJRI sources said that according to a recent research, very good quality jute can be extracted from our coastal belts as well – an area called Khepupara (Pakhimara station) in Patuakhali has resulted in good quality jute production.

*This article was first published in the Weekend Independent of The Independent - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=53&date=2013-05-24

Products made from jute

Measuring the ‘White Elephant’ Curse - dissemination seminar which discloses that mitigation of domestic violence against women costs 2.10% of Bangladesh GDP

2013-05-17T08:34:00.002+06:00

Measuring the ‘White Elephant’ Curse

Faizul Khan Tanim writes on a dissemination seminar which discloses that mitigation of domestic violence against women costs 2.10% of Bangladesh GDP

Domestic violence against women has accelerated to such heights in the country that these incidents have ceased to shock us. It not only became a social epidemic but as disclosed at a recent dissemination seminar in the city on September 25 – Preventing Violence Against Women: Lessons From Innovative Practices in South Asia, a project by CARE Bangladesh – that 2.10 percent of the country’s national GDP is spent to mitigate different issues of violence against women (VAW). This is the first time; such a thought-provoking initiative of putting a price-tag on VAW, funded by USAID Bangladesh was structured in the country.

Moreover, the combined cost of violence to the nation in the amount of Bangladesh Taka is 14,084.56 million. This amount is almost equal to the total government expenditure for the annual health and the nutrition budget. These informations were revealed from the presentation made by Dr Kaniz Siddique, Consultant of Care Bangladesh.

Importantly, VAW harms both the victim and the perpetrator and both their families and again, both financially and as well socially. The direct economic costs for the victims include loss of productivity, loss of potential income, cost of medical care in case of injury, disability and disease; transportation cost and similarly, for the perpetrators, hiding causes loss of income while, if punished, monetary penalties and court costs are huge.

The direct social costs as pointed out for a victim is huge - humiliation, fear, negative impact on self-respect and confidence and increased sense of physical and mental insecurity, increase in school absenteeism leading to dropouts, early marriage, derangement of women from various social and developmental activities and more.

These have severe harmful impacts on victims, children of the victims and society as a whole, which includes increased sense of physical and mental insecurity and tension in the family, divorce, suffering of the children, women becoming burden to the society, children becoming susceptible to violent behaviours and more.

Dr Siddique’s paper was prepared based on a survey conducted upon 483 victims of VAW that took place in 24 villages of Sunamganj, Dinajpur and Tangail districts.

The study disclosed that the reasons of VAW are dowry, ill-tempered husband, conflicts with the in-laws, instigations, negative provocation by male members of family and polygamist husbands.

Assistant country director of Care Bangladesh Jamie Terzi in her speech mentioned that this project is just a start and that it should encourage others to do more interesting and in-depth researches.

Meanwhile, other speakers emphasized on grave issues like marital rapes, domestic violence during pregnancy, and inclusion of men in the VAW resisting movement. All the speakers unanimously agreed on the fact that this silence has to be broken and women should start speaking up instead of taking abuse, tell and teach young boys and men at home to be more respectful to women. The very fact which is very alarming is that, speakers repeatedly told that not only rural but urban upper-class women, who are educated and financially independent, are subjected to domestic violence as well.
Citing about the social cost of violence against women, the chief guest of the event, state minister of women and child affairs Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury noted that violence against women during pregnancy causes far more severe consequences for women and that its impact on the society is far grave.
She further said, during pregnancy the mental trauma a mother goes through affects the mental and physical development of the child she is carrying.

According to an Amnesty International Bangladesh Annual Report 2011 published on May 13, violence against women topped all crimes reported to the police in the first six months of the year. Of the 7,285 complaints made, 1,586 were rape cases. The Parliament passed the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill in October last year.

The causes of domestic violence have been identified as sexual inequality, poverty, women’s lack of knowledge about their right to justice and very importantly corruption within our judicial system. It is said that many cases of domestic violence go unreported and a majority of them are not even brought to court. Unfortunately, we tend to treat domestic violence in our society as a regular and acceptable part of everyday life.

While voices were raised that our media has to emphasize more on this burning issue, an alarming study on men’s attitudes and practices regarding gender and VAW, presented in the seminar disclosed disturbing facts that 60 percent of urban men and 62 percent of rural men think that women deserve to be beaten and that women should tolerate this violence in order to keep her family together.

Chairperson of Ain-O-Shalish Kendra Hameeda Hossain chaired the inaugural session.

This article was first published in The Independent's Weekend Magazine Friday Sept 28 2012 - http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=53&date=2012-09-28#

CARE Bangladesh launches the economic cost analysis report titled 'Domestic Violence Against Women: Cost to the Nation' at a dissemination on "Preventing Violence Against Women: Lessons from Innovative Practices in South Asia" with Honorable State Minister Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury MP of Ministry of Children and Women’s Affairs, Richard Green of USAID, Hameeda Hossain of Ain O Salish Kendra, Shireen Huq of Naripokkho, Nick Southern and Jamie Terzi of CARE Bangladesh present at the event on 25th of September, 2012 at Lake Shore Hotel, Gulshan, Dhaka

Glorious coffee from Gloria Jean’s Dhaka

2013-05-10T03:04:00.001+06:00

Glorious coffee from Gloria Jean’s

Faizul Khan Tanim is mesmerized, sipping on a hot cup of warmth and satiating the fruitilicious brain-freezing chillers from Gloria. Every sip reminds of how good coffee tastes and keeps us awake

Around 450 to 500 drinks are sipped each day – be it the classics cappuccino, café latte, espresso, macchiato; specialties Irish nut crème, white chocolate mocha; the classic hot chocolate with marshmallow glace or the espresso and fruit chillers like Voltage or Mango - the glorious Gloria Jean’s Coffees(GJC), conveniently located in Gulshan-1, is brewing plenty of coffee aficionados along with good cafe. And not so long ago (even five years back), it used to be the lounge decor overpowering the aroma of roasted black beans but that has changed with the soothing love affair between water and coffee beans, the right amount of steaming milk, with or without saccharin but plenty of affection is poured while preparing...they make sure that the drink don’t burn your lips and each quaff is smooth and worth cherishing.

Gloria is an Australian franchise since 1996 in Sydney and October 2012 in Dhaka. Till date, it has opened a mammoth figure of more than 900 coffee houses across 39 markets worldwide, including more than 400 coffee houses in Australia. Anyone walking in to GJ’s Dhaka outlet would know that they have had dynamite baristas on board to give you the maximum coffee moments and capuccino kicks.

Now, we Bangladeshis love our adda (informal chit-chats) over drinks, hot or chilled, full cream or decaf, and we love our cups be served with munchies, sweets or hard-core main dishes. So speaking to Irin Islam Chowdhury, executive-marketing of Navana Foods Ltd/Gloria Jean’s Coffees Bangladesh, “We specialize in brewing true coffee from honest and hand-picked beans but we started featuring food, along with our cakes and pastry due to the immense demand of the concept - drinks over food. Our menu changes quarterly but of course keeping the most popular items intact and one specific coffee blend – hazelnut latte, which did not start as big as our regular drinks but now is a complete hit. If we had a small auditorium concert called the ‘hazelnut lately’, i’m sure we would have all tickets sold out but fortunately, GJC is not a gig and we have immense supplies of this profound brew”.

“And what was there as a basic menu comprised of sweet items like Tia Maria cake, brownies or tarts...had to be negotiated with the wholesome arrangement of entree like tomato bruschetta, grilled chicken salad with balsamic vinegar, smoked chicken sandwich, Futtuccine Alfredo pasta, lamb cutlet up to mushroom rice with hot and sour meat ball to name a few, and to be honest, these items were interrogated, verified and validated from the land down under before we liberated them for South Asia’s Dhaka”, Chowdhury added with a grin.

The decor of Gloria is quite chic, atmospheric and most importantly, coffee friendly. It is one of those places you can sit alone, follow your favourite author or just be your spontaneous-combustion self and until and unless you are breaking glasses or littering floors, the friendly wait staffs will be persistently smiling and ask – would you like to have anything else?

http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=37&date=2013-05-10

Superheroes United in Dhaka

2013-05-04T01:40:00.000+06:00

special issue on superheroes - collectibles
Superheroes United in Dhaka
Faizul Khan Tanim writes on theeccentric evolution of superpower in Dhaka,which comes in diverse size and shape of action figures, merchandises andaccessories

One of the saddest things in my life ensued on the day when I was pushed to believe, and I abhorred it – my well-known and earth’s mightiest superheroes stay behind the silver screens or their spirits preserved in action figures and that they are only residents of comic books and graphic novels.It was a doom… a life-shattering statement because, not only do they save ‘good’ from the ‘evil’ but they respite us from the mediocrities of our mundane life.

And thanks to the management of our first high-end movie theatre Star Cineplex at Bashundhara City Mall, for trusting in the strength and significance of the thousands of superhero and comic book followers and fans all over the country. This Cineplex showed quite a few blockbuster titles in big screen, like Iron Man, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Amazing Spider Man in 3D and of course, one of the biggest hits in the world - The Avengers. But it stopped right there. There were no Dark Knight Rises, or Iron Man - III. But the great thing is, it is due to these exhibitions that movie lovers started thronging to movie theatres again and a sudden rush to buy and the urge to collect comic books, action figures, movie thematic accessories and merchandises sprouted like never before.

And thanks to the expected releases of Iron Man-III (already released), Super Man: Man of Steel, Thor: The Dark World, The Wolverine, G I Joe...the whole city is moving in superhero frenzy! The above-mentioned shops are putting up all the armours, shields, claws and more to kick in the adrenaline of super soldiers within us. If one recalls our childhood days, every single day, we wanted to believe in ourselves. We took the leap of faith and wished that someone will come with enough power to save the world and helped us trust that we will be bestowed with supremacy like Logan/Wolverine’s Adamantium, Tony Stark/Iron Man’s Arc Reactor, Thor’s Hammer, Super Man’s ultimate power, Captain America’s Shield, Bruce Wayne/Batman’s Vision or Bruce Banner/Hulk’s Rage and relieve the phrase – ANGER is a GIFT! Why should this be a fading contemplation as we grow up? Many elderly individuals believe that if their ‘Wanting to be Super Man’ notion continued to wave as they grew older, they would have been much more triumphant.

And one such initiatives which helps us – the younger ones and elders as well - reverie our moments of glory to assemble the Avengers/ Justice League or wear the Guy Fawke’s Mask from V for Vendetta, and round neck t-shirts of all the well-known superheroes are couple of exciting stores in town – the biggest merchandise shop SRK ShowTime Shop Hollywood in Banani; the biggest comic store Jamil’s Comics JCC at at Shop 39, UAE Market, Banani; Dhaka Action Figure Shop at 3rd Floor, Annanya Shopping Complex, Baridhara DOHS. These places have the original Hasbro, Marvel and DC products and therefore the prices are a bit high but not insane – the collectibles start from Taka 1,800 and goes up to 7,000. A very well-detailed action figure over 12 inches may cost Taka 14,000 plus, but those are that detailed and are that damn good! The superhero roundneck t-shirts prices vary from Taka 250 in Dhanmondi to Taka 450 in Banani.

Now, there are quite a few other shops and toy stores, who are daring to bring action figures or superhero toys, which were not very popular items before. Few of these shops are New Fortune Toys with branches in Banani road 8 and in Dhanmondi Orchid Plaza; Toy & Gift Gallery, shop # 22, Dhanmondi Orchid Plaza; the toy shops of Rupayan Centre between Gulshan 1 and 2, beside Agora Departmental Store and some more. They keep both the original action figures but mostly replicas making it easier for couple of us aficionados who are mostly low in budget.

(Drumbeats roll…) The first impression one would get upon reaching the realm of these superhero action figures and merchandise joints of mega madness are – you are untouchable because the forces of good will save you. Not only action figures and clothing merchandises, shops like SRK sports superhero movie posters, round neck t-shirts, bags, wrist bands, rings, masks, fridge magnets, USB sticks, swords, notebooks, wall clocks, mugs, dog tags and many other effects. The positioning, the display, the whole superhero ambience will definitely kick in a lot of power in you and one would want to buy the whole shop! Be it the latest Wolverine comic books, action figures of Iron Man-III armours and even Thor’s Hammer and Captain America’s Shield key chains, they have it all and for all age ranges.

7th International Conference on community-based adaptation to Climate Change

2013-05-04T01:15:00.000+06:00

7th International Conference on community-based adaptation to Climate Change

Faizul Khan Tanim writes on the recently concluded CBA conference in Dhaka and how climate change today is regarded as one of the greatest human-induced environmental threat which affects a very significant aspect of Bangladesh's

development

Bangladesh is a riverine country and despite having only seven per cent land mass of South Asia, it drains 90 per cent water of the region into the Bay of Bengal. The country also happens to be an active deltaic region literally criss-crossed with rivers and canals which play a significant role in the livelihoods of millions of people. Given its population density, climatic changes will have serious consequences on the people of the country which has about 150.5 million with around 60 million living below the poverty line. Over half the population of the country depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and even minor changes in the agricultural calendar are having a devastating domino effect on the rural economy.

The impacts and changes in weather patterns and physical systems have severe impacts. Speaking to a farmer from Manikganj, Shahid Anwar said, “The most disturbing thing that agonises me is that kal baishakhi storms (Nor’westers) are no longer arriving from the usual ishan kon (northeast) direction. This is how our ancestors have known it.”
To answer these questions and more, Bangladesh centre for advanced studies (BCAS), international institute for environment and development (IIED) along with the government, UN and development agencies including IUCN, DFID, EU, Oxfam, Christian Aid, Care International, Action Aid and more are promoting community based adaptation (CBA). CBA highlights innovative and participatory methods to help communities analyze the causes and effects of climate change at local contexts, identify the level of risks and vulnerability, integrate scientific and community knowledge in planning appropriate local adaptation strategies and measures.

Considering the growing interests of the actors and stakeholders about the emerging approaches of CBA and how to promote it within the communities, BCAS, IIED and partners organized the first CBA conference in 2005 in Dhaka. Following CBA1, there were six other CBAs in Tanzania, Vietnam and the last – seventh one held in Dhaka last week from April 22-25 with participation from 45 countries.

This correspondent from The Independent spoke with one of the key individuals of CBA7, Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of BCAS to get a sketch of how CBA would help mitigate climate change disasters. Rahman is a prominent environmentalist, scientist, development expert and a visionary thinker in South Asia. He is well-known worldwide for his pioneering role and contribution to environment and nature conservation, climate change, Poverty alleviation and sustainable development. He was honored with the highest UN- Environmental Award - Champion of the Earth - for the year 2008 in recognition of his work for the protection and sustainable management of Earth’s environment and natural resources. Another outstanding achievement was the National Environment Award (Poribesh Padak) for the category of innovative environmental research and technology development from the Government of Bangladesh. He is as well a long standing lead author (LA) and convening lead author of (CLA) of intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC). As a lead author of the IPCC fourth Assessment, he was a co-recipient of the “Nobel Peace Prize” of 2007, jointly awarded to IPCC and Al-Gore.

Faizul Khan Tanim / The Independent (FKT/Ind): What was the biggest highlight of the CBA7 Conference and how would you sum it up from the Bangladesh perspective?

Dr Atiq Rahman/BCAS (AR): The highlight was to gather both the national and international practitioners, scientists, researchers, communicators, financial agents and our Government coming on the same platform using integration of knowledge, experience, scientific methodologies to discuss issues and capabilities of organizations both in and out of the government like NGOs, civil society and more in regards to CBA. The core theme of this event was: Mainstreaming CBA in to national and local planning. And since there is need for the knowledge to be transmitted properly; with transferring of knowledge from one ecosystem to another, country or region, and for that, the whole system has to be systematised. In the national level, CBA has to be integrated in to the national planning and implementation process and it is very difficult since it involves multiple ministry like water, fisheries, finance, planning, livestock to name a few. So we have discussed those issues and have already decided on the main theme of the next CBA-8 in Kathmandu, Nepal, which will be ‘Financing of CBA’, where we will discuss the amount of funding required for effective CBA in vulnerable areas and places from where we can expect funds so that poor people get the real fund and it does not get filtered elsewhere. So you can see that there is a pattern and a step-by-step approach to address both national and global policies of the vulnerable countries.

FKT: As you know that ‘communication’ of CBA with the distressed people, climate change refugees or the citizens living in vulnerable areas is very difficult. Did CBA7 discuss ways to do this? If not, did BCAS think on this line?

AR: If we go back, CBA 6 in Hanoi, Vietnam was about communicating CBA. So this topic was not discussed largely here. However, CBA 7 in Dhaka ensured maximum global participation by webcasts and involved people virtually via webinars. Almost 3,000 people worldwide registered as users and more than 1000 people participated everyday. So we have taken lessons from Hanoi and indeed communicated globally.
And about communicating with the local people from vulnerable areas, one of the most attractive part of a CBA – field visits – were cancelled due to the present turmoil but since BCAS and CBA stakeholders deals with this issue regularly and from my personal experience I can say that the challenge of good communication can never be undermined. Since the scientists by definition are not good communicators because their objective is to get things accurate rather than presenting in attractive way, communication planning and integrating people’s voices and concerns in to the planning procedure is a whole different game altogether. From BCAS we have done plenty of grassroot level activities, especially training of field workers on field situation with the right statistics, education for effective communication with ordinary villagers. Secondly, we have training for communicators such as media people on effective communication of CBA and soon we will start other programmes.

FKT: As you mentioned that the field visits could not be done this year, from where the participants could get first hand views from the affected people on abnormal rain, flash floods, resulting in unusual crop patters, erratic behaviours of nature faced by farmers due to climate change. Could you cite some more examples from BCAS field studies on this issue?

AR: We have got at least 30 projects all over the country and the most common thing you would hear people complaining is: something is not right in our life, what used to be in our life does not happen anymore. And some variables are erratic rainfall, floods, drought etc and then they mentioned something we haven’t heard before – formation of fogs which covers the sun, blocking the nutrients for plant/crop growth. Our computer-based modelling showed that in the Chittagong Hill Tract areas, the rainfall in those areas will remain the same in the next couple of years but that rain will come over a shorter period so what will happen is there will be more rapid water flow resulting in top soil getting devastated and we will most likely see more landslides and local people from there have already started complaining.

*This article was first published in The Independent - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=45&date=2013-05-03

50 Years of 007 - For your eyes only: Bond... James Bond!

2013-04-28T00:19:00.000+06:00

N.B.: I know this is a traumatic time and forgive me for posting this now, but sharing because i share my work every week, please read in your own good time...much thanks

50 Years of 007

For your eyes only: Bond... James Bond!

Licesed to kill, shaken not stirred, Ian Fleming’s evergreen British secret service agent - cradled by the affection of Money Pennys, expedited by Qs, nurtured by Ms, hounded by the SPECTREs and loved by numerous darlings of the silver screen and his cut-and-dried line for the gorgeous ladies was: I’ll be right back – BOND has been one of the most influential-fictional characters of the past five decades and counting, making us believe in the immortal line – growing older but getting younger.

Faizul Khan Tanim

Shaken by Dr. NO (1962-Sean Connery),titled as the first Bond film, and stirred at Skyfall (2012, Daniel Craig, the newest bond), and the epic James Bond films featuring the Walther PPK; clad in the three-piece suits; driving the explosive Aston Martins, Bentleys and BMWs; sporting the Rolex Submariners or Omega Seamasters... Bond was on the loose in 22movies. He is always fully loaded with his creative ammos and artilleries and would still poise the world even under the abuse of Vodka Martinis, Bollinger and Dom Perignon Champagnes. The Bond film franchise today, is the second most financially successful English language film series.

Bond Movies through the Years:
From Russia With Love (1963-Connery),
Goldfinger (1964-Connery),
Thunderball (1965-Connery),
You Only Live Twice (1967-Connery),
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969-George Lazenby),
Diamonds Are Forever (1971-Connery),
Live and Let Die (1973-Roger Moore),
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974-Moore),
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977-Moore),
Moonraker (1979-Moore),
For Your Eyes Only (1981-Moore),
Octopussy (1983-Moore),
A View to a Kill (1985-Moore),
The Living Daylights (1987-Timothy Dalton),
Licence to Kill (1989-Dalton),
Golden Eye (1995-Pierce Brosnan),
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997-Brosnan),
The World is Not Enough (1999-Brosnan),
Die Another Day (2002-Brosnan),
Casino Royale (2006-Craig),
Quantum of Solace (2008-Craig)
Skyfall (2012-Craig)

We know that James Bond is a protagonist of the Bond series, a Royal Navy Commander, (Companion, Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve) CMG, RNVR, a fictional character created by British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming [1908-1964] in 1953.Fleming wrote twelve Bond novels and two short story collections before his death, although the last two books – ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ and ‘Octopussy and The Living Daylights’- were published ‘posthumously’.

Bond’s code number 007, comes from the English spy and polymath John Dee, who would sign his letters to Elizabeth I with 00 and an elongated 7,to signify they were for her eyes only. The number was also assigned by Fleming in reference to one of British naval intelligence's key achievements of World War I - the breaking of the German diplomatic code.Subsequently if materials we regraded 00 it meant it was highly classified and, as journalist Ben Macintyre pointed out in various articles, "To anyone versed in intelligence history, 007 signified the highest achievement of British military intelligence."

Although Bond resides and take most of his assignments from the London MI6 headquarter but risks his life actively and internationally, running after the most notorious criminals from anywhere and everywhere in the globe and beyond. Let us take a look at the Bonds who gave this character the much-wanted ego, charisma and height to become such a lethal weapon.

Sean Connery (Bond appearances: 1962-1967; 1971; 1983)
Six feet one-and-half inches, Scotsman, considerably one of the best Bonds, and gained the nickname ‘gentlespy’, was arguably the best in the 1965 Thuderball. With a box office success of $141.2 million,this film is memorable for its underwater pyrotechnics and gadgets – Bell Textron jetpack, underwater breather, modified Rolex Submariner and more.

George Lazenby (1969)
The only non-British (Australian) actor and probably the most infamous Bond to have destroyed the fame of a 007 agent. He also acted in the only (thank God) and the worst Bond film till date On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (worse than Brosnan’s Die Another Day and Craig’s Quantum of Solace). Lazenby is the second official actor to portray the British secret agent, following Sean Connery, and proved to have failed to impress the loyal Bond fans with quotes like, “This never happened to the other fellow!” The other fellow (accredited to) being Connery, this is actually a joke for the audiences referring to Lazenby’s debut as Bond. As Connery had been able to seduce every woman he met, Lazenby, being the new Bond meets Tracy in the film who runs away from him. Bond is slightly perplexed, because he is after all Bond... James Bond and women usually melt with this phrase.

Roger Moore (1973-1985)
This 6’1’’007 agent was also the Saint and faced a huge challenge to revive Bond after Lazenby’s flash-in-the-pan. So, in an attempt Moore deliberately smoked cigars instead of cigarettes and drank Bourbon instead of Martini, which is actually more in-keeping with the character of Bond from the books. He portrayed the Bond character the most amount of times, seven,and he did with flying colors and replied to his critics who said he was not masculine enough, “This Bond is more of a lover and a giggler.” His best performances were in several including Moonraker, The Spy who Loved Me and A View to a Kill. 1985’sA View to a Kill however sported the most crispy script with a plot of the destruction of California’s Silicon Valley and taking the domination of the microchip market by a multimillionaire psychopath. The film features, by far, the manliest Bond girl May Day and has a brilliant quote by the psychopath Zorin: "Intuitive improvisation is the secret of a genius."

Timothy Dalton (1987-1989)
Dalton, 6’2’’,manly and most probably the only Bond which gave Q the least amount of troubles with his gadget and in fact, he is the only Bond Q appreciated the most. This Welsh Bond was also on-screen, the safest 007 agent around the insanely arousing women. Dalton's James Bond was a major transformation to a darker, moody, pitiless and more focused on the job at hand even if it was not preferred.And the 1989 hit License to Kill featured Bond’s disobeying of MI6 orders and pursuing vengeance following the mutilation of Felix Leiter, one of Bond’s greatest ally. In the process, Bond's desire of revenge costs him his greatest weapon – his Licence to Kill - and makes him an aggressive ticking time bomb.

Pierce Brosnan (1995-2002)
After a long hiatus picking Pierce Brosnan as the 007was a great choice and debatably, six feet one inches Irish man Brosnan, who was already a hit from Remington Steele, is the best looking and most charismatic Bond, well-known for his strangling techniques as Bond, his ways with women and fancy gadgets. With the amazing Tina Turner’s vocals in the title track and the cast of two of the most ravishingly beautiful Bond girls, usage of BMW, sporting of Omega Seamaster wristwatch and more, Brosnan’s first Bond movie, Golden Eye, grossed over $350 million worldwide, more than any other Bond film to that time. His second Bond film, 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, grossed even more money in the US than Golden Eye,making Brosnan one of the most successful 007 agents. Brosnan brought a new sense of class to the character, one unmatched so far.

Daniel Craig (2007-Present)
Daniel Craig is the present-day Bond, acts as an almost rogue agent, abuses his privileges and omits the standard good looks of wavy hair and boyish charms. Instead he is the most rugged Bond (closer to the Bond from Ian Fleming’s books), chiseled from deception, revenge, arrogance, anger and most often wears dirty shirts or body hugging collar t-shirts replacing grand suits worn by his predecessors – he is by far the ‘baddest’ Bond worthy to be called a true spy/agent. He is the cockiest Bond of all – a man whose presence is felt by brawn and manliness alone, and the gadgets and tech comes secondary. After all, spy thriller readers unconditionally believes that secret agents must not have recognizable features, let alone good looks. The choice of Craig as Bond was controversial when announced in 2005, and many initially didn't agree with the decision, although Connery, Brosnan, Moore and Dalton publicly supported. Despite some doubts from fans at first, Craig's performance as the super-agent in Casino Royale earned him critical acclaim from critics and fans alike. And, although Quantum of Solace did not perform well, Craig absolutely mesmerized the audiences with the latest Bond Skyfall. Of course, the success of Skyfall was also due to a darker, back-to-basics,following-the-Fleming-novel concepts. At Skyfall, MI6 headquarter is bombed to ashes and Bond faces his greatest adversary, more cunning and razor sharper than Le Chiffre, Scaramanga, Jaws, Oddjob or Blofeldand extremely powerful as he was an ex 00 agent - Silva, played by Javier Bardem, who played the part to utter perfection. No matter how hard Bond tried, he could not save one of the most dominant characters of Bond history – M, even with his no-holds-barred stunts and Walther PPK with palm print activation. In the end, the MI6 headquarters are moved to the Universal Exports building (from the earlier films), while Eve, one of the sensuous field agents, who decides to quit the field and introduces her as the new Moneypenny. A newly appointed M as well gets introduced for Bond - Gareth Mallory, who was the head of Secret Intelligence.

Bond theme songs which made BIG impact

Gadgets used by Bond

The SOLEmates from Dhanmondi 15

2013-04-19T03:40:00.000+06:00

*Putting up this article on FB reminds me of a younger brother, no more, who loved fashionable shoes :-]

The SOLEmates from Dhanmondi 15

Faizul Khan Tanim has found shoe shops to cater contemporary and classic styles, tucked away in Dhanmondi, that have a great array of men's shoes boasting the word 'entrepreneurship' in all senses

Choosing the right footwear is important if you want to make a strong impression. And legend has it that Nawab Sirajuddaula was caught by his enemies while trying to escape in the guise of a pauper and although he wore crumpled clothes but his shoes revealed his royalty. And it is evident that one’s shoes tell a lot about the person’s taste and gives insight in to his personality and dress sense. Quality shoes at good prices are often hard to find, especially for men. We found several shops located on the Dhanmondi 15 (old) road strip where shoe-admirers surely won’t be disappointed.

The shops have leather shoes and sandals for men mostly. Women’s shoes can be made-to-order. On display are oxfords, loafers, cap-toes, dress shoes/boots, monk strap, square-toe, pumps, moccasins, wing-tips, brogues and more. What really makes these shops a great find is that they’ll also make any shoe you want in any colour and style, especially for you. Pick out a design from a catalogue or bring along a photo. They have a six-month warranty for sandals and one year for shoes, that’s saying something for quality.

Jakir Hossain, the current owner of Babul Shoes, said, “In the beginning, it was tough getting this strip of market set up, but now that we have established ourselves with almost 26 outlets, approximately 150 owners and store people working directly in this Dhanmondi 15 area are giving relentless efforts to improve the quality of shoes and its finishing everyday. We will one day enjoy the fruits of our hard work. All the shops here are doing great business with revenues of almost Taka 25,000 per day during festival occasions like the two Eids and winter season. Although, at present, there is a big slump in our sales due to the political turmoil”.

Hossain took us to the factory of Babul Shoes where we saw the shoe making process.
A footwear company has mainly four departments in which a route is followed for producing finished shoes - Clicking or Cutting department, Closing or Machining department, Lasting and Making department, and finally, the Finishing department before the product enters display room.

The first step is cutting the top part of the shoe or the making of the ‘upper’. Here, using specialized cobbler knives, the worker cuts out pieces of various shapes that will take the form of uppers and the worker has to keep in mind the minimum wastage of expensive leather.

Then comes shoe closing or stitching where uniting all the aesthetic coverings of the shoe take place. The uppers are pierced, punched, fixed, grooved, and then placed with lining and sewn together.

Then comes shoe lasting, where the completed uppers are moulded into a shape of foot with the help of a “Last”. Last is a plastic shape that simulates the foot shape. It is later removed from the finished shoe to be used again in making other shoes. Firstly, an insole to the bottom of the last is attached. The upper is then stretched and moulded over the last and attached to the insole rib. After the procedure is completed, a ‘lasted shoe’ is obtained. Now, in the welting process, a strip of leather or plastic is sewn onto the shoe through the rib. (A welt is a strip of leather, rubber, or plastic that is stitched to the upper and insole of a shoe, as an attach-point for the sole. The space enclosed by the welt is then filled with cork or some other filler material and the outsole is both cemented and stitched to the welt). The upper and all the surplus material is then trimmed off the seam. The sole is then attached to the welt and both are stitched together. The heel is then attached which completes the making of the shoe.

The finishing of a shoe is the last step where the sole edge and heel are trimmed to give a smooth finish. The edge is also made waterproof and for that, they are stained, polished and waxed. In the shoe room, an internal sock is fitted into shoes which display the manufacturers’ details or a brand name and shoe size.

Mohammed Jashim of Maria Shoes said they get their leather from Hazaribagh, which is just around the corner...more like the next suburb of Dhanmondi 15 and the distance isn’t long as well.

“Our prices are based on the design and start from Tk 800 a pair and then again, some pairs may cost as much as Taka 3,000, depending on the leather, sole, craftsmanship and finishing. We use the best quality cow, goat or lamb leather; ensure excellent stitching and very importantly give good soles, which are one of the key elements for the lifeline of a pair”, said Jashim.

Jashim also added that “There are four types of soles – a Chinese sole that we call China, crepe sole, rubber sole and finally the most flexible and dynamic PVC sole, which are actually vehicle tire materials and hence the most durable”.

Other owners said: Many people go to Bangkok to get custom-made shoes but we can offer shoes that are of better quality and at affordable prices. We also make specific designs for display to attract customers, following lifestyle magazines and celebrity footwear from the internet and must say, getting huge response.

The outlet one must visit is definitely Babul Shoes. Started by Kalorobi Das around Liberation, from 1972 onwards, this outlet is the oldest on that road. They have three outlets at present and flaunt some of the best designs. A crocodile leather cap-toe pair on display was drawing most of the attention and bringing in a lot of customers.

And Hossain from Babul Shoes said more that, “Customers come with fancy designs and we are able to make them to their satisfaction. They have a sense of contentment wearing shoes that have been made especially for them from scratch. The best part about custom-made design is that one can come up with any creative design from the internet or any celebrity’s shoe design and we will transform that in to reality.

These shoe stores are a hit with many men, who are flocking to them from across town. So make your way to Dhanmondi Road 15 (Old) which is 8/A (new) and find yourself the right fit and pair.

*This article was first published in The Independent - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=31&date=2013-04-19

Esho he Boishakh, Esho Esho - Shubho Naboborsho to ALL!

2013-04-13T03:01:00.003+06:00

Esho he Boishakh, Esho Esho

Faizul Khan Tanim tries to capture the essence of Pahela Boishakh and our Bengali Psyche

The significance of Pahela Boishakh is immense as this first day of the Bengali New Year and the festival itself marks the beginning of the crop season and thus, Bengalis try to foster bond, friendship and exchange happiness. And we wait for a new year, a prosperous beginning, believing that the Kal Boishakhi Jhor (Nor’wester) will wash away all the negativity and impurities in the air.
Bengalis decorate their houses with colorful papers, masks and especially with colorful paper owls, haat pakha (hand-held paper or taal-pata fans), prodip (oil lamps) and incense sticks are lighted to give the house a good smell.

We urbanites celebrate this event with plenty of colors, especially a contrast-match between white and bright red or maroon. And therefore, beauty becomes an integral part of our happy rallies – Bengali belles clad in their red and white sharis minus the cat fit; it is absolutely lovely to see their charming Baishakhi smile.

And the best smile one will get to see is while they sing…be it at the Ramna Botomul (foot of the Banyan tree where a premium music school Chhayanaut’s students recite songs and poems very early after dawn) or at any other cultural events across the country. The essence of this beautiful smile signifies the capturing of all the bold energy that our poets like Tagore and Nazrul wrote…of Lalon Shaiji’s immortal verses and the absolute green and beauty of our rural Bengal. Now, the perks of these illustrious smirks are that these elements of joy and happiness are what we need to move on and forget our tarnished imageries.

Food on this day is traditional and although we eat them year long but that is very random and hence, the Pahela Boishakh menu is always scintillating. The seasonal fruits, vegetables and fishes occupy our taste palette starting from kacha aam (raw/green mango) and watermelon juices, panta bhaat (fermented white or red rice), most important shutki bhorta (dry fish mash), Ilish Maach (Hilsa fish preferably from Padma river) and plenty of other vegetable mash like potato, potol (pointed gourd), dahl (lentil) and it is absolutely essential that plenty of shorishar tel (mustard oil), onions and a mix of green and dry red chili are used to blend these bhortas/mashes for their tongue tingling taste. A bona fide sweet menu is also necessary as we Bengalis have a tremendous sweet tooth – starting from the muralis (dry sweet – sugar or molasses - sticks) from the Boishakhi Melas up to ordering special batches of shondesh (sweets made of chhana or a form of cottage cheese), gurer payesh, narkel naru (coconut balls) are relished. Sweets are exchanged mostly as a symbol of good omen to usher the New Year in a sweet tone. Sweets distribution is almost the key factor for every other occasions as well but Pahela Boishakh is different – we get to experience different assortments of pithas (both sweet and savory pies) and a lot of these are now decorated and gifted in Bengali weddings to remind us of the sweet and sinful flavors of Bengal.

Dhakaites visits Puran Dhaka (Old Dhaka) to catch a glimpse of the new haal khata (a ledger book) as it is also considered very auspicious to pay off all your debts, loans and dues in this day or before it. This is done because the businessmen open new accounts on Pahela Boishakh. This ritual is also a reminder that one should clear all the debts to start the New Year at a fresh note and hence all the festivity. Boishakhi Mela (Bengali New Year fairs) are grounds or places of congregations to celebrate by dancing, singing and buying toys like traditional clay dolls, earthen potteries, colorful glass bangles up to riding on Nagordola (wonder wheel) or watch fancy boat races…the folk plays, the puppet shows - it seems like the whole Bengali culture melts down in a big pot on the ground of traditional extravaganza, music, food and experience of delightful events. We Bengalis are emotional and we cherish these Bengali New Year celebration memories for a long time.

Begging for Living

2013-04-05T06:43:00.002+06:00

i'm sick of our political situation and hence an allegorical piece about our psyche :-]

Begging for Living

There is a popular saying - Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn - but many people here beg day in and day out conveniently ignoring the significance of working and many of them deceive by taking resort to heinous means to get sympathy of the people. Writes Faizul Khan Tanim

A case study: A moderately-dressed man wearing proper sandals comes to Green Road, opposite to the clinics each day. And as the shopkeepers say, he comes as a prince, goes to an alley and changes to a pauper in rags and sporting his scrawny looks, start begging. Residents say, he has almost two cell phones for the past ten years and lives quite a decent life without having to worry about food or shelter for him or the family. This is only one of the cases from thousands found in our majestic Dhaka.

Putrefied hands of beggars coming through a car’s window or an auto rickshaw door imploring passengers for money at every traffic signal has become a common experience for commuters going to workplaces or returning home.

Wearing dirty and torn clothes, some of these beggars are blind, some limp with no arms or legs and totally handicapped, strolled by another person. They are seen begging everyday at the busy city intersections.

Of course a lot of these beggars have genuine deformity but most of them fake disability and deceive people pretending to be a handicapped or making appeals in crooked voice. They displaying X-ray or medical reports, limps, pretend speech disorders like muteness, which are only few of the ways they use to draw attention of the commuters. But most sadly, a large number of them are completely fine and the only reason they are in this profession because it fetches more earning than regular work.

The city has almost 370 intersections and this reporter spoke to 30 beggars from different intersections of Dhaka and found out that the regular income of each of these scroungers not only surpasses the average daily income of the hard earners after paying their daily deposits to the owners for a half-day shift – rickshaw pullers (Taka 300), brick breakers (Taka 250), cng-autorickshaw drivers (Taka 850). And to my amazement, each beggar has a daily income of Taka 600 to 1000 of money, TAX free, from Gulshan and Banani areas; at least Taka 300 from the other intersections including Sonargaon Hotel Saarc fountain circle, Shahbag Chottor and surrounding areas of Hotel Ruposhi Bangla, Motijheel, Baitul Mukarram and more. These intersections swarm with beggars standing in distinct gestures to beg money and gone are the days of giving Taka 2 or 5. A minimum of 10 bucks will book you a place in heaven (as they say so) without praying to God that is, otherwise, be prepared to be lashed and verbally abused at times by these choosy beggars. Their income increases and hits jack pot on Fridays and special days like Eid and other national holidays.

There is allegations from street peddlers, street-side shopkeepers that sometimes, these beggars do pay deposits and that to the intersection on-duty traffic police officers to hold the signals longer for better begging opportunities. However, the sergeants from Gulshan, SAARC Fountain circle and some other important intersections vehemently denied such claims and refused to talk. But one traffic constable from Topkhana road requesting anonymity said, “The beggars do disrupt traffic control at the VIP intersections mostly during off-peak hours as the movement of vehicles there gets stalled by at least one to two minutes for these beggars”.

It must be mentioned that during the ICC Cricket World Cup on 2011, hundreds of hawkers and beggars on Dhaka’s major roads and at traffic stops, were driven out and temporarily evicted as a government initiative to keep the streets clean. Senior citizens of the city allege that there are no proper vagrant homes and even if there are few monitored by Dhaka City Corporation, they are in terrible shape.

Most of the beggars admit that they had either lost job or had been very low paid while working but a lot of them will not agree that they lost their limbs or feet in a shootout with the police or armed guards during committing crimes like burglary. And of course, those who are subject to abuse by the local goons, losing either body parts or eyes, will never agree to their misfortune, fearing attacks by the local godfathers.
Abdul Quddus, a beggar from Elephant road signal says both his feet are paralyzed after he had a strong typhoid during childhood. He was a handicap ever since and found no option but to beg on the streets when he grew old. This has been his profession for the past four to five years.

But another beggar Aklima Begum in front of Gulshan Azad Mosque said, “Yes, I will confess, my daily income from begging is more than the amount that can be earned by working 8 to 12 hours a day in a factory, work at homes as house helps or break bricks and stones at construction sites and I do not wish to change it”.

The beggars at a Motijheel intersection said that previously, the office times in the morning and rush hours after 2pm and 5 pm when the schools close and offices closed consecutively, were the prime times for begging. But thanks to the ever-increasing traffic congestions, now everyday seems like an Eid day.

“You won’t feel good early in the morning as you start a fresh day when you see dirty hands of beggars coming through your car’s window, absolutely pestering till you don’t give anything. It’s a total nuisance on the street especially when you are worried if you will be able to reach work in time,” said Anisur Rahman, a banker, stuck in a tailback at Shahbag Chottor.
Quite often, it is seen that traffic congestion keeps on building as the beggars would desperately keep their hands inside the cars even when the traffic signals turn green. Sometimes a beggar’s hand gets stuck in the car window or a car wheel moves over their feet.

Some beggars are highly innovative and apply techniques to earn more from begging. There are some women who hire babies from slums on payment to convince the commuters, as they think the strategy is quite fruitful to draw sympathy of people – these are the better ones while others will bring feces or a pot containing snake and they will threat you, it’s either money or their wrath.

*This article was first published in The Independent - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=31&date=2013-04-05

We should concentrate more on abolishing 'child begging' than 'child labour'

People with functional limbs and feet begs without shame

The Beggars Association of Bangladesh

The Unofficial Anthems of Bangladesh

2013-03-22T03:34:00.001+06:00

liberation war & March 26 special issue - music
*This article is dedicated to my 4+month old son ABEER...i love u baba, may u know the true history of our existence :-]

The Unofficial Anthems of Bangladesh
There are some patriotic songs of contemporary impression which boils our blood with nationalistic passion, give us goose bumps and even make our hair standup. Writes Faizul Khan Tanim

A not-so super-star singer-songwriter Kaiser Cartel once wrote and sang these beautiful lines and got his name nailed in the heart of good tunes - End of the day on the subway, in my ear, along the way, the headphones play...i can hear you, you’re my favourite song...i want to sing it again. And call it remembrances or loyalty, there are some songs about Bangladesh which give you immense kicks to sing them again...and again...and again.

Bangladesh had its fair share of these songs from pre-Liberation era and the phase while we got our independence. However, there are some post-liberation and contemporary tunes which are playing in the heads of this generation. And the best thing about them is that they are catchy, some of them sung a little out-of-tune accompanied by a lot of distortion and music madness but they are not shelved for special days...they are played everyday because everyday is an independence day.

We have comfortably fallen in love with these hymns and we find that when we listen to these tunes, for some reason, everyone we see or bump in to become instantly more patriotic. These tracks somehow make everyone look like a viable comrade, a soldier, a flag waver and sing aloud - Get up, stand up...stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up...don’t give up the fight.

And here they are, songs that we have been re-listening in constant repeat, cultivating and revisiting our motherland and no matter what geographical distance stands between us and our nation, hearing those immortal songs makes us feel that we are not all that far away.

And a song which most rockingly moves us is Bangladesh by George Harrison. This is the song, which ignited immense strength and power for all freedom craving Bangladeshis in 1971. And again around the early 90’s, when popular TV show Ittyadi telecasted the powerful music video of this song, once again, The Concert for Bangladesh was revisited and it oozed out inspiration about our nation’s birth for the young generation. And today, when this immortal song is played with Harrison’s words: My friend (Pandit Ravi Shankar) came to me, with sadness in his eyes. He told me that he wanted help before his country dies. Although I couldn’t feel the pain, I knew I had to try. Now I’m asking all of you to help us save some lives...Bangla Desh, Bangla Desh.

Our citizens should reminisce how the war was won and take the helm and probably that is why our Late Guru Azam Khan sang this beautiful song in a post-liberation Bangladesh - Rail Line er Oi Bosti Te - and this is probably one of the greatest socio-politically motivated patriotic songs. This song even today makes not only our hair stand up but urges thousands of people in concerts at stadiums around the country to salute, spell out the letters with their hands and arm gestures, and shout aloud one word – Bangladesh. It is a pure passionate phenomenon when you sing this song.

Then there was the dawn of heavy and thrash metal in the country and the songs which were then the best things that happened were - Shamanno Dushshopno by Rockstrata and Shadhikar by Warfaze (Jibon Dhara at a later stage by this band became a more epic track about this nation). Both these songs are heavy with rage and nationalistic passion. They remind us to BREAK FREE and urges to get back to the two powerful rock songs again and again and bring a ‘change’.

And rightfully the song that follows the revolution of Azam Khan’s track is Bangladesh 95 by Maqsood O’ Dhaka. From the turbulent times of the mid 1990s, to today’s current state, a musician like Maqsood has always expressed his opinion about the crises’ in the country through his lyrics and tunes. And probably his most imperative lines are Nijer desh, hotey parey ei gorib er desh, hotey parey oboheliter desh, tobu je amar Bangladesh. Music like this one offers comfort and hope behind all the emotional outbursts and non-patriotic detonations, and even more during today’s troubled and tragic times.

Shortly after Bangladesh 95, many songs were released to capture the essence of Bangladesh but no one could be that strong. So, our eager minds waited and waited until it was the mid 90's.

And then mid 90’s arrived and soon-to-arrive Y2K was the sexiest catch word coined back then, and in the midst of all the bandana, lenin glasses and polka dot fashion statement, we heard another great song. LRB sung, probably one of their greatest songs after Shei Tumi, and this was titled Bangladesh as well. One of the most inspiring songs with very powerful lyrics and soothing composition, and every time one listens to this track, it feels like you are in the middle of a field, saluting the national flag, which is waving for peace, prospect, and most of all freedom because the lines go like this - Tomar majhei shopner shuru, tomar majhei er shesh...shudhu bhalo laga bhalo bashay tumi...amar Bangladesh.

Another great song from that time was Bangladesh by Ark. And when Hasan sang this song with his shrill voice, all the fans felt urgency. An urgency to come back to our roots, to smell the air, taste the stream and wave the flag of freedom instead of shelving it for special and national days. And this was speared into the hearts of Bangladeshis by the positively piercing voice and optimistic composition.

And then Y2K happened and we saw punk, rap-metal and a heavy influence of Seattle grunge in our music scene. Cholo Bangladesh by Cryptic Fate is undoubtedly one of the best sounds which added a whole new dimension of music composition in our music’s bloodstream and nothing would be the same anymore. Now here is a song composed with a great deal of enthusiasm just to make our blood run faster because it is simultaneously about Bangladesh and Bangladeshi cricket. As I always listen to this song on repeat, I pay attention and realise that it turns into an involved picture of a very brave voice with proud tones of racing guitar riffs, solo, power drumming, and the song gallantly applies to the courageous people of this country. The idea is to generate all the feelings that make up this great nation, convince you that you are right here, and can move forward with an inspired heart. Cholo Bangladesh never fails to encourage you to bring out your wings of yearning and its newer re-recorded version kicks more ass.

Cryptic Fate brought a new sound and a new way of realizing Bangladesh so the next song had to be louder or a more out-of-the box singer-songwriter song. A song which would actually make you cry rather than marching on the fields of battle. And if you are to ask this question - Are there any songs, which bring back memories from where you were? The answer is Probash Theke by Aurthohin. This song is extremely potent. Beware while listening to it! You are bound to cry aloud if residing out of Bangladesh for a long time for the lyrics are profoundly intriguing which describe the smell, taste, sound and even certain noises one experiences while living here. This song will make you imagine your loving mother, your caring father, your best friends - brothers and sisters and comfortably, every minute detail in between.

Meanwhile, two bands - Dew Drops and Artcell performed Nazrul’s Chol Chol Chol and Durgom Giri consecutively. They were not the band’s original songs but they successfully stirred a lot of emotions in the minds and souls of patriotic Bangladeshis.

This list can never end and it never should and although factors like ‘word limits’ halt us writers but our lists continues to dwell outside the vicinity of our articles. And although Amar Shonar Bangla by Nagarbaul / James is the last treat here but someone, somehow will continue with a fresher list of Songs screaming Bangladesh. Now, here is one song, which narrated the league of extraordinary gentlemen of this country and that is why it is very special. Unlike the other great tunes, this song is a story of the stellar cast of immortal leaders who loved to weave naksikanthas of epic proportion, who dreamt a dream of a golden Bangladesh. As their dream is carried in this song, it is our duty to feel and bring that dream in to reality. But can we? That remains the most viable question with all the animosity going on in 2013!

*This article was first published in The Independent, Weekend Magazine

Food for Thought - A Foodie’s Trip Around Dhaka

2013-03-16T01:46:00.003+06:00

Food for Thought - A Foodie’s Trip Around Dhaka

Once again Faizul Khan Tanim goes out on a food quest and came back absolutely mesmerized

It was a random day and one of those bleak days as well that this stomach wanted to indulge in an explosion between unusual food and a gurgling stomach’s digestion juices. And I must confess that these wide range of food items can be very potent, tempting and cure emotion sickness on top of catering a rendezvous with voracious appetite.

To begin with, I was hungry and needed energy in my blood stream and what can fetch it more speedily than eggs? So I spotted this van near Shahbagh which says Dim Cake/Egg Cake (Taka 20 each). And to my mind’s amusement and my stomachic curiosity, the person making the cake or pie was putting in raw egg in between a rush of golden yellow liquid dough. And what came out of the stove? A delightful oval cake with the sun in the centre of full boiled texture and my god it had such an imaginative combustion in my mouth – a little sweet, a little salty and a lot of it was heavenly. I could feel my blood fueled with exciting possibilities and the craving for ‘more’.

Now, readers can obviously guess what a brilliant dose of appetizer can do to your hunger. I started walking towards Bashundhara City and to its Food Court on Level 8 because a friend of mine once told me, “Since you are a foodie, don’t just go there for Chhola Bhatura and Luchi...if you love Seafood, you MUST (in caps lock) visit the stall Delhi Seafood.”

Now, Seafood is a word which reminds me of happiness by the sea...of Cox’s Bazar, the mammoth street food life in Bangkok...literally an incredible epitome of joy and all that jazz. To my astonishment, the stall waiters said they can serve grilled octopus, fried squid, grilled prawn, crab fry or curry, grilled snapper and pomfret and a couple of other seafood items at affordable prices, which by the way are only available at top restaurants as per my knowledge. So It took me some time to digest this sea-dream. And to begin reviewing their food, I have to start with the word ‘crunchy’ and end with the expression ‘Oh! What an experience’ and in between I experienced the seven deadly sins – Wrath of the taste...it was strong; Greed of not sharing; Envy towards the restaurant owner, the Pride of me and only me having the food; the gastronomical Gluttony; the Sloth of not leaving the table and finally the Lust for more. Half portion of the grilled octopus cost only Taka 250, their specialty spicy seafood soup bowl was Taka 170, a plate of fish cake Taka 230 and sea food fried rice with fish curry and vegetable priced at only Taka 280. In the end, I could feel a little devil inside me but in a good way so I said Amen with a smile.

The food needed creative digestion and I still wanted to have dinner after all so I took a strong sour lassi to blow bubbles of peace while digesting the massively elastic palette I just devoured. And of course, walking did a lot of good for me.

And while commuting from Bashundhara City to the surrounding areas of the ever hustling and bustling Dhanmondi Satmasjid Road, I saw a lot of other interesting streetfood mobile stalls. Chotpoti/Phuchka and Haleem were the most common with occasional vans of Murali (sweet sticks), vegetable Pakoras and even more occasional vans selling orange coloured fried large shrimp and prawn heads and no matter how appealing they look, I must refrain because the menu of my dinner is Sinfully Amazing but Food-wise Deadly.

And without further ado, let me introduce the all important dinner – freshly made toasted Sandwich and Beef-cheese Burger Melt. With the advent of gadget, cell phone and DVD shops all over Dhaka, Shimanto Square, previously known as Rifles Square in Dhanmondi has a diminished appeal but can the food kiosks – namely QuickBite and Bengal Meat Fast Food (franchisee owned by Mila Fast Food) on the parking ground of this mall be the elements to bring back crowd? The answer should be a loud yes since I made journey to this spot on multiple occasions already. Apart from QB Sandwich and BM Fast Food, there are other kiosks of Prominent Sweets, Shwarma Club and few others.

Armed with real meat, these grilled cheese sandwich and burger melts are definitely not for the weak hearted and will cost within Taka 150 only. The QB sandwich has all of the necessary elements of a dainty sandwich - grilled chicken, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onions, shredded carrots, cheese melted, dashes of sauces and cream and all the other essential condiments in the world – and after waiting in the queue for almost 25 to 30 minutes, if you still do not feel love at first bite, you are not meant to have this heavenly sandwich in the first place.

And the BM grilled cheese burger melt has all the makings of a supreme burgasm. It is the wholesome ground meat patty trapped between two grilled/toasted buns, layered by a thick slice of cheese that would fuse and in the baking process, the secret burger condiments would soak in to the inner layers of the bun and bring about the perfect moist for the beef/chicken to turn on its flavour. A halo with devil horns is reserved for anyone who tastes this sinful cheesy burger and who knows, if the cheese gets under your skin deep enough; you might as well become the next best thing to Ananta Jalil in the most positive way.

*This article was first published in The Independent Weekend Magazine - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=44&date=2013-03-15

And how does your watch tick for you?

2013-03-09T04:43:00.002+06:00

And how does your watch tick for you?

Faizul Khan Tanim writes on the availability of original premium wrist watches and how they are grooming generations

So, how does your wrist watch depict you? What makes it tick for you? Most of these time pieces can be more complex than the inner brains of your computer and some of them may hold more history than you learned till grade 10. At the same time, they can be as pricey as your first second-hand car...a wrist watch will not only give you time but give others the impression of your taste through the radium hour hands on the dial, stainless steel bracelet, ceramic links or leather straps, embedded stones and the gold, platinum, titanium finishes...however big or small, it will definitely make your personality sing.
The number of watch/time piece collectors have increased in this country and there are both the affluent class aficionados whose hobby is collecting unique and classy pieces like Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Breguet Marie Antoinette, Vacheron Tour De L’ile, Richard Mille and more while others who have tremendous knack for the chic brands, mostly Swiss made.

Today, high-end watches are sold all over Bangladesh through Kallol Group’s Time Zone outlets and they serve almost all their different clientele starting from Taka 2,000 plus with the Montrex brand which escalates as you will choose the fancier – Credence, Cairnhill, Citizen, Westar, Calvin Klein, Timex, Longines, Tissot, Kolber, Pierre Cardin, Esprit, Swatch up to the very costly Rado. For example, Time Zone’s most expensive time piece is a Rado worth Taka 526,500 with white gold base and diamond anchored on the dial...it is often called a time piece of supreme craftsmanship.

It is believed by both the buyers and the marketing executives at the showroom that as wrist watches highlights the aura and personality of an individual, so a watch which is embedded with stones with a light color background of the dial, signifies calm attitude.

Again, a wrist watch embellished with a lot of gold shows glitz and glamour. Moreover, the watches may depict the mood of an individual on a particular occasion.

Just like, wrist watches with rubber straps signifies a rough and tough tone of an individual so adventurers often choose such watches, a large number of corporates prefer stainless steel and polished finishes. Therefore, the trend of time pieces also depend upon age and profession and vary greatly according to their affordability.

The Time Zone outlets are designed to maximize the visibility of your favourite wrist watch with enthusiastic executives who would display the watches with a welcoming smile and would actually explain you all the features of a piece, a trait hard to find in the city.

Speaking to the senior officer of Time Zone Banani, Mohammed Habibur Rahman narrated that Time Zone caters a wide range of customers but mostly the premium ones throng the Banani outlet. “We have a number of world renowned brands of watches, 19 makers altogether under Time Zone of Kallol Group as the authorized distributor. We provide the maximum possible services of these wrist watches as well not to mention, transporting to the customers in their desired destination. For example if our customer, suppose a resident of Chittagong, come to us for a repair service in any of the Dhaka outlets and request for the delivery to be made at a Chittagong Time Zone shop, we do provide this service.”

“Credence is by far our most successful brand due to its affordable price and extreme good looks, selling almost 150 pieces a month while Rado being a very premium brand has a consuption of almost five pieces monthly and these sales figures are only from the Banani outlet. We are quite active on Facebook as well and people can readily get information on our old stocks, new arrivals and prices from this link: https://www.facebook.com/timezonekallol.”

*This article was first published in the The Independent's Weekend Magazine - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=36&date=2013-03-08

Fire epidemic in the apparel sector

2013-03-01T01:31:00.001+06:00

Fire epidemic in the apparel sector

Faizul Khan Tanim writes on the epidemic that can cost us a lot

“In Bangladesh, the words ‘safety’ and ‘regulation’ are only meant for the upper class of the society. The poor will be poorer and more prone to fatality and death because our lives have no value and since there is an explosion of population, garment workers are a genre of labours, readily available after little training. Tell me why should I not come to this conclusion? Would you be able to count the number of deaths caused by fire in the garment factories after the 80’s? And after so many incidents and being the world’s second-biggest clothing exporter, at least three big events each year takes place and its the same issues – inferior fire drills, escapes and locked fire exit doors killing scores of my colleagues, which are issues never addressed properly”, these opinions were voiced by a 29 year-old garment worker from Savar requesting anonymity, who saw at least two big fire breakouts so far, claiming the lives of her loved ones.

One of the biggest fire incidents in the history of Bangladesh took place late last year at Tazreen Fashions, killing more than 100 people and scores of others severely injured with burns and smoke inhalation.

And just two months passed, on January this year, Smart Export Garment Ltd. in Ashulia experienced a factory fire tragedy claiming more than five and once again the reason is that allegedly the sole emergency exit at the factory was locked and again on February a fire that gutted garments and machinery in Beximco Industrial Park in Sarabo area of Gazipur Sadar’s Kashimpur very recently. However, no human fatality was reported this time.

According to research by the advocacy group International Labor Rights Forum - factory fires have led to more than 600 garment workers deaths in Bangladesh since 2005. There are almost 5,000 garment factories dispersed all over the country.

Speaking to the president of Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation and general secretary of Awaj Foundation, Nazma Akter, said, “Some of the the biggest problems of fire carnages in the country is related to the lack of factory space, floor designs of the buildings, deficiency of fire drills and the garments owners distrust over the workers on issues of theft which is why they lock the fire exits. We must remember the most powerful and important thing here is the lives of the human resources, the workers and not the materials because when a fire breaks out, the products perish but does that mean that the workers must pay for this as well? This is such a big blow for our reputation in front of the international sectors and if we cannot address it right now, our over all apparel business will suffer gravely. It is true that we provide the cheapest labour but if fire hazards continue, it will have a maximum negative impact in near future.”

Talking about the remuneration of garment workers, Akter commented “Wages have been increased to Taka 3,000 for an eight-hour shift but 3,000 a month cannot be enough for a woman who feeds her entire family in this economy of recession. These workers heavily suffer from malnutrition due to the less wage and they lose productivity faster than any other illnesses. There are issues like paying wages on-time, festival bonuses and yearly increments and only 50 to 55 percent of the 5,000 apparel factories actually follow these good practices. An alarming situation is soon coming as we can already see that a sharp shortage of garment workers is felt presently but if the current trend continues, this sharp escalation will turn in to a mammoth problem very soon – this might give rise to the induction of child labour and if this occurs, our country will suffer the worst image defeat from which it rose with extreme difficulty. The owners must discard their ideas of maximizing profits from cheapest labour possible and provide healthy environment for these people because end of the day, hard work of these labours are allowing affording luxury for the owners.”

Akter added more on the issue of making labour unions that a labour union leader must be empathetic towards the workers and also see the good of a company simultaneously but if he/she becomes biased for own benefit and not become neutral, moreover, abuse the areas of opportunities, then talking about union rights will never fetch the key problems. “We always blame the garment factory owners as abusers of wages but in most cases, it is the union leaders who are involved in this dirty business. A union is important but it cannot be a dysfunctional one.”

Both Akter and another union leader said that the government must intervene immediately to make a specialized industrial parks or apparel production region like the other sectors where all the factories can move providing safety and dormitory support for the workers because alongside below standard working environment, the female garment workers are not safe on the streets returning home after they finish work. Awareness has to be raised within all the factory owners, their management team and the workers of course otherwise a proper system will never formulate. “Most often, we train our workers during fire drills but never are the floor managers or other management people trained for hazards and due to this, those managers makes mistakes and leaves the workers most affected. Every stakeholder must be accountable and take charge of their actions. Another reason is the management and owners of garment factories stuff the storage areas with all kinds of materials starting from thread, buttons, fabric and not in separate areas which is why a fire spreads much more easily and it becomes very difficult to manage that. Most importantly, the workers take fire drills as fun activities and i think there has to be a unified effort to make them understand of the severity of such disasters”, Akter exclaimed.

*This article was first published in The Independent Weekend Magazine - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=35&date=2013-03-01

An Unprecedented Phenomenon– Shahbagh Square Movement, Bangladesh 2013

2013-02-15T03:05:00.001+06:00

Get Up, Stand Up...Stand Up For Your RIGHTS
An Unprecedented Phenomenon– Shahbagh Square Movement, Bangladesh 2013
Faizul Khan Tanim writes on a People's Movement which triggered a historic Mass Awakening

N.B: Some of the pictures used here are not in the original article

“Get up, stand up...stand up for your rights! Get up, stand up...don’t give up the fight!” – And the people of Bangladesh think that these immortal Bob Marley lines are reverberating in quick succession in their might and mind from a realization of ‘Mass Awakening’ kick started by a blogger group at the now Shahbagh Square or Projonmo Chottor (square). The cause is unanimously voted – demanding the highest punishment of the country for the perpetrators/collaborators also known as Rajakars from pre and post independent Bangladesh. Thus an energized, non-partisan, non-violent protest developed from the ‘revolution epicenter’ of Bangladesh and this call for justice and freedom was voluntarily and successfully executed by the wonderful advent of technology, ‘social media’. The reaction was some splendid sequel of events where everyday, thousands of Bangladeshis of this throng to the Shahbagh Square clad in green and red with painted faces with electrifying chants, sporting the belief and only one belief – rajakar der phashi chai (we demand the rajakars to be hanged for committing crimes against humanity in 1971).

Blogger Shakil

the list of rajakars is now EVERYWHERE

Ekattor e Chhilamna, Ebar Toder Chharbona

Billboards UNITED

rajakar Mukto BANGLADESH CHAI - O amar desh er mati tomar porey thhekai matha

Since this is a People’s Movement, this reporter felt it necessary to incorporate some interesting Facebook and Twitter quotes of the mass population. To begin with, this is what was on an educator Dr Faheem Hussain’s Twitter feed: #Bangladesh-i #Youth proved #Socialnetworking is not only about online dating & pic uploading..redefining mass mobilization #Shahbag

The Shahbag Mass Awakening movement of 2013 began on February 5, 2013 with the demand of capital punishment for a renowned rajakar Abdul Quader Molla and all other accused war criminals of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, after a verdict was given by the international crimes tribunal (ICT) which did not sentence execution of Molla and instead gave him life imprisonment. Many citizens felt betrayed and came to believe that under-the-table-dealings have taken place. On February 5, 2013, the citizens of Bangladesh irrespective of religion, class, creed, political affiliation, took to the streets voluntarily. This event catapulted a wildfire and today, the whole of Bangladesh and Bangladeshis living abroad are participating in a mass revolution to protest against an engineered verdict.

Until this report was filed, the demonstrators from Shahbag Square said they will not leave the ground until Molla receives capital punishment. Some of their other demands are: Capital punishment for all war criminals, Ban Jamaat from politics, Boycott all Jamaat institutions to name a few.

Rubaiyath Sarwar, head of a development organization said in his Facebook status: I have been trying to learn about the movement as much as possible. Have also followed the livestream. We need a leadership. We need someone to stand out and set an agenda. We have made a statement that Mollah should get the capital punishment. We have made the point that the government should appeal. I believe the prosecution will get a momentum now. But we need to move forward with one agenda followed by the other. My immediate agenda is to ban Jamaat Shibir and push the government to do so. They are the spawning ground to the political chaos that we have now. Let’s eliminate them. This is the time.

Speaking to a frontline activist of this movement, a blogger, member of blogger online activist network (BOAN) and a journalist Khaledur Rahman Shakil, working as the chief convener of the platform Juddho Oporadh Bichar Moncho (Justice for Genocide) said, “We were anticipating this type of verdict from the beginning as we found out that there are strong lobbyist groups working both inside and outside of the country who were pressing against a fair trial and that is what precisely happened, the verdict was engineered. Therefore, we tried to accumulate a force at both home and abroad and our aim is to continue till Molla is sentenced the highest punishment in this country. If Bachhu Rajakar, who apparently committed less crimes than Molla can get life sentence, it is absurd that Molla will walk away with life imprisonment. We are hopeful that an amendment will be made as stated by the Law minister and since there is a provision in our constitution for the Government to appeal at the High Court, we believe that there is a possibility of a revised verdict.” Even though various media houses have stated that the movement is scheduled to conclude on 14th February, Khaledur Rahman Shakil vehemently denies any such possibility. “These are rumours being propagated by vested quarters. The movement will go on until public demand for capital punishment is met. People want Quader Molla to be hanged, and they will not leave until it has been carried out.”

Shakil added more on the question of a proper leadership of Shahbag Movement that: we are looking at the prospect of that. There are a couple of groups working at the Square who always meet and take unanimous decision. This issue will not be an exception.

Another blogger and activist requesting anonymity said, “Once Molla receives only life imprisonment, there is high possibility that a favorable government of the war criminals coming to power will let Molla walk free. That will by far mark the biggest disgrace of our Judicial System.”

Everyday at Shahbag Square thousands of talented citizens sing patriotic songs, recite poems, chants slogans, arranges screening of films on the history of our Liberation War. Many activists shared their experiences and update the events, posts videos of the environment online and engage in colorful graffiti, street art, face paintings, making phashi chai bandanas, light candles and flower petals representing the map of Bangladesh and project a vibrant revolution free from politics and vested interests.

A student of the Dhaka University, Anika Mariam Ahmed in her social media status said: It’s about solidarity. It’s about kicking out fundamentalism. It’s about not taking sides with AL and BNP. It’s about shouting and for once being heard. It’s about fighting with music and art. It’s about making a start in the right direction. It’s about having a platform for today and tomorrow. It’s quite something.

Speaking to the executive president of Ekattorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee, Shahriar Kabir said, “This tribunal did not do a fair trial of the mass killings of 1971. This tribunal failed to understand the very spirit of Law. What I fail to understand more is that we are speaking of Mollah’s trial but not the institution behind the criminal masterminds like Saidee, Nizami, Azam and others. There needs to be trial of both the war criminals and also the party which fuels such criminals and their activities, an example which is already set by the Nuremberg Tribunal. This movement at Shahbag Square is phenomenal...this young generation is the second generation of Freedom Fighters and we are proud of them.”

Talking about the trial being engineered, Kabir pointed out that it has been repeatedly told to the law minister and the government to enact a Witness Protection Law otherwise there will be cases where judges will be threatened against a fair trial and witnesses threatened not to testify for this trial. “And now it seems it is precisely what happened. I’m baffled as to why wasn’t this protection law enacted?”

Kabir also aired the same statement as Shakil saying: there is a provision in our constitution for the Government to appeal to the High Court for of a revised verdict.

And within the realms of the current power dynamics, it can be assumed that the coalitions of this country will embrace different preferred ideologies, but the citizens want to be led by the members of a coalition or a party which is pro-liberation, pro-people and most importantly, which will not have any association with the war criminals of 1971 – evident from the on-going movement. And in a question of what will come next in that best case scenario? First, the restructuring of institutions have to be created more efficient, corruption free and rajakar free. An environment has to sustain so that the majority and informed and involved Bangladeshis no longer have to associate with anti-liberation forces.

*This article was first published in The Independent's Weekend Magazine - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=31&date=2013-02-15