Attack on Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh MP

Barrister Fazle Noor Taposh MP, came under attack by what appears to be a bomb charged to the vehicle he was about to ride in.

What has happened has been disgraceful and very much damaging for Bangladesh. Investigation will have to be taken into special consideration as this young lawmaker is stringed to several high profile state affairs,

• Fazle Noor Taposh MP is part of the legal fight in Bangabandhu Murder Case representing the state.
• Fazle Noor Taposh MP has been part of a controversy explaining an unpopular dialogue attempt of the government with Peelkhana mutineers of 25 February, 2009.

Explosion took place near this Toyota Corona EXiV ST180 (left) that was carrying/about-to-carry the young AL lawmaker and son of Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh MP. (Photo: BDNews24)

For detailed descriptions, follow-ups and updates, here are few news links,

In BDNews24

In Focus Bangla

Eid Mubarak

An Imposed Friendship and Our Humiliation

Group of responsible personalities including government people and the Indian diplomat, have been showing unpalatable stubbornness over the Tipaimukh Dam issue.

Dr. Dipu Moni’s remark about Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty that he breached a diplomat’s code of conduct was not her first remark to be considered as a flap. She received spectacular criticisms after forgoing an Indian journalist who marked Bangladesh as a ‘buffer state’ in a press conference presided by her. People from the top brass of present Awami League government power structure have set some more examples of being kind to forgo a couple of must-protest commentaries of people associated with India. The most recent one was Dipu Moni’s presence in a seminar where Indian High Commissioner added the adjective ‘so-called’ while naming Bangladeshi experts, especially those who are critical to India’s unpopular Tipaimukh dam. After the Chakravarty’s flawless conduct, BNP’s lawmaker Adv. Mahbubuddin Khokon, who is also BNP’s sole representative to the parliamentary body for foreign affairs, demanded immediate expulsion of the rowdy diplomat.

Following Khokon’s demand, Dr. Dipu Moni’s popular remark about Chakravarty’s breaching the code of conduct was almost covering up the controversy that she caused by her silence against humiliation of Bangladesh. Now, it’s to be noted that Dr. Dipu Moni became a part of several events where she received criticisms by either her humiliating silence, or her apparent incompetence to put thrashing replies against what it’s been insulting remark against Bangladesh; and throughout all these Awami League’s attention to her activities never became public. But at a certain point Awami League top brass became really tensed about her statements and took no time to differ what she told about the rowdy diplomat. After no time from Dr. Dipu Moni became coldly vocal about Chakravarty’s rowdiness, Awami League’s spokesperson and the Minister of Local Government and Cooperatives Syed Ashraful Islam said that he at no point thinks that Chakravarty has breached a diplomat’s code of conduct.

Ramesh Sen, the Minister of Water Resources, has done most of the contributions to the series of erratic speeches over Tipaimukh Dam issue. The recent of his performances has been utterly denying that Begum Khaleda Zia has ever sent a letter to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Khaleda Zia’s letter to the Prime Minister over her concerns about Tipaimukh has been covered by entire of the media, which our minister Ramesh Sen has confidently denied to have ever taken place.

To some extent it was a common idea that Bangladesh Awami League’s ‘more friendly than necessary’ stance to India is just a general point of criticizing them, which is often practiced and not necessarily the claim has to be too definite or abundantly substantial. But behaviors and speeches of responsible government persons, political or nonpolitical, put admissible evidences backing the supra-enthusiasm of the present government on issues those concern Indian purposes more than those of Bangladesh.

The Tipaimukh Dam issue has seen more passes than sometimes satirically presented Dutch ‘total football’ could ever have produced or suggested. We don’t know who were midfielders, attackers or defenders, but the passes have been subsequently carried out by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Water Resources, and Environment & Forest, without much of the senses of their particular roles. Whenever the responsible individuals received stern quizzes about the issue, they either kept passing it to other offices, or made remarks those are solely enough to humiliate the sovereignty of a nation.

The Minister of Commerce Col. Faruk Khan, who in accordance with his official functions wasn’t supposed to be concerned with the issue, claimed all of a sudden that the Bangladeshi experts who are being critical to Tipaimukh issue don’t know anything. Following his statement, Chakravarty made two subsequent comments; one is that the protest against Tipaimukh issue was politically ill-motivated, and the other is no laws on earth could bar India from building Tipaimukh dam. Quoting Chakravarty, Minister of Communication Abul Hossain also told the protest against Tipaimukh dam is insubstantial. Minister of Water Resources Ramesh Sen, who did something more serious than a quotation, told that if there is any negative impact of Tipaimukh dam, Bangladesh should concede the damages at least for sake of the alliance with her greater neighbor.

As it has been told earlier, this series of comments is solely enough to humiliate the sovereignty of a nation. The present government as well as the ruling party, and most importantly Syed Ashraful Islam who was in a hurry to reestablish the submissiveness of his government to the Indian authority by differing Dr. Dipu Moni’s cold protest within hours, should get the note that friendship cannot be imposed. You just cannot pick up a group of people and ask them to recite “Bangladesh and India are friends”, who already are holding newspapers with headlines of Bangladeshi frontier population body-counts to the BSF bullets. Or, you cannot just ask people to accept long-lasting damages just for sake of alliance with a nation which appoints ‘so-called’ diplomats to meddle in our internal politics and humiliate our sovereignty.

People won’t accept speeches from a minister like Ramesh Sen hints to sacrifice Bangladeshi resources for sake of India’s friendship, or of lawmakers like Abdur Razzaq states Bangladesh can make up her desertification by importing Tipaimukh produced power; hence Bangladesh can accept both her desertification and Indian bills just to have power produced in Tipaimukh. These comments hint their loyalties being to something else than the sovereignty of Bangladesh.

Ei Shomoy

It’s a different kind of rejoicing when somebody finds a thing and felt he was most intensely looking for it whereas that person wasn’t merely hinted that he or she was looking for it. There is a name of this kind of feeling which I can’t remember. You can call it to be however associated with nostalgia. I ain’t sure how these are about déjà vu but I strongly believe that perfumes and songs are better than any other things to carry memories. Most of my experiences of this feeling have come about music. As I have two elder sisters & an elder brother, I am used to deal with a huge collection of music since my very childhood. So I have listened to a lot of songs of a lot of artists or bands or sometimes movies many of those weren’t about to be in collection of someone of my age at the then time. While being in many of tours in my life, music has done the most of contribution to remind me about that tour after many days when I listened to that music again. Perfumes also do such thing. Like, I’ve used a perfume in one of my tours. After some years when I used that perfume again, memorable events of that notable tour come in front of my eyes like a musical slideshow.

Government Laboratory High School. There exists an X-factor of this place which becomes immensely influential over it's pupils, present or former. Hence it goes, "Yet a Laboratorian!".

However, this time those slides were showing, I am sitting on the front seat by the driver’s one and my mother is sitting on the back seat asking me questions about how I did at tutor’s home; we are returning home from Hai Sir apartment at Azimpur Colony. Or, I am sitting on the floor, trying to play this song at my elder brother’s sound system at his room in a sunny afternoon after the lunch. There were also slides showing I am on Mirpur Road in the morning, heading to Arif Academy at Kalabagan’s Lake Circus while the sunrays haven’t yet made it to reach everywhere, streets are little blurry or foggy, shops by the streets haven’t been off the shutter yet, teenagers in school uniforms are almost drowsing in school-vans or by their mothers in rickshaws or cars. Or, maybe I am roaming around the Dhanmondi area, on the way from or to any of my tutor’s places, calm and quiet streets among residential blocks, suddenly becomes messy after any of the schools breaks out, all students along with guardians come to the street heading home or elsewhere.

Dhanmondi eventually becomes an important part of lives of the Laboratorians, no matter how much of them are its residents. Photo: Zamiruddin Faisal

May be it was a monsoon when I listened to this song intensely twelve years back, because this song today also shows me slides that me along with my friends are waiting at the entrance shade of our main school building, our Tiffin-break sport plans are being barred by unexpected and endless shower. The sky with deep cloud shows no nearer possibility of a break to the drizzling, so finally we decide to break out to the play ground through the drizzling, some awaiting guardians probably of some other friends, call by our names to not play in the rain, but we don’t care. After the school when I get to the car, Bashar bhai who has been the 17 years long companion to our cars, looks annoyed about of my wet uniform that’s about to ruin the velvet seat covers he intensely washed few days ago; he also reminds me about how angry my mother will be after seeing all these.

I wonder that the song hasn’t yet gone to its 2 minutes but all these scenes come in front of my eyes. All these memories those this ‘Ei Shomoy’ has reminded me about, is densely related to my most beloved Government Laboratory High School. It has been more than six years that I and my friends have finished that over. Abdul Hai sir, who I have mentioned, has died 7 years ago from a massive brain stroke. Bashar Bhai, our driver who has been with us since 1992, still drives one of our cars. But Bashar bhai is an ungraspable part of those memories, who has been playing an important role throughout the whole of my student life.

School monogram printed on my school shirt.

It’s merely unthinkable to split a Laboratorian from his memories of Government Laboratory High School. Still I go to my school three or four times in a year. My friends and my ‘most honorable seniors’ those whom I hang out with are from that school. Hawkers those were used to be there in our days are still there. They sometimes call me in my phone. They rush to me whenever I go to school. They adored me then and still they adore me. This is actually because of my mother as she was used to stand beside them when they have been in troubles. When you say about a man descriptively, some information must be there those you cannot sideline anyways. Government Laboratory High School is one of them in case of mine.

I am looking for some more ‘Ei Shomoy’ those can bring back slideshows of my old days. I can’t search for them because I don’t know what I have to search and I don’t know where to search. I will wait for them to come to me as ‘Ei Shomoy’ has come to me with a lot of things.

Those who like to download ‘Ei Shomoy’ by Miles, just click here and save it. It’s free & simple.

Cox’s Bazar & St. Martins Island Need More Governmental Patronage

The Cox’s Bazar oriented tourism scenario has much changed in the last one and half decade. The place along with St. Martins was used to deal with a crowd that was considerably seasonal. But now, it can be merely stated that there’s no specific season in there. We have official weekends of two days. But whenever this is extended with a day or two, it becomes tricky for Cox’s Bazar hotel managers and officials to take a break in the rush of incoming phone calls for room reservation. Occasions of two Eid days and Durga Puja also send a huge crowd to hit Cox’s Bazar and St. Martins.

Cox’s Bazar doesn’t enjoy that much of governmental patronages, whatever that stands upon is mostly private investment

People’s mentality over tourism has changed. Families able to afford a tour now no more like to pass the leave of four days at a row at home. Their preference in majority cases is Cox’s Bazar and St. Martins Island. This change of people’s mentality has urged the situation for Cox’s Bazar to become what now it is. But the stance of the government and its change has not been clearly visible.

To elaborate on possible governmental efforts over Cox’s Bazar, we have to throw light distinctively. There are a lot of grounds which government has to take care of. First of all there is the security which is considerably impressive. The law & order management strategy constantly changes with the rush of crowd as we can recall the deployment of extra 6,000 troops by police in last October, when the town was nearly shattered by an estimated 2 million tourists in a week. Several high ranking officials of Police including the Inspector General himself paid their visits to look after the management and that is appreciable.

Still there are ‘but’s over governmental efforts. If we focus on the accommodation structure, we see that the timeline between 80s and the mid of 90s, the tourist accommodation of Cox’s Bazar was solely controlled by hotels and motels owned and governed by Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC). Privately built hotels were not outspoken to tell about. But after the time started to change, BPC was not the one to contend with that change. Rather BPC has lost control from some of their major institutions.

We recall the Silver Spoon, Inc. takeover of Motel Probal in late 2002. A large area inside Motel Probal acquisitions has been fully utilized by Silver Spoon, Inc., where they had set bar-b-q cottages, punting facilities etc. Now private investments are always welcomed, but we also should ask BPC that why they couldn’t do what Silver Spoon, Inc. did. BPC however retook the Motel Probal in 2005, but they couldn’t urge the ground to be under their influence long lastingly. Presently the Cox’s Bazar tourism is nearly in its height and BPC should now think about the opportunity which they have gradually forgone.

What Cox’s Bazar and Saint Martin need is a full government patronage, especially over the beach management, intra city communication (both transportation and streets), tourism promotion that is marketing the spot and attracting more and more investors, Bangladeshi investors should be prioritized.

Cox’s Bazar doesn’t enjoy much of governmental patronages that a place that contends to be one of the world’s best should have done. Whatever the tourism structure down thee stands upon is mostly private investment and finance. Still it is world’s one of the notable tourist spots on the earth having pure aesthetic attractions. There are few rated beaches in this world, most of them in United States & Australia, one in Thailand, one in Malaysia and some others in Europe. Cox’s Bazar is not contained by that list. But the difference is made only by the lovers of Cox’s Bazar, whoever loves it, enjoys going there for more and more times and the attraction doesn’t fade. This is the specialty of Cox’s Bazar. In 2005 I met a guy in the Seagull beach, who was visiting Cox’s Bazar with his wife. He told me he has visited 6 of the world’s ranked beaches, those are in Australia, but Cox’s Bazar is the one most exclusive to him and he was visiting it for 13th time then.

About the unquestioned adoration of Cox’s Bazar lovers, it’s not like it is loved because it belongs to our country. It’s adored because of the atmosphere and the pure aesthetic attraction that has been told earlier. The Cox’s Bazar oriented tourism is now to be considered in a larger scale. Government tourism policies and BPC strategies of 90s were may be suitable for the then circumstance, but the situation has gone through a promotion. Cox’s Bazar and Saint Martins Island, which is now formidably occupying the top of the ‘World’s New Seven Wonders’ list, evaluation over them will be a confused, if they don’t get enough attention of the government.

The Reward Explains Everything

From left: Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed, Brig-Gen. Fazlul Bari, Maj-Gen. A.T.M Amin, Lt-Gen. Masud Uddin Chowdhury

Although Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed claimed his 11 January, 2007 unlawful intervention to be something other than a typical coup d’état, the significance of his acts have been too crudely typical. Almost all of the initiatives he took were typical; saving the nation from a nearing ‘civil war’, proposition of all out political reformation, crackdown over corruption etc. Actually there don’t remain a lot more cover-ups that a military ruler can use to defend his outspoken unlawfulness. So the mentioned lollypops were the instruments Gen. Moeen used to form up a façade of his unconstitutional and unlawful regime, suspending the fundamental rights those the people of an independent sovereign state can expect to have.

I’ve heard many people to claim the events of early January 2007 could have triggered a civil war in Bangladesh. It’s highly arguable that whether crying out the imminence of a civil war was really a substantial speculation or was just an excuse to overthrow a uniform government. Such excuses can eventually leave us skeptical because although adversary political activists took the streets no matter whatever ratio they had, no parts of the belligerents were recognized to have ‘military’ wings to drive through a ‘civil war’. At least Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed surely was not a Patton or a Monty to ‘give a chop’ to everything within a night that could have instrumented a countrywide civil war. So probably it was just an excuse to be used to form the public image of the setup that Moeen U. Ahmed with his errand men appeared to have done.

Moeen, however, had to be at good terms with the Indian authority. To mention, his relationship with India has been considerably better than any other military leaders of Bangladesh, becoming the only Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff to be befriended by India's far-right political masterminds.

Now for sake of arguments, I can be looked for to be asked, should Moeen have waited for the civil war getting truly imminent? Well I like to rule out the issue of a civil war, because for a country like Bangladesh which took less than 20 years from her birth to take the track of a consistent democracy, which in fact has had democracy smoothly and praiseworthily running for 16 long years, a civil war just for two conflicting political parties happens to be too fictitious. In fact as a country recognized to have moderate political and religious views, the civil war issue should have been taken as an insult to Bangladesh.

It’s arguable that whether the sudden intervention, or let me say the 1/11 coup d’état can be justified considering the then situation. Some or many people haven’t been disappointed after completely unlawful and unconstitutional sudden intervention of a man and suspension of people’s fundamental rights for indefinite period of time. People haven’t been disappointed at once because they were confused that whether they had lived better in past couple of months in the then atmosphere. Series of street agitations and two party’s being distant everyday turned Bangladeshi politics to severe disarray. Senior leaders of both the parties were set to negotiate and work a solution out but they could give nothing but smiles after they met. So the series of violence and an almost stalemate of Bangladesh, they have been failure of politicians, not politics. But after taking over the state machine what Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed was after has not been just politicians, he was after politics along with all the apparatuses he could have had a control over, legitimately or else.

We often see commentators among us who appear to have allergies of a system other than democracy, especially if it comes as a subject to military takeover of the state machine. Certain class of people now suddenly appear to be looking for rooms to thank Gen. Moeen at for least something he did. After considerably a protracted quest, its told that whatsoever Moeen U. Ahmed once initiated, have come to an end by resuming the democratic process, so he is to be thanked. In fact a military ruler who overthrew a uniform authority which was a party to state’s democratic process, if can be that fortunate ending up by resuming the democratic process, righteously can be considered as something better than just money lending, thus deserves a Novel Peace Prize.

However the Sheikh Hasina government does contain some of Awami League personalities who will like to give these kingpins real hard time.

But the immediate next democratic government of Moeen’s 1/11 rule didn’t act in the way that of a Novel Peace Prize contender should have acted. Ordinances the 1/11 cabinet once passed, the democratic government turned them into laws. Breaching of the constitutions the 1/11 regime frequently did, the democratic government desperately avoids to sue those matters. Not only has this, a cabinet member at the government of Moeen’s ‘resumed’ democracy, stated that Moeen U. Ahmed has been an Abraham Lincoln in the context of Bangladesh. It’s merely unbelievable that how a person under whose command politicians were tortured, university teachers were jailed and tortured, under whose command the fundamental rights of people were suspended, under whose command journalist was beaten half to death for criticizing him, can be compared with Abraham Lincoln. And it appears things won’t remain up to just comparison with great statesmen. Instead of dealing with the allegations, instead of suing for ousting democracy and hundred more criminal offenses at least attributed to have been done, there have been authoritative talks that there can be rewards for. And eventually this reward part, though haven’t taken place yet, explains everything.

This post has also been published in The Weekly Economic Times.

Modesty Nowhere

The following day of Bangladesh’s humiliating defeat to Ireland in ICC T20 World Cup, was my first day at the new campus of North South University. We had no idea about how much time it would take to reach the new campus so we were pretty early from home. On the way while crossing American Embassy, my friend Saikat who I was riding with, and me, for sake of keeping on exuberance of the new campus, made a deal that throughout the time we will avoid any discussion not only on Bangladesh Cricket team but also of T20 World Cup. Both of us rather we found hundreds like us in the campus later who abode by this deal.

“…Actually he ain’t to be blamed because he didn’t learn to act with modesty; not when it’s a humiliation, and not on earth whiles its celebrations…”

It’s undeniable that there were definite reasons for Bangladeshi cricket fans refusing talks on the team’s humiliating incompetence in T20 World Cup. Bangladesh played two matches where the players will like to put result against India as an important factor to their defence against the anticipated probe over their tournament performance.

Today, one of the (ex)selectors, I missed his name, was talking to a private FM radio station and was desperately defending the national team. He said the disappointment of the fans was indeed their tendency to get upset with just the result of a certain match. This brilliant selector and sounds-like-a-wise-guy told that Bangladesh cricket fans will have to reform their attitude over performances of their team. I mean this is absolutely ridiculous that a national cricket team selector talks like that rather after ridiculous performances of the team which he appears to have co-selected. He could have talked like that if there were plenty of contrasts between the result and the overall game-play of his team.

In matches against India and Ireland, runs scored by the lower order were respectably 50 and 54, that is what ultimately the score got built on was the lower order’s scuffling with their bats. More importantly, the top order in both the matches collapsed before the 9th overs could be bowled. Two middle order batsmen had excellent ties between them that in both matches they made same scores, respectably 8 and 7. The overall middle-order batting scores are already enough to think of a probe, they were 34 and 35 respectably. Because how important a full-fit and performing middle order is in T20s, I hope all the selectors and players will undisputedly admit.

“…the captain who did bat not more than 23 deliveries and scored not more than 25 runs in the entire international T20 competition, has told the team performances was not as poor as words appear to have been spread on it…” © Getty Images

So it’s not that throughout the games Bangladeshi players saturated with good cricket and tragedies suddenly came. Both the games had their 10th overs of the second innings where everyone was able to say Bangladesh’s not going to make it. So what our players and selectors have to be is a little modest while talking to anybody. The one gets upset, gets upset because that ‘one’ indeed does care. Players beef up the spirits with this ‘care’ so the players will have to be modest when they turn the ‘carers’ upset. Asking for reforms in attitudes is not the way.

Same words are for our mighty captain Mohammad Ashraful, who, covered by Armed Police Battalion personnels, yards away of people’s outrage and fed with assurance that there have been arrangements to keep him away of the mob, has proudly pronounced that point of his stepping down from captaincy doesn’t really arise. Mohammad Ashraful, the captain who did bat not more than 23 deliveries and scored not more than 25 runs in the entire international T20 competition, has told the team performances was not as poor as words are spread on it, rather they have plenty of achievements from this competition. Actually he ain’t to be blamed because he didn’t learn to act with modesty; not when it’s a humiliation, and not on earth whiles its celebrations.

Feeling Envy of Deads

More photos have been uploaded. Click to follow to the gallery

• Have you ever faced hunger for two or three days?

• Have you ever found your home ravaged to rubble?

• Have you ever fallen in situation when you even have no water to drink?

• Have you ever fallen in situation where your living, your profession, your family & your home, everything is lost & gone?

• Have you ever thought of how it will feel when you will be turned to a penniless man within a night and you have to have your food, clothes, if someone other gives it to you?

• Have you ever fallen in situation where you have absolutely no home to live, no bed to sleep, no food to eat, and no chance to get those stuffs soon?

• Have you ever thought of a situation when you have lost all of your family members at once, whereas they all remained till last night?

• Have you ever fallen in a situation when you have lost your parent & found him/her in… … …

I actually don’t intend to go further. Actually those of us who are seating in front of the computer screen & are reading this post right this time, never ever think about the situation I have mentioned above. We are never able to imagine what will happen if we fall into situations like these (May Almighty bless us). The fact is, millions of Bangladeshis at the south are facing these situations. They are now becoming jealous on those who have died. This is a very unfortunate situation, when a survivor becomes jealous on the dead. This is what is called extreme disaster. We have to come forward to get them back to their lives. They have lost their living, their home, their loved & dearest ones.

Now, we have to do something before they lose their desire to survive further. I have mentioned some ways at the post next to this to help these victims of Cyclone Sidr. They need your help. Please do whatever you can do from your position.

Banglalink users click to donate for the victims of Cyclone Sidr. 

 

They Need Your Help

 

We need to hit it back. And the only way to do this is helping its victims. The situation over those affected areas is grave. Survivors have been helped to survive but they need help to survive further. People have lost their home. Poor parents have lost children, children have lost their parents. They have lost what they have got. Nothing is left apart from their lives. And this is such a time when they need your help badly. This is the time when a nation don’t need to see, who is the regime, how is the government, how is the corruption situation, what are political identities. This is the time to come forward with what you can provide. Our brothers & sisters are in trouble. Just think of that the cyclone could ravage your home if the direction would change a bit. Then what would happen to you? You would not be seating in front your screen this way. So please help those victimized people to get them back in their lives.

BANGLADESH

Chief Adviser’s Relief and Welfare Fund,
Current Account No. 33004093,
Sonali Bank, Prime Minister’s Office Branch,
Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
SWIFT Code : BSONBDDH

Ref: Chief Advisor’s Office Website and Bangladesh High Commission to Canada Website

FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN AUSTRALIA

Bangladesh High Commission ,Canberra
Account Name: Relief Fund
Account Number: 032729 199161
Bank: Westpac Banking Corporation
Branch: Manuka, ACT

ref: Press release on flood relief

FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN CANADA

Those living in Canada and wish to help, may please send bank/postal draft, cheque to be drawn on any of the following bank account:

Prime Minister’s Relief Fund,
Account No. 00236-5077441,
Royal Bank of Canada,
99 Bank Street, Ottawa, Canada,
C/O – Bangladesh High Commission, Ottawa.
SWIFT Code : ROYCATT2.

If you are sending bank/postal draft, cheque , etc., you may also send it to Bangladesh High Commission in Ottawa (275 Bank street, Suite-302, Ottawa, ON K2P 2L6) for deposit with the accounts.

Please also note that at the special request of the High Commission, some money exchanges/remitting agencies owned by Bangladeshi expatriates in Toronto and Montreal have agreed to remit money to any of the above relief funds free of charges or commissions.

ref: Bangladeshi High Commission in Canada

 

Links to other organizations: (click on the links below to go to their websites and donate)

The International Federation of the Red Cross (You can select Cyclone SIDR)

UNICEF

CARE

Islamic Relief

Bangladesh Cyclone Appeal – World Vision UK (You can select Cyclone SIDR) Tel: 0800 088 088

Save the Children

Christian Aid

British Red Cross [ tax efficient donation for people living in uk]

Catholic Relief Services

Courtesy:

Asif (Drishtipat)

& Rumi Ahmed 

We Are Shocked

I can’t believe that I will no more see any music album outlet which will mention about him. The person who tracked a different way in feature reporting culture of Bangladesh’s newspaper arena, the person who explored a different essence in Bangladeshi music band culture, that long hair guy with hypnotizing voice, Sanjib Chowdhury has passed away. This is the thing which is fact but unacceptably difficult to go through. We have fallen into one of this earth’s most unexpected situations, where people are not ready to accept what has happened, are not ready to admit the fact.

Sanjib is the singer of two of my most favorite songs, “Ami Tomake Bole Debo” and “Shobuj Jokhon” from Dolchhut’s album “Hridoypur”. In 1996, after Sanjib Chowdhury & Bappa Majumdar started with their band “Dolchhut” and released their first album “Hridoypur”, it was assumed that a new chapter in Bangladeshi band music has started, which concerns more about cool & charming composition than commercialism of music. This made them to take huge time before releasing this album. Sanjib Chowdhury today has left a vacuum in both music & journalism. He was the category in music which does not contain many figures. He has taken his type with him & it’s not sure if this vacuum is ever filled by anyone. I have said before and saying again, during writing each sentences of this post, I am facing too much difficulty to get reminded that Sanjib Chowdhury is dead & it’s such a fact which is real hard to accept. He has never been alarmed of this; never let this world know this is going to happen. None of his body parts ever told that it’s going fatal. Just two nights stay in Apollo Hospital CCU has put him in such a different world, which has never returned anybody yet. I still have not learnt that how Bappa Majumdar is feeling right this time, but I guess it’ll be a real hard time for him when he will discover the forever’s absence of Sanjib in coming days of his life. Sanjib’s fans including me will miss him for sure, so will all of artists of Bangladesh, but Bappa & Dolchhut will never be able to escape the memories of Sanjib. So far I have seen Bappa has always kept some special room for Sanjib in his musical career. I don’t know how he will take this.

We mourn & we are expressing our condolence at the death of journalist & singer Sanjib Chowdhury, who has died at his age of 43 and has been survived by his wife Progga Nasrin Shilpi & daughter Kingbodonti.