Weekend Tribune Vol 3 Issue 2

4 Saving Power 12 Safety at

work 20 tea with wt

vol 3 iSSue 2 | friDay, May 1, 2015 Dhaka Tribune

WEEKEN D TRI BU N E | FRI DAY, MAY 1 , 2015

CONTENTS 1

Volume 3 | Issue 2 | May 1, 2015

EditorZafar Sobhan

Features EditorSabrina Fatma Ahmad

Asst Magazine EditorFarina Noireet

Weekend Tribune TeamFarhana UrmeeFaisal MahmudTausif SanzumSakib Mridha

Lameya Alma Amin

ContributorsJennifer Ashraf Kashmi

Tanushree GhoshSabrina Munni

Pragya RahmanSakib Sarker

Shehzaad ShamsDina Sobhan

CartoonPriyo

Rio Shuvo

GraphicsMd Mahbub AlamAlamgir Hossain

Colour SpecialistShekhar Mondal

AdvertisementZia Ur Rahman

ProductionMasum Billah

CirculationMasud Kabir Pavel

Websitedhakatribune.com/weekendfacebook.com/WeekendTrib

Email your letters to:[email protected]

Editor’s note About the coverDear Readers,Can you feel the heat yet? That’s right, Summer has managed to creep in on us already. Hopefully our line-up this week will be a refreshing respite.

First up, today’s May Day, and a perfect time to examine the existing wage gap between male and female workers. With all the earthquakes happening, we’re also concerned about safety, and taking a look at occupational hazards.

April 28 was Intellectual Property Day, which opens up the table for a discussion on plagiarism in Academia, as well as the surprising new directions

taken by music piracy.With hotter months to come,

we’ve put together a list of ways in which you can conserve energy for your own comfort. Refresh your palate with this sweet photo story of ours.

Finally, pack your bags as Team Onetimefashionista takes you to Lithuania.

Have a cool week!

-Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

News 2 News

3 Meanwhile

Features 4 Listology Saving power

5 Feature Wage gap

8 Musings Seasonal pressures

12 Feature Safety at work

14 Rant Intellectual property in academics

15 Food for thought Intellectual property in music

20 Tea with WT Mahbubur Rahman

regulars16 Legalese

17 Tough Love

18 Stay In

19 Go OutPhOTO STORySuMMeR caRtS

6

9

Hit refreshPhoto: Sabrina Munni

TRavELLIthuanIa


2 NEWS | This week

Indonesia executes foreign drug convicts, defying global anger

Putin accuses ‘quasi-partners’ of counting on Russia collapse

Iranian Revolutionary Guards seize cargo ship in Gulf

Microsoft hints it may take a huge write-off for Nokia soon

Indonesia executed seven foreign drug convicts including two Australians by firing squad Wednesday, causing Canberra to withdraw its ambassador over the “cruel” punishment.

Authorities put the seven plus a local man to death after midnight (1700 GMT Tuesday) on the high-security prison island of Nusakambangan in central Indonesia, but a Filipina was spared at the 11th hour.

“We respect Indonesia’s sovereignty but we do deplore what’s been done and this cannot be simply

business as usual,” said Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

“For that reason, once all the courtesies have been extended to the Chan and Sukumaran families our ambassador will be withdrawn for consultations.”

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” heroin-trafficking gang, were described as reformed men after years in prison by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who joined Abbott at a press conference in Canberra.Photo: Reuters

President Vladimir Putin accused some of Russia’s “quasi-partners” on Monday of counting on the country’s collapse by cutting its banks off from the global financial system at a time when oil prices had plunged.

Speaking in Russia’s second city of St Petersburg, Putin said they had been proved wrong and the economy had easily weathered the crisis, deepened by Western sanctions imposed to punish Moscow over its policies in Ukraine.

“After the fall in oil prices from $100 a barrel to 50, 160 billion out of 500 did not come into the economy,” he said, apparently counting in dollars.

“It’s a big figure. And at the same time our quasi-partners limited access of our banks to refinance on the European markets.”

Putin did not make clear what he included in his calculations. Russia has lost income because of a fall in export revenues in dollar terms, a sharp decline in foreign investment and capital flight.Photo: AP

Iranian patrol boats intercepted a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday and forced it into Iranian territorial waters by firing shots across its bow, prompting the U.S. Navy to send a destroyer and reconnaissance plane to monitor the situation.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats confronted the MV Maersk Tigris, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, as it was traversing one of the world’s most important oil shipping channels

and forced it to divert toward Larak Island near Bandar Abbas, where it was boarded by Iranian forces, U.S. officials said.

The Iranian action occurred amid heightened tensions over the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition supported by Washington has been bombing Iranian backed Houthi rebels, who have seized much of the country and sidelined the U.S.-backed president.

Microsoft could take a massive write-off to the tune of $5.46 billion on its acquisition of Nokia assets as soon as July of this year, according to some industry watchers.

The speculation starts with some language from Microsoft’s quarterly earnings statementfrom last week, as Computerworld reports.

Basically, Microsoft’s Phone

Hardware division — which mostly consists of the assets it bought from Nokia in 2013 for about $7.9 billion — was spending so much money on sales of Windows Phone hardware that it actually lost around twelve cents per device sold.

That’s before you even factor in all the other costs

of doing business, like marketing. In other words, it spent $1.8 billion to sell $1.4 billion of phones.

Even with the overall number of phones sold going up, it’s not a great way to run a business, and Microsoft is warning investors that change is coming.Photo: Reuters

The world at a glanceWeekend Tribune Desk

The most anticipated event of this year, the city corporation elections of Dhaka south and north and Chittagong took place on April 28, with huge allegations of vote-rigging and mismanagement.

The election underwent a systematic incident of vote-rigging, with the BNP withdrawing from the polls, followed by Jana Sanghati backed Junaid Saki, as they made serious accusations of the corruption done. However, contrasting their statements, Awami League leaders said the election was fair and peaceful, with the Election Commission choosing to stay quiet. When asked about all the allegations, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed said: “Show me where this

happened...Show me!”BNP policymaker Moudud

Ahmed, accompanied by Tabith Awal and Mirza Abbas’s wife Afroza Abbas stated the election to be “farcical.” The opposition also made allegations that ruling party activists in cooperation with the police and election officials disbarred the opposition poling agents and activists from the polling centers.

The American and British also termed dissatisfaction over BNPs withdrawal halfway and asked for proper investigation of the allegations. There were complaints from a number of voters who said their votes had already been cast. Also there were reports of journalist being attacked by ruling party men.News: Dhaka Tribune

Mayoral elections rigged


MEaNWhILE 3

A couple of siblings wait on a bench at a polling venue at Pogose School, Shakhari Bazar, while their mother is inside casting her vote.

Photo: Mehedi Hasan

High-flyer Paul Cox is beating the early-morning rush hour – by paragliding into work.

Paul Cox takes to the skies in a paramotor for the 10-mile journey to Holyhead Boatyard from his back garden in Gwalchmai, north Wales.

The Royal Navy overseer jumps into the £8,000 motor – around the same cost as a family hatchback car – when conditions are clear and the wind is below 12mph.

The 51-year-old also gains clearance fromRAF Valley’s 22 squadron before taking off.

Once he has completed the half-hour journey, he simply folds up the four-stroke motor into a suitcase and strolls into work.News and photo: Daily Mail

Paramotor daredevil beats daily grind commute by gliding across skies into work

Photo of the week Say what?

You’re welcome

Here’s s what not to do when your ex starts dating someone else:

1. Facebook stalkJust because you’re friends with her on Facebook does not mean you should stalk her like your life depends on it. In fact, if you are already friends with your ex’s new girlfriend on Facebook, you should de-friend her or adjust your settings so she doesn’t continuously pop up on your news feed.

You want to try and forget about your ex, and you don’t need to be constantly reminded that he is dating someone else when pictures of the two of them show up with lovey dovey captions like “Love him,” or “My boo.” Yuck. Do yourself and your sanity a favor and unfollow your ex and his girlfriend on any social media channel. On the other

hand, if you are not already friends with your ex’s new fling, absolutely do not friend her!

Sure, friending her will allow you to see where she works, what she does with her free time, and all of her embarrassing pictures, but you don’t, and shouldn’t, need to know anything about this girl let alone intimate details about her life. Let it be and move on, with your ex’s girlfriend out of the picture.

2. Compare and contrastNo, not like the essays you used to write in high school. Comparing yourself to your ex’s new girlfriend is like a death sentence, and convincing yourself how much better you are than her is not exactly healthy either. No matter how much better or worse you are than her, it doesn’t change the fact that she is

currently dating a guy you used to care about (keyword: USED TO).

It doesn’t matter who has bigger boobs or a smaller waist, the one thing that is making you obsess over her is your ex, so don’t give him that satisfaction and forget about her! The last thing you want is for your ex to think you are completely devastated from your break up. You want him to think your life is better than ever!

When someone asks you, “How’s Jerry?” you should say, “Jerry who?” And when someone asks if you’ve heard about his new girlfriend you should shrug it off. Why would you want to be like your ex’s new girl when being you is so much more fun? You are who you are, and unlike your ex, you will find someone who can appreciate that.

3. Reach outIf you are looking for a time to reach out to your ex, as soon as he starts dating someone else is most definitely not that time. However selfish it may sound, the only time you should reach out to your ex is when your life could not be better.

Did you just get a new promotion at work? Just ran a marathon? Whatever it is that has you beaming like a light bulb, you have every right to let your ex know about it, but calling him after you’ve just discovered he has a new object of love in his life, won’t shed any light on either of you. Reach out to your ex when you want to know what’s going on in his life, and want to reveal what’s going on in yours, and when he has a new girlfriend that’s probably not the case.Source: Distractify

Three things you shouldn’t do when your ex starts dating


4 LISTOLOGy | saving power

all it takes is a few good habits to make a difference Tausif Sanzum

Power Politics

It’s 6am and the alarm clock goes off. All you want from life at this moment is to go back to your precious sleep but

an exam or office awaits. You drag yourself to the bathroom and pick up the brush and go into a trance with the tap on. Leaving the shower on throughout the long bathing process is another age old custom. Avoid this wastage as according to a report published by WHO/UNICEF, 15% of households in Bangladesh do not have any access to water.

Switch it offYour friend is waiting for you downstairs and you rush out to go out with him/her leaving your laptop on. By merely switching off electronic appliances such as computers, fans, televisions, when not in use, you can play an important role in conserving power.

Energy starsWhile buying electronic appliances, look for the Energy Star Label. These days fridges, microwaves etc have an energy saving guide sticker on them. This gives a clear picture of how much energy is being used. For example, a standard Whirlpool fridge will use approximately 498 units under conditions applied in a year which is a decent use of power. Do not buy appliances with less than a

three star rating.

AC billsWith summer approaching in all its glory, air conditioners serve as the only hope to survive the exhausting heat. However, air conditioners contribute to major electricity usage in the household. Try to avoid continuous usage for long hours – switch them off every hour and turn them on when the room gets hot again. Also clean the air filters regularly as that saves 5% of the energy used. Doing this two things will also significantly reduce your electricity bill.

Reducing carbon emissionsYou can also reduce carbon emissions from vehicles by walking, cycling, using public transports or car pooling. This will also reduce a considerable amount of load from the roads. While purchasing a new car, give preference to a car that has good mileage and contribute to conserving CNG.

Conserving gasA lot of households now have direct gas lines at a very reasonable fixed monthly fee. Unfortunately, either to save match sticks or due to the effort required to light the stove every time, many of us light the stove in the morning and leave it burning

till night. This not only adds to a big amount of energy wastage but also contributes significantly in making your house warm and adding to the woes during summer.

Natural lightA very easy and healthy way to save electricity is making use of natural sunlight. Just draw apart your curtains during day time. This will not only reduce power wastage due to use of electric bulb which use around 12 units of power on monthly basis but also rejuvenate you with a touch of nature’s freshness.

Conserving lightAlthough you might feel that neon bulbs give your household a cosy look, it is the CFL bulbs which save electricity as they use up to 10% less power. Also, the number of electrical lighting points in every room can be reduced to one which will help in this direction.

Conservation awareness gamesPlay energy conserving games with your kids. This will instil a positive behaviour in them from a very early age and come in handy in later stages. Also talk to your colleagues so that you all can contribute towards power conservation at your workplace too.

Additional tipsClose utensil lids while cooking, do not keep hot food in the fridge as they take more power to cool down, cover liquid and food while keeping food in fridges as the liquid from them increase power usage during the defrost cycle, contrary to belief microwaves use less power than electric stoves or ovens, use the correct amount of detergent while washing clothes as adding extra of it will only require more water to rinse them with, paint your homes with lighter color shades to reduce heat retention. n


Life is not a bed of roses for Jamfuli. Growing up in the unforgiving landscape of the Char areas, hardship

was something she was born and brought up in. But life in Dhaka has proven to be even harder for her.

“My husband left me. I have two kids, one is going school. To support my family, I have to work for eight hours at a construction site and I am paid Tk200 to Tk225 on a daily basis,” Jamfuli tells us.

“The hard work doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is the fact that doing the same work, the male labourers gets Tk350 to Tk400. The supervisor here never gave us any explanation about the higher payment of male labourers even though we demanded to know.”

Jamfuli’s case is just one example of the wage discrimination between male and female labourers in our country. Though the demand and employment of female labourers have increased in recent years, taking advantage of their poverty and lack of awareness, people still hire them for low wages.

The expert’s opinionResearch director of CPD, Fahmida Khatun said through the CPD study they have proven that being a woman in Bangladesh means leading a neglected and discriminated existence. “Be it a village woman or an educated urban woman, the realities for them are mostly the same – a subordinate position relative to men both within and outside the household,” she said.

An all-out effort towards

improving the welfare of women and bridging the gap between men and women still remains unfinished in national development and planning. “This should start by removing the gap between the minimum wages of male and female workers,” she said adding that the government should declare a minimum wage for ‘informal’ labour sectors like agriculture and construction to reduce gender based wage discrimination.

Executive Director of Ain o Salish Kendra, Sultana Kamal said, the struggle for equal wages for women have been continuing since 1857. The earnings gap reflects the discrimination that women face in their family lives as well. “Both injustices need to be addressed,” she said.

The main reason why women entrepreneurs could not go far from their homes to find a better market is that they had to look after the household chores besides running the businesses, she added.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad president Ayesha Khanam said: “Although women constitute a vast majority of the RMG sector workers, there is little or no representation of women in the trade unions.”

“Unfortunately, this poor representation of women in policy making is true for almost all sectors. Women are contributing to the labour force, but due to lack of decision making, power in domestic and public sphere, they are not reaping the benefit of their hard work,” added Khanam. n

Faisal Mahmud

Fighting for equal wages

wage gap | FEaTuRE 5

Data says it all

1 The gap

Women earn 21% less per hour compared to their male counterparts [International Labour Organization (ILO) Report, 2010)

56% male workers (out of a sample size of about 5000) get Tk200-400 daily, compared to 7% women earning the same [Economic Justice for Women, by Steps Towards Development]

A female operator in an RMG factory earns 71.3% of a male operator’s earnings, and a female helper earns only 52.7% of a male helper’s earnings. [CPD]

2 Access

47% of women sell their products from the production site and do not have the opportunity to participate in the competitive market. Only 4% of female entrepreneurs can take the products to a nearby town. [Steps Towards Development]

3 Home alone

The total amount of unpaid domestic work carried out by women in Bangladesh is equivalent to 10.75% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. [CPD]

A man does unpaid family work for about 2.5 hours daily, a woman was found involved in such work for 7.7 hours a day [CPD].

If women’s household work were counted on the basis of willingness to accept method, the contribution would be equivalent to 87.2% of GDP (of FY2013-14). However, if it is based on replacement cost method, the contribution would be 76.8% of the GDP of the same fiscal year. [CPD]

Photo: Rajib Dhar


6 TRavEL | LiThuaniana

The difference between being a tourist and a voyager lies in the fact when you venture into unusual territories against the wind to find out what there is to discover. team Onetimefashionista takes the readers of Dhaka tribune to one such destination this time – LithuaniaTanushree Ghosh and Shehzaad Shams

In love with the unusual

The arrivalAfter a short and convenient air trip from London via Brussels, Vilnius welcomed us with a sunny but chilly reception on a March morning. Shehzaad was invited to speak there at an IT conference on technology and human rights. The conference volunteer who was given the interesting job of being our eyes, ears and mouth while in the Baltic country, was patiently waiting for us at the arrival lounge holding a placard with our names. Speakers at the conference were tagged along with student volunteers to help with getting around.

The short trip of around 20 minutes from the airport to the

luxurious Hotel Congress in the heart of the city gave us the first impression about where the young European member state came from and where it was heading to since its ceremonious independence from the communist rule in the early 90’s. The hotel was perfectly located, just next to the river Neris, facing the National Opera and Ballet Theatre, five minutes from the famous Cathedral Basilica and a walking distance to the city centre. The hotel suite was surprisingly way larger and imposing than our modest one bedroom apartment in London and the quick first peek at the bath confirmed the availability and abundance of elements for relaxation and rejuvenation.

After a quick freshening up, we were accompanied by Justina, the face of the Lithuanian youth force and our volunteer guide, for a nice little stroll towards the old town in search of some Lithuanian delicacies. We walked past the glorious Cathedral Basilica and turned in to an alley next to the Presidential Palace and the Vilnius University. The proximity of important monuments and hallmarks was rather surprising and very unusual. The narrow alleys towards the old part of the town simply gave us a nice cosy feeling as our walk led us to a gastronomes’ delight uncannily under the banner of Cozy Restaurant. A must-visit


7

Out and about in the capitalLike any other European capital, Vilnius too had its shopping malls with designer show rooms lined up, hip and happening culture centres, theatres and discos. Don’t confuse the definition of luxury when you are in Vilnius – the beauty of the emerging capital cannot be found if compared with your usual top-of-the-list destinations elsewhere in Europe. The city will tell you all its hidden stories, unfold all its mysteries from the Grand Duchy era only and only when you will walk slowly through the narrow alleys of the Old Town, deciphering the murmurs between the walls of the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and

classical buildings and the blowing gentle Baltic breeze. As the narrow alleys will hand hold you while the storytelling will go on, you will discover, near the Jewish area, the true gem of Lithuania – the amber. You will look back at the walls of the Old Town and realise now why the colour of the walls looked like amber, that gentle yellowish-orange blend as if a Lithuanian sunset got trapped forever after in the natural stones. Don’t forget to grab a piece of the entrapped sunset in the form of amber necklaces, bangles, ear-rings or show pieces to shine in your living rooms or study tables.

By now you will have realised, that comparing to other popular European capitals, Vilnius is smaller, and that is what makes it so easy to feel and live as you walk around. To really witness the love for freedom and culture of this city, do cross over the bridge over river Vilnia and step into the Uzupis district in the eastern part of the city. The Bohemian style artists, painters and performers of the city have exercised the colours of their creativity, imagination and liberty to have declared ‘independence’ of Uzupis on 1 April, 1997, thus having a ‘state within a state’ for artists. As you will walk past the colourful artisan workshops, you will not miss the constitution of the ‘neighbourhood republic’ where it clearly declares that “everyone has the right to love” and where “every dog has the right to be a dog”. Such

unique manifestation of liberty, art and freedom will even belittle the likes of Paris or Rome.

Trakai: a city amidst lakesTime to venture out of Vilnius? Hire a cab and head to Trakai, the city situated between three lakes, just 28 km west from the capital Vilnius. There, the jewel of Trakai – the Island Castle – awaits you with its grandeur. The magnificent 14th century stone castle, which is a must visit during your stay in the Baltic state, stands proudly on an island of Lake Galve. Cross the bridge that leads to the Gothic style monument and be lost in the midst of lovely wooden galleries, paintings of stained glass, murals and secret passages. Feel free to spend the whole day relaxing around the Island Castle boating or trying out some local food of the Karaites called Kibinai.

As the sun sets as you enter back into vibrant Vilnius, you will reflect on the Baltic surprise that Lithuania unfolded in front of you. The young nation which is serious to make an impression, and to get your attention, chose you as one of the first few to go back and tell your folks in Bangladesh that the new sun in the Baltic is rising from Lithuania tomorrow. So you decide whether you will keep sleeping while Lithuania shines or will witness its rise with your senses wide open early on. n

Photos: Courtesy


8 MuSINGS | seasonaL pressures

Neither the bird chattering nor the ringing alarm at dawn wakes you up; it’s the intense mosquito

bites that do the trick. Summer morning it is, as the sun shines on, it brings you a number of hurdles as an inhabitant of a densely populated nation.

As the irritation from the scratches of the mosquito bite continues, you force yourself out of the bed and try to get ready for work. You make sure that your clothes have come from the laundry, as ironing is out of the question because of load shedding that occurs at least three times a day starting from the morning.

If you don’t have chilled juice in your fridge, which doesn’t run by generator or IPS, you may think you do not need to bother as much as the streets of Dhaka look charming in summer – hosting colourful carts of summer fruits and drinks. Watch out though, while you may be lucky and get away without acquiring malaria or dengue from mosquitoes, but drinking the mystery juice may

give you jaundice. Call some of your friends or family, you will get at least one sufferer who would blame those summer carts for their recent sickness.

If you use a rickshaw, you will notice that rickshaws are already scarce in summer for the scorching sun. Some pullers takes rest under the shade of a tree or some may sleep in the back seat, and show reluctance to go wherever asked, near or far. You will need super convincing powers to make them say “yes” and take you to your destination, probably only after you promise them some extra bucks.

At office, you will hardly remember which season it is due to work pressure and of course, for the common practice of closed windows, air conditioned room and indoor lighting. But, don’t get too excited, as you will receive a very strong sense that summer is under your table, when your nose will be highly tickled by the odour of a sweaty co-worker. Never forget to carry a body spray in your bag to freshen up the air around you in defence.

After hours of work on a long sunny day, you definitely want to take rest in your chilly room or a nap on your terrace in a breezy evening. But, as is the downside of living in the city, whatever summer breeze there is, will most likely also carry unwanted dust, leaving you in a dilemma of whether to open the windows or to keep them closed, so as to keep your furniture and floor safe from being enveloped in dust.

While opening your windows is a choice solely left up to you, when the door bell rings in the evening with guests unannounced or otherwise, you have no choice but to get out of that comfy lungi or tank top, and put on a show of decency. Nevertheless, after a long day and a heavy evening, you just want

to hit your bed and close your eyes for the next morning.

You wake up the following morning rubbing your eyes and yawning, realizing you were deprived of a good, sound sleep as the power had been out. Aah, summer! n

It’s a cruel, cruel summertrials and tribulations of a tropical summerFarhana Urmee


summer CarTs | PhOTO STORy 9

With summer in full swing, everyone, particularly those who find themselves regularly out and about on the streets during the day, is constantly on the lookout for some respite from the scorching sun. this reprieve is taken up by many – by either cramming inside the air-conditioned interiors of shopping malls or by grabbing an iced drink, snow-cone, and/or slice of fresh fruit from a roadside vendor. and when it comes to fruits and juices, being in the tropics can have its perks. Particularly in the form of tantalisingly tangy and scintillatingly sweet topical fruits, such as mangoes, pineapples, watermelons, etc.

this week’s photo story features seasonal roadside fruit and juice vendors as well as respite-seekers, all in the business of providing and pursuing some bliss from the blistering summer sun.

Under the Dhaka sunPhotos: Sabrina Munni


10 PhOTO STORy | summer CarTs


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12 FEaTuRE | safeTy aT work

The garment’s industry: the biggest suffererNo other places in the country is in a greater need for better working conditions than the golden goose – the garments sector. The ready-made garment (RMG) industry now accounts for a whopping 80% of Bangladesh’s exports, making the country the second largest exporters (behind China) of garments in the world.

There is no doubt that Bangladesh’s stratospheric rise in the apparel world has helped alleviate the country’s grinding poverty. Over the past two decades has helped create more than 3.5 million garment jobs in the country.

But this hasn’t been made possible without paying steep prices. The most recent price that the country paid was the death of 1,135 workers in April 24, 2013, when the eight storied Rana Plaza collapsed in Savar area.

It was one of the worst industrial disasters in human history and the worst RMG accidents ever in the world.

The Rana Plaza building collapse was an entry in a long list of factory building tragedies in Bangladesh. In April 2005, 73 garment workers died in a factory collapse in Savar. In February 2006, 18 workers were killed in a garment factory collapse in Dhaka. In June 2010, 25 people were killed in a building collapse in

Bangladesh has accumulated quite a negative image in the international arena in terms of work safety issues. Here’s looking into what the country’s different industrial sectors are doing in terms of improvementFaisal Mahmud

Die another day

Dhaka. In November 2012, more than 100 workers died in a fire at a factory named Tazreen Garments in Dhaka.

Major accidents like those of the Tazreen fire and the Rana Plaza collapse have brought the issue of workplace safety to the fore, and led all stakeholders to act accordingly. Following the unfortunate incidents, various platforms such as the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, the Alliance for

Bangladesh Worker Safety and National Plan of Action have been formed to improve building and fire safety of Bangladesh’s garment industry.

All members of the BGMEA and BKMEA are working all-out to carry out the corrective action plans suggested by the Accord, Alliance and National Plan of Action after inspections, even investing huge amounts of money.

In the late nineteenth century, the working class was in constant struggle to gain the 8-hour work day. Working

conditions were severe and it was quite common to work 10 to 16 hours daily under unsafe conditions.

Death and injury were common in many work places. As early as the 1860’s, working people agitated to shorten the workday without a cut in pay, but it wasn’t until the late 1880’s that organized labour was able to garner enough strength to declare the 8-hour workday. This proclamation was without consent of employers, yet demanded by many of the working class.

The protest and bloodshed that took place in May 1, 1986 in the Haymarket of Chicago gave the labourers the right to avail an 8-hour workday as well as the right to have workplace safety.

Fast forward a hundred years, now labourers in industrially developed countries are enjoying better working conditions along with better wages because of the strict regulations and their government’s enforcement; and also because labourers of the developing countries like Bangladesh have taken up the mantle of facing the workplace condition that they used to face in their years of struggling.

Photo: Bigstock

Photo: Bigstock


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Besides, the government of Bangladesh and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are implementing a three-and-a-half-year long initiative aimed at improving working conditions in the RMG industry in Bangladesh. The programme is funded by Canada, Kingdom of the Netherlands and the UK.

Also on March 15 this year, the government launched the pilot project of a telephone ‘helpline’ for garment workers to help resolve their grievances related to workplace safety or worker rights.

The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) is running the helpline– 0800 44 55 000, which has been established with the support of ILO and the Norwegian government. It is to be noted that the establishment of a publicly accessible database of the garment sector and telephone helpline for the garment workers were two major conditions for regaining trade benefits from the US.

Construction workers: the victims of urbanisationThe very image of finding a person at the top of a high rise under construction without safety gear is terrifying. This scene however is probably the most prevalent across the capital. No wonder that the construction sector brought about the highest number of worker deaths

in last year.Of the total of 260 deaths from

workplace accidents in 2014, 105 were in the construction sector, according to the survey conducted by Safety and Rights Society, a local non-government organisation that works for improving workplace safety in Bangladesh. Dhaka saw the highest number of deaths: 72.

The services sector which includes hotels, workshops and power supply organisations had 70 deaths, while 60 workers died in factories and other manufacturing organisations.

The survey found that most electrocution accidents occurred when iron rods carried by construction workers came into contact with live electric lines, it said. The study also noted that workers fall victim to electrocution often, as they are not provided protective equipment like helmet, gloves and shoes at work.

Roof/wall/building collapse brought about 16 deaths. The remaining workers died from various causes, including boiler explosions, chemical and gas explosions, suffocation, road accident as well as earth collapses.

Over the last five years, a total of 3,036 workers died from occupational hazards, the study also found.

Tanvir Hossain Probal, former president of Real Estate Housing

Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) said, most construction firm owners directly or indirectly force workers to work without any safety gear and in hazardous conditions which lead to frequent accidents at construction sites.

“With a high unemployment rate, firm owners have the luxury of firing anyone who talks about safety, and hiring someone who does not,” said Probal, who is also an owner of a real estate company named Building for Future Limited (BFFL).

Probal however said that some of the top real estate developers have now started the practice of maintaining standard safety norms in construction site. “We now provide helmets, safety ropes, as well as preventive sheds at different points to ensure safety,” said Probal.

The government has also come up with an insurance scheme for construction workers. Now a worker would get Tk200,000 if he or she is seriously injured while working. If the worker dies, the victim’s family will get the same amount of money.

Officials at the labour ministry said insurance schemes would be introduced under the Workers’ Welfare Foundation Board, which was constituted under the labour and employment ministry.

The insurance scheme would be for a period of five years. A worker has to deposit Tk450 while the labour ministry would give Tk850

annually as premium. After the end of the period, a worker will get back a certain amount of his or her premium.

“This shows the progress of ensuring workplace safety for construction workers,” said Hasan Habib, CEO of Best Living Property Ltd.

Child labour in hazardous industries: a recurring phenomenon“Making lists of hazardous work would mean nothing if children are seen engaged in work that have been marked as physically and psychologically risky for them,” Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation project manager Omar Faruq said.

The National Child Labour Elimination Policy 2010, which provides a framework to eradicate all forms of child labour by 2015, set the criteria for identifying “hazardous” work for children, including above five hours work per day and work which create undue pressure on a child’s physical and psychological well-being and development.

Despite the government’s pledge, child labour is present in some hazardous jobs like ship breaking and recycling operations, prostitution, manufacturing, mining, stone welding, van pulling, electrical work and others.

The National Child Labour Survey 2002-03, conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, found 1.3m children aged 5 to 17 years were engaged in hazardous work. Child rights activists claim the number is either the same or more now.

Child rights activist Dr Razwana Moslem said there is evidence that economic growth helped reduce child labour, a factor that could eventually lead to better working conditions as well.

Referencing a study, she said that decline in child labour has coincided with strong economic expansion in emerging markets, where the practice is most widespread. In Vietnam, child labour declined by 30% from 1993 to 1997 during a time of robust economic growth, she said.

“Unless poverty is being systematically eliminated, child labour in Bangladesh will not be abolished. But at least they should be ensured a safe and better working environment.” n

Photo: Bigstock Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu


14 RENT | inTeLLeCTuaL properTy in aCademiCs

Why many local students resort to making cheating a habit and what can be done to avoid it Lameya Alma Amin

Shameless Copycats

When you are in that stage of your life where you are only expected to study

and work hard, it’s the least you can do. People fail to understand, but this is the best time of their life, where most of them are only required and expected to do so. Yet we come across people who love to slack off, cheating their way through completing the task at hand: assignments.

Most students prefer to cheat. Why? Nobody knows for sure, but probably for the most apparent reason is simply being lazy. It is a universal fact that studying needs a minimum level of patience, hard work, and a big bowl of motivation, and sadly this lacks in a lot of cases.

Surprisingly, a huge number of people in our educational sector don’t know what plagiarism is. They do not understand the concept of it, and ends up doing it, failing to realize that their actions are objectionable and punishable. Most students believe that whatever is present there in the Internet can be used freely and as one wishes, without giving any proper credit to the party who is responsible for the information in the first place.

When asked, a fellow university student studying English Literature the reasons for indulging in plagiarism, Rifat Rabib said “First of all, we were never informed about plagiarism back in school and, were not taught how to cite to avoid it. Here in NSU, we were taught how to do so, and yet we sometimes end up not citing everything properly because it takes a huge amount of time to do the documentation. And not a lot of us want to spend so much time doing so, and also with the hope that the teachers might not notice it.” This shows the grim scenario, that students lack the patience and ethics to work on something to avoid cheating, and these acts go unnoticed, giving the student another chance to repeat the same offence.

“I try my best to educate students about the rules of plagiarism early on in the semester. I tell them that they cannot ever quote or paraphrase from any source without giving proper credit to that source, and that they cannot submit a paper for my class that they have submitted for another class. However the message often doesn’t quite get through. When

I catch minor cases of plagiarism, such as not using inverted commas for quotes, I give my students a chance to fix the error. When I catch more serious crimes, such as submitting a paper they clearly did not write, I immediately give them a failing grade. There are no second chances in those cases,” said Joshua Yu Burnett, an assistant Professor in North South University, when asked about how he tries to inform his students here, and the penalties they face in his class if they plagiarise.

He further noted that: “Compared to universities in the United States, the response to plagiarism here does not seem very systematic. I was required to go over the Department’s plagiarism policy in the first two weeks of class, and all the students were required to sign a document saying they understood what plagiarism was and agreed not to do it. I had to report any case of plagiarism to my Department’s Director of Graduate Studies – there was paperwork to fill out. The penalties were very clear: for the first offence, the student received a failing grade for the plagiarised paper. For the second offence, the student was referred to a disciplinary committee with the power to impose more serious penalties, up to and including expulsion from the university. Here, such systems do not seem to be in place. I do think it would be helpful to approach plagiarism in a more standardised and systematic fashion. Not just for punishing students but for educating them about what plagiarism is, why it is wrong, and what the consequences are. One major cause of plagiarism here is that students simply do not understand what plagiarism is, and they do it without even realising that what they are doing is unacceptable.”

Students are educated so that this learning process enlightens them, makes them a better person, and to give them the ability to do something. But not going through the citation process while preparing a paper gives them the opportunity to disrespect the individual whose ideas or information they are using, without giving the individual proper recognition for his/her work.

It is of utmost importance to educate oneself, to build up the motivation to work hard, in a truthful manner and with integrity. n

Photo: Humayra Adiba


inTeLLeCTuaL properTy in musiC | FOOd FOR ThOuGhT 15

Piracy and its pros and consSaqib Sarker

Listening to pirated music is like bunking off school. Everyone is against it but chances are that most of

us did it at one time or another. At this point it is abundantly clear that we are not going to do away with music piracy. There have been some speculations about You Tube acquiring all of the music industry and bringing down some corporate justice with astounding download speed. But until then, music piracy continues to be a reality.

One of the biggest Bangladeshi bands, Miles, sold millions of records in the last 3 decades, as Hamin Ahmed said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “But we did not get even a small fraction of that money,” says Hamin Ahmed.

In the 80s and 90s piracy relied on making duplicate cassettes and CDs. But all of that changed with the advent of first, the internet and then new internet technologies. The most powerful of which is file sharing.

File sharing works because of it’s simplicity and a genuine demand for contents. But it would be very inaccurate to assume that this is a problem only in Bangladesh. A search on a Torrent search engine (torrent is a computer programme that connects different users to share the contents in their computers) will reveal that any popular or unpopular music is shared by users from the four corners of the Earth.

There seems to exist a generally accepted notion that everyone buys their music in the developed countries and it is only us who are not “developed” enough to act as ethically. But it could not be further from the truth. You only need to look at the evidence.

But there have been a lot of studies recently that tried to assess the real damages of music piracy, some yielding surprising

conclusions. According to a study done by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre entitled ‘Digital Music Consumption on the

Internet: Evidence from Clickstream Data’, piracy can actually provide a boost to music revenues online, irrespective of the genre, and that it should not be viewed as a pressing issue by the industry at all. The study took a sample of some 16,000 Europeans and had as its main objective to find a link between music piracy and subsequent visits to legal digital music stores.

But does that work in the Bangladeshi context? There is a lack of proper scientific surveys on this subject and we can only speculate at this point. But there are strong indications that a global model can

work in our country. In fact in an increasingly interconnected world this is perhaps not only a solution but it is in all likelihood the ultimate

destination we are inevitably heading toward.

For example, just a few years ago Bangladeshi audiences did not have the means to buy music online for a multitude of reasons. This in effect deterred the music businesses from making materials available for online purchase. But all of that has changed. Particularly with the advent of mobile phone banking, increasing numbers of service providers and retailers are using online platform to sell their products.

Qinetic Music, for example, is very aggressively pushing for creating an online market. It has already

acquired an impressive number of top selling artists under it’s label, including Miles, Kumar Bishwajit, Shironamhin, Black, Suvro Dev to mention but a few. For the first time in Bangladesh music fans can buy the full discography of Miles from sitting in the comfort of their homes. By allowing consumers to pay through their mobile phone accounts, they have opened themselves up to a potential market for millions of listeners.

But worldwide music businesses are trying to come up with models that will work in an environment where the public is unwilling to pay for all the music they listen to. The emergence of Spotify testifies to this truth. Here people can browse and listen to music for free. However, the free service does not allow playing any song you like, it allows you to explore new music as chosen by Spotify. But the premium service provides more options and unrestricted access. Spotify says that “...by bringing listeners into our free, ad-supported tier, we migrate them away from piracy and less monetised platforms and allow them to generate far greater royalties than they were before.” Spotify claims that it has been able to drive it’s free users to spend more on music than they spent before (from less than $5 per month, the average spent by download consumers in the US) to $9.99 per month for Spotify). In December 2014 Spotify had 60 million active users.

The conventional response to piracy has always been an attempt to implement the intellectual property rights laws more forcefully. But we may have been looking for the wrong solution. It seems finally the music business is shaping into something that everyone can happily live with. n

Music piracy:curse or a precursor?

Photo: Bigstock


Dear Reader:Thank you for your query. The earthquakes have indeed left us all baffled and worried. The minimum

conditions and obligations required to be followed in this instance are governed by the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 as amended in 2013. It is a necessity that safety in terms of machinery and building is maintained, in order to ensure the wellbeing of workers and other staff members.

One of the potential side effects of an earthquake is the chance of a fire breaking out. Therefore, fire safety is also of the utmost importance. Every establishment needs to be provided with at least one alternative connection stairway with each floor and such means of escape in case of fire and firefighting apparatus i.e. fire extinguishers and such. The doors affording exit from any room should not be locked or fastened so that they can be easily and immediately opened from inside while any person is within the room.

All such doors, unless they are of the sliding type, shall be constructed to open outwards. Where the door is between two rooms, and all such doors, unless they are of the sliding type, should be constructed to open outwards. Where the door is between two rooms, in the direction of the nearest exit from the building and no such door should be locked or obstructed while work is being carried on in the room.

Every window, or other exit other than the means of exit in ordinary use, should be distinctively

16 LEGaLESE | Jennifer ashraf kashmi

Can’t shake this

AQ

got a

problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@

dhakatribune.comI am the assistant manager of a factory and the recent earthquakes have left us all (management and workers included) a little shaken. The last thing any of us want is a major accident or a repeat of Rana Plaza. A few of the workers have also begun complaining that there isn’t enough light within the factory and that the atmosphere is a bit crowded. I am wondering, what exactly are the minimum obligations that are required to be followed in this instance?

marked in Bangla and in red letters of adequate size or by some clearly understandable sign. A free passage-way giving access to each means of escape in case of fire should be maintained for the use of all workers in every room of the establishment. If any explosive or highly inflammable materials are used or stored, effective measures ought to be taken to ensure that all the workers are familiar with the means of escape in case of fire and have been adequately trained in the routine to be followed in such case. One of the most important points to note here is that regular fire drills and emergency drills should be executed by the factory authorities. Additionally, it is also important that staff receive adequate training and a buddy system is adopted to ensure that everyone set to safety quickly and without any unnecessary accidents.

In addition to the above, machine should be securely ‘fenced’ and appropriately attached. there should be suitable devices for cutting off power in emergencies, provided and maintained in every work-room. All floors, stairs, passages and gangways should be of sound construction and properly maintained. Where it is necessary to ensure safety, substantial handrails should also be installed. All floors, ways and stairways need to be clean, wide and clear of all obstructions.

While prayers and thoughts go out to Nepal, it is also a reminder that we are all vulnerable and that we should all do our best to ensure that safety precautions are taken and maintained at all times. Stay safe! n

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

Cartoon: Priyo/Dhaka Tribune


Dear Dina, I am in love with my adoptive brother, who joined our family at age 3, just a year before I was born. He always

knew he was adopted, but I only learned at the age of 10. I had feelings for him for a long time, and finally confessed them to him when I was 17; we have been in a relationship ever since. We are both emotionally and physically attached to each other. Obviously, our parents are in the dark. Other people know that he is adopted, but I don’t think they will ever accept it. I’m 22 now, and I am not simply in a teen fantasy. It’s just not humanely possible to stop. What are our options? -Desperately in love

Dear Desperate,Your situation is hardly a teen fantasy. Most teenage girls dream of marrying Chris Hemsworth, not

their annoying, drooling siblings. In any case, I’m not exactly sure what you’re expecting from me – absolution, perhaps? I’m not a priest, just a humble columnist, so even if I were to say that it’s okay that you’re in a Game of Thrones-inspired tryst with your brother, it hardly makes it so. It’s not my place to judge, even if I do think what you’re doing is just plain gross, but don’t expect anyone else to refrain. This is Bangladesh, where it’s okay to marry a first cousin but an adopted brother is just wrong. People will have a field day with this – relatives will gossip and judge, your parents will wail with anguish before collapsing in a heap of disgrace, and everyone else will have a good old time laughing at your collective misery. If you don’t’ think it’s ‘humanly possible’ to discontinue this sordid liaison, your only hope is to pack your bags and relocate to a place where nobody knows you or cares. Change your names, adopt false identities and live your lives of moral turpitude in anonymity, ‘cause there is no way you’re going to be able to come out of your incestuous closet in Dhaka without being buried in the ground and pelted with rocks.

Dear Dina, I am a single 30 year old, and it is naturally everyone’s business to see me “happily married”. My mother

has been going berserk in trying to find me an illegible bachelor and has recruited the help of her circle of “bhabis”. Recently, I was taken to meet a guy who was vouched for by one such “bhabi”. Initially, my mother told me this was simply a meeting and we would only go further with it if both parties were interested. After having met him, I felt that while he is a nice person, we both come from different backgrounds and hardly have anything in common. Unfortunately, when I tried to explain this to my mother, she became upset and called me ‘choosy’ and ‘unrealistic’. Now, she just won’t back down and keeps insisting that I change my mind about him. How do I get myself out of all this?

Dear Choosy,I think your mother is trying to find you an eligible bachelor, not an illegible one… or you’re in more

trouble than you think. In any case, you have clearly fallen victim to the Bhabi brigade’s favourite past-time: How to make single girls feel like crap constantly. Lucky you. It’s unfortunate that your mother has jumped on the bandwagon too. You need to sit her down and make her understand that you are entitled to be choosy, since the rest of your life is at stake. And does she want you to be lumbered with the wrong guy, for which you will be forced to blame her with for the next three decades? She will have to endure your long face at the lunch table, and your piteous cries over the phone, not to mention the heaving sighs you will produce every time you’re out with her. Explain in no uncertain terms that your misery will be hers to share. Then sit back and watch the parade of men appear at your front door. n

dina sobhan | TOuGh LOvE 17

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

got a problem?

Write to Dina at weekend@dhakatribune.

comFamily tiesQ Q

AA

Cartoon: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune


18 STay IN

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

Last week’s sudoku solutions

aCrOss5 Talk, tempt and so on inside (7)6 Block is back in sink (5)9 Quarantine is nothing overdue (7)DOwN1 Endless play up a mountain (3)2 Race duo toured country (7)3 Count up one calorie for Evita, say (7)4 Vegetable found in crepe again (3)7 Fruit stone climbing rubbish pile (3)8 Trap swan (3)

Last

wee

k’s

solu

tion

s

aCrOss1 Fair play, it’s only lolly (7)4 Upheaval following tea transport (7) 6 Like Monet, father fences in (7)7 Upset caused by rum cocktail in work (7)

DOwN1 Reorganise pack in tiny Grand Prix (7)2 Religious teacher I crawled before (5)3 Seventh rally has to captivate (7)5 Short introduction in rot arrangement (5)

Clues

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

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D starts off with the news of Agent Phil Coulson still being alive and well after the battle of New York in “The Avengers”, where he was nearly killed by Loki. Coulson then assembles a team, which consists of agents: Grant Ward, Melinda May (sometimes referred to as “the cavalry”) and two ingenious scientists Leo Fitz and Gemma Simmons. S.H.I.E.LD stands for “Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate”. They mainly deal with abnormal,

unusual, super and meta human beings as well as aliens from other planets. S.H.I.E.LD has a particularly strong friendship with the Asgardians, like Thor and Lady Sif.

Coulson and his team come across a blogger, hacker and a political activist named Skye. Who is a sole witness and knows the identity of one of the gifted individuals that S.H.I.E.L.D wants to get a hold of, a man named Mike Peterson. Skye is brought in to a secret S.H.I.E.L.D base and is interrogated by agent Ward, she eventually caves in and agrees to help Coulson and his team members

with her specialized hacking skills to locate Mike Peterson. She succeeds in locating Peterson and he is soon taken into custody as his powers are still unstable and he needs to be taught how to control them properly. Having seen Skye performed well under pressure, Coulson offers her a job and then he gets a phone call about an 0-84. When she asks about what an 0-84 is to this Coulson replies: “stick around and you’ll find out”. Skye and Coulson then get ready to fly off to their next

destination, as their cherry red 1962 Chevrolet Corvette ‘Lola’ transforms into a super cool flying car with a crazy fast jet engine. It is later discovered that the code 0-84 stands for an object of unknown origin. The team keep taking cases related to superhumans, 0-84’s and at times machines that could destroy every living thing on the planet.

But then suddenly, a new problem arises when a mysterious man calling himself the ‘Clairvoyant’ seems to unite all of S.H.I.E.L.D’s enemies together and specifically direct them towards Coulson’s team. The ‘Clairvoyant’ seems like a blind faith, more of religious belief than anything else as no one has seen him or spoken to him. But whatever he says his followers obey like it is the law of the land. This makes things difficult for the Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D and to track down who the ‘Clairvoyant’ really is. In the mean time while the team searches for answers on how to fight evil more efficiently, one of the team members takes a really bad hit and needs a life saving drug. That can only be acquired through an almost impossible, rogue operation that could put the lives of the team members on this mission in jeopardy.

For shots of adrenaline rush every three minutes and plot twists that you’ll never expect, you should definitely check out this TV show. Especially if you’re a fan of the ‘Avengers’. n

The GuardiansPragya Rahman

Mini cryptics


GO OuT 19

May 1

Culture | ‘’And the World Went on’’wheN 7pmwhere British Council Bangladesh, British Council, 5 Fuller Road

“And the World Went on’’ is a poetry play based on the event of the Rana Plaza collapse.

To be held on lawn at the British Council premises, this unique theatrical performance will feature the winners and participants of The Muse Masters Performance Poetry Competition and the Unstable Poets, who will weave and lace the intricate

plot and deliver a strikingly passionate performance, elucidating the events of tragedy, which is sure to keep audiences glued to their seats. The play will be a commemoration

of the events of the Rana Plaza disaster, two years ago, with a unique perspective encompassing the views and emotions of everyone involved on that tragic day, from the owners, to the relatives, to the volunteers on the scene, and finally to the workers themselves.

May 2-3

Literature | Bengal Lights Literary ConclavewheN 10:30am-6:30pmwhere University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), Manin Campus, House 56, Road 4/A, Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi

What Bengal Lights, in collaboration with ULAB, is arranging a one-of-a-kind event for aspiring writers and journalists. The event will bring together some of the most celebrated authors around the world, all under one roof, such as the likes of William Vollmann, author of Europe Central, Saba Imtiaz, author of Karachi, you’re killing me!, Jason Burke, author of The 9/11 Wars, and Githa Hariharan, author of The Thousand Faces of Night, to name a few. Entry is free, but seating is limited, so register early, at: conclave.bengallights.com

Weekly Planner May 2

Awareness | Go Green 2015

When 8:30am- 4:30pmWheRe Uttara Sector-14 Society OfficeWhat Go Green is an event where volunteer participants will clean the streets of Uttara between Sectors 5, 10 and 14 with the aim to spread awareness about the environment among people on the streets. Volunteers can also register online: http://form.jotform.me/form/50991411837459 Those interested can participate at a fee of Tk200. Interested volunteers are to contact via their event page on Facebook or through: 01755713646.

May 3

Music | Jazz Duo Laroo-Byrd with Gaurob and Friends

When 7pmWheRe Tajmahal Road, Mohammadpur, 16/1 Tajmahol Road, Mohammadpur DhakaWhat In commemoration of International Jazz Day, EMK Center and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands will jointly organise a Jazz musical night.World-renowned trumpeter Saskia Laroo and international pianist/vocalist Warren Byrd together create a smorgasbord of music, whether performing dance classics, the American songbook, hot afro-Latin grooves, or their own catchy, poignant originals this unique duo can can unleash their potent charm anywhere anytime. More on the duo: saskialaroo.com/duo-laroo-byrd.Tickets will be available at EMK Center before the event for Tk100 only.

May 6

Education | Online group counselling session at British Council Dhaka in partnership with the University of LincolnWhen 3-6 pmWheRe British Council Bangladesh, British Council, 5 Fuller RoadWhat British Council is arranging an online group counselling on ‘Business in a Global Environment’ by Nick Taylor from the Business School of University of Lincoln. For more information please contact: 88 09666 773377.

May 7

Education | Online group counselling session at British Council Dhaka in partnership with the University of LincolnWhen 3-6pmWheRe British Council Bangladesh, British Council, 5

Fuller RoadWhat British Council is organising online group counselling on ‘Designing and building robots of the future’ by David Cobham from the School of Computer Science of University of Lincoln.For more information please contact: 88 09666 773377.


20 TEa WITh WT | mahbubur rahman

Mahbubur Rahman is considered as one of the leading contemporary artists

of Bangladesh. His works have been put on display in major exhibitions around the world (the Venice Biennale, the Colombo Art Biennale, Videozoom: Bangladesh, etc).

how did the Dust to Dust exhibition come into being?In general I work on a project wise basis. When I was planning to display my work, somehow this gallery stuck to my mind. One of the reasons behind this is because of the ground plan where there are sections consisting of both isolation and space. Keeping this in mind I thought of placing some of my past works from 2011, 2014 in the two rooms and in between them there are my new works. On a conceptual level, this is not a project wise show – this exhibition is a combination of installations from the past along with some new works.

One can sense the presence of the devil in your installations. What do you have to say about that?In the modernist concept, there is a debate about the way we see the devil. My question is: Why do we have to see the devil with horns? There are toy horns that light up, but they are not associated with the devil are mere toys to be enjoyed and played with. So how can one interpret the difference? One is a literal concept while the other is a concept created by humans.

a major installation in your exhibition consists of pigs which are considered unholy by the Muslims and there are other installations with cows which are considered holy. What made you bring up this dichotomy?I believe what is holy and what

is unholy is a pre-concept. If we think about it, pig is also cattle. The concept of holy and unholy is a result of geographical, political and social ideology along with the way humans think. When we are kids, we are thought that you can go as close

as possible to a cow but we have to stay far away from a pig. Why can’t I go near it? In the world there are many countries and even within our country in the hill tracts, children are seen playing with pigs. Then why do I stay away from it? I wanted to raise the question as to how an animal becomes isolated from the society.

In the brochure of your Dust to Dust exhibition, there is a mention of art activism. Can you elaborate on this concept?I will give an example from my work. A lot of us took part in an event in front of the Parliament against raising a wall. I performed in it. My intention was to create art and

In conversation with the maverick artist whose recent works are currently on display at the Dust to Dust (2010-2015) exhibition in Bengal art LoungeTausif Sanzum

Art to Heartthat is what I told my fellow artists, that this is a great opportunity to perform with the parliament as the background and when the wall is raised, you will not be able to see. Even though it was done against raising the wall, but the main intention was art practice. But the outcome was that the wall was not raised. So you see even in art practice, there is a social awareness.

In your work one can not help but notice a social message. Is that intentional?In my work, the way I produce and the resources I use, are from my personal experiences. The place I live comes into my work. Even if I try I cannot stop this, as this is part of my existence. I find relief through my work. So somehow politics and social

issues come into it.

What is the scenario of contemporary art in Bangladesh?There is a big possibility for it in Bangladesh and the steps towards it are already in motion, slowly but steadily. There are some basic needs, which are missing, when it comes to contemporary art practice: academic educational system, development of the skills of people working at these educational systems, and studio practice. Grants or funding are also highly important. If the local promoters working in this field give some forms of grant or scholarship, it will help new and upcoming artists immensely. I feel that even though

there are a lot of activities related to art going on, somewhere there is a lack of.

there is a myth about artists being art snobs? Is it just a myth?The subject of class is always present in artists. However, I would like to add that there are various forms of art. There are forms of art which I enjoy but do not understand. What I personally practice is that there are works of mine being displayed at exclusive galleries but at the same time, I also perform on the street, in villages and remote areas. So there is a link developing between non-artists and artists. We are responsible to reach out to these viewers but at the same time the understanding of art works among these non-artists needs to be developed through media and other forms of circulation. This will increase the connectivity.

Because of your seniority and talent, you have found a foothold in the art scenario. What do you have to say for younger artists who are struggling to find their place?I will not ask anyone to take up a challenge because everyone has their own choices to make. However, when it comes to me, I always take the challenge. At a very early age, I had a talk with my wife and fellow artist, Lipi, that for us property meant only these art materials and we will not expect anything more. We started off in this manner. For a very long period, I used to think that my property is only as much as I can carry, ie, my luggage. We spent a major part of our lives in this way.

Talking about managing a gallery for an artist to display his/her work, I can say that a gallery is convinced when it sees the desperation of an artist. Galleries take it for granted that few shows will be flops shows but this is their way of giving back to art and the society.

What feedback did you get after your work being displayed at the Venice Biennale (2011)?There was amazing feedback. Because after that event, whenever I met someone they were surprised that we came from Bangladesh which is not popular in these circles. Even the space where we had our exhibition complimented our work.

Personally what form of art do you enjoy the most?This is a very tough question, one which I can answer only before my death. n

Photo: Courtesy

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