Weekend-5-1

Dhaka Tribune 

vol 5 Issue 1 | FRIDAY, April 21, 2017 

4 

Sustainable 

fashion 

14 Documenting 

history 

17 Earth 

day

CONTENTS 1 

Volume 5 | Issue 1 | April 21, 2017 

Editor 

Zafar Sobhan 

Features Editor 

Sabrina Fatma Ahmad 

Magazine Editor 

Farina Noireet 

Deputy Magazine Editors 

Khan N Moushumi 

Shuprova Tasneem 

Weekend Tribune Team 

Saudia Afrin 

Moumita Ahmed 

Tasfia Huda 

Baizid Haque Joarder 

Saqib Sarker 

Mahmood Sadi 

Sabiha Akond Rupa 

Contributors 

Nisha Ali 

Mahmood Hossain 

Anika Humaira 

Farzana Romine 

Cartoons 

Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy 

Priyo 

Graphics 

Md Mahbub Alam 

Alamgir Hossain 

Shahadat Hossain 

Colour Specialist 

Shekhar Mondal 

Advertisement 

Shahin Ahsan 

Production 

Masum Billah 

Circulation 

Masud Kabir Pavel 

Website 

dhakatribune.com/weekend 

facebook.com/WeekendTrib 

Email your letters to: 

weekend@dhakatribune.com 

6 

10 

Cook your own way 

Kitchen chronicles 

Photo Story 

Monkey business 

Editor’s note 

Dear Readers, 

Now that the fun and festivities of 

the Noboborsho have passed, it is 

time we take a solemn step towards 

a year that will hopefully bring peace 

and prosperity to all. 

Dhaka Tribune turned four this 

April 19, and like always, we aim to 

provide our readers with stories that 

will not only be a source of relevant 

news, but also pique their interests 

on a range of subjects. 

April 22 is International Mother 

Earth Day, and this week we bring to 

you a collection of articles relating 

to environment and conservation. 

We start off with our regular fashion 

section, featuring designer Maheen 

Khan in a moment of introspection 

about our consumerist choices. 

We then move on to an Earth Day 

Special page on locally made ecofriendly 

products. Our photo story 

features some rare close-ups of 

some of the famous furry inhabitants 

of Lawachara National Park, who are 

precariously close to being termed 

endangered unless more is done for 

conservation. 

April 16 also saw the inauguration 

of the new premises of the Liberation 

War Museum. We have a section 

dedicated to this new space for 

documenting history that will serve as 

a crucial source of information on the 

birth of our country for generations 

to come. 

Here’s wishing our readers a 

happy weekend. 

Farina Noireet 

News 

2 News 

3 Meanwhile 

Features 

4 Trending 

Sustainable fashion 

8 Earth Day 

Eco-friendly buys 

12 Fiction 

13 Interview 

Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam 

14 Space 

Documenting history 

16 Groceries 

Food safety 

17 Earth Day 

Lifestyle 

19 Gastronomy 

For the love of dim sum 

20 Health 

Depression 

Regulars 

9 Tailored 

18 Stay in 

On the cover 

Metal sculpture of Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four 

national leaders at the new premises 

of the Liberation War Museum 

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain 

WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

2 News | This week 

Local 

Two razakars to 

die for war crimes 

in Kishoreganj 

The world at a glance 

Two Russian jets ‘intercepted’ 

by US fighter planes near Alaska 

Syria evacuations resume 

after deadly bombing 

A special tribunal has sentenced 

two collaborators to death for 

their involvement in the murder 

of over 60 people, arson and 

looting in Kishoreganj during the 

1971 Liberation War. 

The three-member 

International Crimes Tribunal 

headed by Justice Anwarul 

Haque pronounced the 

judgement in presence of one 

of the convicts, Muhammad 

Moslem Pradhan, 66 on last 

Tuesday. 

The other convict, Syed 

Mohammad Hussain alias 

Hossain, 54, is absconding. They 

were indicted on six charges of 

crimes against humanity on May 

6 last year. 

Charges brought against the 

duo include killing of 62 people, 

abduction and detention of 11 

people, and burning down some 

250 houses in Nikli upazila in 

collaboration with the Pakistani 

occupation forces. 

In this case, the prosecution 

prayed to the court to declare 

rape and forced religious 

conversions equal to genocide. 

The duo, both hailing from 

Kishoreganj sadar upazila, were 

given death sentence on charge 

No 3. 

News: Dhaka Tribune 

Egyptian police last Tuesday arrested a man 

wanted for alleged involvement in twin church 

bombings this month claimed by the Islamic 

State group, an official said. 

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Ali 

Mahmoud Mohamed Hassan, one of 19 suspects 

whose names police made public after the Palm 

Sunday explosions, the official said. 

Two suicide bombers attacked two churches 

in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria on April 

9, killing 45 people in the deadliest attack on 

Coptic Christians in recent memory. 

Hassan was arrested in the southern province 

of Qena, from where the two suicide bombers 

also came. 

The interior ministry had raised a reward for 

US fighter planes have intercepted and escorted two 

Russian bombers in international airspace off the coast of 

Alaska. 

The TU-95 Bear bombers flew within 100 miles (160 km) 

of Alaska’s Kodiak Island before being intercepted by two 

American F-22 Raptors last Monday. 

The US pilots escorted the Russian planes for 12 

minutes before the TU-95s changed course and departed 

towards eastern Russia. 

CNN reported that the Russian planes were within 

international air space but inside the Alaskan Air Defence 

Identification Zone, meaning they should in theory have 

identified themselves and their destination. The planes 

were 280 miles south west of the Elmendorf Air Force Base 

when the Raptors were scrambled. The Russian planes 

also flew near the Aleutian Islands. 

Pentagon spokesman and Navy Commander Gary Ross 

said the intercept procedure was “safe and professional.” 

US officials also said the Russian behaved professionally, 

although there was no “cockpit-to-cockpit” radio contact. 

Monday’s incident was not the first incident. On July 4, 

2015 Russian bombers appeared off California and Alaska. 

Photo: Reuters 

Egypt arrests church bombings suspect 

information 

leading 

to the 

suspects’ 

arrests to 

500,000 

pounds 

($27,518). 

The Palm Sunday bombings followed 

an earlier attack by a suicide bomber who 

detonated his explosives in a packed Cairo 

church in December, killing 29 people. 

The Islamic State group, which claimed all 

three bombings, has threatened more attacks on 

the minority, which makes up about 10 percent 

of Egypt’s 90 million people. 

Photo: AP 

Hundreds of Syrian civilians who have been under 

crippling siege left their homes last Wednesday as 

evacuations resumed after a weekend bombing 

killed dozens of others fleeing, nearly 70 of them 

children. 

A large convoy of buses from the governmentheld 

towns of Fuaa and Kafraya reached the edge 

of the rebel-held transit point of Rashidin outside 

second city Aleppo, the correspondent said. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights 

confirmed the hard-won evacuation deal was back 

under way. 

“The process has resumed with 3,000 people 

leaving Fuaa and Kafraya at dawn and nearly 300 

leaving Zabadani and two other rebel-held areas,” 

the head of the Britain-based monitoring group, 

Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP. 

Rashidin was the scene of Saturday’s deadly 

car bombing. At least 109 of the 126 dead were 

evacuees, among them 68 children. The rest were 

aid workers and rebels guarding the convoy. 

Dozens of wounded were taken to hospitals 

in nearby rebel-held territory, while others 

were taken to Aleppo, which government forces 

regained full control of late last year. 

Security was tightened up for Wednesday’s 

departures. Several dozen armed rebel fighters 

stood guard over the marshalling area where the 

buses were parked. 

The AFP correspondent said all other vehicles 

were carefully searched. 

The evacuations were taking place under a deal 

between the government and the rebels that is 

also seeing residents and rebels transported out of 

Madaya and Zabadani, towns near Damascus that 

are surrounded by pro-government forces. 

It was brokered late last month by Qatar, a 

longtime supporter of the rebels, and Iran, a key 

regime ally, but its implementation had been 

repeatedly delayed. 

When Wednesday’s evacuations are complete, 

a total of 8,000 people should have left Fuaa and 

Kafraya, including pro-government fighters as well 

as civilians. 

In exchange, 2,500 civilians and rebel fighters 

should have left rebel areas including Zabadani 

and Madaya. 

Photo: AFP 


. . . Meanwhile 3 

Photo of the week 

Jubilant crowds defy 

all threats and come 

together to celebrate 

the Bengali New Year 

during the annual 

Mongol Shobhajatra, 

now listed as a part of 

our intangible cultural 

heritage by UNESCO. 

Photo: Mahmud 

Hossain Opu 

Woman gets her hand stuck in her toilet 

and has to be freed by firefighters 

say what? 

Firefighters had to free a 

woman after she got her 

hand stuck in a toilet. 

Gracie Henderson had just 

moved into her new house and 

needed to unblock her toilet. But 

because she didn’t have a plunger, 

Gracie made the decision to carry 

out the task using her hands. 

However, she ran into problems 

immediately when her watch got 

stuck in the toilet basin, leaving her 

stuck fast. 

Poor Gracie had no choice but to 

call firefighters to her home in New 

Caney, near Houston in the USA to 

help free her. 

Crews had no choice but to 

remove the toilet, carry it into 

Gracie’s back garden – with her 

still attached to it by the arm. They 

eventually managed to free the 

embarrassed woman by smashing 

the porcelain bowl. 

Although 

poor Gracie’s 

neighbours were 

treated to quite 

a show as fire 

crews worked to 

free her. 

Thankfully, 

Gracie has been 

uninjured by her ordeal and was 

such a good sport she shared the 

video online, where it has been 

viewed thousands of times. 

News and photo: Mirror Online 

horoscopes 

Aries (Mar21-Apr19): This week is 

a good time to avoid overreacting. 

Also steer clear of petty arguments. 

However, it can be perfect for 

romance and a special evening out. 

Taurus (Apr20-May20): Although 

you may be busy, you could have 

a powerful desire to kick back and 

relax at the start of the week. You 

may also find that unexpected 

tasks or deadlines show up. 

Gemini (May21-June20): The lively 

sparkle around leisure activities 

and your social life continues, with 

a powerful influence enhancing 

feelings on Saturday. If you want 

to ask someone out on a date, this 

could be the day to make your 

move. 

Cancer (June21-Jul22): When 

it comes to your career and 

key ambitions, an unexpected 

opportunity could open the door to 

a startling new vista, which could 

prove beneficial if you accept it. 

Leo (Jul23-Aug22): Be careful what 

you say, especially on Sunday, as 

it could be all too easy to become 

irritated by a minor matter. Try 

a massage, spa treatment, or 

anything that will help you relax. 

Virgo (Aug23-Sep22): The desire to 

splurge could be very strong early 

in the week, and you could hit 

the mall or shop online. Go easy, 

though. 

Libra (Sep23-Oct22): Avoid making 

spontaneous decisions until you 

feel calmer and more settled. 

Relationships seem to be an 

ongoing theme. Someone close 

could spring a surprise on you. 

Scorpio (Oct23-Nov21): Be 

prepared for fresh opportunities 

regarding work or everyday 

routines. Information could come 

out of the blue that moves you in 

a new direction. A new romantic 

attraction seems to hold promise 

this weekend. 

Sagittarius (Nov22-Dec21): This 

week, avoid hanging out with 

people who do nothing but 

complain. Stick with those who are 

upbeat and you’ll get the week off 

to a great start. 

Capricorn (Dec22-Jan19): Be 

prepared for some disruption to a 

family plan, this weekend. It may 

be minor, but try to give yourself 

more leeway around Thursday so 

you can handle any unexpected 

snafus. 

Aquarius (Jan20-Feb18): The week 

could bring unusual news that 

coincides with an opportunity or 

perhaps an encounter you might 

relish. Something or someone 

intriguing and refreshingly 

different may be about to enter 

your life. 

Pisces (Feb19-Mar20): The 

temptation to spend could be strong, 

but at the same time you’ll have a lot 

of fun. Just make sure you can afford 

it so there are no regrets. 


4 Trending | Sustainable fashion 

‘Earth Day is a good 

time to spiritually 

connect with all the 

decisions that make us 

humane’ 

FDCB President Maheen Khan gets candid about the environment 

Sabrina Fatma Ahmad 

April already sizzles with 

the portent of a scorching 

summer ahead of us, and 

as Earth Day rolls around, 

it bears thinking seriously about this 

little planet we call home. Putting 

aside larger climate change issues 

such as oil wells and coal mines and 

carbon emissions, one industry that 

has recently been seeing a lot of flak 

is the fashion industry, particularly 

the rising threat of “fast fashion.” 

Eileen Fisher, award-winning 

clothing industry magnate has even 

gone so far as to say “The clothing 

industry is the second largest 

polluter in the world ... second only 

to oil.” 

From filling landfills with 

discarded clothings, to chemical dyes 

polluting the water, to microfibres 

choking marine wildlife, and 

certainly not least of all, the human 

rights abuses in fashion sweatshops, 

the evils of fast fashion are many. 

While Bangladesh, with its 

sizeable garments sector, is certainly 

no stranger to these problems 

(one has merely to glance at the 

Buriganga for visual confirmation), 

the couture scene is actually working 

extremely hard to make fashion 

more sustainable in as many ways as 

possible. From promoting fair trade 

to the use of organic vegetable dyes, 

local designers have been tireless in 

their attempt to be more responsible 

in their practices. 

You can’t begin to talk about 

sustainable fashion without 

mentioning khadi. The ancient 

handwoven and handloom textile 

is labour intensive, and has a much 

lower carbon footprint than other 

textiles, and can be a bridge between 

our rich cultural heritage and fashion 

of the future. 

Over the past two years, the 

Fashion Design Council, Bangladesh, 

has been relentlessly promoting 

these textiles, and with two 

consecutive years of successful 

festivals, have definitely made 

ripples of awareness about our 

handloom traditions. 

On Earth Day, however, Maheen 

Khan, founder of the fashion house 

Mayasir, and President of the FDCB, 

appears to be in a brooding frame of 

mind. “We’ve been trying to show, 

through our shows, how khadi is the 

ideal fabric for the Bangladeshi heat 

and humidity. Not only is it a more 

eco-friendly fabric, but requires very 

little capital investment to set up and 

can help generate income in rural 

households, particularly for women, 

for whom economic independence 

is important,” she says. “However, 

unless we are able to remunerate 

the labour of the khadi artisans at 

market value, they are forced to look 

for other means of employment. 

Our studies have shown large 

numbers of weavers migrating to 

other professions to sustain their 

families. Naturally, the handloom 

and handwoven industry takes a hit. 

The scenario is quite bleak.” 

A lot of this forced migration 

can be blamed on the demand 

for mass-produced readymade 

garments, and the popularity of 

Indian and Pakistani clothes as 

opposed to local textiles and local 

styles. Other environmental factors 

that contribute to this is the lack of 

locally produced cotton, owing to 

water shortages, climate change, and 

the dwindling of arable land. 

The iconic fashion designer 

refuses to get pessimistic, however. 

“People are slowly starting to care 

about these things. They’re getting 

more interested in things like where 

their food comes from, expressing 

concern about things like formalin or 

other forms of food adulteration. I’d 

like to think this growing awareness 

will bleed into other areas of life, 

such as clothing choices. We at the 

FDCB are of course, continuing our 

efforts to promote green fabrics.” 

As Maheen Khan and her 

compatriots gear up for the annual 

khadi festival in December, her 

message to readers and fashion 

enthusiasts is to try and instill good 

environmental values in the next 

generation, and to practice green 

fashion by respecting tradition, 

buying organic clothing, and 

adopting practices such as recycling 

and upcycling. “Don’t try to just go 

for a readymade Bollywood outfit. 

Take your own piece, be it a kurti 

or even a cotton sari, and try to use 

your imagination to accessorise, and 

mix and match, and make it your 

own.” • 


5 

Fast fashion facts 

• 2 billion pairs of jeans are produced globally every year. It take 7000 

litres of water to make just one pair (Source: Forbes magazine) 

• It takes 2700 litres of water to make just one machine-made cotton 

t-shirt (Source: bettercotton.org) 

• An estimated 400 billion square meters of textiles are produced 

annually, of which 60 billion square meters are left on the cutting 

room floor (Source: greenpeace.org) 

• Only a quarter of discarded garments gets recycled. The rest go to 

landfills, or are incinerated (Source: greenpeace.org) 

1.7 million tonnes of various chemicals are used 

annually around the world to dye/waterproof 

clothes. A lot of these chemicals leach into our 

rivers, harming wildlife Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain 

“Buy less, 

choose 

well, make 

it last” 

- Vivianne Westwood 

• Instead of splurging on 

a new garment you’re 

going to tire of in a month, 

arrange for clothes swap 

programmes with your 

friends. The perfect 

excuse to make a party of 

it. Youtube has plenty of 

“haulternative” videos to 

help you organise these. 

• Upcycling! Put your craft 

skills to use (or get your 

tailor involved) to turn old 

garments to new. Thus 

an old sari can be made 

into a new kameez, an old 

kameez into a new kurti, 

and so on and so forth 

• Look for eco-friendly 

options, such as clothes 

that use vegetable dye 

The rising popularity of fast fashion is forcing 

handloom weavers out of jobs Photo: Rajib Dhar 


6 Cook your own way | Kitchen chronicles 

Organic edibles 

No animals were hurt in the making of these desserts 

Farzana Romine 

Good vegan desserts are a bit challenging to make. It’s difficult to make most desserts without dairy or eggs. But 

sometimes when I invite a lot of people, I try to make sure that, if there is anyone vegan, he/she can have some 

options for dessert. It’s not something that you will make often, but it’s good to have some easy recipes ready, just in 

case you need it. 

Today I am sharing two easy vegan dessert recipes, which you can make in a very short time and with some 

common ingredients. It tastes so good that anyone will enjoy them. 

Vegan 

Eton Mess 

(Serves 4 people) 


7 

Ingredients: 

• 1 can of good quality coconut 

milk 

• 1/3 cup toasted almond flakes 

• 1 cup berries (any berries you 

like; tropical fruits like mango, 

pineapple work well too) 

• 2 tsp powdered sugar 

• 1/4 cup crushed vegan 

meringue cookies 

Photos: Farzana Romine 

For the vegan meringue cookies: 

• Brine from 1 can of chickpeas 

• ½ tsp cream of tartar 

• 2 tbsp powdered sugar 

Directions: 

To make the vegan meringue, 

drain and keep the liquid from a 

tin of chickpeas. With an electric 

beater, whisk this liquid on high 

until frothy. Add the cream of 

tartar and sugar. Keep whisking 

until the mixture reaches glossy 

stiff peaks. 

Line a baking tray with baking 

paper and spoon or pipe dollops 

of this mixture. Bake in the oven 

on low for one hour or until set. 

Allow to cool completely before 

crushing. 

When you buy the coconut 

milk, look for the one that has 

the highest fat content. Keep 

it in the fridge for a few hours 

or overnight. Open the can and 

scoop out the thick cream from 

top. Now mix the sugar with the 

coconut cream until it is smooth 

and light. Don’t over beat. 

Now mix the berries and 

crushed cookies with this cream. 

Top it off with the toasted 

almonds and some extra berries 

and serve.• 

Vegan 

chocolate 

mousse 

The brine that we usually discard 

when we use canned chickpeas, is 

known as “Aquafaba”. It’s a unique 

mix of starches, proteins, and 

other soluble plant solids which 

have migrated from the seeds 

to the water during the cooking 

process that gives aquafaba a wide 

spectrum of emulsifying, foaming, 

binding, gelatinising and thickening 

properties. Aquafaba can be used to 

replace egg whites in many sweet 

and savoury recipes. 

Ingredients: 

• Brine from one can of chickpeas 

• 3 tbsp sugar 

• 90 to 100 gram of good quality 

bittersweet chocolate (You can 

add more if you want) 

• 1/4 cup coconut cream 

Directions: 

After draining the chickpeas, keep 

the liquid in the fridge for a few 

hours, until very cold. 

Melt the chocolate with the 

coconut cream and cool it down to 

room temperature. 

In a clean bowl pour the chickpea 

liquid and start beating with a whisk 

or beater. It takes a bit longer than 

egg whites. Once soft peaks are 

formed, start adding the sugar one 

tablespoon at a time and beat until 

stiff. 

Mix 1/3 of the fluffy mixture into 

the chocolate. This will loosen up the 

chocolate. Add the rest of the fluffy 

mixture and gently fold them in. Be 

careful not to knock all the air out. 

Once done, pour them in serving 

ramikens or dessert glasses and chill 

for a few hours before serving. • 


8 Earth Day | Eco-friendly buys 

Nature knows best 

Fantastic organic products and where to find them 

Moumita Ahmed and Tasfia Huda 

The world is currently observing 

a growing trend, where an ever 

increasing number of people are 

turning towards using natural and 

herbal products. They are becoming 

more educated about the unsafe 

reactions of synthetic items, and 

are thus moving towards herbal 

solutions. This Earth Day, we bring 

you some tips on the best natural 

beauty products and home-grown 

organic produce, and where to find 

them. 

JATRA 

In the beginning of 2015, Jatra 

started a venture called Matir Mela. 

The idea was to decrease the misuse 

of earth’s natural resources, and find 

eco-friendly options that guarantee a 

better world for future generations. 

With a view to reducing waste 

and embracing conscious living, 

Anusheh Anadil, activist and founder 

of fairtrade eco craft store, Jatra, 

collaborated with Saba Humaira 

Ahmad, environmental activist and 

blogger, and came up with the idea 

of making homemade daily products 

like toothpaste, shampoo, lotions 

and cosmetics. Jatra not just sells the 

raw materials needed to make these 

items, but also makes handmade lip 

balm, natural mosquito repellent 

candles and other sustainable 

household products, using unrefined 

organic coconut oil, beeswax, etc 

sourced from local villages around 

Bangladesh. 

A few of the star ingredients they 

use are: 

Gram flour 

Also known as chickpea flour, or 

beshon, this is a traditional cleanser 

for hands, face, body and hair. It’s 

effective for removing dirt without 

upsetting the body’s natural 

moisture balance. 

Soap nuts 

Usually called reetha in Bangla, 

Natural, cruelty-free 

products at Jatra 

• Shaving kits in wood boxes 

that come with mini soap 

for lathering, alum stone for 

disinfecting and a lotion bar 

for moisturising. 

• Candles made of pure beeswax 

(plain or with neem or clove) 

in recycled glass jars, that will 

burn for at least 16 hours. 

• Sachets of kalojeera (nigella 

seeds) that you can bash 

lightly, and then inhale to 

unblock a stuffed nose. 

• Recycled glass jars with fabric 

holders that can be used as a 

beverage mug. 

• Reusable baby diapers/ 

nappies. 

• An alum stone (phitkiri) that 

can be used as an effective 

natural, stain-free deodorant. 

A tiny, lightweight, 

packaging-free cube will last 

more than a year. 

• A lotion bar, which is actually 

body lotion in a solid bar 

that you rub over your limbs. 

It’s perfect for dry skin and 

made with only two quality 

ingredients: pure beeswax 

and raw coconut oil. 

• A fabric sponge to remove 

makeup and clean your 

face. Using this will replace 

eye makeup remover, face 

cleanser, rosewater toner, 

and the disposable cotton 

pads and Q-tips required to 

apply these. 

soap nuts are actually dried fruit 

shells, used for thousands of years 

in Asia and by Native Americans as 

a natural soap. They are great for 

washing clothes, and work well as 

a fabric softener as well. They are 

mild and hypo-allergenic, making 

them perfect for those with sensitive 

skin. They can be reused up to three 

times before composting them back 

in nature. 

Coconut oil 

Real coconut oil has been replaced in 

recent years by refined, chemically 

processed and diluted commercial 

versions, that bear little resemblance 

to the original product. Jatra 

however, is the first place in Dhaka to 

sell the real deal. 

DHAKA DOUGH 

With the hope that Bangladesh would 

not lag behind in appreciating the 

many benefits of organic production, 

Dhaka Dough began their journey in 

November, 2015. They started small 

but in over a year their popularity 

grew among Dhakaites. 

In order to help promote the 

country’s economy and to focus 

on long term sustainability, their 

concept is to obtain only Deshi 

supplies and make sure that Dhaka 

Dough’s products are as fresh as 

possible. 

Dhaka Dough also has an 

environment friendly return policy 

for their food grade containers, and 

makes sure that they are consistently 

reusable. Most of their products are 

sold per gram/kilogram, starting 

from Tk55. 

Grain 

A variety of grains such as rice flour, 

kalojeera polaw rice, whole wheat 

flour, and millet is being offered by 

Dhaka Dough. The health conscious 

population has relearned the benefits 

of unrefined, manually processed, 

fibre-rich versions and Dhaka Dough 

Dhaka Dough also offers a 

variety of other products, 

which include: 

• Flaxseed 

• Bay leaf 

• Kashundi 

• Mango pickle 

• Garlic pickle 

• Date molasses 

• Almond milk 

• Murki 

• Lip balm 

is helping “back to school” process. 

Honey 

Dhaka Dough procures their honey 

directly from the Sundarbans. It 

is done during the honey hunting 

season, which is April to June, 

which is later filtered and poured 

into wooden containers without any 

tampering in-between. 

Oil and Butter 

From coconut oil, mustard oil, 

sesame oil, almond oil, to flaxseed 

oil, peanut oil and black cumin, 

Dhaka is offering a wide range of oil. 

They are even selling peanut butter 

on top of their regular butter. 

Spices 

As Dhaka Dough wants their 

products to be as natural as possible, 

they try to procure their spices 

from local sources. The chilli 

comes from Bogra and turmeric is 

acquired directly from the hill tracts 

in Bandarban. The other spices 

available on their website are mace 

(joyotri), clove, coriander powder, 

cardamom, isabgol (psyllium husk), 

cumin powder, ground cinnamon, 

and pistachio. • 


Fashion editorial | Tailored 9 

Spring fashion 

at 30,000 feet 

You know you’re in an advanced stage of style 

when you have to change up your airport outfit 

according to season 

Mahmood Hossain 

Spring/summer is in full 

swing and all of your 

favourite or popular 

clothing stores and brands 

are putting their new collections on 

display. This usually the best time 

to update your wardrobe, given that 

the relentless sun is on your back 

throughout the entire day. What you 

airplane will drop temperatures almost 

drastically. It’s best to have a denim 

jacket. Keep in mind, we’re hanging 

out around the casual department 

when it comes to airport wear. And if 

it’s going to be a lengthy flight, you’ll 

want to be as comfortable as possible. 

The denim jacket is sophisticated 

enough to heighten your look, and 

comfortable enough to slip in-andout 

of. Ultimately, even with your 

destination in mind, the only time 

you’ll be donning the jacket is when 

you’re safely in your assigned seat. No 

one is telling you to flaunt it around 

like you’re on the runway. 

may not know is that there is actually 

a proper outfit for the new season as 

you decide to book your ticket to fly 

abroad. We’ve discussed travelling 

wardrobes in the past, but here’s 

a sure hit for any man planning to 

make a couple of trips above 30,000 

feet. 

Climate change 

With plenty of ludicrous politicians 

who continue to deny the rising 

tensions in climate change, you 

do have to consider where you’re 

departing from and where you’ll be 

landing. Dhaka, as we already know, 

is disgustingly hot. For the time 

being, we don’t have to deal with the 

infamous humidity in our tropical 

climate. This is where the outer most 

layer of this spring/airport look; the 

most important thing to have hanging 

on your arm. 

Most cooler climates will require 

a fresh new coat; however, our city 

requires something much lighter. Even 

though it’s hot outside, the airport and 

Safe with basics 

A basic white or any other solid 

coloured t-shirt is the ideal top 

underneath that denim jacket. While 

you’re channelling your inner James 

Dean, remember you want to feel 

as light as possible when waiting in 

unforgiving lines all the way to the 

boarding pathways. As you make 

sure you’ve applied your deodorant 

correctly and in all 

the right places, 

the white, cottonjersey 

t-shirt (even 

better if it’s linen) 

will you make 

you feel and look 

at ease. Literally, 

you cannot look 

any lighter than 

wearing a basic 

white, but with 

plenty of quality, 

t-shirt. And a 

crispy new t-shirt will never take away 

your classy take on something so 

casual. 

Not a fan of white? No worries, just 

make sure the shades you are aiming 

for on the lighter end of the spectrum. 

Something like a light blue or even 

pastel red will do just fine. 

From the waist, down 

Light-wash, slim-fit jeans are 

the go-to airport bottoms for the 

season. Sure, it might sound more 

comfortable to wear those fancy 

sweats from one place to another, 

but we’re talking about what’s “in” 

now, and 

not what 

used to be 

passable. 

Also, let’s 

be practical 

here. Sweats 

in this 

weather? If 

you think 

that to be 

acceptable, 

you’ve been 

drinking too 

much of that right-wing Kool-Aid. 

The entire idea behind this outfit 

is to look as light and fresh as you 

can. Naturally, light-coloured denim, 

protecting the family jewels and 

everything else below the waist, 

does the trick. Doesn’t matter if they 

are selvedge denim, stretch-denim 

Illustrations: Priyo 

or traditional washed and distressed 

denim, just make sure they are 

lighter shades of blue. 

Cushion those puppies 

As mentioned countless times 

before, the sneakers culture is here 

to stay. You’ve guessed it, a fresh pair 

of quality sneakers rounds off this 

season’s airport look. Nothing too 

crazy or fancy, just the right pair that 

compliments an already simple look. 

The shoes themselves should keep 

the shades in the same colour family. 

Be it Nike, Adidas, Converse, Vans or 

even in the higher-end departments 

like Lanvin, the contrasting colours 

shouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb. 

Look for subtle contrasts that are 

likely to mesh in well with your 

outfit. You want to look good and 

slightly different from the rest, but 

you don’t want to attract too much 

attention to you either. 

Think of yourself as a celebrity who 

simply cannot be bothered by the 

paparazzi but not too uppity to 

accept a compliment by a fellow 

passenger about your fly gear. • 


10 Photo Story | Monkey business 

Primates at Lawachara 

Spanning over 12 square kilometres area, 

Lawachara National Park was created in 1925 

through forestation. The trees planted then 

gradually expanded to become one of the major 

forest in the country. Rich in biodiversity the park 

attracts bird watchers from across the country, as 

well as people from outside of the national border. 

Khasi and Tipra tribes of indegenous people live in 

and around the park. 

Lawachara National Park houses a number 

of monkey species. Syed Zakir Hossain 

captured pictures of hoolock gibbons, a critically 

endangered species in Bangladesh. The other 

pictures are of the Phayre’s leaf monkey, which 

is also an endangered species. Hoolock gibbons 

are locally known as ‘woollook’ and Phayre’s leaf 

monkeys are known as ‘choshma pora honuman’. 

Photos: Syed Zakir Hossain 


11 


12 Fiction 

Page 

21 

through Muhammadpur, in a plastic 

bag being carried around by a man 

who sells “jhalmuri”. 

Feeling a little suffocated in there, 

I was soon sold off to a man who 

paid 10 bucks for the jhalmuri I was 

safeguarding in my pouch. Oh those 

freshly sliced lemons, tomatoes and 

chilli smelled like pure bliss! 

We jumped on a bus and it was 

then when I ran into my long lost 

friend, Page 7, who was carefully 

protecting some peanuts on the seat 

next to mine. 

Life cycle of a newspaper 

Khan N Moushumi 

Hi there! My name is Page 21 and I 

was born on April 3, 2017. 

It was a bright Monday morning. 

I had DT Sports written on my 

forehead. I was told, not in so many 

words though, that I was one of the 

many clones to have come out from 

our shared mother--the press--that 

day. 

I was printed in black and white, 

and I had a lot of sports-related info 

written all over me. There was also a 

big picture of West Indies’ cricketer 

Evin Lewis playing a shot at the third 

T20I pasted on my face. 

I went around Dhaka and after a 

bumpy, two and a half hour ride in 

a rowdy, green three-wheeler, I was 

dropped off at a distribution centre 

in Dhanmondi, but was soon picked 

up again and we headed towards a 

news-stand near Shankar. 

A guy named Kollol then stacked 

a few bundles of us on the back of 

his cycle and pedalled us around 

Dhanmondi, dropping us off at the 

doorstep or the patio of different 

structures. One by one, we were all 

gone. 

I remember landing on a 

brown doormat, and soon after a 

30-something lady came and picked 

me up. 

I watched her flip through the 

pages, taking a quick glance at the 

pictures and the headlines of the 

newspaper. I watched her staring, 

fixated at my second cousin Page 23, 

he had a picture of Canadian Prime 

Minister Justin Trudeau printed on 

him. I don’t blame the lady though, 

I mean, have you seen that smile 

on Mr Trudeau? Who wouldn’t be 

polarised by those pearly whites? 

I was left on the tea table for 

about half an hour or so until a 

middle-aged man approached me, 

then a young kid in his early teens 

and finally, an elderly woman who 

examined me through a pair of thick 

spectacles. The young boy was most 

excited to see me, he read the entire 

story on Lewis and how he crushed 

Pakistan in the T20. 

The next morning, I was thrown 

under the table in a basket with a 

bunch of other old newspapers. 

I sat there for a while. A few days 

passed, and I had my successors 

piling up on top of me. It was getting 

dark, boring, and quiet. I don’t 

remember when I passed out. 

When I woke up under the 

scorching sun, it was to a man 

yelling “Purano boi, khata, kagoz.” 

I was sitting on top of his head in 

what looked like an old, wicker 

basket; he was buying old books 

and newspapers from households in 

exchange for a red cent. And soon, as 

the day concluded, we were dumped 

in a small room where women and 

children would rip us off, tear us in 

half or quarters and make “thongas” 

(small paper bags) using glue. 

I quite enjoyed my time there, 

although heart-broken to be ripped 

apart from my family and friends. I 

watched those kids giggle away and 

talk about school or games while 

they folded and glued us together. 

A week later, I was travelling 

Illustration: Priyo 

Trying to hold back my tears, we 

exchanged greetings and he told 

me all about how others wound 

up. Page 15 and 17 were used for 

making hand fans, Page 4 was cut 

out to make paper flowers and that 

Justin Trudeau photo made it to the 

scrapbook of a 6th grader. Honestly, I 

couldn’t be any prouder. 

Next thing I remember, I was 

flicked in a dustbin, drenched in 

salt and oil from the remnants of 

the jhalmuri. There was nothing 

left of me. I was of no use, or so I 

thought. Two days later, I remember 

a tokai picked me up. I knew where 

I was headed next—the papermill 

again. To be washed, cleansed and 

recycled for a brand new page of the 

newspaper. • 


Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam | Interview 13 

“We are leaving you a country 

where you can flourish” 

A decorated war veteran discusses Kilo Flight 

Saqib Sarker 

Group Captain (retd) 

Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam’s 

name is inseparably 

associated with the 

birth of Bangladesh Air Force and 

by extension the history of the 

country itself. Along with a small 

number of rebel Bengali officers 

of the erstwhile Pakistani military, 

Shamsul Alam formed the very first 

fighting formation of the nascent 

Bangladesh Air Force, which was 

dubbed ‘Kilo Flight’. For his historic 

role in the liberation war he was 

awarded ‘Bir Uttam’. This year the 

veteran war hero has been awarded 

the Independence Award. 

Now in his 70s, the retired Group 

Captain strikes as more of an amiable 

grandfather figure than a former 

armed force personnel when you 

meet him in person. Perhaps age 

has mellowed him a bit but his 

diction has remained extremely 

sharp and his perspectives robustly 

straightforward. Most noticeably, 

his genuine enthusiasm for 

discussing history and Bangladesh is 

contagious. 

“Look, you probably want to 

know all about Kilo Flight. But 

I talked about that and they put 

out a video. I’ll give you the CD,” 

said Shamsul Islam, referring to a 

TV documentary made about the 

trainings and operation of Kilo 

Flight. “We will just chat,” he said, 

looking mischievously gleeful at the 

prospect of “chit-chatting”. 

“Listen, you cannot possibly 

fathom how incredibly poor we 

were,” said Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam, 

referring to the historic Bangladeshi, 

as he sat on a sofa at his residence, 

wearing a cream coloured punjabi 

and white lungi. “After the ‘bongo 

bhongo’ we got the first ever glimpse 

or a taste of independence. Because 

the Muslim majority population in 

this region never actually had any 

kind of autonomy. It’s not really a 

‘Hindu-Muslim’ thing at the core of 

it. But that is how the natives of this 

region felt,” he said. 

Being born in 1947, Shamsul 

Alam had the interesting historical 

opportunity of observing how the 

state of Pakistan unfolded and 

manifested itself. At the same time, 

he was within close proximity of 

colonial times and had a real sense of 

what it was like being the subject of 

British rule. 

“Lord Curzon divided Bengal to 

weaken the Hindu base,” he said. 

“We were happy because we felt we 

would no longer be dominated by 

and lorded over from Kolkata. We 

had nothing, nothing! Not any proper 

school or college,” he went on. 

“The Hindus built all the 

institutions and Muslim students did 

not have access. That’s just natural, 

because the local Muslims did not 

have anything from which they could 

build. All the scholarships went 

to the Hindus. Only a few Muslim 

students managed to enter into 

good quality mainstream education 

institutions. We used to ‘nomoshkar’ 

them, because they owned 

Photo: Courtesy 

everything; they were the founder, 

the principles, the governing body 

and everything else.” 

The point Shamsul Alam was 

making was that the Bengali 

people never really knew what it 

was like to have freedom, what 

in modern language we call ‘selfdetermination’. 

However, despite 

being poor, the Bengali people 

were more educated than the West 

Pakistani people. 

“Bengal as a region was far 

superior in education than, for 

instance, Baluchistan, Punjab, 

Sindh etc. Although we had rejected 

education at first thinking English 

was the language of the ‘kafir’. 

That was our mental destitution. 

People starting from Titumir, Haji 

Shariatullah and everyone else was 

anti-British. But the Hindus accepted 

the language, so they were able to get 

jobs with the English administration. 

We fell behind a few hundred years 

by not accepting that education.” 

But life was good for Shamsul 

Alam as an officer at the Pakistan air 

force. “As a pilot officer first rank my 

salary was 1175 rupees. I was only 

24 then and that was a lot of money. 

Let me tell you what that money 

was worth in 1967. A European 

refrigerator then cost 600 to 800 

rupees. I could buy a brand new 

Toyota car after a year’s saving from 

my salary. It cost me 11,000 rupees,” 

explained Shamsul Alam. 

But the monstrous brutality of 

the Pakistan military on March 25 

and afterwards made it absolutely 

clear to Shamsul Alam and his peers 

that a freedom struggle was the only 

way left for Bangladeshi people to 

live with dignity. That propelled 

him to travel to East Pakistan risking 

his life. The story of his capture at 

the Tejgaon airport and subsequent 

release is no less thrilling than spy 

novels. Shamsul Alam crossed the 

border to India to eventually join 

with his comrades and ultimately 

form the Kilo Flight. His story would 

remain as one of the most glowing 

examples of fighting for what is right. 

What does he think of Bangladesh 

in 2017, the country he helped 

liberate? “Look, journalists like to 

print negative news all the time. Yes, 

you have to report the bad things. Do 

that. But also let people know about 

the bright side,” said Shamsul Alam. 

“We can now provide free 

textbooks to millions of students. 

No one has done that in the subcontinent. 

We are the fourth largest 

rice producer in the world, even 

though land mass has shrunk 

because of population. The media 

must gather up the courage to 

publish these achievements,” he 

added. As the chit-chatting neared 

to an end for the day, Shamsul Alam 

said that Bangladesh can now truly 

look forward to a future. “Your 

generation can achieve things that 

we never could. We are leaving 

you a country where you can really 

flourish,” the Bir Uttam said, a look 

of tranquil satisfaction glinting in his 

eyes. • 


14 Space | documenting history 


‘A people’s 

museum’ 


The Liberation War Museum begins a new chapter 

Weekend Tribune Desk 

From 1996 to 2017, the 

Liberation War Museum 

(LWM) in Bangladesh 

has gone from being 

a budding project of a team of 

dedicated trustees to what they want 

to call a “people’s museum”. The 

group started off with scrounging 

together enough cash to create a 

trust fund and travel the nation in 

search of the stories of pain and 

pride from 1971, and collecting 

artifacts and information related 

to the Bangladeshi struggle for 

independence. 

20 years in the making, the 

LWM has finally shifted to its new 

premises in the capital’s Agargaon 

area, with the Honourable PM Sheikh 

Hasina formally inaugurating the 

museum on April 16, 2016. Designed 

by budding architect Tanzim Hasan, 

the 20,000 sq meter museum now 

houses over 21,000 artifacts that 

have been collected over the years. 

Wandering through the now 

expansive spaces of the Liberation 

War Museum, you not only learn the 

greater story of the Liberation War 

in more detail than what most of us 

know from formal education – it is 

the simpler stories of resistance, and 

glimpses into the lives of ordinary 

people living through extraordinary 

times, that really touches you. You 

see the black-and-white faces of 

freedom fighters, young men clad in 

simple lungis, who will never return. 

You see the faces of Birangonas 



15 

intellectuals in the final few days of 

the war. 

But you also take immense pride in 

the pockets of resistance that flowered 

across the country; starting from the 

young women in guerrilla training 

to the fiery words of poets dreaming 

of revolution, the LWM invokes 


“When we started off, we 

(the trustees) all contributed 

to a trust fund to set up the 

museum, no matter how 

difficult it was for us. How could 

we ask people for money for our 

cause, if we were not willing 

to invest in it ourselves? There 

are a lot of things in Bangladesh 

that make us feel frustrated, 

but we have learnt that if the 

country needs something, and 

if there are a group of people 

dedicatedly working towards 

it whose intentions cannot be 

questioned – then ordinary 

people will come together to 

show their support. 

We started off with only Tk 

25,000 each, and we needed Tk 

140 crore for the new premises. 

Of this, Tk 40 crore came from 

the government, but the rest 

simply came from ordinary 

people in Bangladesh, starting 

from donations from bank 

officials to tiffin money from 

school children. No foreign 

funds were involved.” 

- Dr Sarwar Ali, LWM trustee 

hopelessly staring into the distance, 

of children fearlessly running head 

on into protests, and the sheer horror 

of the torture inflicted on martyred 

what is perhaps even more relevant 

in 2016 – the spirit of 1971, and the 

unconditional love for one’s nation 

that made even the simplest farmer 

turn into a fearless freedom fighter. 


The LWM’s galleries are truly 

an emotive experience, and filled 

with little gems that most of us 

have no idea exist, whether is the 

rudimentary contraptions used on 

rail tracks to transport necessary 

resources in a war-ravaged 

nation, a makeshift press used to 

print revolutionary slogans, or 

a newspaper clipping of the first 

time a football team representing 

Bangladesh, and not East Pakistan 

played the game to raise awareness 

about the war-torn nation. The 

museum’s representation of history 

comes in many layers, with a focus 

not only on the history of the war 

at home, but of the greater political 

game being played by world powers 

at the height of the Cold War, as well 

as the international focus on the 

genocide that occurred during those 

nine months. 


Last but not least, the LWM also 

plays a crucial role in preserving the 

history that many would have us 

forget, such as a newspaper article 

written by the notorious war criminal 

Ghulam Azam on how Hindus 

cannot be friends with Muslims, 

and decrying the secularism that 

was the fire lighting the flames 

of revolution in an independent 

Bangladesh. In fact, the LWM played 

an important role in contributing 

evidence to the recent war crimes 

trials, and continues to add to some 

much-needed research on 1971 

through its Centre for the Study 

of Genocide and Justice, as well 

as the Institute of Liberation War 

Studies. On top of that, it constantly 

engages in outreach programmes for 

the younger generation, including 

organising museum visits and 

creating a mini museum on wheels 

to reach school children from across 

the country, as well as inspiring them 

to collect eye-witness accounts. So 

“The hugeness of what this 

museum has turned out to be 

has stunned us the most. This 

was always a personal and 

emotional project for us, and 

we have all worked together 

in the background to make 

this happen because we really 

believed in this – there was 

never any public posturing 

or vying for leadership. This 

museum is our gift to the next 

generation and we hope you will 

all come together and become 

involved in preserving it.” 

- Tariq Ali, LWM trustee 

“Everyone has contributed 

to the museum – from a 

schoolchild to a rickshaw puller, 

and a petty shopkeeper to a 

large-scale corporation. For 

this reason I think it truly is a 

people’s museum, but now we 

need to ensure that it continues 

to grow and evolve, and not just 

turn into a collection of exhibits 

within four walls. 

Our most important task 

now is to bring in the younger 

generation to not only know 

of the history of the Liberation 

War, but to assimilate the spirit 

of the time. Without this, it 

will not be possible to infuse 

new blood into the museum 

and hand over its care to a new 

generation that truly believes 

in it. Another important focus 

is obviously on doing proper 

historical research, as well as 

recording our oral history before 

it is too late.” 

- Asaduzzaman Noor, LWM 

trustee 


far, over 28,000 records have been 

collected through this programme. 

According to LWM trustee Dr 

Sarwar Ali, “There was a time we 

were worried that many aspects 

of our history would be lost to the 

next generation. But the immense 

support we get, as well as the 

renewed interest in justice after the 

Shahbagh movement, has made us 

very hopeful. The museum’s journey 

has been a very emotional one, and 

we have high hopes of the next 

generation taking over and taking it 

further.” • 


16 Groceries | Food safety 

You are what 

you eat 

Options for healthy food in the local market 

Saudia Afrin 

The growing problem of food 

adulteration continues to be a 

health concern. However, people are 

more aware now than before, and 

instead of waiting for others to take 

initiatives to fix the situation, they 

are taking matters into their own 

hands and doing whatever possible 

to minimise the consequences of 

food adulteration in society and on 

themselves. 

How would you react if you found 

out that about half of the vegetable 

items in the markets are intoxicated 

by pesticides? Unfortunately, that 

is exactly what the situation is like. 

According to a survey conducted by 

the National Food Safety Laboratory 

(NFSL), with support from the Food 

and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 

most of the vegetable items sold 

in the market are adulterated with 

pesticides. 

Civilians are 

purchasing and 

consuming fatal 

chemicals such 

as formalin and 

lead chromium 

along with their 

groceries 

Over time, the list of adulterated 

food items grew longer as several 

other daily grocery items were 

found to be adulterated as well. 

Even fish, chicken, fruits and spices 

have not been exempted from this 

list. Civilians are purchasing and 

consuming fatal chemicals such as 

formalin and lead chromium along 

with their groceries. 

A lot of mobile courts have 

appeared over time but the entire 

process of getting things under 

control is still just a work in progress. 

It’s high time people were made 

aware of it and something was being 

done to prevent it. But the fact that a 

few people and organisations started 

to combat the problem of food 

contamination, is probably the only 

silver lining. 

Jahan Dairy is one such 

organisation. To provide nutritious 

food for families, they began farming 

their own products. The rising 

demand for healthy food initiated 

this endeavour. Jahid Alam, one 

of the initiators said, “There is an 

endless demand for unadulterated 

food with zero supply. We wanted 

to grow vegetables and other food 

items for personal consumption but 

it was too expensive. That’s when we 

decided to start farming these items 

not for just ourselves, but for others 

looking to buy unadulterated food 

items as well. We wanted to serve 

people and also create a sustainable 

process.” 

Alam also informed that 

everything which include milk and 

milk products such as ghee, curd, 

deshi chicken and eggs and fish 

are produced in their own farm in 

Mawla, Gazipur. Vegetables and 

fruits are sold depending on their 

seasonal availability. A few products 

such as ghee are being processed 

as per order. Enriched by the 

knowledge of feasibility and demand 

gathered from pilot projects, Jahan 

Dairy has dedicated gardens for each 

fruit. Initially they have started with 

papaya, guava and mango. 

In the 16 bigha farm everything is 

farmed through natural processes. 

“In our chicken farm, we strictly 

avoid processed food, and we feed 

local rice grains. The same process 

has been applied to every other 

section. And in future our plan is 

to focus more on vegetable,” Alam 

said. Most of its customers are from 

Gulshan, Banani, Morpur DOHS, 

Dhanmondi, Uttara and Niketon. 

For nearer places home delivery 

is Tk50 and for deliver to distance 

destinations Tk100 is charged. 

Currently, Jahan Dairy takes orders 

from across the city throughout the 

week and home delivering on Fridays 

and Saturdays via their hotline 

number (+8801710990999). 

Sabuj Udyog, which specialises 

in the same sector are providing 

unadulterated red/white flour, 

deshi sugar, a variety of rice, 

spices, shudh ghee, achaar, honey, 

puffed rice, seasonal fruits etc. 

Apart from having their own farm, 

they also source their products 

from local farmers but only after 

they’ve ensured the quality of the 

produce. Sabuj Udyog has a store 

in 766/E, Road-7, Baitul Aman 

Housing, Adabor, Mohammadpur. 

They also take orders through their 

hotline number (+8801791002007). 

“About four years of journey, we 

never compromise with quality. 

With a consistent growing number 

everyday, currently we are serving 

more than 500 customers,” Firoz 

Infograph: Bigstock 

Alam, a sales executive of the store 

happily informed. 

Another similar initiative by 

Madol has been providing organic 

food for last ten months. Their 

products include rice, lentil, different 

types of spices, puffed rice, which 

they collect from reliable local 

farmers directly. While collecting 

food, Madol go for collecting 

products from renowned districts 

for each agricultural product. Belal 

Hossain, Manager, said, “Milk is 

collected from Madol’s own farm 

located in Savar. After collecting 

the seeds and raw materials from 

local farmers mustered oil, powder 

of coriander, turmeric and cumin 

are produced under the careful 

supervision of our staffs.” Till now, 

most of the selling are operated 

by its shop at Pathapath near 

Square hospital and home delivery 

is available for walking distance 

customers. This shop has around 

15 regular customers who hail from 

Uttara and Gulshan mostly on 

weekly basis to get their products. 

Siqat Food Shop offers kalijira 

honey, collected directly from 

farmers and Sundarban honey 

collected from the local mawali. 

They can be reached at their 

designated hotline as well 

(+8801875221866). • 


6 

ways to celebrate 

Earth Day 

Green practices to your everyday routine 

Sabiha Akond Rupa 

Turn off the taps already 

2 4 

No, we’re not asking you to be dirty, but there really isn’t 

On April 22, the world is going to any reason for having a half-hour long shower everyday. 

celebrate Earth Day in honour of As stated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a 

the environmental movement daily nice shower of ten minutes or more can consume up 

that began in the 1970s. While to 50 to 70 gallons of water. But according to water.org, a 

issues like pollution and climate change 

typical family in an African country uses only 10% of that 

require intervention on a policy level, there for an entire day; this includes drinking water, cooking 

remains the need for greater environmental and everything else. So why not just go back to the basics 

awareness on a micro level in Bangladesh. and use a bucket to ration your shower water, or just draw 

There are dozens of ways you can promote yourself a small bath? We also have a terrible habit of 

a healthy ecosystem and spread awareness, keeping the tap running while doing the dishes, when really 

not just tomorrow but all year long. Here are we just need a fraction of that in a bucket/washbasin to 

a few suggestions. 

soak our dirty dishes in and rinse. 

rewarding experiences. 

Life style | Earth day 17 

Give back to Mother Earth 

One of the best and easiest ways to 

celebrate Earth Day is by planting a tree 

anywhere you like. You can also have 

plants inside a corner of your own house 

and if you’re really feeling adventurous, 

why not try to grow some of your own, 

fresh food and ensure you bypass the 

pesticides? You can grow low maintenance 

vegetables like tomatoes, ladies-fingers, 

eggplants, chilies, curry leaves, tulsi and 

aloe vera. Even if it is only a little flower, 

you’ll find that making something grow 

from a seed or sapling can be a surprisingly 

1 

good idea, but just think of how much of your 

Give up the comfy cars 

In this hot weather, this may not sound like a 

carbon footprint you can reduce by using 

alternatives. You don’t have to do it daily – 

just consider it as a day off for your car now 

and then. If you’re going to make a short trip, 

why not give yourself some much-needed 

exercise and walk, and then the cool shower 

you step into once you get home will feel 

twice as good? Both you and the planet will 

be the healthier for it. You can also give your 

favourite bicycle a run, carpool with someone 

from work, or just use a rickshaw and watch 

the city go by during your daily commute. 

Re-use the garbage for compost 

3 

Among many other benefits, the most 

important reasons of composting can be the 

reduction of garbage volume, less usage of 

chemical fertilisers, and improvement of soil 

drainage and aeration, which is the key factor 

of plant growth. Many of you will have plants, 

flower pots and maybe even mini kitchen 

gardens in your balconies and roofs, and 

you can save yourself the hassle of going out 

and getting compost by just using the waste 

from your home. Fruit and vegetable scraps, 

eggshells, leaves, grass, garden plants, flowers, 

newspapers, cardboards, wood chips etc. can 

all be turned into compost. 

Create 5an energy efficient home 

On Earth Day, we all should try to make this 

6 

world a little more livable, and consuming 

less gas and electricity is one of our biggest 

concerns in saving the environment. If you’re 

willing to make a one-off investment that will 

benefit you in the long-run, why not set up a 

solar panel at your house? Or at least practice 

cooking less food, and using less lights, fans 

and air conditioners whenever possible. Use 

your other home appliances less as well, 

and now that energy efficient lighting is so 

affordable and easily available, there really is 

no excuse to not use it. 

Photo: Bigstock 

Switch off the gadgets and enjoy nature 

The world is becoming bigger inside the small 

screens of our mobile phones and gadgets. 

We feel connected to the multiple devices 

occupying our attention, but are becoming 

more and more distant from the real world out 

there. Put down the gadgets and look outside 

your window. Go to your roof or hunt out an 

open space in this overcrowded city and look 

at the sky, and enjoy the wind, the storms 

and the sun. Let’s connect with Mother Earth 

before connecting with its creations around us, 

whether they are on screens or by our sides. • 


18 stay in 

Clues 

Mini cryptics 

ACROSS 

1 Floated used vacuum with 

nothing removed (7) 

4 Makes movie orders (7) 

6 Folding art or I keep three wise 

men returning (7) 

7 Need drink, sips first in two 

and a half dozen (7) 

DOWN 

1 Leather not at home 

for secret place (7) 

2 Drive crazy composer 

(5) 

3 Deny its alternate 

future (7) 

5 Quality of lesson (5) 

Sudoku 

Use 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 

Make your 

own tassel 

earrings 

Tasfia Huda 

diy 

You will need: 

• Hand embroidery thread or any 

thread (any colour you want) 

• 9″ rhinestone chain 

• 2 earring parts (lever-backs or fishhooks) 

Last week’s solutions 

Solved it? Email answers to weekend@dhakatribune.com and win one free 

month of the Dhaka Tribune. 

ACROSS 

1 Untied, reformed and put together 

(6) 

6 Average is capital (5) 

7 Diving method of bear in South 

Africa (5) 

8 State gone or moved around (6) 

DOWN 

2 Write up melody for sea god 

(7) 

3 Winding wind ripped a party 

(7) 

4 Lust of french father (6) 

5 Embarrassing failure in Sofia’s 

company (6) 

Last week’s solutions 

Solved it? Email answers to weekend@dhakatribune.com and 

win one free month of the Dhaka Tribune. 

• 2 large jump-rings 

• Chain-cutting pliers 

• Scissors 

• Glue 

Cut one of the embroidery threads in 

half, and add each half to the other 

thread skein, so you have two piles 

of thread. Line up each thread, so 

you have two threads placed together 

through a jump-ring. 

Estimate how long you want your 

earrings to be, and add a little more 

length than you think you need. Fold 

the thread towards the other end, 

match the ends, and trim the long ends. 

Repeat the same process, putting 

the two thread ends into the jump-ring, 

matching the ends to what you already 

have, and trimming. Keep going until 

you have used all your thread. 

Use a shorter thread to tie around 

the longer ones, just underneath the 

jump-ring in a double knot. Do the 

same for your other bundle of threads 

and jump-ring. 

Place a dot of glue on the thread 

knots, and snip the free thread ends. 

Snip the rhinestone chain in half 

with the chain cutters. 

Place a thin strip of glue onto the 

back of the chain. Then, place the tassel 

on top of the chain, exactly where you 

have tied the thread. 

Wrap the glued chain around the tassel. 

Do the same for the other tassel, and 

allow to dry.• 


For the love of dim sum | Gastronomy 19 

Diaspora 

of delectable 

dim sum 

Nisha Ali 

Steamy, hot, juicy, succulent 

and filling, they burst open 

with a medley of flavours 

as soon as you put them in 

your mouth – if you haven’t guessed 

it already, I am talking about delicious 

dim sums, the marvellous bite-sized 

snacks that are a unique culinary 

Cantonese creation. Generally 

steamed in bamboo steamers, pan 

fried, baked, or deep-fried, these 

dumplings, buns, wraps, puffs, tarts 

and stuffed cakes are among the 

world’s finest hors d’oeuvres. 

Personally, dim sums serve as my 

other favourite for lunch, because 

although filling, they don’t make you 

feel heavy and lethargic afterwards. 

Having said that, within a 40 minute 

lunch break, it’s impractical to travel to 

a restaurant, beating the crazy traffic 

in this heat, ordering, dining in and 

making my way back to work. 

Just a few days back, one of my 

colleagues gave me the sweetest 

surprise for lunch at work – a 

beautiful red ‘Yum Cha’ box from 

Chows, the fine dining Cantonese 

restaurant’s newest 

launch containing an 

assortment of dim sum. 

It took me back to 

my late teen years when 

I was located in Hang 

Zhou for a fashion internship. There I 

got to know that in Chinese custom, 

locals loved to go to teahouses and 

restaurants with friends and family, 

especially during the weekend to 

unwind over a cup of tea and dim 

sum served in carts that are pushed 

around from which diners can order. 

The drinking of tea is as important as 

eating dim sum. 

Dim sums originated in China 

thousands of years ago and has grown 

increasingly popular in the Western 

world in recent years. According to 

some sources, they were first made 

more than 2,500 years ago, as evident 

in the music and poetry of that 

time. Although inextricably linked 

to Cantonese cuisine, the first dim 

sum is believed to have been made in 

Northern China and has changed and 

developed enormously over time. The 

popular story is that it was created 

by chefs of the Royal Court many 

centuries ago as an exclusive luxury, 

in order to touch the heart of Chinese 

emperors. 

‘Dim sum’ is intimately linked 

with ‘yum cha’, so much so that 

the two phrases are often used 

interchangeably. ‘Dim sum’ literally 

translates to ‘touch the heart’, which 

is an ideal way to describe the small, 

scrumptious, sweet or savoury dishes 

while the term ‘yum cha’ translates to 

‘drink tea’. The small portions were 

designed to merely touch the heart 

and not sate the appetite and as such 

were first enjoyed as snacks. 

The filling, pastry and shape 

depends on the region and climate 

from which it originates. The tastiest 

and best, according to many, comes 

from Southern China, Canton and 

Hong Kong. Many of the 

dim sum are classic, their 

roots inherently traditional, 

but all are given a uniquely 

contemporary twist, either in 

technique or the ingredients 

used. 

Most items come in 

a serving for four to six, 

allowing diners to share a 

good variety of delicacies 

around a table. Although 

every restaurant has its own 

dim sum menu, certain 

traditional items can be found 

in almost all dim sum outlets. 

My long relationship with 

dim sums continued even 

when I returned from Hang 

Zhou to Melbourne, one of the 

Photos: Courtesy 

most culturally diverse cities across 

the globe. I realized that this Chinese 

version of Spanish tapas, indeed, 

has carved its name as one of the top 

favourites in the world of appetizers. 

With Dhakaites having demonstrated 

fascination for Chinese and Thai 

cuisine (although with a deshi twist) 

for years, it was only a matter of 

time that dim sum and many other 

authentic dishes in Chinese cuisine 

earned quick acceptance amongst 

them, once they were introduced. 

I have tried Dim Sums in almost all 

the good restaurants offering them 

in Dhaka. The dumplings in Hakka 

Dhaka are alright as part of the platter 

deals, although they are outshined 

by the other dishes such as wrapped 

prawn and hunan chicken in the 

platter menu. Both Flavors of China 

and Mainland China do pretty decent 

jobs with the few different types of 

Dim Sums they offer to their clientele. 

It was at Chows that I felt no other 

restaurant in Bangladesh knows dim 

sum better than they do; their beef 

and chive sui mai and crispy prawn 

cheung fung are to die for. Their 

BBQ chicken bao as well as steamed 

mushroom and herb dumplings are 

also extremely popular to the repeat 

clients. I’d recommend ordering a 

Beijing Black mocktail made from 

blackberry, orange and cinnamon 

to cleanse your palate. If you want 

a small trial before going in for the 

ultimate experience of fine dining 

there, just get their latest Yum Cha box 

with assorted Dim Sums for take away; 

trust me, you will want to go back for 

more of these delectable delights. • 


20 HEALTH | depression 

The roots of depression 

Finding the hidden causes are essential 

Anika Humaira 

This year’s slogan for 

World Health Day is 

‘Depression: Let’s talk’, 

shining a much-needed 

light on the growing cases of 

depression all across the world. 

For most of us, ‘abuse’ is a 

discomforting word and quite 

often, it makes us think of physical 

and sexual violence. However, 

emotional abuse is also an 

important factor when thinking of 

depression, and we can face all of 

these forms of abuse at home or any 

other comfort zone. Children are 

more affected here by that weapon 

that often remains hidden from 

sight. Several studies have found 

that childhood abuse is related to 

low self-esteem and depression. 

We need to ask ourselves, are we 

providing enough security at home. 

Why is childhood depression so 

high in cities? Here are a few stories 

to explain what we’re doing wrong, 

and how crucial it is for family 

members to find the root causes of 

psychological problems. Security 

and loving attachments can go a 

long way in preventing depression. 

Physical violence 

leads to anger 

Shaikat, an 

adolescent, came 

to me with anger 

problems. Anger is 

usually an impact 

of serious neglect or 

punishment. When 

he described his 

story, he just became 

furious. He was talking about his father and how he beat him in his 

childhood, as if he was some sort of animal. His parents were unhappy 

together and always fighting. When he interrupted, even if it was for 

food, he would be scolded for no fault of his own. In this way, beatings, 

punishment and neglect became a part of his life. 

When he became older, he decided that he will not tolerate this 

anymore, and also became very defensive. 

Parents must take sexual abuse seriously 

Rima was 11 years old when she was first sexually harassed by her 

private tutor. Then at 12 years, she was almost raped by her music 

teacher. Her life, emotions, socialisation - everything changed, but 

her parents only noticed behavioural change and anger. They were 

disturbed by their failure to control their child, and objected to her 

becoming “too independent”. Their lack of understanding made her 

more emotionally distant, and even though she tried to tell her story 

once, they focused only on her ‘honour’ and kept her more under 

surveillance. She was not allowed to go anywhere, even with friends. 

She became more and more lonely. 

One day, something even worse happened in her life. She went to 

her grandmother’s house, and was sexually harassed by her own uncle. 

Based on her past experiences, she didn’t bother to tell her mother, 

because she knew she would somehow be blamed. Even when her 

parents finally sought medical help, their only complaint was that she 

had behavioural problems and was unsocial. 

Cut out the constant criticism 

Selina was very conscious about her beauty and her parents did not 

approve - they criticised her, punished her, and kept nagging in front 

of visitors at home. She often felt humiliated this way, and started to 

isolate herself. Her parents became more controlling and she became 

more arrogant. Once they reached breaking point, they came to seek 

help. The first thing to find out was, why was she so crazy about 

beautification? She 

explained how she 

had been bullied in 

her childhood for 

being fat, and how 

people put examples 

of others in front of 

her and asked her 

to follow suit. They 

questioned every 

choice of hers and 

advised her on what to eat, what to wear and what to do. She was afraid 

to join family gatherings because she became ashamed. She drawn a 

negative picture of herself and tried to change herself, and this effort 

made her more and more depressed. 

This kind of story is common in children who achieve low academic 

grades at school. Criticism kills confidence. 

*Names have been changed to protect identities • 

The author is counselor at the Clinical Psychology Department of 

United Hospital Limited

Weekend-5-1

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