Weekend-5-8

Dhaka Tribune 

vol 5 Issue 8 | friDAY, june 9, 2017 

9 

Contest 

Comic art 

12 Disaster 

management 

15 AirBnB 

Hospitality

CONTENTS 1 

Volume 5 | Issue 8 | June 9, 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 

Mahmood Hossain 

Moumita Ahmed 

Tasfia Huda 

Baizid Haque Joarder 

Saqib Sarker 

Mahmood Sadi 

Sabiha Akond Rupa 

Contributors 

Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan 

Milhan Khondaker 

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 

Sun, sand and seashells 

Editor’s note 

Dear Readers, 

While we hope for a peaceful 

and harmonious Ramadan, 

frequent news of violence and 

terror attacks around the globe 

make for an unforeseen future 

that seems bleak and full of 

trepidation. The only means of 

sanctity we may salvage from 

all this is by clutching on to the 

optimism of the human race, 

and continuing to believe that 

the scales of good and evil will 

forever be tipped against the 

latter. 

With World Environment Day 

having just passed on June 5, 

this week’s Weekend Tribune 

includes a comprehensive 

story on the recent cyclone 

Mora (page 12), focusing on 

the pre and post disaster 

management procedures taken 

up by the government and 

other authorities. 

Finally, on a positive note, 

we also have a feature (page 

15) on the endeavours of a 

unique young couple living in 

Old Dhaka who make it their 

passion to share our culture 

and heritage with guests from 

all over the world. 

Farina Noireet 

News 

2 News 

3 Meanwhile 

Features 

4 Tailored 

Men’s fashion 

5 Tempt 

Nail art 

8 Weekly Planner 

Ramadan 

9 Contest 

Comic art 

12 Environment 

Disaster management 

14 Interview 

Imran Ahmed 

15 Hospitality 

AirBnB 

16 Parenting 

Awareness 

17 Parenting 

Education 

19 Biz Info 

20 Tech 

Regulars 

18 Stay in 

On the cover 

Teknaf Marine Drive, 

Cox’s Bazar 

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain 

WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017

2 News | This week 

Four Arab nations led a 

diplomatic break with Qatar 

on May 5, moving swiftly to isolate 

the small but influential country 

in a feud that stunned the Middle 

East and divided a coalition of 

monarchies that the United States 

had hoped to rally to fight the 

Islamic State and counter Iran. 

The countries – Gulf Cooperation 

Council members Saudi Arabia, 

the United Arab Emirates and 

Bahrain, along with Egypt – released 

coordinated statements accusing 

Qatar of supporting terrorist groups 

The world at a glance 

Four Arab nations sever diplomatic ties with 

Qatar 

and saying that as 

a result they were 

cutting links to the 

country by land, sea 

and air. 

Other countries, 

including Yemen, 

later joined the 

four-nation bloc in severing 

ties with Qatar, which hosts a 

forward base for the US military’s 

Central Command and is home 

to the widely watched Al Jazeera 

television network. 

The feud, the most serious in 

decades among the Persian Gulf 

monarchies, has been simmering for 

years as Qatar has sought to project 

its influence across the region, 

including backing the Muslim 

Brotherhood and Islamist fighters in 

Libya and Syria. 

Photo: AFP 

IS terrorists kill seven in London 

Seven people were killed and 

dozens injured during attacks 

in two closely connected areas of 

London in May 3. 

Police were called after a 

white rental van was driven into 

pedestrians on London Bridge at 

about 9.58pm on Saturday night. 

The van continued on to nearby 

Borough Market where three 

attackers emerged and carried out 

multiple stabbings in pubs and 

restaurants. 

Armed police arrived and shot 

the attackers dead within eight 

minutes of being alerted. The 

attackers were armed 

with knives and wore 

what turned out to be 

fake suicide vests. 

On Sunday night, 

Islamic State claimed 

responsibility 

for the attack. “A 

detachment of 

Islamic State fighters 

executed yesterday’s 

London attack,” said a statement 

posted on the group’s Amaq media 

agency website. 

Authorities named Khuram 

Shazad Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 

30 and Youssef Zaghba, 22 as three 

men who carried out the bloody 

rampage. 

Photo: Reuters 

IS claims coordinated attacks in Tehran, at 

least five dead 

The Islamic State group claimed 

its first attacks in Iran in May 

7 as gunmen and suicide bombers 

killed at least five people in twin 

assaults on parliament and the 

tomb of the country’s revolutionary 

founder in Tehran. 

Dozens of people were also 

wounded in the attacks, with 

continuing gunfire several hours 

after they began. 

A security guard and one 

other person were killed when 

four gunmen burst into 

Tehran’s parliament 

complex with rifles and 

a pistol, according to the 

ISNA news agency. 

One of the attackers 

blew himself up on 

the fourth floor of the 

parliament office building 

as a standoff with police continued 

for several hours. 

In the coordinated mid-morning 

attack, a gardener was reported 

dead and several more injured 

when armed assailants entered 

the grounds of Ruhollah Khomeini 

mausoleum in the south of the city. 

Photo: AFP 

Terrorist attack 

left 37 dead in 

Manila casino 

Thirty-seven people have been 

killed in a Manila casino, following 

an attack in the early hours in May 2 by 

a lone gunman who fired shots from 

an assault rifle and set fire to gambling 

tables. 

The victims, who did not appear to 

have been shot, are thought to have 

died of suffocation. 

Despite ongoing ISIS-affiliated 

militant activity in the southern 

Philippines island of Mindanao, 

authorities ruled out terrorism as the 

motive for the attack. However, late 

Friday, ISIS claimed responsibility in a 

statement from its Amaq media wing, 

which said “Islamic State fighters” 

carried out the attack. 

Earlier, authorities said 35 bodies 

were found in the casino area in 

Resorts World Manila after a lone 

gunman fired shots and set fire to 

gambling tables in the early hours of 

Friday morning. 

Photo: Reuters 


. . . Meanwhile 3 

Photo of the week 

Say what 

A 

man unleashed approximately 100 

bedbugs at the Augusta City Center 

in Maine, on May 2, causing officials 

to close the building and summon pest 

control. 

The man emptied a container filled with 

the insects on a counter when staff informed 

him that he did not qualify for assistance 

to address his bedbug issue, the Kennebec 

Journal reports. 

“He whipped out a cup (full of live 

bedbugs) and slammed it on the counter, 

and bam, off they flew, maybe 100 of them,” 

City Manager William Bridgeo told the 

newspaper. 

The man had applied to the state’s 

“general assistance” program after his 

former apartment’s bed bug problem caused 

him to get rejected from a new place to live. 

A municipal manager since 1976, Bridgeo 

said he could not recall “anything as yucky 

as this.” 

Employees immediately called police, 

who located the man, according to WGME.• 

News and photo: Huffington Post 

A labourer working at a brick 

breaking field in Keranigonj. 

Photo: Mehedi Hasan 

Angry man retaliates against City Hall 

with cup of 100 bedbugs 

Aries (Mar21-Apr19): his week, you 

could pamper yourself and indulge in 

a few luxuries. You’re unlikely to miss 

a bargain either. 

Taurus (Apr20-May20): You’ll feel 

good about life and be able to enjoy 

everyday pleasures. The focus on 

your home zone could also encourage 

you to do more entertaining or think 

about getting your place in shape. 

Gemini (May21-June20): On 

Tuesday, you could find your natural 

curiosity is piqued by new ideas and 

opportunities. You may also be eager 

to look further into your finances, and 

find ways to make your money work 

harder for you. 

Cancer (June21-Jul22): This might be 

your chance to take a proactive approach 

to a lingering situation. Also, your social 

life might get spiced up and pave the 

way for some lovely romantic dates. 

Leo (Jul23-Aug22): This week you could 

be encouraged to seek groups of interest 

or connect with like-minded others. 

From Saturday, all the hard work you’ve 

put into a plan could bear fruit. 

Virgo (Aug23-Sep22): Opportunities 

for romance could appear when you’re 

travelling. They might also show up if 

you’re studying in a group or learning a 

new skill. 

Libra (Sep23-Oct22): Your love life could 

take a new and sensual turn on Tuesday. 

The coming weeks could provide an 

opportunity to draw closer to that special 

person and bond more deeply. 

Scorpio (Oct23-Nov21): If there have 

been any issues between you and 

another, this is the time to bring a chance 

to smooth things over. The focus on your 

sector of resources and business could 

see you eager to cost out new ideas and 

consider your profit margins. 

Sagittarius (Nov22-Dec21): Hanging 

out with your friends who are health 

conscious, can help you feel revitalised, 

especially if you decide to imply such 

habits into your own life. 

Capricorn (Dec22-Jan19): The coming 

weeks can provide an opportunity to 

clear the air. And if your partner and you 

have different plans, there is a greater 

likelihood of compromise. 

Aquarius (Jan20-Feb18): Food and 

cooking could be something you enjoy 

doing at home. In fact, this could provide 

an excuse to bring everyone together 

and enjoy playing host. 

Pisces (Feb19-Mar20): Romantic options 

could increase this week. You may 

become more proactive about dating or 

seeking that special person. 

horoscopes 


4 tailored | men’s fashion 

Draped 

and dapper 

D K Tusshar’s Dhaka debut 

Sabrina Fatma Ahmad 

The festival season happens to 

coincide with a rainy summer 

this year, posing an interesting 

conundrum for the sartorially 

inclined. To bling out for the occasion, 

or bow down to the weather? Designers 

around town are opting for a minimal 

approach. Less is definitely more this Eid. 

With that in mind, it’s well worth taking a 

gander at D K Tusshar’s debut collection in 

Dhaka. 

Although Indian by birth, D K Tusshar 

claims to have a deep love for Bangladesh, 

as his grandfather hails from here, and 

his wife is also Bangladeshi. The winner 

of the Smirnoff International (2000) 

had a fascination with design since his 

childhood, having started off by making 

clothes for his sister, her friends and her 

dolls on his mother’s sewing machine, 

before opting to study fashion design. He 

even had the opportunity to work with 

Iraqi-born British designer Reem Alasadi 

in the UK. After coming to Bangladesh, he 

joined the Shanta Mariam University of 

Creative Technology. 

Sticking to a monochromatic palette of 

sober blues in classic denim, the focus of 

Photos: Courtesy 

the entire collection is in the silhouette. Tusshar takes us through 

the pages of heritage, travelling through the ages of menswear in 

the Sub Continent, subtly telling tales using various draping styles. 

Hemlines rise and fall, necklines veer off to the side in angrakkha 

style, and discreet buttons and fastenings appear in unexpected 

ways to bring each outfit to life. 

Although he is yet to open up a fashion studio here, one can 

contact him at zorroonly@me.com for further information and 

orders 

Fashion Designer: D K Tusshar 

Styling: Faisal Tushar 

Photographer: Topu Rahman. 

model : Alvee Khan and Ashikur Rahman Saheem 


Nail art | Tempt 5 

Nerd 

nails 

5 epic nail art ideas for the geeky gals 

Tasneem Chow 

Are you tired of painting your nails the usual, boring old colours, 

and want to try something different? Sure, there’s plenty of 

ideas on the Internet, but how about something that’s a bit 

more you? For all the fangirls out there, here are a few easy 

suggestions on how to get your geek on when trying out some nail art. 

‘You are better at dying’ 

If you haven’t already realised, 

this writer is a huge 

Whovian, and what better 

way to pay tribute to the 

one of the most beloved 

but also underrated 

sci-fi shows ever than 

painting its baddies? 

It’s way easier to paint 

a Cyberman and Dalek 

than the TARDIS or the 

Doctor himself from Doctor 

Who, just make sure you have 

some silver and golden polish. Use 

silver for 

the Cyberman design, and all you have to 

do is use black to 

draw in the eyes and mouth. If you have something in gray even better, 

because then you can draw in the metallic cheeks. The Daleks are a bit 

trickier – paint the base golden, then use yellow for the knobby bits and 

black for the rest of the detail. Just make sure you have the right shade 

of blue for the eye. 

Holy rusted nails, Batman! 

If you’re a fan of the caped crusader, 

then you have to paint the bat signal 

on your nails. If you’re too lazy 

to do both, why not just do the 

proper black bat against yellow 

on just one nail only, and fill in 

the rest with an outline of the bat 

helmet? If you’re a fan of the classic 

Adam West series, try doing a gray 

background instead, and using yellow 

and back to alternate between drawing the bat 

signal, and just painting colours of the classic Batman costume. 

Silly for Stormtroopers 

This is genuinely one of the 

easiest nail art ever to try 

out but the end result 

looks amazing. Just 

coat your nails with 

some white polish, 

then use black to 

paint the face and 

you have yourself 

a stormtrooper! In 

case you want to 

try other Star Wars 

characters, R2D2 and 

more recently BB-8 is 

also a fan favourite for 

the nail art lovers, since their 

boxish shapes make them ideal 

for nail painting. There are plenty of 

tutorials available online for the more 

adventurous Star Wars geeks. 

I do solemnly swear to make 

good nail art 

If you’re a Potterhead, then 

you have the opportunity 

to try something incredibly 

simple but obviously 

very cool – paint a tribute 

to the Boy Who Lived on 

your nails. Just use white 

as the base colour, and use a 

thin, black brush to paint in the 

glasses and of course, the lightning 

shaped scar. If this is a bit too simple 

for you, try alternating it with the classic scarlet and gold colours of 

Gryffindor to add that extra brightness. 

This one is radical, dude 

If you’re a 90s kid, 

which from my own 

biased position I 

hope you are, then 

you probably 

grew up with the 

fun-loving, pizzaguzzling 

teenage 

mutant ninja turtles. 

And now you can 

have them on your 

nails too. You need to 

make sure you have the 

right colours for all the turtles 

though. Colour the base turtle green, 

but when you’re doing their ninja masks, make sure you paint a 

horizontal white line. On that, put the different colours for Leo, 

Don, Raph and Michael and draw the eyes on afterwards. • 


6 Cook your own way | Kitchen chronicles 

Noodle notions 

Farzana Romine 

Different types of noodles are a healthy option for iftar. We all get tired of the same fried food after some time. 

One of my most favourite summer noodle dishes is Zaru soba. This is a cold Japanese noodle dish, which I fell in 

love with during my visit to Tokyo. It’s perfect for the summer, as it is served cold. It can be prepared well ahead of 

time, which is very convenient during Ramadan. 

My second noodle dish is a vegetable lo mein. It has lots of vegetables, tofu and nuts, which makes it a complete 

meal and you don’t need anything else to go with it. 

Zaru Soba 

Ingredients: 

(For 1 serving) 

• For the mentsuyu (noodle soup base): 

• 2 tbsp mirin (see Note 1) 

• 2 tbsp soy sauce 

• 1/2 cup dashi (see Note 2) 

• 1/2 tsp sugar 

Toppings: 

• Seaweed (optional) 

• Wasabi 

Directions: 

First mix the ingredients for the mentsuyu. Bring to a boil and 

then simmer for two to three minutes. Take it off the heat and 

let it cool down. Once cooled, you can keep it in the fridge for up 

to two weeks. 

Boil the soba noodles. Once cooked, strain the noodles and 

rinse it under running cold water to get rid of extra starch. 

Set aside and keep it cold until you are ready to serve. You can 

keep it soaked in iced water and shake off the extra water before 

serving. 

To serve, pour the Mentsuyu we made earlier in a small bowl. 

Serve wasabi on the side. Serve the soba noodle in a separate 

plate and sprinkle with shredded nori if you like. 

To eat, mix the wasabi with the mentsuyu. With a 

chopstick or a fork, dip the noodle in the mentsuyu and 

enjoy. 

Tip: You can 

Typically, Zaru soba is served with tempura on the find the Japanese 

side. During iftar, we usually already have piyaju, 

ingredients at Ko 

Mart in Banani. 

beguni and other crispy, fried items, which will go well 

with Zaru soba. 

Note 1: Mirin has a sweet-tangy flavour. You can substitute 

mirin with 2tbsp rice wine vinegar mixed with 1tbsp sugar. 

You can get rice wine vinegar at Gourmet Bazaar and Dhali in 

Gulshan 2 

Note 2: Traditional Japanese dashi, which means stock, is a 

blend of a number of different ingredients like mushrooms, 

dried seaweed/kelp and dried baby sardines. You can make your 

own substitute by mixing together equal parts vegetable and 

seafood stock cubes. • 


7 

Vegetable Lo Mein 

Photo: Farzana Romine 

Ingredients: 

• 1 packet of any kind of noodles 

you like 

• 1 medium size block of tofu, 

cubed 

• 1 small broccoli, chopped 

• 1 small carrot, sliced 

• 2 tbsp garlic, minced 

• 1 small onion, sliced 

• 2 dried chillies, sliced 

• 1/4 cup toasted cashew nuts 

For the sauce: 

• 2 tbsp soy sauce 

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce 

• 1 tbsp Chinese chilli sauce 

• 1 chicken cube 

• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup 

• 1 tbsp cornstarch 

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar 

• 1 tbsp brown sugar 

• 1 cup water. 

• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns 

(optional) 

Directions: 

In a frying pan, heat two tablespoons 

of oil and fry the tofu cubes until 

light brown. 

If you are using Sichuan 

peppercorns, toast them in a dry pan 

and grind them. 

Mix all the ingredients for the 

sauce. Boil the noodles as per packet 

instructions. 

In a wok, heat 1/4 cup oil over high 

heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chilli. 

Fry for two minutes, then add the 

carrot. Stir fry until tender. Splash a 

little water as needed, then add the 

broccoli. Cook for one minute and 

add the tofu. 

Now add the sauce mixture. Let it 

come to a boil. Now add the noodles 

and mix well. Sprinkle the Sichuan 

pepper powder. 

Serve hot, garnished with toasted 

cashew nuts. • 

Note: 

you can use any 

seasonal vegetable 

youhave 


8 Weekly Planner | Ramadan 

Expand your own horizons 

Tasneem Chow 

Almost half way through Ramadan and 

you’ve managed to soldier through and 

stay strong! We continue our weekly 

series with tips and tricks on how to get 

the most out of the holy month. 

Day 1 

Ramadan is meant to be a month of peace, 

introspection and charity, yet the extremist 

crazies of the world has somehow turned this 

month into one of extraordinary cruelty and 

violence. Bomb blasts on families in Baghdad, 

explosions at a diplomatic zone in Kabul and at 

one of the funerals that followed, complete chaos 

in the Philippines, stabbings in London – the list 

is endless. And let’s not forget our home grown 

terrorism forcing indigenous people to lose their 

home and land. Start your week with a prayer – we 

could all use a little love and forgiveness during 

such dark times. And most importantly, make sure 

you educate your children and loved ones about 

the darkness that is spreading around us, and how 

to fight it. 

Day 2 

Middle of Ramadan is the best time to start 

planning out your Eid shopping. You must already 

have a list of people you need to give clothes to, 

but how about looking into your finances and 

finding space for a few additions? Look around 

you – does your security guard wear the same 

tshirt everyday? Do you have a local garbage man 

whose wife could use a new sari? Are there a few 

children in tattered clothes that tend to hang 

around your street? A little can go a long way for 

those who don’t have much. 

Day 3 

We know you must be really tired, but try and 

make time to converse with people around you. 

Whether it is asking your maid what colour sari 

she actually wants for Eid or just asking your 

grandmother how her day went, showing a little 

interest in another human being can make all the 

difference. Just a little effort from you could bring 

a lot of happiness to those who don’t usually have 

a lot of reasons to smile during the day. 

Day 4 

Want to give 

yourself a 

mid-week 

treat? Go 

catch a 

movie with 

family or 

a bunch 

of friends. 

Middle of the 

week is the 

perfect time 

to go since 

the halls will 

be relatively 

empty, 

especially right after or before iftaar. And 

what better movie to watch than the awesome 

superhero blockbuster that is Wonder Woman? 

Smashing records left, right and centre, this movie 

may just have changed what we think is a ‘chick 

flick’ forever (and thank God for that!). 

Day 5 

Meditate. 

Collect your 

thoughts. This 

is not just 

something 

you should 

do during 

Ramadan – in 

the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we all need 

to take some time and tune out. Be thankful for 

your blessings, love those around you and think 

of new ways to bring light and joy into this world. 

It might sound cheesy at first, but there are many 

of us who feel unhappy and unsatisfied with our 

lives. We buy new phones, expensive clothes and 

try and create as much noise as possible to drown 

it out, but often it just makes things worse. At the 

end of the day, you have to be enough for yourself, 

and a little peace and meditation can help you 

realise that. 

Day 6 

A little meditation and calm is a great way to 

travel the road to inner peace, but it’s easier said 

than done. And for a lot of people around you, 

it’s almost impossible to be happy on your own, 

without tackling the condition that they suffer 

from. Depression is one of the most pressing 

mental health issues of our time, yet there is still a 

great deal of social stigma attached to just talking 

about it. If you have a friend who you suspect 

suffers from depression, reach out. Offer your 

help. Sometimes even knowing there is someone 

supporting you can be enough. 

Day 7 

Last week we asked you to educate yourself about 

other existing 

religions. If 

you’re a fan of the 

fantastic though, 

why not delve 

into ones that no 

longer exist? Neil 

Gaiman’s most 

recently released 

Norse Mythology 

is an easy to read 

and incredibly 

interesting 

exploration of Odin, Thor and their kind that 

all bookworms out there really need to pick up 

immediately. • 


Comic Art | Contest 9 

Cartoon People presents 

#DCDC 

Art lovers and comic enthusiasts in Dhaka rejoice: there’s a new 

challenge in town, and it’s called #DCDC or Deshi Character Design 

Challenge. A new Facebook based character design competition, it 

aims to reimagine local flavours as potential superheroes. Cartoon 

People, a group of slightly 

eccentric art enthusiasts, is 

bringing this challenge to your 

home screen every week. 

The first ever challenge, which 

took place last week, had the 

“tong man” as the subject. With 

more than forty five great entries 

the focus of the artworks was to 

draw a super hero inspired from 

our local tong walas/ tea vendors. 

The winners was selected from 

the artworks that got most 

comments saying “Vote.” 

Last week’s winner is Mahatab 

Rashid who drew a magical 

tong guru who uses mystical 

energy “arms” to multitask. In 

the second position is Morshed 

Mishu who turned his tong man 

into a trigger happy gunslinger, but with cups instead of guns. In third place, 

was Junayed Iqbal Ishmam who drew the tong man as a hot headed salesman, 

who harnessed the power of the sun to heat the tea on his bald pate. 

These are just few examples out of so many innovative interpretations. If 

you want to see the whole collection, 

visit the Cartoon Peoples group 

on Facebook. And if you want to 

participate in their ongoing challenge, 

draw the new challenge, take a good 

photo and post it to the Cartoon 

People group. Who knows, you could 

be the next winner. 

The ongoing challenge 

is called the DCDC “Hey 

Mama” Challenge. 

From mama halim 

to mama piyaju, jhal 

muri mama to your 

neighborhood’s chotpoti 

mama, here you are 

challenged to draw your most favorite “mama” of all time! 

Concept is pretty much open ended. 

Dead line: 12 June, Monday 11:55 pm! • 


10 Photo Story | Sun, Sand and Seashells 

SONG OF THE 

SANDY BEACH 

There are several conspicuous parts to a beach which relate to the 

processes that form and shape it. These geomorphic features compose 

what is called the beach profile. The beach profile changes seasonally due to 

the change in wave energy experienced during summer and winter months. 

The shape of a beach depends on whether or not the waves are 

constructive or destructive, and whether the material is sand or shingle. 

Constructive waves move material up the beach while destructive waves 

move the material down the beach. On sandy beaches, the backwash of the 

waves removes material forming a gently sloping beach. On shingle beaches 

the swash is dissipated because the large particle size allows percolation, 

so the backwash is not very powerful, and the beach remains steep. Cusps 

and horns form where incoming waves divide, depositing sand as horns and 

scouring out sand to form cusps. This forms the uneven face on some sand 

shorelines. 

Photos: Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan 


11 

Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan is currently represented by ZUMA 

Press, USA. He is one of the co-founders of Bangladesh Society of 

Photographic Arts (BSPA), and is the chairman of Patronage Division 

of Image Colleague Society and United States Photographic Alliance. 

His works have won over 40 national and 400 international awards 

in photography with over 1800 photographs exhibited in different 

international exhibitions. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from 

Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET). 


12 Environment | Disaster management 

Tackling Mora: 

successes and 

challenges 

Mahmood Sadi 

It’s not an easy task to evacuate 

half a million people from 

coastal areas and taking them 

elsewhere from their homes 

within two days before the arrival of 

a deadly cyclone. 

Bangladesh, however, has 

successfully been able to do that 

before cyclone Mora hit the coast on 

May 30. It was a venerable feat and 

kudos goes to all – the government, 

the NGO’s, the volunteers involved in 

disaster management and above all, 

the people of the coastal areas – who 

had the courage and the foresight to 

leave their homes and belongings for 

the sake of their lives. 

Had Mora come to Bangladesh 

20 years ago, the death toll from a 

cyclone, which made a landfall at 

the coastal part of Bangladesh with 

winds up to 117 kilometres per hour 

would not have been as low as seven. 

Cyclone ‘Aila’ made a landfall in 

2009 in the same areas with winds 

up to 120 kilometres per hour and 

the death toll at that time was 339. 

In terms of reducing death due to 

natural disaster, Bangladesh has 

surely made remarkable progress. 

A systematic preparation 

The preparation for tackling a large 

scale disaster can be refined and 

made better if appropriate forecast 

about the looming disaster is 

received significantly earlier. Time 

is the most precious currency in this 

context. 

Bangladesh Meteorological 

Department (BMD), from the 

previous reputation of making 

weather forecasts on ‘piecemeal 

basis’ has transformed into an 

organisation with near-accurate 

forecasts. In this highly connected 

world with machines having 

enormous data processing capacity, 

making weather forecasts is not the 

job a single entity of a single country; 

rather it’s a combined operation of 

several entities in a region. 

These networks of weather 

forecasting entities are connected 

with other networks of global 

entities, so basically getting weather 

Cyclone-prone Bangladesh 

- The Bay of Bengal is a focal point of cyclone generation. About 40 

percent of the overall global storm surges are recorded in Bangladesh 

Tropical cyclones from the Bay of Bengal accompanied by storm surges 

are one of the major hazards in Bangladesh. They occur mainly in April/ 

May and October/November. 

- Rendering to the Coastal Zone policy (2005) of the Government 

of Bangladesh, 19 districts, out of a total of 64, covering a total of 147 

upazilas, are in the “coastal zone”. Cyclones and storm surges are a 

continuous threat for the coastal population. Most of these cyclones 

strike land on the Bangladesh coast or the coast of Myanmar and India. 

forecast is a worldwide operation 

now. 

Before Mora hit Bangladesh, it 

was formed following heavy rains in 

Sri Lanka which resulted in floods 

Had Mora come 

to Bangladesh 20 

years ago, the death 

toll from a cyclone, 

which made a landfall 

at the coastal part 

of Bangladesh with 

winds up to 117 

kilometres per hour 

would not have been 

as low as seven 

and landslides that killed at least 180 

people. This was the worst flooding 

Sri Lanka witnessed in 14 years, 

affecting the lives of over 500,000 

people. Over 100 people remain 

missing. 

When that cyclone started 

moving North-East, meteorologists 

in Bangladesh, Myanmar and India 

calculated the data and envisaged its 

possible path and the intensity with 

which it might hit the coast. 

Based on the analysis, it was 

found that the cyclone would hit 

Bangladesh’s coastline on the 

morning of May 30. 

“When we received that 

information, we started taking large 

nasa image of Mora 

scale preparation for evacuating 

people,” said Golam Mostafa, 

additional secretary of the Disaster 

Management Ministry of Bangladesh 

who acted as the focal person for the 

large scale preparation for Mora. 

Cyclone shelter centres have 

been opened in all coastal upazilas 

of the district. Leaves of all officials, 

employees, doctors and nurses have 

been cancelled and kept standby. 

“Announcement through 

loud speakers about the cyclone 

awareness began in the coastal 

upazilas including Sandwip, 

Banskhali, Anowara, Sitakunda and 

Mirsari,” said Mostafa. 


13 

Seven community radio stations 

in the coastal region of the country 

were continuously broadcasting 

weather updates and tips to 

prepare for the storm. A total of 30 

broadcasters and volunteers in the 

radio stations are working on these 

weather updates. 

More than 50,000 Cyclone 

Preparedness Program volunteers 

were mobilised to support 

evacuation and early warning efforts. 

This action – which was essential in 

saving lives – was buttressed by the 

American Red Cross’s investment in 

the country’s short-wave radio and 

community warning system. 

Meanwhile, the day before 

the cyclone made landfall, the 

Bangladesh Red Crescent distributed 

cash grants to more than 2,500 

households to help them prepare 

for or respond to the storm. The 

grants of Tk5,000 (approximately 

USD 67) were distributed through the 

Red Cross Red Crescent’s ‘Forecastbased-financing’ 

mechanism. 

“Because of our ministry as 

well as of several NGO disaster 

management programs, we had been 

able to make the people of coastal 

areas aware of the importance of 

leaving evacuating before a looming 

disaster. In the past, people were 

reluctant to leave their belongings 

behind, but now they are not,” he 

said. 

Mostafa said, a total of 4.68 lakh 

people took shelter in different 

cyclone and safe centres during the 

cyclone. “Managing such a large 

number of people taking refuge in 

the cyclone shelters was of course an 

achievement for all of us,” he said. 

The challenges ahead 

It is one thing to evacuate people 

and another thing to make sure that 

the home they have evacuated is 

going be re-erected. Post disaster 

recovery is the hardest part in 

disaster management as the issues 

of reconstructing the infrastructure 

as well as the lives of the affected 

people come to the forefront then. 

While Bangladesh made 

significant improvement in pre and 

during disaster management, it still 

lags in post disaster management. 

This is because post disaster 

management is relatively easier for a 

country with stronger economy, but 

for Bangladesh, whose economy is 

burdened with a huge population, 

the task is not obviously easy. 

Cylcone Mora has affected as 

many as 286,000 people in 16 coastal 

districts. These people have lost their 

homes and a significant part of their 

belongings. Thousands of people are 

still living under the open sky. 

Besides, of particular concern is 

the plight of thousands of migrants 

who recently arrived in the district 

of Cox’s Bazar from Rakhine State 

in neighbouring Myanmar. Virtually 

all of this population is dependent 

on emergency humanitarian aid for 

their daily subsistence. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said 

in parliament that her government 

has already taken efforts to rebuild 

damaged houses and establishments. 

It is one thing to evacuate people and another 

thing to make sure that the home they have 

evacuated is going be re-erected 

She also said that the damaged 

embankments would be repaired in 

the same way. 

“Food and cash are being 

distributed to affected people. The 

Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry 

of Disaster Management and 

Relief, administration and local 

governments are working together 

to conduct relief and rehabilitation 

work,” she said. 

Disaster management expert 

Shagar Hasnat, who has been 

volunteering in the coastal regions 

with several organisations, said 

that the government, at the policymaking 

level, is making the right 

moves to tackle the post disaster 

recovery. “But at the field level, 

things are not as smooth as some 

statistics. There are lots of issues 

involved.” 

“The size of cyclones and their 

impacts matter less in post disaster 

management. There are academic 

studies which show that survivors 

of Cyclone Aila in Bangladesh face 

a longer recovery period than those 

of Cyclone Sidr, a much larger storm 

with significantly higher disaster 

effects.” 

Despite the government claims 

that many have since returned 

to their homes, in reality, tens 

of thousands continue to live in 

makeshift houses along roadsides 

and embankments even though a 

week has passed. Their prospects 

for resuming local livelihoods – 

critical in the recovery process – are 

particularly bleak. 

“At least two consecutive crop 

seasons will be lost due to the lack 

of cultivable land and fresh water. 

Adding to their troubles will be the 

monsoon rains which will take place 

in the next few months.” 

“I believe Bangladesh still has 

some distance to cover in achieving 

post-disaster management success. 

I would say good governance would 

take us there in the quickest possible 

time,” said Hasnat.• 

Major cyclones 

- In 1970, the Cyclone Bhola caused about 500,000 deaths in 

Bangladesh’s coastline. On April 29, 1991, a powerful cyclone struck 

the coastal area of Bangladesh with wind speed of around 250 km/h. 

The storm killed at least 138,000 people leaving as many as 10 million 

homeless. 

- On November 15, 2007, Cyclone Sidr hit the coastal area of the 

country, affecting approximately 8.5 million women, men and children 

and killing around 4,000 people. One and a half million homes were 

partially or completely destroyed, around 1.2 million livestock were 

killed and 2.4 million acres of crops were ruined. The overall economic 

losses amounted to USD 1.7 billion. 

- On May 25, 2009, the cyclonic storm, Aila, hit the southwestern 

part (Khulna Division), killing approximately 190 people. Several 

hundred thousand homes were washed away when wind-driven tidal 

surges up to 3 metres devastated the coastal belt. Cyclone Aila hit 

14 districts in the south, affecting a population of around 3.7 million 

people. The cultivated land damaged in the area was around 96,617 

hectares and the loss in the production amounted to around 482,144 

megatonnes worth Tk6,776 million (around USD 99 million). 


14 Interview | Imran Ahmed 

In the pocket 

Milhan Khondaker 

The word jazz had almost 

no significance in the 

context of Bangladesh 

and its music scene, even 

a few years back. Now it is strongly 

associated with the name Imran 

Ahmed, who is a very young guitarist 

with the credentials of a yearlong 

diploma from Swarnabhumi Music 

academy, India, to back this image 

of his. 

It is true though, that his unique 

sound is versatile and bold enough 

to get the attention of most music 

enthusiasts. With his new album 

coming up shortly, I thought of 

dropping by in order to see for myself 

what all the hype was about. 

Every musician goes through a very 

confusing and versatile journey/ 

process (jumping between genres), 

as he/she finds the most suited or 

preferred sound. Give us insight into 

how you happened to stumble upon 

jazz. 

Yes, particularly in the case of most 

self-taught or non-traditional music 

practitioner, there is such a phase 

involved and is indeed quite versatile. 

As beginners, every other genre is 

overwhelming and so easy to get 

caught up with until it gets to a point 

where you can anticipate the music 

and strive for something more. That’s 

when you explore and acknowledge 

the fact we grow as musicians. And 

it’s a never-ending process/journey. 

In my case, it’s more or less the same 

story. I was overwhelmed by jazz 

music when I first listened to it, as it 

was so clear that there’s a tremendous 

amount of musicianship involved. So 

I consciously surrounded myself with 

that music. And I’m exploring every 

day. 

As one of the very first, not to mention 

the youngest, musicians with 

intentions of promoting/indulging 

in jazz, what kind of advantages or 

disadvantages did you have, as there 

was no previously built platform for 

you guys? 

The biggest disadvantage is that 

there are not enough musicians 

to run as a regular scene. And yes 

there was no platform built for us, 

but as we started performing and 

putting the music out there on the 

web, the response was really good 

and people were really appreciative 

and accepting. Although the crowd 

is smaller in number as of now 

compared to many established 

mainstream acts of our country, 

it has never been an issue. We love 

playing the music for our audience, 

which is growing on a regular basis. 

It is true that the genre of choice 

for you happens to have almost 

no competitors or artists to be 

challenging your expertise/niche. 

Do you look at this phenomenon as 

a good or bad one? Do you feel that 

it might contribute to limitations in 

your growth as an artist? 

Haha. Well, if such a phenomenon 

exists, then it’s obviously a bad 

one. At this point it won’t be a 

competition rather we could all 

work together to expand the scene 

as there’s already a decent audience 

waiting for acts to play music they 

don’t often get to experience. I don’t 

education would be great for 

them if they were interested 

in learning all they know 

in theory and be able to 

properly present their ideas 

in a professional music 

scenario. And there are plenty 

of instructions available on 

the web to get started with 

learning about harmony, 

rhythm and theories in 

general. 

To what extent do you 

think your audience and 

their wants/reaction affect 

the sound that you are 

consciously producing? 

The audience loves it 

whenever we put in tiny 

details in the music and play 

Photo: Courtesy 

around within a context they 

think it brings any sort of limitations recognise. And it’s a great experience 

into my growth as a musician. 

to always be on the page with them 

But if there were more musicians and feeling that relief together 

practicing music that requires 

when the music dissolves and floats 

focus, hard work (a hell lot of it), we again. We automatically play better 

would have quite an established/ when the audience is attentive and 

Internationally presentable scene responsive to musical details, so it 

already. I’m hopeful this situation affects the music in a huge way. 

will change. We’re still young as a 

nation. 

Some might say that this conscious 

effort to make music which is as 

What do you have to say about 

complex, ends up making it less 

musicians who claim that the 

soulful and more of a showdown of 

process of getting a formal 

skill. To what extent do you agree? 

“education” is redundant after a Sometimes it does make the 

certain point? 

music less soulful and in fact less 

Well, to each its own, and it’s a accessible for ears that aren’t used 

subjective thing. As a musician, I to hearing such music. Anything 

don’t have a take on that. I don’t that has effort behind it will be a 

think anything is redundant if you’re little difficult for any “noob” to 

enjoying what you do. It’s always cope up with. But there will always 

an experience worth going through. be a group of people who will 

Nobody should be forced in and out understand the effort and value 

of it. 

that accordingly. 

How do you feel about guitarists What advice would you give 

who are skilfully more advanced to guitarists/musicians in our 

and adaptable, but lack any form of country? 

education in the line of music? Listen to music all the time. If you 

Players who are skilfully advanced can hear it, you can play it tomorrow 

and adaptable are already having if not today. Practice a lot. And don’t 

a great time learning stuff. Music forget to dig really DEEP!• 


AirBNB | Hospitality 15 

(Re)discovering Old Dhaka 

How an Old Dhaka native is single-handedly making it an 

international tourist destination 

Saqib Sarker 

When you try to look 

at the chronicle of 

life on Earth, you 

can’t help but feel 

that everything in this world comes 

full circle. Doctors are encouraging 

natural remedies before prescribing 

advanced medicine, the system 

of capitalism is increasingly being 

recognised as dehumanising and the 

sufferers are clamouring for a socially 

benevolent economy, and the days 

when a lone traveller in an alien land 

can seek refuge in the house of a 

random citizen are back. 

Not quite like that though – you 

have to have an email account first. 

But the idea is to utilise that social 

connection and trust to provide 

accommodation to people who, for 

one reason or many, would prefer 

not to stay at a hotel while abroad. 

The now well-known hospitality 

service broker, Airbnb, was founded 

on the same principle. 

People can list their apartment/ 

house with Airbnb, which then 

enables tourists to request lodging 

at that residence. The host is free 

to set the price he wants. With over 

a staggering three million lodging 

listings across 191 countries, you 

are likely to find one in all unlikely 

places, even in Old Dhaka. 

The man who opened up an 

Airbnb listing in Old Dhaka two 

years ago is Suman Roy. A media 

professional by weekdays and a tour 

guide by weekends, Suman listed 

his house on Airbnb purely because 

of his passion for other cultures 

and ways of life. But opening up 

the listing is not Suman’s only 

achievement, neither is it his most 

remarkable. Before getting into what 

makes his little hosting service an 

attraction, learning about Suman 

would be helpful. 

An avid reader of all travel books 

(‘even Lonely Planet’, he quips), 

Suman found out about Airbnb in 

a magazine. He then quickly set up 

the lodging and waited. But nothing 

happened. 

He had forgotten about the whole 

thing, until after eight months from 

putting up the listing, someone 

called. “It was an American guy who 

was a pilot. He wanted to visit Dhaka 

for just a day but had a very small 

budget,” Suman recalled. 

Suman picked up the guest at 

the airport with his bike, brought 

him back home in Old Dhaka and 

showed him around. This was the 

beginning of hosting for Suman and 

his wife Lopa Roy two years ago. 

Since then, Suman and Lopa have 

hosted numerous guests from many 

different countries and of many 

different nationalities. 

Suman and Lopa’s extraordinary 

passion and care for the guests 

earned Suman the ‘Superhost’ medal 

on Airbnb. Suman humbly refuses 

any credit on his part other than 

being passionate about what he does. 

Despite being born and brought 

up in Old Dhaka and growing up 

with the knowledge of a native, 

Suman did not realise how much 

he didn’t know until he started to 

seriously read about the history of 

Old Dhaka. “I can now visualise the 

transformation the old places have 

come through,” he said. 

Even though he had been able 

to show around and answer all 

questions from his guests when he 

first started doing this, some of the 

questions asked by the guests left 

Suman unsatisfied and he embarked 

upon a quest to gather more 

knowledge about his birthplace. 

He bought all the history books he 

could find and started going out for 

walks every morning with his DSLR. 

He took pictures of old buildings 

and combined his knowledge from 

Suman and Lopa’s extraordinary passion 

and care for the guests earned Suman the 

‘Superhost’ medal on Airbnb 

reading with his experience from 

exploring. 

As a result, Suman can now help 

his guests see those visual images he 

can construct from his reading and 

exploring. And that is part of what 

makes his guests’ stay so gratifying. 

His wife Lopa also offers classical 

dance lessons to guests who are 

interested. 

“I loved Suman’s tour of 

the unseen corners of their 

neighbourhood. Lopa and Suman 

are why I use Airbnb,” wrote Yasmin 

from Toronto, Canada on the Airbnb 

site. 

Jarvis from Singapore said that 

Lopa and Suman took care of him 

Photo: Courtesy 

like family and he “had the chance 

to discover an authentic old Dhaka 

experience, this is as real and as good 

as it gets.” 

The great service and unique 

experience this couple offers 

continue to attract travellers from 

across the globe. Emma from Los 

Angeles, California, wrote in her 

review that the couple showed her a 

magical part of Dhaka that she never 

would have discovered without 

them. “I can’t even quite put into 

words how moving this experience 

was for me,” Emma wrote. 

The reviews on Suman’s Airbnb 

page cannot stop singing praises for 

his hospitality. Suman provided an 

“incredible information loaded and 

personalised tour of Old Dhaka from a 

lifelong residents perspective,” wrote 

Tony from Boston, Massachusetts. 

Jamie from Sydney, New South 

Wales, Australia wrote that she and 

her co-travellers not only had a blast 

but “made an extended family in 

Bangladesh.” 

When asked if he would be interested 

to start an Old Dhaka guided tour 

service for domestic tourists, Suman 

said that he is interested, and has been 

planning it for some time. Having a full 

time job however, he is uncertain if he 

will ever be able to materialise those 

plans. But Suman dreams on.• 


16 Parenting | Awareness 

Ways to teach 

your children 

to care for the 

environment 

Sabiha Akond Rupa 

to respect the magnificence and 

balance of Mother Earth. 

There’s a saying, “Children see, 

children do.” From a very early stage 

of their lives, they will learn to adopt 

the principles and awareness of how 

and why we need to take care of our 

Earth. As parents, you can adopt 

creative methods and activities to 

teach the children how they can 

help the environment, and make the 

Earth a safer place to live. 

Here are a few practical ways to 

teach your kids how to make life 

more sustainable: 

It will help them to acknowledge all 

their senses. 

Talk to them and ask what 

they are seeing 

Buy books that can help children 

identify different plants, trees and 

animals and learn their names. 

You can also practice this in your 

Photos: Bigstock 

little garden kits for the children. 

Ask them to take care of the plant, 

motivate them to grow flowers, or 

even vegetables. Teach them the 

importance of taking care of their 

plants. If these children can connect 

themselves to plants, they will feel 

more in love with it, and that’s an 

important thing to foster. 

There are many parents 

who are concerned about 

the environment. Today’s 

children are the ones who 

will take care of this planet in the 

future. You can engage your children 

in the conscious, eco-friendly 

lifestyle of yours – it will help them 

grow up as adults who will embrace 

nature and become responsible 

citizens. The children will learn 

Cultivate a love for nature 

Children are born innocent, and 

it’s very easy to cultivate a love for 

nature into their hearts. Whenever 

you are planning to take your 

children outside, take time to 

breathe in fresh air and highlight the 

beauty of nature. Let them enjoy 

the colour of the sky, a bright sunny 

day or the different shades of grey 

on a cloudy day. Ask them to touch 

the trees at the park, the rocks and 

the leaves – let them feel the nature. 

favourite park or rooftop garden. If 

possible, take your children to the 

botanical garden where they can learn 

even more about nature. Children 

will be excited to see the animals in 

the zoo, and it can be an interactive 

session with them, where they can 

observe the animals that are almost 

extinct. Ask them questions, and see 

if they feel generous and kind towards 

nature. Talking about climate changes 

and its causes and effects can motivate 

to them think about the weather. 

Get them involved in growing 

something 

Let them choose a plant from the 

store for their own, and buy essential 

Teach them to reduce, 

reuse and recycle 

The most important thing about 

protecting the environment is to 

know how to reduce, reuse and 

recycle things, in order to make 

a sustainable world. Teach your 

children about how we consume 

unnecessary things, and how it has 

a grave impact on the planet. Teach 

them to reduce waste properly, 

and reuse the recycled items in 

daily life. Talk about the disposable 

items instead of using plastics and 

organic seedlings, and help them 

to understand how we can make a 

greener world.• 


Education | Parenting 17 

5 

commandments to abide by when 

teaching your kids about religion 

How do we, as modern parents, talk to our kids about God 

and religion? 

Tasfia Huda 

Teaching your child 

about religion is not an 

easy task. Be prepared 

for an onslaught of 

questions, but also encourage such 

questions – even those that question 

the fundamentals of your own 

conviction. Once you have laid a 

foundation for a single belief, you 

can develop that by showing how 

this belief clashes with another, or 

how they align with others. 

When we approach these 

discussions with empathy and 

open-mindedness, it is not nearly as 

difficult as it appears. Here are five 

commandments for teaching your 

kids about religion. 

EXPOSE YOUR KIDS TO MANY 

RELIGIONS 

A well-rounded religious education 

is the one that covers the 

fundamentals of many religions from 

a social and historical perspective. 

What is religion? Why did it come 

about? What’s more, why is it so 

important to people? Get a few books 

and teach yourself about different 

religions – then, tell your kids what 

you’re learning. Put major religious 

holidays on your calendar, and use 

them as opportunities to discuss 

history and tradition. You may also 

visit few places of worship, and take 

your children with you. Religious 

education is a gift – give it to them. 

A well-rounded religious education is the one 

that covers the fundamentals of many religions 

from a social and historical perspective 

BE RESPECTFUL TOWARDS 

OTHER RELIGIONS 

When it comes to religion, most 

people believe that their way is 

the best way – the right way. But 

conviction doesn’t need to be 

translated into being arrogant or 

mean. There is nothing wrong with 

criticising people for saying or doing 

hateful things. You may discuss, 

oppose, or even argue. However, 

try to do it without name-calling, 

generalising, or degradation. Let kids 

know that yours is a household that 

talks openly and respectfully about 

tough subjects – including religion. 

LET YOUR CHILD CHOOSE 

If you’re going to teach children 

that it’s okay for individuals to 

hold religious beliefs, you should 

give your kids a chance to hold 

religious convictions as well. 

There’s no shame in wanting your 

kids to believe the way you do. So 

guide them. Teach them the value 

of science. Explain the difference 

between fact and faith. Teach 

them morals and ethics. Tell them 

about religion from an impartial 

perspective, and then let them take 

it from there. Let them know they 

are free to choose what they want to 

believe. 

DON’T LIE ABOUT YOUR OWN 

BELIEFS 

Everyone has the right to his or 

her own thoughts and beliefs, and 

that includes you as well. So, don’t 

hide them. By doing so, not only 

would you be sending a message 

that religion is an uncomfortable 

or intimidating subject, but you’d 

be making it clear that it’s okay to 

be ashamed of your beliefs. Admit 

when you are confused or don’t 

have all the answers. 

RAISE YOUR CHILDREN TO BE 

CRITICAL THINKERS 

Parents should accept that 

teaching religion is not simply a 

tool to help children have a better 

understanding of belief. This way, 

it will encourage their critical 

thinking skills in all aspects of life, 

also helping children understand 

local and world conflicts between 

religious groups.• 


18 stay in 

Clues 

ACROSS 

5 Laciest form of 

stretchy (7) 

6 Stay down under (5) 

9 Sport outside the 

wind and rain (7) 

Mini cryptics 

DOWN 

1 Catch seen in alpine town (3) 

2 A taller sort of sideways (7) 

3 A prize for dwindle (7) 

4 Headless rodents finish cake 

(3) 

7 Low form of bird (3) 

8 Way to cook small fish (3) 

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 

DIY treatments 

for summer 

hair 

Tasfia Huda 

Yoghurt, honey and egg 

mask 

diy 

Last week’s solutions 

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

month of the Dhaka Tribune. 

Last week’s solutions 

While yoghurt is known to be a 

natural conditioner, eggs strengthen 

hair follicles and reduce hair loss. 

Honey is a natural moisturiser that 

nourishes damaged hair. 

You will need: 

• 1 egg 

• 6 tbsp of yoghurt 

• 2 tsp of honey 

Beat one egg till it’s nice and frothy. 

Add six tablespoons of yoghurt and 

two teaspoons of honey to prepare 

this mask. Apply generously to hair 

and wash it off with a mild shampoo 

after 20 minutes. 

ACROSS 

1 Belied false reason for 

consumption (6) 

6 Got up and saw first of 

spring flowers (5) 

7 Left German boy a game of 

chance (5) 

8 Prosecuting an attempt (6) 

DOWN 

2 Screen homesick girl, oh do try another 

way! (7) 

3 Good thing keeping donkey instrument 

(7) 

4 Say lie reconstructed with no trouble (6) 

5 Talk about the french house in the 

mountains (6) 

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

win one free month of the Dhaka Tribune. 

Mango, yoghurt and egg 

mask 

Mangos are high in fatty acids 

and are packed with vitamins and 

minerals which include vitamin C, 

vitamin A, vitamin B6, potassium, 

and magnesium. Eggs are full 

proteins, and help smooth out hair, 

fighting that frizz. 

You will need: 

• 1 ripe mango 

• 2 egg yolks 

• 2 tbsps of natural yoghurt 

Mix two egg yolks and 2 tablespoons 

of natural yoghurt before adding the 

peeled, mashed mango to it. Apply 

the mixture to your hair and scalp. 

Keep it for an hour, and then rinse it 

off with a mild shampoo. 


Biz Info 19 

shurjoMukhi releases three 

apps in the hatekhori series 

Le Méridien Dhaka hosts iftar 

mahfil for orphans 

On the occasion of Eid, 

shurjoMukhi has launched 

a much enhanced version 

of Hatekhori – a very popular 

mobile app to learn Bangla and 

Maths. In its extended form, there 

are actually three apps in the 

Hatekhori series. 

Learning Bangla through the 

Hatekhori app series is easy and 

fun at the same time, owing to the 

fact that Hatekhori is now divided 

into three apps, named Hatekhori 

Classic, Hatekhori Juktakkhor and 

Hatekhori Shonkha. As mascots, 

Hatekhori Classic has a squirrel 

named Qutqut, a schoolgirl named 

Pori in Hatekhori Juktakkhor 

(Conjunct) and Hatekhori Shonkha 

(Numbers) has a frog named 

Ghyangor Ghyang. 

Using these apps, children can 

learn Bengali alphabets, words, 

sentences, conjunction, numbers, 

maths and handwriting. Hatekhori 

is now richer in its offering than 

the previous version, with vowel 

consonant conjuncts, addition and 

subtraction. 

shurjoMukhi, 

with its 

Hatekhori series, 

is endeavouring 

to establish a 

platform for 

adults and 

school children 

alike, for 

learning Bangla 

as a language, 

and numbers 

and basic maths 

in Bengali. 

Hatekhori was 

born with a 

desire to raise the literacy rate of 

country to 100%. After the initial 

launch of the Hatekhori app in 

2014, the number of downloads 

have reached around half a million. 

Fida Haq, Chief Executive 

Officer of shurjoMukhi Limited 

said, “Dedicated hard work from 

a group of smart and enthusiastic 

young developers at shurjoMukhi 

who truly love Bengali language, 

were behind creating the app. Over 

the last three years, with the help 

of Hatekhori, parents have found 

an effective solution in employing 

digital technology to teach Bangla 

to their children. We are trying to 

make today’s children interested 

in education by the use of digital 

technology. Today’s children are 

the nation’s future. shurjoMukhi 

dreams of a Golden Bangla, by 

means of building a digital Bangla.” 

These Android apps can be 

downloaded for free from the 

Google Play Store.• 

Le Méridien Dhaka hosted 

an evening of iftar mahfil 

for the children of Baitul 

Aman Housing Society Madrasah 

and Orphanage for the second year. 

Rashed Khan Menon (MP), Minister 

of Civil Aviation and Tourism, was 

present at the event as the chief 

guest and blessed the young guests 

along with the presence of the host 

Amin Ahmad, Chairman of Best 

Holdings Ltd (owning company of 

Le Méridien Dhaka). Also present 

were various other dignitaries of the 

Government of People’s Republic of 

Bangladesh and the top management 

of the hotel. 

Le Méridien Dhaka hosted the 

evening with its uncompromising 

According to Save the 

Children’s new Stolen 

Childhoods report launched 

on International Children’s Day, June 

1, Bangladesh has been ranked as 

the 134th country in the world for 

children to experience childhood. 

The report includes a global 

index, ranking 172 countries based 

on where childhood has been most 

and least threatened. It also found 

that globally, one girl under 15 gets 

married every seven seconds, and 

in Bangladesh, 44 percent of the 

girls aged 15-19, are married. Every 

year, around 17 million adolescent 

services. The hotel management 

welcomed 172 children from 

the welfare home to give them 

undivided attention and share stories 

that may encourage the youths to 

greater heights of inspiration. 

The management of the hotel 

stated that, “It is an encouraging 

moment for Le Méridien Dhaka to be 

able to welcome this blissful month 

of Ramadan with these beautiful 

little children from the Madrasah. 

Children inspire us to be better 

human beings, and we hope today 

with what little time we spent with 

them, we were able to create these 

happy moments and inspire these 

children like they inspired us in our 

lives.” • 

Bangladesh ranks 134th for childhood 

in Save the Children’s new report 

girls give birth, half of which occurs 

in just seven countries. “Despite 

progress on global goals, children 

in Bangladesh are still suffering 

and dying from diseases, and 

experiencing harsh discrimination, 

which are taking away their 

childhood. It is unacceptable that in 

2017, many children in Bangladesh 

and around the world still do not 

have their right to be safe, learn, 

grow, and play. We must, and we 

can, do better than this,” said Mark 

Pierce, country director, Save the 

Children, Bangladesh.• 


20 Tech 

All eyes on Apple 

It’s all about WWDC 2017 and what Apple 

has in store for the year 

Mahmood Hossain 

No fancy dance around 

introduction this time, 

folks. There’s a lot to 

cover from the annual 

WWDC held by Apple. This year it 

was mainly about new technology 

throughout the various devices and 

operating systems. In other words, 

these are additions that Apple 

enthusiasts have been waiting for, as 

they have fallen behind the market 

in innovation. There were also a 

couple of anticipated “surprises”. 

So high 

The new macOS is called, get this, 

High Sierra. The new OS updates 

and makes improvements on Safari, 

like helping block site trackers and 

auto playing videos. There is also a 

new photo editing tools like curves 

(something you’d find in Photoshop), 

alongside better filtering tools for 

images by keywords or faces. This 

goes swimmingly with Apple’s new 

filing system, which now allows 

drag-and-drops on a single display 

for all platforms. In addition, this 

opens up for the new iOS 11 features. 

Through windows 

One of the new iOS features for iPads 

is the multitasking ability, similar to 

what you might see with Windows. 

As mentioned, the concept is not 

new; it’s more of a simple addition 

they should have had a while ago. 

iPad users will now be able to hold 

and drag folders, files and photos 

into different apps that are open at 

the same time. For example, opening 

the Mail app or iMessage on one side, 

while you drag photos and other files 

into the app on the split screen. 

Within the same frame, Apple 

is really pushing their “deep 

learning” approach to technology 

advancements. For example, a 

handwritten text by using the Apple 

Pencil, used on the Notes app, can 

easily find you written files that 

have been saved away from long 

ago. Simply by recognising your 

handwriting allows the iOS to search 

for files you couldn’t pluck out by 

rummaging through all the folders 

and files. 

Make-believe 

They continued with the theme 

of introducing slightly new 

advancements for the iPhone and 

iPad like the ARKit, which essentially 

is an augmented reality app. Popular 

apps like Pokemon Go will use the 

ARKit tool to create or improve realtime 

renders. Think about playing 

an app on a real, blank table with 

little monsters battling each other, 

on your display as if they are actually 

there. With the demo shown during 

the keynote, they made it quite 

clear there were no other accessory 

or device needed to use the ARKit. 

You can use the Apple gadgets you 

already have. And it’s safe to say, the 

quality looks amazingly impressive. 

Beauty of the beast 

A huge pleasant surprise, if you 

want to call it that was the new 

and improved, also very sexy, 

introduction of the iMac Pro. 

Professionals can now rejoice at 

the most powerful Mac ever made. 

Let the specs of the gorgeous space 

grey Mac speak for itself. With a 5K 

display, there’s improving cooling 

capacity, 8-core Xeon processor (can 

be upgraded to 18-core), up to 4TB 

of SSD, up to 128GB of ECC memory, 

four Thunderbolt 3 ports and built-in 

10GB Ethernet. 

That’s not the only upgrade 

for Macs. The new line of iMacs 

possesses better Retina displays, 

graphics heavy boosts, Kaby Lake 

processors and USB-C. VR is also 

a huge component on the new 

additions. It was so enticing that we 

were given a live demo of a Star Wars 

VR game. And yes, there was plenty 

of geeking out. 

The new iMac base model can 

be purchased at $1,099 (21.5-inch), 

while the 4K model is set to $1,299. 

The MacBooks were also given a 

slight upgrade and start at $1,299 

(13-inch model). The beast that is the 

iMac Pro starts at $4,999. 

And another one 

There is also a new 10.5-inch iPad 

Pro in the new line of products. The 

Pro now will be available in three 

different sizes. The iPads have a 

12-megapixel camera and a 7MP 

selfie cam. The 10 hours of battery 

life is still there and now supports 

USB 3.0. 

New gadgets also mean better 

technology. A new feature called 

ProMotion reduces the Apple Pencil’s 

latency by 20 milliseconds. There 

is also an automatic refresh rate 

adjustment based on what you’re 

watching on your display. The 10.5- 

inch Pro will be available for $649 for 

the 64GB model. You can actually 

order one now and receive it within a 

week or two. 

Back to music 

Apple’s rise to dominance started with 

the iconic iPod, so the company’s roots 

will always have music at its base. The 

newest gadget from Apple is the new 

HomePod. It’s a stereo and smarthome 

gadget that will interact with 

voice control, which means plenty 

of conversations with an improved 

version of Siri. There are plenty of 

new additions to Apple Music, like 

its new interface and navigation, but 

it will project best through the new 

HomePod. Aside from music, you have 

news, unit conversation, messages, 

reminders, podcasts, translations, 

weather, sports and well, you get the 

idea. 

The $349 gadget is nothing 

revolutionary and definitely nothing 

new. Apple is simply playing catch 

up. In a way, they did what Sony 

used to do: improve or make better 

already established products. In any 

case, these will fly off the shelves no 

matter what. •

Weekend-5-8

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