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Dhaka Tribune
Sucked into
a space-time
vortex
| Thursday, February 12, 2015 | Volume 2, Issue 40
Editor’s note
Status of the week
A weekly production of
DhakaTribune
Editor
Zafar Sobhan
Magazine Editor
Sabrina Fatma Ahmad
Asst Magazine Editor
Khan N Moushumi
TMAG Team
Saudia Afrin
Tahsin Momin
Baizid Haque Joarder
Rad Sharar
Raisa Rahim
Contributors
ASM Foysal
Pragya Rahman
Nasif Chowdhury
Zubaida Rahman
Lameya Alma Amin
Graphics
Mohammed Mahbub Alam
Tahsin Momin
Meme of the week
Dear Readers,
There are some exciting things
happening behind the scenes at
TMAG that we can only hint at
for now. It’s also been a week of
confusion for us, simply because
we’re going through so many
changes. This issue of TMAG reflects
what’s been going on.
The foremost issue on everyone’s
mind is the hartals, and the school
days we’re losing because of them.
We chat with some of the schools
about how they’re dealing with this
situation (pg 2).
Not everyone’s letting hartals get in
the way of getting stuff done, so we
have a page full of happenings to
share in Event Tweets (pg 3).
Since winter’s finally starting to take
leave, we’ve also put together a guide
on transitioning your wardrobe into
spring (pg 4).
Another way to get your education
in spite of blockades is virtually, and
hence this week’s Written in the Stars
features an online school (pg 8).
Finally, join us on the Hot Topic (pg
6&7) as the TMAG team travels back
in time through landmark moments in
the history of newspaper publishing.
Have a great week!
Goodbyes are never easy, which is
why I never say goodbye. I always
choose to believe I’ll see these people
again, ‘cause life is way too long for
you to not bump into them again.
Hashtag trendings
#Iliketheremix
Used to express positive opinions and compliments about changes made in
someone’s life, work, or appearance.
Time for a change, some drastic decisions have been made let’s see where
they go.
#I like the remix
More inside
Picks Of the week
10 Spotlight Spilled ink?
10 The goodsheet
Kim Cesarion’s Undressed
Fashion
4 Beauty check Knock knock
4 Look of the week Francisca Gomes
4 Wardrobe check
Transitional wear 101
Your world
5 Car Harley-Davidson Dyna
9 Comic Strip
9 Fiction Dreams
9 Book List
TMAG says
2 School Survival
Being on track, within the chaos
10 Playlist
Tunes from around the world
Real Life
3 Event
6 Hot topic Press Rewind
12 Love Guru
Horoscopes
5 Your forecast
Love,
From, The TMAG desk
Colour Specialist
Shekhar Mondal
Advertising
Zia Ur Rahman
Production
Masum Billah
Circulation
Masud Kabir Pavel
5 Car talk
Harley Davidson Fat Boy Bob
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.dhakatribune.com
8 Written in the Stars
Online school
About the cover
The TMAG team gets sucked into a
space-time vortex.
Photo Anup Munir
Design Alamgir Hossain
2 School Survival
4 Look of the week
Being on track, within the chaos
Francisca Gomes
TM AG Th u rsday, FE B RUARY 1 2, 20 1 5
2
tmag
Schoologistics
School Survival
Being on track, within the chaos
Things aren’t how it is supposed to be, when a third party gets affected amid the altercations between two other parties. And the third party in
this scenario would be the student in schools, colleges and universities. The on-going SSC and equivalent examinations are being postponed.
Even though the exams are still taking place, the examinees have to risk their lives to reach the venue
With the blockades and strikes running
for over a month now, the authorities
are seemingly nervous about getting
done with the syllabus within the
academic year. On this note, TMAG
decided to find out what steps the
schools are taking to overcome the
situation.
“Regardless of the political
circumstances and conditions, the
gates of our school are always open.
It is usual for attendance to suffer
comparatively, but our messaging
systems and online portals keep every
student updated on their syllabuses
and examinations. Hence, progress is
minimally hindered.” -Charmaine Vilijeon,
Public Relations, International School
Dhaka
“The loss of syllabus content is tackled
with assignments for home, to be sent
in, checked and resent back to the
students every Friday with feedback
from the teachers. The option to
contact the teachers and supervisors
always remains open for personal
assistance. Hence, with a little help
from the parents, the content is covered
efficiently and no problems arise.”
-Nurun Nahar Gias, Senior Supervisor,
Scholastica
TM AG Th u rsday, FEB RUARY 1 2, 201 5
“Considering the situation, we are
keeping the school open on Fridays and
Saturdays if no blockades or curfew is
imposed. Dropping the extra-curricular
classes temporarily and adding tutorial
classes for the senior students, the
lost content over the week is being
recovered. Moreover, homework and
assignments are provided to keep the
students busy and updated in their
curriculum as well.” -Sabrina Shaheed
Hafiz, Vice Principal, Sir John Wilson
School
We also gathered a quote from
Advocate Mostafizur Rahman Fizar,
Hon’ble Minister for the Ministry of
Primary and Mass Education.
“We will try doing all that’s best
for our children. And to not let any of
these chaos hamper their academics,
we are trying to arrange exams during
weekends. We cannot ask them to
forget exams and be a part of this
chaos, now can we? Best of luck to all
the children” - on the government’s
efforts to ensure that the children do
not fall behind due to the on-going
political unrest. Baizid Haque
Joarder, Rad Sharar, Raisa Rahim
Photos Bigstock
tmag
Events
3
Event Tweet
Sake of Love
Someone needs to be courageous
enough to fall in love with someone.
That is because the desperate and
heroic heart requires a lot of strength
to combat all the barriers that comes
out from family and society. Following
this theme, Closeup “Kache Ashar
Shahoshi Golpo” has arranged a
competition for this Valentines Day on
January 1 for the third time. The first
two teleplays of this campaign “Gaye
Holud” and “Police Station” were a
massive success.
Countless letters and emails were
sent to us with brave love stories from
all over the country. After January 20,
the last date of sending the stories,
selection began and the judges went
through a great dilemma to choose the
three best stories.
The Names of the three best storywriters are: Reazul Alam Shawon,
Hridita Islam and Mehreen Kabir. The
stories will be visualised by another
three prominent young directors,
Golam Kibria Farooki, Imraul Rafat and
Shafayet Mansoor Rana. The main
characters will be acted by Tahsan
Rahman Khan, Jon Kabir, FS Nayeem,
Nusrat Imroz Tisha, Aparna Ghosh,
Nowrin Hasan Khan Jenny, Shahtaj
Monira Hashem.
To feel the season of love once
again keep your eyes on Bangla Vision,
Electronic Media Partner.
Story 1
Written by Reazul Alam Shawon
Directed by Golam Kibria Farooki
Champions of the Earth
Acted by Tahsan Rahman, Nowrin
Hasan Khan Jenny, Shahtaj Monira
Hashem
Tiru and Ashfaq are in love with each
other for four years. But, suddenly
Faria with the mobility of a sparrow,
comes in Ashfaq’s life. which causes
everything to scatter everywhere. But,
who does Ashfaq’s “Kache Ashar
Shahosh” begin with?
Story 2
Written by Hridita Islam
Directed by Imraul Rafat
Acted by FS Nayeem, Nusrat Imroz
Tisha
over Bangladesh, each team bearing
3 members and with more than 800
participants. The teams were screened
on the basis of an online concept note
submission round and a presentation
round, leading to 8 finalist teams being
selected for the Finale. The 2nd Runner
up of the Competition was Team
Cranks from Ahsanullah University of
Technology, 1st Runner up: El Nino was
mixed College Team and Champions
from NSU- Team G4U. The 2nd Runner
up received 20,000 BDT, 1st Runner
Up 30,000 BDT and Champions 50,000
BDT.
Hridi loves Kowshik, on the other hand,
an always confused Kowshik doesn’t
even try to know the meaning of love.
One day Hridi’s missing, after she’s
missing, Kowshik got to know Hridi
was more than just a friend. After that,
Kowshik’s wait begins. Will Kowshik get
back to Hridi?
Story 3
Written by Mehreen Kabir
Directed by Shafayet Mansoor Rana
Acted by Jon Kabir, Aparna Ghosh
Promising player Sara falls in love with
Badminton legend coach Farhan. But
Sara’s family will never except widower
Farhan. Will their love fail. Or they
will create their story of brave love by
crossing all the barriers.
Celebrating Victory
“JIS Inter School Essay & Quiz
Competition” will be held on February
20 in regard of the International Mother
Language Day, Independence Day,
Victory Day and Liberation War of
Bangladesh.
Students from Class I to Class X of
English medium and version schools
will participate in this competition.
Class I to Class V will sit for the quiz
competition on the following day at JIS
Campus at Uttara. And students from
Class VI to Class X will write an essay
Earth club of North South University
organized the Grand Finale of their
event “Champions of Earth” held
recently at the plaza area of North
South University. “Champions
of Earth” started as Earth Club’s
largest initiative in organizing an
idea generating a competition on
environmental issues which turned
out to be the biggest environmental
competition in the country till date.
Tremendous responses were received
as the orientation and workshop
commenced with 296 registered teams
from Colleges and Universities in all
on topics such as “where do you want
to see Bangladesh in 2030,” “how do
you want to work for Bangladesh to
help it become a developed country?”
and “what do you know about our
Liberation war?”
On February 27, the final celebration
including a cultural event and prize
giving ceremony will be held in the
JIS campus and will have eminent
educationalists, freedom fighters and
politicians to present at the event.
Samsung launches
training project “ARISE”
for Dhaka Polytechnic
Institute Students
Samsung Electronics Bangladesh
has launched a technical training
project “ARISE” (Advanced Repair
and Industrial Skill Enhancement)
at the Dhaka Polytechnic Institute.
On the occasion, Nazrul Islam Khan,
honourable Secretary of Ministry of
Education was present as the chief
guest accompanied by the special
guest, His Excellency Lee Yun-Young,
the Ambassador of the Republic of
Korea. Choon Soo Moon, Country
Manager of Samsung Electronics
Bangladesh, and Md Shahjahan Mian,
Director General of Directorate of
Technical Education were also present
at the event.
Under the “ARISE” project, the 75
final-year students or students who
have completed final year will be able
to receive a free of cost six-month long
training to develop basic technical
skills and personality development.
The participants of this training will
be selected by the Dhaka Polytechnic
Institute. Apart from providing free
training, Samsung has also renovated
the laboratory with training material.
The training will be provided with
lecture and assistance in three areasAudio Visual (TV, Home Theater), Home
Appliance (Refrigerator, Microwave
Oven and Washing Machine) and
Mobile Device.
Choon Soo Moon, Country Manager
of Samsung Electronics Bangladesh
said, “we are really happy to provide
these facilities for the students
of Polytechnic Institute. The main
aim of our training program is to
build a talent pool of manpower for
Bangladesh Service Industry as we
believe this program will enrich talent in
Bangladesh.”
This training program is the first
initiative taken by Samsung Electronics
Bangladesh under their Creating
Shared Value (CSV) initiative, as a social
responsibility drive to provide benefit
to the students who have taken certain
specified and government recognised
technical courses.
TM AG Th u rsday, FE B RUARY 1 2, 20 1 5
4 tmag
FASHION FACE-OFF
Beauty Check
Look of the week
“girl’s day out”
It’s your day out
with your girls.
Enjoy to the fullest
with a simple chic
look. This look is
very sophisticated
with pink tinted
lips and a nice,
bright cardigan all
put together in its
simplistic form.
Knock knock
Who’s there? Spring. Spring
who? *Hachu*
Model
Francisca Gomes
Photo
Courtesy
Spring is around the corner and so are
its airborne allergens. With that being
said, TMAG is here to help you shield
yourself from the month-long sniffing,
sneezing and itching the season has in
store for you
Causes
Spring carries weeds, spores, grass
and tree pollens in its air. These are the
root causes of allergies. You can either
get allergies due to over exposure to
pollens, weeds, grass, dust and even
animal fur or if your parents had them;
allergies have a solid genetic factor.
Here are a few tests to help you figure
out which of these devils is irritating
your eyes, nose, and throat.
The allergy skin test
Neil Kao, an internal medicine physician
specialising in allergy and immunology
at the Allergic Disease and Asthma
Center in Greenville, suggests that this
test is the quickest and most accurate in
testing for allergy.
This very interesting test allows your
physician to slightly and gently prick
your skin letting an allergen enter the
outer layer. After about twenty to fifteen
Wardrobe Check
Transitional wear 101
The weather, recently has been too
crazy to deal with! The sun shines
and makes you realise that the harsh
summer is already peeking through
spring but then again, the evenings
are so deliciously chilly, that you fall in
love with it. Such transitional weather
visits us about twice, each year, fall and
spring. It’s time to play with layers and
finding out what suits you best. TMAG
brings you a full-proof guide for this
year’s transitional weather, from the cool
winter onto the colourful spring
The art of layering
We at TMAG always focus on layering,
why? Because it is so important! The
theory of piling clothes, bearing in
mind their weight and warmth, seems
relatively easy as you are using what’s
TM AG Th u rsday, FEB RUARY 1 2, 201 5
already in your wardrobe. However,
if you do not put in much thought
behind it, you might just end up looking
helplessly buff.
The girls can start infusing colours
since spring is nearby. “Colourblocking”
has been a popular option recently.
Bright coloured shoes, dark fitted denim
pants, a light-weight shirt underneath
with a pastel jacket can be your day’s
outfit. And on weekends, go with a
pastel dress- we love the shades during
the transitional period- a black leather
jacket on top and dark leggings is a
perfect mix of femininity and edge.
The guys too, can look amazing.
The trick is to know that you need an
outfit that is lighter than your winter
wear but warmer than summer. A white,
fitter v-neck and a black leather jacket,
teamed up with a dark coloured chino,
and you’re set to make an impression
on the girls.
The “cooler-warm” clothes
After being bundled up in your favourite
jacket during the winter days, lightweight materials are the way to go
during the transitional climate. Hipster
jackets, cardigans and half sleeved
sweaters are welcome.
The addition of scarves, hats and
everyday accessories can make your
otherwise-ordinary-outfit, stand out in a
mass, making a bold and dynamic style
statement.
All in all, enjoy the climate to the
fullest while you look good.
Baizid Haque Joarder
minutes, any redness and swelling in
the skin will help identify which one of
the allergens is at fault.
Better be safe than sorry
If you want to avoid going to the doctor
or getting asthma attacks, you can do so
by taking a few precautious steps. Your
hair is likely to catch pollen and other
allergens in the air, especially during
windy days. When travelling, always
cover yourself, especially your nose, skin
and hair with a scarf or a mask.
Take precautions
By taking early precautions and proper
medications, you’re likely to keep
allergies at a good distance. But for that
you need to know your over-the-counter
(OTC) medications such as topical
nasal sprays, inhalants, decongestants
and antihistamines. Make sure you
switch brands periodically in case
your symptoms are not in control. It is
highly recommended that you consult
a physician for prescribed drugs since
some of these medications may cause
side effects.
Raisa Rahim
tmag 5
Street
Car Talk
HOROSCOPE
Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19)
You may be preoccupied with
a new friendship this week.
Try not to confide in anyone about this
friendship as this could create certain
problems for you.
Taurus (Apr 20-May 20)
This week you’ll be busy
rearranging things in your
house, trying to come up with new
ways to make your house look
glamorous, cool and fresh.
Gemini (May 21-Jun 20)
Any creative project at work is
likely to look strong and well
appreciated. Later towards the week
you will see more clearly as to where
you want to go with your career.
Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22)
Your love life is currently
going through an easy
going state but that does not
necessarily mean you don’t have to
spend enough time with the certain
someone.
It’s not fat, it’s
humongous!
Low fat handlebar, blacked-out finishes, throaty blunt-cut mufflers, fat
tyres and a gruff attitude. Now you know you’re riding dirty
With its fat tyres, throaty engine and the
iconic styling, the Harley Davidson Fat
Bob continues to impress us with its
bad boy attitude.
The Harley-Davidson Dyna Fat Bob
is propelled by a blacked out air cooled,
twin cam engine with a displacement of
1,585cc. This unit is more than capable
of rewarding 132Nm of peak torque at
3250 rpm, and returns a surprising fuel
economy of 5.6 litres/100 km.
The Twin Cam 103 engine in it is
a treat for the eyes and there’s no
mistaking its roots. With so much
attention to detail, this is a perfect
example of an authentic HarleyDavidson styling and this is something
that you won’t find from any other
motorcycle company. From the black
powder-coated heads to the cylinders
and rocker covers, all of these are
highlighted by cooling fin tips on the top
three fins. As pure as it can get, this is
a jewel machined out of metal and it is
dripping with power. The classic edge
of the cooling fins and the clean lines,
the Twin Cam 103 engine makes an
ironclad statement about holding on to
its pedigree and staying true to what it
stands for!
A ride to release the power of Twin
Cam 103 engine; it delivers enough
pulling torque to knock you out, while
its electronic sequential port fuel
injection jets out a crisp and lively
throttle reaction. The performance
will hit you with a punch that you’ll
appreciate when climbing hills, or rolling
with a passenger in the back, added
with that signature motor company
rumble.
However though, this bike is only
for a local bumbling trip, but it does do
that in a very satisfying way. The engine
is a fabulous as a cruiser, pulling from
impossibly low revs to thumping and
shuddering when you twist your wrist.
Slide the transmission into the overdrive
top gear and it churns lazily at 70mph at
less than 3,000rpm.
The Fat Bob, for its size, steers
beautifully; stable and obedient at very
low speeds even around the tiniest
roundabouts, which can be a chore
on many other bikes, especially on
something as big as this. The brakes
would scare you to some extent but they
do get the job done. Harley has cleverly
hidden the anti-lock braking system
equipment so they don’t spoil the bike’s
looks.
There’s no escaping the fact that at
£15,499, this is an expensive motorcycle
and for that price, you don’t even get
adjustable handlebar levers. Sigh!
Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22)
Seems like you’re juggling
way too many things at the
moment, you might want to step back
and start dealing with one thing at a
time.
Virgo (Aug 23- Sep 22)
Put a hold on your career
decisions for a while and
focus on your personal life.
Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22)
A lot of unexpected meetings
could take place this week
and some secrets could be revealed.
Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21)
It is your time to shine
Scorpio, perhaps there is an
old idea or a pitch that you
want your bosses to hear, which could
really turn things around for you.
Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21)
Seems like you’ve been
bottling a lot of things inside
of you lately, just try not to explode
and be calm.
Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19)
You can find yourself
breaking free from a situation
that once held you back.
Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18)
It’ll be quite a challenge to
get others to see things from
your point of view.
Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20)
Try not to look for problems
where there aren’t any
otherwise you may miss out on a chance
to reach a deeper understanding.
Tahsin Momin
TM AG Th u rsday, FE B RUARY 1 2, 20 1 5
6
tmag
Press
Rewind
TMAG embarks on a strange
adventure
By Sabrina Fatma Ahmad,
Rad Sharar Bin Kamal,
Tahsin Momin,
Baizid Haque Joarder,
Raisa Rahim
and Pragya Rahman
“T
o the meeting room!”
The familiar weekly
call to action had us
all shuffling into the
conference room. There were a few
worried glances, considering that the
recent hartals had been wreaking
havoc on everything, and no one knew
for sure if we’d get to do the footwork
necessary for the stories.
As we walked in, we found a
strange tablet lying on the table.
The display screen simply had a
calendar on top. Curious as we are,
we all leaned in at the same time and
reached out to touch it. No sooner had
we made contact, than the thing began
to vibrate. The lights overhead began
to blink on and off, and someone –
probably Raisa, screamed as the glass
door slammed shut behind us. Without
warning, the lights went out.
Rad in Rome
Everything disappeared. Silence
drowned the darkness of the meeting
room and was replaced by a lean,
standing scar of light in front of me.
The brightness rose as the gates
opened and a roar of the crowd
washed over me.
Disoriented and confused, I
proceeded forwards into the stands
of the Roman Colosseum, and looked
below to find a mighty Gladiator
basking in his victory over the lions.
To my left stood a slightly elevated
podium, holding a man busy scratching
symbols onto a metal plate. A look
around found a few more of his type,
all emerged in their task, hammering
down history for the first official
publication of human kind, the Acta
Diurna, Latin for Daily Acts.
This is where it all came into
form, the most basic mass marketed
newspaper holding information of
public interest. A stroll down to the
streets discovered more on the notice
boards in the Forum of Rome, a few
carved on stone, surrounded by
philosophers and thinkers replenishing
their memories and theories.
“An initiative of Julius Caesar, the
Acta Diurna was an arrangement to let
the public be aware of the political and
business decisions taken by the senate
for the people,” answered a passing
fellow, striking suspicious glances
at my apparently obvious question. I
hurried away grinning, knowing how
this story ends, and wondering of why
TM AG Th u rsday, FEB RUARY 1 2, 201 5
21 century schoolbooks only refer to
the Roman general as a power-hungry
opportunist rather than a brilliant mind
who could run circles around any
communications teacher of the time.
But as per public interest, the juicy
tale of his assassination will always be
catered.
Pragya in Germany
The year was 1440 in Strasbourg,
Germany at the St. Arbogash Parish, or
at least that’s where I found myself.
I stumbled upon the mysterious
printing base of Johannes Gutenberg
called the Kunst und Aventur. We spoke
for a while and his English for some
reason was not as rusty as I’d hoped
and he was enlightening me on the
movable type and how all of the idea
behind all of this had come to him like
a ‘ray of light’.
Four years passed by. Mr.
Gutenberg and I met with his brother
in law to take out a loan for a printing
press. Another four years passed and
during this time Mr. Gutenberg started
working on copper engravings and
met with an artist of printing called
the “Master of Playing Cards”. Two
years later in 1450 a German poem
was printed and both Mr. Gutenberg
and I were able to convince a wealthy
businessman and moneylender Johann
Fust for a loan of eight hundred
guilders, Mr. Gutenberg’s son in law
Peter Schoffer was also part of this
enterprise. I received a letter in 1455
from Mr.Gutenberg when he excitedly
wrote that he had printed a complete
42-line bible known as the Gutenberg
bible.
And then I woke up.
Tahsin at Times Square
When my vision cleared, I found myself
no longer in the meeting room, but in
a strange, bustling place, which looked
like something out of a period flick, but
smelled too real to be a movie set.
There was smoke everywhere. It was
dark and gloomy. The clothes were the
first clue. As I waded through the muck
of many an unpaved road, listening to
the market vendors shout out prices
for their wares, the unbelievably low
rates and the absence of cars made
everything clear. I had somehow
teleported back to New York in the
1830’s!
New York at this point was bustling
with immigrants moving in from
HOT TOPIC
different parts of the world in search
for jobs. With the nearest source of
entertainment, the radio, almost a
hundred years away, these people had
almost nothing to do in the spare hours
of the morning and evening. This also
meant that they had no source of news.
At that time, newspapers were available
but they were too damn expensive, and
were seen a luxury, which was often
out of the reach of the working class
people.
Benjamin Day, who was already
in the printing business, started a
newspaper of his own to salvage the
losses suffered by his business after
a local financial panic caused by
the cholera outbreak in 1832. Day’s
idea of selling a newspaper for a penny
seemed radical at a time when most
newspapers sold for six cents.
He backed-up his decision by
claiming that many working class
people were literate and that they
were not newspaper customers simply
because no one had published a
newspaper targeted specifically towards
them. On September 3, 1833, Volume.1,
Number.1 of Benjamin Day’s “The
Sun” was available for the masses to
buy. Day took on a massing gamble by
launching “The Sun”, but it proved to be
a huge success!
The success of The Sun
encouraged James Gordon Bennett to
start “The Herald,” another newspaper,
which sold for one cent. Soon after,
other papers, including the New York
Tribune and the New York Times,
followed the footsteps of Day and
began publication as penny papers.
If it wasn’t for Day, we would not
have any newspapers for the masses.
And if it wasn’t for him, people like you
me would not be reading this article on
a piece of paper, like the one you are
holding in your hand.
Raisa in London
When the world stopped spinning so
fast, I opened my eyes to find myself
standing on a station platform. With
a hiss of steam, an old-fashioned
locomotive rushed past me, forcing me
to back up until I landed on a vintage
iron-bench.
“Lud! What on God’s sweet earth are
you wearing, gel?” inquired a shocked
voice in a starchy British accent. I
turned to see a woman in a corseted
gown, leaning to look at me with the
same kind of gaze I would get if I went
7
to dine with elderly relatives wearing a
miniskirt.
I stammered and stuttered, pulling at
my cardigan and jeans, wondering why
I should worry about being judged by
someone whose collar was stiffer than
a traffic cone. Then I noticed she was
clutching what looked like a minty fresh
newspaper. The year on the date-line of
the tabloid said 1903.
My heart began to race. Should I
freak out, or just faint?
I did the latter.
A few centuries later, Baizid
I opened my eyes and found myself
inside a K-6 telephone booth,
somewhere in West London. I walked
out of the red box, and found my feet
taking charge, moving me forward. I
ended up in front of a sign that read,
“The Independent” on 2, Derry Street.
Like an aeroplane on auto-pilot,
I entered the headquarters of the
newspaper and found myself sitting
at the back of a conference room.
People in suits who looked important
were discussing something like “going
compact.” The calendar on the wall was
from 2003. I should have asked myself
how on earth I had managed to teleport
back to the past in another country.
Instead, I found myself wondering, “how
does a newspaper become ‘compact’
and more importantly, why?”
Sitting there, I had my questions
answered for me without uttering a
word. The size of the paper was to
be shortened from the traditional
broadsheet to a sleeker, more compact
size, hence the name. The commuters
in London, would have an easier time
reading the compact paper while
travelling.
What they could only guess, and I
knew for sure - it proved to be a vital
point and it led to a rise in popularity for
the newspaper. Soon after, several other
reputed papers like The Times and The
Scotsman followed suit.
And I experienced the marking of a
milestone in the history of newspapers
since the use of colours in broadsheets.
Sabrina, Present Day
“Boss, you were saying?”
I snapped out of my daydream to
find myself clutching the calendar. The
TMAG team stared at me, waiting for
me to proceed.
“Right...let’s talk about going
compact.”
TM AG Th u rsday, FE B RUARY 1 2, 20 1 5
8 tmag
Written in the stars
Learning
Long
distance
Considering the question of quality education
especially at the primary level, there are an insufficient
number of schools and good teachers for kids in
rural, remote, and slums areas in Bangladesh.
Grameenphone Ltd along with Jaago Foundation and
Agani Systems Ltd jointly kicked off the journey of
“Online School.” The initiative solely aspires to ensure
their vow to provide good and productive education
among these unprivileged kids. Find out more about
this inspirational initiative with Saudia Afrin
When learning is fun
A teacher from Rayer Bazaar, Dhaka
daily visits different parts of the country
to teach the local kids. You might be
wondering how that is possible. Have
heard about distant learning and how
the concept of Online School is similar
to it.
In the Online School, the teachers
facilitate the class from Rayer Bazaar
School, Jaago Foundation through
video conferencing technology with the
presence of at least two moderators.
These moderators are local and
being at the initial level of teaching
as an apprentice help online teachers
operate the class more closely and
efficiently. The initiators behind
these projects aspire to facilitate the
moderators so that they are able to
single-handedly conduct an online class
in the near future, even without the
presence of a teacher.
Online School is celebrating their
third year, along with the students who
started with Reception (a mixture of
Nursery and Play Group curriculum).
“As these students grow each year, the
school will start a new class for them,”
added by M. Hafizur Rahman Khan,
Specialist, Corporate Responsibility
Engagement (CRE). He also mentioned
that many local schools are on board to
join the project.
To assess and compare the progress
of emotional/practical intelligence
development among students, as well
as their personal grooming habits, the
initiators ran a performance comparison
between Online School and regular
schools in Banani and Rayer Bazaar,
after the first year of their journey.
The Online School attained the
highest position along with an average
GPA of 3.3725 on a scale of 4. The
participants of the programme are very
welcoming and aspire for a positive
change in the future which makes a
huge impact on the local community.
At the moment, online school is
earnestly awaiting a report conducted
by a team of professors from the
department of International Relations,
Dhaka University. The entrepreneurs
are working relentlessly to achieve new
goals including taking more corrective
measures in curriculum, making more
content for Online School and make it
even bigger.
Shedding some light on their future
plans, M. Hafizur Rahman Khan , CRE
said, “We want the project to sustain
and ensure it’s working properly.”
Siad Arefeen, Ummay Tanjina Payel,
Mahmmudur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman,
Ayasha Hasi and Ananya Islam were
all participants of the online school
programme. They were all honoured
and glad to have been a part of this
wonderful project. n
We have targeted the remote areas
where underprivileged children do not
have the opportunity to go to a regular
school. We have used our resources and
connectivity to overcome the barriers
to provide them with quality (instead of
elementary) education. We are hopeful
that this initiative will create an example
across the nation that communication can
overcome any boundaries. Our goal here
is to make education the best it can be and
continue working towards ‘Internet for
all,’ leaving no one behind
- Debashis Roy, head of Corporate
Responsibility, Grameenphone Ltd.
Facts about the school
•
•
•
•
In August 2011, the first Online
School started off only with 80
Students.
Currently, there are 10 schools
located in Gazipur, Gaibandha,
Rajshahi, Madaripur
Bandarban, Teknaf, Dinajpur,
Rangpur, Hobigonj and
Laxmipur with 699 students.
Grameenphone has been
financing the project by
providing free Internet service,
while Agni is offering Internet
solutions free of cost.
Beside using the video
conferencing technology with
at least 1.5MBPS data speed
(duplex), the kids are familiar
with laptops, web cams, sound
systems, large screen TVs and
sketch boards.
Photos Courtesy
TM AG Th u rsday, FEB RUARY 1 2, 201 5
tmag 9
YOU WRITE IT
Book
fiction
TMAG brings you a list of
books from a few fresh
yet popular writers. Enjoy
reading!
Alapon Ashtami
Pias Majid
Camu, Marquez, Elias o Ananno
Marquez
Facebook Statuser Kobitara
Tarif Mohammed Khan
DREAMS
Sheehan, a 19-year old boy, was born
to a less than modest family who lived
on the edge of poverty. Regardless,
they had high hopes for Sheehan’s
future. However, his passion lied in
singing. Unfortunately, being the son
of the man who was the headmaster
of the school in his village, everyone
expected him to become an educated
man, like his father; “perhaps a
professor,” so said his father. But till
he passed his HSC exam, he had just
proved himself as a mediocre student.
Never wanting to compete his father’s
decision of his future, Sheehan
hardly ever brought up the topic of
pursuing professional singing. He
did once, leaving his father laughing
and saying: “Don’t be foolish boy!
Education is the only achievement in
the world.”
After that Sheehan never brought
it up again. But his father’s decision
never truly deferred him from his
passion. At times when he was alone
or with friends, he used to sing his
heart out, practising to get better.
After finishing his HSC exams, the he
decided to shift to Dhaka to continue
his studies there. His father had saved
up to send him off, but Sheehan had
thought over it and stood his ground
once and for all; only studying would
never make him great.
He decided to talk and reason with
his father which he was always scared
to do. He thought it was best to do so
during New Year’s Eve. The occasion
symbolised new hope for him. But his
father was not an understanding man;
to him only his reasons seemed to
matter, so his answer to Sheehan was
simple: “You will do what I tell you, or
you will no longer be my son.”
Breaking his father’s heart and of
all those who loved him, Sheehan took
the most important decision of his life;
off he went to Dhaka, without a penny
to his name, or a family to support
him. He knew dreams don’t come true
easily, however, he believed that one
day when he would be accomplished
and famous, he would be able to
persuade his father to realise that he
had taken the right decision. Now,
Sheehan looks forward to his long
hard journey; we cannot help but wish
him well. Akib Sarwar
TM AG Th u rsday, FE B RUARY 1 2, 20 1 5
10 tmag
Goodsheet
Undressed
Kim Cesarion
Am
C
I feel hazy
G
F
Why is everything black and white?
Am
C
I feel dizzy
G
F
Like my effing head is full of dynamite
Am
C
Jump in my Mercedes
G
F
But it isn’t quite driving right
Am
C
I don’t get it, I’m not drunk
G
F
A million people in the place and there you are
And I was like
Am
C
Hi my name is
G
F
Whatever you call me
Am
C
So let’s get undressed
G
F
Cause you look a little lonely
Am
C
I’ll make you scream yeah, I’ll make you laugh
G
F
Cover your body with my autograph
Am
C
So let’s get undressed
G
F
Cause I wanna see you naked
TOP
10
Play it
forward
1 Be my baby
Ariana Grande (feat Cashmere Cat)
2 Kabira (unplugged)
Arijit Singh
3 Do I wanna know?
Arctic Monkeys
4Alvida
James
5 100 years
Five for Fighting
6 Come and get it
Moya
7 hokhi Bhabona Kake Bole
Studio58 feat Jannat
8 Massaka Brain
Mainland
9 Bhalo achi, bhalo theko
Chamok and Rabbi
10Lost!
Coldplay
TM AG Th u rsday, FEB RUARY 1 2, 201 5
Stereo
Music news
Spilled Ink?
Finnish symphonic metal band,
Nightwish, has made its name
globally and has been building its
image since 1996. Every journey has
its bumps and Nightwish has had
their fair share of them. However
recently, a new controversy has come
to light
Their new single “Elan,” was set to
be released on February 13 as the
debut single of their upcoming album
‘”Endless Forms Most Beautiful.” But
recently, said single had been leaked.
On their Facebook page, the band
had posted a screenshot of a woman
uploading a link to the unreleased track
with the caption “People, not like this
please.”
This action definitely stirred up trouble
within and outside the fan base, with
fans sending the “leaker” hate mails,
threats, etc. Fans also pointed out how
the band should not have brought
any publicity to the leak, thereby only
making it worse for them. This went on
to the extent where the band posted a
heated status on their page stating in
caps-lock that it was not their intention
to attack an individual “BUT TO RAISE
AWARENESS THAT SPREADING
UNRELEASED PROPERTY THROUGH
INTERNET IS NOT SOMETHING THAT
ANY ARTIST WOULD LIKE TO SEE
HAPPEN…”
Obviously the anger and disappointment
relayed in the post, again stirred up
some trouble and upset fans. This lead
to another status (a calmer one) being
posted, relaying a statement by Tuomas,
founder of the band. It was mentioned
that such an incident “is a huge blow
to the wonderful mystery which is
surrounding the impending release of
[their] new music.” Further, he stated
that the band cares most about its
music and the impact it has on people,
thus keeping that in mind, he urged
everyone to avoid giving ears to the
leak. He concluded saying that there’s a
lesson to be learnt for all sides and that
he hopes everyone will have calmed
down. Zubaida Rana Rahman
tmag 11
Film 101
SCI-FI FILM
in the
making
There are namely two types of science fiction
films: Those which take place in a barren, postapocalyptic future, and those which take place
in a “pleasant,” non-post-apocalyptic scenario.
It’s astoundingly easy to reenact
the dystopian future in sci-fi films!
deciding factors, we can move on
to the theme.
Post-apocalyptic movie
Filming has to be done in the
desert. One of the deadliest
futuristic weapon is the “Atomic
Sand bomb,” which, when
detonated, is able to reduce entire
cities to sand within seconds. As
luck would have it, these weapons
aren’t very radioactive, and the
affected areas are often marked
with “Stay away” signs and a green
camera filter showing the audience
that there is something “off” about
the place.
Portraying the ultra-modern
utopian future is where it gets a
little tricky because there always
must be a twist.
Alien Movie
Hostile aliens are invading Earth
and it’s up to some guy with a
chiseled jaw and huge muscles
to save the planet! Aliens come is
different shape, size and form, here
are some prime examples:
Non post-apocalyptic future
Filming could be done in downtown
Canada. There are some really
clean cities in Canada, which gives
off a “Big Brother” vibe. You know,
because Big Brother has OCD
and he spends billions each year
for aircraft to fly around town and
dump pools of clean water and
detergent to keep the city squeaky
clean. A wide array of filters can be
used to show how meticulous the
city really is.
There is a definitive pattern here;
sci-fi is all about extremes. Either
the future is really dirty or it’s really
clean, there is no in-between. The
cars are either junked up 1950
Chevy Impalas with a heap of metal
bolted on top or they are super
sleek Audis with no wheels gliding
down the highway at 300 miles per
hour. The houses can be depicted
as old barns with a broken roof,
daylight pouring into the living
room or towering skyscrapers
standing tall and proud, sunlight
gleaming off its surface as if the
building is announcing in a deep
baritone “You can’t touch this!”
Now that we have our two main
Bug parasite
This one is out there, countless
cheesy movies and conspiracy
theories has moved the body
snatching creepy crawlers at the
top of the “must make a movie
about it” list. These ungodly
creatures come to earth in melon
sized space shuttles, crash landing
in some remote place where one
brave soul ventures to see what
all the ruckus is about. Alas! the
parasite crawls inside the noble
gentleman and starts infecting
others, multiplying at an alarming
rate.
Skinny grey alien with a huge head
This type of alien is supposedly
based on “real life” descriptions
from witnesses who enjoy brewing
their own beer, shooting at street
lights and yelling “YEE HAA!”
whenever it tickles their fancy.
These aliens come to Earth, sets
up camp (no one knows where),
and methodically starts to infiltrate
the top Government offices in
the world. Don’t forget, they can
change forms! Finally when their
plan of invading the rustic planet is
at its peak, some hot-shot officer
takes it upon himself to rid us of
these invaders. Bye bye little green
people.
Time Travel Movie
The baddie goes back to the past
to really mess up the future. He
changes a rather insignificant bit
of event that results in him being
the supreme king of the universe
or something like that. The point
is, the protagonist now has to
travel back in time in order to “fix”
the world and bring it back to its
natural state.
The villain always takes a
present day technology to the past
that astounds and bemuses the
past folks, who, as history portrays,
are not the sharpest tools in the
shed. The hero arrives shortly
afterward, severely conflicted and
taking a tremendous amount of
time “adjusting” to the change in
time continuum. Meanwhile, the
baddie has been up to his evil
schemes to dominate the world
in the future, or was it present?
Always a step behind, the hero
finally gets a shot to take out the
bad guy, preventing him from
changing the future but wait, there
is more. The protagonist interacts
with the people and his surrounding
because, let’s face it, only the
baddie can affect the future.
Killer Robot Movie
Big giant robots! RUN for your lives
or don’t, attempt to negotiate with
them and see if they play nice and
try not to invade Earth. Now that
the bureaucrats have figured out
all that peace talk was rubbish and
the killer robots had ulterior motives
all along, they decide to engage
the military to take on the giant
robots. After firing ten thousand
rounds or so, the good army folks
realise the robots are bullet proof!
After everything else fails, the hero
gets other killer robots to turn on
their species and take them out
one by one until only the leader of
the invading army of robots remain.
Just before the evil robot leader
“dies,” he shares a very perceptive
conversation with the protagonist,
usually always ending with the
promise “I’ll be back.” asm foysal
TM AG Th u rsday, FE B RUARY 1 2, 20 1 5
12 tmag
teenarama
Love guru
Q
TMAG presents, Lola and Mr. Twist to aid you in all
of your romantic endeavours. Send in your love/
relationship/crush problems and have them take a stab
at it
I care for my boyfriend, a lot. I love spending time with him
whenever we get the opportunity but what’s bugging me is that,
he always prefers and at times, pressurises me to hangout at my
place. He feels it is more convenient that way. On the other hand,
Mr. Twist: So you are in a relationship with A. A
cheapskate who won’t take you out, B. A weirdo who
fails to register what his girlfriend might want (sorry
about my “words” but I couldn’t help it). I believe you
my parents are cool with having guy friends over but I don’t want
them to be suspicious about me having a boyfriend. No matter
how open they are, it just doesn’t feel right. What should I do?
-Girlfriend of a weirdo
are right to think that it becomes a burden at one point
of time. Tell your boyfriend how you feel and make him
aware of your position at home. He will try to change if
he really cares about you.
Lola: Well, seems like you haven’t talked to your
boyfriend about this. If you do want to go out, then
please speak up and let him know. Don’t expect
him to read your hesitation and your anger, in case
you are bottling it all up inside. Maybe he is the
type who prefers being comfy with you at home.
It’s either that, or he has a sorry wallet. If that
bothers you too much, leave him be and find
yourself a Batman.
Send us your love related problems at [email protected]
Or message us on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/dhakatribunetmag
Take TMAG’s
PERSONALITY
QUIZ Now!
Question 1
What do you do on a weekend?
a) Dress up, put on heels, head out on
the town
b) Sit at home watch a marathon of
favourite TV show
c) Spend some quality time with the
family, read a book
d) Sleep
Question 2
What’s your favourite food?
a) Fuchka
b) Coffee
c) I’m on a strict diet of carrots and
peas.
d) Bread
Question 3
What’s your ideal holiday
destination?
a) The Swiss Alps
b) Egypt
c) Los Angeles
d) Cox’s Bazar
TM AG Th u rsday, FEB RUARY 1 2, 201 5
What kind of
publication are you?
Question 4
If you could have any of these super
powers what would they be:
a) Fly
b) Super strength
c) Eat excessive amounts without
getting fat
d) Have a mixture of all the super
powers in the world.
Question 5
What kind of music do you listen to?
a) Classical
b) Blues/Jazz
c) Rock/Pop
d) I listen to all kinds of music
Question 6
What is your favourite colour?
a) White
b) Grey
c) Violet
d) Orange
Question 7
If your life were a movie, which of
these movies would it be based on?
a) The Mummy Returns
b) Back To The Future
c) Blast From The Past
d) Ocean’s 12
Question 8
When flipping through channels
you’re most likely to stop and watch
a) The News
b) A Telenovella
c) A trailer for a movie
d) Random and funny adverts
Question 9
Best way to spend time online
a) Browse online stores
b) Reading news sites
c) Catching up on celebrity gossip blogs
d) Planning holidays in advance
Question 10
What’s your favourite carbonated
soft drink?
a) Mirinda
b) Mountain Dew
c) Sprite
d) Coke
Mostly A’s: Daily Newspaper
You are dedicated to contemporary
culture and society. There is not
a single event that goes past you,
much like the Reuters, you have
eyes and ears everywhere. You are
a socialite.
Mostly B’s: Magazine
You are a person whose stronghold
is cheeky sense of humour used in
the darkest of times.
Mostly C’s: Blog
You feed on celebrity gossip with
the hot and snazzy trends that
everyone’s following these days.
You are a person who commands
the stage on related matters.
Mostly D’s: TMAG
A self made magazine and a
complete concoction of all the
right things. Specifically chosen,
handpicked and then muddled
together in a flavour of familiarity
to infuse an aroma of authenticity
brewed together in simplistic
beauty. That defines you!
TM AG Th u rsday, FE B RUARY 1 2, 20 1 5
TM AG Th u rsday, FEB RUARY 1 2, 201 5