Shahbagh turns into human sea

The city's Shahbagh intersection turned into a human sea as the sit-in gained momentum with the spontaneous participation of thousands of people from all walks of life on Thursday.
Thousands of people under the banner of 'Bloggers and Online Activist Network' began their activities with national anthem around 8:00am for the third consecutive day demanding capital punishment to all war criminals including Jamaat assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Mollah.
People of all strata started the agitation since Tuesday afternoon shortly after the International Crimes Tribunal-2 gave life sentence to the Jamaat leader.
Students of Dhaka College, members of Sammilito Krira Paribar joined the agitation today expressing solidarities with the protest.
Arif Khan Joy, a former national footballer who joined the programme, said that people had to wait for the judgement for 42 years. But the verdict could not fulfill their expectations, he said.

The former soccer captain further said, "I could not join the Liberation War as I was underage. But I came to Shahbagh with the sprit of independence," he said.
"We want death penalty of all Razakars," said cultural activist Rokeya Prachi at Shahbagh.
The protesters also were chanting various anti-Jamaat-Shibir slogans since morning.
They were also singing patriotic songs to gear up the protest.
Huge jam has been created on the roads that lead to Shahbagh as police put barricades in front of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, Aziz Super Market and Institute of Fine Arts to avert any untoward incident.
Office and school going people had to face immense sufferings on their way to destinations in the morning due to the traffic congestion.
Different political parties, including ruling Awami League and its student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League, Jubo League Workers' Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) and Ganotantrik Bam Morcha expressed their solidarity with the protest and joined the programme on Tuesday.
The organisers announced to hold a grand rally there on Friday and invited student and youth organisations from all parts of the country to join the programme.
However, nobody from the main opposition BNP and its student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, are taking part in the rally.
The spirit of the protest also spread to other parts of the country.
RAJSHAHI UNIVERSITY
Hundreds of teachers, students and employees at Rajshahi University (RU) started agitating on the campus since Thursday morning over the same demand, reports a RU correspondent.
Hundreds of general students and activists of different cultural and political organisations held rallies, formed human chains and staged sit-in programmes at Tukitaki Chattar on the campus.
The protesters also chanted various anti-Jamaat-Shibir slogans.
They also vowed to continue their agitation until their demand is met.
RU progressive teacher’s society (PTS), Kendrio Sangskritk Jote, BCL and a forum of general students jointly organised the protest programme.
MANIKGANJ
People from all walks of life staged a sit-in on Dhaka-Aricha highway near Manikganj bus stand, reports our Manikganj correspondent.
Over five hundred protesters including freedom fighters, politicians and socio-cultural activists took part in the one-hour programme spontaneously from 11:30am.
Addressing the sit-in, speakers threatened to go for tougher agitation if their voices remain unheard.
PIROJPUR
Few hundred people including freedom fighters and other cultural organisations held a sit-in on the main road of the town demanding capital punishment to all war criminals including Mollah, reports our Pirojpur correspondent.
They also put barricade on road since 1:00pm to press home their demand.

পুরানো সেই দিনের কথা ( The Memories of that Past Days )

পুরানো সেই দিনের কথা ( The Memories of that Past Days )

রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর ( Rabindranath Tagore )

A translation of Shafiq Roneiy

The Memories of that past days
how you can forget
that soul memories that you have seen with your eyes.
Is it possible to forget?

Come my friend, come de novo, ( Latin- again / afresh)
come to the soul,
we will share our bitter and blithe memories
that will calm our souls.

At dawning, we flowered
for the festival of Holi.
And musing the reed, we sang
under the Bokul tree.


Alas!
Got separated from each other,
where are we now?
Again my friend if we discover each other,
come to the soul.

ভালোবাসা এক যন্ত্রনার নাম (prothom alo : Love Pain)

ভালবাসতে শুরু করে চোখের বয়স বাড়লে
চোখে যখন রং মাখা স্বপ্ন গুলো উড়ে বেড়ায়
ভাল লাগে একটা নারী একটা পুরুষ
ঘুরাঘুরি আর বলা আমি তোমাকে ভালোবাসি
কতোগুলো শব্দ আর শব্দের শেষে সম্মতি সূচক উত্তর যেন
একটা দেশ, পৃথিবী আর তামাম জগত জয়
কি এক আনন্দ আর সুখে চোখে স্বপ্নের পর স্বপ্ন আকা
তারপর একটা বাতাস সে যেন আসবেই
দু:খ দিতে আর কাদাতে
ভালবাসবে আর কাদবে না তা কি হয়!
ভালবাসা এক যন্ত্রনার নাম।
আজ আর কাল সে তোমাকে ছোবেই, যদি ভালবাস।

from  prothom-aloblog.com

BDjobs, Prothomalojobs ,

Promoting student employment in Bangladesh
 A college or university student in Bangladesh is seen responsible primarily to carry out his or her studies properly and receive the degree. If we look at the Bangladesh university students, we see that most of them merely depend on their parents for the costs of their study. If we think very deeply that a university student waits to receive money from their parents, it should strike our mind why they do not try to earn some money that could give them immense confidence to do something different in professional life.

In Bangladesh, there are few job opportunities for the students, but if we can focus some attention to it, it is not impossible that Bangladesh students would also be able to make contribution to the household income. It has been seen that those students who have been involved in some kind of jobs from the student life, they always find it easier to get better jobs after the completion of their studies.

Given our vast population and limited number of job opportunities, it is obviously not possible to create jobs for all students. However, if we decide something, we can achieve something perhaps. What we need is support from the government and a change in the outlook and mentality from our students.

There are a number of companies operating their business in Bangladesh. Isn't it possible to establish a liaison with these companies to make a provision for internship opportunities for the university students? It is conceivable that a number of banks offer internship to the students, which is actually the requirement for all business major students to complete. This internship they get at the very last stage and of the course.

A good number of students are studying in various universities in Bangladesh. If these universities can have contract with the companies to recruit their students as part time employees, it would give these students ample opportunity, and these companies would also find potential full time employees in the near future. This is the way companies in the USA and in other developed countries mostly recruit new employees. All major companies arrange job fairs in the big campuses and try to find out the potential employees. They initially offer internship position to the students and try to recruit the best talents for their companies. This is, truly speaking, a win-win situation in those countries.

Even though there are a number of universities in Bangladesh, but the arrangement of job fair for the students is not sufficient. If possible, these universities can work together and can arrange such fairs that would give students something to prepare for the challenging professional life. It is conceivable that all these universities merely exhibit business attitudes of attracting more and more students to give them a 'degree'. These universities should have some responsibilities towards these students of not only just with providing them with good education, but provide them with resources to utilise it for the professional life.

In the USA there is a programme called Federal Work Study (FWS). The FWS Programme is actually funded by the US government and it provides funds that are earned through part-time employment to assist students in financing the costs of post secondary education. Students can receive FWS funds at approximately more than 3,200 participating post secondary institutions. Institutional financial aid administrators at participating institutions do have significant flexibility to determine the amount of FWS awards to provide to students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment. Wages for the employment with this FWS programme is determined at an hourly rate, which is not less than the minimum federal wage.

It is true that it would be hard for Bangladesh government to create a fund for the employment for the students, but if it possible, it would support students for paying their tuition and would give them opportunities to get experiences prior to their completion of the degree. It is true that through FWS programme, students in the USA merely get a job in their respective universities and earn money.

A good number of organisations, in Bangladesh, are operated by the government. If the government provides fund to these students that would be earned through the employment opportunities in these companies, it would enable government organisations to find the potential employees for the near future and would allow some students to survive who need it and deserve it. Again the selection of these universities should be fair and transparent; otherwise controversies would be aired all around the corner.

Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exam, the most comprehensive exam in the country, is conducted every year to provide government jobs in many different sectors. This exam is not free from controversies, which deteriorates the true objective of this exam to select the best people. If some talented students get opportunities to work part time in these government sectors, this experience could also be a deciding factors of selecting best people along with this BCS exam.

If we look around the world, student job does not mean only the corporate jobs, student work in restaurants, in gas stations, in the front desk of many residential hotels and so on. The students in the developed countries mean any job as job and each and every job is treated with respect. We lack mentality to accept every job as a job. It would be hard for students in Bangladesh to serve food to his/her friends while working in a restaurant. But we should change this mentality, which is supposedly the most deciding factor to think if students can do a job. A Bangladeshi student goes to the USA, UK , Australia and do job in the restaurant, but in Bangladesh they cannot do it; if they can do it in other countries, why cannot they do it at home?

The world is getting more and more competitive; it would be hard to compete in the world if we do not exhibit something different. Students are actually the future of this world and consequently Bangladesh students should not deny responsibilities that they should step forward to make this better. For this very reason students need to get real life experience that they can get through various jobs during their student life.

The writer is Graduate Assistant, School of Business and Economics, Ashland University, Lecturer (on leave), State University of Bangladesh, for job searching http://bdjobs.com and http://www.prothom-alojobs.com