MAILBOX

Photo: Prabir Das

Know Thy Food
Unhealthy eating habits contribute to many health problems. A poor diet is associated with major health risks that can cause illness and even death. These include heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer. By making smart food choices, we can help protect ourselves from these health problems. Dietary habits established in childhood often carry into adulthood.  So teaching children how to eat healthy at a young age will help them stay healthy throughout their life. By taking steps to eat healthy, we can get the nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy, active, and strong. I think it is a very timely cover story and readers irrespective of their age groups will benefit from reading it.
Lubna Haq
Baridhara, Dhaka

Terrible Twins
The postscript [Re: January 19, 2015] on the astonishing similarity of the two biggest leaders of our country was funny as well as realistic. I enjoyed reading the satirical piece. Under normal circumstances, the people of Bangladesh get to cast their votes every five years. But what choices do they have? Basically they have to vote for one of the two drama queens. They take turns in running the country for five years and during those five years their main priority seems to be destroying the other. They are like identical twins, indeed. One is incomplete without the other.
Naznin Sultana Niti
Dhaka University

Hello democracy!
The Awami League celebrated the first anniversary of the election as "day of the victory of democracy" whereas the BNP boycotted the January 5 polls and observed it as "the death of democracy". In my opinion, the current parliament is not representative of the people of Bangladesh. On the other hand, the violence of the opposition parties is unacceptable. We urge both the government and the opposition parties to come to an agreement and stabilise the country. The impact of hartals and oborodhs on the education sector is immeasurable.
Masudur Rahman
Department of Law
Rajshahi University

An article to remember
Last week I went on a vacation with my family and needed a book to keep me company. So I grabbed a few copy of comics with me, and found an old issue of star magazine amongst the pile. In it I discovered a beautiful article titled 'To My Black Bearded Baba' [June 13, 2014]. I just want to say that I loved the article and I appreciate the writer and the Star for it.  
Sarfaraz Alam
DOHS, Baridhara

Lamentation for Things Lost
Sometimes I want to write a letter to my loved ones. I want to share my deep feelings with them. I want to wait for their letter anxiously. After receiving their letter, I want to feel its smell. I want to read the letter eagerly again and again. But alas! My wish will never be fulfilled. Nobody writes letters anymore in this age of mobile phones, facebook, email etc. We appreciate all the advances of modern science which has made the quality of life better on earth. But I still miss simple things like a letter. I was deeply moved by the cover story the Star published on January 9, 2015.
Faijun Nahar Ema
Ruqayyah Hall
University of Dhaka
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I could relate to the cover story on a personal level. I grew up in a remote village without electricity and I continued my study till HSC with the light of a kerosene lamp. As a child, I was also very much fond of hawai-mithai and kotkoti. Every day the kotkoti-wala came to our village and made sound with a small instrument to draw our attention. We rushed out of our rooms to collect kotkoti in exchange of empty jars, glass bottles, and other hold items. My father who is a shopkeeper bought cassettes for us.  We listened to the songs of Mamtaj, Rashid Sarker and Asraf Udas who were famous singers in the villages during that time. Thanks to the writer for writing such a wonderful story which has reminded me of the early days of my life.
Md Jahangir Alam
BBA(AIS)1st Batch
Jahangirnagar University

A small-town Story
The story of Ekram-ud-daullah is truly inspiring. People like him prove that there are great things happening outside Dhaka which we tend to think is the centre of the universe. A journalist like him offers a lesson for big media which has been bought off by business people. Industrialists instead of professional journalists are becoming newspaper owners. Ekram deserves higher recognition for his long service to the people of his area. That he has not compromised with his principles is a reminder that everyone has not become corrupt. It is people like him who keep the society running. He is a source of light in the darkness that is trying to engulf us all.
Anonymous

Generation Hope
The cover story published on January2, 2015 is one of the most encouraging and motivating cover stories published in the Star magazine in the recent past. Young leaders will change the country for better. They are the future. They have proved that it is possible to reach our goals if we have perseverance and determination. I liked the story so much that I have made the Star Magazine a must-read for my students and I give them photocopies of articles published in the Star.
Shubhashish Das
Lecturer of English
Hasanpur SA Chy High School
and College
Feni

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Corrigendum
In the cover story titled 'Know Thy Food' published on January 16, 2015, it was mentioned that an individual should not have more than one tablespoon of salt in their food. It should actually read that one should not have more than one teaspoon of salt in their food. The story also did not mention that health activist Jebun Nessa is also the founding member of the organisation HEAL (Healthy Energetic Active Life) which promotes a healthy lifestyle. We regret the errors.