Of green and red

(Published in ‘Daily Sun’, Page 7, Post-logue, 17/12/2011)

http://www.daily-sun.com/details_ds-of-green-and-red_424_2_17_1_1.html

http://daily-sun.com/epaper/pop_up.php?img_name=2011%2F12%2F17%2Fnewspaper%2Fimages%2F07_101.jpg

I love the season of winter in Bangladesh; not only because of the pleasantly cool weather and all thepithas and other seasonal vegetables, but also because of the historic significance of the month of December for all Bangladeshis all around the world, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. It is in this very month that, after a nine month long struggle, with the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives, that we received independence from foreign powers after they had ruled this land for thousands of years. Forty years on, however, on the eve of 16th December, our Victory Day, I feel though that some questions still remain to be answered in this land of a hundred and fifty million people.

While on my way to work the last few days, I was delighted to see the countless number of street hawkers selling different sizes of our national flag, our pride – the very special green and red that all of us Bangladeshis are willing to die for. I spoke to one of the flag-sellers while getting myself a flag for my car, and he told me that business was going strong in the month of victory. This was of course not an imaginary claim, as could be seen from most of the vehicles plying the Dhaka streets. Cars, buses and even some of the rickshaws had flags flying with great pride and vigour. An interesting thing worth observing is that most of these people who bought those flags were from low-income groups who usually do not have much extra money after a hard day of work. Surely enough, this was more than just a combination of a patch of green and red cloth – it showed the Bangali-ism of our people, the vast majority of whom are patriotic people in spite of our many problems that we are probably not unaware of.

The unity of our people is not necessarily seen in 16th December alone though. The celebrations on our Independence Day (26th March), the Language Martyrs’ Day (22nd February) or Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bengali new year, bring us together as well, and we celebrate as a nation. The patriotism amongst the hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis can also be seen when we anxiously wait for the results of the Bangladesh cricket team – the eleven men representing the country cannot often give us the results we want or crave for but we patiently and loyally wait for that moment of glory and then rejoice it for months.

But was the war of independence supposed to mean only rejoicing on specific dates of the calendar? Was the liberation war of 1971 meant to be a one-off thing by our valiant freedom-fighters? Or was it meant to be a continuous struggle against all evil of the society? Would our freedom fighters approve of the continuously deteriorating law and order situation? Would they have approved of the ever increasing gap between the rich and the poor? Or of the rampant corruption and nepotism that seems to be the norm in most parts of society? On an ending note, these are some of the questions that I would want to leave the readers pondering about.

MIT Mood Meter

~Mood meter reads human minds (published in ‘Daily Sun’, page 22 on 15/11/2011)

Link to article in Daily Sun:
http://www.daily-sun.com/details_ds-mood-meter-reads-human-minds_393_3_11_1_0.html

Link to print version:
http://daily-sun.com/epaper/pop_up.php?img_name=2011/11/15/newspaper/images/22_100.jpg

Full article:

MIT’s Mood Meter
-A whole new approach of measuring the general mood of a place
by Mahdin Mahboob

Scenario 1: After the A’ Levels or HSC examinations, many of us feel lost as to which universities or colleges to apply to, which subjects to apply to and which country to head to? The university websites do not help much either, most of them portraying happy and content looking students sitting in the campus lawns at summer times apparently without a care about the world. Many of us resort to university / college rankings but those are at times questionable too! Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an objective measure that captures how happy a college campus is throughout the year?

Scenario 2: When looking for various possible destinations for a family holiday trip, we feel lost by the seemingly endless number of places that one can visit. We feel confused by all the good things that we keep hearing about all the different places and with limited budget and time, it gets difficult to finally decide on one. Is it really possible to color code the entire world in terms of happiness so that at one glance we know about the happiest places instantly?

Enter the MIT Mood Meter, recently developed by scientists at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), which can perhaps provide quantitative measures towards answering those questions and more.  Currently working on an experimental basis, the Mood Meter has four cameras set in different parts of MIT’s campus, which continuously send mood data back to a central server to assess the overall mood at different places of MIT. The cameras look at passers-by while they walk down the hallway, detect faces and estimate the mood of the place on the ‘happiness barometer’ in a scale of 0-100 by analysing the expressions of the detected faces. A green smiley face is shown if you are smiling and if you are not, it shows a neutral yellow face (as shown in the pictures).

M. Ehsan Hoque (from Bangladesh) and Javier Hernandez (from Spain), PhD students of the Affective Computing group of the Media Lab at MIT first proposed this project in 2010 when innovative proposals were invited to celebrate the 150th anniversary of MIT.
‘‘When we first proposed this project to the director of SEMO (MIT’s Security and Emergency Management Office), I was very nervous and actually sweating, in spite of sub-zero temperatures outside! There was a very slim chance that the director of SEMO, a grumpy no-nonsense person would allow us to set up cameras around the campus. He hadn’t allocated much time to hear us so I made myself brief and to-the point,’’ says Hoque, when this writer caught up with him.
‘‘I explained our key objectives from this project:
- How friendly MIT is as a campus?
- How stressed out students get during the time of exams?
- Does warmer weather lead to happiness on campus?
- Are people from one academic department happier than others?” explains Hoque.
The idea of setting up 4 cameras in the 4 busiest locations of MIT was, understandably enough, initially faced with stiff resistance by SEMO who saw it as a threat to privacy. But the scientists did not give up, having worked on the technical aspects of the project for almost 2 months by then. Negotiations thus went on, and it was explained to SEMO that 30 images per second from the cameras would be taken and analysed in real time and using computer vision algorithms, the Mood Meter software will be able to detect the number of people in every image and determine how many of them are smiling (or not smiling). For example, if there are 10 people present at the MIT student center at a given instant, and 7 of them are smiling, the software will then record and transmit two relevant statistics (number of people – 10 and how many of them are smiling-7) to the web server. No other information (including images or personal identity) would be recorded beyond that, thus taking care of the privacy issue. Each of the cameras is to be connected with a big projector, which will display the live feed from the camera. The software will detect human faces in every image and draw a yellow blob around every face. If any face appears to be smiling, then colour of the blob will instantly turn green to indicate that their mood has changed.

After being approved by SEMO, the Mood Meter was put into action, and the rest, as they say, is history. This became an instant hit amongst students, teachers, researchers and visitors of MIT. Many people, while accessing the campus, stopped by the Mood Meter to try out making different faces to see its instant effect on the big projector. Many articles were written about it (a quick google search yields almost 1.4 million pages about the ‘MIT Mood Meter’) and the project went on to win awards as well, including the 6th bodies in space award and being nominated for the Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Award for outstanding achievement in and contributions to the arts at MIT. Established by the Council for the Arts at MIT in 1979, the award honours the late President Emeritus Jerome Wiesner and Mrs. Wiesner for their commitment to the arts at MIT.

While most research in the field of Computer Vision is done in the lab, based on literature review and relevant simulations, the Mood Meter is one of the first to go out to the public and do the collection and analysis of data in real time. Recognizing facial expressions through highly sophisticated algorithms, the Mood Meter does not store any of the images, which makes it impossible to uniquely identify anyone from the recorded heuristic data. Having earned people’s trust in regard to privacy, it is likely to serve as a ‘Proof of Concept’ for future technologies of the sort which may find access to being incorporated in real world applications relatively easier.
Studies of the general mood of a large number of people in a small or big area using Facebook ‘status updates’ or Twitter ‘tweets’ has been done, which is heavily based on the presence/absence of highly subjective positive and negative keywords which define/suggest a person’s mood. That system is however flawed by two facts; the words that people use in social networking sites to describe how they feel may not truly reflect their appropriate state of mind and many people refrain from sharing opinions on sensitive topics since it is not anonymized. The Mood Meter, and technologies like it, which use advanced facial recognition features are a more efficient way of doing that work. The software is made to ‘learn from examples’, identifying a ‘smile’ from the geometric features of the face – eye brow raise, lip widening, wrinkle formation, etc. By using a lot of examples initially, the software is made more accurate and trust-worthy.
The idea of Mood Meter can be extrapolated outside the MIT campus and put into different other fields of research and real life applications in the future, hopes its developers Hoque and Hernandez, and the other people involved in the project.
Video Link How MIT Mood Meter works: http://goo.gl/Vaw7M
MIT Mood Meter Website: http://moodmeter.media.mit.edu/

(The writer is a Lecturer of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) and can be reached at mahdin.mahboob@gmail.com)

 

 

 

Of digital slowness

Weblink:

http://www.daily-sun.com/index.php?view=details&type=daily_sun_news&pub_no=262&cat_id=1&menu_id=5&news_type_id=1&index=3&type=daily_sun_news&pub_no=262&cat_id=1&menu_id=5&news_type_id=1&index=1

Print Edition:
Page 6 (Editorial Page, 30th June, 2011)

http://www.daily-sun.com/epaper/

http://www.daily-sun.com/epaper/pop_up.php?img_name=2011/06/30/newspaper/images/06_103.jpg

MUCH has been talked about the term ‘Digital Bangladesh’ in all forms of media – print, electronic and otherwise. Experts have written and spoken about it in uncountable volumes. Yes, this refers to one of the election pledges set forward by the current ruling party before they came into power some three years back. Experts, both in the political as well as the IT arena (and all other areas for that matter), have tried to find out and explain to the masses as to what exactly the catchphrase ‘Digital Bangladesh’ means; and rightly so – since many people initially misunderstood the concept. Contrary to popular belief, the government has not set forward any plan to make everything computerised or automated or digitised (as one would assume from the word ‘digital’), but to make the whole process of governance and administration more transparent and accessible to the general people. This of course would involve higher use of advanced technology, but that is not the only thing about it.

One of the most important steps is to ensure government officials showing professionalism in their work and to make them accountable for what they do or what they do not. And it goes without saying that rampant corruption should be brought to a minimum possible level, if not completely exterminated. Due to the absence of these things, in Bangladesh, sadly enough, any visit to government offices for almost any kind of work is nothing short of a trip to Jurassic Park, which should aptly have signboards at the entrances declaring –– ‘Enter at your own risk!!!’

My recent trip to a government bank was, as predicted, no exception. Having always done my banking at one of the private commercial banks, I had little, if any, idea about how different banks can be when they are publicly or privately administered. A simple pay order of Tk. 100 took me almost an hour and queuing up in front of five different bank officials, all of whom should get nominated (if not awarded) for their slowness and disinterest in their work. Providing a service, it seemed, was as if they were doing me a favour and that I should happily stand for hours while they make me wait and do their other paperwork, which one would normally (in private banks) expect them to do after the customer transaction hours. The officials were so full of pride (and catching up on sleep) that they even found it difficult to waste precious words from their mouth and slowly (read very slowly) pointed their fingers to the next queue where I was required to stand. One of the elderly officials was getting so tired of his work that he had to take breaks twice while I was there, once for reasons best known to him and the other time for a prolonged trip to the washroom, from where he came back with water dripping from his hands. The story of unprofessionalism can possibly go on forever, but I will stop here, assuming that my point has been made.

It is likely for those of you who have read this far to be tempted to ask that why I chose to seek services of a government bank rather than a private one if I am so critical about the first one? The reason of course is very simple – the charges for services in government banks are much cheaper than those of private ones. However, it was an option for me to go to either of the two kinds of banks, but for many people, who are required to visit government offices (with similar environments) for different kinds of work, there simply are no options. As a common citizen and as a taxpayer, is it too much for me to ask our leaders in the government to ensure a smoother environment when visiting government offices?

The writer is a contributor to daily sun.

In a not-so-imaginary world

In a not-so-imaginary world (My First Article for ‘The Daily Sun’)

http://www.daily-sun.com/index.php?view=details&archiev=yes&arch_date=26-10-2010&type=daily_sun_news&pub_no=21&cat_id=1&menu_id=5&news_type_id=1&index=1

Print Edition:

Page 6 (Editorial Page, 26th October, 2010)

Once upon a time, in a land not far away, there was a country called X, where the people, although not very rich, were happy and content with their simple lives. They were hospitable, always ready to welcome guests and people from other countries and were known worldwide for their bravery and patriotism. They had a rich and diverse culture of different ethnicities living happily together in complete harmony. The country also had a history of thousands of years, culminating in the fight for language and a glorious freedom fight.

The people of the country although held united previously by strong feelings of nationalism and patriotism, now preferred to be labelled as followers of the two most dominant political parties A and B. To make things worse, A and B weren’t necessarily the best friends. They kept blaming each other for whatever that went wrong and actively despising each other seemed to be the only thing they were good at. Although, pioneers of the parties worked together during the country’s early days, this was no longer the case. The subsequent so-called ‘leaders’ of the parties believed in glorifying their own pioneers while demeaning the pioneers of the other party without much basis to facts. All this celebration of their pioneers however did not stop the new ‘leaders’ to move away from the principles their pioneers had set; rampant corruption, nepotism and mismanagement of government funds seemed to be the norm.

Soon enough, people from the A and B groups decided to divide every single thing the small country had. Every government organization soon started to have workers’ union groups, A or B. The same was true even for the country’s prestigious universities; students were forced into taking up one of the sides A or B. Teachers of those universities were no exception and were labelled as well. The students from A and B engaged in armed conflicts in regular intervals and were somehow protected from the law enforcement agencies by their superiors in the political parties. Some of the students, who had by now long forgotten their key purpose when entering the university (education, research and being a good human being in general), did not seem content being divided into A and B and they started making sub-groups C, D, E, F and so forth. And predictably enough, the sub-groups soon started to have armed struggles between them, and bright students with a lot of potentials fell prey to this and died in the process. Chaos, as it seemed, became the only norm.

The division process even went onto engulf the arts and culture. You either belonged to group A or B. Some of the most well-known patriotic songs, songs that inspired millions during the country’s Liberation War, were not even spared from this game of division. Because certain songs were liked by party A’s pioneer, they were a complete no-no for people from B and vice versa. If you were a patriotic citizen and liked one of those songs, you’d immediately be labelled as a member of party A or B, even if you actually weren’t.

The division game thus went on, the country X’s development, with all its potential, going backstage and further away from its people. It seemed like there was no one who could possibly guide the country back to track with a unified approach. To some people, all hope seemed to be lost, in the not-so-imaginary country X.

Star Campus turns Four!

http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2010/08/04/camspotlight.htm

The fact that my beloved Star Campus is turning four brings about mixed emotions for me. On one side I am happy to learn that the toddler I saw back in 2006 is now four years young and has continued to remain the number one youth based magazine being the first source of university news for the country as well as Bangladeshis studying abroad. On the other hand, this will also be the first anniversary of Star Campus during which I will not be a member of the Campus team.

I remember, back in 2007, when my job in Campus was just a few months old, we organised the first anniversary celebrations, completed with a grand party and a bigger issue full of reader feedback including both students and faculty members of different universities. In 2008 and 2009, by when I was well set in my job as a full timer and as the deputy of our editor, whom we lovingly called Shahnoor Bhai, I had more responsibilities for the special issues that came out. Hundreds of responses from readers all across the country and abroad, from BUET, Khulna University and BRAC University (and many others) in the country to Bangladeshi students in MIT, Boston University to NUS (and a whole lot others) wrote their feedback about the magazine. As editors, it became extremely difficult to choose which articles to publish and which article to discard. It was around this time of the year that it indeed felt good to be part of the Campus team, with appreciations pouring in from all corners of the world. In other months, getting hate mails was as common as appreciations!

I used to love my job at Campus, in spite of coming from an engineering background, and will cherish the days spent in Campus and Daily Star for the rest of my life. I made great friends in the form of Sarah, Tanzina, Bushra, Ridwan, Tawsif, Tabassum, Saushan, Shayera, Nazia, Feeda Bhai, Shagor Bhai, Elita Apu, Nafid Bhai, Mainul Bhai and many others! We used to have the most informal relationship with our editor Shahnoor Bhai and asking him for a treat (and getting it as well) was something that was as frequent as going to work itself! Thanks to my work in Campus, I met some really interesting people, who have made their mark in different fields, from whom I have learnt a lot. I also happened to travel to different places in and around the country, thanks to my job at SC.

But of course, life moves on so here I am doing my Masters in Southampton, but I still try to keep in touch with my former teammates at Campus and try reading the online version of the magazine as often as I can. Team member or not, I still continue to advocate for Campus to my friends and acquaintances, both here in Southampton and in different places of the world.

Star Campus has come a long way since its humble beginning in 2006. This is one of the few magazines where the readers themselves are the contributors and this very fact makes the magazine unpredictable and interesting to read with fresh faces and writers coming up every now and then. On an ending note, I would like to wish Campus a very long and successful journey ahead.

(Mahdin is a Graduate student at the University of Southampton, England )

(21st February Special Issue) – Irrelevantly relevant!

http://thedailystar.net/campus/2010/02/03/camspotlight.htm

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21st February is round the corner, like every other year. Another opportunity for us to don our very white, very stylish and very expensive punjabis and sarees and head towards the Shaheed Minar to place floral wreaths; another opportunity for us to observe the great sacrifice of the language martyrs with candlelight vigils, to speak in seminars and public gatherings about how ‘proud’ we are to be the only nation in the world to have fought for our mother language.
To me, all this seems like putting on a show of festivity only to those who laid down their lives, not only in the language movement, but also in the liberation war, when we see hatred to be the only norm in the country. Be it the universities, or the highest seats of government, hatred and rage against our fellow countrymen seems to be burning with a never ending supply of fuel. In universities, education and research seems to have taken a backseat to make space for hatred and violence. The highest levels of decision makers seem to be too busy fighting on trivial issues and have little if any, time to think about the country’s development.

While most of the other countries in the world seem keen to be moving forward in terms of technology and innovation, the only thing we seem to be excelling in is in our rising levels of hatred; that too against no one else but our own people.

For once, let us promise to forget our differences and act as one country and one nation, not as mere selfish individuals. That is the only way to move forward and the sooner we realize that, the better.

All is stunning on the Westin front

http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2009/september/hotel/westin.html

The busy lobby would tell you that business is brisk in Westin hotel. The Westin Dhaka is the latest addition to the hotel industry in Bangladesh, deservedly boasting the tag of 5-Star. This hotel, located centrally in the all new commercial hub of Gulshan 2 is in close proximity to the posh neighbourhoods of the capital city. It has already caught the attention of the guests/clientele for its supreme maintenance of quality and continued zeal to offer the very best.

Inaugurated in September 2007, the Westin Dhaka is part of the international chain of Starwood Hotels and Resorts which has presence in over 31 countries in the form of 169 hotels and resorts.

The Westin Dhaka is a place which promises to bring out your best mood. Upon entering the lavishly decorated interiors of the hotel, the sights, sounds and scents are bound to stir your soul and replenish the spirit. The carefully designed ambience truly makes you leave the outside world behind and allows your senses to be elevated. If you are looking forward to relax, revive and experience renewal during your stay in Dhaka, the Westin is definitely one of the top contenders for it.

The hotel offers 241 spacious guest rooms and suites all equipped with most modern accessories that are designed to surpass expectations of comfort and ease of use. All the rooms also have spectacular views of the Dhaka city. Common features in all rooms include the signature Heavenly Bed to enhance your relaxation; the 4 fixture bathroom with heavenly shower; widescreen LCD television sets and generous workspace and High Speed Internet Access for professionals and tourists alike!

During the stay at the hotel, guests can take their time off and relax at The Westin Spa or reinvigorate the mind and body in the state-of-the art Westin Workout. Guests can also opt to revitalize in the temperature controlled swimming pool. The spa also offers steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi. At the spa, the healing touch of aroma therapy would relax muscles and stimulate blood circulation on your whole body. A special combination of Thai traditional massage and aromatic oil massage is bound to relax and relieve tension of muscles.

For culinary delights, and of course regular meals, Westin Dhaka is quipped with 6 restaurants and bars; the Pan Asian interactive restaurant Taste offers the largest spread in town and a la carte meals; the poolside restaurant and bar Splash, a tropical retreat on the outside terrace, next to swimming pool complete with a water fountain; the Living Room, the modern, contemporary, sophisticated lobby lounge with live music every evening; the 24 hour open delicatessen Treats, the most vibrant food outlet with the best bakeries in town; the Italian restaurant Prego with an outdoor alfresco dining terrace with a modern and relaxed atmosphere, overlooking the city of Dhaka from the 23rd level.

For arranging business meetings, seminars and extravagant luncheons and dinners, the Westin Dhaka has facilities for an event of every size ranging for board meeting for 4 persons to workshops for 600 people. The rooms are also very thoughtfully equipped with state-of-the-art audio visual equipment and a host of customized details to create a welcoming and refined environment that fully supports the success of such gatherings.

On weekends, the Westin Dhaka arranges for Barbeque dinner at the pool side restaurant Splash. Gerald Wallace, an extraordinary chef has creatively come up with his own original slant on pan Asian and cross Atlantic cuisine.

All in wall, the Westin Dhaka definitely offers supreme services for people who want the very best during their stay in Dhaka. Understandably enough, it is highly recommended for such high end residents.

Bangladesh-cheering moments await you

http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2009/september/hotel/cheering.html

Cox’s Bazar Seabeach

Bangladesh, home to the largest mangrove forest and the longest unbroken sea beach in the world, is fast witnessing the welcome growth of the hospitality industry in the country. To support this industry, hotels, motels, resorts, aviation companies and tour operators of international standard have come up in the last two decades and competing successfully with their counterparts in the region.

Truly indeed, the index of “Start-Studded” hotels in Bangladesh records a steady rise in number, which supports and compliments the growing hospitality industry of the country. The phenomenal ‘boom for the best’ began in the nineties and reached its peak in the current decade when many five, four and three star hotels came up in Dhaka as well as in some district towns like Chittagong, Cox’s Bazaar, Sylhet, Barisal, Bogra, Khulna, Rajshahi, Jessore and so on. Competition and Comfort are the two Cs they circled in their notebook to achieve success and earn dividends at the end of the day.

The management of these international standard hotels proudly publicize their cutting-edge offers that truly reflect in the quality and décor of the bed rooms, lobbies, dining rooms, fitness centers, banquet halls, baths and VVIP suits. It, therefore, would not be any bit of exaggeration if the management of these hotels wants to take pride in announcing that because of their round-the-clock service and zero tolerance for compromise with quality, the overall hospitality industry has been growing in tandem to boost our economy.

Authenticity of cuisines, immaculate professionalism in service, highlighting local traditions and heritage in the ambience are essential elements that help hotels add stars to their caps. And the top ranking hotels here are quite aware of it and as a result are ever ready to maintain the standard. This sets in the mood and motion for a healthy competition for improvement, which ultimately takes the hospitality industry in general to a newer height.

The Sunderbans

In this issue we shall talk about some of the magnificent hotels in Bangladesh and analyze what makes them so popular with both local and foreign guests. In our subsequent supplements we shall bring to the fore the contributions of motels, resorts, tour operators and aviation companies in the growth of the hospitality industry.

Third Anniversary Special : Winds of Change

http://thedailystar.net/campus/2009/08/05/camspotlight_power.htm

Photo: Md Akhlas Uddin

ONE of the major drawbacks that has been holding us back as a nation is our inability to think on a collective scale; most of us tend to be self-centred, if not selfish, and fail to understand the power of WE and concentrate in our personal gains instead. All the problems, it seems, have the root in the mindset of ours, which, I believe, is desperately in need of a change.

Corruption, one of the most talked about problems on talk shows, newspaper articles and in high profile seminars, can hardly be solved with new laws and drastic actions unless we are able to come out of the box of ME. Those of us in power, the power to make important decisions on a national, or even a smaller scale, tend to think of our personal benefits that can be derived while making those decisions. We tend to assign the contract of making a bridge or a road not to the lowest bidder or one who can assure the best quality, as it ideally should have been, but to someone who has taken advantage of our low morale and has bribed us into believing that he would be the best person for the job. Little do we understand that in doing so, often enough, we bring about our own doom, with underquality constructions often resulting into dire consequences that can hardly be prevented.

In the job market, nepotism seems to be prevalent as an overwhelming number of employers seem to think that their shalas and bhaginas are more aptly fitted for a certain job compared to someone who truly has the merits and the required skills for the job. In hiring someone less able, the organization loses the brightest of minds who had a higher probability of performing better and thus taking it forward. Here too, ME seems to be the predominant factor.

Many streets in Dhaka, and in other parts of the country are made dirty mostly by its local inhabitants rather than from outsiders. If we cannot keep the streets in front of our homes clean, how can we really expect the city to be clean and spotless? All of us should play our individual roles in the society to bring about the collective change that we so desperately need!

Examples like the above seem to be countless and unending but I believe my message has been well explained already so this article would no longer be prolonged. It is high time that we change our mindsets in order to take the country forward or lag behind everyone else in this fast paced world. Change, as they say, seems to be the only constant!

mahdin@thedailystar.net

What exactly is a ‘Jakaater Shari’?

http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2009/08/04/perceptions.htm

Come Ramadan and you will be able to see good old Dhaka with a festive look. Shopping malls getting all decorated with lights, the vast majority of the people attending the Jumma prayers in huge congregations and thousands of Iftar Shops springing up, all of them equipped with the ‘authentic’ recipes of Bombay Jilapi, Shahi Haleem and Doi-bara. But among all these festivities, there is an enigmatic label in some banners which is seen all across the city. ‘Ekhaney Jakaater Shari O Lungi Pawa Jai’(Sarees and Lungis for Zakaat are available here) is what it says. Perhaps because of my ignorance in such matters, I fail to comprehend what exactly this means!

So I went forward and did a little research on ‘Zakaat’. Here is the summary :

Zakaat is one of the five pillars of Islam. It has been mentioned, along with daily Prayers (Salaat), over seventy times in the Holy Qur’an. Linguistically, Zakaat has two meanings: purification and growth. Technically, it means to purify one’s possession of wealth by distributing a prescribed amount to the poor, the indigent, the slaves or captives, and the wayfarer. Zakaat has many benefits on the socio-economic scenario but I’ll try to highlight the two key features. Firstly, it functions as a social security for all. Those who have enough money today pay for what they have. If they need money tomorrow they will get what is necessary to help them live decently.

Secondly, and more importantly, Zakaat is the best check against hoarding. Those who do not invest their wealth but prefer to save or hoard it would see their wealth dwindling year after year at the rate of the payable Zakaat. This helps increase production and stimulates supply because it is a redistribution of income that enhances the demand by putting more real purchasing power in the hands of poor. Zakaat becomes obligatory for a Muslim for a minimum amount of money or other assets he/she possesses. After adding up the cash values of the assets, a 2.5% /year Zakaat has been prescribed for all the able Muslims.

Now, coming back to the original question, what could probably describe a ‘Jakater Shari’? Something which is of such a low quality that we cannot give to our mothers, sisters or daughters? Something which won’t even last till the next year’s Eid? Why do we tend to discriminate the poor even while donating? If our sister wears a sari worth 6000 Taka, why can’t we give someone poor the same Sari instead of getting 30 low quality, unwearable Saris worth 200 Taka each?

On second thoughts, we the so called privileged classes of the society deserve to wear those cheap lungis and Sari more than the underprivileged. Might sound like a crazy thought at first, but digging a little deep, this idea becomes quite comprehensible. Firstly, we have a closet full of clothes, so if one of them (the Jakater Shari or Lungi) becomes unusable soon, we can always look for alternatives. Secondly, the people who are on the receiving end of these clothes are usually day-labourers and maid-servants which involves strenuous hard work and thus demands strong, long lasting clothes.

We have seen quite a few times in newspapers on how poor people have died in stampedes after going to collect their lungi or Sari for Zakaat. We tend to forget such loss of lives very easily, and the number of deaths become nothing more than a statistic! There should be dependable government and non government organisations involved in this. The floods last year have shown how government organisations like the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and non government organisations like BRAC and a newspaper Prothom Alo have efficiently collected and distributed huge amounts of money and relief goods. This can well be applied to Zakaat as well. It is said that if everyone gave their Zakaat in a proper, systematic way, there would be no poverty left in the country. We are taking different steps in poverty reduction. So let us try to attain a Bangladesh free of poverty through Zakaat.