Anwar Hossain no more

Anwar Hossain, who is popularly known as the “uncrowned nawab of the Bangla cine-world” died at a city hospital early Friday. He was 82.

The superhero of the silver screen breathed his last around 2:00am at Square Hospital in the capital, media reports said.

He had been suffering from different kinds of old age complications, the reports added.

He left behind his wife, four sons and a daughter, and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death.

His first Namaz-e-Janaza was held at Baitul Mukarram national mosque after Jumma prayer and second one was held at his long-known work place at capital’s FDC.

Then the legend was laid to his eternal rest at Mirpur Intellectual Graveyard in the afternoon on his mother’s grave.

The veteran artiste had acted in over 500 films.

Anwar Hossain received the National Film Awards for best actor for his brilliant work in the film “Lathiyal”, and again for “Golapi Ekhon Train-e”, as supporting actor.

He once again was awarded the National Film Award for the film “Dayi Ke” and was awarded BACHSAS Award.

Last year, the prominent actor was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award in National Film Award for his vital role in our film industry.

Hossain has played myriad characters throughout his illustrious career, be it of a nawab, hero, rebellious youth or father.

But it was his eponymous role in “Nawab Sirajuddoula”, directed by noted actor- director Khan Ataur Rahman aka Khan Ata, that won the audience’s hearts and made him a household name.

After the release of the film in 1967, he acquired the nickname of Nawab.

The talented actor was born on December 6, 1931 in Jamalpur, as the third child of Nazir Hossain and Shadiya Khatun. His first footing on acting was in school life.

He spent busy time on the silver screen, namely “Shurjoshnan”, “Khacher Dewal”, “Dui Diganta”, “Raja Elo Shoharey”, “Godhulir Prem” and so on.

Beside Bangla, Anwar Hossain also acted in Urdu films. His most noticeable works on Urdu films are “Nachghor”, “Bahana” and “Ujala”, and prospered there too.

The year 1965 was the most memorable in his career, as his film “Rupban” was released. “Rupban” introduced him in a new avatar before the spectator, and it was “Rupban” that redefined his popularity.

After that, he acted in “Etotuku Asha” directed by Narayan Ghosh Mita. Almost simultaneously, he worked in “Shat Bhai Chompa” directed by Khan Ata. Some of his other remarkable pre-independence works include “Neel Akash-er Niche”, “Ka-Kha-Ga-Gha-Uma”, “Ghurnijhor” and “Sharlipi” etc.

Anwar Hossain also played the lead character in the famous film “Jibon Theke Neya” directed by the great Zahir Raihan. In it, Anwar Hossain superbly portrayed the character of a political leader.

His last work in our film industry was “Ghani”.

Snakes and Charmers

Snake Charmers or Bede have always lived by the rivers in their boats, traveling from town to town to charm people with their tricks. Snakes are their pets and their livelihood – even little infants are taught to make friends with them. Snake Charmers used to make a decent living during market days and festivals when the bazars and playgrounds would be crowded with entertainment-hungry people. But with time the demand for the entertainment provided by the mysterious Bede have declined and these nomadic people all over Bangladesh are struggling to survive.  Most of the Bede on the main land are snake-charmers-cum-traditional medicine practitioners. But nowadays they are giving up their traditional profession. Snakes are losing habitat due to rapid unplanned -based traditional business is urbanization and industrialization. So the Bede are losing business. In this rather bleak scenario, the few Bede who have clung on to their age-old profession, try hard to make the best of their dying tradition.
Photos taken in Old Dhaka, Dhaleshwari and Bedepolli of Savar.

29 Shibir men held for attack on BCL activitis

Police arrested 29 Islami Chhatra Shibir activists on Wednesday night suspected of severely injuring a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader of Rangpur Carmichael College unit in the afternoon of the same day.
Rangpur Superintendent of Police Abdur Razzak said that the arrested suspects were from different private messes and areas of whom 24 were from Rangpur city, two each from Pirgachha and Pirganj and one from Mithapukur upazila in the district.
BCL leader and Carmichael College management fourth year student Mosharraf Hossain, 25, was ruthlessly hacked and tendons in both legs and the right hand were severed by six to seven masked assailants around 3:00pm on Wednesday.
Rangpur Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-charge Md Shahabuddin Khalifa said police are making preparation to lodge a case against the arrested in this regard.
The college Principal Md Shah Moksed Ali said the college authorities will lodge a case on charge of creating unrest on the campus and attacking one of its students.
Rangpur unit BCL general secretary Fokhrul Hasan Liu said they are preparing to lodge a case accusing one hundred leaders and activists of ICS — including its college unit President Arif Hossain and general secretary Shakil Ahmed.
Mosharraf was returning to the mess he lives in when the group attacked him in the afternoon, said witnesses.
He was rushed to Rangpur Medical College and Hospital in a critical condition and referred to the National Institute of Traumatology, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation in the capital after his condition worsened.
Rangpur BCL unit president Dhanajit Ghosh Tapash said that Mosharraf was operated upon from 12:30am to 5:00am at Nitor yesterday, and his condition was stable.

THE LEGACY OF MADHU’S CANTEEN

Taking a stroll around Madhur Canteen, named after Madhu Sudan Dey, a visitor would come across various spots – where students of Dhaka University sit in rows, chatting and possibly planning their future. It is a place where the streets widen to make room for creative minds and the walls are covered with political graffiti and posters. Chairman of Workers Party of Bangladesh, Rashed Khan Menon considered it as a parallel school of progressive thought, politics and rational debates, and till date he believes, “its yard is filled with the leaders of tomorrow.”
Family members and former students of Dhaka University remember Madhu Da and the vibrant centre that he unwittingly created that became the epicentre of many significant movements.
There are also amusing stories about this legendary canteen. Madhu Da’s son Arun Kumar Dey talks about a ledger called ‘Na Diye Udhao’ (‘disappeared without paying’) that has a rather eminent list of debtors including the likes of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ataur Rahman Khan and so on. The historical ledger, however, was lost after Madhu Da’s death in 1971.
Rashed Khan Menon recollects: “I heard that Madhu Da had a ledger called Na Diye Udhao. It contains many well-known names of today.” “Perhaps my name is also there!” he laughs.
“Madhu Da used to visit different government offices to collect his dues. Most of the time such efforts were in vain” he adds. “But still he used to do it cheerfully because I know that he enjoyed visiting old faces.”
Madhu Da was far more than just the canteen operator. Arun Kumar, now the director of Madhur Canteen says that his father always used to help the students and never very particular about retrieving the dues the students owed him.

Today’s Madhur Canteen was once used as a ‘Darbar Hall’ of Nawabs for formal and informal meetings.

He tells the Star, “Sometimes, students mockingly complained that Madhu Da, you charge extra. My father would relply, ‘give me less when you will pay all the dues, it is not possible for me to keep correct accounts all the time’. He was very simple man and always tried to help the students. I believe his long presence among the student leaders made him a political analyst as well.”
During the rule of East Pakistan, before every political movement, student leaders and activists used to gather at Madhur Canteen. It was for this that after the military crackdown by the Pakistani army, Madhu Sudan Dey was killed in the dark night of March 26, 1971.
Arun recalls the agonising incident, “My brother and his wife were the first victims. When they arrested my father, my mother tried to save him. But, they did not care and started firing. My mother died instantly while my father fell to the ground with one bullet hitting himone of his hands. And then they dragged my father to Jagannath Hall playground. There he was killed with many students.” Since then, Arun Kumar Dey has been running the canteen.
Like a fresco, the canteen’s ceiling is painted in green and red stretching from east to west. Today’s Madhur Canteen once used as a ‘Darbar Hall’ of Nawabs for formal and informal meetings. Built as a skating rink and a ballroom for the Nawabs, it was later converted into a dining hall and meeting place for students and faculty of Dhaka University. This is where the Muslim League of India was formed in 1906.The history of Madhur Canteen dates back to 1921, late Aditya Chandra Dey, started the Canteen with his fifteen-year-old sons Madhu. At that time they used to sell different types of sweets and confectionary. In 1935, soon after Aditya Chandra’s death, Madhusudan Dey began to run the Canteen. Gradually he became a popular figure among the student leaders and became fondly known as “Madhuda”. His towering popularity changed the Canteen’s billboard and within years it was renamed Madhur Canteen.
In the late 1960s, Madhur Canteen became a focal point for planning student protests against the West Pakistan regime. Flanked on one side by the Arts Faculty of Dhaka University and on the other by the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), till date the Madhur Canteen remains a powerful political symbol in the country.
In 1995, Toufiq Hosen Khan a second year student of fine arts engraved a sculpture of Madhu Sudan Dey, which remains as a reminiscence of Madhu Da, who connect himself with the protest and struggle of the people in 1971. In an interview with the Star Toufiq says, “Madhu Da is one of the inspiring figures and a role model for the students and he is also a martyr of the Liberation War. So I wanted to do something that will stay as a permanent mark of respect and to tell the students about Madhu Da.”

Energypac set for IPO

Energypac Power Generation has started work for its initial public offering (IPO) to raise funds for business expansion.
The power company will float 4.54 crore ordinary shares of Tk 10 each and has decided to go for the book-building method, the second firm to do so after the regulator modified the pricing rules following the market crash of 2011.
IDLC Investments, its issue manager, has already organised a road show for institutional investors on September 28 to set an indicative price of the shares.
The company will use the IPO proceedings to set up LPG bottling and distribution plant, establish condensate fractionate plant and repay bank loans, said the information memorandum handed out by IDLC.
Its existing paid-up capital is Tk 115.33 crore, and as of June, its earnings per share were Tk 5.48 and net asset value per share Tk 27.89.
Founded in 1995, the company supplies standby and base-load generators, low-voltage electrical accessories, busbar systems and luminaries and fixtures including energy-saving lamps.

Finance firms top taxpayers’ list

Financial sector entities and energy companies dominate the list of top 10 taxpaying firms that would be receiving “tax cards” from the National Board of Revenue next week.
The cards, to remain valid for one year, will be given for fiscal 2010-11 and fiscal 2011-12.
“We are providing the tax cards to encourage people to become tax compliant and help the government increase the amount of direct tax needed to finance the annual budget,” an NBR official said.
Of the 10 firms to receive the tax cards for fiscal 2011-12, five are from the financial sector — three banks, one life insurance company and one linked with the stock market — three from the energy sector and two from the manufacturing sector.
The financial sector entities had dominated the award list for fiscal 2010-11 as well: the list consists of six firms from the banking and finance sector, to be rounded off by firms from the energy and manufacturing sectors.
Well-known conglomerates, however, remained out of the lists, largely because of tax-related disputes, the official added.
From the companies, chairman and managing director of a firm will get the tax cards.
Together with the corporates, the revenue authority is set to honour 10 individuals with tax cards as well for their contributions to the state coffer, at the ceremony on September 15 marking the Income Tax Day.
The NBR has been observing the Income Tax Day since 2008 to motivate the people of a country rife with tax-dodging and non-compliance into paying taxes regularly.
At present, less than 1 percent of the 15.36 crore population pay taxes. The revenue authority thinks the number should be higher, given that the country has been experiencing steady economic growth, rising income and growing middle-class.
Also, the tax authority will honour taxpayers from district and city corporation levels in two categories — Longtime and Top taxpayers. Two longtime and three top taxpayers in each district or city corporation would be awarded for fiscal 2012-13.
The official said the companies were selected due to not having any default loan, income tax and VAT (value-added tax) related disputes in court. The firms paid taxes upwards of Tk 100 crore in each of the two years, he said.
Tax card winners will get some privileges including priority to reserve seats in the state-run airline, trains and water transport. The tax card holders will also be able to use the Commercially Important Person lounge at airports, according to the policy framed in 2011.

Govt to appeal if justice not ensure

Bangladesh will appeal if it does not get justice when the process of Felani murder trial at Indian court ends.
“We have sought details of the trial process. We will definitely appeal if we do not get justice finally,” Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said yesterday.
She was replying to queries at a press briefing at the foreign ministry.
The General Security Forces Court of the Indian BSF in Pashchim Banga on September 6 acquitted BSF man Amiya Ghosh on the charge of killing 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl Felani Khatun.
Felani was shot dead when she was crossing the barbed-wire fence on the border at Anantapur in Phulbari of Kurigram on January 7, 2011.
The photo of her body hanging at the top of the fence triggered a huge outcry around the globe.
Asked if Dhaka received any explanation from New Delhi about its plan to deploy drone at Bangladesh border, Dipu Moni said the government has sought Delhi’s explanation.
PROF YUNUS
In reply to a question about the government move to file case against Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, the foreign minister said whatever has been done concerning the Grameen Bank and its former managing director is in conformity with the law of the land, and future actions will also be taken in due process.
She said that on instructions from the government, the National Board of Revenue submitted a report to the cabinet on evasion of income tax by the former MD of the Grameen Bank. And the cabinet has ordered the NBR to take appropriate measures if there are violation of law, corruption and tax evasion.
Asked about Washington’s concern over the move to file case against the Nobel laureate, Dipu Moni said the government will not take any step against him [Yunus] unlawfully.
On the issues pending with India, she hoped the signing of Teesta deal and ratification of Land Boundary Agreement would be settled soon.
In reply to a question, the foreign minister said the next general election will be held as per the constitution, and any problem concerning a polls-time interim government must be resolved within the ambit of the constitution.
Asked about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s change of mind about  attending the UN General Assembly session in New York, she said the PM had first decided not to attend the event because of her party’s (Awami League) scheduled programmes. But she changed the decision at the request of Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN as the UNGA this time will deal with different aspects of the MDGs, on which Bangladesh achieved big successes.
Moreover, the UN wants the Bangladesh PM’s participation in high-level meetings on the MDGs, Dipu Moni added.

Al-Amin, Mashrafe bolster pace hope

There could be few better ways for pacer Al-Amin to draw the attention of the national selectors ahead of next month’s series against New Zealand than his stellar bowling display in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match against Cricket Coaching School (CCS). His six-wicket haul gave Abahani an emphatic 212-run victory over CCS, who were skilled out for 35, the second-lowest score in the country’s List A history after Chittagong’s 30 in the now defunct National Cricket League one-day competition.
The right-arm paceman is already in contention after his impressive bowling in the tour of England with the A team and yesterday’s devastating spell in front of chief selector Akram Khan and selector Habibul Bashar definitely boosted his claim. There is a view that the lanky paceman can be a good option as a first-change bowler.
“He was outstanding today. It’s nice to see him bowl with such venom. I am impressed especially as we are looking for good pace bowlers for the national team. It’s not easy for the batsmen to negotiate his incoming deliveries and you know he has an awkward action,” said Bashar.
Another popular outfit, Mohammedan, also got off to a good start as they rode on Afghanistan recruit Mohammad Nabi’s blazing 146 to secure a 34-run victory over Prime Doleshwar at the Shahid Chandu Stadium in Bogra.
There was more encouragement for the selectors as far as pace bowling is concerned as Mashrafe Bin Mortaza played a vital role in Mohammedan’s victory, taking two wickets for 32 runs in his seven-over spell. The pace spearhead bowled for the first time in a competitive match injuring his heel last February during the BPL final. The right-arm  showed significant improvement from his outing in the three-day practice match at Khulna.
“We learnt that he bowled really well and it’s really good news for us,” said Akram, who along with his two colleagues has been facing difficulties with the pace bowling department mainly because of the injuries.
“I bowled four overs in the first spell and then bowled two overs and one over in the next two spells. Conditions were too hot but still I enjoyed my bowling. I have started to regain confidence and I hope my bowling will be much better in the next match,” said confident Mashrafe.
At the Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi, Junaed Siddiqui hit 95 as Mushfiqur Rahim’s Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club posted a 16-run victory over Kalabagan Krira Chakra.

BSF to hold fresh trial

Rejecting the verdict of a BSF court in Cooch Behar of the West Bengal state against constable Amiya Ghosh for allegedly killing the girl on Indo-Bangladesh border, the competent authority in the case, which is an Additional Director General (ADG) rank officer of BSF, has “not agreed with the findings of the court and has decided to hold a revision trial in the instant case.”

Felani Khatun was killed on January 7 in Choudharyhat border post in the Cooch Behar district while crossing a barbed wire fence and her clothes got stuck, reports our New Delhi correspondent Pallab Bhattacharya.

The incident had created an outrage in Bangladesh against the conduct of BSF as the ruling of the General Security Force Court (GSFC) found the constable “not guilty” of killing Felani.

The Border Security Force has now decided to start a fresh trial in the case after the proceedings of the recent trial were sent for legal scrutiny which favoured a re-trial.

Bangladesh had recently said it was mulling for an appeal in this case.

The rejection of the acquittal of Ghosh came a day before BSF Director General Subhash Joshi flies to Dhaka leading a delegation for biennial talks with Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB).

No deal on Bangladesh garment disaster damages

International clothing makers have failed to reach a deal on the creation of a compensation fund for victims of two Bangladeshi factory disasters.
Only a third of the retailers who used the factories turned up for a two-day meeting on the issue in Geneva.
Only Primark was reported as making a firm commitment on funding.
More than 1,200 Bangladeshis died in the two garment factory accidents. Trade unions say many of their families are now struggling to survive.
The talks in Geneva were called by the global trade union IndustriALL and chaired by the International Labour Organisation.
The aim was to provide compensation to families of those who died in the Rana Plaza disaster in April, when the collapse of a factory building killed more than 1,100 people, and in the Tazreen factory fire in November 2012, which killed 112 workers.
Only nine of the brands being produced at the Rana Plaza were represented at the meeting, IndustriALL said in a statement.
Key absentees included Wal-Mart and Benetton, whose chief executive said many companies had stayed away because of a “lack of clarity” around the talks. Benetton would focus on “working directly with those affected by the Rana Plaza disaster”, a statement said.
A Wal-Mart spokesman said the company was focused on investing in improving factory safety but did not comment on the issue of compensation, a Reuters report said.
IndustriALL is seeking to establish compensation funds of $74.6m for the Rana Plaza workers and $6.4m for the Tazreen factory workers which would address loss of earnings, medical and funeral costs, and other expenses of victims and bereaved families.
Those firms present did agree to meet again for further talks on a co-ordinated compensation fund, the trade union said.
Primark pledged to provide another three months salary to families of Rana Plaza victims. C&A set out a “substantial compensation initiative” for the victims of the Tazreen factory fire, IndustriALL said.
The fact that only a handful of the companies invited turned up for the meeting reflects deep differences within the industry on how to compensate victims of garment factory disasters in countries like Bangladesh, says the BBC’s Anbarasan Ethirajan.
Bangladesh’s garments export industry is the second biggest in the world after China’s.

Big names excluded

Names of several influential figures had come up in the Hall-Mark scam, yet none of them has been named as accused in the Anti-Corruption Commission’s probe report.
The investigation committee submitted its report to the ACC director general yesterday, raising questions about the investigation even from within the commission.
A top ACC official said the five Sonali Bank officials, who are accused in the cases filed in connection with the scam, have also been excluded.
One of the five is the bank’s General Manager ANM Mashrurul Huda. He has been relieved of the charges as he was the “whistleblower” of the incident. The four other names were not immediately available.
The report, however, included four Sonali Bank officials who were not named in the cases.
In October last year, the anti-graft body filed 11 cases against 27 top officials of Sonali Bank and Hall-Mark Group on charges of misappropriating over Tk 1,568 crore from the state-run bank’s Sheraton Hotel (now Ruposhi Bangla) branch.
The sum, which was funded loan meaning given in cash, is part of the over Tk 2,600 crore credit that the controversial group in connivance with some bank officials swindled out of the bank using forged documents, according to the ACC investigation.
Seven of the accused in the original cases are Hall-Mark officials, including its owner Tanvir Mahmud. The rest are Sonali Bank officials, including its former managing director Humayun Kabir.
According to the ACC official who spoke on condition of anonymity, a powerful quarter had mounted pressure on the investigators not to include in the cases the names of some political figures, including prime minister’s Health Adviser Syed Modasser Ali. Some in the commission even tried to exclude the name of Humayun Kabir.
Modasser’s name first came up during the investigation, as he introduced Tanvir Mahmud with AKM Azizur Rahman, former manager of the branch. Azizur is considered the brains behind the scam.
A parliamentary committee also found that Modasser had tried to obstruct a Bangladesh Bank team from auditing the branch over the swindle.
The ACC investigation found the adviser had reached the branch minutes after the BB audit team had gone there around 12:00noon on April 4 last year. He then distributed his visiting cards among the members of the audit team.
“This is tantamount to obstructing the activities of the audit team,” Tajul Islam, convener of the parliamentary standing committee on the finance ministry, told Modasser during questioning him on November 7 last year.
When Tajul asked him to explain why he had given his business cards to the auditors, Modasser avoided a direct reply, according to the House committee report.
Besides, Sonali Bank’s former board director and ruling Awami League leader Sarwar Chowdhury Kamol’s name came up in the scam.
Tanvir Mahmud in his confessional statement admitted that Kamol received Tk 3 crore in bribe to help him get the loan, according to court sources.
The probe report was prepared a few days ago, but it was not submitted until yesterday as some within the ACC could not agree on such a list of accused that excluded names of some influential persons, commission sources said.
Six ACC officers investigated the cases with Mir Mohammad Zainul Abedin Shibli, deputy director of the commission, as their coordinator.