Eid Items: Bangladeshi or
Foreign?
You point out that foreign
(especially Indian) television
channels are having a profound
impact on setting fashion
trends in Bangladesh. But
what is more annoying is that
often our own stars are wearing
Indian dresses especially
saris and thus they too are
promoting foreign products.
Moreover, we often bring Indian
models and fashion designers
here in Bangladesh at our
own shows. BATEXPO 2006 is
a case in point. Here the
main idea was to promote Bangladeshi
garment industry, but at the
show we found Indian singers
and models wearing Indian
dress and presenting Indian
culture. What an irony!
Segupta Roy, Baridhara
I agree with your
view that it will be impossible
to impose intellectual property
rights on fashion design works.
Our designers face competition
of two sorts: foreign imports
and copies made by local producers.
In order to stay in the competition,
they will have to continuously
provide new designs that will
differentiate them from foreign
competitors, and to fend off
local copycats they will have
to brand their items, extracting
some value.
Ruhul Amin, New
York
I think our boutique houses
have done very well in promoting
Bangladeshi items. Not only
are they involved in coming
up with new designs but they
are also using more and more
local raw materials for their
products. As a result, our
own textile industries, such
as Rajshahi silk, which were
once on their way to extinction,
have now more prospects for
thriving.
Selina Hossain, Dhanmondi
2006 Nobel Peace Prize
That Dr. Yunus and Grameen
Bank won Nobel Prize for Peace
and not in Economics should
not be a concern to us. Nobel
Prize in any discipline is
given to individuals who have
made significant contributions
in expanding the frontiers
of a certain discipline. Truth
be told, the idea of micro-credit
is simple and does not add
much up to an economic theory.
In fact, collateral-free small
loans were given out to many
poor people by many kind rich
people throughout history.
Where Yunus's and Grameen
Bank's role becomes revolutionary
is in challenging the conventional
banking system that is weighted
heavily towards collateral
in approving loans and in
setting up a model of an institution
that can sustain itself over
time by providing loans to
the poor without any strings
attached.
If not the most prestigious
of all the prizes, the Peace
Prize is a testament to the
hard work of Yunus and Grameen
Bank. Congratulations, Yunus!
Congratulations, Grameen Bank!
Congratulations, Bangladesh!
Reaz Uddin Ahmed,
on email
Why has Nobel laureate Dr.
Yunus decided to enter politics?
This has now become a burning
question to most Bangladeshis,
since politics here is often
considered dirty and a personality
like Dr. Yunus, many say,
should be above any controversies.
But if politics is only for
those who are corrupt how
can we create an agile, proactive
government, the engine of
the nation? We must bring
honest people into politics,
and Dr. Yunus' initiative
should be praiseworthy.
Taufiq Ahmed Shah,
banker, on
email
Political Impasse
The whole dialogue between
the General Secretaries of
the two main political parties
has turned out to be a farce.
Both the opposition and the
government-led coalition did
not have any intention whatsoever
to break the deadlock. Now,
they will claim that they
at least tried to resolve
the crisis and will blame
each other for not making
it happen. As it happens,
politicians in Bangladesh
do not know anything better
than getting themselves embroiled
in street skirmishes.
Abdus Salam Haider,
on email.
The country has plunged into
a political turmoil, once
again. The sufferers are people
like me, who have small businesses
and cannot afford to lose
a day of production. If political
unrests continue, how can
I pay the salaries of my employees
and feed my own children?
I find the reasons for the
current political deadlock
quite insignificant. AL says
it does not want KM Hassan
as Chief Advisor. What BNP
can do is let AL choose a
candidate and then reject
that candidate as well. Then
Both BNP and AL can collectively
choose a candidate. This way,
both can say they have won.
We, the people, have worked
hard to come this far only
to see our fruits become rotten
because political parties
cannot put aside their petty
differences.
Md. Shahriar Alam,
a businessman, on
email.
Launching a New Brand
The report on strategies for
launching new brand was interesting
as it provided a number of
case studies from which we
can all learn. However, it
seemed to me that all the
products that were featured
had been launched successfully.
The report would have been
wholesome if you had analyzed
what factors can lead to failure
of launching new products,
drawing on some real case
studies.
Rumana Rahman, MBA,
Dhanmondi
Gems and Jewellery
It is interesting to see how
the Indian government and
private associations in India
are actively involved in promoting
gem and jewellery markets
there.
India's comparative advantage
lies in the low wages of its
goldsmiths and in their skills.
Since there is an abundance
of labor in Bangladesh, diversifying
our exports into gems and
jewellery also makes sense.
The main challenges here would
be to produce more goldsmiths,
develop their skills and provide
favorable policies to the
industry so that it can grow
quickly and foray into foreign
markets. The government should
consider gems and jewellery
as a thrust sector.
Ferdous Hassan, on
email
Autistic Children
I am glad to know that there
are some schools in Bangladesh
that are committed to providing
a sanctuary to autistic children.
We must nurture those young
minds that may be challenged
in one way or another so that
we can unlock their potentials
and society benefits a lot,
as a result. Running such
a school is not easy, as clearly
pointed out in your report
on Dhaka Autistic Center,
and so the government should
also play an active role,
by providing the necessary
support to those schools.
Sumaya Rahman,
Khilgaon, Dhaka
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