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Hridaye Mati O Manush steps into 5th year
Cultural Correspondent
Hridaye Mati O Manush, a magazine show on Channel-i, based on the agriculture sector, will step into its fifth year on February 21.
On the occasion, a press conference was held at Channel-i's office on Tuesday.
Faridur Reza Sagar and Shykh Seraj of Impress Telefilm and Mir Noabat Ali of GrameenPhone addressed the briefing.
The organisers will also honour a farmer from Bagerhat, Syed Keramat Ali with the 'Channel-i Krishi Padak', an award introduced by Channel-I, for their contribution to the country's agricultural sector.
Shykh Seraj said that they would put importance on the agricultural methods applicable in adverse weather in this year's programmes of the magazine 'Hridaye Mati O Manush'.
He further said 'The state should have been a pro-farmer policy on agricultural land.'
He also emphasised on crop insurance for the farmers saying that the rights of the farmers should get priority.
Upholding the impact of the programme, among the farmers, he said, 'The farmers are being aware about the techniques of modern farming, receiving knowledge on highbred seeds, fertiliser, and marketing policy of the harvested crops through the programme.'
'We are also working for the medical treatment of the farmers and providing entertainment by arranging traditional sports for them,' he added.
Faridur Reza Sagar announced the name of the winner of the 'Channel-i Krishi Padak' for this year and said that the other organisations should come forward to recognise the contribution of the farmers.
'Keramat Ali has been selected for the award for his pioneering contribution in farming lobsters in the south-western region of the country,' he added.
The award including Taka 50,000 and a crest will be distributed on March 28 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.
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Sultan Mela ends
Cultural Correspondent
A Weeklong fair to commemorate the eminent artist SM Sultan ended at the Sultan Mancha in Narail on Monday.
Adviser to the interim government, Rashed K Chowdhury was present as chief guest at the concluding ceremony. Abdul Kayum Sarder, district commissioner of Narail and also the president of SM Sultan Foundation and the fair organising committee chaired the function.
This year, the organisers honoured noted artist, also head of the Fine Art Institute of Dhaka University, Abdus Shakoor Shah, with the prestigious Sultan Padak, the award after the name of SM Sultan.
The adviser said that Sultan upheld the cultural heritage of Bangladesh in his artworks.
She added that the government will take necessary steps to open the SM Sultan Memorial Gallery to all. She also handed over the 'Sultan Padak' to Abdus Shakoor Shah.
As in the previous years, the fair drew a large number of visitors from different parts of the country. The organisers arranged seminars and cultural programmes everyday during the festival. They also arranged art competition for children and set stalls of handicrafts, dresses and traditional food.
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The Istiaq Papers
Reviewed by Barrister Harun ur Rashid
The publication of the Ishtiaq Papers by the University Press Limited on 21January 2008 on the occasion of 76th birth anniversary of Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed is a commendable move.
It is to the credit of the Syed Isthtiaq Ahmed Smriti Parishad to launch the book at the Bangladesh National Museum and I congratulate them on bringing out this valuable publication.
The book was introduced by his erudite and scholarly wife, National Professor Dr. Sufia Ahmed and prefaced by his able son, Justice (Dr.) Syed Refaat Ahmed of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. The two writings offer an adequate glimpse of the contents of the book.
The book consists of 152 pages and contains two papers authored by Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed that not only offer an insider's view of state of affairs that led to the 13th amendment of the Constitution for the Non-Party Caretaker government but also the working of it. In that sense, the book traces not only the evolution of the caretaker government but also the working of the government in which he was the Adviser of law and parliamentary affairs.
The system of non-party caretaker government is unique and the two mainstream parties were at loggerheads in the mid-90s as to whether or not to incorporate the system in the Constitution. At the core was the issue whether a ruling party government is able to hold a fair, free and impartial parliamentary election.
Laying about an idea with a broadsword is the easy bit. It is harder to develop the idea into a concrete proposal. At this critical juncture Barrister Ishtiaq, having no political affiliation but prompted by national interest, lent himself to invest his time and energy in conceptualising the nuts and bolts of the caretaker government to the satisfaction of all parties.
What made him different was not the extraordinary record of academic and other qualifications he amassed in his life but his imperturbable conviction that there was a solution to every problem. Most importantly, he had the uncanny knack of finding answers that eluded most others. His thoughts on the caretaker government in the book are testimony to this attribute.
His thoughts on the caretaker system were published widely in the media at the time. In that sense what he did was to publicise his views among the public. He believed in transparency of his thoughts and in people's participation in political debates and he did it with all sincerity.
Many books are now available on the working of the non-party caretaker government that is installed after the elected government runs out its tenure. The purpose and functions of the caretaker government has been incorporated in Chapter IIA of the Constitution. Articles 58B to 58E describe the composition, functions and other duties of the caretaker government.
The Ishtiaq Papers will provide a valuable background to the readers and authors who wish to probe and conduct research into the working of the caretaker government.
Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed, a former Attorney General of Bangladesh, twice Adviser on Law for the two successive caretaker governments, was larger than life in legal circle. He became a Barrister in 1958, had been a constitutional expert and in any crisis of legal nature he attempted to resolve the matter amicably among the parties involved.
Barrister Ishtiaq never compromised with independence of judiciary wanted to keep judiciary above any controversy and respected it intensely. It is believed that he completed the process of separation of judiciary from the executive during 2001 but could not implement it because of the request from the immediate-past elected government not to do so.
Over the years I had the privilege of knowing Barrister Ishtiaq. I hardly ever saw his feathers ruffled. Superiority was something he eschewed, relying on logic and persuasion to achieve his goals. He knew he was endowed with a first-order mind and such was his capacity and so many were his achievements that he had no reason or room for flamboyance or intimidation.
To commemorate his 76th anniversary, the Ishtiaq Papers is the first instalment of his gift to the nation.
It is believed that Barrister Ishtiaq has left many unpublished works. I hope Smriti Parishad is able to publish gradually all his works for the benefit of researchers, politicians, academics and younger generation of lawyers.
(The Istiaq Papers, Published by University Press Limited, Dhaka.)
The author is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.
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