Dhaka International Trade Fair

Photos by Engr. Ershad Ahmed

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DMP proposes holiday for two WC matches

Jubair Hasan

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has proposed to the government to declare public holiday for two World Cup matches to ensure smooth traffic movement.

The DMP also requested the government to declare the same on February 17 (Thursday) for successful celebration of the inaugural ceremony.

As part of its multi-dimensional plan to peacefully host the mega sporting carnival it will evict tens of thousands of hawkers and beggars from the streets a couple of weeks before the Cricket World Cup.

Bangladesh will be co-hosting the 10th edition of the ICC (International Cricket Council) mega event along with India and Sri Lanka. The inaugural ceremony and eight matches, including two quarter-finals, are to be held in Bangladesh.

Of the eight matches, four will be played on Friday, the public holiday, (February 25, March 4, March 11 and March 25), two on Saturday (February 19 and March 19) and the rest on working days (March 14 and March 23).

Bangladesh observes weekend holidays on Friday and Saturday. Educational institutions and some non-government entities do not enjoy holiday on Saturday.

DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed said that they have chalked out a plan to provide parking facilities for nearly 20,000 cars for the inaugural ceremony of the World Cup to be held at Bangabandhu National Stadium on February 17.

"But the stadium doesn't have such large parking space which has prompted us to propose public holiday on the day so that we can use the whole Motijheel area for this purpose," he said, adding that they also submitted the same proposal for two matches to be played on working days to bring traffic movement at a tolerable level.

The DMP commissioner said they also proposed to shut activities at the country's various educational institutions on February 19 and March 19 (Saturday) when two matches are to be played. "I think traffic jam will not hamper the World Cup if our proposals get a green signal."

"The government is considering the proposals seriously as it was made to provide a pleasant Bangladesh trip to the overseas players, match officials, guests and spectators," Mr Ahmed said Tuesday in an exclusive interview with the FE.

DMP will conduct a special drive with the help of Dhaka City Corporation from the first week of February to evict hawkers and beggars from the streets in the capital for ensuring smooth movement of the pedestrians as the first cricket team for the mega carnival will reach here on February 9.

Beggar-free city before WC

The sub-committee on World Cup cricket security yesterday suggested the government declare February 17 public holiday in the capital for smooth holding of the cricket tournament at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

It also recommended for closing the educational institutes, temporarily evicting hawkers and beggars from the streets of Dhaka and Chittagong, the two cities where the matches will be held.

The committee, headed by Home Minister Sahara Khatun, put forward its recommendations to the ICC World Cup 2011 Organising Committee after its fourth meeting at the ministry.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the chief patron of the organising committee.

Sahara said hawkers and beggars would be evicted temporarily from the airport road and some other thoroughfares in the capital to be used by the cricketers and the guests.

“The beggars will be taken to the vagrants' centres of the social welfare ministry,” she told reporters after the meeting.

Law enforcement agencies have already taken steps in this regard in consultation with the social welfare ministry, she said.

The home minister said foolproof security measure has been planned for the tournament. Special attention will be given to the players and guests coming from across the world, she added.

Sahara also informed that Dhaka City Corporation and some other agencies are working for beautification of the capital on the occasion of the big international event.

Apart from six group matches, two quarterfinals will take place in Dhaka and Chittagong.

Of them, six matches including the two quarterfinals will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka and rest two at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Cricket Stadium in Chittagong.

DITF ends with happy notes from the participants

A Monitor Report

Dhaka : The 16th Dhaka International Trade Fair ended on January 31, as the government has decided not to extend the duration of the fair.

Commerce minister Faruk Khan formally announce today closing of the fair at a ceremony at the fair venue at Sher-E-Bangla Nagar in the capital.

Officials said that although the duration of the month-long fair had been extended in previous years, this year the government decided not to extend the fair as the Secondary School Certificate examinations would begin on February 1 and the Cricket World Cup would commence on February 19.

The expo this year faced a downtrend in trading at the opening half but the fair got momentum in the later part with the increase in the number of visitors.
The fair management authorities said around 60,000 to 70,000 people visited the fair each day.

A total of 531 local, foreign, and multinational companies from 30 countries including Bangladesh participated in the fair, jointly organised by the Export Promotion Bureau and the commerce ministry.

Indo-Bangla Trade Fair 2011 from May 5-7

A Monitor Report

Dhaka : The second Indo-Bangla Trade Fair 2011, organised by India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and supported by High Commission of India in Dhaka, will be held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon on May 5-7, 2011.

Abdul Matlub Ahmad, President, India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said this while addressing a press conference at the hotel on January 27, 2011.

"We have changed the title of the fair - Indo-Bangla Trade Fair - to attract more local companies. We hope more Bangladeshi companies exporting to India will be participating in the fair."

The trade fair will not only strengthen the relations between the two countries, but also boost Bangladesh's exports to India and attract Indian investment to this country, he hoped.

Like the preceding one, I am sure this fair will provide the manufacturers and exporters of both India and Bangladesh with a unique opportunity to showcase their goods and services under one roof which will help open up new windows of opportunities for the business communities of both the countries, he said.

"We expect prominent chambers of commerce and business associations of India to send their delegations to participate in the important seminars to be held on the sidelines of the fair. This mutual interaction will be of benefit to both the countries," Matlub Ahmad said.

Speaking on the outcome of the preceding fair, Matlub Ahmad said, "Tk 1000 crore has already been invested in Bangladesh - Tk 500 crore by plastics conglomerate SRF Group and Tk 500 crore by Arvind Denim - while investment of Tk 1000 crore in IT and other sectors is in the pipeline."

Cultural functions will also be staged during the fair. Road shows will be held to attract more companies to participate IBTF-2011.

Dewan Sultan Ahmed, Vice President, IBCCI and Chairman, Fair Sub-Committee of IBTF 2011 and Kazi Wahidul Alam, Managing Director and Chief Ex-ecutive Officer, Triune Exhibition and Event Management Services (TEEMS) also address-ed newsmen on the occasion.

Partners in India are : Confederation of Indian Industry and Federation of Indian Export Organisations. TEEMS will act as Event Manager of the Fair.

The second Indo-Bangla Trade Fair-2011 is expected to be participated by leading Indian and Bangladeshi companies.

IBCCI is organising the fair for the second time. The first fair, India Trade Fair-2010, was held in early 2010. TEEMS was also the Event Manager of the fair.

Pitha Utshab @ Westin

A Monitor Report

Dhaka : The Westin Dhaka celebrated "Pitha Utshab' at Treats Restaurant along with Cultural Show on January 28-29.

In our country, pithas have always had an innate relationship with the winter season. To showcase this tradition and heritage, Westin has arranged this season's delicacies.

The chefs of Westin Dhaka has prepared some delicious pithas of all shapes and colors and there were an array of delectable succulent pithas such as bhapa, patishapta, puli, lobongo lotika, shajer pitha and their mouth-watering flavour. And as a part of our rural culture and heritage Westin has arranged cultural show also where folk and local songs were being played.

There was also a live cooking station so that guests can watch the chef prepare the local culinary delights.

The Westin Dhaka - most recently opened true five-star hotel in Gulshan. It is owned by Unique Hotel and Resorts and Mohd. Noor Ali is the Managing Director of this luxurious hotel.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 950 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.

Ekushey book fair begins

Dhaka, Feb 1 (bdnews24.com) — The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair has got underway at the Bangla Academy premises.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, prime minister Sheikh Hasina urged the writers and publishers to make sure that genuine history is written in books.

Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen spoke as the special guest at the ceremony,

The prime minister said she had skipped visiting her daughter and granddaughter in Canada and came home from London to attend the ceremony.

"I really want to come to the fair, but there is no normal way. I can only make official visits," she said, referring to the limitations imposed by the protocol associated with public office..

Hasina urged writers and publishers to offer new, creative books to the readers. "Ensure that the young generation knows the real history. Books inspire the conscience and enrich knowledge."

She envisioned Bangladesh as a nation of non-communal ideals. "We have faced great odds in moving towards those ideals. But we haven't quit."

National professor Kabir Chowdhury, information minister Abul Kalam Azad, state minister Promod Mankin and Bangla Academy director general Dr Shamsuzzaman Khan, among others, spoke at the function.

Hasina later launched National Writers and Literature Museum on the ground floor of the Bardhaman House at the fair premises.

Besides showcasing Bangladeshi books, there will be cultural programmes and discussions and seminars on Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore aimed celebrating his 150th birth anniversary.

The fair premises this year has been divided into nine sections -- named after veteran language martyrs, prominent writers, poets, novelists and intellectuals.

The sections are Bhasha Shahid Chattar, Rabindra Chattar, Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Chattar, Nazrul Chattar, Sahithya Bisharad Chattar, Sufia Kamal Chattar, Dhirendranath Chattar, Somen Chandra Chattar and Rokeya Chattar.

The fair premise, which is free from polythene bags and smoking, has Wi-Fi facilities.

bdnews24.com/corr/si/sh/pks/am/1830h

BASIS SoftExpo kicks off

Dhaka Feb 1, (bdnews24.com) – The largest software and IT exhibition of Bangladesh has kicked off.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith inaugurated the five-day BASIS SoftExpo- 2011 on Tuesday at Banglabandhu International Conference Centre.

Organised by Bangladeshi software developers, the exhibition will remain open from 10 am to 8pm.

Muhith lamented the software firms' dependence on foreign experts. "This needs to be changed."

Muhith said the government was thinking about establishing a number of firms to help information technology flourish. But "the organisations need to maintain a 'working relationship' with the government," he added.

Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, state minister for ICT Yasef Osman, president of BASIS Mahbub Zaman and director of access to information project under pm's office Nazrul Islam Khan also spoke at the program.

120 organizations from home and abroad are participating in the event in seven different zones.

The five-day long exhibition includes 20 seminars, different technical sessions, notun protivar Khoj (search for new talents), IT job fair and IT innovation search program.

The entry fee has been fixed at 30 taka. But Student having ID card will enter free of charge.

bdnews24.com/si/ya/ta/1800h

World Cup 'power riots' worry Dhaka

DHAKA — Bangladesh has ordered electricity companies to show World Cup cricket matches on generator-powered public screens in a bid to prevent protests by irate fans if power cuts disrupt TV broadcasts.
Cricket-mad Bangladesh is a co-host of the World Cup, which starts February 19, and Dhaka is keen to prevent a repeat of the unrest during the 2010 football World Cup when fans rioted after power cuts interrupted viewing.
"We have been told to show World Cup matches on generator-powered wide-screens. We are going to organise this because of the prevailing power shortages," said Manzur Rahman, head of state-owned power company DESCO.
The World Cup cricket matches will last about eight hours, which makes ensuring uninterrupted power supply during the matches in energy-starved Bangladesh an almost impossible task, Rahman said.
"Our priority will be to ensure a non-stop power supply during the Bangladesh matches," he told AFP, adding the wide-screens would be set up in public spaces so that hundreds of cricket fans could watch the matches.
Bangladesh has chronic power shortages, producing about 4,500 megawatts of power a day against demand of around 6,500 megawatts a day.
During the football World Cup in June and July, thousands of angry fans stormed local power offices and attacked state electricity officials after the power supply went off during matches.
The cricket World Cup's first game is on February 19, when Bangladesh will take on India at the Mirpur stadium in Dhaka.
Local sports fans are desperate to see their team play on home soil.
Riot police were called in earlier this month to control fans who had grown frustrated in huge queues to obtain tickets.
The national side, captained by superstar all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, have enjoyed a recent improvement in form and hopes are high for success in the group stage matches against major teams such as India and England.
After the opening ceremony in Dhaka, the capital will host six games and the port city of Chittagong will host two matches. India and Sri Lanka are the other co-hosts.

Permanent venue of DITF by next year likely

The government will manage a permanent venue for Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) by the next year as the Secretariat is to be relocated from its current place to the present DITF venue soon.

Commerce Minister Mohammad Faruk Khan said this in the closing ceremony of DITF Monday while speaking as the chief guest of the function.

"We hope to manage a permanent place for this fair within next year", the minister said, terming the government's decision of relocating the secretariat to DITF venue as its reason.

Commerce Secretary Ghulam Hossain, Chairman of parliamentary standing committee on commerce ministry ABM Abul Kashem and Vice Chairman of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Jalal Ahmed also spoke as special guests on the occasion. President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) A K Azad presided over the function.

Jalal Ahmed said, "Every year we spend at least Tk 150 million to build the structure of the fair and decorate our stalls which become redundant after the fair". He noted that a permanent venue would reduce such wastage largely.

The commerce secretary also echoed the same view and said a permanent venue is needed for the fair.

Organisers said this year the DITF attracted five million visitors. Besides, different companies bagged spot orders worth Tk 250 million.

Ekushey Book Fair 2011:

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Source: Engr. Ershad Ahmed

ICC WC trophy travels through city

The ICC World Cup Cricket trophy had been kept at Abahani ground at Dhanmondi for a photo session until 6:00 pm Thursday, reports bdnews24.com.

The ceremonial World Cup roadshow travelled through the city led by a team of Hero Honda Hunk.

The trophy will be taken to the BCS Computer City for a display at 6:00 pm and finally it will be handed over to the Bangladesh Cricket Board at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla stadium around 8:00 pm.

The colourful roadshow on wheels kicked off at around 10:30 am from Atlas Bangladesh Limited office at Tongi.

The Cup arrived on a flight from India to the Shahjalal International Airport at 8:30 am, Touhid Ahmed of the event management firm Eyestoppers told the news agency.

This is for the first time that Bangladesh got the opportunity to host the world's top cricket event.

The opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup will be held in the city on February 17. The cup will remain in Dhaka until the first match of the great cricket extravaganza on February 19.

Source: Financial Express

Steps taken to ensure power supply during World Cup Cricket

The government has asked the power supply agencies to set up six underground cable lines, three alternative sources of power including a 200KVA transformer at the Bangabandhu National Stadium to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the opening ceremony of ICC World Cup Cricket 2011, the largest sporting extravaganza in the country, reports BSS.

"We have already laid an under ground cable line at six points at the stadium areas," Masum-Al-Beruni, member (planning and development) of BPDB and the coordinator of the committee told the news agency.

He said concerned authorities were asked to double the sources of power supply at three other venues -Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium and Jahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium during matches of the world cup cricket.

"We are planning to supply portable transformer to all giant screens in all big cities and wards of DCC and CCC," another official of the power ministry said.

The PDB has been asked to maintain its production between 4200MW and 4500MW during the ICC World Cup Cricket. He said at present BPDB is producing 3800 to 4000MW of power on an average against the demand of 4250MW.

"We would try our best to generate the said amount of electricity, but it would be out of our reach if any technical fault arises while providing electricity to the floodlights," a BPDB official said.

The government Thursday formed a high-powered technical committee with heads of utility agencies including Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Dhaka Power Development Company (DPDC) and Dhaka Electricity Supply Company (DESCO), Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and the members of Bangladesh Cricket Board to oversee the power supply issue during the World Cup Cricket in Bangladesh.

Source: Financial Express

ICC tackles ambush marketers

Clinton Free

While cricket fans are preparing themselves for the historic ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 matches to be played in Bangladesh next month, off the pitch cricket's world governing body, the International Cricket Council ("ICC"), has been cracking down on companies and individuals attempting to "ambush" the World Cup through various activities infringing its intellectual property rights.

The ICC has been active in Dhaka over the past several weeks as part of its plan to protect the official sponsors. Actions taken include the dismantling of large billboards containing official ICC logos advertising Sonali Bank and Alien Properties and the removal of online advertisements featuring official ICC logos and trademarks used by a range of travel agents and related organizations.

Some marketers are unaware of the dangers when they enter into this legal battlefield and the ICC has clearly signaled that it will crack down hard on any unlicensed commercial exploitation of the names "International Cricket Council", "ICC", "ICC Cricket World Cup 2011", "ICC World Cup", "ICC CWC", "World Cup 2011", "Cricket World Cup 2011", "CWC 2011" or "Stumpy", as well as unlicensed use of the proprietary ICC logos, the official mascot, the official trophy, the official theme song 'De Ghuma Ke' and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 proprietary typeface. Such unlicensed usages constitute an infringement of ICC's intellectual property rights. The ICC has officially applied to register these trademarks in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

What is clear is that had the ICC decided not to act, its inactivity would have diminished the value of its trademarks as well as the exclusivity of agreements with official partners such as Yahoo!, LG and Reebok. Without these large commercial partnerships, the event would be jeopardized and important funding for grass-roots cricket development would be greatly diminished.

The ICC Rights Protection team has the responsibility of ensuring that commercial branding from companies that are not official partners does not attempt to associate with the ICC or the World Cup in any way. The ICC has designed a comprehensive program to protect its own official sponsors which include the registration of key trademarks, an educational campaign that included print advertisements in trade and consumer publications, comprehensive brand guidelines hosted at http://cricket.yahoo.com/ series/ icc-cricket-world cup_1241/ eventinfo/ branding_3, ticket conditions and stadia clean zones. These measures were taken to ensure that the ICC is in strong position to protect and enforce its intellectual property rights and the rights of the official partners, the official suppliers and licensees.

Source: Financial Express

Bangladesh old cars get World Cup notice

DHAKA — Bangladesh ordered owners of old cars to spruce up their vehicles ahead of the cricket World Cup Thursday, warning that they will be targeted by mobile courts, an official said.
Old and worn-out cars and buses in Dhaka and the southeastern city of Chittagong must "get fit, smarter and painted", Abu Naser, spokesman of transport ministry, told AFP.
Roadworthiness rules will be used to enforce the decision, he said.
"The transport minister passed the order to give the two cities a better image during the World Cup. A lot of tourists will visit Bangladesh at that time and we want to show them the best face of our cities," he said.
Mobile courts led by magistrates will hit the roads to hand out instant punishment to errant owners, he said, adding "there is no way old, worn-out and clunky vehicles will be allowed to move."
Cricket-mad Bangladesh is a co-host of the World Cup, which starts February 19, and Dhaka is keen to present a new image of the poverty-stricken country during the six-week long competition.
"As part of the sprucing up drive, state-owned buses will be painted with faces of its national cricketers, monuments and tourism spots," Naser said.
The national side, captained by superstar all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, have enjoyed a recent improvement in form and hopes are high for success in the group stage matches against major teams such as India and England.
After the opening ceremony in Dhaka, the capital will host six games and two will be held in Chittagong. India and Sri Lanka are the other co-hosts.

Source: AFP

Beggars of Ctg to keep off streets during WC

CHITTAGONG, Feb 2 (UNB): Some 500 disabled beggars of the country's commercial capital Wednesday promised not to beg on the streets during the mega sports event, the ICC Cricket World Cup.

In a unique response to Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Mayor M Manzur Alam's plea, the leaders of the disabled beggars made the pledge but demanded their gradual rehabilitation.

Earlier, the CCC Mayor had decided to pay hundreds of beggars a daily wage to keep them off the streets during the cricket World Cup.

As part of the initiative, the disabled beggars of Chittagong city led by the leaders of Chittagong Bhikkhuk Samity met CCC Mayor M Manzur Alam at the Theatre Institute in the port city today.

Chittagong Bhikkhuk Samity president Nur Mohammad, its general secretary Tofazzal Hossain and CCC chief executive officer Manzur-e-Elahi were present.

"Initially, there is a proposal to give Tk 150 to each beggar a day soon after the formal inauguration of the World Cup in Dhaka," CCC Public Relations Officer M Saifuddin told the news agency over phone.

He said it is an initiative to compensate the beggar for their loss of income. "The corporation has also plans to rehabilitate them gradually. They may be provided nominal works round the year."

Source: UNB/Financial Express

Dhaka International Trade Fair Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVxE6NrCzag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B2AXad5VXU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeS46YeqtEA

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Bryan Adams - Adams Lined Up For Cricket Opening Ceremony

BRYAN ADAMS is to thrill cricket fans by performing at the opening of the sport's World Cup in Bangladesh later this month (Feb11) - and he'll celebrate by following up with his first ever gig in the country's capital, Dhaka.
The Canadian rocker is due to tour India in the days before the ICC Cricket World Cup and he's agreed to travel to neighbouring Bangladesh to play three songs at the event's opening ceremony on 17 February (11).
He will then stay overnight in Dhaka before performing his first ever full concert in the city.
Sunil D'Sa, vice president of marketing at Universal Music India, tells the Hindustan Times, "Bryan Adams was always going to be part of the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup. The decision hadn't been confirmed because of his dates and busy schedule. Since he had other commitments, his performance hadn't fallen in place all this while. But it's finally confirmed that the Canadian singer will perform at the opening ceremony.
"We would like to keep the three songs he will play as a surprise. I don't want to ruin the surprise... Adams has also lined up an hour-long acoustic concert where he will promote his Bare Bones album."

PITHAS- A delightful delicacy closest to the soil

Winter, pitha, rural Bangladesh- these perfectly synonymic words have been carrying a tradition for hundred of years as far as Bengali's history could recall. Pithas or rice cakes are our very own pride that we are holding high year after year. The recipe of pithas, its preparation and ingredients, all are derived from the soil of our country and bonding us strongly with our root.

Pithas are typically made of rice flour, although there are some types of pithas made of wheat flour also. Primarily, a batter of rice or wheat flour is shaped and then optionally filled with sweet or savory ingredients. When filled, the pitha's pouch is called a 'khol' (container) and the fillings are called 'pur' (stuffing).

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Jaggery (molasses), date juice, or palm syrup, milk and grated coconut are the main ingredients for making pithas. A few types of pithas demand a little spcies like 'mouri' and cardamom. Pithas are the only snacks that have no foreign ingredient or artificial colour in use.

Pithas are often taken as breakfast, small meals or as a snack with tea. By tradition, we let none of the most important events of our life : like weddings, birthdays or any special celebrations go without its presence. Still today, in a wedding ceremony, whether it's in the city or in a village, bridegroom and the relatives are treated with varieties of pithas.

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Pithas are strongly associated with harvest festivals such as Nabanna ("new paddy" or "new food") and the Poush parbon (winter festival). When the farmers are happy with their freshly collected paddy from the field, it's a way of expressing the joy of a farmer's wife to make pithas and share them among the neighbours and the relatives.

It will be wrong to say pithas are wintersnacks. We can have pithas all year long. Seasonal fruits are used to make pithas as well. Taals (palm), Bananas, Jackfruits are also used to make small 'boras' (batter of rice or flour mixed with fruit juice, sweetened by sugar or molasses and then deep fried in vegetable oil). These fruit flavoured pithas are also equally mouth watering as any other pithas. Chitui/chitoi pitha, Teler pitha (fried pitha), Pakan pitha, Vapa pitha (steamed pitha), Puli pitha (dumplings), Dudher pitha (milk pitha) also known as Bhija pitha (wet pitha), Nakshi pitha are some of the common range of pitha types, prepared and served for Pati Shapta is the one that beatsallbyits taste, texture and aristocracy.

Khirsha- made out of milk and molasses thickening on fire for hours until it gets the perfect texture is the stuffing of this pitha, which is then rapped with another soft thin bread. The bread is prepared especially with flour, milk and then sweetened a little by molasses. It is almost like a sweet roll but flat in shape. As you take a bite, there will be a relishing and ultimately get a taste that never had met your appetite before, instant awakening throughout your mouth. First, your taste buds will experience an awesome feel of oily wrapper part of the pitha; as you bite in, the wrapper, mixing with the khirsha ‘pur’, you keep you keep on relishing and ultimately get a taste that never had met your tastebuds before.

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Pithas are prepared, made, served and named differently in the different part of the country. In the city of Dhaka, pithas are made in almost all the households in their own way as we have a population that comes from all corners of Bangladesh. Practically, there is no such thing as 'Dhakaiya' Pitha, but people of this community prepare a spicy pitha quite similar to vapa pitha, only a mixture of green chilli, coriander leaves and onion used as 'pur'. Also Chapti is another spicy pitha popular in the old part of Dhaka. Dhakatians can have the taste of vapa and powa pithas being sold at the road side, but for hygienic reason, most people stay away from them. There are a few pitha shops serving varieties of pithas in different locations in Dhaka city mostly at Baily Road- also known as the food avenue of Dhaka. The oldest pitha shop claimed to be 'Khabar Dabar' at Bangabandhu Avenue which was opened back in '70s.

Other than that, several organisations arrange pitha festivals in Dhaka during winter season. Coffee House, a cafeteria at Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, arranged 'Jatiyo Pitha Utshob' in January 2011, where a number of 30 stalls camped in. According to Khondoker Shah Alam, Member-Secretary of the organising committee, 'Pitha is such a food that needs to be enjoyed by all your five senses. You hear, see, smell, touch and then give your mouth the taste- pithas are all about it. We arrange this fair every year since 2009 to keep alive the tradition and convey the glory of it to the next generation,' says Alam.

A single delicacy, which is so original and closest to our soil, should be a part of our culture and heritage for hundred more years to come.

-Ivan G

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
Everything in place

Sakeb Subhan

If there was any lingering sense of disbelief that a World Cup is actually going to be held on these shores, it must surely have been dispelled on Wednesday evening when the Canadian team became the first to arrive in Dhaka.

The North Americans were escorted to their team hotel from the Hazrat Shahjalal Airport uninterrupted with heavy security, one of the pet peeves of a major tournament.

And with the popular Pakistan team scheduled to arrive tonight, the excitement surrounding Bangladesh's first-ever hosting of cricket's marquee event can only get bigger.

The Canadian team are here for their practice match against Bangladesh, due to take place on February 12 at Chittagong's Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Fans hungry to see the Tigers in action before the World Cup gets underway can set their sights on this encounter, as it is the only one of Bangladesh's warm-up encounters for which tickets are still available. Over the next few days, the English team will also touch down in Dhaka for matches against Canada and Pakistan at Fatullah.

Dhaka and Chittagong, meanwhile, have been getting ready to host the world. The facelift of the capital and the port city are going on in full swing. Although the traffic has not yet been eased, one can easily see changes in other areas. The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, which will host six World Cup matches, wore a whole new look. The surrounding areas have gone through massive face-lifting work. Most buildings from the airport to Mirpur and the Bangabandhu National Stadium have also gotten a fresh coat of paint. Besides, posters and festoons have been mounted in different parts of the city welcoming the visiting cricket community.

There might be a lot of disappointment among the fans for not getting hold of a dream World Cup ticket and the way it was handled, it is heartening for all concerned to know that the country is faring considerably better than its two co-hosts in getting the designated venues ready to host matches. Sri Lanka's preparations have been blighted by rain while the Eden Gardens in Kolkata has already lost the right to hold the India-England match because the landmark venue was not ready in time.

Happily for Bangladesh, the weather has been fine and the two match venues, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium and Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, appear in top shape with the venues being converted to all-seaters and facilities being upgraded to international standards.

The Bangabandhu National Stadium, the country's oldest venue and the setting for the gala opening ceremony which will feature international stars such as Canadian singer Bryan Adams, has enjoyed a similar facelift. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, authorities have shut down the venue to the general public seven days before the august occasion on February 17.

All that remains now is the ringing of the opening bell.

Source: The Daily Star

Amar Ekushey Book Fair
Makeshift shops outside fair ground do brisk business

Mohiuddin Alamgir

The sale in makeshift book stalls, eateries, toyshops and jewellery shops outside the Amar Ekushey Book Fair ground boosted in last few days.

A signing campaign, demanding recognition to Bengali language as an official language of the United Nations, also drew attention of the visitors in the fair.

However, according to the book fair information centre, tally of new arrivals during the first 10 days decreased sharply comparing to the last year.

The fair on its tenth day drew a huge crowd and 95 new titles hit the fair while 16 new books were launched at the Nazrul Mancha on Thursday.

Makeshift book stalls on footpaths on both sides of the road stretches from Shahbagh to Bangla Academy do brisk business. Hawkers were found busy selling their books.

The price of the books at these stalls ranges from Tk 10 to Tk 100.

These stalls were selling mostly Indian books, biographies and collections of Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sharat Chandra Chatyapaddhay and Manik Bandyapaddhay and booklets of cartoons, juvenile literatures and many others topics.

Ruman Mahmud, a Maghbazar resident, buying books from such a stall told New Age that he don’t find any difference buying books in and outside the fair ground.

‘Same books are being sold in much higher prices inside,’ he said.

Another scene of the fair was the signing campaign by dhakareport.com, a news portal.

The campaigners said till Thursday more than 30,000 signs were collected.

Dhakareport.com organisers said they made a target to collect at least five crore signs within next one and half years.

‘We will submit an application to the United Nations demanding recognition to Bengali language,’ said Mosarraf Hossain of Dhakareport.com.

The shopkeepers of makeshift shops said jewelleries, including bangles, necklace and earrings, food items and toys have a good sale side by side the books sale.

While, with 95 new titles on the day, the total number of the new titles in the fair so far reached 837, 161 collections of novels led the tally of new arrivals followed by 153 poems, 107 story collections and 84 of essays and others.

As part of the month-long discussion on the life and works of Rabindranath Tagore, the academy held a seminar styled ‘Rabindranather Gaan Lalitakalar Amrita’ on Thursday.

Nural Anwar submitted a keynote paper while Mridul Kanti Chakrabarty, Rezwana Chowdhury Banya, Shila Momen took part in the discussion.

The academy today is scheduled to hold a seminar titled ‘Dekha Dik Arbar Janmer Pratham Shubhakkhan’ where Begum Akhtar Kamal will read out the keynote paper.

Nasir Ahmed, Anu Hossain, Tarek Reza are hoped to take part in the discussion that will be presided over by Poet Asad Chowdhury.

Source: New Age

4 commemorative WC stamps unveiled


Wed, Feb 23rd, 2011 4:26 pm BdST
Dial 2000 from your GP mobile for latest news
Dhaka, Feb 23 (bdnews24.com)—The postal department has released four commemorative stamps to mark the cricket World Cup.

Post and telecommunications minister unveiled the stamps at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

A souvenir sheet and an envelope were also released at the same time.

Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose and postal department director general Mobasseur Rahman were also present at unveiling.

Bengali New Year:

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Source: The Independent

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Source: The Daily Sun

Wow Bangladesh is a nice country..hope to visit your country one day...

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Can anyone tell me where the best place would be for the new year celebrations this weekend?
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Can anyone tell me where the best place would be for the new year celebrations this weekend?
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Any of the hotels, restaurants, Fuwang Club, foreign clubs, local (Gulshan, Uttara) Clubs!

Any of the hotels, restaurants, Fuwang Club, foreign clubs, local (Gulshan, Uttara) Clubs!

What is "Fuwang Club"? May I add, the old and venerable Dhaka Club?

BTW, what's with the folks in the subcontinent that they appear more intent (keen) on celebrating Christmas and New Year's, as if these holidays are part of their cultures?

Thank you for the information, I appreciate it.
Although we do not celebrate these festivities all the time, but now and again we would like to see for ourselves what we as a diverse country can offer Bangladesh and the world.

What is "Fuwang Club"? May I add, the old and venerable Dhaka Club?

BTW, what's with the folks in the subcontinent that they appear more intent (keen) on celebrating Christmas and New Year's, as if these holidays are part of their cultures?

Club by Fuwang Bowling Alley on Tejgaon-Gulshan Link Rd. I'm not sure if it's still around!

Club by Fuwang Bowling Alley on Tejgaon-Gulshan Link Rd. I'm not sure if it's still around!

I don't recall seeing any such place on the link road, last year. Can anybody else confirm? Mirza?

I don't recall seeing any such place on the link road, last year. Can anybody else confirm? Mirza?

Not a good place, per se

http://intelreport.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/surprise-midnight-raid-at-fu-wang-bowling-club/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fu-Wang-Club/164229356996839?sk=wall

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1616/korean-international-club-raided-in-bangladesh

Thank you, Jason.kazi for your valuable warning links. If I hadn't seen that then I would've been part of their illegal going's on.
I did manage to get around Gulshan and Bannani area and see some fireworks displays, Iwas also thinking of staying in Westin, but when I heard how much ($151) , I decided to stay at a relations flat.

Thank you, Jason.kazi for your valuable warning links. If I hadn't seen that then I would've been part of their illegal going's on.
I did manage to get around Gulshan and Bannani area and see some fireworks displays, Iwas also thinking of staying in Westin, but when I heard how much ($151) , I decided to stay at a relations flat.

A very belated Happy New Year to all. It was all a b-l-u-r.

At the risk of stating the obvious -- the new year celebrations are basically another excuse for the young (and the young-at-heart) to have a (hopefully) legally sanctioned good time. I have no regrets this year either. You only live so long :)

Personally I think the best place to celebrate the 31st in Dhaka would be in one of the expat clubs (American Club especially). This one has a lot of B'deshi expats so its not so (ahem) 'Foreign' anymore.

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Source: Daily Star

Dhaka International Trade Fair 2012, Shere-bangla-nagar
(Supposedly last year in this location, before moving into a permanent location in Purbachal)

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Solar Panel Display, Square Group (on right), Delhi Group of Industries (on left)

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Polar Ice-Cream stand and Samsung Electronics

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Partex Group (on left) and Diamond World (on right)

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Inside of Talukder Group (garments) booth

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Akhtar Furnishers (on right)

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Sony Circle, Panasonic (on left) and Kube Furniture (on right)

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Kashmir Saree Store (on left), Meridien Foods (center) and Igloo Ice-Cream (on right)

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International Booths

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Igloo Circle, HRC Group (on right)

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Inside of Rich Foods booth

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Inside of Nur Products booth

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SUPER-POPULAR Walton Electronics Booth

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Unilever Group (on left) and Bengal Group (on right)

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Wood furniture booths

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Pran booth

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International (Turkish) booth (on left) and Navana Furniture booth

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Hatirpool Furniture (on left) and Navana Furniture (on right)

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Miscellaneous booths

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Flower square

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Crowds

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Is this fried lobster or fried shrimp or fried prawns?

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Iced drinks

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Parking lot with Banghabandhu Center on right

Photos by Engr Ershad Ahmed

Trade Fair not doing good this year?



It is doing very well, you might think if you visit Dhaka International Trade Fair 2012, since it is packed with people from all walks of life, especially on Fridays, when the density of the crowd becomes unbelievable. But underneath the festive mood of the fair lies a pessimistic story.

Prices of the items sold in the trade fair have increased significantly, many consumers complain. “I wait for the trade fair to buy many things as I believe I can get them cheaper here, but this year it is not the case,” complains Fatema, a housewife who came to the fair from Old Dhaka.

Indeed, prices are relatively high this year. One reason for this is the devaluation of taka. Since the US dollar's value have gone up, imports have become more expensive. This explains the price hike on imported items and also those goods produced locally using imported raw materials.

Inflation has increased cost of production in general, which contributes to increased rising prices.

To add fuel to the fire, the purchasing power of the general public seems to have fallen too, thus further dampening demand. The sales manager of a well known electronics company in Bangladesh wished to remain anonymous when he specified that sales figures are worse than last year's.

“Consumers do want to spend money on buying big items, be it a refrigerator or a sofa set. These cost more, and people are unwilling to spend big amounts now,” he told.

Quite scarily, it is not only expensive items that are seeing slow sales, even skincare products, which are always such a big hit on the trade fair, are facing low demand. “People are coming and checking our products all right. But somehow, they end up not buying any,” a seller from a Thai store said.

Sellers are blaming this on adverse economic conditions. When asked about the low purchasing ability of the visitors, the phrase “stock market” was uttered a strikingly huge number of times.

While the downturn in the stock market may be just one of the reasons, it is true that many people have lost a lot of money in the 'market'. It has meant a lower income for many families.

Foreign participation is also relatively low. Sad but true, given the current demand, companies that decided against participating this year probably made a good decision after all!

“There are so many countries in the world and just a few participate in our trade fair. I would have liked if many more countries participated,” said Sunvir who came to the fair from Indira Road.

So far, the trade fair is mainly playing the role of a place to go for a family outing or a place to hang out with friends. After all, it's the Dhaka International Trade Fair that comes every year. You must visit it once no matter what!

Everything is not negative of course. The food stalls are doing well. “After all the walking and shopping you have to do, you obviously get hungry,” said a visitor. When you get tired and have friends or family members with you, entering one of the several food stalls is the most natural thing to do.

Many businesses also just see the fair as a great way to promote themselves. “Although sales for us have been extremely low, we don't mind as long as we have people coming to our stall. The trade fair is a fantastic way to promote our business,” a small and relatively new furniture store believes.

On the other hand, everybody seems to be buying plastic-made products such as buckets, jugs, etc. Among a few others, clothes and apparel stores are also seeing huge crowds.

Tiny businesses (like vendors selling street snacks) surrounding the fair are also doing quite well.

Hopefully, sales will pick up. Hopefully, things are just warming up for the month-long fair and the last few days will see more sales.

By M H Haider
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Source: The Daily Star