Returning 'lost' money

Mossan Rasal, 23, a Bangladeshi national living in Italy, found €2,000 on the pavement in Rome on September 13. He then deposited it to the local police station and the owner later collected the wallet. Mr. Rasal was offered a prize for his honesty, but he refused to take it, according to the BBC. Another recent case is Mom Mollick, a grade IX student in Botiaghata, Khulna, who found Tk 200,000 in a bag beside the road. She took it to the nearest police station where the owner was reporting about the loss at that time, said reports in the local media. Mom's father Sankar Mollick, when a member of the police in 1978, found a briefcase full of money. He too reportedly informed his colleagues and the police circulated it through newspaper advertisement. Eventually the owner collected the briefcase.

As we hear of such examples of honesty set by our fellow citizens, we not only feel proud of them but also gain some confidence that we are not doomed to greed. Once a postman in rural Bangladesh became a symbol of trust. He often transferred a letter through a third person who too honestly delivered it to the person concerned. However, somehow we have lost such values and sense of responsibility despite economic prosperity and expansion of education. It is the duty of schools, family and community to teach a youngster how to lead an honest life and what s/he would do if any money or valuable item is found. There should be stories on such role models in the textbooks that can positively influence young minds during their formative years of life.

Zahidul Islam

Lalmatia, Dhaka