Firstly think of a city where you can hardly inhale fresh air, secondly think when you look up and can barely find the sky and lastly think that you have no free space to gossip or to have a chat with your friends and family members. Whether a young man/woman wants to be settled in the main city or the downtown, the signboard says 'House to-let for family only'. And even if someone finds a bachelor          mess, the entire society looks at them like they are a group of unlawful people who will do harm the society. And the possibility of maximum police harassment is always hanging over the head. The scenario for women is not any different. If we closely look into the Dhaka city map from a hawk eye view then we will see that the number of playing grounds, fields and parks is shrinking at an alarming rate and those are being replaced by housing estates and unnecessary oversized shopping malls. Why is it so? Government organisations who were supposed to look after the welfare of the youth seem not to be bothered much. A group of environmental and health activists are trying to draw attention of the concerned groups but the efforts seem to be insignificant.
After the seize of playing grounds, let us have a look at the youth hangout places around Dhaka city. You can hardly find any hangout place where youth of any age range can go and gossip for hours. Either you will have to stand at the side of streets or enter into a restaurant where you will have to spend a lot of money to order to buy some food or else the restaurant owner, manager or the waiters/waitresses will rush to you and remind you thousand times to leave as soon as possible if you do not order anything. And many residents do not like the youths to gather at any part of the streets and chat for hours. Under such circumstances where shall they go and refresh their minds? The scenario outside Dhaka is more or less the same but the added advantage outside Dhaka is there are still some river banks, hilly areas, ponds and lakes left to sit by to have a little chat.
Multiple reasons are behind such muddled situation. The 'too much commercial' way of thinking of investors and businesspersons, the lack of knowledge of the general citizens and the inappropriate planning by the concerned authorities are responsible for such circumstances. Investors and large business groups are investing heavily on construction business, real estate business and shopping malls. In order to accommodate the ever growing population, the feasibility of housing estates is permissible. But then again the importance of a proper planned accommodation is a must. There are few residential areas in the capital which has a fair ratio of apartments and playing grounds and gossiping places. Restaurants and coffee shops charge an unprecedented amount of money for their food and beverage and in exchange they offer you to sit for a while, talk to each other under continuous music and leave as soon as the food is finished.
Sociologists, psychologists and health specialists are constantly addressing this harsh reality. According to the experts, if proper parks and other forms of proper entertainment sources are not ensured then we are sure to lose the opportunity to capitalize on the youth productivity. When they will find no free place to roam around, sit and have a group chat then the possibility for them to be engaged in crimes and other forms of social disorders get elevated. Thus there will be an injurious impact on the entire society.
Hence as per the proposition of the youth and the recommendation of the experts, an ample space for free discussion and entertainment has to be guaranteed. Innovative ventures like investing on green parks, indoor and open playing fields, and amusements parks must be encouraged. Government must retrieve all the apprehended playing grounds and refurbish them with green turfs, footpaths and seating benches. A thorough master plan has to be developed and implemented area wise. If we fail to provide a good environment for the youth, if we fail to address this problem then we are putting our future at stake because these youths are the future of Bangladesh. Nurturing them with plenty of care, allowing them to groom up in an appropriate atmosphere and looking after their present will ensure a compatible and rock-solid future for this country.
The writer is an MBA Student (Marketing), University of Dhaka
saadmankhannabil@live.com
The cry of our youth
Saadman Khan Nabil | Published: May 14, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
Photo: Collected
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