Reasons to be proud

Bangladeshis are finding more reasons to feel proud. There is still some distance to go, but as we celebrated our 40th birthday and looked back, we could see many changes for the better in recent times. Take Musa Ibrahim, as an example. He bravely proved to the world 'where there is a will, there is a way' and Bangladeshis are at par with the best. His achievement, in our view, is far superior to mountain climbers from other parts of the globe where there are mountains and the locals know everything there is to know about snow and ice. Bangladesh does not have mountains or snow. Then there is Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus who has brought and continues to bring kudos to Bangladesh. It was also world news (I read the report in Japan) when the campaign by Sir Frank Peters in having corporeal punishment abolished succeeded and showed Bangladesh had broken free from this dark-ages practice and that we also treasure our children. Yesterday my daughter discovered a wonderful news report on a popular website praising Dr. Moosa bin Shamsher as the all-time best-dressed man, (worldprimenews.com). The fact this Bangladeshi has beaten millions of VIPS and celebrities worldwide to that crown is simply phenomenal. There is truly hope for Bangladesh and we rapturously applaud the feats. Ali Abbas and Fatema Hossain Brixton, London (UK) E-mail : ali.abbas@london.com