‘Virtual relation hurting real life’

Psychiatrist Anwara Syed Haq believes friendship and relationship developed through internet and telephone are inviting real life troubles.

Speaking at a discussion organised by bdnews24.com on Friday, she said: “Now virtual relationship is being developed through the internet, Facebook and SMS. Are we, the seniors, doing well? We need self-criticism.”

“A sort of emptiness is created in humans devoid of literature. The emptiness is being filled up by Facebook and drugs,” Haq, a litterateur, observed.

The discussion titled ‘Oishee in news: The behaviour of police and media’ was organised against the backdrop of questionable role of police in handling the O-Level student, accused of murdering her parents, and news reports concerning her.

Oishee Rahman, a student of Oxford International School in Dhaka, surrendered to law enforcers on Aug 17, a day after her police inspector father and mother were killed.

Later, a Dhaka court sent her on a five-day remand for questioning in police custody.

In the discussion, Haq highlighted the ‘gap’ between the students in Bangla and English medium schools and laid emphasis on narrowing it.

Citing examples of her several patients, she said: “As the English medium students don’t cherish own literature and culture, they are drifting away from their parents.”

The professor at Ibrahim Medical College said: “Guardians of English medium schools discourage them to speak Bangla at home.”

“The nation cannot have anything from English medium students (since) they do not cherish own culture.”

English medium school Excel Academy’s Vice Principal Seba Tasmin Haq did not agree.

She said: “It (observation) is not true for every student. The guardians are responsible for this. Why do they make their children keep sitting on computers, why don’t they buy them books?”

“Guardians are advised to buy their wards literature books for their holidays. But they don’t buy books,” Tasmin Haq complained.

“That’s why English medium students cannot speak Bangla. If they speak (Bangla), they speak wrong (Bangla). They cannot do well in Bangla exams.”

About the gap between the students of two mediums, the former assistant judge, said: “They’ve already been divided in two sections in society.”

Journalist and child rights specialist Afsan Chowdhury, AN Mahfuza Khatun Baby Maudud MP, Fazilatunnesa Bappi, MP, psychiatrist Farida Akter, UNICEF Bangladesh’s Communications Specialist AM Sakil Faizullah and Hello bdnews24.com child journalist Samin Yasar Priom also took part in the discussion.