In the eye of the storm

In the eye of the storm

M. Abdul Hafiz
"Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins." -- Kahlil Gibran

An apolitical student uprising in Dhaka University on August 20 and 21 has disencumbered the nation of its ignominious impotence -- but at a cost. Indeed, the spontaneity, spread, and intensity of the event has few parallels in our recent history. It spread like a prairie fire, engulfing in its flames the entire country, while the student community was gripped by a spasmodic hysteria. When the rampage stopped, it left a deep scar on the face of the nation and the establishment. Already exasperated with multiple problems, they are trying to understand what it was all about................................