A 15-man squad of Bangladesh cricket team, for the upcoming ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2010, was announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. In this squad, only two new players have been included.
Bangladesh Squad for T20 World Cup 2010: Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (Vice-Captain/WK), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Masrafe Bin Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Syed Rasel, Md. Sohrawordi, Jahirul Islam.
Shakib Al Hasan was named captain and Mushfiqur Rahim vice-captain. All rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, is one of the key players in Bangladesh cricket team. This world number one all rounder in Test cricket will have to carry a big burden this year. For the first time, he is going to lead his national team in any big tournament. Let us see how he performs as captain.
Mushfiqur Rahim is a very young but talented player in Bangladesh cricket team. He has a lot of potential. He is a wicketkeeper and good batsman in the middle order position. No doubt, he will have to play very important role if he wants to take his country in a top position.
The two new players in this squad are Jahirul Islam and Md. Sohrawardi Shuvo. Top-order batsman Jahirul Islam made his Test debut against England earlier this month. He was the highest run scorer in the first class cricket. He is capable of playing big shots. He has made his place in the squad after showing his consistent performance over the years at first-class, academy and club level of cricket game. He has been placed as an alternative opener and wicketkeeper.
Md. Sohrawardi Shuvo is an all rounder. He made his international debut against England in the recently concluded home series. It is expected that he will be an effective all rounder with the bat and ball. He was named captain of the Bangladesh U19 squad.
Fast bowler, Masrafe Bin Mortaza, and hard hitter batsman, Mohammad Ashraful, have been recalled in the national squad. Masrafe Bin Mortaza is the main bowler in Bangladesh cricket team. He is also a good batsman in the lower order position. He was out of the squad for a long time because of his injury. Since returning from injury, he played the opening ODI match against England. He is now totally fit. We will see him again in the field. His inclusion in the main squad will boost Bangladesh cricket team’s confidence.
Mohammad Ashraful is one of the most experienced players in this 15 players list. He has the experience to play the last two versions of T20 World Cup. Thinking about his experience and skill, selectors selects him. It is expected that he will regain his form in this shortest version of cricket game. You should know that Mohammad Ashraful is facing a tough time. He is not in his prime form. Because of his bad performance, he had been excluded from both Test and ODI squad against England. No doubt, he is the big hope for Bangladesh cricket fans. It will be interesting to see if he can bring some momentum in the game.
Aftab Ahmed is the only rebel player who has been selected for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Aftab Ahmed is well known for his hard hitting batting style. However, he was banned by the BCB after joining unauthorized Indian Cricket League (ICL). However, he finished his contract with ICL and return to the national cricket.
Another rebel player, Alok Kapali, could not find his place in the final squad. His exclusion from the squad made me surprise. He is very talented batsman. He played well in ICL and scored a hundred.
Bowling line up in Bangladesh cricket team looks neither good nor bad. Four pace bowlers have been chosen for this tournament. They are: Masrafe Bin Mortaza, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Syed Rasel. Shafiul Islam played only one T20 match against New Zealand. Abdur Razzak is the only spinner in the players list. They are not good bowler but they can make strong protest against the opponent teams.
Bangladesh cricket team has been put in Group A with the defending Champion, Pakistan, and Australia. It is obviously a strong group. Fans will be waiting to see if Bangladesh cricket team can make upset against any of the two teams in group round. Bangladesh will first face Pakistan on May 1, 2010. This match will be played at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia.
Really it is very big news for Internet users in Bangladesh. IP Phone was launched yesterday (16 March 2010) and 18 companies (ISPs) are now giving this service. With this technology, Internet users will be able to talk among themselves (PC to PC) without any cost. Of course, you have to pay a monthly fee of just 100 Taka which is really nothing for any person in Bangladesh with a computer and Internet connection.
I am giving the rates of IP Phone from BDCOM website:
BDCOM IP Telephony detail tariff plan: 1. Fixed monthly charge per IP Phone user @Tk. 100.00
2. BDCOM IP Phone to BDCOM IP Phone @Tk. 0.0
3. BDCOM IP Phone to All IP Phone operator @Tk. 0.0
4. IP Phone to all other GSM/CDMA/PSTN operator @Tk. 0.65
15% VAT is applicable
I visited the website of Grameen Cybernet too but they have not put the rate yet for their IP telephony. I guess that the rate will be similar.
The companies that are going to provide the service in Bangladesh are:
Advanced Data Networks System Ltd, Agni Systems Ltd, BDCom Online Ltd, Beximco, BracNet, BTS Communication Ltd, Connect BD Ltd, Dhakacom Ltd, Grameen Cybernet Ltd, Global Access Ltd, HRC Technologies Ltd, Information Services Network Ltd, Innovative Online Ltd, Link3 Technologies Ltd, Metronet BD Ltd, Optimax Communication Ltd, Royal Green Online Ltd and Telnet Communication Ltd.
If you are not comfortable with using computer and Internet and want a traditional phone set then you have to spend some extra money to buy an IP phone. According to a report of the Daily Star, the price of such phone sets can cost you in the range of 3,000 to 30,000 Taka.
The only limitation at this moment is that you can just talk within Bangladesh. I hope soon we can talk to people of other countries with IP telephony.
Language is an important aspect of our lives. In Bangladesh language played a key role in our liberation movement. In 1952, we observed the Language Movement which culminated into a nine month long liberation war in 1971. Today, Bangladesh is an independent country. More than 90% of our people speak in Bengali but another language that gained lots of importance over the year is English. Bangladesh was ruled by the British for two hundred years. Hence, English has been used for quite some times in our country. Though English does not have the status it used to have during the colonial period it still plays a very important role in our country. Along with Bangla, English is taught to students in schools and colleges in our country but in the constitution of Bangladesh, there is no mention of English language.
As I have mentioned earlier, that English language have been used in Bangladesh for quite sometime. During British period and Pakistan period, English enjoyed the status of official language. It served as a lingua franca between people of two different nations. During British period, English enabled communication between people of the subcontinent and Europe. In Pakistani era, it enabled communication between Urdu speakers and Bengali speakers. Post Independence, there was a surge in nationalism and the government tried to implement Bengali language in every sector. However, teaching of English continued in primary, secondary and tertiary level not because it was the official language but it became the language of trade and commerce. Over the years, the prominence of English continued to rise but the government yet failed to clarify its position in Bangladesh.
While doing my sociolinguistics course in NorthSouthUniversity, I wrote a research paper titled “Condition of English in Bangladesh: Second language or foreign language.”
Mother tongue or first language is perhaps the most favorite thing for any person. The question of language has resulted into many conflicts and discontentment. The prime example of such discontentment is the Language Movement of 1952 in Bangladesh. On the other hand we can not live in isolation. We have to be in contact with the speakers of other languages. Bangladesh is considered to be a monolingual country in which more than 98% of the population is speakers of Bangla language. However, there are more than ten languages in such a small country like Bangladesh. Monipuri, Urdu, Chakma, Santali, Garo, Rakhain, Tipra- are just some of the other languages present in Bangladesh. The interesting thing is that Urdu is a Indo-European language but written in Arabic script, Santali belongs to the Mono-Khemar language family while Chakma belongs to the Chinese-Barmese language group. So, although Bangladesh is often portrayed as a country of linguistic unity based on Bangla language in reality it has notable linguistic diversity. To communicate with the speakers of other languages we either need to know their language or communicate in a Lingua-Franca that is comprehensible to both of us.
Today, the world has become a global village. Thanks to the advancement of communication system and technology. Every country is dependent on others for trade and commerce, education, politics etc. As a result, we have to constantly communicate with other countries and speakers of other languages. Third world countries like Bangladesh have to depend on foreign aid because they are not self-sufficient. As a result, many foreigners come to Bangladesh. A third factor is the factor of religion. The sacred language of the Muslims is Arabic, Sanskrit for Hindus, Pali for the Buddhists and Latin for the Christians. All these factors remind us the necessity for learning other language(s) in addition to our mother tongue. According to this reality many countries of the world have adopted a European language as second language which is often used in education, law court, economic activities and government works. These languages have most of the time official status in the constitution of those countries. Many of the cases the countries have adopted the language of their past colonial rulers as the second language. Sometimes these languages are also called official language. In many African countries we can see this picture. On the other hand, some European languages have become very important in the world for literary and economic purposes. For example, German and French are considered to be important languages of the world because both of them have influential literature and economic aspects associated with them. For example, many people in our country are interested to learn French because it may help them to get UN jobs and jobs in Multinational companies. Another attractive motivation for learning French in Bangladesh is that it may help us to immigrate to Canada as skill in French language gives a person some extra points in the point system of Canadian immigration.
The title of my research is "Status of English in Bangladesh: Second language or foreign language?" I have selected this topic because from sociolinguistic point of view the status of English is a very interesting one. On the one hand English language is dominantly present in every side of our national life while on the other hand in our constitution it is clearly declared that the language of the country is Bangla. In fact, nothing is said about the status of English language in our constitution. On one hand, economic activities in the private companies are carried out in English while there is a government law (Bangla procholon ain1987) that government offices must use Bangla in their official works. So from the government point of view Bangla is the national- official language of Bangladesh and English is the most important foreign language. But in reality English is the second language of the country and in many places English is more important than Bangla in Bangladesh.
Second language:
A second language is any language other than the first, or native, language learned; it is typically used because of geographical or social reasons. The term is to be distinguished from foreign language; linguist Eric Lenneberg uses second language in his critical period hypothesis to mean a language consciously learned or used by its speaker after puberty. In most cases, people never achieve the same level of fluency and comprehension in their second languages as in their first language.
Historically in Europe, the most widely used second language (or lingua franca) was Latin. It was used by the Church; by the Law (as it still is today); in Medicine (starting much later); Horticulture and biological classification of plants, animals, fruits, nuts, etc.
Latin was used so much across Europe that it was called the vulgar (or common tongue); this is why the Latin version of the Bible is called the Vulgate.
Nowadays, English is considered the world's most widespread second language; it is used in areas as diverse as the internet, television and radio, and international aviation.
The success of English throughout the world stems from two major causes: the far reaching influence of the British Empire, and the 20th century (and continuing) dominance of the United States in the fields of business and entertainment.
French was for a time the lingua franca in Europe. In history, both England and France were ruled by a single crown - the language used by the royal court was French (English was considered "the peasant's language"). Afterwards, as was the case with English, the French empire spread its language through colonization. French continues to be one of the world's most widely spoken languages. (Source: Wikipedia)
If we look at the definition of second language then we can easily say that English is the second language of Bangladesh. It is widely used in many parts of our national life. Many people watch English television channels and also use Internet. The students have to study it for twelve years and those who want to join civil service by attending BCS exam also have to sit for English examination. The only thing that is missing from the above definition is the fact that except for formal occasions no one speaks in English in Bangladesh. It is not the language used in home among family members and among friends in informal conversation.
Foreign language:
A foreign language is a language not spoken by the indigenous people of a certain place: for example, English is a foreign language in Japan. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her.
Some children learn more than one language from birth or from a very young age: they are bilingual. These children can be said to have two mother tongues: neither language is foreign to that child, even if one language is a foreign language for the vast majority of people in the child's birth country. For example, a child learning English from her English mother in Japan can speak both English and Japanese, but neither is a foreign language to her. (Source- Wikipedia)
From the above definition, it is seen that foreign language refers to a language that is not native to a person. From this point of view English can be considered as a foreign language in Bangladesh since it is not native in our country. Hardly any Bangladeshi person speaks in English although many of them use it in education and business.
Official language:
An official language is something that is given a unique status in the countries, states, and other territories. It is typically the language used in a nation's legislative bodies, though the law in many nations requires that government documents be produced in other languages as well.
Officially recognized minority languages are often mistaken for official languages. However, a language officially recognized by a state, taught in schools, and used in official communication is not necessarily an official language. For example, Ladin and Sardinian in Italy and Mirandese in Portugal are only officially recognized minority languages, not official languages in the strict sense.
Half of the countries in the world have official languages. Some have only one official language, such as Albania, France, or Lithuania, despite the fact that in all these countries there are other native languages spoken as well. Some have more than one official language, such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Eritrea, Finland, India, Paraguay, South Africa, and Switzerland.
In some countries, such as Iraq, Italy, Russia and Spain, there is an official language for the country, but other languages are co-official in some important regions. Some countries, such as Australia, Sweden, Tuvalu, and the United States have no official languages.
The official languages of some former colonies, typically French or English, are not the national languages or the most widely spoken language.
In contrast, as a consequence of nationalism, Irish is the "national language" of the Republic of Ireland and its first official language, although it is spoken by only a small fraction of its people. English, which is spoken by the majority, is described only as the second official language (Constitution of Ireland, Article 8).
In some countries, the issue of which language is to be used in what context is a major political issue.(Source-Wikipedia)
From the above definition, it is seen that the notion of official language is complicated. According to our constitution English can not be termed as the official language of Bangladesh since it has no status in our constitution. The only language that is mentioned in our constitution is Bangla. But English is allowed in our parliament and many government events. For example, when there is a government event in which some foreigners attend then in many cases the speakers use English language. Many important government documents are written both in Bangla and English. The parliament proceedings are kept into these two languages. When a government body organizes a fair then often the souvenir is published in English.
In the constitution nothing is mentioned about the status of English. English is not mentioned as a second language or official language. So if we take the status of English in our constitution then we cannot claim that English is a Second language or Official Language in Bangladesh.
English in Law court in Bangladesh:
After Independence the government took the initiative to implement Bangla language in law court. As a result, now the lower courts carry out their activities in Bangla but English is yet very influential in High Court and Supreme Court. If a lawyer wants to practice in Supreme court then he must have a good command over English language. Many of the judges still give their verdicts in English language. It seems that this trend of using English will remain for the foreseeable future.
English in Education sector in Bangladesh:
Formal and institutionalized education system started in Bangladesh during the British rule. At that time Bangladesh was part of British India. There was a debate about the medium of education. Raja Rammohan Roy argued that the medium should be English rather than Sanskrit or Persian. During the British period, the medium of education was largely in English. CalcuttaUniversity took an initiative in 1935 to introduce Bangla as a medium of education along with English. In Bangladesh the use of Bangla in college level started in the 1960s. Now students can answer in the examinations in Bangla or English. In the college level and university level, after 1971, the government tried to patronize Bangla and implement it by replacing English in the education sector but this did not came into reality because of some basic problems. The first problem is that there were not enough books of any field in Bangla language. This problem is more acute in science and technology. For example, there are almost no books in Bangla about computer technology that can be used as a reference book in the University level.
Actually there are three kinds of education systems in our country- Bangla medium, English medium, and Madrasa system. Bangla medium schools can be divided into two sections- government schools, and kindergarten schools. In the kindergarten schools more emphasis is given on English language than government schools. Some of the famous kindergarten schools of Dhaka are ViqarunnisaNoonSchool, Willes Little Flower Higher Secondary School, and Holy Cross Girls' High School. Although these schools belong to Bangla medium the students have to study 3-4 English books like: Radiant Way, Active English, Desk Work, Fundamental English, Brighter Grammar, and so on. On the other hand, in the government schools there is only one English book (English for Today) which is published by Bangladesh Text Book Board. The English medium schools do not follow Bangladeshi education system and are under the supervision of British Council. The medium of instruction in these schools is English and many of the students of English medium are even very weak in Bangla language. There are two kinds of Madrassas - Dakhil and Kawmi. The Kawmi Madrassas are not recognized by the government and do not receive any assistance from the government. In these Madrassas emphasis is given on learning Arabic, Persian, and Urdu while Bangla and English are neglected. In Dakhil Madrassas, emphasis is mainly given on Arabic and Bangla and English are not so much neglected.
So we can clearly see that the difference in education system in Bangladesh is solely based on the difference in the medium of education. Although Bangla is the national and official language of Bangladesh, it is the English medium education institutions that get more money. The rise of private universities has only increased the status and importance of English language in Bangladesh. There are now more than 50 private universities in Bangladesh and the medium of education in all of them is English. These universities charge 2 lakh to 5 lakh taka for bachelor courses. If the medium of education was in Bangla then hardly any student or parents would get interested to pay such huge money for the education in private universities.
From the above discussion it is clear that in our general education system, English has, equal if not, more importance than Bangla. In our education system, English is really the second language as all the students have to study it as a compulsory subject for twelve years.
English and Administration:
During the language movement, the people of Bangladesh were afraid that if Urdu was established as the state language of Pakistan, then all the government activities will be carried out in Urdu and our people will suffer. As a result of the language movement, the Pakistani regime kept on carrying out government activities in English language. After Bangladesh became independent, the government of Awami League decided to replace English with Bangla in administrative works but after the death of Sheikh Mujib, this process came to a halt and English continued to remain as the dominant language. It was during the rule of Ershad, “Bangla Procholon Aeen of 1987” was created and implemented. From that time, English started to lose its significance in administration. However, it has to be mentioned that all the international communication of Bangladesh government is carried out in English.
English in Economic activities:
The economy of Bangladesh is dependent on foreign aids and export of some common items like ready-made garments, jute, tea, fish etc. We also import a lot of things. Bangladesh is not economically self-sufficient. Trading is more popular than production. Trading requires constant communication with foreign companies. Many of the companies that are involved in trading have to use English in dealing with foreigners. Suppose, a company is trading with China, which is not an English speaking country, then the company has to contact the Chinese company in English. If we look at the advertisements of the private sector jobs then we would notice that most of the job advertisements are posted in English. Even most of the private sector job advertisements that are posted in Bengali newspapers are posted in English. Almost all the private jobs state that the applicants must have good proficiency in English language. Almost all the public limited companies publish their annual reports in English. Some of these companies produce a Bangla version of their annual report but the emphasis is always on English. So it is clear that English is the dominant language in our economic activities.
Comparison of English with Arabic, Sanskrit, and Pali in Bangladesh:
Arabic, Sanskrit and Pali are the religious languages of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists respectively. Even the uneducated people try to learn these languages as they are considered to be holy. If we compare the learning of English with these languages then we can see that English is given more importance. For example, the tuition fee of a English coaching center is much higher than that of an Arabic coaching centre. English private tutors get 4-5 times more money than Arabic private tutors (Huzur). So although Arabic has religious sentiment attached to it, English is considered to be more important as it has economic benefit.
Comparison of English foreign languages like French, German, and Farsi:
French and German have become very popular for economic reasons in our country. Learning these languages help us to increase our possibility to get jobs in various international organizations. Learning French is also helpful for getting immigration to Canada. There are good facilities to learn these languages in DhakaUniversity, Alliance Francaise, and Goethe Institute. Recently, the English Institute of NorthSouthUniversity has introduced French course. On the other hand, during the Muslim reign, Persian was the language of the Royal administration and law court in Bangladesh. At present, a student can attend Farsi course for one semester by just paying tk. 250 in IranCulturalCenter but there are not many students who are interested to learn Farsi, French, and German. On the other hand, hundreds of students each year appear for TOEFL and IELTS exams in English language.
From the above picture it is clear that the status of English is much higher than foreign languages like German, French, and Persian. We can not deny the reality that if a person is good at English then he can earn money in any part of Bangladesh but if a person is good in French, German, or Persian he has hardly any scope to earn money by using his linguistic skills.
Recommendations:
There is no doubt that English is the second language of Bangladesh but this reality is not reflected in our constitution. Officially Bangladesh is not known as an ESL country to the outside world. So, Bangladesh should be declared as an ESL country by the government without any delay. We learn English not because we like Shakespeare or Dickens. We learn English out of every day necessity. If Bangladesh is declared as an ESL country and English language is given a clear status in the constitution then it will not only reflect the reality but also will help us in many ways. Now, Bangladesh is desperately trying to attract foreign investors. Before any company comes to Bangladesh for exploring investment opportunities, one of the key areas they would look for is the availability of English graduates and they also expect that the normal workers will have basic understanding of English language. If we become an ESL country, then these foreign companies while searching about Bangladesh will get assured about the strong presence of English language in this country.
The same picture is there about educational sector. Many Bangladeshi students want to go to developed countries like USA, UK, Canada, and Australia for higher education. If Bangladesh is declared as an ESL country then these students will be benefited because then the universities of those countries will get the idea that English has special significance in Bangladesh.
So, I recommend to the government of Bangladesh that English should be declared as the second language of the country by amending the constitution.
Conclusion:
Bangladesh is the only country in the world whose people sacrificed their lives for the language. Now the historical language movement of 1952 is acknowledged internationally as the International Mother Language Day. It is true that our people are emotional about their language, Bangla. However, it is equally true that now our people have become desperate about getting skilled in English language. As a result, there are more than fifty private universities now in Bangladesh. If North South Offered BBA and Computer Science courses in Bangla medium then they would not get even 10% of the number of students they have now. It is now good time that we finish the great contradiction about the language issue and declare Bangladesh as an ESL country for our own benefit.
Bibliography
1. Dr. Musa, Monsur. BHASHACINTA PROSONGO O PORIDHI. Dhaka:Bangla
Academy, 2002.
2. Dr. Musa, Monsur. BANGLADESHER RASHTRABHASHA. Dhaka:Bangla
Academy, 2002.
3. Dr. Musa, Monsur. BHASHA PORIKOLPONAR SHOMAJ
BHASHATATTA. Dhaka:BanglaAcademy, 1996.
4. Dr. Musa, Monsur. BANGLA PARIBHASHA: ITIHAS O SAMASYA. Dhaka:Bangla
Wrixon Wong is a senior area manager at Canon Singapore. He recently visited Bangladesh. He expressed his satisfaction with the performance of J.A.N. Associates Ltd in promoting Canon cameras in Bangladeshi market. He also expressed his joy with the continuous high growth in sales figure of Canon cameras in Bangladesh. He gave an interview on 19 November 2009 and here is the interview for the readers:
Razib Ahmed: Have you come to Bangladesh before?
Wrixon Wong: This is my third time in Bangladesh and I am very happy to come because I see a lot of activities in the market, traffic jams, more cars. So it seems like there are lots of activities this time. Things are getting better in your country.
Razib Ahmed: How is Canon doing in Bangladesh in the camera segment?
Wrixon Wong: Currently, we are in the top position in the dSLR camera market. Thanks to Mr. Kafi (Abdullah H Kafi). He has done a very good job. He has been able to build a very good rapport with the media by organizing various promotional events and seminars like this one. By organizing such events he has been able to reach out to the professional photographers and people who are interested in photography but does not have any opportunity to know about it. So, this is a great way to promote our product and connect with our buyers and share our skills and experience with Bangladeshi photographers. For this seminar, we have flown in one photographer, Mr. Teoh Pang Kee, whom we have flown in from Malaysia. He is sharing his photography skills and also his knowledge of the camera- how you can get the best picture.
Razib Ahmed: Earlier today, you unveiled a new product for Bangladeshi photographers. Can you tell us a bit about the special features of this product?
Wrixon Wong: Yes, The new camera we unveiled in Bangladesh is EOS 1 Mark IV Camera. The main feature of this camera is that it can take photos at a very high speed. The camera is equipped with twin DIGIC 4 processors which allow it to take photos at a rate of ten frames per second. It is like the cars. In traditional cars, there is only one carburetor but in present day cars there are two carburetors. This camera is very useful for sports photographers and news photographers who need to take photos of every second.
Razib Ahmed: We see Canon advertisements in satellite TV channels but there is no advertisement of Canon in Bangladeshi TV channels. Do you have any thought about it?
Wrixon Wong: Well, in India we are trying very hard to build our market share because our condition is not very strong in India. So we are working hard to have Indian market share and we are also aware that Indian channels are also shown in Bangladesh and they are quite popular. So, through Indian TV channels we are indirectly trying raise our brand awareness and so far there is a good impact.
Razib Ahmed: What is your future plan about the Bangladeshi market?
Wrixon Wong: In terms of dSLR. Two years ago we changed our distributor. When Mr.Kafi took over our camera distribution, he said that he would like to see Canon as the top product in the camera market in Bangladesh. “When people would think of camera, they would only think of Canon”- this was his vision. This impressed me very much. Mr. Kafi has become very successful as the official distributor of Canon printers in Bangladesh. Currently, Canon is the number one printer brand in Bangladesh. And I believe that he has the ability to take Canon camera to the same heights. It is just a matter of time. A few months earlier, I came to know that he has set up a training center to train people on operating digital cameras because in near future the digital cameras will have lots of features and the customers can not find out about all the features all by themselves. So, through arranging such training sessions, we would be able to connect to our customers and build our brand value in Bangladesh.
Razib Ahmed: Have you seen any significant increase in sales of your product in Bangladesh?
Wrixon Wong: Of course, over the years, we achieved double digit growth in sales but the year 2009 has been a bit difficult for economic recession but in November and December we are expecting to some growth in sales because this is the shopping season. We are hoping for a growth of 120% in sales in the next two months.
Roland Poon is a Senior Manager at Canon Singapore. He has been working in the company for many years and he works at the product marketing department for image communications products division for South and South East Asia. He recently visited Bangladesh and visited BCB ICT WORLD 2009. He gave a speech there in the program arranged by J.A.N. Associates Ltd. He was also present in the discussion program titled “EOS New Technology” at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel and there, he gave an interview on 19 November 2009. Here is the interview for the readers:
Razib Ahmed: How Long have you been working for Canon?
Roland Poon: I am basically from Canon Singapore, Canon’s South East Asian regional headquarter. I have been working for Canon for the past twenty three years. So, for me, I would like to share Canon’s latest technology of with Bangladeshi photographers so that they do not only buy a camera but also know what is inside the camera.
Razib Ahmed: You have been visiting Bangladesh for quite some times. What is the biggest difference you see when you first came to Bangladesh and now, especially about Canon?
Roland Poon: Yes, I have come to Bangladesh many times. Firs time when I came to Bangladesh, I was in the engineering department to set up the service. Then I was transferred to the marketing department. Since then I have been visiting Bangladesh mainly to promote our products.
Well, there has been a major change in Bangladesh. The first time when I came to Bangladesh there was not so much traffic but this time it is really very different. There are many Toyotas on the road. I also found out that many Bangladeshi photographers are using our high-end products. So I am glad that people in Bangladesh have already gone up to this stage. That is why we need to come to Bangladesh continuously to share our experience.
Razib Ahmed: In the morning I saw that you had a workshop in J.A.N. Associates. How was the response?
Roland Poon: We had actually two workshops, yesterday and today for the photographers whether they are Canon or Nikon users.
We had a very good response. Especially, today. We answered all the questions both technical and usage. So, as I said, this is a very good experience to share our technology and skills with the people of Bangladesh.
Razib Ahmed: Since you cover South East Asia from Singapore, how would you evaluate the performance of J.A.N. Associates compared to other countries?
Roland Poon: As far as I know from my experience in marketing side, J.A.N. Associates is doing a great job in Bangladesh. They have doing very good with printer business but now they have already included imaging products like cameras and scanners and they are doing very well.
Razib Ahmed: How is your market share in Bangladesh?
Roland Poon: Again, our market share in overall Asia including Bangladesh has grown tremendously over the years. We are doing better compared to our competitors and our market share in Asia has grown about 50%.
Razib Ahmed: In digital SLR camera?
Roland Poon: Yes, in digital SLR camera. I take care of the digital SLR camera’s promotion, supporting, marketing events like this etc.
Razib Ahmed: Can you tell us a little bit about your service and support in Bangladesh because you do not have direct office here?
Roland Poon: We have a distributor, J.A.N. Associates. They are doing very well. Earlier, I mentioned that they invested over twenty thousand dollars in equipment and they have engineers who were sent to Singapore for training. The last time when I came I remember we have engaged our engineers to come from Singapore and work with J.A.N. Associate in CMOS training. We are here to educate them and share our experience with them.
Razib Ahmed: What are the potentials of your products in Bangladesh? Do you think dSLR cameras can grow in the next five years?
Roland Poon: I think so. Next year, we going out to promote our dSLR products more aggressively and increase our products. So, I think there is a huge potential. So far, the seminars we attended we observed a steady growth of sales of Canon products in Bangladesh and there is still room for growth. We would want to know people about our service and support and we would also like to share our knowledge and skill in future.
Razib Ahmed: So when are you coming to Bangladesh next time?
Roland Poon: Most probably early next year. I mean in the first or second quarter next year. We are planning to do better workshops, seminars where we would like to discuss about indoor shooting and model shooting and printing. As you know Canon has got both input and output devices- input like cameras, output like printers. So, it blends very well. We would like to show people how easy and funny it is to take photos and print them.
Razib Ahmed: Do you have any suggestion for J.A.N. Associates?
Roland Poon: They have lot of room for growth but the most important is the support from the people. I know that they have very good marketing strategies and work very hard to sell products but at the same time they would also have to focus on after sales service which is also very important to retain our market shares in Bangladesh.
Tri-nation ODI series including India, Sri Lanka and host Bangladesh will kick off from 4th January 2010. Ahead of this upcoming triangular ODI series, Bangladeshi selectors have announced an 18-man squad. These players were named from the primary squad of 26 players. However, this time Bangladesh cricket team looks like much stronger than past.
Mashrafe Mortaza has returned back from injury. He will lead Bangladesh cricket team in this tri-nation ODI tournament. However, he had to prove his fitness to get place in the national squad. He is considered as the leading bowler in Bangladesh cricket team. However, Bangladesh had to fight five months without him. He sustained injury in September. After that he had to undergo surgery. Now, he is totally fit. The return of Mashrafe Mortaza is a big threat for the opponent teams.
Shakib Al Hasan has been selected as the vice-captain of Bangladesh cricket team. He was stand-in captain in the place of Mashrafe Mortaza when he had to stay sidelines due to his injury. However, year 2009 was a good year for Shakib Al Hasan. He led Bangladesh team to hold some big victories. Even, under his captaincy, Bangladesh won both Test and ODI series against West Indies for the first time in cricket history.
Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal has been included despite his injury. He has hurt his left hand. Selectors have kept faith on him that he will be recovered soon before the start of the tournament.
Pace bowler Shafiul Islam is the only new face in this squad. He is supposed to make his debut with the ODI format of cricket game next month. He has the experience to play only first class and list A cricket.
Left arm opener Junaid Siddique and left arm spinner Enamul Haque Jnr have been left out of the squad. Junaid Siddique is a hard hitter but not reliable opener. He could not show his impressive performance this year. Coach and selectors are not satisfied with him. Enamul Haque Jnr is a good spin bowler but it is his bad luck that he failed to get his place in Bangladesh squad.
Three former rebel players have been included in this squad for the first time after they had returned to Bangladesh from separating their relation with unauthorized Indian Cricket League (ICL). They are Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kopali. Dhiman Ghosh was supposed to make his selection but he failed.
Bangladesh Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Shakib Al Hasan (vice-captain), Mohammad Ashraful, Abdur Razzak, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Tamim Iqbal, Syed Rasel, Roqibul Hassan, Mahmud Ullah, Nazmul Hossain, Naeem Islam, Imrul Kayes, Rubel Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kopali, Shafiul Islam.
Bangladesh will be the host of tri-nation ODI series in January 5, 2010. This triangular cricket tournament includes India and Sri Lanka along with the host country. Ahead of the tour series, Indian cricket team has already announced their squad. But host team Bangladesh is yet to announce it. Selectors have announced the names of 26 players for primary squad. Main squad will be announced after an ODI match against Dhaka Premier Division League Champions Dhaka Mohammedan SC. This match was played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur in Dhaka on 26th December 2009. It has been confirmed that Mashrafe Bin Mortaza will be seen to lead Bangladesh cricket team and Shakib Al Hasan will be the vice-captain. So, the cricket fans of this country are eagerly waiting for the final squad to be announced.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has recently recovered from injury. He will have to give a fitness test. He may get call in the national side after taking part in the practice match. If he fails to prove his fitness then Shakib Al Hasan will be the captain.
Year 2009 was a good year for Bangladesh cricket team and Shakib Al Hasan. Under his captaincy, Bangladesh cricket team got victories against West Indies and Zimbabwe in both ODI and Zimbabwe.
Board members have taken decision to re-call the four rebel players for the first time after they had lifted the ban against them. These players are Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali and Dhiman Ghosh.
These days, many people are interested about investing money in stock exchange in Dhaka. There is nothing wrong in it and in fact, the stock exchange of a country is an indicator of the economy of that country. For example, when global recession started in September 2008, the first thing we saw was that the stock exchanges of rich countries like USA and Japan suffered a lot. Now, things are becoming better and as a result, the share markets are bouncing back in those countries. On the other hand, even during the time of economic recession, we have seen our share market to grow sharply in the last one year. So, it is clear that many people came in the share market without any knowledge about it.
These ignorant investors just thought that share market is a place for making quick money. They came in thousands and then bought secondary shares. When the demand of a product increases and its supply is limited then naturally the price only increases. This thing has happened in Dhaka Stock Exchange. Grameenphone recently entered the market and it created even more interest among people.
Unemplyment is high in Bangladesh and that is why, it is natural that thousands of people opened BO accounts.
I am again expecting an explosion in price in the share market like 1996. This time, the regulatory body and government both are very cautious. However, I am sad to say that ordinary people are not cautious. In fact, many of them have no idea how a share market operates and they just throw away their money. Right now, the price of the shares of most companies is abnormally high compared to their face value. Naturally, some people will make a lot of money while majority of them will suffer loss and become unhappy and frustrated in the end.
If you read this entry then my only advice for you is that try to know about the share market first. Don’t go for any short cut. This is not a place for making quick money. Secondary shares are always risky. First know about them and then buy or sell. If you lose your money then no one cares about it. You are on your own. The maximum you can do is to get angry and say some bad words against the companies and the government. The money you lose will not come back to you.
The history of Internet in Bangladesh is just 13 years old. E-commerce is still not legal here and there is no way of online transaction. SO, earning money through websites is a very big problem. I have written a detailed article about it in another blog: Web Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. However, I am some shocked and perhaps worried to see that in the community blogs and some forums, these days, we can find a lot of advertisements about earning money online. Most of the time, they are useless scams or referrals through which you can never earn money. Recently, I saw a report a in a magazine that gave advise to open Google Adsense account from cyber café and then click from your home and this way earn money. Needless to say that this way, Google will happily ban your Adsense account.
In Bangladesh, unemployment rate is very high and may educated people are either without any job are in the jobs that they should not be. Here, many graduates are forced to apply for the posts of peon or typists. So, naturally, when they hear the news of any new business or income source then hundreds rush towards it without giving any serious thought. It has happened to the share market and many people suffered loss in 1996. Then, many young people became crazy to get training and study computer by spending 1 lakh or 2 lakh taka in the period 1998-2002 and only lost their money. Anyway, I am worried that again similar thing may happen about online income.
First of all, there is a number of ways to earn money through Internet. They are perfectly legitimate and reliable. You will never lose a dollar with companies like Google. However, you have to remember that there is no short cut in earning money through Internet. Basically Bangladeshi students and educated people can earn money through two ways:
1. Participating in bidding websites
2. Blogging and Freelance Writing
There are some websites famous for outsourcing projects. Rent A Coder and Odesk have become very popular and thousands of people from all over the world are getting projects from these websites. Monthly Computer Jagat Magazine has been publishing reports about the websites regularly for more than one year and you can find all the articles in their website Comjagat.com. Just remember that in these websites, there are many projects and there are many people competing against you to get them. You need several qualities to shine:
a. Be prepared to work at a very low rate at first until you can make your profile
b. You have to be skilled in your field.
c. You have to persistent. Success will not come right way.
d. You have to be punctual. You have to have the mentality and ability to deliver the projects within the deadline.
If you take a look the websites that I mentioned above then you will notice that you can find projects in many fields. It is not just programming. There are many projects in web design, graphics design, virtual assistantship, data entry, online marketing etc.
The second field is blogging and freelance writing. It is even a tougher field because blogging is very easy. There is no barrier to entry in this business. Anyone can join any time. So, the competition is huge. You have to be good at English language. Then, you must have good skill in your field of writing. You must have some decent knowledge about search engine optimization (SEO) and Advertisement programs like Adsense, Chitika, Infolinks etc. You have to get thousands of visitors per month if you want to earn any considerable money through it. Never think that you can earn money through blogging in Bangla language from Adsense.
Anyway, I am worried to see that many young people are now becoming excited about earning dollars through internet without any hard work. This is simply impossible. In fact, if you can read and understand English language then do just some search in Google and you will understand how difficult it is.
I would like you read some entries about earning money online:
In the end, my advice is that please, do not rush for anything- especially when it comes to earn money online. It is not a joke. It is very tough and you have to compete with many people. If you are not serious, dedicated and committed then don’t try for it. There is no short cut.
