25

The Daily Star is now 25 years old and to celebrate that, there was a massive function at the International Convention City Bashundhara at 6 PM yesterday, attended by the who's who of the entire nation. Such is the importance of The Daily Star that a separate program was held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in honour of the President of Bangladesh yesterday morning.

As you may have seen this week, the main paper and all the subsequent feature sections have commemorated this amazing milestone in their own unique way, from their own unique point of view. So it would be unthinkable that Star Showbiz, the daily's newest section, would not contribute anything to this milestone.

But what can the world of Showbiz offer to The Daily Star to commemorate its anniversary you may ask. Well how about a song to commemorate the spirit and very ideal of The Daily Star? Well that's exactly what has happened. Kaushik Hossain Taposh, Managing Director and CEO of GaanBangla TV channel has written and devised a song titled “Laal Shobuj Er Gaan” sung with the help of 25 young artists representing a new generation of artists.

Artists performing.

Some titbits we can tell you about this song without giving out too many spoilers, it speaks of patriotism and doing what's right for the country. It talks of breaking down boundaries with the truth and in doing so, do what's necessary for the betterment of the nation, fitting in exactly with the motto of The Daily Star.
“Amra shomoy er slogan, addhar er barricade bhenge gai laal shobuj er gaan”
This line from the song pretty much sums up all you need to know about it, and now, to explain his reasoning for the concept of this song, here is small interview with the man himself.

Taposh & Autumnal Moon working on the song.

What made you decide to dedicate a song to The Daily Star for its 25th anniversary?
If you ask me, The Daily Star isn't just a renowned English daily. I see it as a voice for the nation and all its inhabitants, a mirror for the society if you will. I feel that its job is to wave the green and red flag high and proud. GaanBangla has a similar goal too. Our job is to wave our national pride with home-grown, soulful songs. The Daily Star does the same thing through the words in their news and other various nation based articles. To be able to do what you do for 25 years is a huge milestone and to commemorate that, the artists here who are a part of the GaanBangla family decided to make this song as a present to The Daily Star; kind of like a birthday present if you will.

How did you manage to arrange such a huge ensemble for this project? 
Well, the first thing we decided, based on the lyrics and the mantra of the current times, was to involve artists as many artists as possible from the new generation who would make waves in the near future. Also, the artists are from various genres like Classical, Pop, Rock, Fusion, Nazrul, etc. As for the number of artists itself, well we figured it would be an artistic way of commemorating 25 years of The Daily Star with 25 up and coming artists. Plus 25 artists on a stage also look cool!
What genre does this track fall into?
Well, technically, I have to say that this song, by definition, is a fusion, because this involves many different styles and is sung by artists hailing from different genres. But I will also say that this isn't like the usual fusions that are currently out there because it's inspirational or motivational. This song is all about the dialogue delivery, all about the message of patriotism.

Any future plans regarding this song?
Since this song speaks of the nation, which is the mantra for both The Daily Star and GaanBangla, it will be made into a music video reflecting that motive and be aired on GaanBangla channel every day for as long as GaanBangla stays on the air. It is a signature piece and so, you can rest assured that it will live on with GaanBangla.

By Intisab Shahriyar

Gold prices hiked for second time this year

Star Business Report

Gold prices will go up by Tk 1,225 a bhori in the local market from tomorrow to reflect the rising bullion prices in the international market in recent weeks.
Bangladesh Jewellers Samity announced the new rate yesterday. This is the second rise of gold and silver prices this year. Earlier, the prices were increased on January 13.
Each bhori or 11.66g of 22-karat gold will be sold at Tk 43,740, according to the new rates.
The price of 21-karat and 18-karat will be Tk 41,640 and Tk 34,992 respectively, said Anwar Hossain, president of Bangladesh Jewellery Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
Gold hit a three-month high at $1,147.4 an ounce in the international market.
Demand for gold in Asia, which accounts for more than 60 percent of global use, is fundamentally strong and should continue as investors seek the safety of bullion.
“Gold prices went up by $100-120 an ounce in recent weeks in the international market. Now we have to adjust local prices,” Hossain told The Daily Star.
The prices of silver also went up, by Tk 58 a bhori. People flock to gold when they think there are tough economic times on the horizon.
So it is no surprise that the precious metal's recent rise has corresponded with the stock market's slide.

United Air suspends all flights indefinitely

Sarwar A Chowdhury

Private carrier United Airways has suspended flight operations due to unavailability of aircraft, creating uncertainty for those who have bought tickets with the airline.
“As soon as the aircraft become serviceable, flights will resume,” the carrier said in a posting on the Dhaka Stock Exchange website yesterday.
Sources, however, said the aircraft are grounded for maintenance, but the airline does not have enough funds to do the required servicing, which is a matter of high cost.
United Airways was desperately looking for funds from different sources. Unless the company can arrange the funds, it may not be able to resume flights, they said.
The net operating cash flow of the airline also shows its financial weakness. The net operating cash flow per share was only Tk 0.26 during the July-December period of last year, which was Tk 0.40 a year earlier, according to data on the DSE website.
Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury, founder chairman and managing director of United Airways, and Farhad Hossain, director of sales and marketing, did not answer phone calls.
This is not the first time the private carrier has suspended its flight operations. Domestic and international flights of the airline remained suspended for several days in September 2014 over a conflict among its directors.
Set up in 2007, the airline has 11 aircraft in its fleet: two Airbus 310-325, five MD-83, three ATR-72-212 and one Bombardier Dash-8 100. It was listed on the stock exchange in 2010.
It has permissions to operate domestic flights to Chittagong, Sylhet, Jessore, Cox's Bazar, Rajshahi, Barisal, Saidpur and Ishwardi.
On the international front, it has permissions to fly to Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Jeddah, Bangkok, Muscat and Singapore.
The latest trouble at the airline, however, did not have a major impact on its share prices.
On the DSE yesterday, its shares, with market capitalisation of Tk 481 crore, traded between Tk 7.2 and Tk 6.8, before closing at Tk 7.
Earnings per share of the airline during the July-December period of last year were Tk 0.07, which were Tk 0.39 a year earlier.