Winter this year had been on the threshold for quite some time waiting for a ritualistic Introduction into our experience. An ashen sky for a couple of days followed by intempestive drizzle in the second week of December played the role of winter’s handmaid perfectly. And we are well and truly In for a few days of pleasant chill, a weak but very welcome sun, fleeting daytime and perhaps a chockful of disruptive and agitational programmes by the political parties.

Winter in Bangladesh is generally a savoury urban experience. But not so much in the rural areas particularly in the northern parts of the country where the nip in the air could be too strong for the poor, unaccommodated. Already a Bengali newspaper has reported four deaths.

The killer edge of winter has more or less been blunted in Bangladesh ever since the market of second hand warm clothes became an annual mercantile feature here. But still death due to cold Is yet to become a tale of the past. A little touch of humanity and social responsibility can make a lot of difference. We urge the students who are in line of an Imminent winter vacation and voluntary service organisations like Scouts and Guides to use their enthusiasm, resourcefulness and mobility to provide succour to the poor people.

Winter may not be a source of plenteous gastronomic pleasure as It once was and the chill may be a source of great affliction for the underprivileged members of the society but a proper winter is all we look forward to in this age of environmental concern over global warming.