Dhaka, Sept. 19 -- A few evenings ago I was sitting in the Shahabuddin Park, deep in thought. My hands were holding either side of my face when an elderly man came up and put his hand on my shoulder and asked me in a soft voice, "Excuse me dear sir, is everything alright?" Feeling a bit surprised and embarrassed, I said, "Thanks so much, I was remembering those days of in late 1971 when thousands of lives were lost not only because of lack of food but particularly because of the cold which was affecting the Bangladesh refugee camps of the north-eastern Indian states and the north of West Bengal."

Although we had been witnesses of the illness and death associated with cholera earlier in the year, seeing small children die for the lack of ...