Abu Ala Hasan: 9 Proposals for Disaster Preparedness
9 Proposals for Disaster Preparedness
Guest Post by Abu Ala Hasan for AlalODulal.org, just returned from Savar
Continue reading “Abu Ala Hasan: 9 Proposals for Disaster Preparedness”
Ali Riaz: Your feet are raised toward Bangladesh
Your feet are raised toward Bangladesh
By Ali Riaz, Translated for AlalODulal.org by Tibra Ali
The music of your anklets used to ring out in your mother’s yard and your own home Continue reading “Ali Riaz: Your feet are raised toward Bangladesh”
Now will you have time? Now will you finally listen?
Now will you have time? Now will you finally listen?
by Faruk Wasif, Translated from Bengali for AlalODulal.org by Tibra Ali
We are not slave-owners, we are a manager country of slavery. Our labour force is slave labour, our farmers are debt slaves and serfs. The big capitals exploit the labour in their own countries while they plunder the labour from countries like ours. Our wealth, natural resources and manpower; Our bodies, language and history, all of it is subservient to small capitals working for big capitals. This international family of big and little brothers is called imperialism.
Continue reading “Now will you have time? Now will you finally listen?”
Dhrubo Bornon: Garments & Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai
Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai: A solution to worker’s problem
Guest Post by Dhrubo Bornon (dhrubo.bornon@gmail.com)
It happened again. Due to the negligence of factory owners, more than 100 people died. And we are asking, how many times more! Didn’t we say last time that it will happen again and again until government protects the workers? Yes, that is how we think, probably everyone, who are neither the ruthless owners nor their government patrons. We think that the solution is simple. Continue reading “Dhrubo Bornon: Garments & Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai”
Will we continue to be silent?
Will we continue to be silent?
by Nadine S. Murshid
One girl asked him [the factory manager], “Mr. Bonstein, why is there no water in the buckets? In case of a fire, there would be nothing with which to fight it,” He became enraged at our group of price committee members, and with inhuman anger replied: “If you’ll burn, there’ll be something to put out the fire.” (Stein, 1977) Continue reading “Will we continue to be silent?”
Savar: Tragedy and sin, common man steps in, but death toll spirals upward, “Ar koto lash dekhbo ey shadhin Bangla’e?”
Doctors Cafe: I saw a Medical student shouting for a trolley while carrying a wounded woman in his lap. We are not butchers, listen o countrymen. Today the way the Enam Medical College students were working tirelessly to save people is beyond comparison. Salute to you all! You proved today that Doctors are not butchers or dacoits.
Continue reading “Savar: Tragedy and sin, common man steps in, but death toll spirals upward, “Ar koto lash dekhbo ey shadhin Bangla’e?””
Saudi Arabia: Bangladeshi labor becomes less “docile”
The Economist writes: “Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia: Revenge of the migrants’ employer?”
The data is what it is. And the story of Saudi reax against WCT may well be true. But it’s not the only possible story. And I am not even sure it’s the right story. Continue reading “Saudi Arabia: Bangladeshi labor becomes less “docile””
Let Doraemon be in Bangla, Stop Kiddy-Hindi!
Let Doraemon be in Bangla: Stop Kiddy-Hindi!
by Bratya Raisu; Translated by AlalODulal.org
Continue reading “Let Doraemon be in Bangla, Stop Kiddy-Hindi!”
Dipen Bhattacharya: As ancient temples burn at night
Guest Post by Dipen Bhattacharya
There is nothing new here, move on. Just another temple.
Outrage? No, no, that’s not reserved for you! Continue reading “Dipen Bhattacharya: As ancient temples burn at night”
Hate Crimes after Boston: Bangladeshi network engineer becomes “fucking Arab”
As Faruque, a Bangladeshi-origin network engineer, turned to return to his meal, one of the other men said: “Yeah, he’s a f–king Arab,” leading to a brutal pummeling that dislocated Faruque’s left shoulder and left him semiconscious. Continue reading “Hate Crimes after Boston: Bangladeshi network engineer becomes “fucking Arab””
A response to Vijay Prashad’s Bengal’s Slide into Fascism
The picture above is from the Ganashakti – the official organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)[CPI(M)]. Before losing power, such news items presented the face of ‘democratic student movement’ in West Bengal. Being in Bengal, one knew what these ‘uncontested wins’ meant and the the sheer violence that was often behind these lack of contestations. Continue reading “A response to Vijay Prashad’s Bengal’s Slide into Fascism”
Killing Print Culture: Must FORUM Die?
Daily Star has announced that FORUM, it’s long-running monthly magazine, will close down as a “cost-saving” measure. FORUM was originally published in the 1960s/70s, with an editorial board that included Hameeda Hossain, Rehman Sobhan, and others. It was revived in the 00’s with Zafar Sobhan as editor. For last few years, Kajalie Shahreen Islam is the editor. It is the country’s only monthly magazine of serious, long-form, non-fiction essays in English. Continue reading “Killing Print Culture: Must FORUM Die?”
Greece, Blood Strawberries, and Hate Crimes crisis
“About 30 migrant workers, mainly Bangladeshi, have been wounded in a shooting on a strawberry farm in Greece after requesting salaries that had not been paid”
Bangladeshi migrants shot in Greece
Continue reading “Greece, Blood Strawberries, and Hate Crimes crisis”
Anu Muhammad: While Our Eyes Are Elsewhere
While Our Eyes Are Elsewhere
by Anu Muhammad, Translated by Tibra Ali for AlalODulal.org
Despite putting people from all walks of life at risk, the recent violence and uncertainty in our country seem to have inconvenienced the local and foreign plunderers and invaders very little. On the contrary, in many instances because of the shifted attention it has even helped them. For many this time of uncertainty has been a blessing!
Continue reading “Anu Muhammad: While Our Eyes Are Elsewhere”
Dhaka’s Tristate: Lungi War as Class War
The naming of Banani-Gulshan-Baridhara as the “Tristate area” indicated a winking nod to the American “tristate” (NY-NJ-CT), and the elite bubble nature of the B-G-B triangle.
Continue reading “Dhaka’s Tristate: Lungi War as Class War”
Dr. Perween Hasan: David Nalin, “friend from overseas” or smuggler of antiquities?
David Nalin: friend or smuggler of antiquities?Guest Post by Dr. Perween Hasan
I was surprised and angered to read a report in the daily Prothom Alo (March 30, 2013) entitled ‘ This country is destined to march forward: an interview with David Nalin, a friend from overseas’. Continue reading “Dr. Perween Hasan: David Nalin, “friend from overseas” or smuggler of antiquities?”
Comrade Binod Bihari Chowdhury (1911-2013)
Sometimes you wait your whole life to meet someone properly.
Continue reading “Comrade Binod Bihari Chowdhury (1911-2013)”
Shanu Lahiri (1928-2013)
Shanu Lahiri is no more. A great and rare soul has left Kolkata and the earth.
Continue reading “Shanu Lahiri (1928-2013)”
Shahbagh- Revolution and Counter-revolution
by Shafiqur Rahman C. Wright Mills, an American academic and sociologist, famously said that, “Every revolution has its counterrevolution – that is a sign the revolution is for real”. It is now nearly two months since few young men and … Continue reading Shahbagh- Revolution and Counter-revolution
Politics of remembering and forgetting heroes
If you live within the territorial limits of the Union of India, it is very likely that you were unaware of two important red-letter days in late March. You are not alone. Bhagat Singh was executed on 23 March, 1931 and Shurjo Sen was born on 22 March, 1894. Continue reading “Politics of remembering and forgetting heroes”
If you come to kill, I will say, I too am Hindu
If you come to kill, I will say, I too am Hindu, I too am Minority, the land that is burning is my country
by Faruk Wasif, translated from Bengali by AlalODulal.org
When the Tamil massacres were happening, we came to shahbag with slogans “we are all Tamil.” When the Rohingya massacres happened, we protested that too. We protested killings in Iraq, we said we were Kashmiri when youth were being killed in Kashmir. Bu what about today?
Continue reading “If you come to kill, I will say, I too am Hindu”
A different anniversary
On 22 March, Alal O Dulal was officially 1 year old. Our first post was a quick blog post by deyalpotrika on Bangladesh’s entry into the Asia cup final. Continue reading “A different anniversary”
On the borders of two Bengals
In November 2012, The New York Times ran two paired pieces written from both sides of the Bengal border.
Jyoti Rahman analyzes both articles: “Naeem is a few years older than me, and Mr Ray is likely to be slightly younger. That means, all of us were born decades after partition. Ours is the generation that has not known Pakistan in Bengal. Ours is the generation that has no lived experience of 1971. Both writers describe what the ‘other’ Bengal has meant to them over the years. Obviously I can relate to Naeem’s story, but I don’t share his conclusion. And while I find Ray’s story interesting for its misconception, I do relate to the way his story ends.”
Continue reading “On the borders of two Bengals”
OBIT: Jamal Nazrul Islam (1939-2013)
Jamal Nazrul Islam and the Ultimate Fate of the Universe
by Tibra Ali
Continue reading “OBIT: Jamal Nazrul Islam (1939-2013)”
Silence speaks volumes
By Javed Jahangir
Prior to the outbreak of the recent violence in Bangladesh that pitted the police against the Jamaat-e-Islami, the conservative Islamic party, there was a stark silence among Western news outlets on the massive protests at Shahbagh junction in Dhaka. For 38 days and counting, up to a quarter of a million people have gathered peacefully everyday at Shahbagh, and elsewhere across the country, to demonstrate in favour of death sentences for those convicted of war crimes dating back to the country’s 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. Shahbagh, and the subsequent violent backlash, was sparked by sentences handed down to leaders of the Jamaat, which collaborated with Pakistani forces in 1971 and has been tightly enmeshed in Bangladeshi politics ever since. Continue reading “Silence speaks volumes”
Two wings and a prayer
Ask for a piece on Pakistan and Bangladesh during December and you’re likely to get something about the 1971 wars — note the plural, because the eastern part of the subcontinent simultaneously experienced an inter-ethnic civil war and ethno-communal cleansing, genocide, inter-state conventional war and a war of national liberation, all climaxing in the crisp Bengali winter of 1971. Naeem Mohaiemen’s seven part series is an example, covering many aspects of that fateful year. Let me skip 1971 in this post. Instead, I’ll begin by marking the other December anniversary, one that will have a particular relevance for Pakistan and Bangladesh in 2013. And I’ll note the parallels between the post-1971 developments in the two wings of former United Pakistan.
Bangladeshi History: Rah Rah or Complexity?
I was lucky to have had a preview of Naeem’s essay on history before it came out. This past week, I read the comments from AoD readers and they provided much food for thought. Great writing in response to the same.
A few thoughts on the comments over the fold.
Continue reading “Bangladeshi History: Rah Rah or Complexity?”
“Goodbye Bangladesh”
With all its flaws, Taslima Nasreen’s Lajja (1993) diagnosed the crisis at the heart of Bangladeshi identity. On the last page, after a week of violent communal riots, the Bengali Hindu family is finally defeated…“Shudhamoy was walking while leaning on Kiranmayee’s shoulder. Gradually the strength was coming back to his body. Kiranmayee held on to Shudhamoy with both hands.
Binayak Sen: Why Should I Be A “Minority”?
Minority vs Freedom of Identity
by Dr Binayak Sen/ Prothom Alo, March 9 & 11, 2013
Please help the minority communities in Bangladesh
Please donate to help the minority communities in Bangladesh who have been the victims of recent violent attacks. Any amount is helpful. Continue reading “Please help the minority communities in Bangladesh”
The Skin I’m In: Afro-Bengali Solidarity & Lost Histories of America
The Skin I’m In: Afro-Bengali Solidarity & Lost Histories of America
Naeem Mohaiemen reviews Vivek Bald’s “Bengali Harlem”
Seema Amin: Shahbagh slides into old identity dichotomy
When a demand is de-contextualised from the power forces at play, it risks this occupation by those forces. Now the ultimate effect of Shahbagh has been dividing the nation even more dangerously, rather than uniting us or showing us a path forward — for at the end of the day they did not risk enough to go against the state as well as Shibir, and thus, fell into an old identity dichotomy rather than creating a new synthesis for a new identity.
Continue reading “Seema Amin: Shahbagh slides into old identity dichotomy”
Know Thy Neighbour: Aruni Kashyap on Humayun Ahmed
Cross-posted from Caravan]
Know Thy Neighbour: On the Bangladeshi literary giant Humayun Ahmed
By Aruni Kashyap
MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE in Teteliguri—a village about 50 kilometres east of Guwahati, northeast India’s largest city—was a chaotic place, home, when I was growing up, to more than 20 relatives. It was there that I spent most of my school vacations, there, in that L-shaped house—where at least three women were required to lift the huge cauldron of rice off the hearth—that I began to read. Continue reading “Know Thy Neighbour: Aruni Kashyap on Humayun Ahmed”
Azfar Hussain: Recover the radical politics of 1952
The crocodile-tear sentiment of the middle-class and liquid, emotion-filled nationalism smothered the radical face of the 1952 language movement in one way or another. That is why we need to return to history and raise this noise very loudly: just as the language movement at one time was a movement to establish our language rights, it was also ultimately a movement to fight for the rights of the country’s farmers, workers and the toiling masses.
Continue reading “Azfar Hussain: Recover the radical politics of 1952”
History is hard work, but are we willing?
History is hard work, but are we willing?
by NAEEM MOHAIEMEN.
[Forum Magazine, March 2013]
Continue reading “History is hard work, but are we willing?”
Can Bangla Blogs Grow Up?
Can Bangla blogs grow up?
by Schwap Doo-wop Niel
I was on my way to Shahbag on a rickshaw today, when the rickshaw-drivers asked me,”Bhaia, if you don’t mind me asking … what is a ‘blogger’?”
I answered that bloggers are people who write stuff on computers.
Tears of a Pahari Woman
“If today, forty years after the atrocities of Pakistani soldiers and their Razakar collaborators in the Independence war 1971, there can be our rallying cry for justice amongst the people of Bangladesh, a cry heard across the world, then why cannot the Pahari people demand the same justice and equality for themselves today? Why, in this Independent Bangladesh, do some citizens have to withstand military rule imposed indefinitely?”
Continue reading “Tears of a Pahari Woman”
Questions about Shahbagh
“The stain of genocide that still haunts Bangladesh can’t be erased with stains of revenge and show trials. Or by our refusal to acknowledge the ‘others’ amongst us, be it the adibashis or voices of dissent. We cannot challenge intolerance with intolerance, parochialism with more parochialism. We can and should do better.”
Continue reading “Questions about Shahbagh”
Kweenbodonti: Lacerated Skins and Likely Stories
Masked and Unanimous: Lacerated Skins and Likely Stories by Kweenbodonti This happened. This is probably happening as we speak. I It was in the poorly ventilated, sunshine-deprived, noise-free annex of a British era bungalow. Right across from a small “casual … Continue reading Kweenbodonti: Lacerated Skins and Likely Stories
Shahbagh: For fiery sisters
We easily forget the names of Kalpana Datta, Shanti Ghose, Shuniti Chowdhury, Beena Das, Leela Rai, Nanibala Devi, Du’Koribala Devi, Matangini Hajra and names of many other revolutionary women who played active roles in the fight for independence against the British. Even if the name of Ila Mitra, the legendary female leader of the Santal revolt at Nachol, comes up occasionally, we never recall the women of the then Muslim League who played active and important roles in the language movement of 1952.
Continue reading “Shahbagh: For fiery sisters”
An Adivasi speaks: What brings me to Shahbag, what pulls me back from it
The first time I visited Shahbag, I was disturbed by a few slogans, such as, “Tumi key, ami key – Bangali, Bangali” (“Who are you, who am I – Bangali, Bangali”). I love the first part of the slogan “Tomar amar thikana, Padma Meghna Jamuna” (Your address and my address, Padma, Meghna, Jamuna – referring to the largest rivers of Bangladesh), but not being a Bengali, I am unable to chant the second half of the slogan. As an advocate of the rights of the indigenous (Adivasi) peoples of Bangladesh it is impossible not to be bothered by this slogan. Continue reading “An Adivasi speaks: What brings me to Shahbag, what pulls me back from it”
From Tiananmen to Shahbag, via Tahrir
While describing Shahbag Square movement, frequent references are being made to Tahrir Square, the site of recent anti -autocratic movement in Egypt. However, although there are more similarities, Shahbag has not yet been discussed in reference to the famous Tiananmen Square movement of 1989 in China. The reason of missing Tiananmen reference may be two pronged. One, in ultra-short memory span of the minds of the analysts of Shahbag Square movement, an event of 1989 is not much distinct now. Continue reading “From Tiananmen to Shahbag, via Tahrir”
Shahbag & Bengali Nationalism
Shahbag & Bengali Nationalism
by Paul James Gomes
I understand the movement has its own energy. Hundeds of thousands of people together has it’s own heartbeat. If we stand there we must feel we can do so much, we can change the world. Our eyes will water, if 50,000 people shout together “no”, a wave will run through our bodies. But why? What do we want, why are we here. Continue reading “Shahbag & Bengali Nationalism”
Shahbagh: Who are you? Who Am I?
Who are you, who am I?/ Chakma, Marma, Bangali.
Who are you, who am I?/ Garo, Saontal, Bangali.
In Surya Sen’s Bengal/ no space for racism
In Pritilata’s Bengal/ no space for ethnic hate
In Titumir’s Bengal/ no space for fascism
In Rokeya’s Bengal/ no space for patriarchy
In Lalan Fakir’s Bengal/ no space for fascism
In Freedom Fighter’s Bengal/ no space for Rajakars
In Freedom Fighter’s Bengal/ no space for Looters
Continue reading “Shahbagh: Who are you? Who Am I?”
Shahbagh After Week Two
Those still sitting on the fence are not really relevant at this moment unless the rightfully committed have plenty of time to waste, which they ought not in light of Rajib’s tragic martyrdom and the real threat of Jamaati terror on the ground. Those who again find themselves on the wrong side of history are facing popular resistance and inevitable defeat at the hands of increasingly proactive “ordinary” Bangladeshis. Continue reading “Shahbagh After Week Two”
Reclaiming Ekattur: fashi, Bangali
Another blogger, who has spent the greater part of the week at Shahbagh, who is gratified at the ‘abject rejection of the BNP-Jamaat and JP [Jatiya Party] narrative of 1971’ stirringly writes, and I quote:
‘I will never agree on the death penalty for anyone…If it is handed down for a convicted war criminal, I’ll continue to work so that it is commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or Presidential clemency. Confiscate their property and compensate their victims, and let their children find their way out of the public humiliation and shame brought upon by the exposure of truth. Let us be better than them. I will continue to be there in Shahbagh even if I’m the last man standing, and I share this belief with millions of my brothers and sisters across our land’. (greaterboka, ‘A Week in Shahbagh’, Alal o Dulal, February 14, 2013). Continue reading “Reclaiming Ekattur: fashi, Bangali”
Shahbag slogans: inclusion of diversity
শাহবাগের আন্দোলন শুরু হয়েছিল মাত্র কয়েকজনের …
Photo : The bloggers who called for the Shahbag protest . source: facebook
Shahbag slogans: inclusion of diversity
– Muktasree Sathi Chakma
The Shahbag protest, demanding the death sentence for the war criminals of 1971’s independence war, began on February 5, 2013. The protest welcomed diverse groups, despite their distinct identities and, through its inclusive nature, demonstrated that the sun is finally rising on Bangladesh. Continue reading “Shahbag slogans: inclusion of diversity”
Lubna Marium on Shahbag
Lubna Marium participated in the 1971 liberation war by working in the Refugee Camps and later an Advance Dressing Center of Sector 7, with her mother Sultana Zaman and sister Naila Khan. Her father, Quazi Nooruzzaman, was Sector Commander of Sector 7, where her younger brother Nadeem was a muktijoddha. Continue reading “Lubna Marium on Shahbag”
This is Shahbagh!
How does the movement connect to the garment worker imprisoned in some factory not so far way? What’s its relation to the “informal sector worker” eking a living by shifting through garbage? What hope does the movement give to the farmer on the brink of losing his land and livelihood in some village? What message does the movement send to the Adibashi fighting for autonomy and dignity in Hill Tracts of Chittagong?
Continue reading “This is Shahbagh!”
The Meaning of Shahbagh-er More
I have a different take from Naeem as to what’s going on in Shahbagh. It is a more pessimistic take. If you are one of those people who think that a 18 year old speaking against Zafar Iqbal (Sir) should be treated like a Rajakar, please stop reading now and go elsewhere. Continue reading “The Meaning of Shahbagh-er More”
Off tune? Off with your head.
Anger and rage. Calls for prosecution for sedition. Invoking the Constitution. Expressing concern for future generations.
All standard fare nowadays. But this time, it was from unlikely sources: Mita Huq, Sadi Mohammed, Khairul Anam Shakil, noted singers all. What has aroused their wrath?
And what does Khiyo have to do with it all?
When Death Certificates Lie
Smart Export Garment Ltd Fire: Doctors Have Ethical Responsibilities too
The dead bodies of Smart Export Garment Ltd workers were covered with ashes, blackened. Some had minor burn marks. Continue reading “When Death Certificates Lie”
Remembering Jalal Alamgir
Had he lived, my friend and ally Jalal Alamgir would have been 43 today. Instead of mourning in his tragic and untimely death, let us celebrate his life, and vow to continue his work for a progressive, democratic Bangladesh.
Mahmud Hasan (1987-2013)
Young poet Mahmud Hasan died yesterday. He was a Philosophy student at Dhaka University. At his funeral, his parents made one request of his friends: please collect all his writings and publish them, so his memory can be honored. We are publishing Mahmud’s last poem, written two days before his tragic death. Translated by Naseef Amin.
Re-thinking communalism
Re-thinking communalism
by Swadhin Sen
I dedicate this writing to my sister Sujata Sen, whose anguished memories of not having seen our father during the five years before his death, haunts her to this day, I know that this is a trivial offering compared to her suffering.
Sincere discussions on the communal oppression and violence that exist in Bangladesh, are very rare; much of the discussion is conducted from within established conventions, if I may add, overwhelmingly so. Hardly any serious social scientific analysis of communalism exists. Short stories, novels or poetry depicting communal violence and oppression in post-independent Bangladesh are few and far between, they are rare enough to be counted off on one’s fingers. There are not many essays either. The silence about communalism in plays and cinemas is almost deafening.
“If she’s habitual, we can’t prove rape”
A trifecta of misogynists, always blaming the victim:
1. Extraordinarily misogynist and dangerous TV media coverage.
2. OC of a Police Station who says if the woman is having a physical relationship with boyfriend, they can’t prove rape by anyone else.
3. Video reposted on YouTube by an “activist” who calls women “bitches” (“Mushfiq Rahman Tomal who control yaba and bitches in town”)
Continue reading ““If she’s habitual, we can’t prove rape””
The Least Amongst You
London Review of Books had an extremely interesting article about the original sins of Indian democracy by UC Berkeley Professor Perry Anderson. It especially discussed the treatment of Muslims and other minorities at the hand of the secular Indian state. This got me wondering about how Bangladesh stacks up against India in this regard.
India: The Fire This Time
How far is Delhi from Rangamati?
Recently two gang-rapes took place; one is in Delhi and another in Rangamati… In Rangamati case, a Marma school-girl of class-eight was gang-raped in Rangamati on December 21. Three Bengali settlers raped the fourteen-year Marma girl and killed her afterward. As rape cases, both events were similar in its forms and consequences and thereby both cases were expected to trigger serious reaction and massive protests in the society… it happened otherwise in Rangamati case which unveils the class relations of demonstration and ugly face of minority-majority politics prevalent in Bangladesh.
“Tigers Won’t Go”
A poem by Aktar Ahmed, about the fan campaign to cancel Bangladesh Cricket team’s trip to Pakistan. Translated from Bangla, posted for discussion. I do not support use of racialized slurs such as “Paki,” which was rhymed with “Baki” in this poem.
Continue reading ““Tigers Won’t Go””
Letter from an unborn child
by Saydia Gulrukh
Ultrasonic images of pregnant Mimi (pseudonym) taken less than a fortnight before fire broke out at Tazreen Fashions on November 24, 2012 burning to death 112 workers, according to the government and the BGMEA; the actual death toll, according to family members of missing workers, labour organisations and activists, is much higher.
Honourable prime minister,
I AM an unborn citizen of Bangladesh. I was killed before I was born. My mother was twenty-two weeks and three days pregnant with me when fire broke out at Tazreen Fashions in Nischintapur.
I was killed before I was born. Continue reading “Letter from an unborn child”
Epic Kechal 4: British to Doraemon Generation
আমাদের জেনারেশানের ধারনা – এপিক ক্যাচাল পার্ট ৪
by Zia Hassan
কয় একদিন আগে একটা প্রফেশনাল লিডারশীপ ট্রেনিং এর সময় ট্রেনার জেনারেশন এক্স এর বিবিধ বৈশিষ্ট্য নিয়ে অনেক কথা বললেন। আমাদের জেনারেশন টা নাকি জেনারেশন এক্স। Continue reading “Epic Kechal 4: British to Doraemon Generation”
British Bangladeshi “Power 100”
BRITISH BANGLADESHI POWER 100 list has been released. Problematic concept (“Power”), fuzzy categories, and bizarro inclusions (Gaffar Chowdhury!), but here it is– for blog dissection.
Women
1. Irene Zubaida Khan
Human Rights Activist
Irene is Chancellor of University of Salford and in 2001 she was the first woman, the first Asian, and the first Muslim to guide the world’s largest human rights organization, Amnesty International as its seventh Secretary General. Continue reading “British Bangladeshi “Power 100””
Maha Mirza: Liar Liar, Factories on Fire
Liar, liar, factories on fire
by Maha Mirza
NOWADAYS the global media seems to be euphoric about us. Every now and then, The Economist heaps lavish praise for our apparently astonishing economic happenings. Lately, JP Morgan added Bangladesh in its catalogue of ‘Frontier Five’. The McKinsey Report spotted Bangladesh as the next hotspot for global apparel bazaar. After finished havocking the Greek economy, Goldman Sachs kindly positioned us in its next-eleven brochure. And the World Bank confirmed our eligibility for a sharp 8 per cent growth. Continue reading “Maha Mirza: Liar Liar, Factories on Fire”
Why is Ananta Rickshawala?
Why is father a servant? Why is Ananta a rickshawallah? An epic kechal about class status
বাবা কেন চাকর, অনন্ত কেন রিকশাওয়ালা ? আমাদের ক্লাস স্ট্যাটাস নিয়ে একটি বিষদ ক্যাচাল
বাবা কেন চাকর, অনন্ত কেন রিকশাওয়ালা ? আমাদের ক্লাস স্ট্যাটাস নিয়ে একটি বিষদ ক্যাচাল
by Zia Hassan
For almost two years I was thinking of writing about our class distribution. But I could not find time to write it. But recently when even a proper “bourgeois” like Ananta Jalil got slanged as “rickshawalla class” I thought the time had come to write the piece.
Epic Kechal 2: Alo vs Anti-Establishment
The Epic Kechal: The Hegemony of Prothom-alo and the Anti Establishment Group
by Zia Hassan
In Bangladesh politics, there is an interesting saying. If both the government and the opposition are criticizing you and then you must be doing something right. Prothom-alo continuously holds that enviable positioning in our society. But, it is not only the government and the opposition, Prothom-alo draws flack from all corners. The communist hate them, the people in military hate them, the mullah’s hate them, the liberals hate them. Continue reading “Epic Kechal 2: Alo vs Anti-Establishment”
Whose fault am I?
This is the month of my birthday. Parades, marches, speeches, celebrations, congratulations are in order. A particularly nice time of the year in my household, too, when temperature drops to a level that allows balmy joviality to set in. All get a well-deserved reprieve, albeit temporary, from incessant load-shedding. Along with the winter harvest, festoons, banners, flags and photographs of my golden children decorate cities and villages alike. Patriotic songs echo aloud out of loudspeakers and people lift their chests just a bit more. Indeed, it is a great pleasure to see my children happy, enthusiastic and proud. Only a mother knows how good it feels to see her children well and having fun.
When a nation loses its intellectuals, it loses its backbone.
When a nation loses its intellectuals, it loses its backbone.
Continue reading “When a nation loses its intellectuals, it loses its backbone.”
Tazreen Fire: US Marines, WalMart, Enyce, who else?
Tazreen: Rokeya Bahini says BGMEA protects killers
Dear journalist brothers and sisters,
Many garment workers died on the evening of November 24th when fire broke out in Tazreen Fashions in Ashulia’s Nischintapur. The exact death toll is still unknown. According to the government, 112 workers had died but many family members were unable to identify their beloved ones as the flesh had burnt away leaving behind only charred bones and skeletons. Fifty three unidentified bodies have been buried in Jurain graveyard. But several investigative reports have concluded that the death toll is higher. Some of us have conducted preliminary research in Nischintapur’s Buripara at our own initiative, and, we too, have been forced to reach the same conclusion. The government and the BGMEA should immediately have launched a serious drive to ascertain the exact number of those who have died, but instead they displayed a callous indifference which amounts to nothing short of criminal negligence. Continue reading “Tazreen: Rokeya Bahini says BGMEA protects killers”
Tazreen: American Tariffs, Bangladeshi Deaths
New York Times/December 11, 2012
American Tariffs, Bangladeshi Deaths
By SANCHITA B. SAXENA/ Berkeley, Calif.
THE fire that killed 112 workers at a garment factory in the suburbs of Bangladesh’s capital last month was a stark reminder of the human costs of producing and consuming cheap clothes. While American officials have condemned poor safety conditions at the factory and have urged the Bangladeshi government to raise wages and improve working conditions, the United States can do much more: It should bring down high tariffs on imports from Bangladesh and other Asian countries, which put pressure on contractors there to scrimp on labor standards in order to stay competitive. Continue reading “Tazreen: American Tariffs, Bangladeshi Deaths”
Cricket and the Ugly Indian
Excuse me a minute while I brace myself for the pro/anti-India epithets that might make their way to the comments. Because I am about to set aside the premature jubilations that afflicted the Tigers tonight and the hope that comes with fresh talents like Sohag Gazi and Anamul Haque.
Instead, I will write about England’s tour of India. But only to point out an increasingly disturbing trend in the way Indians are coming across to the rest of the world. Captain India MS Dhoni shall serve as our representative Indian. And with England one wicket away from victory this evening , now is the time.
Continue reading “Cricket and the Ugly Indian”
Tazreen: New York Times front page, again
Bangladesh is on the front page of the New York Times for the third time this year. All three stories have been on the garments industry. The previous two talked of opportunities and warned of dangers and exploitation in the industry. The latest one is, of course, after the fire. Reporting by Jim Yardley and Julfikar Ali Manik, photographs by Andrew Biraj and Khaled Hasan.
Continue reading “Tazreen: New York Times front page, again”
1971: Missed Euphoria
Missed Euphoria
UDAYAN CHATTOPADHYAY ponders over what’s ‘missing’ from December 16th celebrations on both sides of the border.
DAILY STAR, December 2012
Every year, 16th December, known in India as Vijay Divas, is commemorated through low key events in a few select major cities across the country. There is rarely any fanfare; in Delhi, there is a brief and solemn ceremony with sparse attendance; protocol dictates the titles of those who must attend or send a replacement in lieu; a minute’s silence is held by the Eternal Flame by India Gate, and the event is generally very lacklustre. Continue reading “1971: Missed Euphoria”
Kafil Ahmed: No more Press Note
Bangladesh: Burning in the Fire of Greed
Oh WalMart, NOW you developed a conscience? You ran to Bangladesh for the cheapest possible labor, to keep your profit margins intact in a recession. But now you want to wash your hands clean? Also, Labor activists find burnt clothes, it was a killer bargain and the WalMart factor won’t go away.
Continue reading “Bangladesh: Burning in the Fire of Greed”
Ramu violence: A fanoosh is not a balloon
Translator’s note: Young Bangladeshi Buddhist monk Pragyananda Bhikkhu, of Ramu Shima Bihar, wrote “Ramu Shohingshota: Fanoosh kono balloon noy”, which was published in Dainik Cox’s Bazar, November 4, 2012 in light of the controversy created over setting afloatfanooshes as part of the celebration of Prabarana Purnima, the second largest Buddhist religious festival; to be noted, this year’s date coincided with the monthly anniversary of the communal attacks of September 29, 2012, which destroyed innumerable Buddhist monasteries, temples and homes, allegedly caused by an offensive photograph discovered in the facebook account of Uttam Kumar Barua, a Bengali Buddhist youth, several hours before the attacks occurred. According to press reports, the attacks were visibly incited by local leaders and members of the ruling Awami League (AL), the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami; the attackers included those belonging to these political parties, and also, other Muslims, both local inhabitants and outsiders. News reports have highlighted the “inaction” of police officials and the local-level administration. Both ruling AL and the opposition BNP agree that these attacks were “planned” and pre-meditated.
The fanoosh controversy, as Pragyananda clearly explains, was the result of administrative interference in religious ceremonies and rituals; the Buddhists of Ramu had decided not to observe their rites of virtue this year as they were “heartbroken” and grieving over their losses. Continue reading “Ramu violence: A fanoosh is not a balloon”
Bangla Academy Debate
The Hay Festival controversy picks up speed as protesters demand “Prime Minister’s intervention to refrain Bangla Academy from being the host of the Hay Festival on the academy premises, resignation of Bangla Academy director general Shamuzzaman Khan and bringing charges of anti-state activities.”
The following chronology is compiled from various blog and facebook posts.
1. Somewherein blog by Tokon Thakur on who are the corporate sponsors of Hay, why this English matbori, anointment of elites. He singles out “Kaziputro” (son of Kazi, a reference to author K. Anis Ahmed) and “Anamkonya” (daughter of Anam, a reference to Tahmima Anam). Kazi & Kazi Tea and Daily Star are two of the sponsors of Hay. K. Anis released Goodnight Mr Kissinger, right before Hay, and Tahmima Anam released The Good Muslim earlier this year.
Language Holding Back New York’s Bengali Voters?
BY NINA PORZUCKI ⋅ NOVEMBER 2, 2012 ⋅ 
Barbershop in Queens, New York (Photo: Nina Porzucki)
Once a month Zain Ahmed treks from the Upper East Side of Manhattan to a windowless basement shop in Jackson Heights, Queens, just to get his haircut. “I take 3 or 4 trains just to get here,” says Ahmed. “That’s dedication, right?”
Continue reading “Language Holding Back New York’s Bengali Voters?”
Kakababu choley gelen: Sunil Gangopadhyay (1934-2012)
Kakababu choley gelen
by Udayan Chattopadhyay
That the passing of Sunil Gangopadhyay came as a shock to many – despite his age and health – is a reflection of his being, till his last Puja season during which he died – the most prolific and recognizable mainstream writer in post-1947 Indian Bengal.
I will not dwell on literary critiques; I am not qualified. While, like most NRI-kids, I was very much aware of who he was growing up (our parents would always pass around his latest book after a trip to Calcutta) I was hardly able to delve into his tomes. In that I shared a disconnect with an increasing number of middle class Calcutta kids more proficient (at least reading) in English and even Hindi than in their parents’ tongue. I saw the films and serials people like Satyajit made from his works, and as English-translations started becoming available, I trawled through his seminal works such as Purba Paschim, Shei Shomoy and Prothom Alo. But that doesn’t form the basis of my bond.
Continue reading “Kakababu choley gelen: Sunil Gangopadhyay (1934-2012)”
Sal Khan: Bangladeshi-American Disruptor
Bangladeshi-American Sal Khan on cover of Forbes magazine.
K-Prime: Dark Nights | Bright Dreams
From K-Prime bio: These days in hip-hop when you hear the word Bangladesh you expect to hear the ever-present “a milli” beat following. However, to hip-hop’s newest recruit, K-Prime, Bangladesh is more than a producer’s signature drop, it’s his birth country. Moving from Dhaka to the Borough of Queens, New York at age three, Prime, who was born Anik Khan, was immediately introduced to music and politics by his father who was a poet and a political representative in his home country.
Continue reading “K-Prime: Dark Nights | Bright Dreams”
Salimullah Muslim Hall
This is a short essay written by Monaemuddin Ahmed (1914-2003) for Salimullah Hall’s reunion magazine. At 89, he was at the time, the oldest alum alive. He passed away before he could see this in print.
Those Days
– Monaemuddin Ahmed
Salimullah Hall in our days was known as Salimullah Muslim Hall. The word “Muslim” was dropped in 1972.
I was a resident of the Salimullah Hall from July,1935 to September, 1939 by virtue of my becoming a student of the Dhaka University ( then written as “Dacca University”) in 1st year B.A. (Hons.) class in the department of Mathematics with English and Persian as subsidiary subjects. Those years were the best years of my life, the creative years and the jolliest years. In 1935-36, I occupied a seat room # 151, in 1936-38, of room # 163 and in the final year, i.e. 1938-39, of room # 94, all in the West House.
The male gaze: ‘Hey, it’s a girl! and it’s a hilly chick!!’
Ever since I had taken admission to the university, I could feel dozens of eyes were following me. Be it while I walk down the corridors of the university library, or loitering around the faculty buildings. The eyes were gazing at me with an expression that they found something peculiar.
Many of the girls, of course Bengali, said they have nearly same experience for being a girl. But, my experience was totally different from them. ‘Hey, it’s a girl! and it’s a hilly chick!!,’ whispered the eyes among themselves. Moments after, the eyes get voices in commanding physiques. And the sentence remain almost the same to each of the voices, ‘I want to be a friend of yours. Cause I am very much interested about “upajatis”.’
Continue reading “The male gaze: ‘Hey, it’s a girl! and it’s a hilly chick!!’”
One Nafis, Many Problems
Let me start by asking you all a question. You may have a very strong religious affiliation; your faith may be impeccable. Or you may be deeply indoctrinated with a political ideology. Passion runs deep in your vain in favor of your faith or ideology. But does this passion permit you to break the basic law of humanity, i.e. kill innocent people? And if you do any such act out of this strong political of religious conviction, can you get away saying that it’s not my fault, some religious or political leader used my passion to make me commit such crime?
Who speaks for Bangladeshi New York: amateur terrorist Nafis or party-boys Cosmics?
Or, something else altogether?…It is a gratuitous and simplistic binary, but we could not help notice that the same week that amateur terrorist Nafis’ photo was plastered on a shrill and scaremongering media (with the words “Bangladeshi” attached to an escalating fear narrative), the other face of Bangladeshi youth in New York is The Cosmics’ brand new video.
I am a Buddhist today
I am a Buddhist today
by Kazi Khaleed Ashraf
Cowards come in two forms, those who move under the cover of the night, and those who take refuge in the brute might of the mob. And when the two combine, cowards can become hyenas. Since that dreadful night, when for six shameful hours, the state remained invisible, protectors stood by quietly, neighbors became fiends, and only few were brave to face the hyenas, I can no longer be myself.
Continue reading “I am a Buddhist today”
Nafis: Terrorist Mastermind or Witless Patsy?
Blogger Rumi (a successful medical doctor in US who came here on a student visa in the 1980s): “The outrageous, inexcusable act of The Bangladeshi Student, facilitated and influenced by an FBI undercover agent, has claimed it’s first victim – the student visa system.”
Student visas concern after terror plot
Grand Jury to be convened
Nafis was allegedly planning something for which he will go to jail for life. But, how far would he have actually got without help from the FBI? Below are some discussions in US blogosphere about this topic.
Chuñdy: No one is arguing that he shouldn’t face serious jail time. We are questioning whether the FBl and the media should be portraying this 21-year-old doofus as a terrorist mastermind. They caught a gullible wannabe jihadist who couldn’t tell the difference between an inert bomb and a real bomb. Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
Fed Reserve Arrest: “I spent all my savings to send him to America”
Continue reading “Fed Reserve Arrest: “I spent all my savings to send him to America””
The formidable 14 year old
This a 14 year old girl from one of the most socially backward, deprived and uncivilized areas of the World — Swat Valley pakistan.
Her name is Malala Yousufzai. Although she is only a 14 year old 8th grader, she definitely is not like any other 14 year old in the world.
She is an embodiment of passion, bravado, activism. She is the example what ‘standing up for right’ means in real life.
She probably is the youngest and most inspirational politicians in Asia, if not in the World. Just search her name in Youtube. You will see hundreds of TV interviews of Malala — some 30 minute, some hour long. You will see her fiery stump speeches.
Continue reading “The formidable 14 year old”
Bengali Muslim becomes India’s Chief Justice
Udayan C: A couple of weeks ago, Altamas Kabir was sworn in by President Pranab Mukhopadhyay as the 39th Chief Justice of India. As far as I am aware, this is the highest rank held by a Bengali Muslim in India since 1947.
Continue reading “Bengali Muslim becomes India’s Chief Justice”
Human Rights Watch: Toxic Tanneries
In the decade since 2002, the value of leather exports in Bangladesh has grown by an average of $41 million per year. From June 2011 to July 2012 Bangladesh exported around $663 million of leather and leather goods, including footwear. This leather is exported to some 70 countries throughout the world, but principally China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United States.
Continue reading “Human Rights Watch: Toxic Tanneries”
Remittance Crisis: UAE halts Bangladesh visas
AlaloDulal first reported the coming crisis with UAE visas on August 27th. We wished we had been wrong, but today’s report confirms the ban has officially started. Congratulations to AL government for successfully botching this issue, as they destroy everything they touch.
Authorities in the UAE have stopped issuing all kinds of entry permits for Bangladeshi passport holders because of security concerns over identification and fake documents, the gulfnews reports. Continue reading “Remittance Crisis: UAE halts Bangladesh visas”
Sathi Chakma: After Rangamati, Questions that need to be answered
Questions that need to be answered
by Muktasree Sathi Chakma (Sep 24, 2012)
While my 68 years old father and my 65 years old mother remained awake for the last two days in fear that some of the Bengali settlers (who can kill people only for the reason that you are indigenous) would attack our house, I am attending a Human Rights training and learning how to be a human rights activist. What an irony, isn’t it?
Continue reading “Sathi Chakma: After Rangamati, Questions that need to be answered”
Rangamati Race Riots: Bengalis attack Jumma
India-Bangladesh: “Maps Can’t Redraw The Truth”
“While there is a lot of talk in Indian society and polity about illegal immigration, Bangladesh flatly rejects the notion that there are any illegal Bangladeshi citizens living in India. Be that as it may, the two countries will have to find a way to talk about cross-border population movement rationally. If that were to happen, at least for a start an Indo-Bangladesh protocol on labour movement could take some of the pressure off from the circular migrant who now has to find proxy citizenship papers and participate in elections in order to find security.”
Continue reading “India-Bangladesh: “Maps Can’t Redraw The Truth””
Will “Made in Bangladesh” become a scarlet letter?
Bangladesh is on front page of NEW YORK TIMES again, twice this month, as part of the series MADE IN BANGLADESH. We at Alal o Dulal first sounded the alarm over Aminul Islam’s murder in April, and dubbed this the “coming storm” in July. Of course, nobody listened. Certainly not our shonamdhonnyo government that dismisses all critiques as “enemies of the nation.” Keep playing that deaf drumbeat.
Fighting for Bangladesh Labor, and Ending Up in Pauper’s Grave
Workers on their way to work in Ashulia, Bangladesh, where a labor organizer was killed.
Continue reading “Will “Made in Bangladesh” become a scarlet letter?”
Ananta: Prince of Dhallywood
“You pom Ghana?”
…
“Even English Medium are talking about me”
Bangladesh’s Hindu Women Fight for Divorce Rights
Right wing politics from male-chauvinist, patriarchal “guardians” of Bangladesh’s Hindu community.
‘Don’t make Hindu marriage registration a must’
Fri, Aug 24th, 2012/Bdnews24.com
Dhaka, Aug 24 (bdnews24.com)—A platform of Hindu minority on Friday threatened to foil the government move to make Hindu marriage registration mandatory. Advocate Ashok Kumar Ghosh, General Secretary of Bangladesh Minority Sangram Parishad that opposes the reformation in the Hindu Family Law, issued the threat from a human-chain protest in front of the National Press Club. The Supreme Court lawyer termed the initiative ‘an insult to Hindu rules and family tradition’ and asked the government not to make the new law. “We strongly oppose the reformation in the name of women empowerment by violating the sacred religious precept and manner. We’ll wage a mass movement if the government does not refrain from formulating such law,” he added.
Parishad President Ashok Taru, Organising Secretary S K Badal and Dhaka metropolitan unit President Pintu Mitra also spoke at the programme, among others.
Continue reading “Bangladesh’s Hindu Women Fight for Divorce Rights”
NYT Front Page: “Made in Bangladesh”
Remembering Mowla Boksh
Remembering Mowla Boksh
Text, Image, & Video by Zaid Islam
Mowla Boksh, a legend of the Lalon Phokir gharana, breathed his last on 16 August 2012. May the Lord rest him in peace.
We don’t realise what we got until it’s gone. Mowla’s departure reminded me of this once again. I started remembering his unique craziness, his humour, his incomparable style of musical mastery, and how passionately he was constantly celebrating every moment.
I started to miss him.
Dhaka: The heat is on
Chittagong, in Hindi? (when Surjo Shen became Surya Sen)
(aka when surjo shen became surya sen) Looking forward to Bedabrata Pain’s film, but one khotka… according to the film’s trailer, the legendary anti-British rebellion of Chittagong is staged in Hindi, not Bangla… Continue reading Chittagong, in Hindi? (when Surjo Shen became Surya Sen)
Dhaka moves to #1 in Least Liveable City Index
Dhaka is ranked least liveable among 140 surveyed cities. Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Livability Survey ranked Dhaka 139 in 2011, and 140 in 2012.
DOWNLOAD: EIU Liveability Report 2012
DOWNLOAD: Spatially Adjusted Index Report [Dhaka ranks 2 better on this]
Least livable cities: 2012
131. Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
132. Tehran, Iran
133. Douala, Cameroon
134. Tripoli, Libya
135. Karachi, Pakistan
136. Algiers, Algeria
137. Harare, Zimbabwe
138. Lagos, Nigeria
139. Port Moresby, Papua New Guineau
140. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Least livable cities: 2011
131. Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
132. Tehran, Iran
133. Douala, Cameroon
134. Karachi, Pakistan
135. Tripoli, Libya
136. Algiers, Algeria
137. Lagos, Nigeria
138. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
139. Dhaka, Bangladesh
140. Harare, Zimbabwe
Continue reading “Dhaka moves to #1 in Least Liveable City Index”
The basement people
“More than half of the respondents make less than the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, 83% in the case of retail employees. The huge majority (95%) doesn’t have any type of health insurance, and only one fifth of them gets paid for sick days (when almost half of New Yorkers do, in comparison).” Continue reading “The basement people”
GENDER: Shaon and our society
These days our national discourse — the facebook broadcasts, the print media junks — have made villain out of Shaon, the just widowed wife of deceased writer Humayun Ahmed.
Wife Shaon and publisher Mazhar are the villains in all Bangladeshi tabloids now a days. But these are the two people who were with Humayun during his last lap. Shaon’s struggle to save Humayun was en epic battle. Can anyone imagine how difficult it was for her to move to NY with two very young kids and a sick man who, all his life, is used to have everything done for him, including bringing a glass of water? Shaon had to start a family from scratch. Singlehandedly. Mazhar and some occasional local Bangladeshi vagabonds helped her out once a while.
Contrarian Thoughts on Humayun Ahmed
Contrarian Thoughts on Humayun Ahmed
– by Bookworm Blogger
So Humayun Ahmed finally died a few days ago. Not unexpected really, considering his advanced age and his prolonged battle with cancer. You don’t really win fights like those in the end. He didn’t either.
I got the news as I was sitting in the bus, going to the mall. Facebook feeds on the mobile, of course, what else. All in all – and it’s now been several days, so my reactions have had time to settle – I find myself almost entirely unmoved by this event. Except perhaps for a brief moment of heaviness just after I heard the news. After all, this IS Humayun Ahmed. THE name to contend with in modern Bangladeshi fiction.
Sure, he was a very talented writer. Yet my enduring memories of reading Humayun are few and far between. In total, I can’t say that I read more than 12-15 of his books – and the last one was a good 20 years ago. Perhaps because towards the end – and for me, that would be 1992-93 – the crap content was so high that I felt there were far better uses of my time than reading the ramblings of some loser kid in a yellow punjabi or whatever the latest fad was that the Humayun word-machine was churning out to keep greedy publishers and childish readers happy. Continue reading “Contrarian Thoughts on Humayun Ahmed”
Humayun Ahmed (1948-2012)
OBIT: Mazharul Islam (1923-2012)
Islam’s major works include Jahangirnagar University, Chittagong University, Central Public Library, Charukala Institute, Azimpur Estate, Joypurhat Housing, Rangamati township and a number of Polytechnic Institutes. Continue reading “OBIT: Mazharul Islam (1923-2012)”
I am my own guardian
Received by email from Mahmudul Sumon, Dept of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University.
Conversation between a traffic police and a public in Dhaka (2012)
Police says: this car is parked illegally …you are fined
Public says: (the care owner) But where is it written that this is a no parking zone (also indicates that a ministry car was just parked here; you didn’t say anything to that car) Continue reading “I am my own guardian”
REFUGEE: Alaol’s unfortunate Children
[Image: Greg Constantine, Pulitzer Center]
It was 1978 or 1979, Weekly Bichitra made a cover story titled, “ Manush Aite achhe – naaf nodeer baner lahan” (People are coming in like flood on Naaf River). All on a sudden, a group of people living in northwest Burmese Arakan region and who happen to be of Bengali ethnic lineage and Muslim in faith, started leaving their homeland of several dozen to several hundred years and cross the border to enter Bangladesh in utter desperation. They came by boats, sampans, makeshift banana trunk vessels (vela) – some came on foot through impenetrable mountain forest. They all were escaping the atrocities of operation Nagamin of Burmese army.
Burmese government was suspicious of what they believed as collusion between Arakan communist party and secessionist thought of Arakanese Muslims. Starting on April 1978, refugees started pouring into Cox’s Bazaar, Teknaf and Chittagong Hill tract areas and by June, over 200,000 Bengali Muslim descendent inhabitants of Burmese region of Arakan, who call themselves Rohingyas, started living in 13 camps set up along Bangladesh Myanmar border. Of the 210,000 souls, more than half (over 110,000) were children between 1 to 15 years of age and there was absolutely no obstruction from Bangladesh side in letting them in. Large enclosed living quarters were built overnight. Refugees were kept in those fenced out camps, a high level government official ran the program from the ground and a national coordination council led by Cabinet Secretary led the national and global efforts.
The head of the state was personally involved in every minor detail of the planning and execution of the program. And thanks to personal influence of President Ziaur Rahman on Burmese leader Ne Win, very robust stand by Bangladesh foreign office and smart diplomacy by the foreign Minister Professor Shamsul Huq, Burmese government took all the refugees back within less than a year. In July 1978, two months into the refugee problem, an agreement was signed between Bangladesh and Burma. The first batch of 58 refugees was repatriated in August 1978 and the repatriation of last stranded batch (who did not have any document supporting their residence in Burma) was completed by December 1979. Senior Burmese Ministers visited the camps to supervise the repatriation process, which they called ‘the Hintha project’.
Continue reading “REFUGEE: Alaol’s unfortunate Children”
Bahrain: died like dogs in a foreign land
KHONDOKAR: স্বাধীন দেশের নাগরিক !!! আমাদের অনেক অর্জন !! আমরা যারা বিদেশ থাকি, মনে হয় এতিম বাচ্চা আমরা, যাদের পৃথিবীতে কেহ নাই. রাজনীতিবিদদের মত ভন্ড আর কেহ নাই
গরিব দেশের লোক বলে এই শ্রমিকদের কোনো সম্মান নাই
ছেলের জন্য অপেক্ষার পালা আর ফুরোল না মায়ের: নিহত আবু তাহেরের ছবি হাতে মা সাবেদা খাতুন
Continue reading “Bahrain: died like dogs in a foreign land”
Enemy Property Act, from 1965 to 2012
DOWNLOAD: Vested Property Leaflet HISTORY ASK 2008 Report ASK 2006 Report Citizens not Enemies Time to repeal Enemy Property Act Debashish’s hope, more on VPA Continue reading Enemy Property Act, from 1965 to 2012
Hindi Serial
….:::::একটি হিন্দি সিরিয়ালের কাল্পনিক দৃশ্যের চিত্রনাট্য::::::…….
ছেলে:: আমি তোমাকে ভালবাসি
[১০টা অবস্থান থেকে এই দৃশ্যটা দেখানো হবে।]
[মেয়ের টাশকি খাওয়া মুখ দেখাবে ১২টা অবস্থান থেকে]
The Waste Land of May
The Waste Land of May
by Prashanta Tripura
(With apologies to T. S. Eliot)
April is no longer the cruelest month, at least
Not for me,
Not in the hills of Chittagong
Where May is the new month of maximum cruelty, mixing
Memories of despair and desolation,
And desires for freedom and liberty, breeding
Hatred out of the scorched land, stirring
Deep roots of sorrow, pain and longing.
Continue reading “The Waste Land of May”
Video – Saudi Humiliating Bangladeshi Driver
We have been sent this video, which allegedly shows a Saudi man humiliating a Bangladeshi driver. We are posting it because we want to know the truth. Our collective Arabic skills do not amount to much. If you can translate … Continue reading Video – Saudi Humiliating Bangladeshi Driver
The Novelist and his upcoming novel
I guess Humayn Ahmed’s upcoming novel “deyal” is going to win the distinction of second most talked about ‘book-in-writing’. ( I give it second place because for hype about a ‘not-yet-written’ novel, the top place all time in the history Bangla literature will unsurpassably remain with Tahmima Anam and her novel ‘A Golden Age’, ever). Dozen of articles and op-eds have already been published in several Bangladeshi outlets ( but nothing compared to New York Times, Guadian, NPR reviews and dozens of TV interviews of Tahmima Anam gave including BBC radio even before her first ever novel was published). Even this obscure blogger tried to write an amateurish piece in BDNews 24.com opinion page. The full piece is reproduced for AlalODulal readers across the fold.
But on the side of the fold let’s share with you one reader’s comment about the piece. The reader commented,
Humayun Ahmed has received so much help, financial assistance, and favors from the current government that he probably feels obligated to pay off some his debt, which is fine except he shouldn’t try to call his novel a piece of literature. He should, if he is honest, put the testimonial at the beginning of his novel that it is his way of paying off his debt to this government.
As the reader rightfully questions the literature value of this upcoming novel and our court and the government remains very concerned about the historical value, this blogger sees the novel as the litmus test for intellectual honesty of author-film maker Humayun Ahmed.
Complete piece is over the fold.
CHT Peace Accord: waiting and still waiting
পার্বত্যচুক্তি বাস্তবায়ন : আবার অপেক্ষার পালা
by Hari Kishore Chakma on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at 1:46pm ·
প্রথমেই পার্বত্যচুক্তি বাস্তবায়ন কমিটির আহ্বায়ক সংসদ উপনেতা সৈয়দা সাজেদা চেৌধুরীর পার্বত্যচুক্তি বাস্তবায়ন নিয়ে দেড় বছরের ব্যবধানে দুইটি বক্তব্য :
১. পার্বত্যচুক্তি বাস্তবায়নের আলোচনা একদম শেষ পর্যায়ে। এ নিয়ে অনেক আলোচনা হয়েছে। এবার আমরা ফলাফল চাই। (সূত্র: প্রথম আলো, শেষ পৃষ্ঠা, ২৭ ডিসেম্বর ২০১০ ইং, স্থান : খাগড়াছড়ি)
২. সরকার ত্ত জনসংহতি সমিতির (জেএসএস) মথ্যে চুক্তি বাস্তবায়নের বিষয়ে কোনো মতভিন্নতা নেই। আমরা একই লক্ষ্যে পেৎৌছাতে চাই।সেই উদ্দেশ্যে আলাপ-আলোচনার মাধ্যমে আমরা একেবারে শেষ পর্যায়ে পেৎৌছে গেছি। (সূত্র: প্রথম আলো, তৃতীয় পৃষ্ঠা, ২৯ মে ২০১২ইং, স্থান: ঢাকা) Continue reading “CHT Peace Accord: waiting and still waiting”
Death of a teacher
My first teacher was a cowherd. Another teacher gave up trousers, put on a lungi, and did farming- so I heard. I don’t have the courage to ask, the teacher that was killed by police beating today– who was he? Continue reading “Death of a teacher”
Poverty in America
The Asian American Federation found that 53.9 % of Bangladeshis living in Brooklyn are poor – the highest rate among the city’s eight largest Asian immigrant groups. The poverty rates for Bangladeshis was nearly double the numbers for blacks, whites, … Continue reading Poverty in America
West Bengal and the Indian Presidential elections
So who will be the next President? Elections are scheduled for July 2012; if Congress can get its allies to agree, through a lot of behind-the-scenes deal making, it is likely that the winning candidate will be of its choice. Two candidates seem to be front runners: current Vice President Hamid Ansari, and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. An interesting outcome of this would be that a victory for either would be the first time someone from West Bengal has occupied the highest office in the land.
Continue reading “West Bengal and the Indian Presidential elections”
PROFILE: TIME “100 Most Influential” List: Salman Khan
Bangladeshi-American Salman Khan on TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” List
Continue reading “PROFILE: TIME “100 Most Influential” List: Salman Khan”
CULTURE: Still Bengali
Exactly ten years ago today*, upon arriving at a friend’s place, instead of ‘Shubho Nobo Borsho’ (Bangla new year greeting), I was greeted with a barrage of ‘Have you heard the news? Call home now. Hope family’s okay…’
Militant jihadis struck the new year’s dawn cultural events in Ramna, the major park at the heart of Dhaka, killing over half a dozen people. Continue reading “CULTURE: Still Bengali”
Pascal Lamy & Dhaka University’s Shame
In such a fine era of youth-led resistance and rising, the democratic spirits of DU needed not be submitted to Lamy’s idea of a privatized world!…PS: Around 50 students walked out in protest during Lamy’s speech. A round of applause for them. Continue reading “Pascal Lamy & Dhaka University’s Shame”
Thinking About The God Particle
On March 7, an email landed in my inbox, containing this amusing graphic.
Also on March 7, newspaper headlines contained blaring headlines about new scientific advancements regarding the Higgs-Boson particle, colloquially known as the God particle.
