Wonders will never cease!

It was a couple of months back...
"Zamil, please take the electric bill and pay it today." My house senior requested me to clear the bill.
"No prob..." I took it from my colleague and shoved it inside the pocket.
We were on our way to office and the head-office of NEC (National Electricity Corporation), Sudan is located on the Ebeid Khatim Street in the middle of our everyday journey.

I entered the office and got my turn right after an individual...that was a good luck indeed. I brought out my receipt and forwarded with money to the cashier from other side of glassed wall.
I was really enjoying the easy-going...singing inside...Suddenly I noticed that the cashier was turning my receipt around and started scrutinising it. "What is the wrong in it? The receipt looks ok other than some extra folds which are still acceptable." -I assumed it from other side. The gentle man cast a look that I never saw it before. I swallowed for a while- as if I was standing for US Visa and I was going to miss it forever....or else I was in front of Police Inspector who was going to gag me for my illegal proposal! - the natural thinking of a foreigner from country like Bangladesh! The gentle man opened up with Arabic which I could hardly figure out but to take my beloved money and receipt back!

I put my spectacles on and tried to understand what was written in the receipt.....nothing significants drew my attention. " Did I not take the receipt from my colleague?" I asked myself," Did I drop it in the house? To err is human.....might be......"- I guessed pondering on my way out of the office. Meanwhile, I shoved my hands inside the pockets....no where it could be traced...At last another piece of paper was felt inside my money bag. I graved it immediately and started checking the both ....with my utter surprise, I gave him my yesterday's voucher of purchased items in stead of electric bill! What a height! The gentle man certainly would have laughed at me if I would have purchased very private items and gave him the list to check! However I managed to get to my work on time that day; "wonders will never cease!"- I murmured.

I turned around and went running inside. But by that time there was a queue of 30 minutes.....I sighed for a while; my companion certainly would be tearing his hairs out inside the vehicle by that time!

A return from Never Ending Story

"How was the exam of Iqra(my eldest daughter) yesterday?" I asked my wife 3,500 km away from Bangladesh being in Sudan.

"She repeated her father's story!"- My wife laughed at me sympathetically, "Yeah, that was a good name you gave to your one-Never ending story!" She is pinching me ," That is not ending rather returning!".

This woman is giving her whole life to rear my babies as perfect as an ideal mother could do. She passed almost sleepless nights to teach Iqra before each and every exams. I often see, she is more serious than my poor daughter to fight the exam! Yes, to fight the exam; now a days the study is no more a fun but a battle ground.....taking pen like spear , thousands of books in the bag like haversack... making small body smaller every day...over loaded and exhausted on return...! I really feel pity for them. When we used to roam around the places...running about the flowers just to catch up a butterfly ; they are shuttling around for coaching in the same time. When we used to make mud houses and exchange the dolls or making market places to trade just amusingly thinking and copying the activities of a married couple....they pass the same time playing with computers! I think they are making their life more electronic than natural one!

"She studied Science but appeared in Social Science -the totally different exam!"-My wife interrupted my thoughts. What should I say when her father appeared worng exams consecuitively twice in his childhood! So with such a duffer dossier, do I have right to charge my sweet baby? "No, never!"-I was justifying the incident as a father, "Have you checked the exam schedule of tomorrow's one?" I asked my wife fearing that she(Iqra) might be trapped again like his father.

"Yeah, it is Science!" -she sighed. "You know, I was almost crying on return, even the rickshaw- puller was asking me why I didn't check her schedule when she is such a younger one! Now tell me what I am supposed to do?" -her urge made me mew only.

"I got to go, need to feed Alvi (the youngest daughter) now!"- she left me alone in the ocean of thoughts.

I felt her every emotional speeches, her overburden responsibilities, her seriousness....all were started echoing together in my heart....as if all were falling crushed on the bank of my ocean of thoughts....I looked at the mail box till it went grey....my "Sweet voice" vanished 3,500 km away!

The cost of natural call!

"Nitu, you know...I had a real travelled time in my life while I was visiting one of my relative's house in a far village"- my uncle said on his way to my another aunt's house.

It was long ago....in my childhood, I was accompanying him and my aunt's house was not far away from my home; however we started walking through cross country in order to reach early.

"I was walking along the river bank on the way to my relative's house. When I was closer to a local launch ghat, I saw from a long distance that a big launch came nearer to cast the anchor in order to drop the passengers. I stared at it with my full heart content. Our country is so beautiful and she takes a new look in every morning." he continued, "Suddenly I felt something wrong within my belly.....I understood that it was nothing but a natural call...because I did not clear my bowl early in the morning!"

"What's up?"- I was enjoying his speech.. colouring it to a level that a man was holding a pot running here and there in order to say hallow to "nature". I chuckled inside.

" I was looking for a place to finish up my business...but as I told you, by then passengers were getting down from the ship. And so I was not alone in the site indeed! Suddenly a trick triggered in my mind, why not to try the same inside the toilet of the ship instead? I assumed that the ship would certainly take sometimes to unload and by then I should have finished my job." - he started unveiling his plan, "Well, I boarded on the ship and was looking for the toilet. It killed some of my planned times which I did not pay attention. However at last I got my turn in the toilet ......"

"Then, what happened?" I got interested.

"I could not figure out how my sweet time passed away so quickly....as a matter of fact I was really enjoying the ride! Suddenly, I got a jerk....I looked around to hold something to make myself stable inside....but my business was yet to finish, you know! After a while I came out from my palace smiling with full satisfaction....a kind of fresh relief overcasted my entire mind, I closed my eyes to augment my feelings in the cool breeze outside. As I opened my eyes, instead of my ever known green bank, I casted an appalled look on the river....I ran to the back to make my eyes believe......but alas, the launch was by then miles away from the last station! I sat down exhausted and helpless. Immediately I shoved my hand inside my pocket...looking for last resort -the money I might be needing." -my uncle was seeing it happening again.

"Uncle, may I request you to walk slow, I am really tired of walking." I told him enroute.

"Do not think , we are closer....and will be there very soon" He satisfied me, " By then, the ticket checker with a set of big moustache and a giant belly came before me and asked me to produce the ticket. I narrated each and every confidential events those took place few minutes before to him...but the rude man barely believed that."
"I don't care those; just produce ticket or else be fined for availing unauthorised journey", He roared at me,
"OK, OK please take my money...and get me free from this stupid....", he returned, " You know, I had to pay twice to reach my relative's house! It's nothing but the cost of natural call!"

By then, the sun was setting on the west, the birds were falling back to their nests; I could see a little light at the horizon other side of the bil [a big chunk of low laying land] that's our aunt's house indeed!

Trapped in emotional cycle!

What you believe, I see
What I see, you don't believe
What you see, I follow
What I follow, you don't see
What you follow, I care
What I care, you don't follow
What you care, I feel
What I feel, you don't care
What you feel, I share
What I share, you don't feel
What you share, I bear
What I bear, you don't share
What you bear, I believe
What I believe, you don't see
What you believe, I see.

Obama Vs O Baba!

I was never a politician nor I cherished a desire to be like that.....I only dream if I could be President of our country(Bangladesh) then I would have sent our politician to USA first to learn political custom and etiquettes ...how the loser bow their head to the winner and extend helpful hands by telling..."I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America"!

Today's breaking news in CNN was the declaration of new American President Barack Obama.

I don't know why our country's election always this and that way in the same year of American one. Well, may be I'm weak in calculation of years..!!

"Dear colleagues, please switch on to our channels to see what our political parties are planning for their election in the next 18 December 2008." -I pointed out my colleagues seeing their interest in US politics early in the today's morning (05 November 2008).

"My dear, what we'll see...one major political party is planning to go for election while their chairperson is away from the country; another is planning to quit the election when their chairperson is within the country... and making a sort of nuisance move which identifies their intention "situate the appreciation" rather than "appreciate the situation"!...that is to say they have already reconnoitered the ground and have found the negative responses. So quit the stage" one of them casted his remark with anger.

"Did you hear these type of words from our leaders," pointing to the remarks of McCain and Barack Obama on the TV screen, " or expect any good gestures out of them right after the declaration of result of an election? Actually we are nothing but hypocrites....while a bee takes honey from a flower, spider takes poison from it ! " he continues, " you see the channels, the adds are getting dirty every day beyond our imagination while we shout for our culture, expelling the sentiment of Hajis by putting statue in front of ZIA. Did you notice that what dresses they were putting on? Not less than the dresses of Texas cow boy!"

"O Baba (O my father- a kind of expression showing surprise), you've got a good voice...why not to join politics, after all our country would have been relieved from so-called politicians who even can not think "Out of the box"....who are still standing with sticks and stones at the cross road of Dhaka as before 1971!" I tried to pinch, "Still having same kind of voice....naturally causing voice; sorry, indoor noise pollution indeed...still looking for the dull issues like who did declare "War of Liberation", who is our "Father of nation" while the country as a whole is going to dog. Again another opportunist had gone for purchasing bucket before purchasing cows in order to get milk...."

"What is that"- second colleague inquired.

"Forgotten electric pylon issues?"- I continued , "My eldest brother of political science told me one day that we people are very forgetful in nature; we forget our right, forget our past and we forget everything easily.....so easily that few minutes before if we get a kick on our as...and if we get some good words and ointment from the giver....we go past him rubbing our buttocks!"

" Yeah, he is right. That's why our major parties still want to hang the assassinates of our presidents....though the respective parties were in power and did nothing but licking the fingers! We are releasing the culprits from the jail knowing fully well...."-the conversation got the life.

"Did you notice one thing?"- I returned.

"What's that?"- replied by other.

"The advocates running the government's cases of big issues are not impressive at all....in all aspects. On the other hand the opposites are hiring the highest ranking advocates to fight the case and there by justices are stumbled over every time under the cover of ...."

"We gotta go...it's time for office"-the senior most raised from the chair.

"Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America."- the voice of Obama , the new president of the USA echoed in the room till we depart.

A generous question...

A couple of days back, there was a big news in our country propagated mainly by students of arts, culture and many more. They waged war against "Fundamentalism". In the TV what I saw was something like, "Fundamentalists are killing our culture....so stop fundamentalism.....erect Lalon Statue again in front of the ZIA...".

I closed my eyes, trying to figure out what they really wanted to mean...."Are they defining Culture as a whole?" Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the news caster of the TV when she said,"We will be right back after a short break....upto then please be with us...." OK- I'm with you, no problem at all...I have enough time to see and gulp your bunch of adds...! But what was that...our girls are dancing putting on sleeveless blouses and mini skirts on the sea beach! Half naked girls are posing in front of the camera men! I asked myself, "Is it our culture?" I am really confused! Still about 80% people of the country are living in the villages. Are they like those on the beach or in front of camera men...? I started pondering.

I went for shopping knowing fully well, "The shopkeeper is going to give me either adulterated food or else less weight in return..!". I asked myself, "Is it our culture?"

We are more than 85% Muslims...following at least minimum rules and regulations of Islam. Rests of the 15% are also following some other religions. In which religion it suggests for adulterated food or giving less weight? In which religion it suggests for nudism? Have any one ever seen how nuns in the Christianity or monks in Buddhism are dressed? Are they moderates or fundamentalists?

What is our culture? Is it on the beach.....on the street....in the shops....in the media...in the place of worship or every where in our life? Culture as defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is, “the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group and that it encompasses in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.” Is it not enough for a literate person to interpret those lines? If we take their complain and measure its weightage against each of the part mentioned in the definition ....Do you think that their complain can stand?

If one shout for fundamentalism....can any one ask that guy,"Are you learning anything without going into the fundamental aspects of it?" If the answer is YES-he would not be paid any attention at all-because he is not equipped yet to address the "Statue" business. If the answer is NO, he is fundamentalist in his own perspective. Should we not drive him out?

If you say, after all it was a gross step taken, undermining our culture by removing the Lalon statue....may I offer a generous question to you, how could you show and indulge those half naked girls in the TV and other medias....while knowing fully well , those are the gross deviations from our culture and major religions too!

On My Way to Bridal Banquet (Part-IV)

In order to make both families satisfied, before boarding, I informed them over the land phone about my safe arrival to the Shodor ghat and approximate time of departure. So both the families knew that we had crossed nearly the half way of our journey following the Meghna river by then.
Meanwhile, my father-in-law with his heavy heart sat in front of the TV. Suddenly he noticed a breaking news "there was a tornado in the Meghna river.....many launches and boats with people in capsized...missing..." His heart started throbbing...he just jumped out from the seat, ran out for others to get it confirmed. He rang to my father at Barisal but they were not also clear how to explain the incident....My mother started crying from one end and my father-in-law's family from other end. They could barely sleep that night.
Next day, my father-in-law went to office a bit earlier than usual time and accumulated all available news papers to see the legacy of last night storm in the Meghna river. There were so many pictures of dead bodies, capsized launches, boats...... He started reading each of the lines of those papers....He could not figure out how could it happen so quickly....tears started falling on the papers....but he could neither find our names nor the launch....it vanished from earth.....!, what he found was the childhood memories of my wife....her subtle foot-steps on the doorways, veranda.... deep into his heart! He could no longer waited for, he rang our family again and again with short interval. It was 08:15 am....08:30 am...still we could not be traced out...! We were supposed to reach by next morning at 04:30 am to 05:30 am at best. All the parents of our group were expecting something very sad incidents......a heavy breeze was blowing on inside our families.....all tears went dried after too much crying....!
Meanwhile, to show our river site, I took my wife out of the cabin...a kind of "Titanic" scene had been played in front of the deck early in the morning! She was so excited...her happiness knew no bounds....every look she casted...every generous smile she offered was a bounty for me....a handful pearls of the heaven...! I became more envious when I saw the naughty breeze wrapped her around ....tickling her innocent face ...suddenly covering with her long hairs and went past smiling....! I felt like to shout at the top of my voice,"See.....I am Alexander, the Great, how dare you could do that...!"
I presumed that we were crossing the normal time of arrival. However at last we reached Barisal at about 09:00 am. Our arrival made our awaiting families so much happy those can not be explained in writing. Hearing our arrival my father immediately rang to Dhaka and called upon my angel to hand over the phone....actually he was informing our arrival news to my father-in-law's house and taking a role of commentator narrating each of our steps on the air!

We came to know all about the tornado after we reached Barisal......God forbid, we were not there at the time of tornado! Then possible we could have real memory of "Titanic"!

After two days I had my Bridal Banquet....