A Banal Story!
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Posted:Jan 15, 2017 12:27 am
Last Updated:Jul 4, 2022 9:00 am 27668 Views
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An abrupt encounter in a railway coach!
It did not take them much time to recognize each other when they were traveling in the same coach but they preferred to keep quiet until it was time for her to get out off the train at the next station when casually just gazing at the fast vanishing blue sky through the window of the running train, she asked ;
“The days we spent together and now gone, have we lost them all?”
The question took him long back down the memory lane and he could not respond to her instantly! He waited sometimes and then uttered slowly the gist of the famous line that he read long before:
“All the stars that shine in the night hide behind the fathomless depth of the daylight!”
She got off the train when the train finally stopped at the next station without telling a word to him and he continued his journey to his destination, unsure of his answer to her.
This short story has no similarity or nothing to do with “Banal Story” by Ernest Hemingway which was first published in the spring/summer 1926 issue of Little Review. This story however relates to a famous poem read by people like me in another language written by a Nobel Laureate. I trust that all who had read the poem could have guessed the name of the poet by now! This story may also take us down the memory lane.
Based on the poem হঠাৎ দেখা/The accidental meeting by Rabindranath Tagore.
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This is the day to tell her.
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Posted:Jan 9, 2017 9:28 pm
Last Updated:Feb 15, 2020 6:19 am 28854 Views
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I did not write the song. Nor did I translate it in English. I feel for the man who could not tell to her beloved what he wanted to tell her so long! I listen to the song though almost every night nowadays when all are quiet around me! I have also uploaded the song with English Sub-Titles to my music channel for my friends to listen to it if they want. You can also read the song and ponder and then leave a comment here if you like to do so!!
On such a day can I tell someone
In such a dark and dense downpour
On such a day, can I bare my soul
Amidst the rumbling roar of clouds,
this unceasing drizzle of rain,
this sun bereft deep duskiness
None other there be, to hear those words
In seclusion and solitude
Face to face be, the two of us
Heavy of heart in deep sorrow
Incessant tears streaking the skies
None other there be, as if it were.
Worldly matters, pretence they are
Deception, is the daily din
Gazing into each others eyes
Sipping sweet nectar from therein
One heart reaching out to another
All else fades into the dark
Offence is it, to anyone
Unburden my heart, if I can
In this deluge, once if I can,
Sit down in a quiet little nook
Few words if I say to the one
Matter does it, to anyone?
The wind speeds in desperation
Lightning flashes from time to time
Those words that have, in this lifetime
Still remained within, in my mind
Those are the words that I may tell
Today in this dark and dense downpour
Written in Bengali by R N Tagore and translated in English by Rumela Sengupta
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Breathing Roses!
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Posted:Jan 8, 2017 7:22 am
Last Updated:May 18, 2023 11:50 pm 28813 Views
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The flower that has been used as a symbol of love for hundreds of years!
I have not come across any human being in my life so far who does not like flowers! Flowers are forever.
Among the flowers that God has gifted to us, Roses not only look breathtakingly beautiful but one of the most desirable flowers that could be seen in full bloom from time to time both in wild and in gardens.
Roses are called classics! A bunch of red roses brings joy and happiness even to someone lying on a hospital bed with a terminal illness. The power of a bunch of roses is beyond comprehension. At least, I think so!
It is known to us that different colored roses have different meanings!
For example, a red rose denotes an expression of love, longing, desire, devotion and deep feelings! We some times use red roses to show respect. Perhaps, many of us know that the number of red roses given to someone always carry a special meaning! If the number of such roses is a dozen then the bunch would tell you silently that the giver loves you!
We,here in my country, are now passing through winter—the season when rose fields of some of the villages around the city of Dhaka, where I live now, are in full bloom with millions of roses!
The growers who live in these villages are not only dedicated to growing roses exclusively but are also dependent on rose farming alone for their livelihood. Most of these farmers belong to a dedicated community of master gardeners who treat their rose plants with such love and care as if the plants are their own !
Rose farming is all manual labor that could be at a times nerve racking, spending long days in the fields. It is also filled with uncertainty as year long sunshine and perfectly moisturized soil are necessary for a good return!
Despite many challenges, these dedicated peoples’ magical moments of joy come when they bury their noses in the first bloom of their respective gardens!
I shall now take you to look at the magnificent ravishing roses in full bloom in the fields, bathed in winter mist, if you would like to travel with me to these unforgettable natural splendors!
Photo credits and source: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo. The Daily Star, Dhaka
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Heartbreaking photos of all time
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Posted:Jan 5, 2017 9:05 am
Last Updated:Jul 11, 2021 9:04 am 28852 Views
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Revisiting some of the past heart wrenching and unforgettable moments! Each one of the appended 10 photographs is an emotion brought to life! Some of these photographs may take you down the memory lane, dear viewers!
1.The final embrace of a couple that died after a factory collapsed in Bangladesh.
2.Jacqueline Kennedy in her suit stained with her husband's blood right after his assassination, as Lyndon Johnson takes the oath on 22nd November, 1963.
3.A South Korean cries as a North Korean relative waves goodbye. A temporary 3-day family reunion was allowed after 60 years between families from across the border in October, 2010
4.A Syrian refugee girl rests inside the Spanish rescue vessel
5.The LIFE magazine photo of U.S. Navy Officer Graham Jackson, a friend of President Roosevelt, playing at his funeral April, 1944.
6,A Japanese woman cries after earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in March, 2011.
7.12-year-old Brazilian , Diego Torquato, plays violin at his teacher's funeral, who had helped him escape violence & poverty through music.
8.The unknown yet famous 'Tank Man', who stood in front of a column of Chinese tanks on June 5, 1989, during the Tiananmen Square protests.
9.Russian Ambassador to Turkey,Andrei Karlov lying shot dead on the floor.
10.A sits next to the grave of its owner, who passed away in the disastrous landslides near Rio de Janeiro in 2011.
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Not an Ordinary Story!
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Posted:Jan 3, 2017 1:55 pm
Last Updated:Apr 8, 2023 9:33 am 28976 Views
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Father, laborer by choice, software engineer! A real life story!!
Whose achievement deserves to be acclaimed most and brought to the limelight for inspiring others to follow- the father, who happens to be a laborer by choice or the who is a software engineer with Google in Seattle?
After reading the story yesterday morning in the Hindustan Times, I could not decide who deserves my heartfelt thanks for the job well-done—the father or his ? It has become a kind of dilemma to me and therefore, I would like to reproduce this great success story in an abridged form for you all to read and to solve the dilemma for me if you so please!
The father is known as Tejaram Sankhla. He comes from Sojat, a town located in the state of Rajasthan, India. He is a day laborer by choice. And he is proud for the job he has been doing since long to feed his family and to educate his 3 .
He likes his work so much so that the 50 year old Tejaram still loads sacks of Henna leaves on trucks (Henna is a plant used for dyeing) for transporting the same by road to port for exporting to various countries though he doesn’t need to work now to make ends meet!
Because, his firstborn Ram Chandra, earns an enviable salary!
Tejaram earns about Indian Rupees 400 daily. At the current rate of exchange, 400 Indian Rupees equals to US Dollar 5.874. Not much for those who live in the United States!
His , Ram Chandra, wants his father to take it easy. But Tejaram loathes sitting idle at home. “I feel useless if I don’t work,” he said.
Ram is Tejaram’s firstborn . He went to IIT in 2008 after passing Class 12 from the government, Hindi-medium school in Sojat, with a personal loan from a judicial officer posted in the Kota sessions court.
Another family from Sojat paid the counseling and first semester fee when Ram took admission in IIT-Roorkee in 2009.
“They bought me a suitcase and some clothes to wear in college,” he said. “Later, some people from the community raised Rupees 30,000 to buy a laptop for me.
My father took a loan to pay the second semester fee. I got an education loan in the second year to fund the rest of my education,” he said to Hindustan Times.
Ram’s mother, Rami Devi, was a working class woman too. She used to work before at construction sites to support her family of five. She is now 49 years old, stays at home and looks after a 1.5-acre farmland that the family bought with money from Ram’s salary.
Ram Chandra used to cook dinner on a clay stove for the family when he was in school. He saved and spent Rupees 70, 000 from his college scholarship to build a kitchen for his parents. The stipend was Rupees 30, 000 a semester for three years.
He also repaid the loans that his father owed to several individual and also the educational loan after he joined Google.
The debt cleared, the family built a brick-and-mortar home.
“People didn’t take back the money they lent me when I offered to repay. They said help the needy, bright students who are like me,” he said to Hindustan Times.
The newspaper added further while reporting the story that, “Ram wants to help students. He taught at an orphanage in Kota for about a month in October 2015, and spent his scholarship on younger sister Jyoti to send her to Jodhpur to prepare for the engineering entrance test.”
Thank you all for reading the story.
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A poem to read and then ponder….
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Posted:Jan 2, 2017 7:04 am
Last Updated:Jul 11, 2021 9:05 am 14282 Views
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A poem written by Khuswant Shingh at 92.
My friend from Malaysia has sent me the under noted poem written by the famous Indian novelist, lawyer, journalist and politician Khuswant Shingh when he was reportedly 92 years old. Born and raised in Hadali, Undivided India (now in Pakistan), he studied law at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, and King's College London. He is one of my favorite novelists. His novel, “Train to Pakistan” made me cry when I first read it. I do not know why my friend has used this poem to greet me on the New Year day when everyone knows that I do not take any hard drinks! Anyway, my readers may please read the poem and ponder a minute or two if possible!
The and the mule live for 30 years,
And know nothing of wines and beers;
The goat and sheep at 20 die.
And never get a taste of Scotch and rye.
The cow drinks the water by the tonne,
And in 18 is mostly done
Without the aid of gin and rum.
The cat in milk and water soaks,
And then in 12 years it croaks.
The modest, sober, bone-dry hen
Lays eggs for others, and then dies at 10.
All animals are strictly dry,
They sinless live and swiftly die.
But sinful, ginful, rum-soaked men,
Survive for three scores years and ten.
And some of them, though very few,
Stay pickled till they’re 92.
So shed a tear, drink a beer,
Celebrate the past,
Toast the future and have a Happy New Year!
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Down the memory lane!
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Posted:Dec 31, 2016 9:05 am
Last Updated:Nov 20, 2018 11:49 pm 12422 Views
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A song for the one who has apparently left me!
As the feels of bygone times
Take you down the memory lane
Beautiful sights and Joyful Songs
In your mind remain.
Oh, come my friend
Come once again
Come into my soul
We shall share our love, joys and sorrows
And try best to console.
Here, we are in the last hour of the last day of the year 2016.
Just felt I should remember my friend who has left me for some reasons recently whom I always considered as a gift from the God.
I also felt that I must thank everyone of this site who had kept me alive talking to me and reading my blogs!
Live long and prosper but do not forget the lost ones, dear friends!
Thank you all so much and wish you all a Happy and Joyous New year.
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All that mattered to me In the year 2016.
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Posted:Dec 28, 2016 6:01 am
Last Updated:Oct 23, 2022 8:02 am 12205 Views
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Looking Back at 2016
The year 2016 is almost gone! Today is Wednesday. The date is December 28, 2016. It is exactly 8:01 PM now. So, only three days and four hours left for the year 2016 to cross the finishing line!
However, the year would always remain memorable to me as well as many others including the Historians also.
When the Historians would look back in future on the year 2016, they will find enough materials, certainly from a news perspective, to label it as a memorable year of the Twenty First Century!
There are mainly two reasons for considering the year as memorable by me.
One is very personal. I went through the surgical procedure to get the cataract from my right eye removed this year by my eye surgeon! I can now feel again after long years how beautiful the whole world looks like!
The other reason relates to the five innovations by Bangladeshi scientists who are in forefront of major discoveries around the world – in the realm of astrophysics, electronics engineering, physics and health.
The Historians would look back on the year 2016 in future and label it as memorable for various events that has shocked and surprised the people of the world including me too.
From Brexit and the election of Donald Trump to the numerous stars that have passed away, it has been a busy 12 months.
Let us now look back at the biggest stories of the year, 2016 including the top five innovations by Bangladeshis.
1. Breakthrough in Astronomy by Rubab Khan.
Bangladeshi scientist Rubab Khan has made a major breakthrough in astronomy.
Rubab Khan, of Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, and his team has discovered five super size stars "Eta twins" in other galaxies on par with a monstrous stellar system in our own Milky Way. Readers may please view the picture posted below (#1).
2. Gravitational waves: Selim Shahriar
“US-based Bangladeshi Professor Selim Shariar discovered gravitational waves – which now confirm Albert Einstein's famous theory of relativity.”
“A team of scientists at Northwestern University led by Shahriar confirmed the existence of gravitational waves created by the collision of two black holes in the universe. This collision took place 1.3 billion light years away from earth. (A light year is the distance that a ray of light travels in a vacuum in 1 year, equivalent to 5.88 trillion miles or 9.46 trillion kilometres).” Pic # 2.
Gravitational waves and ripples in space: Dipankar Talukdar
Depankar Talukdar is 39 years old. A former student of Physics Department of Dhaka University, scientist Dipanker Talukdar has brought fame to Bangladesh detecting gravitational waves and ripples in space.
He, along with his team used a pair of giant laser detectors in the US. One of these detectors was in Louisiana and the other in Washington. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIG received a wave signal about which scientists came to know.
They found that the waves were the product of a collision between two black holes 30 times more massive than our sun and located about 1.3 billion light years from earth.
3. Nano-scale electronic and spintronic devices: Sayeef Salahuddin.
Bangladeshi scientist Sayeef Salahuddin developed nanoscale electronic and spintronic devices for low power logic and memory applications.
The devices use the properties of electrons to transmit process and store information. An associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science in UC Berkeley, Salahuddin was named as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers in February, 2016.
4. Turning algae into biofuel: Dr Tamjidul Hoque.
“Tamjidul Hoque, assistant professor of computer science, has been awarded $141,453 by the Louisiana Board of Regents Industrial Ties Research Subprogram to develop the software tools and theoretical underpinning needed to help convert algae into biofuel. The grant also has a three-year institutional match of $36,720.”
“Algae are found to have good potential for providing biofuel at a higher rate compared to any other plants,” according to Hoque. “Algae can be developed as an excellent microbial cell factory that can harvest solar energy and convert atmospheric carbon-dioxide to useful products and thus can establish the missing link in the fuel-cycle.”
5. Genetical mutation responsible for Parkinson's disease: Dr Miratul Mohamid Khan Muqit.
Dr. Miratul Mohamid Khan Muqit is a British-Bangladeshi, and a leading scientist based at the University of Dundee, has been named as one of this year's awardees of the prestigious European Molecular Biology Organisation Young Investigator Programme. His research has made several breakthroughs in the genetically mutation responsible for Parkinson's disease.A consultant neurologist at Ninewells Hospital, he treats patients with the disabling conditions.
Muqit was born in Glasgow, Scotland on October 12, 1973. His father Abdul Muqit, a general practitioner, and his mother Mamataz Begum, a psychiatrist, are now living in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The events that has shocked and surprised the world during the year2016.
1. Turkey coup
On July 15, 2016, Turkey saw its first attempted coup in 36 years. It briefly looked like the government would fall before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan got a message out, calling for his supporters to take to the streets. The toll of the coup attempt was devastating. Over 300 died when tanks started shelling the crowds, and another 2,100 were injured. The backlash was arguably worse.
2. Iraq, France and Germany devastated by ISIS attacks
July 3. 2016, saw ISIS start the month by carrying out their deadliest attack yet. A truck bomb in the heart of Baghdad exploded shortly after midnight, killing 292 people. It was the deadliest attack in Iraq since 2007 and the deadliest ever carried out by a single bomber.
Only 11 days later, an ISIS supporter drove a 19-ton truck through the Bastille Day crowds at Nice, killing 84. Barely had France recovered from its latest bout of grief when ISIS attackers struck again, murdering a Catholic priest in his church.
In comparison, Germany got off almost lightly. Two refugees inspired by ISIS separately carried out axe and bomb attacks. Although nearly 20 were injured, only the attackers themselves died. Pic # 6.
3. Germany, Japan rocked by rampage killings
Besides ISIS attacks, two developed nations also suffered their deadliest mass-killings in years. In Germany, a German-Iranian went on a rampage in a McDonald’s, killing nine and wounding 35.
The gunman had expressed support for Adolf Hitler and was a fan of Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik.
As a result, police are now investigating if this rampage shooting was actually Germany’s first major far-right attack in decades.
There was no such ambiguity about Japan’s worst mass-killing since World War II. The murderer, Satoshi Uematsu, had a clear and pathological hatred of disabled people and expressed that hatred in the vilest way possible. On July 26, Uematsu broke into a care home and stabbed 19 people to death. Police said he showed no remorse.
4. Trump becomes US president.
The election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States of America caused a major world wide surprise.
In late July, the two parties formally coroneted Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. In doing so, they kicked off a contest between the two least popular candidates in US history.
Overwhelming all the odds and statistics, Donald Trump emerged victorious in the race for White House when poll results came out in November, 2016.
5. Brexit
The United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union is widely known as Brexit, a portmanteau of "British exit". The terms of withdrawal have not yet been negotiated; in the meantime, the UK remains a full member of the European Union.
6. US rocked by targeted cop killings
The year 2016 proved to be a bad year for targeted cop killings in the United States of America!
Prior to Dallas, 26 had died, compared to 18 by that point in 2015.
The sniper attack, by an ex-member of the New Black Panthers, added another five bodies. It was the deadliest single day for law enforcement since 9/11.
10 days later, another black supremacist ambushed and gunned down three more officers in Baton Rouge.
In between these two attacks, four officers were shot and injured in ambush attacks, and two former cops working as courthouse bailiffs were shot and killed. All these incidents have combined to make 2016 exceptionally bloody for cops.
7. International court’s collision course with China.
International Court appears to be in collision course with China.
The most potential flash point in for World War 111 may be “The South China Sea.”
After years of tension, the international court ruled against China’s incursions into the sea, saying they violated Philippine sovereignty in July 2016. Just after the ruling, China published a white paper saying the UN had been influenced by US lies.
8. Dhaka attack!
On July 1, twenty hostages, mostly foreigners, were slain during a 12-hour long siege at an upscale eatery in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone located on Gulshan area of Dhaka in Bangladesh.
Additionally, two police officers were also killed by gunmen who were allegedly of the Islamic State.
Finally, the attackers were all killed when the elite commandos of the Bangladesh Armed Forces intervened to free the hostages. Pic # 7.
9. Death of Fidel Castro.
Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary leader who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied US efforts to topple him, died on November 25 at the age of 90.
The world poured their hearts out at the news and said goodbye to the leader in respect. Pic# 8.
Thank you so much for reading the article.
Sources: Various News Media and The Daily Star, Dhaka.
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So, This is Christmas!
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Posted:Dec 26, 2016 10:35 am
Last Updated:Feb 19, 2017 4:54 am 11600 Views
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Some words about Christmas.
During this time of the year, the Newspapers throughout the world make it sure to publish various articles telling the story of Christmas for their readers to read and ponder.
As one of the non practicing followers of one of the Abraham’s three religions, I always wanted to know more about these three religions from the time I learnt to read and write! The stories seemed fascinating to me all the times as all the three Holy Books tell us similar stories though interpreting them a bit differently for obvious reasons!
I still read such articles to understand how these fascinating stories are being interpreted now in the first quarter of the twenty first century.
This year also I did not forget to keep the routine as usual. I went through almost all the articles published in the local news papers yesterday on Christmas Holidays as I used to do during the bygone years!
This year I came to know something that I never knew before reading a well written article published in a local online English language newspaper by Julian Francis, who was a recipient of ‘Friends of Liberation War Honor’ from the Government of Bangladesh.
Julian Francis is another person whom we shall not forget for his services rendered to the suffering humanity during the time we fought for our liberation. He was the Coordinator of Oxfam’s relief program for the refugees from Bangladesh and has lived and worked in Bangladesh for many years.
Before reading this particular article, I did not know how the Christmas tree became popular and why it is decorated almost in every Christian Dwellings or in public places or elsewhere to celebrate Christmas Holidays. Now I know as you all do!
Here below you can read an extract from the article written by Julian Francis telling us about the Christmas celebration and the Christmas tree:
“It was only 500 to 600 years ago that the birth of Jesus was celebrated on December 25th, and even up to the 1800s Christmas in Europe was not widely celebrated because partying and merry making was seen as unchristian. Indeed, it was only in 1870 that Christmas Day was declared a national holiday in the USA. Much earlier in the U.K., Oliver Cromwell had ‘cancelled’ Christmas and the Puritans in the American colonies also banned the celebration of Christmas in Boston and those found celebrating were fined 5 shillings.
My knowledgeable great-uncle also explained how, according to him, Christmas trees became popular. He said that the ancient Egyptians felt that evergreen trees symbolized eternal life. However, in the U.K. it was Queen Victoria’s German husband who introduced the Christmas tree to Windsor Castle in 1846.”
I do not endeavor to know like many others the exact date of birth of Jesus Christ! I trust that someone like Jesus Christ was needed at that time to guide the human beings to the right path, and to purify people’s souls. I shall end this effort of mine by quoting once again the concluding paragraph of Julian Francis’s article;
“And in conclusion, I remember Christmas in the refugee camps in India in 1971. The Muslims and Hindus made sure that if there were a few Christians in their camps, they would celebrate Christmas with them. After all, they had all just celebrated Victory Day and were all preparing to go home to Bangladesh. Some said that a new and different life was about to begin. Can this same spirit be felt in Bangladesh in 2017? I hope so…”
I am happy to assure Julian Francis that his hope will come true. The same spirit will be felt in Bangladesh in 2017 like before and onward too.
Merry Christmas to everyone everywhere!
Posted first on my SFF Blog page on December 26, 2016 under the handle "looklook"/.
Photo Credits: #2 to #6. Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo
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Good Bye 2016- Welcome 2017.
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Posted:Dec 25, 2016 6:47 am
Last Updated:Feb 10, 2017 9:45 pm 11608 Views
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Let us be hopeful and positive throughout the year 2017.
To day is December 25, 2016. There are only six days left before the current year gets lost for good only leaving its traces on some foot notes of the History books! The year 2016 will slip into history after the sun sets on the 31st December and soon after midnight when we would go to bed to sleep out the remaining hours of the night bidding the passing year Good Bye!
The passing year 2016 might not have provided us with what we desired, yet we should thank the Great One who bestowed on us His blessings and love throughout the year! Maybe, we could not get many things done rightly during the year 2016, but we could cheer to a New Year and another chance for us to get them right!
We must not forget all those innocent victims of hatred who lost their lives during the passing year, and pray for the salvation of the departed souls of these unfortunate persons! May they rest in peace!
On the last day of the year,I would like to shout the following with all of you hand in hand together for a better world to live peacefully:
“Wipe away weariness, eradicate infirmity
Bathed in fire, may the earth gain purity.”
Wish all my readers a happy and prosperous New Year. Let the New Year 2017 bring happiness and peace everywhere in this planet. May the human beings, irrespective of faiths they practice, live side by side with each other everywhere as good neighbors!
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