An Unbound Viewing Pleasure!
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Posted:Jan 1, 2023 12:39 am
Last Updated:Dec 23, 2023 6:04 am 24730 Views
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Another two months to go from this date. The villagers will be busy cultivating the Water Lilies for the next Nine months- March to November.
The water Lilies become pink-colored when in full bloom.
The flowers grow in wetlands.
The village is located 60 miles away from the city of Barisal, where I grew up and lived till 1957.
The flower is called Shapla locally. The name of the village is Satla.
The whole landscape of the village turns into a feast for the eyes when the pink water lilies are in full bloom.
The best time to enjoy the breathtaking view of this natural phenomenon is in the early morning.
Besides medicinal properties, water lilies are also eaten by humans as tasty vegetables in curries. Those who suffer from skin conditions, liver infections, calcium deficiency, and diabetes benefit from eating water lilies as vegetables.
I have forgotten to mention that this flower is our national flower. None of the photos were shot by me. Photos collected.
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24
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I know not if you will care
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Posted:Dec 26, 2022 8:01 am
Last Updated:Jan 21, 2024 6:27 am 26875 Views
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It is already more than 12 years; I signed in to this site while browsing social sites. Of course, I had to fill in the membership form and go through other formalities before I could enter the lobby which was then a crowded room. Some of the members I met in the lobby on that day do still peep into the rooms regularly. While some have disappeared without notice, some have passed away for good, some prefer not to come in the room for reasons best known to them.
I have no complaints to make against any member of this site including those who did not initially like my presence in chat rooms. I found my chat friends educated, knowledgeable, Kind, and wonderful people. I learned many things from them. Thanks, my chat friends for your kind attitude shown to me during the last few years. Take Care of yourselves, my chat friends. Keep safe.
I wish you all a happy and joyous New Year.
I know not if you will care
To remember this man
Coming and singing with no intent
Off and on at your door.
Time flows on,
So long as I am here,
I like to see the flash of a smile
Of sudden happiness on your face
If and when we meet,
My songs yearn after that.
Flowers blossom in spring,
Wither and fall in its wake.
The gift of fullness in the transient moment
Expresses their sole purpose.
But my days will come to an end,
The light will fade into dusk,
Melodies faint away to cease,
And the Veena retire to rest.
Till then let me sing
So long as I am here.
Won't the gift of your smile delight
and fill in these playful float-some moments?
This song was written by my favorite poet in Bengali, R N Tagore, long before I was born. Since then, the song has been translated into many languages. The one posted above was translated by Subrata Majumdar.
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Our Winter Visitors.
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Posted:Dec 19, 2022 7:38 am
Last Updated:Dec 25, 2022 2:21 am 22641 Views
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Winter, the most pleasant season in my country has since arrived officially. It will continue till mid-February next. It is slowly tightening its grip on the entire country. During this period; average temperatures would vary between 11–20ºC (52–68ºF). In the extreme north of Bangladesh, temperatures may come down even to four/five degrees centigrade. Night and morning fog is already engulfing some parts of our country. However, it is yet to hamper plying of river boats or landings and take off Airplanes.
This is the season when migratory birds, our regular winter visitors, start flying back to seasonal habitats in different parts of our country. Some of these birds take monumental trips over the Himalayas, flying thousands of miles from countries like China and Russia to different wetlands in my country every year.
Appended a number of photos of such birds in flight may please be seen. A flock of painted storks can be seen on a wetland located in the northern part of Bangladesh. These birds look colorful, have enormous bills, and long legs, and of various shades usually arrive early every year. Photo #5 depicts two flying Sea Gulls looking for food on shores during winter time. They are not migratory birds.
None of these photos were taken by me. I have posted below the names of the photographers who have shot these photos.
Photo Credits:Rajib Raihan
Ali Ashraf Bhuiyan
Mostofa Shabuj
Palash Khan
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16
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The school where I studied 74 years ago
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Posted:Dec 16, 2022 6:59 am
Last Updated:Nov 7, 2023 2:56 am 20611 Views
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Here below is the photograph of my school where I was sent by my parent to get myself educated 74 years ago. The year was 1948. It was a few months after the British rulers left the sub-continent leaving it divided and fragmented. Bengal, the province where I was born was not also left intact. It was also divided into two parts. The bigger part was called East Bengal (Now Independent Bangladesh). The western part is still known as West Bengal which is now a province of India.
The building that is seen in the appended photograph can no longer be found where it was located when I was a student at the school. Barisal Zilla School was a famous landmark in the Barisal town where I grew up.
I did not know when the school building was demolished. I used to visit Barisal at least once every year till 1997 to see my parent. I stopped visiting my hometown regularly (it is now a crowded megacity) after my mother passed away in 1997.
It took almost a decade before I went to visit my ancestral home again. As usual, the driver of the car preferred to use the road in front of the school to take me to one of my close relatives 's home when the school compound came into my view. I was shocked to see a flat field where my school building was supposed to be standing. I could not believe my own eyes! I asked the driver of the car to park the car on the roadside. I opened the door of the car and went out. My cousin who was traveling with me came out of the car too. I asked him what happened to (he was also a student of this school too) our beloved school building. He told me that the building was demolished a few years ago Then he showed me the multi-storied buildings built a little distance away from the old building and told me that our school has now 2300 students and the old building accommodations were not enough for so many students!
Barisal Zilla School has a long historical background. The school was founded on December 23, 1829, by Mr. N. W. Garret with only 8 students. The name of the school was then “Barisal English School”. The management of the school was taken over by the government in the year 1853 and named Barisal Zilla School. It continued to flourish under government management until 1891 when the school was handed back to private management and was renamed Barisal English School again. But in 1906 it was once again brought under government management and once again it got the name Barisal Zilla School.
The old school building complex was built over a land of 20 acres in the year 1853. The building is not standing there now. I wonder why the building was demolished when it could have been preserved as a national heritage. Barisal Zilla School was the First High School of the Barisal Division. It is one of the best schools in Bangladesh. It will be 200 years old in the year 2029. The school produced many leading local reformers, politicians, statesmen, philosophers, poets-writers, bankers, educationalists, and sportsmen. The teachers of Barisal Zilla School taught me and many others how to be good humans. I shall remember them till I depart for good from this planet called Earth.
Photo #1: Old School Building.
Photo#2: One of the new academic Buildings.
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Happy hunting wild honey- a dangerous occupation!
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Posted:Dec 8, 2022 10:59 am
Last Updated:Dec 25, 2022 3:21 am 15804 Views
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I wonder, how many people know which is the largest mangrove forest in the world?
The name of the world’s largest mangrove forests is “The Sundarbans Reserve Forests”. These forests' four protected areas are enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The sites are: viz.
Sundarbans West (Bangladesh),
Sundarbans South (Bangladesh),
Sundarbans East (Bangladesh), and
Sundarbans National Park (India)
The name Sundarbans is derived from the tall mangrove Sundari tree that grows in these forests in large numbers. The area where the forests are located is known as the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta—the largest stream delta on the planet earth. Here the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers discharge waters into the Bay of Bengal. The region is also known as Bengal Delta.
The purpose of posting this blog is not for telling you details of the forests which are the habitat of The Royal Bengal Tigers.
If one travels through these forests, one will come across a large number of honeycombs (Bee Hives) hanging from the branches of some of these trees.
I intend to tell my readers about honey and honey gatherers. Records say that honey collection began in Sundarbans in 1860.
In the 2020-21 fiscal year, 580,240 kgs of honey and wax were collected from the Sundarbans by the honey gatherers who are called ‘Mowalis’ by the human habitants of the Sundarbans region.
The people who live in this region have a complex relationship with their habitat. Sundarbans mangrove is no different. Though the forests provide the inhabitants with livelihoods and protect them from natural events like cyclones, the forests are also places where one can face dangers beyond imagination. The jungles are full of predators like tigers, crocodiles, poisonous snakes, and other dangerous animals.
' Mowalis' collect wild honey from the Sundarbans from April to June every year. Gathering wild honey may sound like a normal occupation. But it is not a normal Job. It is a dangerous occupation. When the Mowalis move about in the jungle looking for beehives, they run the risk of meeting a Royal Bengal tiger. They go there to collect wild honey fully knowing well that they are in prime Tiger territory.
Before the honey collectors enter the forests, they follow a generation-old custom. They seek the blessings of the jungle deity irrespective of their being Muslim or Hindu. The forest Goddess is known as “Bonbibi”.
The honey collectors use tree leaves and twigs as a smoke-emitting torch to scatter away the bees from the hives. Some of the pictures appended depict such torches.
Photo 2 depicts a person wearing a yellow shirt blowing a buffalo horn. The horn is used for signaling fellow Mowals.
It may be mentioned again that wild honey collecting is not an easy job. It is a risky part-time occupation. These wild honey collectors are fishermen but like to collect wild honey. During the off-season, they earn a livelihood by catching fish.
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A Daytime Scene
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Posted:Dec 2, 2022 4:04 am
Last Updated:Jan 9, 2024 9:31 pm 16083 Views
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Photo Friday-- Another view of my neighbor's Apartment building.
A daytime view of our neighbor’s apartment is seen through the two tall coconut trees standing in our garden. The photo was taken by me this afternoon. Branches of a Mango tree could also be seen in the photo. All these three trees were planted by our mom 42 years back this day. She passed away in the year 1997. The building was not there when the trees were planted.
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17
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Views From Da Nang and Hoi An, Vietnam.
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Posted:Nov 30, 2022 5:12 am
Last Updated:Oct 10, 2023 5:32 am 15767 Views
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Syam, my Malaysian friend, has been visiting Vietnam now along with some of her family members. She has also been keeping me informed about the progress of the journey by sharing photos taken by them.
The first batch of pictures that I received from Syam, is all shot at Da Nang and nearby places.
Da Nang is located in central Vietnam. It is a coastal city in Vietnam famous for its sandy beaches. Being a French Colonial port, Da Nang has past history too.
The name Da Nang sounded rhythmic to me when I first heard the name over BBC broadcast in the year 1965.
The news was about the landing of US troops in Vietnam. The day was March 8, 1965, when the US landed its first combat troops in South Vietnam. 3500 Marines arrived to defend the U.S. air base at Da Nang.
What happened next is known to us, and especially to the people living in former Indo-China, and the United States of America.
Tourists often use Da Nang as a transit stop. They don’t know what they miss out on by doing so. Da Nang is now a metropolis that has high-rise buildings like other megacities of the world. The nearby tourist spot is Hoi An which is an hour away from Da Nang.
Both destinations have historic sites to see and explore. Hoi An offers a tourist a European feel. It has also sandy beaches like Da Nang.
Now, I take the opportunity to post below the photos sent by Syam one by one with short notes on each.
# 1. The tallest statue in Vietnam, Lady Buddha, is located at Linh Ung Pagoda, Da Nang. The statue is also known as the Chinese Goddess Kuan Yin. It is 67 meters tall. The statue leans on the mountain, facing the sea, the kind eyes looking down, a hand exorcizes while the other hand is holding a bottle of holy water like sprinkling peace to the offshore fishermen.
# 2 & # 3. Da Nang night market of International Food. Perhaps no introduction is needed.
# 4 & # 5. Views from the top of Ba Na Hills, a unique Experience with French Culture.
# 6 & 7. The Golden Bridge. It is a 150-meter-long (490 ft) pedestrian bridge in the Bà Nà Hills resort, near Da Nang, Vietnam. The bridge loops nearly back around to itself, and has two giant hands, constructed of fiberglass and wire mesh, designed to appear like stone hands that support the structure. Syam, standing on the golden bridge. The hands of Buddha hold up the bridge.
# 8. The Dragon Bridge. The bridge is over the River Han at Da Nang, Vietnam. It has been designed and built in the shape of a dragon.
# 9. Syam and company
# 10. Marble Mountains. A cluster of five marble and limestone hills, Ngu Hanh District, Da Nang.
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Dhaka Street Food
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Posted:Nov 23, 2022 7:08 am
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2022 1:22 am 16342 Views
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Street Food
According to the English dictionary, the term ‘Street Food’ means:
“Street food. noun/food that is cooked and sold in public places, usually outdoors, to be eaten immediately.”
The term street food arose from our need for quick access to light food to satisfy hunger. These are ready-to-eat foods available primarily on the streets of a city and offered by vendors.
Dhaka Street food, especially those offered in Old Dhaka, is famous throughout the country for its diversity and mouth-watering flavors.
A large number of food carts cooking or making mouth-watering treats by the road/street can be seen in the areas having recreational facilities and or educational institutions in Dhaka and other cities of my home country.
Here below posted are the names of some of the popular street snacks in Dhaka City:
#1. Fuchka
Fuchka is the most sought-after snack in Dhaka. It is also known as “Panipuri” to some. It is a thin hollow crispy small round bread stuffed with fillings. The fillings are tasty too. Generally, such a feeling could be either mashed potatoes or chickpeas and has a tangy and spicy flavor. A fuchka would not taste well if it is not dipped in tamarind-infused water before eating. It could be hot if chili powder is added to the fillings.
#2. Chotpoti
Chotpoti is another popular street snack liked by us, young or old. It is widely consumed by the urban population. Ingredients, that are mainly used to prepare Chotpoti, are potatoes, chickpeas, and onions, which are topped with chili slices, coriander leaves, cumin, grated boiled eggs, and tamarind chutney. It tastes yummy hot.
#3. Jhalmuri
Jhalmuri (spicy puffed rice) is another popular Bangladeshi snack served in a paper cone called ‘thonga’. Besides the puffed rice, other ingredients of Jhalmuri are thin cucumber pieces, roasted peanuts, mustard oil, and a few drops of lemon juice, all mixed.
Raj Kachori, Bhel Puri, and Sheek Kabab are also popular street foods/snacks in Dhaka. But Fuchka, Chotpoti, and Jhalmuri top the list.
Readers may please see the pictures of this Dhaka Street food below for forming a ready idea about them.
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A Peaceful Sleep!
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Posted:Nov 20, 2022 4:55 am
Last Updated:Nov 9, 2023 4:15 am 16076 Views
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Is not the person sleeping under a mosquito net on a footpath bed a careful one?
He knows how to protect himself from mosquitoes, especially Aedes mosquito bites during early daytime in a city with a rise in dengue fever.
The person, a Rickshaw Puller, also knows how to protect his Rickshaw van from getting stolen while he sleeps on the footpath!
The photo was taken a few days back by Reaz Ahmed Suman and published in a local newspaper.
The street is almost empty. No traffic police could be found there.
The Rickshaw puller happens to be a lucky one.
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The Return of the Red Jungle Fowls!
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Posted:Nov 17, 2022 6:06 am
Last Updated:Nov 23, 2023 4:23 am 15993 Views
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Please look at the male red-feathered jungle fowl in the photo below. It appears roaming majestically accompanied by three of its female species in the forest that was once the home of these birds' ancestors!
The birds are not domesticated chickens. They were born wild and returned recently to their old home in the Lawachhara forest of the greater Sylhet district of my country.
These wild fowls were seen in this jungle in large numbers before the gas explosion that occurred in the year 1997 in the nearby Gas field. The explosion and the subsequent fire not only killed a large number of the birds but also destroyed their habitats. The species had disappeared from the area after the explosion. They could hardly be found here in this forest even a few years back.
The red jungle fowls began to return after the forest reclaimed over the years what it once lost. Their numbers are increasing now gradually. The streams of the forest are alive now. The forest authorities consider these birds as protected species. No poaching is allowed here.
Photo: Collected. Source: The Daily Star, Dhaka
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