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I have written editorials while being on summer vacation before. It is neither easy, nor difficult. My times are flexible even on vacations, almost just as it is while at home. The funny thing about vacations is that I get to observe a lot more people, and it is excitingly amusing. If you think tourists are different in different parts of the world, you would be correct, however, there are some common themes that are prevalent among all tourists!
Scene 1: Gas station. Relatively empty.
Here it is not a self-serve. So a car pulls-in to the pump and there is a gentleman who comes in and asks you how much. This, a person being there, who puts gas in your car, is a strange experience for many. Why?
Because in many places in the world, especially in the west, you go to the gas station (petrol pump) and put gasoline (diesel) in your car on your own. You either pay at the pump using a credit card or get inside and pay there. Here (like many other places) someone does it for you. Therefore, the problem is birthed.
Unfamiliar tourists come in and get out of the car. The attendant gets very agitated seeing that, tells the dude to stay in the car and let him do it. The dude gets confused and in turn makes the attendant confused. And as the confusion increases, the voices become louder and louder in decibel from both ends. Finally, both figure out what is what and the job is done.
I am next, I am familiar with the customs, as I have done it all the possible ways perhaps, the attendant does his job, and tells me while shaking his head and pointing to the just departed car,
-“fucking tourists!”
I smile. I am one too, but you just made my day!
Scene 2: Young couple, busy touristy area.
The dude is pushing a stroller with a 9 to 10 months old baby in it. There are steps everywhere. Stairs.., fairly high ones as well.
Not the whole world is built like the USA where you can push a stroller virtually everywhere!
Dad is struggling, Mom is expectant and tired at the same time. She just wanted a few pictures at the most famous spot in the area, but the stroller and the midday heat is making it really hard for the dad to accomplish both of her wants. I tap the shoulder of the dad, as I have nothing to do, and virtually an infinite amount of time and say,
-Can I take a picture of both of you using your phone?
Dad smiles, a smile of relief. I say,
-"My daughter can look after your baby and stroller for a few minutes, while you two can relax for a few moments and let me take all the pictures you like."
And I do it. They are grateful beyond belief!
Scene 3: Beautifully dressed young couple with an iphone selfie stick.
The young lady is fit, immaculately dressed in blue and perhaps can model for any fitness/health magazine. The guy, all nervous and also happy to be here, is wearing a blue suit and dress pants with a buttoned down shirt and, profusely sweating while trying to follow his girlfriend/wife to wherever she wants him to and pose. It is not easy to pose in the mid-day sun across a narrow alley, and look sexy at the same time. He is trying hard, she is natural at it. I am sitting at a corner bistro, and watch them rush from spot to spot. How amazing! They are not looking at the sites, not even holding hands in this ultra romantic spot of the world, unless when taking pictures, and yet it seems that it is somehow working out.
I don’t know what to say! I observe. Help if I can, but mostly observe. I see the following text written on a distant wall:
No rush, everything is happening just on time…………Universe!
A puppet on a string, manhandled by a mean-spirited puppeteer. You feel trapped, overwhelmed, by a bespoke list of duties that life has handed over to you. Judging from the weight of the tasks alone, sometimes we decide to shut oursevles off. Yes, the list might look intidimating at a glance, especially when the number of tasks are high. But remember, the tasks are always meant to be dealt with one by one.
Take a break if you need it, reset, reschedule, then just get busy again, the rest will fall into place.
Author 
We are also delighted to announce two honorable mentions of the week.
| Authors | Highlights |
|---|---|
 @hazmat | ONE TRUE GUIDE |
| - | - |
 @amberkashif | Couple Love- How to Nurture it? |
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কোনো নিজস্ব রচনার জন্য আমার কাছে "ভাষার" শ্রুতিমাধুর্য, ধ্বনি-দ্যোতনা খুবই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ বিষয়।
আর এই কারণে আমি চট করেই কিছু লিখে ফেলতে পারিনা। যেকোনো রচনার জন্য আমার প্রচুর সময় খরচ হয়। এমনকি এইযে, আজকের এই কথোপকথন, পর্যালোচনা এও বহুদিন ধরে ভাবতে ভাবতে আজকে এসে অক্ষরে রূপ নিল।
তো যা বলছিলাম, ভাষার প্রয়োগের বিশেষত্ব। আমার কাছে ভাষার ব্যবহারের ব্যাপারটা অতিশয় সূক্ষ্ম সবসময়।
এই যেমন হাইভের কথাই ধরুন।
এই যেমন আমি চাইলেই ইংরেজিতে ফটফট করে লিখে ফেলতে পারলেও (যেটা উপযোগী) অনেক রচনা আমি বাংলাতেই করি।
সুখপাঠ্যতা আমার কাছে অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ যেকোনো জিনিস লেখা এবং পড়া উভয়ের ক্ষেত্রে।
আমি লিখে যদি তৃপ্তি না পাই, সে লেখা আমি লিখিনা।
আমি কুমুদিনী বা কাদম্বরীকে নিয়ে বাংলায় কথা বলে যতটা তৃপ্তি পাবো, ইংরেজিতে সে ভাবটা সঠিকভাবে প্রকাশ হবেনা আমার কাছে। আমি উর্দুতে শায়্যরী লিখে যতটা তৃপ্তি পাবো, সেটা বাংলায় বলা অসম্ভব আমার কাছে। জাপানীজ ভাষার যে ভাবাবেগ সেটা অনুবাদের ধারে কাছেও যাবেনা। ইংরেজীর যে গতানুগতিক আবহ, সেটা বাংলায় আবার ঠিক যুতসই লাগেনা।
উর্দু আমার সবচেয়ে প্রিয় ভাষা। উর্দু আমার কাছে এক অদ্ভুত নেশা ধরানো মাদকতাপূর্ণ ভাষা। উদাহরণ স্বরূপ ধরুণ আমার এই উর্দু শায়্যরিট-ি
আবার আপনি যখন সুন্দর করে বলবেন "My Queen! Grand Marshal Zanyarin, at your service" ওই বক্তব্যটা ইংরেজিতে বললে যেমন একটা সুচারু কমনীয় রাজকীয়তা ফুটে ওঠে, বাংলায় অনুবাদ যতই নিয়ম মেনে হোক, ঠিক ওই ভাবগাম্ভীর্যটা কেনো যেনো পাই না!
এই যে আমি এত বাংলা বাংলা করি, অথচ আমার জীবনে চেষ্টা করা প্রথম বইটা আমি লিখছি ইংরেজিতে। আমি অনেক চেষ্টা তদবির করেও সেই বইয়ের গল্প, পটভূমিকে বাংলায় খাপ খাওয়াতে পারিনি। বলা বাহুল্য আমার কাছে বরাবরই ইংরিজি ভাষাটি আবেগ প্রকাশের ক্ষেত্রে বেশ কাটখোট্টা লাগে।
আবার বিশেষ পটভূমিতে এই ইংরেজি একদম অদ্বিতীয়, অনিবার্য যার একেবারেই বিকল্প নেই।
ঠিক সে কারণেই আমার ফরাসি ভাষা শেখার প্রবল ঝোঁক। ফরাসি সাহিত্যের ইংরিজি অনুবাদ না পড়ে বা দেখে, তা আত্মস্থ করবার এক আকুল আকাঙ্খা লেপ্টে রয়েছে হৃদয়ে বহুদিন ধরে।
মানে মোদ্দা কথা, প্রত্যেক ভাষার আলাদা সুরের দ্যোতনা, স্বকীয়তা ও শ্রুতিমাধুর্যতার ব্যাপার থাকে।
যেটা আসলে অনুবাদ, রূপান্তর যত সফলভাবেই করা হোক না কেনো, ঠিক সুখ পাঠ্য হয়ে ওঠেনা, অন্তত আমার কাছে।
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নভেম্বর ২৭, ২০২১। বুয়েটের কেমিক্যাল ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং ডিপার্টমেন্টে চান্স পেয়েছে ফাহিম। ইতোমধ্যে ব্যাচের একটা মেসেঞ্জার গ্রুপ হয়ে গেছে। মেসেঞ্জার গ্রুপে একজন একটা "ব্রেকিং ব্যাড" নামের টিভি সিরিজের রেফারেন্স দিলো, দিয়ে বললো কেমিক্যাল এ পড়লে ব্রেকিং ব্যাড দেখা মাস্ট। ক্লাস শুরুর আগেই ব্রেকিং ব্যাড দেখে ফেললো ফাহিম।
১৯৯৫ সাল। বুয়েটের সেরা সাবজেক্ট, কম্পিউটার সাইন্সে চান্স পেয়েছে ইমন। সীতাকুণ্ডের মফস্বল এলাকা থেকে ঢাকায় এসেছে ক্লাস করতে। প্রথম ক্লাস, বুক দুরুদুরু করছে। প্রথম ক্লাসের শুরুতেই স্যার জিজ্ঞেস করলেন "এখানে কম্পিউটার চালিয়ে দেখেছে কে কে?"। মাত্র দুই তিনজন হাত তুললো। নার্ভাসনেস চলে গেলো, এখন খুব স্বাভাবিক লাগছে ইমনের।
(১০০ শব্দে ২ কাজিনের জীবন থেকে নেয়া ছোটোগল্প)
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I need to vent.
Yes, like every other fine freaking fantastic ventilator that go vroom, inhale the hot air and exhale the cool air; I will do that too but just in reverse. Don't judge me - I have solid, valid reasons. Anyways, I'm going to shove my theatrics to the side and come straight to the point.
Why do people need to video a horrible accident?
The reporters would definitely record and broadcast the horrifying scene and let the world know. So shouldn't you (a very normal human being) get to somewhere safe? I get that it was a horrible accident, and you have been there, and now you're safe - thank goodness. But tell me one thing, why do you need to record it to post it on Facebook, Instagram, or whatever? What's the point of it? Okay, that's two things.
Now, why am I venting?
Usually, Fridays are my own chilling time - I rest and do whatever mundane things I like doing on Fridays while avoiding writing, but tonight is an exception. This particular Friday night while I was busy with my usual tidbits, a building nearby me caught on fire. I live 5 houses away from it. Two floors from ground to up caught on fire, and the inhabitants of the building and other buildings nearby got out in time. Fortunately, no one died, and no injuries. The fire department came and put the fire out with as minimal damage as possible, which was all fine and good. But, what wasn’t good was these particular types of people that made me look and think what the hell is wrong with you!
What basically pissed me off was the people with their phones holding up in the air recording the fire. The fire department had a hard time getting in because of said people - well, if they did step aside, they wouldn't be able to record it and let everyone on their social media know how big the fire was. Their post on social media was more important than notifying the gas department to shut off the gas lines to prevent the fire from spreading.
There is a big fire in front of you - either you help out, or you stay the feck out so others can do their job. Did your Facebook post help put the fire out? No. Did your post do anything to help with the damage to the building? Guess what? Noo. So what's the point of making this viral if it's not helping the people who were in danger or the property that's damaged?
What would you do if you were in a similar situation?
Well, there are so many things you can do. You can check if the gas and electric company has been notified so that the fire can't spread through wires or gas pipes. If they haven't been notified, then do something about it. But the most important thing you need to do is stay far, far away - yes, stay away, you do not need to make it viral. As surprising as it may sound, your social media posts will not help reduce the fire or bring help from other sources. In most cases, a Facebook or Instagram post does not bring more people from the fire departments to help put the fire out. Did I go and see how big the fire was - no. I could see it from my balcony, so I didn't feel the need to increase the number of spectators - however, I did try to contact the gas company like a few others. And I have no photos of the incident either - I don't think it would have helped, and I preferred to stay safe.
What I am trying to say is, if you can't help out, then stay out.
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Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, and almost 90% of its population is covered by the Muslim community.
Even with such a significant number, there are very few proper institutions where we can discuss or analyse our religion. Whenever we get stuck with religious issues, finding someone to ask about them is hard. Yes, I could ask our local hujurs, but it's no offence; sometimes they make me sceptical.
It is true that in most of our childhood, all of us took our religious lessons from masjids or maqtabs, and our learning was always stuck with how to recite the Quran, where we didn't get the chance to analyze what we were mumbling. So from childhood, we grew up with a massive knowledge gap about our religion, and for the lack of proper knowledge, we felt afraid to talk about it.
Now, if we bring our family's role in the religion, our parents mostly tell us to maintain the five pillars of Islam. They are always saying "namaz poro, namaz poro," but there isn't any explanation or application for these rituals. Most of them can't answer properly if I ask them what the definition of Islam is.
Islam is not only about maintaining the five pillars, but it’s also about your character. It is about serving and surrendering our ego to Allah. It is about connecting with Allah by believing and understanding that only Allah can take care of us no matter the situation.
But we, the people, are judging Islam by haram and halal. We are marking ourselves as mumin banda while cursing Hindus as malu, avoiding their bari's dawat in case they feed us their prashad, beating the stray dog as it takes away our wudu by getting closer to take your affection, giving nasty looks to our neighbor's daughters for wearing shari and tip, miking all and ruining peoples sleep in the name of spreading Islam's dawat, and imprisoning school teachers for expressing his ideology about religion. These kinds of religious extremism can be marked as one of the sole reasons our kids are becoming atheists.
As Muslims, we need to be optimistic, confident, knowledgeable, and ambitious. But our kids see us only spreading hatred in the name of Islam, and they can't sync religious ideology with real-life activities; thus, they drift away from religion.
So to become a proper Muslim, we can practice a few things. Like we can keep our family first on the priority list by giving them proper time, helping to develop our kids' basic characteristics, and taking the responsibility to teach them about Islam before handing them over to hujurs. Try to build a comfortable relationship where they can have your trust. So that when they get panicked or suffer from indecision, they will come to you first. Having a healthy relationship with your family is the basic element of Islam, where you not only teach your kids how to maintain the prayers but also show them how they can develop their characters in the light of these rituals.
We can also build our community by guiding our people on how to develop religious tolerance. Religious extremism is infecting so rapidly in both our social media and personal life that it becomes so hard for one to openly express their religious ideology; we get scared of thinking about how people will react to it.
Also, before judging the atheist kids, we need to look at their previous generation, because maybe they didn’t get the proper guideline to know about the aspects of Islam. Along with our holy book, we can analyse and explore other religions too to see if you can get any benefits from them. It will not make you any less of a Muslim. Lastly, we need to dive into the philosophical aspects of our religion and expand Islam by connecting it with our country's social, political and economical aspects. Then we'll see the proper implications of our Islam, where the next generation will be able to learn properly about our religion.
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Nowadays a lot of people seem to be looking for the “easy way out”, whether it be running behind the lottery, investing in a shady business for high profits, or just straight up scamming people and running off with their money. Now, I get it, the past few years have been tough, a lot of people don’t have jobs or a stable source of income, heck, even I fall into that category.
Yet, just praying for the lottery to hit, or straight up scamming people and running off, just won’t cut it. Sooner or later you’re bound to face the consequences, it’s inevitable, one way or the other.
Just remember...
Karma never loses an address – Anonymous
A bit of quick success and money disappears quite quick as well, I can barely name one or two people who’ve actually managed to hold on to the bag. Problem is, everyone wants it now, only a few actually work on long-term growth. We all want long-term results, from our short-term efforts, and sometimes we humans don’t even mind harming our own kind, just to get there.
So, be wary of the stodgy bunch. Don’t just focus on the numbers and blindly invest in a company or scheme, invest in the people, invest in integrity and ingenuity. Whenever you’re investing a hefty amount, try to take it slow, the slower the better sometimes. And of course, DYOR, a proper bit of research goes a long way. Sometimes an extra few minutes of digging around might just keep you out of harm’s way.
Just felt like sharing my little experience in the "local" investment/scheme department, not a good place to put your money in, not at the moment at least.
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I woke up early that morning but wished I hadn't woken up. Suddenly someone called my name, and I hoped that the name was not mine. Outside, the sun had not yet risen; it was dark, and there was amniotic silence around me, making the lightning inside me more restless. A small but destructive sentence has torn my heart to pieces. After uttering that one sentence, the rest of me turned into an uninterrupted metrical sequence, and it was nothing more than a monstrous sound.
I was trembling then; I closed the house door with the key in my hand, rushed towards the car, and started the engine. I began to drive fast, but there was a slight traffic on the road, slowing me down. I was trembling so much that the flash of memory in my head blurred my vision. All that was in my brain was pouring out; all our faded moments and laughter echoes were the most valuable thing to me, but I had never held them tight; I didn't realize then that I should’ve kept them. It was already too late when I realized it, and being unable to understand 'how it had happened was even more frightening. Nothing was more brutal than the oppressive sound of my heart in my monstrous abyss.
It has sunk so deep that time means nothing more, and my stability has lost value. But the reality is that it never was and never will be. I was too late, and I could never forgive myself for it. I thought I had enough time, but time is such a subtle dimension that it would be foolish for a man like me to underestimate it. Time is very precious, but I was so blind to realize it.
It was all my fault, I could have done it all right, but I chose to pretend to be blind. I took time when she extended her hand towards me. I saw him drown alone in that rain-filled and unimaginable valley. I asked myself, would it all come back to me if I could keep the value of time within me? Will it repay me with all the things I've already lost? Will it bring her back to me? Bring her back into my arms!!
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