The ‘Porabari Chom Chom’ a famous and legendary Sweet

Once, the Tangail Porabari chom chom was famous throughout the Indo Pak sub-continent. The very name of Porabari chom chom still bears the old glory of Tangail. It has an eternal appeal to all. The color of this sweet meat is as like as the color of a brick. The Porabari chom chom is one of the world famous sweet for its extreme sweetness, uncommon taste and flavor. It is of various designs and shapes. Tangail has got a special recognition in the world from the British domain for this uncontested sweetmeat.

Porabari is a village. It is situated about four kilometers west from Tangail town. Its sight is calm and quiet. The village was named Porabari because the house of a sweet maker businessman was burnt (Porabari means “burnt house”). Nobody can ascertain the name of the man who first made this sweet meat. It is known that a man named Dasarat was the first sweetmeat maker in this village. The Ghosh and Pal tribes were engaged in the sweet meat industry generation after generation.

From the old sweet makers and sweet traders it is known that once there was a launch ghat at Porabari. The bank of Dhaleshari is a branch river of the Jamuna. Steamers, launches and big cargoes anchored there. Men of different position and taste used to come to Porabari. Once, Porabari was a thriving business centre where men including luxurious living gathered all the time. The fame of the Porabari chom chom sweet is not a matter of recent years. It has been reigning for more than one and half centuries. The Porabari Chom Chom sweet was full of taste and juice as like as the honey of the bee hives. It is said that a man (Dasarat by name) or an unknown Thagore coming from Asam first started to make chom chom with the sweet water of Daleshary mixed with the thick milk of Porabari. It can be cited that the taste of chom chom is mainly dependent on the taste of the water of Porabari. The secrecy that lies behind the preparation of chom chom of Porabari is the water of Porabari.

This is why the same sweet makers of Porabari failed to make sweets as fine as that Porabari in other districts. It is the water of the Dhaleshary that is responsible for gaining reputation in making the famous sweetmeat chom chom.

The position that was occupied by the chom chom of Porabari from British dominion in India is going beyond the possession of Tangail due to various adverse reasons.

The sons and grandsons of Khuka Ghosh of Pach-Ali bazaar always supply with the fresh and pure chom chom. They supply with chom chom at the price of 100/120 taka kg. They send their sweet meat to 40 shops in Dhaka and Mymensingh regularly. Besides, in many shops of Dhaka and Mymensingh the Porabari chomchom are supplied from the real proprietors. On the other hand, about two hundred or more shops have business of Tangail Porabari chom chom only on the basis of sign board. They actually do not have the pure sweet meats of Porabri. They are supplied with adulterated and impure sweets and they sell them under the sign board of Tangial Porabari chom chom. Now it is the race of the government and the industries set up at Porabari to take immediate measures to protect the prestigious industry and the long tradition Tangail from failing.

The story of a dying forest - Madhupur Forest on the brink of destruction

The story of a dying forest

According to the book ‘With the Wild Animals of Bengal’ there was once panthers at the Madhupur forest. Today, there are timber thieves, banana and rubber plantations, dacoits, a shooting range, and blaring speakers. It won’t be long before someone will need to write its obituary, writes

Hiking down the highway from Dhaka to Mymensingh and Tangail, trees line both sides of the road giving a semblance of abundance to the Madhupur forest. Monkeys venture out in small groups to steal bananas that are travelling on the back of vans, heading to different marketplaces.
The image of abundance is, however, an artificial front. A few steps inside the forest lies hundreds of hectares of barren land, dead roots sit in place where large trees once stood, while banana trees, pineapple trees and other fruit trees, cultivated for human consumption, have replaced the age-old indigenous trees of the forest.
Thousands of priceless and exotic trees at Madhupur have disappeared thanks to illegal tree-fellers and corrupt forest department officials. In the guise of social forestry, officials are planting trees which are affecting the ecological balance of the forest. A firing range in the middle of the forest creates noise pollution severely compromising the environment of the forest.
Most residents say that the forest is fading away and what stands there today is nothing compared to what it was even 20 years back. 62 years old Monjuri Rema from Jalchatra village said that the region was a luscious forest in 1988, however over the years timber thieves plundered the trees in the forest with the help of forest department officials. 'The native jungle has been replaced by barren lands and later types of plants unsuited to the environment were planted in the name of social forestry'.
Adivasi leaders, local villagers and environmentalists claim that inside the Madhupur Sal Forest, other plant species have made their way into the forest land under the euphemism of ‘social forestry’ but are all plantations in essence. Although the forest is made up of different plant species ranging from tall trees to dwarf bush foliage the introduction of unfamiliar plantations may not be suitable for the soil of a particular forest and hence affect the ecological balance.
As awareness of global issues such as climate change and the dire need for forest conservation grows, the local residents around Madhupur Forest have become more vocal in their protests against deforestation. They allege that with the help of forest department officials, vested interest groups are wiping out the forest drastically. These residents living in villages surrounding this once majestic forest claim that the illegal felling of trees is rampant.
The traditional sal forest has vanished in most parts and thousands of acres of the government protected Madhupur National Park has been destroyed by timber thieves who pay local forest officials to fell trees every night.
These areas now suffer the threat of extinction through forest encroachment and tree felling, but the crime rate has also increased at an alarming level. People from the villages are now scared to wander through the woods during the evenings for fear of muggings, murders and abductions, a frightfully frequent occurrence. They say that dacoits come from within the forest to stop local buses and tourist vehicles to steal all their valuables. These criminal activities also intimidate the local people and conservators thereby helping the tree fellers to continue with their crime to wipe out the forest.
Assistant Conservator of Forest in Madhupur, Rabindranath Odhikari reassures that although tree felling does occur, it does not occur at an alarming rate. ‘Tree felling is rampant around the border of Mymensingh and Tangail but not in any other area. We normally do not go in that area due to security reasons. Banana cultivation has dropped down after joint forces started patrolling some areas. But it is true that the 10 km strip road from Rasulpur to Dokhna area has deep forest starting from the area called Pochish Mile and there is considerable amount of robbery going on. Even I was assaulted while planting seeds and they broke my car window’.
Philip Gain, head of the Dhaka-based environmental rights NGO Society for the Environment and Human Development (SEHD) claims that the introduction of plantations, the monoculture of teak, rubber, eucalyptus and acacia has had horrendous consequences on these native forests. The ‘social forestry’ that was initiated in 1989-1990 was preceded by rubber monoculture that destroyed a significant part of the sal forest. This is one of the primary reasons of forest destruction.
Philip Gain, Adivasi leader Ajoy Mree who is the chairperson of Jayen Shahi Adivasi Unnayan Parisad, Habibur Rahman Chan Mia - a member of number nine Oronkhola Union Parisad and other local people believe that the new plantations in the name of social forestry is a farce and cannot contribute to the flora of the forest at all. In Bangladesh, monoculture plantations of teak, rubber, eucalyptus, acacia, pine and other plants are very visible in the public forestland. Termed as ‘simple plantation forestry’, it is not so simple, as it requires clear felling of native forests at the time of its establishment. Clear felling at harvest time is also a basic feature of simple plantation. This leads to catastrophic effects on the environment of native forests.
According to Ajoy Mree, the destruction of Madhupur Forest did not happen all of a sudden: The destruction was the result of bad short-sighted decisions over a number of years. It started with a rehabilitation project for 150 families in the local community around the forest area in 1962. During 1977 a firing range for the Bangladesh Air Force was built using 500 acres of forest land. Under Ershad’s government in 1986 rubber plantations were introduced using 4000 acres of forest land. In 1989 the government’s new ‘social forestry’ project was implemented thus quickening the pace at which the deforestation was occurring.
Bringing this rapid deforestation to an eventual halt will require immediate action. According to Mree, ‘all influential people and politicians have to pay heed. There needs to be more transparency within the forest department and officials need to be less corrupt. There needs to be more awareness about forestation and the importance of conservation among the local Bengalis, indigenous people along with the officials within the forest department and law enforcement agency, and most importantly, there needs to be immediate forest protection to prevent tree felling’.
He added that the native people used to live on a variety of mushrooms, medicinal plants and they used to collect dhup from sal trees and sell them. Other than that, the leaves of many trees were used to make decorative plates for serving food during festivals. Branches of trees were collected to use as fuel for cooking and also to make thatched houses. All of this has stopped now due to deforestation.
Furthermore, a controversial wall was planned around Madhupur National Park which will evict more than 6,000 adivasi people from their ancestral land and thousands more will be deprived of their traditional livelihood.
Another local villager, an environmentalist, requesting anonymity, blames the officials within the forest department and law enforcement agency for their indifference. In other forests, visitors are not allowed to blow whistles let alone have picnics with loud music blaring from speakers but everything is made possible in Madhupur National Park. The park is littered with candy wrappers and garbage. The firing range practices almost every week creating immense noise pollution also contributing to an ill-balanced ecology.
Experts believe the government needs to introduce a buffer zone around the Madhupur forest. The buffer zone, a barrier surrounding the forests where no human habitation would be allowed, provides more protection than a wall as the zone would consist of a large area where the forests thinned, and a wall is easily penetrable.
Villagers like Shekhar Mrong (42) and Md Jahur Ali (39) have heard of projects like Nishorgo in forests such as Lawachara, which is not only a forest conservation but a place that provides income generation to the native people by hiring them as ‘paid patrollers’ to protect against tree fellers. This additional income allows these people to initiate small businesses like weaving, handicrafts etc.
‘There is a dialogue with Nishorgo to start their project here. They have already started preparing maps using satellite images but I don’t know when their project is scheduled start’.
According to a Nishorgo handbook, the Madhupur Sal Forest, which has captured the cultural diversity of Bangladesh with members of Garo and Koch descent, endangered Capped Langur, the Wild Boar, Barking Deer, 11 types of mammals, 38 species of birds, four types of amphibians, seven reptiles and 176 species of plants within an area of 8,436 hectares is experiencing huge forest and animal loss every year.
This Madhupur Forest once contained rare animals like Panthers, as described in the book ‘With the Wild Animals of Bengal’ by Yusuf S Ahmad, who entered the Imperial Forest Service in December 1925. To many forest conservators, Madhupur might be a dying forest but if it can be conserved, our future generations will be able to enjoy a well balanced country. Maybe while walking through the hiking trails within the forest, we will be able to see birds chirping, apes brachiating and foot prints of exotic cats like the panthers, rather than barren lands will candy wrappers littered hither and thither.

Delta of the dead - Hurricane SIDR demolishing Bangladesh's coastal area

Delta of the dead

visits Bagerhat district, one of the worst-affected cyclone-hit areas in the country and discovers how people are living without food, without water, without a roof, dead human, animals and trees surrounding them, absence of aid and being cheated of relief and finally, to compound their miseries, the fear of tigers

illustration Shibu Kumar Shill photos Andrew Biraj/Sanaul Haque/Focusbangla

The victims of hurricane SIDR which left thousands dead and many more thousands homeless, now live under the open sky, under inhuman conditions, without food, water and shelter. Along the shores of Baleshwar River towards Shoronkhola in Bagerhat district – one of the worst cyclone hit regions- the sight of human and animal corpses floating around has become a common scene. There is a sinister silence, which often breaks in a loud cry, howling and tears of a family as they are recovering dead bodies of their family members.
Those who are still alive on the broken embankment of Shonatola village of Southkhali union in Shoronkhola not only face the very real risk of starvation and no shelter but must also now consider the fact that hungry Royal Bengal Tigers are prowling in nearby villages. Drawn to the stench of dead human and animal bodies - the tigers now pose a threat to the homeless.
‘Not only have we not received any food supplies since Monday (November 19) but now, those of us who are alive are running for our lives like mad, as tigers are coming out from the forest, smelling dead bodies of human and cattle,’ said Ilias, a resident of Shonatola village on the night of November 21 over the telephone while one could hear the cries of hundreds of people in the background.
‘We have already fired four rounds of shots and have successfully gotten rid of the tigers trying to attack these villagers,’ assured boatman Enayet Hossain of the forest department later that night.
The cyclone Sidr ripped through the southwestern coast on November 15, killing over 2997 people till date and demolishing houses, crops, vegetables and trees alike along its trail of devastation over an area of thousands of square kilometres.
Packing winds over 220km an hour, the fierce tropical storm roared across the shoreline after it hit landfall at the Khulna-Barisal coast at 7:30pm that day, cutting off all communications and utility services across the country.
The cyclone left its mark of devastation on 133 upazilas, 962 unions, affecting 31.44 lakh population of about 8.87 lakh families. The storm killed 2.42 lakh livestock and completely destroyed crops on 23,122-acre land including six lakh metric tons of Aman. According to the estimate, 2.73 lakhs houses were totally flattened, with 58km roads totally destroyed and another 1,363km damaged.
The shrimp farms at the badly-hit Morolgonj and Sharankhola upazilas in Bagherhat were extensively damaged, with the financial loss expected to reach Tk 500cr.
The night, for most survivors, was horrifying.
‘There were announcements over the microphone about the number 10 signal, in the market, but we did not believe it as the one about the tsunami did not happen,’ says Md Milon Howlader, a businessman, who owns a phone-shop. ‘Most people thought it was a phoney announcement, and, we all thought that SIDR would hit on Wednesday night and did not expect anything on Thursday. It was very windy and gloomy from the morning, followed by drizzle and wind. But when it was 8:00 pm and we started to hear the wind roaring like a helicopter taking off, my relatives from the cyclone shelter called me to say that even the cyclone shelters are shaking’.
‘At around 9:00 pm, as I peered outside my house, I was left in disbelief when I saw my neighbours – husband and wife- thrown apart by the heavy wind. It was a horrifying scene where they were trying to save themselves but could not hold on to the branch of a tree and soon got washed away’, Milon added.
‘I too did not believe that it would be so devastating’, says Shahjahan Khan. ‘We were sleeping and did not quite realise what was going on outside. However, at 10:00 pm when my house started to shake vigorously, I came outside with my family and just found ourselves drowning. By then, the water had come up to my waist. We somehow managed to struggle and stay safe from the storm’.
The cyclone caused the country’s power system to collapse completely, triggering a knock-on effect on piped water supplies, telecommunication and filling station operations. It was not until the morning of November 17 that the first reports of devastation began to emerge.
‘When we reached Khulna on the morning of November 16, we were welcomed with fallen electric polls and trees. There was very little wind and the atmosphere was heavy with grief,’ recalls one photojournalist.
‘Almost all the ponds in sight were filled with dead fishes floating at the surface. We went to village Goara in Katakhali by bus from Mongla and saw four dead bodies. We assumed that there were no major casualties until we visited Rayenda and Tafalbari in Bagerhat the following day on November 17,’ says Khulna city resident Ismail.
‘The sight there was even more horrifying. There was very little light and three to four feet deep soggy mud. Cattle were dead all around and then we saw a huge line of graves where at least 70 dead bodies were laid to rest. Thousands of people were swarming the cyclone shelter in Tafalbari with dead bodies all around them.’
‘The people around were discussing stats and facts- who saw the largest number of corpses and who could identify the bodies.’
‘Moreover, when we thought that was it, news came that Shoronkhola is the worst hit area, where at least thousands of people were reported dead,’ added the photojournalist.
On November 18, traveling by trawler from Morolganj towards Rayenda Bazaar, Gabtola and Southkhali of Shoronkhola one could see scattered people sitting by the edge of the river, all in agony and shouting for help and relief. Acres and acres of land totally demolished – trees fallen, houses washed away, dead animals on the ground and floating in the river - devastating carnage left by SIDR. Villagers were terrified by the rumour that another cyclone- Nargis- was slated to hit the coastal area by the end of November.
At Rayenda Bazaar, local traders were in a state of extreme distress. They lost huge amounts of money during the disaster.
‘At least four to five members in a family of eight to ten people died or were swept away by the roaring waves,’ said Ramjan Ali. ‘It has been almost three days and we are yet to receive any food and aid. We have been living on contaminated water since the cyclone hit.’
They added that only the goods that were stored 10 feet above the ground could be saved.
‘Only six people survived in my family of ten and this area does not have enough cyclone shelters to give refuge to all the residents. One shelter can accommodate 1500 people at the most and then even if we do get space, we are crammed in like animals,’ says Abul Kashem (55), a local businessman.
Millions of survivors of the decade’s deadliest cyclone kept struggling for food, drinking water and shelter four days after the nightmare. Tens of thousands of people in the worst-hit southern districts such as Bagerhat, Barguna, Jhalakati, Bhola and Pirojpur were going without food as no relief goods reached the remote islands and chars. People living in accessible areas were living on whatever little amount they received since the cyclone and tidal surge battered them.
A huge number of residents from Rayenda Bazaar complained that till that day on November 19, there was no food, water or first aid for the injured, or treatment for the severely wounded. Moreover, helicopters were seen landing and dropping relief material, but those were all quickly locked away by the Rayenda Bazaar union parishad chairman. They said that they all went to get water purification tablets but that was also in the hands of musclemen of the influential people.
The streets and the water from the ponds have been stinking of corpses.
They all asked whether aid will be coming as it was Monday and they still had not received any support. ‘Even today we brought down a dead body of a woman holding her dead child from a nearby tree, ’a local man said.
A more sinister scene awaited at the next destination, Southkhali. Around 1000 recovered dead bodies lay on the ground. All the trees lay uprooted while one could not see a single house standing in sight. Around 50 people had taken shelter over the almost broken embankment as they got tents from a relief team and their howling made the atmosphere even heavier with pain and suffering.
Even here, victims complained that only a few fortunate people were receiving relief materials. In a display of badly planned relief distribution, packets of biscuits were being thrown at a group of a thousand people. ‘Look at them throwing those biscuit and cake packets at us as if it is written on the packets ‘catch me if you can’, said Kuddus Mridha (40) despairingly. When some of the victims got agitated jumping in for relief materials, local hoodlums beat them up disparagingly.
‘Influential people are treating us as if they are playing a game,’ said one villager.
A number of the victims then complained that influential villagers were taking away most of the relief items while most sufferers remained hungry and thirsty.
Nasrin Akhter (40) and Shahjahan Khan (50) said almost 200 people living near the river shore require immediate medical attention and that it would take three to four days for a number of doctors to treat them. On average, eight out of ten people in a family died or had been swept away. This would have not been the case if the embankment had been built stronger by width and ten feet higher than what it was before the storm lashed the whole village.
Southkhali has a population of 40,000 where almost 17,000 are voters. There are 10 cyclone shelters, which is not at all sufficient, and eight out of 10 villages in Southkhali have been totally demolished. 2000 plus dead bodies have already been recovered from a missing 3000 informs Mozammel Hossain, ex-chairman of Southkhali Union on November 22.
‘And the Sundarbans being only 30 minutes away from that locale is making it more risky for the villagers to remain outside as the fear of tigers and dacoits lay strong,’ added Hossain.
Even with all these afflictions, the people of these areas are passing each moment with a hope that aid will arrive. Be it from their own countrymen or those from other lands, this one glimmer of light, amidst the darkness of death, despair and fear, are helping them to survive.

Deshantori – Unite for a better Bangladesh

Deshantori - Unite for a better Bangladesh
watches Deshantori, realises the frustrations that plague the youth and comes out believing that we must unite and stay in Bangladesh for a better country

Deshantori, meaning migration is a heart-wrenching documentary film depicting frustrations of today’s youth. The whole documentary is based on the viewpoints of the present day young generation, followed by commentaries and interviews of popular youth idols like Professor Mohammed Zafar Iqbal, eminent writer Anisul Haq and others. The film, written and directed by Sujan Mahmud and Mridul Chowdhury, was shown on August 5 at the University of Liberal Arts (ULAB) Film Club at the initiative of a citizen’s platform, Phiriye Ano Bangladesh (PAB), an organisation launched by expatriate Bangladeshis and the concerned youth of the country. The movie quite clearly passes the message about few of the most talked about issues in today’s socio-political Bangladesh – youth frustration due to lack of insufficient education, pervasive unemployment, dysfunction in society, bad politics, corruption and subjects leading to migration, brain drainage and the aftermath of illegal immigration. The soundtrack heavily relates to each of those phases with songs and biting dialogue. The movie opens with comments and thoughts of what the young generation aspires to do and how these dreams, often gone awry, take them to a place about which they had no clue. But, it soon turns out that, as the frustration of the youth mounts up due to unavailability of employment, the chief desire becomes going abroad for higher studies or settling in a foreign country to pursue a better life. For obvious reasons all this is fuelled by the line: Oparey te shorbo shukh amar bishhash (all the peace is on the other side). However, the reason for such behavior is nicely explained by Dr Zafar Iqbal, Anisul Haq and other interviewees; and, the gist is, we Bangladeshis are brainwashed from our childhood into thinking that everything domestic is inferior and everything good is from abroad – it seems that the tag, foreign or Bideshi is synonymous to something which is superior. But, the absence of a proper educational infrastructure, corruption in every aspect and joblessness are the key factors frustrating the young and motivating them to opt for migration. Media presentation of the west is done with so much glamour and razzmatazz that the scenes depicting life in first world nations seem to spell out only contentment and luxury. Bangladeshis do not get to know the harsh truth and reality that life in the West characterises; and, the truth is, life there is not built on infinite pleasure and limitless fun. In the film, as Maqsoodul Haque’s piece plays in the background symbolising political instability and disturbing trends in our socio-political environment, the following lines become only too meaningful: Pala bodol koreyi khomota dokhol aaj babsha Bangladesh e, doliokoron ar manush er moron choleche haat e haat rekhe…pochish bochor porey korunar drishti te bishho takiye ache…dusho ti bochor pichiyechi matro tatey bishher ki jai ashey (taking turns to come to power is the staple business in Bangladesh. Partisanship and killing are going hand in hand. And after 25 years of liberation, the world looks on us with pity. We’ve fallen behind by 200 years, what difference does it make to the world? The interviewees say that even working as a labour in foreign country is better as there is no form of security living in this country. The film then takes a turn and portrays the ordeal of 26 young Bangladeshis who set out on an illegal journey to Spain after giving a huge amount of money to unscrupulous middlemen. This true story of 26 desperate men moving through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in December 2004 is a harrowing tale of human endurance. At one point, those men were forced to resort to eating their own feces and, later, were forced to resort to cannibalism, just to stay alive. As the interviewees were asked to speak up, the words of Hyder Husyn’s song Ki dekhar kotha ki dekhchi…ki shonar kotha ki shunchi? Tirish bochor poreyo ami shadhinota takey khujchi encapsulated the spirit of the documentary. The film kept on repeating that there is no proper leadership in our country, no form of true patriotism exists and people do not want to take responsibilities. But, this is followed by a solution too - we need to fix our own problems and since we have a huge advantage to our side – the asset of human resources, we have to learn to utilise that resource to make a difference. At this point, Dr Zafar Iqbal says, ‘my mother may not be very pretty but that doesn’t mean I will start calling another beautiful woman my mother. Basically, we have to bring that sense of patriotism, which is very urgent right now.’ C R Abrar, professor of International Relations in Dhaka University said, ‘due to cutting edge information technology, mobility has increased. People are opting for migration to increase livelihood options and this is not only a phenomenon here but worldwide’. ‘There is a demand for unskilled and semi-skilled labours in first world countries and those countries should introduce proper channels. They should increase appreciation towards this need for migrant labour. This migration is taking place in the spirit of globalization’, Abrar added. Tahmina Khanam, one of the co-producers of the film said, ‘this film has been officially released and screened this year and it will be screened at various other universities including BRAC University on August 7, Independent University of Bangladesh (IUB) on August 30 and it will be screened at Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Dhaka University, World Bank office and other places. Moreover, the organisers, mainly the PAB members are looking for volunteers around the country who will help screen this documentary with a message.’ It was very evident from the comments of ULAB students that this should reach the masses. The movie ends in a high note. The concluding few minutes play lines of Maqsoodul Haque’s famous song which translates into – Inform everyone in the country, put graffiti on all walls that we have to go to war again. To a few of us, who felt the film’s theme, this means exhorting the youth of the nation to work together and pull down the monolith of dysfunction…once and for all.

Rickshaw Art

A little history about rickshaw

As a mode of transport rickshaw was first introduced in Japan in the early twentieth century. This mode of transport became particularly popular there due to the Second World War situation, which made petrol and motorised transport scarce and expensive. Japan, however, had soon replaced rickshaw, nintaku in Japanese, with motorised vehicles and by the 1950s the cycle rickshaw had disappeared from Japan. There were also rickshaws in china at that time.In the 1930 and early ’40s rickshaw became popular in Indonesia, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries. Rickshaw is said to have reached Chittagong from Myanmar in 1919. Interestingly, rickshaw did not spread out to Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh from Chittagong. Dhaka got rickshaw from Calcutta, where it was first introduced around 1930. European jute exporters living in Narayanganj and Netrokona (in Mymensingh) had first imported cycle rickshaw from Calcutta in 1938 for their personal use. The new vehicle roused great curiosity among the people of Dhaka, who were traditionally used to horse carriages, palanquins and city-canal boats.

Peoples’ art

In eighties to nineties the elites of Bangladesh scorned rickshaw art as vulgar while at the same time many fine artists of the country took it seriously as an expression of the taste and interests of the masses. What sort of art is rickshaw art? I consider it “peoples’ art”. It is not necessary to force it into a unitary category as it combines folkloric, movie, political and commercial imagery and techniques. It serves the expression of heart’s desires of the man in the street for women, power, wealth, as well as for religious devotion. Rickshaw art also serves prestige and economic functions for the people who make, use and enjoy it.

Simple but eye catching

Art moving by on wheels needs to be bold and eye-catching. Rickshaw artists aim to decorate the vehicles with as much drama and colour as possible, and paint images that are both simple and memorable.

Blaze of colours

Rickshaw is not only moves with the passenger and other load, but it moves with a museum full of folk arts. Every inch of the Rickshaw is well decorated with paintings, tassels, tinsel and colourful plastic and hood works. Rickshaw hoods, foot holds, seats and in the back side, even in frame and in chassis there is a sign of art. A painted rectangular metal board at the backside, between the two wheels, leaves a trail of passion that the Rickshaw artist puts in his creations. In a word a Rickshaw of Bangladesh is a burn of colours.

Bangladeshi blogs

List of Bangladeshi Blogs- from The 3rd World View

on Bangladesh affairs and general issues

The 3rd World View One of the pioneers in Bangladesh blogging and most vibrant. The blogger, Rezwan, stays in Germany with his heart in Bangladesh

Or How I learned to Stop Worrying-discourse on Bangladesh and beyond of Mashuqur Rahman who lives in Washington
bangladeshblogger- a technically advanced bangladeshi blog

on politics and current affairs

Megh Barta-An online forum for activism edited by Anu Ahmed

Unheard voices-Voice of expatriates -Dristipath group-about all things Bangladesh

Shada Kalo-a running commentary on bangladesh politics

Info.com.bd- a blog of RTV

In the middle of nowhere- expressions of an angry young man from Bangladesh who is now residing in USA and who could see beneath the surface of an issue

Dristipat writers collective - the young intellectuals blog

Xanthis is made in Bangladesh

Isa Khan’s Blog- keen on cross border relations

Politicobd.com-on corruption in Bangladesh politics

On economy
Bangladesh Economic News

Hobby Economist-On global business & economy

Bangladesh Textile Residency-Ismini Samanidou and Gary Allson on their residency on Textile in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Development Research Centre

On corporate culture

Bangladesh corporate blog- analysis and information on corporate business in Bangladesh

on personal accounts

Here I am – m@q’s journey through life

Random musings..or..fashionable self-righteousness- Fariha is an occassional blogger

Life in Eskaton – sketch of life by Shoaib Alam

Born from the ashes of blood- a different look at life by Shohana

AISajib-a young and enthusiastic blogger

Think & Grow rich- Shimul with high hopes and emotions

Fug’s blog – from UK

Bangladesh 2020 – bangladeshiheart with an eye to 2020

Life as I Know It-Intiza’s blog on improving the world and improving the innerself

Noman47′s weblog-who feels pain for Bangladesh

Kapalikana- blog of kapalik who loves to travel in jungle

Lipna’s world-a bangladeshi girl’s dream based in New York

Imperfect world-Shafiur stays in Uk, travels the world and discusses the events of the world as he sees it.

Niaz blog- Personal diary of Niaz at present based in Dublin

Xitu’s blog- an interesting personal blog from Xitu of Bangladesh

Lights & Shadows -thoughts and feelings of a life

on Yunus- the Nobel laureate

yunusphere.net-Though not of Bangladesh origin, Sabine and Lilly from UK are expanding Dr. Yunus sphere of influences by promoting Social Business and Grameen principle of ‘Credit without Collateral’

studyunus.net- a discussion into the studies of ‘Creating a world without poverty’ and social business

on ICT & telecommunication:

ZSapan;s blog -On tecnology and personal accounts

Brook Song- a blog on ICT, not on poetry

JIPL Blog- conversation with JOBS-ICT private Limited

IT 4 Hope -Information technology with positive social impact-From Sabine with an eye to Bangladesh

Netty Gritty- Sanjida’s blog on blogging tips, wordpress ticks, web tool, web resources etc

SathRong-for web design and graphic design

Nafiainfosys-an offshore software development house

Sandhi’s writing – is a collection of Muhammad Arefin Sandhi’s articles on technology, nature, environment and science in leading newspapers of Bangladesh

TechnologyUpdate- a blog with with updated information on technology

on Climate Change:

Hungrytide-blogging on climate climate change from Bangladesh

Is anybody listening? – a dristipath blod on climate change and its impact on south east asia

on financial management

golam morshed – financial management consultant for third sector, based in UK

on academic/research support:

ReportBD.com- a blog for reports,assignments, case studies and term papers

Bangladesh Debating Council
-for improving the culture of debate in Bangladesh

Group Blogs/Blog directory/Social blogging:

E-Bangladesh – based in London a news/headlines service and a group blog aimed at bringing the news and analysis from Bangladesh to its readers

BD Bloggerz-m@q’a great attempt to float a directory for all bangladeshi bloggers

somewhere in.. -Pioneer Bangla platform

Sachalyatan A Popular Bagla social blogging

Alochana Online -a daily participatory discussion on the events of Bangladesh

on energy:

Energy Frontier – news and views on energy sector of Bangladesh
Energy Bangla Exploration of porspect, progress and problem of energy sector in Bangladesh

on agriculture, health & nutrition:

The vegetable blog – an unrelated chronicles of a country called Bangladesh

on Photography::

ShahidulNews- Musings by Shahidul Alam

Geoffrey Hillar-Photgraphs and notes from Bangladesh of a Fullbright scholar

Salman Saeed Bangladeshi Photographer

monirulDiarywitness my eyes

on Fashion::
Aneeta’s style notes-on fashion trend in Bangladesh

on Art:
Fahana’s blog Farhana is a fine miniature artist based in USA

Samad’s artwork- A blog by TE Samad on artwork and dogotal composition. Samad stays in UK

Life in Toons- a look into the cartoons by Asif

Cartoon Studio- A cartoonist look at life and events by Arifur Rahman

on Tour and Travel:
bdholidays- a bangladesh portal for tourism

Meandering Memos- a traveler’s account – some are on Bangladesh

on Community Development:
Voice of the South- an online platform for south asian community development

Transparency for Development-for bringing transparency in business to rural Bangladesh

on NRBs

ScholarsBangladesh.com
Linkedbd- an website for professionals of home and abroad
EB2000 Expatriates Bangladesh 2000

On Poverty

Uncultured.com -An wonderful project to alleviate poverty by Shawn

On space & astronomy

Space & Universe: An intense discourse on space by Emran Khan of AIUB,Dhaka.

List of Bangladeshi Blogs

I know it has been more than a year since I last compiled the list of notable Bangladeshi Blogs. Bangladeshi Bangla Blogs have been growing at a exponential pace. However the blogs written in English did not grow much. As usual some good blogs have ceased to exist and some excellent blogs have surfaced.

So I have done some house cleaning and here is the list (arranged in no particular order) :

Blogs in English:

AMERICAS:

Active:
* Or how I learned to stop worrying -USA
* Shada Kalo - USA
* In the middle of nowhere - USA
* Dhakaশহর - USA
* Inspirations and creative thoughts - USA
* Abeer -USA
* Sajeeb Wajed Joy - USA
* Lungis.com - USA
* Ashiq's Blog - USA
* the chronicles of rabab-ia - USA
* Anthology -USA
* Green, How I Want You Green -USA
* Ajaira Pechaal - USA
* Amra Kojon Around The Clock - USA
* My thoughts - USA
* Blog Cabin - USA
* First we take Manhattan -USA
* Words & Bites -USA
* Bid Chronicles -USA
* Jagrook Bangalee -USA
* The Muse -USA
* Universe of Disturbance -USA
* Tacit -USA
* Xanthis -USA
* Mezba's blog -Canada
* A sunshine too brief -Canada
* The Bengali Fob says -Canada
* ..>Insert clever title here<.. -Canada
* Captain Chaos - Canada
* Bangladesh Watchdog -Canada
* Only Three Notes -Canada

Dormant:
* Naeem Mohaiemen/Shobak.org - USA
* Life in Champaign - Urbana - USA
* Ahsan's rant - USA
* Optically active - USA
* Mudphud chickness - USA
* Sajjad's weekly blogs -USA
* Beyond my mind - USA
* My Days - USA
* Blissful days of my life... - Canada
* Ipshita’s blog -Canada
* Faruq Faisel -Canada

AFRICA:

* Bangladeshi in Ivory Coast

EUROPE:

Active:
* E Bangladesh -UK
* imperfect|world|2008 -UK
* Addafication - USA & UK
* Serious golmal -UK
* Past Present and Future -UK
* BangladeshWebBlogs - UK
* Bangla in use globally - UK
* Fug's Blog - UK
* My Dear Bangladesh - UK
* No more shisha - UK
* The Thing About This Is... - UK
* Journal of a Disturbed Mind -Norway
* Easy come easy go, little high little low - Sweden
* Tasneem Khalil - Sweden
* Skakia's spot -Sweden
* Gagan (From My Lil Window) - Finland
* The 3rd world view-Germany

Dormant:
* Cathersis -UK
* The color of rain -UK
* Me, myself and Bangladesh - UK
* Thought, and thereafter -UK
* Bangladesh and our thoughts - Ireland

OCENIA:

* Mukti - Australia
* Ulta manush -Australia
* AuddieLand - Australia
* C'est la vie -Australia
* Tan Curve -Australia
* My World -Australia
* My Readings -Australia
* One Knowledge, One Work - Australia

EAST ASIA:
* A sneak peek into Yawar's mind - Malaysia
* Glittergirl -Singapore
* Journey2Infinitive -Singapore
* Nadine Update -Singapore

SOUTH ASIA:

Active:
* ShahidulNews - Bangladesh
* An Ordinary Citizen - Bangladesh
* Life in Eskaton - Bangladesh
* Bangladesh from our View - Bangladesh
* Tahmina's Weblog - Bangladesh
* Dhaka Dweller - Bangladesh
* Bangladesh Corporate Blog -Bangladesh
* Creating the Longest Marketing Idea Chain in the World -Bangladesh
* Bangladesh and Media -Bangladesh
* South Asia biz -Bangladesh
* Law Chronicles Online -Bangladesh
* The Bangladesh poet of impropriety -Bangladesh
* Shah Zaman Mazumder's Blog - Bangladesh
* Angelmorn - Bangladesh
* eLeCtRiKbLuEs - Bangladesh
* Dhumay Adda - Bangladesh
* The story teller -Bangladesh
* Bangladesh Blogger - Bangladesh
* Bangladesh Talk - Bangladesh
* Little dogs day -Bangladesh
* Scattered words -Bangladesh
* Himu's Window -Bangladesh
* Bitter sweet symphony -Bangladesh
* Black and grey - Bangladesh
* Conversations with an Optimist - Bangladesh
* Nothing to lose and Nothing to gain.. - Bangladesh
* Ideas for brighter Bangladesh - Bangladesh
* Why did Bangladesh cross the road? -Bangladesh
* BD Fact -Bangladesh
* Promethean Dreamer - Bangladesh
* Lifeless Ordinary -Bangladesh
* Dhaka (underground) -Bangladesh
* Ondhokar theke alor pothe -Bangladesh
* Khan is Khan - Bangladesh
* Cruel, crazy beautiful world - Bangladesh
* Of the world and boiled eggs - Bangladesh
* Monwar's Blog - Bangladesh
* Russel's cyber journal - Bangladesh
* Bunch of me - Bangladesh
* Abar Zigay - Bangladesh
* Desh calling -Bangladesh
* Life, dreams and reality -- Sohel's blog
* The crystal cave -Bangladesh
* Boolean Dreams -Bangladesh
* Hasan's blog -Bangladesh
* blog.sanjoykumar.com -Bangladesh
* Khorshed Khokon, MBA -Bangladesh
* The Urchin's Own - Bangladesh
* Ashraf's Column - Bangladesh
* Naz's Diary - Bangladesh
* Nawed - Fortunately Unfortunate or Unfortunately Fortunate -Bangladesh
* Shaon's Weblog -Bangladesh
* Hatti Matim Tim -Bangladesh
* Share the Magic -Bangladesh
* Maverick Tanvir's Journal -Bangladesh
* Back to Bangladesh -Bangladesh
* Global Experiences -Bangladesh
* pieces of me... -Bangladesh
* Shananaus -Bangladesh
* Nisshobdo Rati -Bangladesh
* Bangladesh: The Competent Land -Bangladesh
* Kapalicana - Bangladesh
* My Bangladesh - Bangladesh
* eduBangla.com, Education anywhere! - Bangladesh
* BanglaFootball.net - Bangladesh
* Joy Bangla Blog - Bangladesh
* Here I am… - Bangladesh
* EngineerRower in Bangladesh - Bangladesh
* Ahmad Ferdous Bin Alam - Bangladesh
* Arif's Blog -India
* Annabelle -India

Dormant:
* Adda - Bangladesh
* The song of my life - Bangladesh
* Close your eyes & try to see- Bangladesh
* Ahsan's Laboratory - Bangladesh
* Apache007 - Bangladesh
* Fun And Jokes with Morals - Bangladesh
* Ex Nihilo -Bangladesh
* Just another day -Bangladesh
* Spoony Writer -Bangladesh
* S Mehreen's digital portfolio -Bangladesh
* Mishuk’s Perspective© LIVE from Dhaka - Bangladesh
* Brainstorm - Bangladesh
* deshi Blog - Bangladesh
* Shawrav's Blog - Bangladesh
* Imran Hashim's Tech. Blog - Bangladesh
* Dak Bangla intelligence scan - Bangladesh

Organization Blogs, event blogs and journals on Bangladesh:

* Unheard Voices - A drishtipat group blog initiative -USA & UK
* Drishtipat Writers Collective
* The Progressive Bangladesh
* Joy Bangla: Events and Travel in Bangladesh
* BRAC Blog -USA
* Concern Worldwide, Bangladesh
* The Dhaka Project
* LiveJournal Bangladesh community blogs -Mostly USA
* Adhunika Blog -USA
* Shuchinta -USA
* Cehtona 71 -USA
* GUPSHUP -USA
* Onnesha.TK
* Disha Bangladesh -Bangladesh
* Free Sheikh Hasina
* Change Bangladesh - one step at a time -USA
* Bangladesh Military Forces Blog
* Somewhere in Dhaka
* Lamb School - Bangladesh
* BlueNote
* The Chobi Mela Files
* Global Voices Online on Bangladesh

Blogs by persons of Non Bangladesh Origin on their experiences in Bangladesh:

Active:
* The uncultured Project
* Morris the pen
* bideshi blue
* What's cooking abroad?
* Expanding Dr. Yunus’ Sphere of Influence…
* Haseen♥Mawa♥Views
* Akash and Nila
* Madame Boss
* MikeyLeung.ca
* The Dhaka diaries
* Window on my world
* Gabrielles Blog
* banglabravader
* Kristin Boekhoff
* Bangladesh Connections
* Wading Through Water

Archive:
* A Whisper from the heart
* Root: Adventure in Bangladesh
* Bangers and mash
* Bangladesh backchat
* Dhaka diary
* Sarah's boble
* Dana in Bangladesh
* The Yacoub ramblings v.2
* To Bangladesh and back
* Kelly in Bangladesh
* Bideshi blonde
* The world around
* Bdeshini
* Bangladesh Barta
* Lucy in Bangladesh
* OrangenSaftNotiz.de -In German
* Aumi in Bangladesh -In German
* Alex and Jake in Bangladesh
* A Blank Page
* Benji Braves Bangladesh
* Lyndsay Hersikorn
* Adventure in Bangladesh
* Roland's Journal

Some notable Bangladeshi photoblogs:

* Nazzina
* Desher Chobi - The face of my motherland
* Dhaka Daily Photo
* M A K Photo
* Andrew Biraj
* Palash Khan

Blogs in Bangla

Blogging Platform, directories and aggregators:
* বাঁধ ভাঙার আওয়াজ-The largest Bangla blogging platform with thousands of blogs in Bangla
* সচলায়তন-Online writers forum in Bangla
* আমার ব্লগBangla Blogging Platform
* এভারগ্রীন বাংলা ব্লগBangla Blogging Platform
* প্যাঁচালী - বাংলা ব্লগিং প্লাটফর্ম
* বাংলা ব্লগস্ - list of Blogs in Bangla script maintained by Debashish
* বাংলা ইউনিকোড ব্লগ Bangla Unicode Blog Aggregator
* গ্লোবাল ভয়েসেস অনলাইন: পৃথিবী কথা বলছে। আপনি কি শুনছেন? - Global Voices Online Bangla Version

Bangladeshi:
* না বলা কথা
* উত্স সন্ধানে
* …করি বাংলায় চিত্কার…
* ছেঁড়া পাতায় কথামালা
* আসিফ আহমেদ অনীকের বাংলা ব্লগ
* অমি আজাদ
* সসংকোচ প্রকাশের দুরন্ত সাহস
* আমি এবং আমার পৃথিবী
* পুড়ে ছাই ধ্বংসস্তুপ থেকে বেঁচে উঠি পুর্ণবার
* রয়েসয়ে
* নিরিখ বান্ধিলাম দুই নয়নে……
* বিবর্ণ আকাশ এবং আমি….
* ভয়েস অফ বাংলাদেশী ব্লগারস
* এইটা তোমার গান
* প্রাত্যহিক ভ্যাজর ভ্যাজর
* কবিয়াল
* অজ্ঞাতবাস
* ধৃসর গোধুলী
* সাধক শন্কু
* বলো গো
* মোকাবেলা
* খিচুড়ী ব্লগ
* আড্ডা
* ভালবাসা
* হাজার বর্ষা রাত………
* কাকশ্য পরিবেদনা!
* আধুলি জমানোর ম্যাচবক্স
* কীন ব্রীজে গোধুলি এল অন্তরালে কালান্তর ভোর
* দিল কা লাড্ডু
* অনন্ত ন্বপ্ন
* ..খেরোখাতা..
* যাপিত জীবন
* বাংলা ভাষী
* বাংলা ভাষা
* সুহ্রদ সরকার
* সম্ভাবনার মৃত্যু ঘটুক … নতুন সম্ভাবনার তাগিদে
* সীমাহীন সংলাপ
* যূথচারী
* আলী মাহমেদের ব্লগিং
* মাহবুব সুমন ও তার অগাবগা বচন
* শুভ্র প্রকাশ পালের ব্লগ
* অলস বিকেলের শেষ রোদ
* শেঁকড়ের সন্ধানে
* টকিজ
* খসড়া কবির খসড়া কবিতা
* আমার ভাঙা পথের রাঙা ধূলা
* স্বপ্নলোক
* হিডেন হার্ট
* ত্রসরেণু অরণ্যে
* গ্লোবাল মিডিয়া
* আমাদের কথা -নারী জীবন বাংলা ব্লগ
* New Gaul Order -USA
* Ontorjatra
* আলোকধেনু
* জিকোবাজি
* কাপালিকানা
* আবজাব
* মুক্তাঙ্গন: নির্মাণ ব্লগ

Indian:
* স্লোগান দিতে গিয়ে
* আমার কিছু বক্কা
* খোলা জানালা
* মনের পাতা
* ট্রিভিয়াল বাইটস
* ধূসর ফিনিক্স …এবং কোমল গান্ধার
* বিবর্ণ কবিতা
* জীবনানন্দ দাশের কবিতা

More Bangla online Links here

The school of joy - school in dinajpur earning international aga khan architectural award

The School Of Joy

returns from Dinajpur fascinated by the architecture of the premises of METI School, which is considered a breakthrough in architectural design and is also inspiring the villagers in future development

The nine projects that won the prestigious 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture ranges from a sustainable residential tower in Singapore to a village school hand-built by local craftspeople in Dinajpur. Built in four months by members of the local community and volunteer architects from Germany and Austria, the school makes use of easily available local materials like mud, straw and bamboo to create a new model that is being touted as an architectural feat.
The first sight of METI (modern education and training institute) school in Rudrapur, Dinajpur, can very easily be mistaken as an ancient, exotic, temple or structure from the land around the Himalayas. On a sunny morning, the school building basks in the glowing light and looks like an institution of happiness. Wrapped with the energy mesh of sun’s rays, colourful drapes and the fort-like architectural composition, it spreads an over powering message - learning with joy. Even at night, when the full moon shines, fireflies play, and the insects make music with their sound; the school structure stands as a blissful architecture of modern time.
Headmaster and chief facilitator of METI School, Prodip Francis Tigga said, ‘from the commencement of the METI School project in autumn 2005, visitors have eagerly come to observe the construction and fell in love with the amazing use of local materials like mud and straw, instead of bricks and cement. It seems to have left them very curios and fascinated’.
‘The school places an emphasis on helping children develop their own potential and use it in a creative way. The philosophy of METI is “learning with joy” and the teachers actually help children become innovative. Based on the principles of METI, all students actually religiously meditate every morning for a minute by closing their eyes to visualise their future and then discuss that with their fellow peers. This not only gives them a scope to think and have a vision but also gives them the power to dream of success’, Tigga added.
The architects for the project were Anna Heringer and Eike Roswag for their client - a local NGO called Dipshikha / METI non-formal Education, Training and Research Society for Village Development in cooperation with other organisations like Shanti-Germany and Kindermissionswerk (PMK). The project was completed in 2005. It needs to be mentioned that the METI School is the winner of the AR Emerging Architecture Award 2005 as well.
The school is a two-storey building, reflecting peace, because of the use of different coloured hangings, the spacious classrooms with bamboo-made blinds and designed in a way so that plenty of air and sunlight comes inside. The ground floor has three classrooms made of heavy mud while the first floor has two classrooms built with seasoned bamboos lashed with nylon chords.
Each of the three classrooms in the ground floor are connected through bolt-holes leading into caves by the walls. The caves are uniquely designed to make space as a retreat area for the pupils to read, concentrate and even snuggle up- to reflect and to meditate. The first floor has a view right across the paddy fields, over the pond and different types of trees. There is a tower attached to the classroom on the first floor to let the children conquer their imaginations and have a whole sight of their village- to decide what they want to do to improve their locale.
Stefan Neumann, civil engineer for Holst & Partner, Lubeck, Germany is also working in METI projects. He said, ‘before the earth could be used for the project, it first went through the sedimentation test which revealed that the soil in that area is mostly silt and a little bit of clay. To understand the structure of the soil and content of water in the loam, tests are performed to understand how much load the mud can bear’.
‘During the initial test of the mud, the ingredients were sent to Germany for testing. Finally, based on calculations, the loam is mixed with straw in the right proportion to make the formation strong enough for construction’, Stefan added.
This cheerful two-storey primary school uses traditional methods, incorporating Weller cob – walling technique; local and inexpensive materials of construction and adapts them in new ways to create light-filled beautiful spaces. The construction of the building brings out the best in locally available materials by combining them with improved construction techniques. Earthbound resources such as loam and straw are combined with lighter elements like bamboo sticks and nylon, lashed into shape to build a form that has sustainability and strength. This use of mud and straw is not only very environment friendly but the process can reduce the use of bricks, which, in turn, means, less pollution from the brick fields.
Anna Heringer the Architect and lecturer of the University of Linz in Austria was a volunteer of Dipshikha before graduating. She developed a starting point for the project ‘school hand made’ and after making a preparatory analysis of the village and developing it with three other students at Linz in 2002, she devoted her diploma thesis to a school building for the METI School in Rudrapur in 2005.
Heringer says, ‘when I first came here to work as a volunteer for Dipshikha, I spoke to the executive director of this organisation, Paul Charwa Tigga, who spoke about his vision of raising the living condition in Rudrapur. Therefore, designing and building METI School was the first trial. I always believed in the inspiring theme behind the construction of the school- “Children need firm roots and broad wings” the famous quote by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and tried to implement that thought.’
‘The aim of the project was to positively influence the image of loam buildings through a representative public building (which was decided to be the school). We wanted to improve the existing building techniques and to do that we had to construct something to learn how to improve it. We wanted to make it sustainable by utilizing local potential,’ she says.
‘So we started accordingly. Mud houses here have two major problems – dampness and rats- the rats literally dig up from the ground and in to the houses. The wholes made by them almost looks like Swiss cheese. To counter these problems, we gave brick foundation to the school and used Ferror cement and rammed earth, so that, even in the rainy season, the walls remain dry’, she added.
She continued that the main idea was to improve living standards by optimising resources and using cost-effective local materials so that the local people are benefited and can rid themselves of dependency. Plus, the use of mud, encapsulates the whole aura of our rural tradition. Local architects studying and practicing rural architecture like Khandakar Hasibul Kabir, a BRAC University lecturer of Architecture department and several students who graduated from that university who are working for the Dipshikha projects as volunteers have come in with their support.
She mentioned that their next project is to build residential houses out of mud like the METI School for the local people of Rudrapur. These houses would be two-storey mud duplex houses so that the residents use spaces vertically. This will ensure saving of spaces around the house for cultivation. They are also getting involved in capacity-building measures like the training of local workers and architects to use traditional materials and give practical knowledge which they do not get in the university. ‘The worst part about the BRAC University students who are working as volunteers here is that they are unpaid and do not get any credit for working in these projects. I remember our volunteer work here was accounted for in Austria and we got credit points in our bachelor’s course. This volunteering could be made open for other university students from architecture departments all over Bangladesh’.
The official Aga Khan Award website says that this prize for Architecture was established by the Aga Khan in 1977 to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies. The Award recognises examples of architectural excellence in all the places where Muslims live, in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and development, historic preservation, reuse and area conservation, as well as landscape design and improvement of the environment.
The nine recipients of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2007 are: Samir Kassir Square, Beirut, Lebanon; Rehabilitation of the City of Shibam, Yemen; Central Market, Koudougou, Burkina Faso; University of Technology Petronas, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Malaysia; Restoration of the Amiriya Complex, Rada, Yemen; Moulmein Rise Residential Tower, Singapore; Royal Netherlands Embassy, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Rehabilitation of the Walled City, Nicosia, Cyprus and School in Rudrapur, Dinajpur, Bangladesh.

Mask exhibition - Art Club in Bangladesh

Mask exhibition at Art Club Bangladesh

Mask – the word has a tremendous sense of anonymity in its very essence. Although used to disguise ones human identity, it also brings out the reflective imaginations dwelling inside the bearer, consciously or unconsciously. For example, comic legends Batman or Spiderman sport a mask that inspires heroic deeds while there are chainsaw wielding masked men in movies who commit massacres and run a chill up your spine. For avid masquerade enthusiasts to find their own prototype- whether a superhero or a serial killer, a mask exhibition is being held at the Art Club Bangladesh at Gulshan-2. The event will end on June 29. At the exhibition, there are many delights for connoisseurs as well as curious guests. Mask number 55 by Prakritajan Prajanma – an angry Frankenstein trying to unleash the mechanical beast from within, is a show-stealer. The very imaginative composition is composed of vivid colours on structure made of paper mesh, hairs made of electric cables, eyes of steel screws and bolts, eye lashes made of pins and goatee beard of nails. The mouth remains sewn with wires to prevent his ‘freedom of speech’. Seems disturbing? But honestly its very provocative while staring at it for more than thirty seconds. Another one was adorned by rickshaw plastic hangings giving the mask a very urban and colourful texture while others simply gave nearly all the popular expressions a man gives in his life time – anger, frustration, love, deceit, romance and even sexual. This exhibition is the product of a 10-day workshop for mask making by Prakritajan Prajanma and the students of Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts. The Art Club Bangladesh has undertaken the task of exhibiting these works of art to promote local artists and students, who struggle to get any publicity. Almost all the masks are colourful, characterised from imagination and our folklore and made of paper mesh – the output could have been much better if the media was different but nonetheless, over a white background wall and spot lights, all of them were gleaming with majestic pride. Kudos to the event. The exhibition will remain open from 11:00am to 7:00pm till June 29.

Hidden community of Bangladesh

Upon reaching the local bus stand at Ishwardi, an upazila of Pabna district in Rajshahi division, it takes 15 minutes by rickshaw to get to the Hospital Railway Colony and New Railway Colony of Fateh Mohammedpur suburb where the greater part of the of the Telugu community lives.

These people impress one as laidback in their colourful attire, rich with vibrant cries and laughter. Passing, one can see that most of the buildings are red brick, essentially one-storey structures and most dating back to the early 1940’s.

On arrival we were warmly greeted and welcomed in one of their homes in a tin-shed house with a big living area where they all gathered, mostly smiling and astonished faces of almost all ages to find out our purpose. Bright saris and lehangas hung from the clotheslines. We were offered steel plates bearing sweets made of brown and white sesame seed mashed with patali gur (jaggery).

The Telugu originate from South Indian Dravidians and they speak their own language. Many originate from Andhra Pradesh and today the most significant Telugu populations are in the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Chhattishgra. According to the elders of the community, almost 50 members migrated in the first phase and later more than 200 members followed due to economical crisis from Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattishgra, some parts of Jharkhand and Kharagpur region of West Bengal in India during the British period (between 1942 and 1945) and a large number of them have been living in Ishwardi and the rest in Dhaka, Bangladesh till now.

Their religions range from Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. Puja, Eid and Buddha Purnima are their prime celebrations and festivals. They are one of the most prehistoric ethnic groups found in India, existing prior to the writing of the Vedas and mentioned in the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics. They are also the largest of the Dravidian groups by population and Telugu, which falls in the central Dravidian language group, which is the most spoken of the Dravidian languages and the third most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali. They are today spread throughout India and abroad but the state of Andra Pradesh is stated as their homeland.

One of the senior members of the community at Ishwardi, Nadupuru Demudu (64) says the different sects or branches in the Telugu race are Kapolo (royal blood or Kapu), Malolo (Malla), Shaklolo, Shraslolo, and Matlolo. ‘Only three of the sects – Kapolo, Malolo and Shaklolo are inhabiting in Bangladesh,’ he says.

There are almost 22 Malolo families, two Kapolo and one Shaklolo family amounting to almost 400 people living at Ishwardi. Most of them work as sweepers. ‘Almost 3.5 lakh Telegus live in Bangladesh with heavy concentration in and around the suburbs of Rajdhani Supermarket, Gopibagh Railgate, Mohammedpur, Gabtoli, Syedabad, Mirpur Pongu Hospital College Gate, Gulistan in Dhaka city and in Pakshi, Bheramara, Khalishpur and Sylhet. Almost entire generations living here were born in independent Bangladesh. Most of them try to visit their original homeland once in two years,’ he added.

Nadupuru’s mother, at nearly 100 years is one of the oldest members of the community. Chinnamma had great difficulty coming inside the living area. She spoke in Telugu while Deoramma translated.

‘I was only a young girl carrying a child of five months when I first came here from India. That was after the Hindu-Muslim separation and most probably during 1945 and I still remember the train fare – only four rupees. My husband was working in the railway and he was transferred here in the railway office mainly due to the economical crisis that we were facing there.’

Deoramma and K Losmi (50) then talked about few of their dresses and special dishes, which although blended with the Bengali cooking style, still has certain hints of originality, which they cherish while dining.

One of their common items is the karya pata soup as alternative of our daal (pulses) while other original dishes are Sambaru or shambar as they call. That is followed by other items which they called ambli, simbri, and goddo.

Their dresses are very colourful and have an innate aura of cheerfulness – males wear uttareeyam, jubba (kurta), pancha (dhoti) and lungi while the women wear cheera (sari), parikini, and langa oni (half sari) which comes in bright shades.

Most Hindu Telugu people in Ishwardi get married between the months March and April, following the marriage date of Rama and Sita. It is auspicious to start wedding ceremonies after that date.

Nadupuru and J Ganga Raju (45) said most Telugu residents in Ishwardi are uneducated and they are facing plenty of problems finding jobs. Ganga said they have acquired a small piece of land to build a temple for the community but since their income serves almost hand-to-mouth; they cannot yet complete the construction of their shrine. ‘If we want to make the younger generation following religious beliefs and not go astray, we need to build this temple as early as possible, show them the right path. It would be great if we could get assistance from Dhaka.