The village bride

Translated by Kazi Rafiqul Islam
Written in Bengali: Bithi Rahman

The new bride in her veils moves to bring water,
Looks on the path with her lovely black eyes.
Sweet smile on the shy lips
The palace of dream seems to be within reach.
With a flower in her lock of cloudy hair
She walks along the village path on her golden feet.
No gold ornament in her body, still she shines.
The mother-in-law is like her mother; so she says
Let not the sun spoil your golden body.
Still she has to go to the pond to take bath
She is proceeding with a pitcher on her lap.
Also she will cook the items of her choice.

Bloggers profile (Students)

Farhana Rashid







"My name is Farhana Rashid. I come from 191/3 Malibagh Dhaka. My home district is Khulna. My date of birth is 5-7-1975. My father’s name is Abdur Rashid. He is a retired person. My mother’s name is Mahmuda Rashid. She is a housewife. I have three sisters and no brother. I am married. My husband’s name is Kamrul Hasan. He is a business man. I have two children, a son and a daughter. My son is 12 years old. He reads in class 6. My daughter is 2 years old.

My favorite song is Rabindra Shongeet. My favorite game is cricket. My favorite TV program is TV drama. I like romantic drama. My favorite book is the novel of Humayun Ahmed. My favorite dishes are chicken and rice."


Farzana Akter Bithi

"My name is Farzana Akter Bithi. I am a student of Nari Jibon in computer and English sections. My birth place is Dhaka. I was born in 29th January in 1985.

My mother is a house wife and my father is a Government service holder. I have four sisters. My family members are-- my father, mother and 4 sisters. I am studying in Accounting (honors) in “Siddashari Girls’ College”. My favorite hobbies are gardening and reading.

I knew about Nari Jibon from a relative of my friend. Their names are Shikha and Meghla. This project helps in many ways. It provides alternative skills to the girls and women. I knew about Blog from Nari Jibon for the first time. I think we will be able to develop our writing skills through this blog."

Asia Afrin Anni

"I am Asia Afrin Anni. I am fifteen years old. I was born in 19 December, 1993 at Khilgaon, Dhaka. I have no brother and sister. I live with my parents at Malibag Chowdhury Para. My father is a service holder and my mother is a housewife. Our family consists of three members. I studied at Siddheswari Girl’s High School from class 6 to 10 and also gave S.S.C examination from that School. Now I am taking courses at “Nari Jibon Project” on English and Computer.

My favorite hobbies are-- coin collection, stamp collection, reading books and watching cricket on Television. My favorite color is red and favorite book is “Shanta Paribar” written by Md. Jafar Iqbal.

I heard about “Nari Jibon Project” from advertisement. Nari Jibon Project” is an appropriate place which provides many facilities for the girls’. This project also gives training on Blog. Girls can express their gratitude, knowledge and ability to people, all over the world through Blog. I am a new student at “Nari Jibon Project”. Now I have a little knowledge on Blog."

A Great Woman –Dr. Kathryn B. Ward

Cross posted from Bangladeshi Women

Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and many others human being was famous for their sacrifice of valuable time, image, strength of mind and money. The woman awakening of bangle was thinking first time our admirable begum Rokeya Sakhawath Hossain. Just like that a great woman-- mother of Nari Jibon Dr. B. Ward thinks that the woman of Bangladesh should efficient to go away in advance to the long way. Besides that they need to be educated alternatively. We give her cordial respect and love.

She is an American, professionally professor and researcher. She had come in Bangladesh purpose on woman research. She came in Bangladesh and observed the weakness of Bengali women. She built up woman welfare basis organization`Nari Jibon project’ in 2005 with some kind hearted people of Bangladesh.

Welfare basis this organization cooperates to increase the skill and constructive work, such as-- computer, graphics design, photography, hardware, Bengali, tailoring and English Spoken etc. Such kinds of activities help a woman and never break off her progress to go front. So that they don’t need to depend on others. She could live as highly regarded person in society with lofty head and honour.

Nari Jibon helps the female to over come from defenseless and lead to move and stroll with proficiency. By dint of Nari Jibon, today I can browse Internet in spite of as a simple housewife. When I think that, I am a student of Nari Jibon and I feel proud. Here every teachers and students are female. So no gathering happens of male and female. This type of Nari Jibon office environment is very comfortable for women. I have no idea about the same type of organization is there in any other places.

As a good wisher, I strongly oppeal and demand from my core heart –should more expended the branches of Nari Jibon in other places, especially women who lives in villages. They could do better if they would get opportunity. Welfare related organization slighthy think for those type of woman as a result in spite of merit they are confined in a narrow area.

In the end, again I wish good luck to Madam and May Nari Jibon lives long, and it extends in all districts even villages in the whole country. Through her core helping every women of Bangladesh can be expert, active and self-confident. Dr. Kathryn B. Ward may live by the heart of skillful and successful women.

Good and bad of summer season

Cross posted from Bangladeshi Women

The summer season is the first season of Bangladesh. It is very hot in this season. It is getting hot day by day. Men become tired because of excessive heat. So in this season educational institutions announce summer vacation. In this time electricity goes out often and does unkind behave. Then older and children’s are suffer no bounds. We can’t use cyber cafe for the load shedding.

In the summer season- ponds, canals even the rivers get dried. For that we don’t get pure drinking water. Excess heat and impure drinking water cause of different kinds of diseases, like-- diarrhea, cholera and allergy etc. For this, many people dislike this season. In this time we wait for heavy rain. I like Rainy season.

Though, it is very hot in summer but many kinds of fruits are available in this time, like-Mango, black-berry, jack-fruits, litchi, water melon, palm, wood-apple, pine-apple etc.

So, this month is called of honey-month. Though all people stay in impatient in the summer, but all tolerate it for the juicy and delicious fruits. But the summer season does not suit me.

bloggers meet face to face in Dhaka, Bangladesh!

Cross posted from bideshi blue


Shaina, Shawn, Kathy y Kira @ Nari Jibon Project, Dhaka, June 2008

First, Rezwan (Berlin) linked to Shawn (Bangladesh). Kathy (USA-Dhaka) linked to Shawn and gave him some of her expat advise and in turn he gave a video workshop at Nari Jibon. David (todo del mundo y Rising Voices blogging grants) linked Kathy to Kira (Bangladesh, Africa, Venezuela) who gave a blogging workshop at Nari Jibon. Shaina’s dad (Florida-USA) sent Shawn’s link to Shaina (Sociology undergraduate, Florida State USA) who read about Nari Jibon in Shawn’s blog. Shaina sent an email to Kathy about volunteering at Nari Jibon in summer 2008, where she has been teaching English2 since May.

Second, in June 2008, Shaina, Shawn, Kathy, and Kira all sat together at Nari Jibon. Kira gave a Flickr workshop. You can read Shawn's thoughts and Kira's photos and thoughts on our gathering(s). Such are the intersectionalities of blogging and Dhaka.

Some Day poem

Some day

Zannat Ara Amzad

Her poem translated by Kazi Rafiqul Islam from Bangla in Amader Kotha blog.

Zannat is one of our award winning bloggers and students. You can see more of her english writing in her own blog, Zannat's World.

If some day

A stranger becomes known to me

If you and I spread our wings

When the sky is blue.

Eyes on eyes

All the untold words

Will turn into our love

On that day.

Whatever the day is

No matter what the time is

I will remove all barriers

Do play the flute of love.

Poem on 21st February

The morning of 21^st February

Sufiya Khatun

Her poem has been translated from Bangla--Amader Kotha blog--by Kazi Rafiqul Islam.

Sufiya is one of our award winning poets-essay writers-bloggers in Bangla and Rising Voices, International Women's Day Poetry Jam for her poem, "Priority" originally in Bangla, in Amader Kotha (Our Stories), first poem in this link or in this blog.

You can read more of Sufiya's blogging in Bangla on her Bangla blog, Moner Janala (Window of Mind)

Do not cry, o mother

Thousands of your sons are coming

Wake up to receive them.

This morning everyone is weaving

Garlands with flowers of their heart

Let the scene pacify, o mother

The pains for the lost son.

Prepare the bouquet of flowers

The morning star has risen

Souls of our brothers have come from the heaven

We have to receive them.

The red ‘Palash’ has bloomed

Also ‘Shimul’ on the branches.

Look o mother, my brothers

Are calling me.

Rafiq with a bouquet of flowers

Shafiq with a smile on the face

Salam and Jabbar in a happy mood

Are coming together.

Barkat is at the front

“O mother” he utters.

All of them have come to you, mother

Then what makes you cry?