Narijibon students/bloggers celebrated Pahela Falgun-3

After previous >>

In the Pahela Falgun celebration program, Jannatul Fardoush danced with one of the popular Bengali songs Bristi pore tapor tapor (pattering noise as of rain falling).

Narijibon students/bloggers celebrated Pahela Falgun-2

After previous >>

Israt Jahan and Sonia Akter danced with one of the romantic Bengali songs chupi-chupi bolo.

Narijibon bloggers: New Year resolution

Narijibon bloggers are wishing that the New Year might bring progress, prosperity, happiness, peace and success in everybody's life and some of Narijibon bloggers are sharing their New Year resolution.

Rahima Akter Hira says,

"In this year I will complete my courses on computer office program, graphic design, photography & English courses. I have another plan to do job. When I will get my certificates in all categories and then I will search job. I will also continue my study. It seems to me that learning has no age. Any one can do this in his/her life. And my New Year’s resolution is I will complete my study and pass my life peacefully."

Watch more from video...

Slum peoples of Dhaka city

Cross posted from Techna Tara

When the crop is over, lot of farmers & landless agricultural laborers faces unemployment and hunger in rural area of Bangladesh. Many of them migrate to big cities seeking of work & take shelter in slums with over-crowding, non-sanitary conditions, and various diseases. This video have taken from Malibaugh railgate slum area.

Nari Jibon 4th blog workshop - August, 2008

Yesterday, 29th august 08 was the 4th blog workshop of Nari Jibon project. David Sasaki, Director of Rising Voices was conducted this workshop. There are 15 bloggers and 4 staffs were present in this workshop. The motto of this workshop to increase student’s knowledge as well as to make them more advanced in blogging.

In this workshop, David Sasaki discussed and gives different tips & examples that how to use web link and technorati.com. He also showed the bloggers/students how to use it. He discussed about different search engines and shown them how to make link using html code. Through his discussions and showing examples on weblink & technorati.com to the students/bloggers, they are now well known & more effective about the web link. Now they can use it in their own blog.

Some pictures of this workshop:

David Sasaki discussing on web link and Technorati.com.

David Sasaki showing the bloggers how to make link in their post.

Video of this workshop:

Really, it was a great workshop for Nari Jibon. We are very pleased to meet with him in a person and earnestly thankful to him.

Lonely alone mother

Translated by Nilufa Parvin
Written in Bengali: Shahida Islam Mony

It seems to me very lonely, alone
I can’t realize why I feel so.
Life is very multifarious,
At times it is colored, again colorless
Why I feel so?
How sweet the people of the earth are!
How sacred they are!
But somewhere unholiness, vulgarity are concealed.
Mother cannot keep her child in the vicinity of her
Child cannot drop tears, keeping head on their mother’s chest
What a dalliance of god is!
Who knows?
Can you tell when, how this impertinence, misery will be removed?
Cause of this failure is that I am a mother?
Have I no power to keep my child in my neighborhood?
Law! It is also in opposite with mother in this country.
It seems to that after a definite age,
There is no right to live child with their mother.
How insufferable, ridiculous the incident of earth is!
The mother who doesn’t know law,
The mother who can’t become rebel,
She also misses her child.
So it should occurs that child of all mothers being mislaid
And to fill mother’s heart with loud lamentation.
What’s the benefit if I struggle?
What’s the gain if I glowing my chest with tears?
Who needs to go away he will depart,
Who likes to come back he will return,
But mother’s are groaning, weeping with her rending heart…
It’s only for mother
This silently abandoned alone shed tears only for mother
This is not for others.

Shahida Islam Mony has recited her own writing poem in the Narijibon blog workshop on flickr. Watch more from video…

A life with dowry problem

By Golam Rabbany Sujon
Video edited by Tarun Falia

My name is Laizu and I am about 20 years old. I was born in Dhaka and my parents came to Dhaka before my birth from Gopalgonj village under Faridpur district. I am the eldest child of my parents. My father is a Rickshaw mechanic and mother is a housewife. We have only a house and homestead in the village. I have two younger sisters and one younger brother. My younger sister Mousumi (17) studied up to class-7 and recently she started to work in a garment factory. Another younger sister Rumee (13) is reading in class-7 and younger brother is reading in class-2.

The financial condition of our family is not good. My father somehow maintains our family. After studying up to class-9 I had to stop my study due to poverty. My father is only one earning member of our family. My father rented a room in a tin-shed building where we (six members) live in very congested.

Laizu with her child

I got married with a young boy named Manik aged 25. Manik used to work in a car garage. Their family was known to our family for last long years in Dhaka. Their home district is Comilla. His mother used to call my father as her elder brother. Both of our guardians were discussing about our marriage. But none of them took any final decision/step. In the meantime we made good relation. One day (January 2007) Manik told me that his father became very sick and he wanted to see me. Then Manik took me to one of his relative’s house and got married. Few days later we returned to our family. But Manik’s family did not take it easily. Her parents demanded 1, 20,000 taka as they were trying to send Manik abroad. Then Manik started to live with their family. In the meantime became pregnant. After being pregnant Manik started to behave with me very rough. We heard that Manik would go abroad but he did not tell me or us anything. One day he was not returning from his workplace. Later we heard that he left Bangladesh and went Saudi Arab. He did not communicate with me or us. My parents communicated with Manik’s family and started to solve the problem. After a long discussion Manik parents agreed to take her as their son’s wife instead of 70,000 taka as dowry. My father paid 40000 taka and in the time I gave birth to a female child and I became sick. My father had to spend about 25000 taka due to my sickness but none of my law’s family member came to see me or my daughter. Later they inform that they would not take me to their house before returning their son from abroad.

But my father gave them money selling our color television and freeze. They also took some loan from a local co-operative society. Still now they are paying installment to this co-operative society. My younger sister gave up her study and took a job in a garment factory due to poverty.

Laizu’s also said “My parents are very poor and they live in hand to mouth in very difficulties. I am living with my daughter and my baby also needs some extra expenditure that is increasing day by day. At present I am an extra burden to my parents. I can not want to my parents anything for child as they became poorer for my good luck. So I felt to earn some money. So when my baby was only two months I started to learn tailoring from Nari Jibon. Now I can make all kinds of baby’s dresses, various kinds of woman’s dresses and some kinds of male dresses. But I failed to buy a sewing machine. Sometimes I collect dress making order from my neighboring people and I make these dresses going to a neighboring woman who has a sewing machine and sometimes I make these dresses going to Nari Jibon office but everyone knows that this is my own dress. Thus I am earning some money but I get this scope for a while. I am trying to lend some money to buy a sewing machine and so I am going to some of relatives/known persons but I am failure.”

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —9

After previous >>

Nari Jibon student Sultana Dilruba sang one of her favorite Rabindra sangeet (Rabindra music) in the program of Baishakh celebration.

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —8

After previous >>

Nari Jibon student Selina Akter Bristi sang one of her favorite folksong in the program of Baishakh celebration.

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —7

After previous >>

Nari Jibon student/blogger Shahida Islam Mony sang one of her favorite Bengali song in the program of Baishakh celebration.

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —6

After previous >>

Nari Jibon student/blogger Feroza Begum Poly sang one of her favorite song in the program of Baishakh celebration. See more from video.

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —5

After previous >>

Zannatul Ferdus Priya danced with one of her favorite Bengali song in the program of Baishakh celebration.

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —4

After previous >>

Nari Jibon student/blogger Feroza Begum Poly danced with one of her favorite Bengali folksong in the program.

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —3

After previous >>

Nari Jibon student/blogger Jannatul Ferdoush Nargis danced with her one of favorite Bengali song. See more from video.

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —2

After previous >>

Nari Jibon students/bloggers Feroza Begum Poly and Afroza Akter danced with one Bengali song in the program of Baishakh celebration.

Nari Jibon bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh —1

Monday(14th April) was first day of Bangla Year 1415. Pahela Baishakh is a momentous occasion. To every Bangalee, irrespective of age, social strata and education, it is a time for joyous celebration. Nari Jibon students/bloggers celebrated Pahela Baishakh on Tuesday(15th April) in Nari Jibon center, amid colourful festivities and a determination to move forward with its cultural tradition, leaving behind the gloom of the past year and takes a renewed pledge to march forward to build a happy and prosperous future.

Students/bloggers get together in the Nari Jibon center and arranged a cultural function. At the function, Nari Jibon bloggers sang, recited poems, danced and also they acted in short drama.

Bloggers started their programme with Rabindranath Tagore's song that has become the "anthem of Pahela Baishakh"---Esho hey Baishakh, esho, esho (Welcome, O Baishakh, welcome). See more from video.

A Way to Cultivate

Written & Video taken by Mohtarimun Nahar [Bipa]
Video edited by Tarun Falia

Some months ago I went to my village. Then I tried to capture some village culture, nature and agricultural system by my video camera. Maybe you read my previous article and watched video on home made cake making [The best time to have Pitha is in the Winter Morning] and the shrine [A Shrine of Hazrat Shah Kamal Awlia beside my Village]. You also may have seen ‘Some Pictures of my Village’.

When I went to visit our land then I saw and learned about how to cultivate lands before sowing seeds. That’s why I took a short video on it and would like to share with all the readers of Nari Jibon Blogspot. I hope you will enjoy the video.

Our Land

I am on our land

A Shrine of Hazrat Shah Kamal Awlia beside my Village

Video Taken and Written by Mohtarimun Nahar [Bipa]
Video Edited by Tarun Falia

There is a Shrine of Hazrat Shah Kamal Awlia [Awlia -- Muslim Saint] beside my village. The Shrine is situated in the Garohill District of Meghalaya Province in India. The name of the area is Dorgarpar. My village and Dorgarpar are thoroughly with the Bangladesh-India border. My village name is Digrirchor. It is situated in the Dewangonj Thana of Jamalpur District. You knew and saw pictures about my village in my previous article ‘Some Pictures of my Village’.

From my childhood I heard that --- many years ago twelve Muslim Saints came to India for proclaiming the Islam Religion from Yemen. Hazrat Shah Kamal Awlia is one of them. They used to proclaim Islam in different places of India.

The Shrine

All kinds of religious Bangladeshi people come to pray here. There is a prohibition by the both Governments to cross the border for both areas’ people. That’s why Bangladeshi people are to say their prayers from Bangladeshi area. They come in every Sunday and Thursday. In this time the poor people are given meals, cloths etc.

The place where Bangladeshi people come to say prayers, that is our land. People are allowed to use our land to see the Shrine from far and pray. Some villagers make another shrine here.

In every year from the second Sunday of Boisakh month [the first month of Bengali month] a Boisakhi fair is arranged in Dorgarpar. It stays for three Sunday. But there is a prohibition by the both Governments to cross the border. That’s why at a time another Boisakhi fair is arranged in Bangladesh on our land by the permission of the local administrators. It also stays for three Sunday from the second Sunday of Boisakh month. Both sides’ people hold this festival with a lot of enjoyment.

People come to pray for many reasons. Some pray for good result, some pray for getting cure from any disease etc. They get a mental pleased that their prayer may be granted and fulfilled. People believe it for many days.

I also heard that some times wild elephants come to eat crops in Bangladeshi area from the hill. Then they destroy many lands, houses etc. A very few people were killed by the wild elephants. The funny thing is that those elephants never destroyed those areas which are beside the Shrine. And good qualities of crops grow on those lands. People believe that it happens only for being the shrine.

At present a very skilful direction by a good local committee of our area, the extent of the shrine is increasing day by day. In future the committee will try to give good service on our land. Different kinds of religious people come to pray here. There should be a good arrangement of seats, rooms, toilet etc.

The best time to have Pitha is in the Winter Morning

Written &Video taken by Mohtarimun Nahar Bipa
Video edited by Tarun Falia

In our country Pitha [home made cake] is a traditional food item. Different types of Pitha are made in the whole year in Bangladesh. But the winter season is the best season for making and having Pitha. To me the best time to have Pitha is in the winter morning.

For making Pitha, we need powder of Atap rice, coconut, banana, oil etc. For making sweet Pitha we use Molasses of date-palm [Patali Gur] or Molasses of sugarcane or juice of date or sugar etc. It depends on the type of Pitha. Some Pitha are sweet, some are salty & some are soft and some are hard.

In the winter season different kinds of Pitha are made in different areas in Bangladesh. Some known Pitha are—Chitoi, Milk-Chitoi, Vapa-pitha, Bora-pitha, Patishapta-pitha, Puli-pitha, Malpoa, Andesha, Alokeshi, Milk-puli, Khir-puli etc.

Village people receive and treat hospitably to their guest by seasonal Pitha

Village girls and women make different shapes and designed Pitha. It calls ‘Nakshi Pitha’. The names of some Nakhi Pitha are—Hijal-pata, Kajol-lata, Shajni-bahar, Padma-dighi, Shagor-dighi etc. Generally different kinds of Nakshi Pitha are arranged in the marriage ceremony of village.

In the Bangladesh Pitha making is a common tradition of village areas. The city people also like Pitha. Now-a-day different kinds of Pitha are found in the food shop. I think all aged people and children like Pitha.

Some days ago I went to my village with my Mom and Dad in winter season. My village name is Digrirchor. It is in the Dewangonj Thana in the Jamalpur district. Our village is near the Bangladesh-India Border. I stayed in my village for 3 days. All of my relatives came to meet with us. My uncles and aunts were busy to receive and treat hospitably to us. My Mom and aunts made some winter Pitha for me. I took videos on Puli-pitha and Malpoa-pitha.

First day of Spring

By Taslima Akter

13 February was the first day of spring. Spring is the most attractive season when nature wears new ornaments. As usual young people at Dhaka University campus had celebrated the first day of spring. Young women, dressed in red-bordered yellow saris, flowers in hairs to welcome the first day of spring. See more in the video......