Bangladesh – Page 6 – Adnan's Den

Ijtema cut short for biting-chilly weather

In an unprecedented incident, the three-day Biswa Ijtema, ostensibly the second largest yearly congregation of the Muslims, on the bank of Turag River at Tongi was cut short on its inaugural day yesterday due to an inclement weather that had caused deaths of at least three pilgrims. The akheri munajat or the concluding prayers of this year’s ijtema started at 7:55pm ending at 8:15pm yesterday instead of its schedule tomorrow. [The Daily Star; Saturday, January 26, 2008]

For the last two days life in Dhaka as well as else where in Bangladesh is disrupting with chilly wind and drizzles. This includes a foggy and cloudy weather through out the country. Due to this cold spell and inclement weather, the lowest temperature in Dhaka was 15.3 degrees. The difference of minimum and maximum temperature in Dhaka was only 2.4 degrees Celsius.

And yesterday was the beginning of the IJTEMA, second largest religious congregation of the Muslims after hajj, begins today on the bank of the river Turag. This year due to the political stability of Bangladesh, at least three million people from about 58 countries were expected to join. Ijtema plays a significant role in rapid dissemination of Islamic ideals and lessons of the Quran and Sunnah across the globe. Usually Ijtema holds for three days. The last day is known as AAKHERI MUNAZAT’s DAY. In the last day all the Muslims regardless scholars and ordinary people, pray to Allah (the Almighty) for establishing universal peace and strengthening unity, solidarity and fraternity in the Muslim world.

Devotees at the Biswa Ijtema ground use plastic sheets to take cover from the drizzle. The poor conditions led to the congregation’s abrupt end last night. Photo: Anisur Rahman

But the inclement weather wrapped up the whole congregation. The canopies and mats used in Ijtema grounds were damaged in the rain. The devotees collected polythene as an alternative since they were cost-effective. Many of the elderly devotees had to take shelter at various mosques and other places adjacent to the Ijtema ground. But yesterday, after evening the drizzles were turned into rain which made the authorities taking the decision of winding up Ijtema on its inaugural day, considering the sufferings of several lakh pilgrims in a bitter cold weather.

Regarding this, my opinion is that government should take necessary steps to build permanent buildings there on Ijtema ground with the help of the other Muslim countries. As it is obvious that Ijtema will be held in Bangladesh in the upcoming years like the former years, government should provide the devotees with facilities of brick-built cabins instead of canopies. It is a great issue as many Muslims scholars from around the worlds come Bangladesh only for joining Ijtema. So, I think other Muslim countries will come forward to help Bangladesh in this regard.

LabAid Cardiac Hospital – Reality Bites!

Today while I was surfing the WORDPRESS tags (which I often do), I found several post regarding LabAid under the tag Bangladesh. And all of them indicating the dark side of LabAid. That made me curious, why on earth people abhoring LabAid so much. I personally didn’t get any chance to be acquaintanced with LabAid, so I had no idea what services actually they served. For those who don’t have any idea about LabAid, it is a cardiac hospital in Bangladesh. On television they broadcast an aesthetic advertise which surely convince any patient enough to get admitted to LabAid. Watching that ad on TV anyone can be persuaded that LabAid is the #1 cardiac hospital in Bangladesh. But the articles posted in WORDPRESS, redefined LabAid from a completely new angle. They take more than a handsome amount of money as their SERVICE charge, but if it is their SERVICE then where the word HUMANITY will hide itself?

To read the full article please click here. To read posts on other blogs of WORDPRESS regarding LabAid click here.

New7Wonders of Nature: Bangladesh is in Top

When I am writing this post (January3, 2008; 11:37 am) the top two places of New 7 Wonders of Nature Nominees are held by Bangladesh. Cox’s Bazaar is in 1st place and Sundarban is in 2nd place. [source] Thanks to all of you, who made this possible.

All my readers are familiar with the page Vote Cox’s Bazaar and ShundorBon of my blog from October 2007. Before creating that page I prepared a poster for supporting Cox’s Bazaar and Sundarban for New7Wonders of Nature Nominees and placed that on my personal website. When I first involved myself with this campaign, I had never imagine that Bangladesh will be the top listed after several months. Of course it is our credit to show the world that what we can do. Thanks to all the Bangladeshi and people from other countries who made this possible.

Now onward, the task is more difficult. We’ve to make sure that Bangladesh will held her position in the top list. So people keep casting your vote for Cox’s Bazaar and Sundarban. It is our duty to keep Bangladesh in the top of the list of the nominees.

Annoying SMSs from Mobile Operators

Let’s start with a story of an alien. The alien was very much excited about his new findings on a trip to Earth. “The people on Earth no longer talk to each other using their mouths,” it reports; “They now communicate with their fingers by typing into a tiny toy.” Like the other countries, SMS (Short Message Service) became more popular than the voice call in Bangladesh when the mobile operators first lunched the SMS concept.

Sometimes SMS from a friend will make you laugh or SMS from family can give you a warm comfort. SMS can lighten your moments or can give you a sudden relief. SMS from a dear one is always welcome. But what about SMS from the mobile operators themselves? Several months ago, mobile operators used the SMS service for promoting their new services. Number of SMSs sent by the operators at that time were about 5-or-6 sms/month. This number has been tremendously increased within last few months. In our home, we are using mobile services from two operators: GrameenPhone and AKTEL. In my GrameenPhone contact number, I receive almost 4 sms/day whereas AKTEL sends about 2-3 sms/day on an average. So if I receive say 7 sms/day, about 50% of that is sent by the operators themselves!

These things (to receiving operator’s SMSs) were boring before, now it becomes disturbing. And the operators are not bother this disturbances. Every time my cell gives me a SMS alert and after opening the SMS, I find that it is another promotion or advertisement of one of their new services. Now it seems torture to me. You like it or not, you have to read their SMS, at least you’ve to open it! Can’t they stop this type of rubbish activity? If they want to advertise their services they can use the media. I am pretty sure about their solvency of doing that. Why are they tormenting us? By the way I am not sure, whether only I am suffering from this disturbance or everybody like me is also suffering?

16th December: The Victory Day

Celebrate the 37th anniversary of Bangladesh’s glorious Victory Day. On this occusion, please uphold the spirit of liberation, secularism and democracy as opposed to autocracy, theocracy and/or any closed system that hinder peoples progress.

Pakistan’s Lt. Gen A. A. K. Niazi signs the instrument of surrender on December 16, surrendering his forces to Lt. Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora representing the Mitro Bahini.

As a Bangladeshi I sincerely believe that dream of the three million martyrs and the two hundred thousand women victims shall not be perished and Bangladesh will find her place as a dignified, democratic and secular country in the history. We are waiting for a brighter future.

Victory Day greetings to all my readers and friends.

Dhaka Re-defined

I’ve never seen Dhaka from this view angle before. Thanks to Mr. Rajesh Barua for sharing these stunning photos of Dhaka city. After seeing these photographs, I have to admit that I did not take a close look to Dhaka before. The city is so much beautiful. The first one was taken from the Kaarwan Bazaar SAARC fountain and the second one is Khilgaon Flyover. The third one is most probably from the junction of Dhanmondi 1 and Science Laboratory. And the fourth one is from Dhanmondi Lake, one of my most favourite tranquil place of Dhaka.

Veneration to the Heroes of the Nation.

Martyred Intellectuals’ Memorial Monument, Mirpur, Dhaka.

14th December, the Martyred Intellectuals Day. The intellectuals of Bangladesh were brutally killed a couple of days before the final victory of the Liberation War in 1971. Pakistani military aided by their local collaborators (known as Razakaars) most notably the Al-Badr and Al-Shams, systematically executed over 200 of East Pakistan’s (formar name of Bangladesh) intellectuals and scholars. Professors, journalists, doctors, artists, engineers, and writers were rounded up in Dhaka, blindfolded, taken to torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different sections of the city and executed en masse, most notably at Rayerbazar and Mirpur.

Our history can’t be fulfilled without them. They were the brightest sons of Bangladesh who died for the freedom of our motherland. We’ll never forget them. They’ll exist in our heart as long as Bangladesh exists. They are our hero.

Story of a Martyred Intellectual of 71’s war

14th December 1971, history remorses for the killings of intellectuals of Bangladesh in this day. When the Pakistani Military realized that they were totally unable to defeat Bangladesh in the Liberation war, they tried to crack the psychological strength of freedom fighters by killing numerous intellectuals of Bangladesh. But off course they failed!! I am here to tell the story of one of such bright sons of Bangladesh, who was happened to my relative.

Nizamuddin Ahmed, younger brother of my grand-father, is a martyred intellectuals who was killed on 14th December 1971, just before two days of the Victory of Liberation War. I never saw him actually, but my grandfather never forgot his brother for a single moment in the rest of his life.

Nizam Uddin Ahmed

Nizamuddin Ahmed was born in Munshiganj in 1929. He was a journalist. He passed B.A (Hons) and M.A in Economics from Dhaka University in 1959. Later he joined Pakistan Press International. He became the editor of PPI in 1969 and was promoted to the rank of general manager.

He was an ardent supporter of the liberation war of Bangladesh. He used to send news items on the atrocities of the Pakistani forces to various foreign news media. He had taken New York Times journalist McBrown to a guerrilla camp to collect authentic news. He provided BBC with authentic news under strict censorship. For this reason he was taken to General Rao Forman Ali’s office on two occasions.

On December 12, 1971, while he was taking his lunch, members of Al-Badr (a branch organization of Razakaar) picked him up from his residence forcefully. At that moment there was none but his mother in the house. That was the last time his mother saw him alive. After the victory of Bangladesh, my grand-father took every possible steps to find out his brother’s body, whether he was dead or alive. But his body was never been found.

We’ve passed 36 victory days but the murderers were went unpunished. Not only Nizamuddin, the Razakaars (now they formed Jamat-e-Islami) killed numerous intellectuals from Bangladesh at 1971. But what our political leaders did with them? Whether it was Awami League or BNP, they just made collaboration with them for the power. And at the present day the Caretaker Government is doing actually nothing to the Jamat-e-Islami for their past misdeed. These beasts are roaming in our country, which costs the blood of 3 million martyrs. Does our politics really think of our country? I don’t know. But one thing is sure that I hate the Razakaars as well as the political parties and the individuals, who have already abandoned their moralities for the wealth and power by supporting the Razakaars.

Can’t we dream of a Bangladesh, which is free from the liberation war opposer? Can’t we do something to make the liberation war’s martyr’s dream true?