Bicycle

All are Bangladeshi School Girls riding on bicycles for school 

Who can say that I've never seen a bicycle?

Bicycle is very popular bike and available all over the world. No one, I think, would be found anywhere all throughout the globe who is not familiar with bicycle.

It benefits three ways.

1. Almost all even village people of low income can buy as it is cheap 2. It offers comparatively easier and safer travel saving a good junk of time 3. Riding bicycle is a good exercise. Therefore, it offers those who ride it a good heath

Bicycle is available everywhere in Bangladesh. It is popular here to the same extent as it is in other countries of the world.

In Bangladesh bicycle is used or can be used by people of all age groups. Recently many girls and women will be found using this vehicle for easy communication every day.

But only 10 or 12 year ago riding bicycle was something shameful and disgraceful to girls or women of Bangladesh. The thing was more complicated in rural areas.

Rubina was 13 year old at that time. She was a girl of a remote village and a daughter of a poor farmer.

Rubina born to a poor parents, lived in a poor family, led a low standard life but cherished a sky like high and broad ambition.

Though the village was remote but luckily there were a primary school and a high school.

She was always a good student both in primary and high school level.

She passed SSC one day with a brilliant result. Heavenly happiness came over her parents from above. But that happiness was only for few days. Only in few days happiness flew away like vapor.

Her father had no ability to send her to town for higher study. But he wanted it and tried his best to find any means.

Without finding any means or alternative he with heavy heart decided to stop her study and give her to a marriage.

Rubina was disappointed. But her high ambition and indomitable interest in study made her thinking different.

She got to know from one of her school friends about a college. The college was not in town but at such a distance not possible to go and return by walk in a day. That was really another problem.

But she saw in her visionary eyes that a bicycle, only a bicycle can be right solution to this problem.

She requested her father to buy a bicycle anyway for her.

Her father thought twice. But one day like a good father bought a bicycle for her daughter.

Rubina started going to college by riding bicycle everyday. The villagers saw her, spoke ill of her terming her a slur to society, disgrace to her family. But Rubina never minded, never took their ill speaking as stumbling block to her way.

I am from the same remote village Rubina lives. But I have left that village and been away since my early life. Now the whole area not alone the village has become much developed.

The other day after several years I went to that village for a brief visit. Luckily I met some of my old friends. We gathered in a tea stall, talking, order for tea has already been placed and served.

I lift my cup up to the lips and about to have the first sip but before that a sound of motor cycle came to my ear. I turned to  a wayside and saw a lady on a motor cycle riding on her way.

“Who’s she?” I asked my friends.

One of them told, “She is  Rubina Madam.”

“A high government official, still lives here but only for her parents’ sake,” Informed another friend.

The other one sitting to my left said, “Now she is quite able to lead a decent life along with parents even in town. She may leave any time”.

I listened carefully.

I have never seen her face. But in my inner sight I saw a picture of present Rubina, a young, vibrant, educated, bold, ambitious and visionary lady. She is such a lady everything awaits for.

Now she is riding motor cycle but someday will drive motor car and some other day will fly from country to countries, I thought to myself.

A Dark Night

On that day I went to college. I supposed to attend four classes. 

I attended the first class of Bangla literature. Young lady lecturer Lopa Banerjee took the class in her special way of full enjoyment. No doubt all the students enjoyed a lot and of course I too. 

We had fifteen minutes in our hand for next class.

I come out of the class room and walked all around the campus in search of someone. In fact, I had been searching her for last several days. Like other days I did not see her on that day.

Is she sick? Has she gone her home or...? These were the questions started coming in my mind. Probably this was the reason I felt apathy to attend the next classes. I decided to meet one of my close friends skipping all classes for the day.

But at the same time I took one more bold decision to write a letter with a number of words but focusing on a single point that I love her and miss her.

I knew her name Dola, Dola Islam from another friend Nurul Alom who also was studying in the same college. I met him and told my feelings and intentions. Luckily he agreed to convey my letter to her the next day. 

Afterwards I started my journey for Adamdighi. That was another place where my friend I wanted to meet stayed and studied in a non-government college. 

It was only one hour journey by train. We spent whole of the day talking, eating and roaming about here and there.

It was 7:30 pm when I returned by evening train.

I was cordially invited by Tutul Bhai beforehand to have dinner with him and stay at his mess house for the night.

Without going anywhere I went to his mess house, had dinner and wished to have a bed for sleep.

He took me to another room vacant in absence of its occupant.

I was not tired but excited to write letter to Dola.

I occupied a chair beside a table under a 100 watt electric bulb that was to generate enough light. I could have sat down and started writing at that very moment but had to move for my side bag where I kept pen and pad.

However, I took pen, pad returned to table and started writing:

Dear Dola,

I’m sure you’ll be surprised on receiving this letter in your hand as I’m quite unknown to you. But I can assure you that I’m a human being and a student of the same college you study.

I have been looking for you for last few days you’re away. Your long absence from the college has prompted me to write this letter and writing only to say …

Dark all around the room. Power cut.

I assumed it was power cut and waited for back. But Tutul Bhai came to me with a torch in hand and informed that there were some problems in wares or switch board. So, power wouldn’t back until problems were solved. I should go to bed and sleep.

I did so. Without going further with the letter I went to bed and slept.

The next morning I woke up a bit late and saw a few electricians trying to make corrections into the wrongs in wares or switch board.

Finally I got to know that there was a little problem in switch board.

From the happening I got one more idea that a bulb itself is not light. It has a source of power. It burns to give light when supplied with power from power house.

Even the light that makes day has its source the sun. The sun cannot supply its light when detached from or covered with clouds.

That’s all idea about light.

I’ve always ignored a notion that people are also light.

I was not so clear in what sense people are light though it was becoming clearer to me later. But examples of people becoming true light is very rare.

Among these rare examples Sonya Akter is one whom I saw the other day.

One of my journalist friends told me over phone that a felicitation program was going to be held where Sonya Akter would be honored. He also informed while I asked that she is an enlightened woman. Without asking any question I agreed to attend the program with him.

A local women welfare club organized the program at a village nearly 15 kilometer away from Bogra, a district town of Bangladesh

For the first time I went there only to have a glimpse of an enlightened women Sonya Akter.

She is not different but like many other fare looking, tall figured middle aged women.

Sometime later I came to know from her own speech that through a lot of struggles she passed only Matriculation. After passing Matriculation she started working with an NGO as its pretty worker. She had a good passion of reading. She read the life sketches of some giant women figures like Rokeya Begum, Mother Terisa, Taslima Nasrin etc., and inspired by reading their writings. In fact, she still reads, she always reads writings on literature, arts, science, chemistry, biology, religions or whatever it is. This is the source of her wisdom and knowledge. At a certain point of time she felt an urge to do something for impoverished destitute village girls.

She spent quite sometimes thinking about it. Finally she decided to teach and spend lion share of her salary for these girls to be educated.

Coming in touch of her the girls were so inspired that they have struggled a lot but never given up their hope and spirit to achieve the desirable goals.

Many of them are now professors, teachers, bankers, magistrates and lawyers. Like the stars of the sky these girls are now glittering in their own societies.

Having glimpse of them made me clear in a particular point that an enlightened person burns with the light of knowledge and wisdom and spreads the ray to make others enlightened.

Success and Failure

Whatever the life may be, whether be in work or without work, it has an aim. There is no life without an aim or in other way it can be said no man would be found who leads a life without an aim.

If we have a closer look of lives of all other creatures of the world the life of human being would seemingly be more complicated, mysterious and diversified.

Come to the subject of living standard or eating habits.

All other creatures of the universe live in almost same level habitats - birds in nests and foxes in holes can be mentioned as examples. They eat the food of same classes and for food they do the same job till the termination of their life.

But if we cast our eyes to the living standard or eating habits of human beings we see a lot of variations.

In rural area farmers cultivate lands being in the sun or rain.

I knew Bangladesh is a country of rivers but I had no proof of it until I visited a place in southern part of the country the other day. I was bewildered observing rivers, lakes, ponds and marsh lands. I heard from someone sometime later that a large number of people of the area dependent on this vast land of waters as they catch fish, sell and maintain their livelihood.

During the days of my restless and unquiet early life I traveled a lot. Nature was something that always attracted me and this is what most of the destinations of my travel were places dominated by nature. I saw in all those places many people of some other kind of occupations apart from cultivating lands. I saw many running small business opening grocery, stationary or medicine shops in local markets, many pulling rickshaws or driving C N G driven vehicles etc.
Much later today when I lead an urban life I meet new people every day, observe their daily life and gather new experience.
On a hot summer day I saw a rickshaw puller having rest seated in a tea stall tired and perspired. His devastated appearance was telling that he pulled his rickshaw in the scorching sun for a very long time.
To know the reason and enrich my store house of experience I felt an urge to talk and have a brief chat with him.

What I got to know from a very brief chat was this that he wants to build a small house at his village in Thakurgaon District. That is his dream and goal. He wants the dream comes true and goal is achieved. He has nothing as quality but mental and physical strength to invest.

Mental and physical strength is his quality and he is using this quality in real sense. It would not be exaggeration if someone predicts that someday he must be successful in achieving his goal. This is universally applicable that to be successful one must have quality or qualification.

I know a number of people, while young, aspiring to become doctor, engineer, architect, pilot, administrator, judge, barrister, magistrate, high officials etc. But most of them could not be successful in achieving their goals. Nothing was behind their failures but lack of effort, qualities or qualifications.

Change Must Take Place

All of my attention was drawn to a picture surfaced on Facebook. But in true judgement that was absolutely a normal picture and I believe was not taken in a good camera by any expert or professional photographer. One of Facebook users from my friend list posted the picture in his timeline. Probably he took that picture by his smart phone. However, reason behind my attention drawn to it was a group of school going girls. School going girls are normally jolly as they have nothing to be worried about. Probably all those girls in the picture were jolly and having a lot of funs while on their way to school together. But when on a wooden or bamboo bridge over a brook to be crossed they seemed gloomy and frightened. Reason they were gloomy and frightened might be a thought of falling down as the bridge was probably shaky. I always like and love girls. Wherever and whenever I see the girls I feel a kind of sympathy for them. Because I have a young daughter and I see her face reflecting on faces of all these girls. This is what I became gloomy too. I asked to myself how many days and how many times will they lose their jolliness, their laughter and their fun?

A Female Student Demonstrating

In search of answer to all these questions I went back to the days of twenty year ago. I mean the days I spent in my village home. Not only my village but that total area was cut off all modern amenities like electricity, road etc.

There were primary and high schools nearby my village or house but still we had to walk through knee deep water and sticky mud especially in rainy season. We could not use even bicycle let alone other vehicles. We had to walk 15 miles only to get to a photo studio for some passport size photographs.

But now within this time a huge change took place all over those areas. Electricity is available, roads have been paved, place of bicycle has been occupied by some other motor driven vehicles. A degree college has been established, more than three private banks have opened their branches there. People are getting treatment from government health clinic, doing business or buying necessary things from local markets. There is a branch post office, some N G O's are doing activities through their branch offices opened in our village. In fact the village has been turned into a small town now.

This is reality which comes through a lot of changes in course of time.

I am sure this reality will come and appear to that place even to that wooden or bamboo bridge.

It may take sometimes. May be two, three or five years but surely that wooden or Bamboo Bridge of today will be removed and modern bridge will be constructed over there. The things may happen that these girls will be seen at that time driving their own cars over the bridge with happy mind and smile on face. 

This is not dream but reality. Because changes are taking place every hour and everywhere. 

A season changes into another one, change takes place in nature and human life, love changes into hatred and hatred into love.

In short, change must take place everywhere in course of time.