Cyclone sidr and my experience

6:05 AM Posted In 1 Comment »
By Taslima Akter

Bangladesh swallowed by terrible Cyclone again after 1991. The name of this cyclone is sidr. Sidr’s blew all Bangladesh with coastal area. The costal areas of Bangladesh were mass of ruins in one night. Today is 11th day of sidr. Inferential in this cyclone there are 40 million people and 9 million residential house partially or fully sustain. There are million people distressed and passing their life fearfully. Million people are passing their night under the open sky and there is very grave position of women and children. Although many organization and generous people are helping the distressed people but that is not sufficient for all. I want to share my little experience with Nari Jibon blog readers:

Thursday (15.12.07) morning at 6:30am we caused to depart to the Sylhet. I and my family traveled to Sylhet for visiting the Sahjalal Mazar (one of the famous Mazar of Bangladesh). On Wednesday whole day the sky was cloudy and we heard the news from television and read the news about cyclone. But we didn’t thought that how horrible this cyclone sidr might be. Thursday morning sky was very cloudy and strong wind was blowing with rain. Driver was driven the car slowly. We reached in Sylhet at 1:00pm. I sat beside the window of the car and seeing outside scenery. When we reached in Sylhet it was raining heavily and strong wind was blowing all around. We reached to the mazar wet in rain. When I stayed in Mazar I felt peace in my heart and forget everything about bad weather. I received a phone call from Rafiq Bhai (director of Nari Jibon project) and knew about situation of Dhaka and also informed that tomorrow (Friday) the office will be closed due to cyclone sidr. Then I afraid and wanted to returned to Dhaka hurry. Gradually the weather was becoming very bad in Sylhet area.

After having lunch we took sit in bus at 3:30pm. That journey was long journey in my life and I enjoyed the journey but also was afraid of upcoming cyclone situation. I enjoyed the natural beauty of sylhet and thought how beautiful is Bangladesh. In bus we heard a bad news of an bus accident and where 3 people are dead and more 20 people injured. After hearing this news we were very much anxious. Driver had driven the car slowly and carefully. When we crossed the Sylhet area, we found that car which one fall in accident. We can understand that the driver could not control the car for strong wind and rain. When we crossed Brahmonbaria area, we saw 2 other accident and after seeing this we got frightened and were counting the time when we could reach to Dhaka.

We reached to Dhaka at 9:30PM. We thanked the al mighty Allah that we could reached Dhaka safely but we didn’t know that we have to face inconvenient situation. When we were looking for transport to reach to our resident we could not get any. Every one was trying to reach their home fast because that time wind was so strong and it was raining cats and dogs. We can’t decide what we will do and we had to walk not getting any transport. I faced this situation in my life first. That was awful night for me. I walked in footpath holding my fathers hand and was seeing the situation of street people. They didn’t have any safe place to passed the terrible night. They were wetting in rain and sitting wrapping poly-thin in their body. At last we reached our home fully wet in rain. I felt pain in my legs. After taking dinners we tried to sleep but could not due to for roaring of cyclone.

At about 3:00am I got a phone call from my aunty she informed us that some robber attacked her house and tried to broken the door. She shouted but nobody heard her voice due to strong wind and rain. We were very much worried about her. And that time mobile network was almost down and sometimes we didn’t get her mobile connection due to network problem. Finally we got to know that the robber could not enter her house and we got rid of tension. We passed that night fearfully. I and my family became sick as we had to wet in rain. On Friday I took rest all day long. We had to face the electricity and water problem.

Saturday morning I came to Nari Jibon office. I saw the newspaper and knew that how the cyclone sidr destroyed the costal area of our country and thousands of people killed, thousands of house destroyed and damaged crops of thousands hectors. If we compare the cyclone with the cyclone of 1991 then we could see in this year more crops & houses are damaged but less people are killed this year. We are seeing in TV and news paper that many national and international organizations are helping the cyclone victims along with Bangladesh govt.

Bangladeshi Handicraft: “Nakshi Katha”

3:18 AM 3 Comments »
In our Bangladesh we have improved on handicraft business. We are also exporting our handicrafts to foreign countries. We are being appreciated from those countries for our nice handicrafts. We can introduce our country with the other countries through this business. This type of business is helping to reduce our unemployment problem. Women are also working on handicraft. I feel that it is a good sign for Bangladesh. We have different handicraft businesses. Among them Nakshi Katha is a famous handicraft. It is not only famous in Bangladesh but also in other countries. A framed Naksi Katha increases the beauty of a room by hanging on a wall. It is used at home, office, shopping complex etc. In the rural area of Bangladesh “Nakshi Katha” is a common handicraft. It is an art of neglected village women. Sometimes, some fashionable women of rural area pass their leisure period by designing Nakshi Katha. Nakshi katha is a tradition of village. It takes tatters, cotton and needles to weave a Nakshi Katha. Women weave it with their creative skills. They make special designs with different pictures on it with the colorful cottons. It takes three or four months to make a nakshi katha for a woman. It is mainly used for bed sheet and blanket. The Bangladeshi people feel proud for this. Nakshi Katha can be used as a gift item for new couple, especially from bride family in the rural area.


The seller was showing Nakshi Katha in the fair - picture by Taslima Akter

Now Nakshi Ktha is a famous and fashionable item of handicraft in the urban area. We can buy Nakshi Katha from different fair, shopping centre etc. In the fair most of the seller are women. The shopping centre Aarong is famous for Nakshi Katha design. The designs show the Bangladeshi culture.

A Street Cake Maker in Dhaka City

5:09 AM Posted In 28 Comments »
Written by Suchitra Roy

Bangladesh, the green land is full of natural beauty. At the present, Bangladesh takes a different appearance and color in each season. In winter season, we can to arrange a festival (Poish Paban Mela) of making different types of cakes in each home in our villages of Bangladesh.


But we see some male & female to make cake named ‘Chitoi Pitha’ beside the street of Dhaka City. They try to make up the demand of the city people.
One of them is Shafia Begum who has been making cakes on the street for 7 years. Everyday she sells her hand made ‘Chitoi Pitha’ with dry fish mash.


Shafia Begum makes 150 pieces of cakes and her benefit is only Tk50 per day. She sells her cakes to all classes of people and they are buying them eagerly. Her making process of cakes is so skillful. At her old age this profession is the only way to meet up her daily needs. But it is very hard to maintain her family. She said, “Inshallah my business will go well through the blessing of God.”

A Tale of a Day Struggled Girl in Dhaka City

6:14 AM Posted In 0 Comments »
story written & picture taken by Taslima Akter

In Dhaka, more than 10 million people live here. We know a little bit of them. But the slum life of Dhaka is miserable. I am going to express something one of them.

In slum of Dhaka city, here are live in lots people who came from the rural village area of Bangladesh. Many of them have come to Dhaka for finding job and to do something of their livelihood. The environment of slum was very dirty. There are no facilities of pure water, well sanitation and suitable living place.

Some days ago, I had gone Khilgaon slum in Dhaka city. Here I talked with a girl Nazma. She is 18 years old. Her home district is Sariyatpur. She has lost her mother when she was 4 years old. After her mother dead her father got married again. Now her father and step-mother don’t communicate with her. Now she lives with her uncle and aunty.

Nazma is illiterate. When I asked about her education, she answered to me she has no any interest on education. What is the benefit of education? No one sent her to school in her childhood, she replied. She has lost her interest about education. Whole day she has worked in her uncle business. She has broken brick all day long. She has no any payment for this work. Alternately her uncle and aunty provide food, cloth and living place.

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