A double dose of sadness for Bangladesh

Bangladesh National Cricket Team

Last week my colleague Sumon Corraya wrote about the ferry boat crash near Dhaka; a tragedy that had the nation in tears.

In the same week there was another event that was, of course, infinitely less serious, yet it caused more than a few tears of its own. People nearly touched a dream that means so much, that came so close, but eventually flew away.

The Bangladesh national cricket team lost to Pakistan, in a nerve-wracking Asia Cup final in Dhaka, by a margin of just two runs.

Termed ‘minnows’ before the tournament, they reached the final for the first time in their history.

In the final, excruciating over, they needed nine runs, then four runs from the very last ball. But they only managed to get two.

The fans in the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium were struck dumb. The same thing happened to the millions watching on TV across the country.

The captain Mushfiqur Rahim started crying helplessly on the field. It made everyone emotional and sadness gripped the country.

Later, Bangladesh appealed, claiming that one of the batsmen was impeded as he tried to run. If this had been proven, Pakistan would have been penalized by five runs so we would have won after all. The video evidence certainly supports the claim but the authorities ruled that it was made too late.

Still, the performance sends a message to other cricket playing nations that Bangladesh are not minnows anymore. They are a mature team that can take on anyone on their day.

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In Bangladesh, don’t expect leadership from the leaders

I was at a postgraduate class yesterday, given by Dr. Syed Anwar Husain, professor of history at Dhaka University.

Right at the start of his ‘Introduction to Bangladesh’ he said, “what I am going to tell you is not intended to please or annoy anyone. I do have a political ideology but I’ve never been loyal to any party, because I think there is no party in Bangladesh – just groups of people who trade on politics.”

I agreed with him and I’m sure most of the other students did too. 

Most citizens think that both the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party care little about their interests.

On March 7 the Awami League staged a huge procession in Dhaka to mark the day in 1971 when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called on the nation to fight for freedom. But the rally was more a prestige-building exercise than an attempt to pay respects to the man who was the father of our nation.

Next Monday, the opposition will hold another big rally to protest against various government policies and actions. People are afraid that the ruling party will do everything to foil the event and violence will ensue. I’ve heard many people say they will be staying at home to avoid possible clashes.

The harsh reality is that the whole concept of benevolent politics was destroyed when some disgruntled army officers allied with political leaders to kill Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975. I

It was just one in a series of assassinations that effectively wiped out all the sincere and progressive leaders.

After 40 years of independence, real democracy in Bangladesh is still a million miles away.

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The saint who means even more than just miracles

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A statue of St. Anthony of Padua at Panjora village in Gazipur, near Dhaka

I’ve just found time to write about the pilgrimage I went on at the start of February. Along with about 40,000 devotees, both Catholic and non-Catholic, I went to the shrine of St. Anthony of Padua at Nagari Church in Panjora, about 45 kms east of Dhaka.

I have been coming to it for longer than I can remember, ever since I was a small child.
Although St. Anthony’s feast day is June 13, this event is held in February when the weather is cooler and more comfortable for the pilgrims. In fact this year it was cold when we set out in the early morning.

Although the numbers were slightly down on other years – sometimes it has attracted more than 50,000 – this is still the largest Christian gathering in the country. I haven’t seen more than 5,000 Catholics at the Sacred Heart of Jesus celebration in June and the various Marian pilgrimages attract 10,000 people at most.

The devotion to St. Anthony is unique and incredible here. Many people in Bangladesh claim that their prayers were granted miraculously by the saint; he has helped them find lost valuables, conceive a child, get over an illness and more.

In fact, I remember one priest saying in jest, “it seems St. Anthony is more powerful than Jesus and Mary. They take a long time to fulfill people’s prayers but St. Anthony does it fast!”

This tradition of popular devotion to St. Anthony dates back over two centuries.

In the 1700s, the son of a wealthy Hindu was kidnapped by Mogh pirates. While in captivity he dreamed about St. Anthony. Then a Portuguese missioner priest came and rescued him.
Inspired by this, he converted to Christianity and the priest named him Dom (or ‘Prince’ in Portuguese) Anthony.

He started preaching in the Bhawal and Atharogram areas near Dhaka, which are still two of the oldest and largest Catholic settlements in the country. Dom Anthony also wrote various books and composed songs in praise of the saint. Those songs are still popular today.

Another local story from around the same time involves a statue of St. Anthony which miraculously disappeared and reappeared at a different place. A small chapel was built to commemorate it, not far from the existing church in Nagari.

On this year’s pilgrimage I was accompanied by foreign guest who said something that really made me think.

“This devotion is not inspired by miracles,” he said, “because I don’t believe that all the women who prayed to the saint for a child got pregnant. But still they come here and that means even more than a miracle.”

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A tribute to the Language Martyrs

Language Martyrs' Memorial in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Today, February 21 is a red letter day in the history of Bengali people, especially those whose roots are in Bangladesh.

After the state of Pakistan was formed in 1947, there was a move to make Urdu the only recognized state language. This sparked uproar in East Pakistan where the great majority were Bengali people with their own rich language, literature, culture and traditions. An activist group called the Bengali Language Movement was formed and it quickly started to attract recruits in numbers.

The government imposed a ban on rallies and meetings, to stop the protests from building. But students from Dhaka University took to the streets and on February 21 1952, a number of them were killed. This sparked widespread civil unrest led by students and the Awami League, the incumbent political party in Bangladesh today.

The protests ultimately forced the authorities to recognize Bangla as a state language in the 1956 constitution, which meant the language could be used in government affairs. Bangladesh could well be the only country in the world where people spilt blood in defense of their language.

In 2000 UNESCO declared 21 February as International Mother Language Day, in tribute to the Language Movement.

So after all that, it’s such a shame that many people here don’t speak Bangla correctly. A peculiar language, mixing Bangla and English, is creeping in. Then there are people who take pride in studying at an English-medium school and who insist on speaking English all the time.

Last week the High Court passed a rule to ensure that print and electronic media use Bangla correctly as misspellings and mispronunciations are proliferating.

Our native language is something we should all be fighting for!

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Final scene for the Bengali film business?

A wall pasted with Bengali cinema posters in Bangladesh

The last time I went to a cinema in Dhaka was more than three months ago. For a so-called film buff, that’s a long time indeed.

Eleven years ago, when I first came to live in the capital, I used to go every month, sometimes more.

As a seminary student from a lower middle-class rural family, it was tough to go to the cinema a lot, because my monthly stipend was limited.

Moreover, seminarians were not supposed to go every week. To our directors, too much attraction to films was a sign of a shaky religious vocation. It seems they were right, as I left after nine years of formation. But I was never caught sneaking to the cinema.

How strange that, after going through all that, it just doesn’t attract me any more. The same goes for millions of other Bangladeshis.

There are a few places in Dhaka that show Hollywood movies, often long after they’ve been released everywhere else and can be bought at the shops in DVD.

Meanwhile, the local cinema audience has grown in its maturity and discernment, but the local industry’s output – both in quantity and quality – has fallen drastically.

All the other major arts — theatre, music, painting, literature — have a national center, but film has none. Unlike other parts of the world where everyone wants to work in the movie business, it’s a profession here that no decent family would tolerate their children entering.

There are only around 500 cinemas still open and no more than 80 of them at the most offer a pleasant environment. Multiplexes? Yes, there is one – but it’s the only one in the country.

The reality of it hit home for me the other day when I went to visit my old school in a little town outside Dhaka. The little cinema there, which used to be full most nights and which nurtured my love of the genre, closed its doors two years ago.

Will the government try to revive this dying industry? Will it ever be taken seriously as a form of art and entertainment? Or is it…THE END

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In Bangladesh, every road is dangerous

A speeding government staff bus hit and killed a man in Dhaka last weekend. His colleagues were so incensed at yet another death caused by reckless driving, they took to the street in protest.

This sparked immediate action. The driver, who was apparently unlicensed, was promptly arrested and now awaits trial. The government has already agreed to offer compensation to the dead man’s family and even find employment for his wife.

In a country like Bangladesh, where road accidents are commonplace, a reaction like this is almost unheard of. The difference is, this man was a journalist and journalists are among the strongest professional groups in the country. No one wants to make them angry.

In virtually every other instance, indifference, ineffective laws and legal loopholes are the order of the day.

Last month a truck driver was sentenced by for his negligence that caused a one of the worst road accidents in country’s history. A horrific total of 44 children were in the truck that he was driving. He was talking on his mobile when he lost control of it. It turns out that he wasn’t even the nominated driver, he was only the assistant.

The incident made international headlines when it happened. Yet there were few headlines – just gasps of local outrage – when he received a sentence of five years, which seemed remarkably lenient.

Fatal road accidents are everyday reality in Bangladesh. Often road accidents are reported in media and make much talk over road safety and strict laws for negligence while driving. The deaths spark protest, call for action and change.
In another tragedy last year, a prominent film maker and journalist were killed when they were hit head-on by a bus. The driver of the bus was arrested but then given bail when his union threatened to strike.

Transport workers unions are very influential and often blamed for the government’s failure to pass stricter road laws. One minister, who is also the president of the largest transport union, even said his union members should be given a driving license without having to take a test.

It’s a farce, but no more farcical than the fact that anyone can get a no-test license through an agency for 10,000 taka (US$ 150). It’s said there are more than 500,000 vehicles plying across the country whose driver has either a phony license or no license at all.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that we live with this every day and the never ending fatal accidents don’t even make us sad any more. Until they happen to our loved ones.

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For tea workers, there’s no place to call home

I’ve just come back from northwestern Sylhet, a hilly and densely forested region famous for its tea plantations.

The poor souls who work on them could well be the ultimate definition of “displaced people.”

They were brought there from various Indian states after the British colonists set up the first tea gardens in the 1850’s. Almost all of them were landless tribespeople. They were told they would be taken to a beautiful place where they could find a home and be richly rewarded for shaking a lovely plant; a story not far from the yarn that many modern day traffickers spin.

In reality, their homes were – as they are now - unsanitary mud-walled homes called ‘worker lines.’

The daily wage is 48 taka (about 50 cents) plus a meager daily ration of food and a minimal amount of medical care. And the house is theirs only as long as one of the family has a job there. If that person dies, they face a very uncertainty future.

Some of them are Catholics and the Church has been battling constantly for the last 60 years to set up schools for them. The plantation owners positively discourage education, for fear that it will make the workers discontented.

And all the time, the business is declining. Tea, the second most popular beverage in the world after water, was once a major export of Bangladesh. But those days are gone. Out of a total annual production of 50 million kgs, only 10 million are exported. If for any reason a tea garden or factory is closed, the family has no option but to go begging.

They have no other vocational skills. And they no longer have roots. Since the partition of India in 1946 and Bangladesh liberation in 1971 most of them have forgotten their language and lost touch with their original culture.

It’s ironic that you often see photos and videos of women plucking tea leaves. They’re used in calendars and advertisements and they look colorful and charming. Very few people know what their everyday reality is.

BNP rally raises tension in Bangladesh capital

 

A deserted street of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka ahead of opposition rally

A rally by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) today has locked down the capital, with city transportation limited or shut down and security forces out in force. 

The Dhaka Cholo, or March to Dhaka, was announced late last year by BNP chairman Khaleda Zia, in an effort to galvanize opposition forces throughout Dhaka to oppose the policies of the ruling Awami League and call for a non-party caretaker government ahead of national polls in 2014. 

Opposition leaders have said that the rally, to be conducted at locations throughout the city, would be the largest in the country’s history. Fear of violence has left most businesses and public transportation shut. 

Habibur Biswas, an office worker, said the disruption of transportation services had created difficulties for workers and students but stressed that political parties should reach a peaceful resolution to their disputes. 

“If the political parties are tolerant and patient, the people won’t need to suffer and [will] live in peace,” he said. 

Holy Cross Sister Shikha Gomes, principal of the Holy Cross College for Girls, said the rally had kept many students at home. 

“Only 5 or 6 students dared to come for class today out of a total of 2,390 [students]. We have not declared a holiday but parents have called us, saying they won’t send their children today over fears of violence.” 

The head of a government-run school said no students turned up today. 

“Our teachers have come but none of the more than 2,200 students,” said the principal, who asked not to be named. 

Awami League leaders have criticized the opposition for creating public suffering by calling for the rally. Local media reports have said that Awami activists have blocked highways and waterways in response to the rally. 

Home Minister Sahara Khatun at a press conference yesterday denied that party members or government officials had closed roads or businesses. 

“We have beefed up security to avoid anarchy. The government has not restricted vehicles and hotels [from operating]. Police are just observing regular duties.” 

BNP acting secretary Mirza Fakrul Islam said today that the opposition was upset over the “undemocratic attitude” of the government and hoped the rally would be a success amid restrictions. 

The government has launched an undeclared war against people and cut the capital off from the rest of the country. We have never seen such a situation in the past and such oppression by the government,” he said yesterday. 

END

Original Article:

BNP rally raises tension in Bangladesh capital

Bangladesh Church 'needs more support'

 

Father Andrew Small, OMI with a child in Sylhet of Bangladesh

The Catholic Church in Bangladesh needs more prayers and support from the Universal Church to carry out its missionary activities, according to Father Andrew Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States. 

Fr Small, a confrere from the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate congregation, was speaking yesterday at the end of a week-long tour of the country. Fr Small’s tour included visiting parishes and tea estate villages in the newly erected Sylhet diocese in northeastern Bangladesh. 

He also made a courtesy call on most of the local bishops at the Apostolic Nunciature in Dhaka, visited the country’s only Holy Spirit National Major Seminary and saw a remote mission center in Shimulia in Gazipur district. 

Appointed last year Fr Small praised the local Church saying it is making a significant difference in the lives of the poor and powerless in spite of the limited resources and influence at its disposal. 

“I was surprised to see the extreme poverty here, it was not known to me,” he said. “The world and the Church need to know this story,” he observed, adding: “People have lot of love and respect and joy with the little support they have from us, but they need to have more of our prayers and support.” 

He said the world needs to learn more from the Church in Bangladesh about how it has found a very good way to coexist in a Muslim majority country. 

Oblate Bishop Bejoy D’Cruze of Sylhet said Fr Andrew’s visit has brought renewed hope for the local Church. 

“The Church has lot to do for the poor and needy but lacks resources. Poor Catholics have strong faith amid numerous challenges they face every day and they do need more support from us,” he said.

END

Original Article:

Church 'needs more support'  

Bandura Holy Cross High School marks centenary

Illuminated front view of Bandura Holy Cross High School. Photo: Rock Ronald Rozario

Bandura Holy Cross High School, a pioneering Church-run school in Dhaka archdiocese has celebrated the centenary of foundation with three day festival over the weekend.
About 14,000 alumni and current students attended the program along with families including several hundred flying home from abroad on Jan. 12-14 at Bandura in Nababgonj sub-district, 44 kms south of Dhaka.

Among the dignitaries present were Holy Cross Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario of Dhaka, three bishops, information and cultural affairs minister Abul Kalam Azad, Catholic state minister for cultural affairs advocate Promod Mankin, local parliamentarian and state minister for housing and public works advocate Abdul Mannan Khan and former minister barrister Nazmul Huda.

The school has been lauded often locally and nationally several times for academic and extra-curricular excellence. In 2001, the school was awarded ‘The Best Educational Institution’ in the country by Education Ministry.

Among the famous alumni include Servant of God Holy Cross Archbishop T.A. Ganguly of Dhaka and almost all Catholic bishops of the country and Catholic state minister Promod Mankin.

The centennial celebration was marked with a grand rally, discussion meeting, sharing of memoirs by alumni, cultural function with national and internal artistes, memorabilia including shirts, key ring, court pins, flags and a magazine and fraternity meals.

Set up by Holy Cross Congregation and particularly by American Holy Cross missioner Father John Jack Hennessy on Jan. 8, 1912 with just 157 students, at present Bandura Holy Cross High School has 1,550 students.

Over the years the school enlightened tens of thousands of students from the area and other parts of the country. Many of its students became prominent social, political, religious and business leaders.

One of the greatest contributions of the school is helping local Catholic Church grow.

More than a hundred diocesan and religious priests completed their high school education from the school given pioneering Little Flower Seminary located just beside it.

In his speech information and cultural affairs minister thanked the Church and school authority for the great contribution in country’s education sector over the years.

“On behalf of the government I thank the Church and the school for laying cornerstone of success for thousands of students in last hundred years. This school is not only considered model in education but also extra-curriculum. I congratulate the authority, alumni and current students for marking hundred years of success,” said the minister Azad.

He also assured that his government will assist Church authorities who are in a venture to set up first Church-run University in the country.

A number of alumni shared that how this school helped them succeeding in life.
“I’ve flown all the way from USA to attend the centenary of my alma mater. This school has helped me to establish in life, I’m grateful to my teachers. Today I’m happier to be here because I have met many of my old friends,” said Catholic Khokon Stanley Gomes.

Shyamlal Paul, 52, a Hindu and government official recalled, “I’ve studied in the school for ten years. I’ve learned good English, hand writing, discipline and co-curricular activities. Whenever I pass beside the school I stop for while and relish my school days.”

Present headmaster Holy Cross Brother Chandan Benedict Gomes reiterated the motto of the school saying, “Come for education and go for mission- has always been our motto. I thank everyone for making the historic event for the school so successful.”

The headmaster added that with donation collected from the alumni and benefactors the school will set up a modern auditorium to mark the centennial celebration.

Victory but no freedom for Bangladesh

A child wears a headband of Bangladesh National Flag during victory day celebrations in Dhaka. File Photo: www.technewssource.com) 

People in Bangladesh celebrated their 40^th Victory Day last Friday. It’s a red letter day in the history of Bengali people who snatched independence from West Pakistan in 1971.

The misery people went through is little known to the world, even to many in South Asian countries. There has been little effort to let the world know what actually happened in 1971.

The war began with one of the worst genocides in the history of mankind. The West Pakistan army killed three million people and ravaged more than 300,000 women in a matter of weeks and at least 10 million people took shelter in India.

The Bengali people are not by nature warriors, but they couldn’t help turning into a brave nation amid that massacre. After nine months bloody struggle they defeated the army to claim victory.

The independence of Bangladesh was, in a sense, a global war with the USA and China assisting Pakistan and Bangladesh getting support from India and Russia. It was also a war between moderate and extreme forces in Islam. This time the moderate force was victorious.

Yet after 40 years, we still have not achieved freedom.

The disparity between rich and poor has not changed. A few rich and influential people enjoy all the amenities of life while 80 percent languish in poverty.

Politics are entirely election-oriented and political leaders see it as nothing more than a rich vein to be mined. They have no hesitation in colluding with their former enemies if it suits them.

The war we fought and won was against a vulture who tried to grab our heart. There are many more evils to defeat and many more wars to win. One day the people will rise, throw away all injustice and freedom will be ours, truly.

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Lying politicians are costing us our greatness

In my high school and college life I studied a bit of politics. In my mother tongue Bengali, politics is translated as Raajniti which literally means ‘King’s rule’. Our teachers sometimes made fun by saying: “politics is the rule that governs all other rules as the King rules his subjects.”

I didn’t get it, but I do now, after finishing my formal studies of politics long ago.

Seeing its misuse and abuse in our country over the years, it strikes me that politics is purely and simply a power-grabbing and money-making tool. I’ve witnessed power transitions and change in political backdrop throughout my life. I’ve read the history books. There has never been a time when this country’s politics was not overshadowed by falsehood, conspiracy, betrayal and self-interest.

Few people outside Bangladesh can realize how much the politicians have stopped this country from realizing its vast potential and developing its prosperity. In a very powerful commentary published late last week in Bangladesh’s leading English daily, The Daily Star, editor Mahfuz Anam strikes down heavily on the political leaders for their all consuming bad practices.

Referring to the current political games between parties, he says our leaders lie so easily because they think we, the people, are idiots. Well, people here are not fools – but we are tired of it. We know that without leaders like Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founder and the greatest Bengali leader of all time, Bangladesh will continue to lag behind the world.

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A talismanic victory



Bangladesh Cricket team

The Bangladesh cricket team have just beaten the famous West Indies by three wickets in a truly nerve wracking match at the home of Bangladesh cricket in Mirpur, Dhaka.

At one point it looked likely to be another nightmare for the Tigers. But the new captain played a real captain’s innings to save the day. When he smashed the last ball for a huge six, millions of Bangladeshis rejoiced.
Why do we go so mad when our team wins? To people outside, it’s nothing much. But to us it’s not just a win, it’s also a bit of good news amid the endless bad news and sufferings that haunt people in this impoverished country.
We have so many reasons to be unhappy – overpopulation, corruption, political chicanery, power crises, price hikes, traffic jams, stock market failures and so on…..but a talismanic cricket victory puts it all aside.

The win not only boosts the confidence of the team (and it has been shaken recently, on and off the field) but also public morale.

Over the last decade, cricket has turned into the most popular game in the country. Even the heads of our government and the opposition – both of them female – joined the general public to congratulate the Tigers for sealing the victory. Apparently, both of them also support my favorite football team, Brazil. But these are the only conditions or situations I have known where they agree about something.
Thanks Tigers, for making us happy at least for a while!
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Feeling the earthquake

The newspapers in Bangladesh today are all headlining the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal, northwestern parts of India, Tibet and Bhutan.

It also affected Bangladesh although there are no reported casualties so far – just two buildings have been tilted slightly. But it was the first time I’ve ever felt an earthquake.

I was in Dhaka, attending my class at the British Council on Seven Mosque Road in the capital’s posh area, Dhanmondi, when suddenly the building started trembling. It felt like some giant force was either passing under the earth surface or a giant was pushing the building slowly. All the objects, including 13 humans in the room, were shaking.

It lasted about half a minute and phone calls started coming to our mobile phones though none of them rang, because we’d all put them onto vibrate mode. Some of the older people looked pale, possibly through concern for their families.

Our teacher was trying to make light of the tremor. “Don’t worry, this building will not fall,” he said. “If it does fall I’ll die with you!”

I wasn’t scared but I was worried about the country. As I’ve written in an earlier blog, it’s thought that the next great earthquake after Haiti and Japan is lurking beneath Bangladesh.

While reading today’s papers, more bad news caught my eye. The United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security has released its World Risk Report for 2011, which ranks Bangladesh as the sixth most disaster prone country in the world, second in Asia after the Philippines.

I don’t know what is in store for Bangladesh in the near future, but any disaster is bound to be magnified many times over, because the country has hardly any resources or facilities to sustain itself against a blow.

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Gathering urges youth to be strong

 

Catholic youth attend special mass during National Youth Day in Bangladesh

Young Catholics were urged to strengthen their faith in Christ to counter challenges of life at the largest annual Catholic youth gathering that ended today. 

“God planted seeds of faith in silence during Youth Day and we’re called to receive it in silence. It is a fountain of light that enlightens us, a networking of faith that connects us all and helps us realize we’re not alone in our life of faith in Christ,” said Holy Cross Bishop Moses Costa of Chittagong, addressing hundreds of young participants and youth activists at the 26th National Youth Day festivities that started on October 3. 

Bishop Costa, chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Youth that organized the program, added: “Youth Day is also a great opportunity to find friends. But our friendship won’t be real or last long if we don’t make Jesus our friend first.” 

Dhaka's archdiocesan youth commission hosted the event at St Augustine Church in Kewachala, Gazipur district. It drew 300 participants and youth activists including clergy, religious and laypeople from all seven Catholic dioceses in the county. 

Throughout the program participants went through creative liturgy, catechism classes, presentations, group discussions and film show to get them into the message of Holy Father. 

They also found friends collecting and joining Biblical verses distributed among them. A colorful rally, heritage corner with traditional local clothes, household tools, delicacies, musical instruments, and historic documents and a cultural function added another dimension to the gathering, making it a pilgrimage of faith and joyful festival at the same time.

END

Original Article:

Gathering urges youth to be strong

Bangladesh's new diocese gets first prelate

 

Thousands of Catholics attended the installation ceremony today of Oblate Bishop Bejoy Nicephorus D’Cruze, as the first prelate of newly created Sylhet diocese in the northeast of the country. The installation Mass was held at the Immaculate Conception Church in Lokhipur, in Moulvibazar district. 

Nine bishops, including Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Joseph Marino and Archbishop Paulinus Costa of Dhaka, as well as several hundred priests, nuns, and brothers joined about 3,000 Catholics who attended what was a historic event for the local Church. 

Archbishop Marino read out the Apostolic Letter from the Holy Father that canonically erected Sylhet as the country’s 7th diocese on July 8 this year. Bishop D’Cruze had served as Bishop of Khulna before his appointment to the new diocese. 

Sylhet, which covers four civil districts -- Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar was carved out of Dhaka archdiocese, making it a suffragan of the same metropolitan Church. 

“The Catholic Church in Lokhipur shall be the temporary cathedral under the patronage of the Divine Mercy,” the apostolic letter said. 

The new diocese has seven parishes and 11 mission centers with about 17,000 mostly tribal Catholics, served by 21 priests and 33 Religious. 

“The faithful in Sylhet have waited for autonomy for so long, and today their dream has come true,” Archbishop Paulinus Costa said in his homily. 

“I would like to call upon Bishop Bejoy to look upon education, financial independence, participation in social activities and evangelization, as well as promoting religious vocations as the major challenges for Catholics in the diocese,” he added.

END

Original Article:

Bangladesh's new diocese gets first prelate

My Sunday

Holy Rosary Church at Tejgaon, Dhaka (Photo: Chandan Robert Rebeiro)

For nearly everyone in Bangladesh, Sunday is not a weekend day. I’m one the few ‘privileged’ guys to have a weekly holiday on the Holy Day for Christians. In an earlier post I wrote why the custom of having a day off on Sunday was changed.

Sunday has always been a special day to me especially in my seminary years from 1999 to 2007. For the first two of those years, when I was studying in grade 9 and 10 Sunday was a half day school holiday. We used to have good meals –the best of the week – from breakfast to dinner at Little Flower Seminary at Bandura. Then we could take a long siesta after lunch. From the minor seminary to intermediate then degree level seminaries, both in Dhaka. Sunday was a very welcome, blissful day for me and all the boys.

But since those times it has become less of a special day. My roommate, a bachelor like me, has his weekend on Friday and Saturday, so Saturday is the common holiday for us both and we enjoy it together. Sometimes we go to the park, or the theater or cinema, or to some other cultural function in Dhaka. But then Sunday can be a tough day as I’m alone at home, so now it’s just a rest day to me.

When in Dhaka I usually sleep late, then make breakfast, do some chores and cook lunch. The routine is often interrupted as gas, water and electricity outages are frequent. Sometimes it gets to 4 o’clock before I can have lunch, so I often opt to go out for it.

In Dhaka I try to get to 6 o’clock Mass at the Holy Rosary Church in Tejgaon, about 30 minutes walk from where I live. Five priests serve here – it’s the largest Catholic Church in the country, right in the heart of the city. Not all the priests offer Mass well and they can’t all deliver a good sermon. They often just repeat the Gospel, or they speak too much on theological matters. I feel sorry for those devoted souls who come to Mass direct from their workplace. They keep coming even though they might not be inspired by some of the priests’ sermons.

Every time I’m on my way to Mass I wonder if the priest will be one that I don’t like. Unfortunately, most times, it is. Nowadays I’ve become an irregular Sunday Massgoer, not because I have such a busy life, but because I’m afraid of Mass being boring. I’m a good listener but I lose interest in boring things.

I go to my village home, 45 kms northeast of Dhaka, about once a month. Sunday is good there as my dad and mom do everything. All I need to do is get up early and get to Mass. Then, after Mass, it’s nice to meet lots of friends. Sometimes we spend some time together and go for something to eat and drink. That makes my Sunday a little bit special.

View Original Post @ UCAN Blogs on Aug. 29, 2011

Here comes weekend- or does it?

Unlike most Bangladeshi people, Sunday is a special day for me. I’m one of the few folks who have the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Government offices and most NGOs follow the Friday-Saturday custom.

Sunday was traditionally the weekend until 1984, when the military ruler HM Ershad changed it to Friday. This was an attempt to win the hearts of pious Muslims for whom Friday is the holy day of prayer. It didn’t do him much good as he was ousted in 1991.

But even though he was booted out, Sunday was never reintroduced as the weekend holiday. None of the democratic governments that followed have dared to reverse it. Why? Because they’re afraid an opponent will one day use it as a ‘religious trump card’ in a general election.

In Bangladesh, it hasn’t just been about which days; it’s also been about how many days.

The government led by the Awami League first introduced a two-day weekend in 1997. It was reduced to Friday only by the BNP-led government in 2001. But then they were forced to restore a two-day weekend in 2005, as an austerity measure to reduce pressure on the national economy when fuel prices and the dollar exchange rate rose.

Officially, the two-day weekend still holds in Bangladesh though in many places, especially rural areas and private sector industries like garments factories, only Friday is the weekend.

The demand to be in step with most countries and include Sunday as part of the weekend still looms large among various section of society. It’s certainly my preference. As Friday is weekend for most people, all kinds of family, social, Church or national programs are arranged on that day. I’ve been missing most of them since 2008, when I started my career as a journalist which meant work on Friday. When I was in the seminary for nine years I also missed a lot of family and social programs such as weddings and anniversaries, because seminary directors were reluctant to allow extra holidays.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had the same time off?

**This post was originally published on UCAN Blog on August 23, 2011

Remembering an ever-smiling face



Kishore Cruze

In another tragic recurrence of road accidents that are unabated in Bangladesh at the moment, a highway bus overturned at central Bangladesh’s Tangail district, 92 kilometers away from the capital, on August 4.

The Dhaka-bound bus lost control when its driver hit the brakes of the speeding vehicle for unknown reasons.

Three passengers were killed and others were badly injured and rushed to a local hospital for emergency care.

It was a shocking blow to learn that one of the passengers killed was a second-year seminarian from Holy Spirit National Major Seminary in Dhaka.

Kishore Cruze, 25, was traveling back to the seminary after spending a month’s summer vacation at home.

His colleague Mintu Rozario, 26, injured his leg in the crash.

Surprisingly, the tragedy was not covered by the mainstream media in Bangladesh, though it appeared here on ucanews.com on August 5.

The tragic news came to us by phone from one of our local reporters in Tangail.

I was stunned and remained motionless for a moment because I simply could not believe the news. I called the reporter again to verify, and he confirmed that the tragedy was true.

When I got home, I sent SMS messages to all our reporters and almost all of my former seminary friends who knew Kishore Cruze.

Most of them responded quickly with phone calls, including one friend in the United States. Like me, they were all disheartened.

Kishore (which means “adolescent” in Bengali) was not a close friend but he has a face to remember always. He will always remain young in our memories.

He was one of the best seminarians I’ve ever met during my 1999-2007 seminary life. He was simple, honest and hard-working.

I had known him since 2004 when he came to attend a Special Study Program at St. Joseph’s Seminary at the archbishop’s house in Dhaka after intermediate exams.

One thing I hope all my friends will never forget is Kishore’s all-conquering smile. Every time anyone talked to him, he used to smile – a rare thing among people these days.

He was a very meek and humble boy and very respectful to senior seminarians. I hardly ever saw him show any signs of annoyance or anger at anything or anyone.

I still recall his large smile when I last met him on May 14 this year, when 10 of my former classmates received Cassock after completing three years at the major seminary.

It is really painful for anyone who knew Kishore to believe he had to depart so untimely and tragically. The Church should never have to bear the loss of such a good future priest.

Yet today, I cannot accept the fact that the ever-smiling face is no more. Why are good people taken away too soon?

We’ll miss you, Kishore, today and always. We hope you keep on smiling from heaven until, if we deserve it, we will meet you again.

Published on UCAN Blog on August 9, 2011

The hope ride gets a rough ride

Internationally acclaimed weekly magazine The Economist has aimed a foul blow at ongoing developments in Bangladesh-India bilateral relationships in a recent article.

The intro says, “not much noticed by outsiders, long-troubled ties between two neighbours sharing a long border have taken a substantial lurch for the better. Ever since 2008, when the Awami League, helped by bags of Indian cash and advice, triumphed in general elections in Bangladesh, relations with India have blossomed.”

“To Indian delight, Bangladesh has cracked down on extremists with ties to Pakistan or India’s home-grown terrorist group, the Indian Mujahideen, as well as on vociferous Islamist (and anti-Indian) politicians in the country. India feels that bit safer.” .

Speaking to journalists yesterday, Bangladesh foreign minister Dr. Dipu Moni slammed the report as ‘baseless and a pack of lies.’

“The report is disgraceful for an internationally reputed publication like The Economist,” she said. “We’ll send a rejoinder, probably tomorrow (Thursday). It seems to me there is a smear campaign going against Bangladesh.”

I have to agree. Though the report does point out some important and strategic issues that Bangladeshis should be concerned about, I think many points in it seemed biased or were simply incorrect.

In a blog that I posted on the ‘hope ride’ between Bangladesh and India, I wrote a posthumous tribute to the late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her contribution to Bangladesh liberation in 1971. Even the award was termed as 'a golden gong' in a malice manner.

This report and the alleged ‘smear campaign’ behind it is surely a snub to that hope ride.

A version of the post was first published at UCAN Blog- Give Us This Day on August 4, 2011