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

Bangladesh: God’s own country or God forsaken land?



The red circle shows central part of Bangladesh is most vulnerable for earthquake (Photo: www.priyo.com)

If the environmentalists and seismologists are right, Bangladesh could turn into the definitive God forsaken land any time now.

A recent report by the Earth Institute of Columbia University in the United States says the next great earthquake, after the ones in Haiti and Japan, is lurking beneath Bangladesh and likely to jolt the land imminently.

Bangladesh is the most crowded place in the world with over 160 million people squeezed into just 147,570 sq kms of land.

If the disaster takes place near the capital, Dhaka, where the population is over 15 million, it will undoubtedly be the gravest human tragedy of all time. Not just because it happens in such a crowded country but also because people here have no safety net to face such a calamity.

But that’s not the only dire prediction. A couple of years back, a group of environmentalists warned that the sea level will rise by nearly 10 cm in the next 50 years. That will be enough to completely submerge the Maldives islands and wash away about 20 costal communities in Bangladesh, turning millions of inhabitants into climate refugees with no possibility of a return.

All the signs say that Mother Nature has been enormously violated worldwide and Bangladesh is no exception.

Now the world is repaying the cost. But isn’t Bangladesh paying too much?

Published on UCAN Blog- Give Us This Day on August 1, 2011

Beautiful Bangladesh: School of Life

Bangladesh is mostly known around the world for unhappy reasons.

It struggles with a massive population of over 160 million, which makes it the most densely populated place under the sky. About half of its inhabitants rank among the world’s most impoverished and vulnerable.

It’s also a soft target for natural disasters including floods, droughts, tropical cyclones and tidal waves. Every time a natural calamity strikes, many perish and many more go from poor to poorest.

Unsurprisingly Bangladesh is also beset by illiteracy, unemployment, corruption, political instability and a slack law and order system.

But a renewed sense of patriotism has been engendered by a three and half minute advertisement called ‘Beautiful Bangladesh: School of Life.’ First shown at the opening ceremony of the World Cup Cricket Tournament, the ad has made Bangladeshis look at their own land with a fresh perspective and made an eye-opening message for people outside the country.

Its creator, Gausul Azam Shaon, says he tried to express the real beauty of Bangladesh, which lies with its people and the way they live with nature. “It’s simple, it’s pure and we tried to show that a visit to Bangladesh will teach people to love the simplicity of life.”


*First published on UCAN Blog- Give Us This Day on July 27, 2011

Detalis on the commercial: The Independent on Feb. 20, 2011

The hope ride gets boost



Indira Gandhi: The Iron Lady of India
Photo Courtesy: www.thefamouspeople.com

Bangladesh conferred a long overdue honor to former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi yesterday.

The leader, often called ‘The Iron Lady of India,’ was posthumously awarded Swadhinata Sommanona, the Bangladesh Freedom Honor, for her ‘multi-faceted’ and crucial role during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

Sonia Gandhi, her daughter-in-law and current president of India’s ruling National Congress party, received the highest civilian honor for a foreign national on her behalf from Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman.

“Her role was so seminal, so singular and so comprehensive that she is in a category by herself,” said Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni to an audience including the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, cabinet members, senior government officials and quite a few distinguished guests.

She added that Indira also drew the attention of the world to a problem that was not just an issue for Pakistan but also the world community.

“If Indira Gandhi could have been with us, I know she would have been overwhelmed by the high honor you have bestowed on her,” Sonia said in acceptance. “There can be no honor higher than one conferred for the freedom of an oppressed people and the birth of a great nation.”

Of course, many Bangladeshis, like me, were born since then so our knowledge of liberation comes from books, films, documentaries and media. But we see the independence war as the most significant event in the history of Bangladesh and still the most influential force in every aspect of life here.

Every time any Bangladeshi speaks about independence, they must hail Indira Gandhi and express gratitude for what she did. Not only did she take some 1o million Bangladeshi refugees under her wing in 1971, but she also mobilized global support — firmly withstanding US, Chinese and Arab pressure at the time — which was crucial for our country’s struggle for freedom.

I think this honor should have been conferred earlier, but better late than never. It’s certainly significant at this crucial time when Bangladesh and India are strengthening a multi-dimensional relationship that is widely being called ‘the hope ride’ in local media.

The Indian Prime Minister Monmohan Singh is due in the country in September to sign major deals and talk over long standing issues including transit, electricity imports, water sharing and management, border demarcation and killings, the exchange of enclaves and the trade deficit.

No doubt Sonia Gandhi’s visit and the honor for Indira will have a political impact, I hope for a good cause.

Published on July 26, 2011 @ Give Us This Day

Bangladesh’s fatal aggression



Frustration to justice and law systems is a fatal burning flame among many people in Bangladesh. Who will put down the fire? (Photo Credit: www.highopesgardens.com)


Our office was closed on Monday as Muslims in the country observed their religious festival Shab-e-Barat (Night of Freedom) on Sunday night and the following day is a national holiday.

No newspapers were printed but, as always, the TV channels were on. From early morning they were broadcasting the news that villagers on the outskirts of Dhaka had beaten six suspected robbers to death.

This happened in the riverbank village of Amin Bazar, in an area which is a hot spot for illegal drugs. In the afternoon, to my utter dismay, I saw an update: all but one of the victims, who were bludgeoned to death by a mob of several hundred, were students.

They came from different parts of Dhaka and it is unclear why they went to the death spot. The villagers and even the police insist they were robbers, but their weeping relatives told reporters that they had no criminal records and were just ordinary, fun loving boys. It has also been denied that they were interested in drugs.

Following a wave of robberies and kidnappings, the villagers had organized teams to patrol at night. One of them said they had identified the young men as robbers.

“We suspected they were robbers so we passed the message to other teams and eventually it was announced through loudspeakers all over the village,” he said. The patrol teams let the suspects enter deep into the village, then hundreds of people attacked them with sticks and sharp weapons.

There were many more people than usual up and about that night because of the Shab-e-Barat prayer meetings. What an irony that these young men were killed and one more was badly injured on a holy night.

Such an incident is very rare in a civilized society in developed or modern countries, but very common here. Ain O Salish Kendra, a human rights body, reports 72 deaths from mob beatings in just the last six months.

A tragic culture of extra-judicial killings in mob attacks is developing in the country, because in most such cases, the responsible people go unpunished.

Why such a horrifying trend?

It is as evident to commoners like me as it is to the experts. There is an erosion of trust in the justice system and law enforcement agencies, which is leading people to violence and taking the law into their own hands. People in the past often handed over a criminal or a suspect to the police, only to see them walk away through some legal loophole.

It makes people feel frustrated and insecure. And it’s that frustration that leads to an aggression that is literally deadly.

If this is not tackled with a much stronger justice system and the curbing of extra-judicial killings by law enforcers, I’m afraid this frustrated nation could be driven to total lawlessness.

Published on ucanews.com blogs 0n July 19, 2011

The death ride



Thousands of people gather around the spot where the tragic accident occurred on July 11, 2011 (Photo: Focus Bangla News)



July 11 was a long, hot and tiring day. After a full day’s work, I had a long meeting at the National Youth Commission, where I’m a volunteer. It was 9 o’clock when I got home, exhausted, hungry and badly needing a shower. But there was no electricity, so not only was there no hot water, there wasn’t even water in the tank.

The power came back after an hour. I turned on the TV and suddenly, my little problems didn’t matter any more. They were updating the news; a road accident had killed 44 schoolboys near Chittagong.

Between 60 and 70 were packed into the back of a mini-truck, coming home after winning an inter-school football match at a local stadium. The truck driver was allegedly the driver’s assistant and was unlawfully talking on a mobile phone. He lost control while giving way to an oncoming vehicle, crashed and flipped into a pond.

Many were trapped, even though the pond was not deep. People rushed to the rescue before the emergency services came. But it was too late. Most of the kids died on the spot.

The incident was the lead story on ucanews.com and made headlines all over the world. And every time I read about it, it hurts.

I picture myself as one of the kids who succumbed to death after trying to survive beneath the overturned truck, or as one of the people at the school, the families and the villages, overcome with unfathomable grief.

Who can bear a tragedy like this?

I remember those days when I was at school. I too enjoyed it when our village or school team had won a football match. Coming back in the truck, we used to joke and make up funny football chants. Those kids were probably doing the same. They were only 1.5 kms away from their school. But they didn’t make it.

Now the question is being asked: who can escape blame for this? The driver, the school authorities, the law makers, the rescue services? I say no one. Whatever is being promised to the bereaved families, no condolence can be enough.

Published at UCAN Blogs on July 14, 2011

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Why mess with population figures?

An upcoming preliminary report on national population according to recent census to be released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) will show that the nation’s population stands at 140 million which far less than what is widely believed, local news agencies say.

The report follows the fifth population census on March 15-19 this year which was largely condemned for not counting many people in capital Dhaka and elsewhere.

When he was asked about report’s accurac, a BBS official told reporters that the figure might be 150 million after adjustments in the light of alleged lapses.

United Nations’ Population Fund (UNFPA) in its State of the World Population 2010 reports published last October says the country’s population is over 160 million and predicted that in current growth rate it will be more than 222 million by 2050.

If you’re living in Bangladesh, especial in urban areas it’ll take little time for you to help realize that the UNFPA report is true in fact. Jam-packed streets, markets, public transports and congested housings- all bear witness to the claim.

In rural areas where more than 80 percent people live, life is simple and relaxed, but the necessary amenities for a standard living are hardly found.

The striking fact for Bangladesh is that here you find life in plenty but unfortunately one lacks in most of the things one needs for well-being.

Bangladesh population has doubled since 1971 independence from Pakistan when the figure was little over 70 million. Fourth census in 1991 showed population was 129.3 million.

The country is already experiencing a disastrous population explosion even though in recent years the growth rate came down to 1.57 percent. The rate slowed down thanks various promotional activities by government and NGOs.

By now massive growth has become the mother of many major problems including poverty, illiteracy, food crisis, unemployment, and corruption.

But it’s not enough for small country that is called to be the most densely populated country, currently ranked 8th most populous country in the world. It’s a striking contrast if compared with Russia (17 million km2) which is about 120 times larger than Bangladesh (144,000km2) but has little over 140 million people spread over such vast land.

However, the total population and number of men and women is crucial information to carry out development enterprises in the country and most of all it’s an essential data for a country that imports million tonnes food grains to ensure food security.

Media and some development NGOs allege that there is a tendency among officials to change or amend statistics to please higher authorities.

If the accurate statistics are not published, it is surely going to worsen the lives and livelihood of many people in Bangladesh.

@ ucanews.com blogs on July 1, 2011

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Peace a far cry, pressure a reality



Tribal people in Chittagong Hill Tracts once largely depended on Jhum (slash and burn) cultivation



During my recent travel to southeastern port city Chittagong I had a brief chat with one Church high official in and he told me they read ucanews.com reports in here regularly. I was glad to know that because few people (about 4%) use internet in Bangladesh and to be online for information is not yet an essential part of life for most people here.

The Church dignitary (who didn’t want to be named) lauded our efforts in covering the life of the Church. However, he warned me to be cautious while reporting on some issues from Chittagong, one of the diverse Catholic dioceses in the country.

In an earlier post I wrote about the significant nature of the diocese where Bengali and ethnic tribals make up over 39,000 Catholic population.

Half of the Catholics in the diocese are tribals, mostly Tripura people who live up on hills at three southeastern Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) districts along with about 25 fellow tribal groups.

The official several times cautioned me not to mention in reports anything about evangelization, conversion and Church statistics, especially from Church on hills. There are six Catholic parishes and some sub-centers in CHT.

From the very beginning we had been very vigilant to skip reporting any issues relating to evangelization and conversion, but we include Church statistics sometimes in our reports to show Church life and growth.

“Constitution and the law of the land allow us to freely practice our religion and administer missionary activities, (but) there is a continued political pressure,” he said.

He further added that intelligence and detective branches often ask Church authorities to provide them with Church statistics. They fear that if the number of Christians grow they will join neighboring Indian states where tribal Christians make-up significant portion and split from Bangladesh.

“This is an unrealistic and imaginative idea, but who will turn it around, as they don’t think otherwise because of political anxiety,” the official lamented.

The life of tribals on hills is unique, unparallel and most significantly challenging in forested and impassable region. They are very simple people and have their own way of living the life.

When Catholic Church reached to CHT in 1950s and eventually once Caritas started operating there things changed rapidly.

Now fewer people depend on Jhum cultivation which is destructive for the environment. Besides, the Church pioneered education, health and so on for tribals as necessary. It is regrettable that the Church is under surveillance now.

The recurring trouble has a real long root of origin.

The tribals are oldest settlers of CHT from an undocumented period of time. During 1970 and 1980s successive governments in the country attempted to resettle Bengali people on hills that were resisted by tribals. The influx of Bengali people was a premeditative counter insurgency measure.

Governments perhaps were worried that CHT might split out from the newly independent country and may join in to any other neighboring country that borders Bangladesh.

The tribals led by Parbatto Chattogram Jono Shanghati Samiti (PCJSS, United People’s Party of the CHT) formed a militia force called ‘Shanti Bahini’ (Peace Force) and it continued fighting against Bengali settlers and government forces.

The 23 years battle ended with much-desired Peace Accord in 1997. From the beginning of fighting the area was heavily militarized and even after over a decade it is still left that way. That means political worries didn’t wash away.

A fraction PCJSS and some disgruntled tribals opposed the treaty and later formed an armed force called United People’s democratic Front (UPDF) and continued sporadic fighting with pro-accord parties and also with Bengali settlers. Now-a-days clashes between Bengali and tribals are frequent on hills.

The war ends, but the fight ends never.

A recent UN report catalogued mass human rights violations in CHT and another blog post put forth the voice of one of the victims.

The undeserved pressure for Church in hills is not likely to go away soon, nor will the hills return to total peace. No one knows how long this wall of suspicion will haunt people on hills.

@UCAN Blogs on June 22, 2011

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