Crumbs & Pints

Combatting Climate Change: You 2 Can Contribute!!!

2011-07-14T03:29:00.002+06:00

“Well, I am just a theatre graduate. How can I change the world, let alone the climate?” asks my friend, Nabila.

The experts in the fields are trying everything from developing climate change resilient crops starting from salt-tolerant, drought tolerant, and even flood-tolerant rice, to developing low carbon emission and more fuel efficient technologies, low cost solar panels, and even energy saving bulbs.

But is that enough?

While the efforts of the scientific and research community are laudatory, the fight against climate change needs a holistic approach that involves not only scientists and engineers but the combined effort of all at large.

Action can take the form of a street drama or an artist’s comic strip, a mobile phone game by a computer scientist, or even a billboard designed by an ad agency developed to bring about behavior change in the community towards climate change and environmental awareness.

It might involve a training for rescue operators for disaster preparedness given by a community worker or a trainer; and safety net programmes for crop insurance or microfinance.

It could involve income-generating training for climate change victims by an economist or some development practitioner. There is a role that any type of entity, organisation. Any of us from any discipline can play a role in the fight against climate change if we choose to, starting from prevention and preparedness to action when needed.

Act before it’s too late! The clock is ticking.

And don’t forget, that you don’t have to wait for others or even a big funding to help change the world. You can start right at home. Turn off the lights and tap water when not in use; recycle; don’t litter; and most importantly, “Don’t forget to plant a tree”.

And of course, if you have some money to spare, donate to a climate change or environmental fund instead of buying that much adorable T-Shirt perhaps. After all, we must be the change we wish to see in the world.

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Published: YourCommonwealth, 2 March, 2011

The Truth About Cats and Dogs

2011-07-14T03:25:00.005+06:00

I have always considered myself eloquent, excellent in English, very knowledgeable about worldly affairs, and very logical when it comes to arguments.

Full of pride, I thought I had everything I needed to be a debater. Well, the truth is, the first time I debated competitively, English seemed like Chinese, not to mention the fact that I forgot what the motion was.

The embarrassing and excruciatingly long and unusually heavy 2 minutes ended abruptly when I realized I still had 5 more minutes of speaking time I needed to fill and I had absolutely nothing to say. I hid my head in shame as the opponents came, mocked me and tore me to pieces.

I suppose there is a first time for everything.

When I look back at this past, not so long ago, I reminisce with a different kind of pride – pride over the fact that I have finally learnt to treat debate with amusement and confidence. On the other hand, it has definitely taught me to be humble.

Some people see the great debaters get mesmerized by their charms, and think debating is really easy. Others get intimidated and back off as they think it’s only for the highly skilled and knowledgeable. I would say every one has the potential to be a great debater at heart.

To me, debating is a fun learning process that can be thought provoking and challenging at times. It teaches one to be a good speaker and appreciate other points of views. It even teaches one to be really creative especially when one has no pre-knowledge about the motion in hand.

It’s a great way to learn to apply knowledge, logic, as well as common sense. On the other hand, there is no better self-esteem booster than when you find an effective rebuttal or even better when you win an argument and laugh at the sound of your opponents crumble.

However you may look at it, one thing for sure is, once you start debating, there is no going back… ’cause, after all, it is one of the most fun, competitive and of course addictive sports around.

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Published: YourCommonwealth, 10 May, 2011

State of Women's Inheritance in Bangladesh

2011-07-14T03:05:00.006+06:00

Recently, there was much hullabaloo about the National Women Development Policy 2011 which supposedly would change the status of women’s inheritance in the country. Unfortunately a closer inspection of the National Women Development Policy 2011 sadly does not say anything about the equal distribution of inherited property.

While Bangladesh is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), it has reservations on Article 13 (a) of the convention which grants equality to women regarding the right to family benefits. In Bangladesh, inheritance is governed by a person’s religion, which has left much of the inheritance process of women unequal and discriminatory. This has raised the need for a uniform and secular family code to deal not only with the inheritance issue, but with issues such as marriage, divorce, and guardianship as well. A comparative analysis of a few crucial current women’s inheritance rights laws in Bangladesh is presented below:

In Bangladesh, under the Muslim law, the wife inherits a fixed share of one-eighth of the deceased husband’s property if he leaves children, whereas the husband receives one fourth of his deceased wife’s property. If he does not leave any children, then the wife inherits a quarter of the husband’s estate. A daughter, who is an only child, inherits half the estate of her late father or mother. If there is more than one daughter and no son, then the daughters jointly inherit two-thirds of the estate. However, if there is a son, then the daughter’s share will be equal to half of the son’s share. In all cases, men inherit more than the women do.

On the other hand, among the Hindus a large number of women are also excluded from inheritance. According to Hindu personal laws, not all daughters of a man are equally eligible to inherit. Unmarried daughters and married daughters with sons can inherit. Childless widowed daughters or daughters having no son are excluded from inheritance. A Hindu woman, even if she inherits has limited rights to her property in the form of life interest i.e. on her death, the property reverts back to the next heir of the person she had inherited the property from. Widows inheriting properties from her husband also inherits on limited rights i.e. life interest. The Buddhists in Bangladesh are also governed by Hindu laws in Bangladesh.

Inheritance is not only a matter of human rights, it adversely affects women’s economic and financial conditions, the situation makes it especially worst for female headed households in Bangladesh. While the constitution says that it shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, it only guarantees equal rights of women with men in all spheres of the state and of public life, which leaves the women vulnerable regarding her rights in private and family life. Equal rights of women in all spheres in Bangladesh is not only a question of women’s development, it is a fundamental human right that is yet to be guaranteed by the state.

While some progressive provisions have been made by the current government towards enacting laws for women’s rights in Bangladesh, many issues still remain unaddressed. While the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2009 has made amendments to the Citizenship Act, 1951 to make provisions to grant Bangladeshi citizenship rights to children of Bangladeshi women by descent, foreigner husbands of Bangladeshi women are still not eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship, while Bangladeshi men exercise different privileges.

Concrete policy formulations and law amendments need to be made to remove women’s discrimination, ensure women’s equality and equal rights as men in Bangladesh, especially through affirmative actions and secular approaches.

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Published at The Independent, Weekend Magazine, Friday 1 July, 2011
http://www.theindependentbd.com/weekly-independent/58197-state-of-womens-inheritance-in-bangladesh.html

Published at Forum, The Daily Star, July 2011
http://www.thedailystar.net/forum/2011/July/readers.htm

The Paradox of Lift

2010-08-11T22:28:00.014+06:00

Riddle Me This,

Riddle Me That

Does Love Cause Blindness?

Or Does Blindness Cause Love?

God is Bush

2009-06-21T00:11:00.005+07:00

People’s need to try to enforce their religious beliefs on others can be so choking at times. I sometimes get annoyed that most people try to paint the picture that “God is Bush”. You are either with Him or you are against Him.

The Duel

2009-05-31T02:08:00.006+06:00

Through out history, men have been on a quest for immortality. While some sought after the fountain of youth and ambrosia, others invented mummies, medicine and even genetic engineering hoping to reach one-step closer to immortality. Hand in hand with man’s quest for life evolved man’s quest for destruction. No longer are we confined to bows and arrows, today men talk in terms of nukes and H-bombs. Will man tickle Gabriel into blowing his horns too soon? Or will love ripen the wine of the Holy Grail in man’s quest for eternal life? The winner of this duel between life and death is yet to emerge. Who knows what the future might hold, but for now, we will have to agree with Benjamin Franklin, that "The only thing certain in life is death and taxes".

Evolution of God

2009-05-25T01:37:00.006+06:00

Once upon a time, god was the sun that rose in the east, and for some even the tree that bore the fruits that they ate. But along with other species, evolved our beloved god, from fire and the wind to slowly disintegrating into nothing but nothingness. God has evolved hand in hand with the evolution of the boundaries of the human mind. Will his evolution stand the test of time or will God simply become an extinct species in the near future?

Message in a Time Capsule

2009-05-25T01:33:00.005+06:00

Once upon a time, in a land not too far away, lived an unusual breed of intelligent species called the human race. They walked on two legs and used their thumbs to rule the earth for thousands of years.

There was once a time when the humans lived with the rest of the animals of the kingdom. But their greed and power led them astray. They cut down the trees, and built roads and houses where the deer and the buffaloes once grazed. They worked all day, and bred all night, and expanded their empire to the poles thereof.

Engulfed with a conquest of their own, these humans forgot about the rulers above and beyond. Words were sent to Olympus that these humans were killing their beloved Gaia. Her body was covered with tumors of deserts and storms, while else where Poseidon was suffering a similar fate of meltdown. Angered, Zeus sent down Ares for revenge.

Ares came down with bows of fear and hatred sparing no one that stood on his way. So, the humans fought on, killing each other with their own weapons, till there was none left to repent.

So, my dear child, your birth is the gift of a forgiven sin, a wound that took a long time to heal. So, remember to love thy neighbors and not to anger the gods, cause from dust you were made, and to dust you shall return.

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Just experimenting with a different style of writing, a message in a time capsule for the future humans after armagaddon perhaps

Children: The Forgotten Soldiers

2009-05-25T01:30:00.006+06:00

Armed with a weapon of a new kind, a breed of new age warriors have taken over the streets of Dhaka. “But Bangladesh isn’t at war with anyone. Who are these soldiers? What are they fighting for?” asks my friend Nabil.

Long gone are the days when we fought for our freedom with guns and bullets against Pakistan. The bayonet of our enemy has a new name and disguise today, it’s called poverty. Disguised as the army of children, our distinguished freedom fighters have formed a trench in the streets of Dhaka, armed with candies, flowers, and popcorns to help them on the way. Who are these fighters? None, other than our children street vendors.

Most of the upper class society in Dhaka tends to think it’s better this way that these children work than them begging. It’s all about survival of the fittest after all. But are these children supposed to be doing either?

“Well, the children have nothing to worry. They have more candies than I ever had” complains my 4 year old niece, Tania, as she throws out her half eaten ice cream. Sheltered from the atrocities of life, little does Tania know that not much older than herself, these children face a life of a different kind. A life not showered by cartoons and teddy bears. A life where they have to fight to earn their bread, while we turn a blind eye and say, “If they have no bread, let them eat cake.”

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Written on April 27, 2009

Note to foreigners: the text refers to a lot of poor children in Dhaka who mostly earn their living by selling popcorns and candy in the streets of Dhaka these days

Published: Yourcommonwealth, September 27th, 2011

Life Outside the Bubble: Question Your Values

2009-05-25T01:14:00.005+06:00

For the first time in 20 years, I am disturbingly aware of being "brown". I wonder why it has never bothered me before. Is it because I have grown up in a homogeneous society where I was the "majority"-- the majority being "brown and Muslim", or is it because I have grown up as part of this "elite" group in my society called "upper middle class". I ponder as I sit in the restaurant of this white, upper middle class neighbourhood in New Jersey. A group of black people, who look like out of towners walk in, and the owner turns them out saying it's closed. Me and my sister pass each other glances as we honestly wonder if the place is closing two hours early tonight because of the Blackout in the East Coast. Well, you guessed it right, 30 minutes later I stare at the owner as he takes orders from this white family that just walked in. As I sit there, seeing direct racism for the first time ever in my life, I honestly wonder, how many of us at home would actually want to sit and eat as the same place as our chauffeurs and maids for a change, or would let our nice little environment in a restaurant be interrupted by some lower class labour joining us.

Is it so surprising that the blacks weren't allowed to enter white restaurants during colonial time just like the Indians weren't allowed to ride in first class trains during British imperialism, they were just being classists after all. We do that all the time ourselves, don't we? So what's wrong with others doing the same to us? What sets us apart from them in anyway? No, I suppose maybe I am going a little too extreme here, comparing classism with racism, there is a huge difference between saying "You aren't good enough for me 'because of your colour or religion' and 'because of your class'". Or is there? But really, how many of us at home actually live in the same neighbourhood as non-Muslims in my own country. Maybe they don't like us that much.

I mean the minorities and whites in the USA rarely live together. I don't think it's possible that they prefer living in closed "minority" neighbourhoods in order to eliminate the risks of being discriminated in case the need arises. It's a free country with equal rights and opportunities with the laws there to protect them at all costs after all as one would argue.

Of course, I never bothered thinking twice when we were having Hartals back home, and my High School being a private school decided to make up for one of the lost days in one of the big Hindu festival days. I mean the only two Hindus in the school told the principal they wouldn't mind, why should I care. Really, would I complain if I were one of them? It makes sense now as to why I would probably not complain either if I were a Bangladeshi man instead of a woman, and had to be profiled here. Maybe, I am judging too many people here by citing very isolated incidents from my personal experiences, doesn't matter that when I read the newspapers from home, all I see is crimes being committed here and there against minority groups all the time. When I look at news on the recent massacre of minorities in Banskhali, I feel a shiver go through my spine as to where we have come to as a nation. I always believed that the fact that we were a nation formed on the basis of standing up against oppression, taught us how to value the freedom we ourselves almost lost.

Me and you sit here complaining about how much we get low paid and about our bad working conditions as immigrants or non-immigrants in the USA. Others who aren't here, complain about how the policies of the "Rich Countries" are screwing our country's economy over, how unfair it is of them to not think of us. We complain about these foreigners thousands of miles away not understanding our needs, and what do we do when it comes to us? We make big factories, pay our workers barely enough so that they can share a 12 by 12 foot room in a slum with 10 other people, and then we come back home and stare at CNN and complain more about how world politics and foreign policies of these "Rich Countries" are the roots of all evil. I wonder if I have the right to be outraged, or even have the right to even complain about being discriminated here as being a "Muslim" or a "person of colour" or "international". Don't we ourselves brand people because of where they come from in terms of "class", "race" and "religion" all the time as well, so what's wrong with them doing it. I realise many of you would disagree with me after reading this writeup, I would too if I didn't have to go through this drastic transition from being a Majority to a Minority by coming here. But put your hands at your heart and ask yourself once, you will know the answer. This writeup wasn't meant to be patronising or condescending to anyone in any manner. These are qualities in us that I am pointing out to you as I discovered them as part of my own inner racism as well, but I don't want to be like one of those oppressors, because my time of being oppressed will come one of these days as well.

When I meet people from different walks of life here, I sometimes criticise them a lot about their government and social policies. They usually get defensive and tell me, "How about what you do. Tell me if the people of your country are any better". I have answered that question in only one way till now, "Yes, we do make a lot of mistakes back home, but unlike you, we are capable of taking criticisms; capable of not just taking them but also changing ourselves". I really hope there is some truth to that statement.

As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "We must be the change we wish to see in others". Let's all work together to change ourselves for the better.

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I wrote this article about 6 years ago when I was studying at Lafayette College, USA.

The original article was published in THE DAILY STAR, Friday , Dec 19, 2003,
http://www.thedailystar.net/2003/12/19/d31219020532.htm

Published at Star Magazine, The Daily Star, December 12, 2003
http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2003/12/02/perspective.htm