Art in Motion

Rickshaws are one of the most common modes of transportation in Bangladesh. They are one speed bikes with a seat on the back holding 1 - 2 people comfortably, but are often tested to hold 4 or 5 people. Bangladeshis use rickshaws everyday to travel short distances (maybe 2 – 5 km) within cities and towns. The average rickshaw ride can be anywhere from 10 – 50 Taka, and the price usually depends on distance, number of people, traffic and most importantly, how well you bargain.

One of the most unique things about rickshaws though, is that they are moving pieces of artwork. Art and rickshaws seem to have always existed together, as one rickshaw art supplier told me “when the rickshaws came, the art came.” Every rickshaw is painted and decorated with a variety of brightly colored brush strokes, fabric, tassels and ornaments, transforming otherwise normal bikes into beautiful art that streaks by you on the roaring Dhaka streets.

Class Shesh (finished)

Thursday was my last day of Bangla classes. It's amazing to think that just three months ago I did not even know the Bangla alphabet and now I can read, write and speak enough Bangla to get around. I still have a long ways to go, but I feel like I now have a solid foundation to build on.

Letter to a friend that I wrote in Bangla.

Mehndi

Last week my friend Shamima and I spent the afternoon watching the India vs. Pakistan cricket match (one of the most anticipated matches of the world cup series in Bangladesh). As we watched, we snacked on jhal muri (puffed rice, peanuts, crunchy bits and spicy spices), sipped tea and Shamima delicately dribbled mehndi (henna) into beautiful patterns on the palms of my hand. Mehndi is often applied to women's hands for weddings or other celebrations, but sometimes women will just have it done for fun. The latter was the case for me. The mehndi comes as a thick, wet paste, and after applying it to your body you let it dry. Once dry, the mehndi will start to crack off, leaving behind beautiful art for you to look at all week long!

David Bornstein: "Grameen Bank and the Public Good"

David Bornstein's blog, Fixes, on the New York Times website looks at solutions to social problems and why they work. Recently, he wrote a few posts on the current issues revolving around Professor Yunus and more generally, microfinance. Here is a link to one post I found particularly thought provoking. It is a great starting point to get an idea of the current discussion and also provides a few links to other papers, books and blogs for further reading. Enjoy!

Food Part 1: Lunch

I am currently renting a room in an apartment owned by my language school and classes are held in the apartment above. In addition to living in a pretty posh apartment in Dhaka, I also have a wonderful cook named Golap (a fairly common male name, which means rose). Everyday I finish language class at 1pm and come downstairs to my apartment where an amazing Bangladeshi feast awaits me. No matter what, it’s not lunch without dal-bhat (lentils and rice). This seems to be the most common food country-wide however dal can vary quite a bit, but after two months, I have yet to find any dal that beats Golap’s. In addition to dal-bhat, we usually also have some kind of sobji (vegetable curry), ruti (flat bread), and alu (potatoes). Sometimes we will have pollau, which is rice cooked in spices and oil with vegatables and traditionally meat. However, my all time favorite lunch dish is dim buna (a boiled egg in a spicy curry sauce).

Clockwise: vegetables, potatoe, ruti, dal and rice.

Come Visit Bangladesh!

If I am not enough to bring you to Bangladesh in 2011, I have discovered two more unbiased reasons to visit. First, this country is filled with immense natural beauty and an amazing unique culture. If my pictures have not fully convinced you, check out this video:

Second, Bangladesh is one of the cheapest tourist destinations in the world! With 1 US$ (70 Taka to the dollar), you can buy 14 cups of tea, a CNG ride across town, 3 and a half coconuts or a set of bangles. In fact, earlier this year, a Lonely Planet Article named Bangladesh 2011's best value destination. The article reads:

“ This subcontinental treat might just be the cheapest place on earth to travel. Bangladesh offers marvellous meals for under $1, a mid-range hotel room for less than 10 times that. This means that anyone who isn’t a masochist goes up a price bracket or two. You’ll pay a little more to get around the Sunderbans National Park on a tiger-spotting tour – US$150 or thereabouts – but it’s still peanuts, even compared to what you pay next door in India.

Bangladesh is almost disgracefully under-visited. Here, paddleboat is one of the main forms of transport and you can trek, canoe and even surf to your heart’s content with some of the world’s friendliest people for company. The Rocket is Bangladesh’s most famous ferry, running daily between the capital of Dhaka and Khulna. First-class river cruising for 27 hours will cost US$15.”

So, come discover Bangladesh's beauty while I am here and before the country is fully discovered (or under water)!

International Mother Language Day

In 1999, UNESCO formally announced February 21st as International Mother Language Day. It is observed every year worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity. In Bangladesh, today celebrates Bangla language and culture, while at the same time mourns those who sacrificed their lives to keep Bangla the national language.

On the 21st of March, 1948 - when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan, known as East Pakistan - the Pakistani government declared that Urdu would be the official language for both West and East Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan, whose primary language is Bangla, were deeply upset by this ruling, and as a result, the Bangla language movement was born. On the 21st of February, 1952, students of Dhaka University and other activists protested the ruling. In response, the Pakistani police open fired, killing several protesters.

The language movement spread throughout East Pakistan and the entire province came to a standstill. Afterwards, the Pakistani government relented and allowed East Pakistan to keep Bangla as their national language.