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Showing posts from October, 2016

বসন্তের জন্য অপেক্ষা

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  প্রিয় ঋতু কি কেউ জিজ্ঞেস করলে বিভ্রান্ত হয়ে পড়বো। কোনটা প্রিয় ঋতু? সবগুলোই যে প্রিয়! আমার বর্তমান ঠিকানা যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের দ্বিতীয় ক্ষুদ্রতম অঙ্গরাজ্য ডেলওয়্যার।এই ডেলওয়্যারে প্রতিটা মৌসুম ভিন্নতা নিয়ে আসে। যেহেতু এখানে প্রতিটা ঋতুর একটা   স্বতন্ত্র অস্তিত্ব  আছে তাই তাদের প্রতি আমার পৃথক পৃথক ভালোবাসা জন্মে গেছে। প্রতিটা ঋতুই নিয়ে আসে অনন্য আমেজ, প্রকৃতি সাজে অনুপম সাজে। সেই সাজ  যেন অন্য ঋতুগুলোর চেয়ে একেবারে ভিন্ন। এই যেমন এখন গুটিগুটি পায়ে এসেছে ঋতুরানী বসন্ত: আকাশে-বাতাসে ঝঙ্কৃত হচ্ছে তার আগমনী সুর, আমি সেই সুর শুনতে পাই।  সবগুলো ঋতু প্রিয় হলেও নিজেকে শীতকালের বড় ভক্ত বলে দাবী করতে পারিনা। গ্রীষ্মপ্রধান দেশে যার জন্ম এবং বেড়ে ওঠা, তার পক্ষে ঠান্ডা আবহাওয়াতে মানিয়ে নেওয়া কার্যত কষ্টকর, বিশেষত সেই শীতকাল যদি চার-পাঁচ মাস স্থায়ী হয়। তাই শীতকাল বিদায় নিয়ে যখন বসন্তকাল আবির্ভূত হয় তখন এক একদিন জানলা দিয়ে বাইরে তাকিয়ে ভাবি, "এত্ত সুন্দর একটা দিন দেখার সৌভাগ্য হলো আমার!" শোবার ঘরের জানলা দিয়ে প্রভাতের বাসন্তী রঙের রোদ এসে ভাসিয়ে দেয় কাঠে...

The leaves came tumbling down

A gold maple leaf parted with its mother and glided down in a dancing motion to join its brethren on the ground; they all congregated at the base of their mother's trunk, as if waiting for something big and important to unravel.  The desiccated leaves skirted around their mother, forming a yellow-brown crunchy blanket that rustled every time the wind blew. An unruly gust would sometimes, however, disrupt this sombre congregation. The gust would send them in disarray. And when it did, the leaves rolled all over the grass, hitting stones, trunks of other trees, cars and even young joggers' running shoes.  The Daily Star link On those occasions, the shrivelled leaves reminisced about the days when they were young, green and bursting with vigour -- the time when they lived close to the boundless sky, not on the soggy ground of autumn.     The mother maple, which was green and strong even a month ago, was fading and growing frail. She seemed to be getting old fa...

When simple pleasures became luxuries

Right after I became a mother, my mother was with me the first few months, and my husband was and continues to be a huge support, yet there were many days when I felt overwhelmed by the responsibilities which came along with our bundle of joy.   It seemed like I could no longer enjoy the simple pleasures of life-- watch a film, read a book, take a long shower, relish a good meal, or even sleep. In fact, whenever I managed some free time during the day, I would just slump into my bed and snooze, from exhaustion. The Daily Star link I would often hold my newborn in my arms, and wonder if a day would really come when I would be able to sleep 5 hours at a stretch, dreaming of getting a good night's sleep, which I could not get until my daughter turned 4 months.  Before she was born, we could go out anytime as there was no need to worry about another person's sleep routine or feeding schedule. After she came, things changed of course. Her diaper bag became my purse, whe...

Thought of the day (81)

A running faucet often reminds me of a fountain that flows without a pause out of a crack in the rocks. 

Book vs. Film

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This is so, so, so true! Reading a book is so much more pleasurable. You direct your own film in your head as you read a book. And you love that film so much that you cannot love the same film directed by a different director. Every time you wish to re-watch the film, all you need to do is re-read the book.

Finding good entertainment for the minimum

When I asked 29-year-old Sadia, a banker by profession, if she had any plans for the next weekend, she simply replied, “No, not really. I might just go out with friends for a late lunch on Saturday. That's all.”  "There is hardly ever anything to do around, you know,” she added, after a small pause.  The Daily Star link  Oct. 18, 2016 Sadia is not the only person who thinks there is not much to do for entertainment in Dhaka though. To many city dwellers, entertainment is now equivalent to shopping, dining, watching TV and spending time on the Internet.  But does entertainment mean lunching at a fancy restaurant, shopping around for a fashionable garb, or spending long hours on the Internet? No, not really!  Entertainment means taking a break from your everyday life to enjoy the things that you never had a chance to enjoy, or have not enjoyed in a long time. It can also mean doing something different and meaningful to fulfil your self-actualisation ne...

De-clutter for the better

Joyeeta slumped down in the sofa, too exhausted to relish a proper meal at the end of a dull day at work. She rubbed her eyes, which had not enjoyed a good night's sleep in four days. Sitting quietly on the couch, she tried to recall the last time she took a long shower, breathed in the crisp morning air, or buried herself in the pages of a paperback.  Soon Joyeeta started to feel miserable, because it had been a while since she spent some time doing things she loved. Tears began to well up in Joyeeta's eyes - her shoulders suddenly burdened from the worldly duties that sat stubbornly on them.  The Daily Star link   Oct. 11, 2016 Like Joyeeta, are you not often overwhelmed by the earthly responsibilities that rest heavily on your poor shoulders? Don't you sometimes feel that your mind and body are so fatigued that they are screaming for a break, a real break? If yes, then it is high time you de-cluttered your mind for a better and healthier tomorrow. Do not...