LIFE AS IT IS

Things look different under a grey sky.

"When you draw or paint a tree, you do not imitate the tree; you do not copy it exactly as it is, which would be mere photography. To be free to paint a tree or a flower or a sunset, you have to feel what it conveys to you: the significance, the meaning of it."  # paintingdiaries

Like the petal that gently floats in the air, we float in our imaginary world, feeling light & carefree. #paintingdiary

Sitting under a star-studded sky, she sang the song of life.  # paintingdiary Medium: Watercolor 

Medium: Watercolor

MOTHERS are protective; they are protective by nature. Mothers shield their offspring, try to keep them out of harm's way every time, all the time. Mothers want the best for their children for sure. However, some mothers are not only protective, they are 'overprotective' about their kids. While a mother's protectiveness is instinctive and critical to a child's survival, is a mother's 'overprotectiveness' desirable or healthy for a child? Are there sometimes high costs associated with a mother's overprotective nature?  When Elora Roushan, 36, a full-time professional and a mother of two, was in her adolescence, she switched to wearing salwar kameez upon her mother's wish. A salwar suit accompanied by a dupatta was the only outfit she was allowed to wear outside. While her friends always wore jeans, she almost never wore them on the streets of Dhaka. Today, she believes that her mother's overprotectiveness made her a shy person and af...

The aroma of crispy lentil fritters, crunchy jilapi, flavoursome haleem and sweet-plump dates is missing in the air, so is the ambience of Ramadan. But life goes on; Bangladeshis living in different corners of the globe observe Ramadan in their own way, thousands of miles away from their roots.  The Daily Star link  June 20, 2017 While some manage to prepare spicy-savoury chickpeas, fried delicacies and fresh lemonade for iftar throughout the holy month, there are others who do not even find the time to eat a traditional iftar, except perhaps on the weekends.  Fasting in a foreign country is a different experience altogether. “We fast for nearly 17 hours here in Toronto. Being without food and water for 17 hours is not easy, but our bodies have adapted to the rituals here,” said Sabrin S, 36, a medical doctor and a graduate student who lives in Canada. “There have been many occasions when I missed my iftar because I was attending an evening class,” Sabrin furthe...

Sometimes, we are angry, so angry, We're angry with ourselves, Our friends and kins. We're angry with everyone around us! We think everyone else is happy And that we're the only ones burdened, Burdened with sorrow, and A dismal life devoid of hope and happiness. We search for tranquility in chaos, We feel agitated and completely suffocated, And we so want to crush the world around For some breathable air! We want to vent the rage inside But not one avenue is within sight. The anger builds up, builds up slowly, Eating away all the love nestled in our hearts. When anger takes over, we forget, We forget that things could've been worse, Much more miserable than they're today. Bear in mind, better days can't be too far away. ~Wara

Happiness comes in different shapes and forms. A new cell phone makes us happy, so does a long-overdue vacation or a good movie. But happiness can come from very simple things, too, things that do not cost us any money at all. For instance, we feel happy when someone lends a helping hand, appreciates our work, utters a kind word, or makes us feel loved, wanted and cared for. I don't know if it's because I have spent almost 9 years in the West, but every time I visit my home country, I feel that people there are not kind or helpful enough. No man ever opened a door for me in my own country! Here, I always see men doing it. Women do, too. I almost always hold the door open for the person behind me. When on a crowded bus or train, I get up and give my seat to someone who needs it - an elderly woman, an expectant mother or a disabled person. And I am not the only person who does this, of course. Others do, too. Random people show care in random places... and it makes our day...

I felt I needed a break, a break from my routine life. I called up a childhood friend who lives in New York City and arranged a weekend trip to her place. However, my plan raised some eyebrows among friends and relatives, who thought that leaving a 2-year-old for two nights alone with her father was not the best idea.  My husband, however, did not object to my wish. He purchased my Amtrak tickets, helped me pack my bag, stood on the railway platform with our toddler, and waved at me for as long as I was visible. Like me, he also believed that a weekend away with an old friend would refresh me!  Since 2015 one my closest friends and I have been enjoying our "girls' weekend out" every year. On those Saturday and Sunday of the year, we eat, walk, laugh, talk non-stop, sing, dance, shop, pamper ourselves in spa, take photos, try out new eateries and do something that we have never done before. For instance, on our first girls' weekend out, we bought tick...

You may find it hard to believe but a plastic bottle takes anywhere between 100 and 1000+ years to degrade, with an average degradation time of 450 years! Does this piece of information interest you in using less of plastic and more of environment-friendly substitutes? If yes, then you are treading the right path, because it is never late to start saving our environment.  There are innumerable ways to limit the use of plastic in your daily life. Some people may stare, tease or make fun of you at times, but remember that those are the ones who are not equipped with the right kind of knowledge.  Take your own bag:  When you go shopping, be it for books, shoes, clothes or groceries, carry your own sturdy, reusable bag, preferably something made from cotton or jute.  Carry your water bottle:  Instead of purchasing a bottle of water when you are thirsty, carry your own water in a bottle or flask made of glass or stainless steel when you leave h...

Sitting under the summer sky I hear two finches warble. Who knows, what they are singin' - Their language foreign to me...

I want to get up and smile The first thing in the morning. I try, but I can't. I want to wake up and jump off my bed, I try, but I can't. My legs feel heavy and mind benumbed. I want to tweak my resume, Re-write my cover letter And fill out those application forms online. I try, but I can't. I want to hang out with friends, But I can't. I eat when I am full But starve myself when I am supposed to eat. I cry, I cry for no reason at all. My eyes, my poor eyes, I want to stop sobbing at night. I try, but I can't. Some nights I sleep too much Other nights I am sleepless. I am irritable, I am restless. I am hopeless and totally helpless. But I don't give up. Giving up is out of the question 'cause I know the sun will rise soon Sooner than you all think. And my life will begin anew. By Wara Karim 

It’s the little things in life That make life worth living. We carry a stranger’s smile, Gesture of love, Drops of tears With us wherever we go. We remember the first snowfall in a new country, The first dance in the summer rain, Or the first rainbow in the western sky. We remember who gave us a good meal When days were bad, Who uttered words of hope When there was no hope, Who held our hand and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” We remember the people, Who made us laugh And made us feel That the world wasn’t a bad place at all. We remember the blind man We once met at a train station - His white cane was his scepter. He radiated hope, he emanated courage. Yes, it’s the little things and experiences That make life worth living, Ask us to stand tall And brave all the storms, And tell us that the sun is there, Right there... behind those gray clouds. You may not see it now, But it's there, there, right there. -W.K. 

A young lily, peace lily, White, green and graceful Looks out the bedroom window From an olive flower pot. She waves at a maple, Which replies by swaying her leaves. Then she nods at an old cherry tree, Which looks up and waves in return. For a minute, the lily feels tall and strong. She also feels closer to the vast sky - Her owner dwells in a high-rise. For a small houseplant that spends her life on a windowsill, This one-minute is very precious! ~W.K. 

Walking down the alleys of life, we wonder where we came from and where we are going. We look for a purpose in life, a purpose that will keep us from getting lost in this crazy world. While we may not always find a purpose, thinking about life itself often helps us realize that we are not here to stay forever, and therefore should make good use of whatever time we have left before sunset. ~W.K. 

He walks from here to there There to here... everywhere, In search of happiness, In quest for peace. He looks for happiness in comfort, Clothes, cars and games, Foods, shoes and holidays. However, happiness is a feeling Not to be found in material things. Well, sometimes, yes. But most of the time, no. Likewise, peace of mind Is a state of mind. We cannot catch it with li'l effort - It's like fireflies - elusive. Peace and joy come from bigger things, Simpler and purer things of life. Happiness can come from gazing At a star-studded sky, Helping an old lady lift her shopping bag, Listening to a songbird chirp Or watching a squirrel munch its acorns. -W.K. 

The thought of a hearty meal over steaming white rice, spicy-crunchy hilsa, and a peppery preparation of smelly but scrumptious dried fish makes most Bengalis salivate, especially on the first day of the Bengali calendar. Whether they are at home or 9,000 miles away from their roots, Bengalis' undying love for their food, culture and heritage keeps them spirited on any given day, and gives their children one more reason to be appreciative of their lineage.  The Daily Star link  March 28, 2017  Not just within the borders of Bangladesh, Pahela Baishakh celebration is a huge affair among Bangladeshi communities abroad, too. Events coordinated by Bangladeshi associations take place at homes, school premises and even stadiums! Organised by Bangabandhu Council Australia, Pahela Baishakh celebrations held at Australia's Sydney Olympic Park, for instance, draw tens of thousands of Bengalis from all over Australia every year. Bangladeshi immigrants gather in Sydn...

We live and breathe in a consumerist world, a world where participating in the rat race is becoming the norm often at the expense of spending quality time in the company of people we love most. Today, the world is such that our children also grow up to compete against each other, rather than stand by each other or lend a hand to each other in times of need. The materialistic world is giving birth to future materialists, who obtain happiness from their material possessions -- toys, clothes, shoes and accessories. The Daily Star link  March 7, 2017 A 2004 report by the American Psychological Association on children and advertising found that American children on average watch 20,000 commercials each year. An alarming reality!  Although the above-mentioned statistic only applies to the U.S. economy, it is safe to say that if you live in Bangladesh and your child is a regular TV viewer, he or she is also exposed to a few thousand commercials each year. Even YouTube v...

I heard that I would hear people speak Bengali in its shops, restaurants, roads and alleys. I was told that I would see women shopping in sari and shalwar kameez, and men discussing international politics over shingara and steaming cups of tea. How many Bangladeshi expats would let go of a chance to experience Bangladesh away from it? I would never!  The Daily Star link  Feb 21, 2017 It was the summer of 2013, it was my first time in Jamaica, a neighbourhood in Queens, one of the five boroughs of New York City. I had heard so much about it from friends and relatives that I was convinced a summer vacation in NYC was incomplete without one trip to this diverse neighbourhood.  So on one scorching afternoon of May 2013, my family and I embarked on our exploration of Jamaica. As we left the subway station and began walking along its Hillside Avenue with our then nine-month-old daughter, I turned my head to see anyone who spoke Bengali. No language ever sounded sweeter ...