LIFE AS IT IS

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...