Beggar Gaher Ali’s Palm Empire

Gaher Ali is a 100-year-old plus senior citizen from Shikarpur village under the Bhimpur union in Naogaon district. He cannot walk upright. Still he has been planting trees one after another, only palm trees. At over hundred years old, Gaher Ali does not have the ability to buy seeds of other fruit trees and expensive forest trees. He begs for a living at this age. He asks for rice, lentil and palm seeds while begging from people. He carries the palm seeds on his bag and plants them on both sides of the government roads. On January 30, 2009, Ityadi, a popular television program, telecast a report on Gaher Ali. Seeds germinate and put out shoots. Gaher Ali takes care of the saplings. He waters the trees. Trees grow up. This way, he has planted approximately 12,000 to 18,000 palm trees in his whole life. 

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Palm trees that are standing on two sides of the Rajshahi-Naogaon highway under the Bhimpur union were all planted by Gaher Ali. Apart from this regional highway, he also planted many palm trees in several places, including Eidgah grounds, school playground, graveyards and barren lands, in the area. Earlier, there were no trees along the roads of this region. There was no shelter for the passerby walking under the scorching sun. Then people had to endure a lot of suffering. Seeing this thing, the idea of planting trees comes to Gaher Ali’s mind. He started begging palm seeds along with food. He then started planting trees to give shadow to traveller. On the set of Ityadi, in reply to a question of the anchor, Hanif Sanket, Gaher Ali said, “His wish is to die in peace”. 

In recognition of his lifelong pursuit, Gaher Ali was handed over a cheque worth Tk 200,000 so that he would not have to beg at this age and seek help from others to continue his tree plantation. Following the telecast of this episode of Ityadi, Gaher Ali was honored with the inaugural National Environment Award in the category of environment preservation on June 5, 2009. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed him the National Environment Award 2009 at the Osmani Auditorium in Dhaka. He was then 107 years old. 

Ityadi team went to his house that time as well. But at this old age, Gaher Ali could not walk that long on his walking-stick to see his planted-trees. So, his son took him to his ‘palm empire’ carrying on a rickshaw van. With the money received from Ityadi, he planted some fruit trees, and he often used to ride a rickshaw van to go there to look after the trees. But he died of old age on December 27, 2010. His death brought tears of immense grief on many eyes. 

The trees, which were planted on both sides of the 2 kilometer long road from Balihar bridge to Khordo Narayanpur bridge under the Mahadevpur upazila of Rajshahi-Naogaon highway, had to cut down for widening and developing the road. At present, the road has been widened, but the ‘palm empire’ on two sides of the road is not there anymore. As a result, the road has lost much of its beauty, thus removing the last memory of Gaher Ali. 

Gaher Ali passed away many days ago, but because of his tremendous work, people of our country still remember him with honor. We need more people like Gaher Ali to make this earth green and beautiful as well as to protect it from being destruction. In the name of urbanization, we are cutting trees, thus reducing the size of forest. Wherever we look, we can see high-rise buildings. Have we ever thought that where from we will get oxygen? For the sake of our own life, each of us should plant at least three trees- a fruit tree, a forest tree and medicinal tree. I know it is not possible for people living in metropolitan areas, but they can plant trees in clay made tubs on their rooftops. 

The Historic Pink Ball Test Match is going to be Over Crowded

The second Test match between India and Bangladesh has come at the center of all attention because it is going to be the first-ever International Day/Night Test match for both teams. Millions of cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see the Test match that will be played with pink ball at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India. To become a part of this historic Test match, cricket crazy people have started buying match tickets. The interesting thing is that tickets for the first four days have already been sold out, according to BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. No doubt it is going to be a crowd-packed Test cricket match. The Eden Gardens cricket stadium has 66,000 sitting capacity and no seat will remain empty.

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Like me, it is also the question of many people- “How many days will the players be able to carry on this match in pink ball?”. It is said that fast bowlers will get advantage. Do you think dew factory will play a major role in deciding the match’s fate?

The 5-day Test match between India and Bangladesh will start from November 22. This match will kick off at 1:00 pm Indian Standard Time (IST) and it will be kept playing till 8 O’clock evening. Sourav Ganguly earlier unveiled ‘Pinku-Tinku’ as the official mascots of the event.

Tasmina Aktar: The Girl who dreams to become a horse racer

A little girl riding on a speeding horse and flying her hair in the air is moving towards the victory line leaving all her male contenders behind. This scene is a part of a documentary made on the basis of a life of a young girl named Tasmina Aktar, a horse racer who lives in the northern part of the country. Because of her achievement in horse racing, she has become well-known as a horse girl not only in her village but also all over Bangladesh. 

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Tasmina Aktar came at the center of attention when a report titled “এক দুঃখীঘোড়সওয়ারের গল্প (The story of an afflict horse racer)” was published on June 17, 2015 in Odhuna section of Prothom Alo. This report outlined the struggles of her life as well as hurdles in her path to prolong the dream of becoming a successful horse racing jockey. The most important lesson that other people can learn from her story is that one needs to become obstinate to meet his or her hobby. 

Tasmina is as ordinary as other village girls, but her passion for horse riding and racing has made her separate from others. In a country like Bangladesh where 60 percent of the girls become the victim of child marriage, Tasmina aims to ride horse and join horse races at least for another five years. It is unquestionably a big challenge for her, because in rural society, grown up girls are not allowed to participate in outdoor games and horse race is beyond imagination. Despite many obstacles, Tasmina’s parents appeared as a ray of hope because they think that their daughter can play the game for two more years. 

Tasmina Aktar is an 11-year-old girl who was born and brought up at Chaksubal village under Dhamoirhat upazila of Naogaon district. She is the daughter of Obaidur Rahman (father) and Tohura Aktar (mother). She wants to become a horse jockey. But the problem is that she does not have any horse to participate in competitions. That is why, being stimulated by her desire, she along with her father, visited places where horse racing takes place. She participated in the competition using other people’s horses and won. The prizes she won were taken away by the horse owners. Some generous horse owners used to give them a little amount as transportation cost. Her poverty stricken father did not have the ability to buy her a horse. So wherever he heard of horse racing event taking place, he took her daughter. 

Every sad story has happy ending. It looks like that Tasmina’s sad part of life is going to an end. The report caught the attention of a businessman, Ulfat Kader, who dwells in Bailey Road area of Dhaka city. He has a horse farm in Gazipur where he handed over the horse. He gave Tasmina a horse on November 20, 2015. At the time of giving horse, Obaidur Rahman and local journalist of Dhamoirhat were also present. Ulfat Kader promised to help Obaidur’s daughter. He also provided Tk 7500 as transportation cost to take the horse from Dhaka. As the horse did not have any training, she could not ride on it in the farm. Just a day after brining the horse home, she tamed it and started training it for race. 

Tasmina’s good fortune did not last long. The horse she got as a gift was one eyed. So, racing with this horse was near impossible. Even she met with an accident while racing with this horse. Regardless of this bitter experience, she did not lose hope. Still she has to depend on other people’s horse to play the game. If any horse owner allows her to ride his horse, she can join the competition. She is well aware of the fact that if she wins the race then prizes will go to the owner. But Tasmina knows that it is meaningless to get upset and give up her dream. Her only desire is to ride horses and become victorious in horse race. She does not bother about medals and prizes. What she cares about is the joy of victory. 

In a male dominated society, we cannot think of a girl competing with her elder male competitors in a horse race. The most unexpected thing is perhaps seeing the girl defeating all male contestants and becoming champion. It is really difficult for a girl to get recognition in a patriarchal society. Tasmina feels sad when she hears the name of the horse owner being announced as a competitor instead of her. The demand that her name will be declared as a participator is a clear sign of her ignorance towards the norms of male dominated society. 

Her level of confidence and determination to achieve goals has made her source of inspiration for many young girls. Right now, her only dream is to have a big horse of her own. But big horse is very expensive which her poverty stricken father cannot buy for her. The question still remains- “Who will fulfill her dreams?” She also wants to join Bangladesh police after completing her education, but everything depends on her parents’ economic solvency as well as their willingness to provide their daughter facilities regarding education. 

By expressing her wish to be a successful horse racing jockey, Tasmina takes an attempt to break the traditional feminine roles determined by socio-cultural setting. Her contribution to women empowerment is noteworthy. She has set herself as an example of gender equity. She has proved that women are capable of doing anything that men can do. So there is no way to take them and their achievements lightly. It looks like that girls like Tasmina will fulfill the dream of Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, the pioneer of feminism in Bengal. They will make a beautiful Bangladesh where male and female will be measured equally. The word “gender discrimination” will be removed forever from society, economy, culture and education. 

Two documentaries about Tasmina Aktar have been made so far. These documentaries are- “Tasmina The Horse Girl” and “ঘোড়সওয়ার”. Faridur Rahman directed and Mahbuba Begum Hena produced “Tasmina The Horse Girl” documentary earned recognitions and was also much-admired in several film festivals. It made its way to the 19th Olympia Film Festival for Children and Young people that took place in Pygros, Greece. In 2016, it was also selected for the Gender Equity Prize at the Prix Jeunesse International film festival at Munich, Germany. 

Another documentary titled “ঘোড়সওয়ার” was directed by Tanha Zafreen under the supervision of Anisul Hoque, a well-known writer. Voice was given by a popular actor and politician, Asaduzzaman Noor. A 6 minute 44 second long video is given below. In this video, people can see her struggles to fulfill her dream. 

The historic duel between Isa Khan and Raja Man Singh

In 1596, the duel between Raja Man Singh, commander-in-chief of the Mughal, and Isa Khan, chieftain of the Baro Bhuiyans (Twelve landlords), took place. This war happened at the confluence of the Brahmaputra River and Shitalakshya River, at the present-day Tangar village located at the southernmost edge of the Gafargaon Upazila in Mymensingh district. At that time, Raja Man Singh’s capital, Tok Nogori, was on the East side of the Shitalakshya River. It is located in the north-east of Kapasia Upazila in Gazipur district. In 1595, Raja Man Singh moved his capital from Rajasthan to Tok Nogori. Tangabo village and Tok Nogori were on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River, at the confluence of the Brahmaputra and Shitalakshya rivers. On the other side of the Brahmaputra River was Isa Khan’s famous Egarosindur fort.

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According to history, Raja Man Singh attacked the Egarosindur fort in the absence of Isa Khan. On receiving the news, Isa Khan rushed to the fort to save it. But Raja Man Singh’s soldiers were so tired that they expressed their unwillingness to get into the war. As a result, Isa Khan invited Raja Man Singh in a duel. Raja Man Singh agreed to the proposal. It was decided that whoever would win the duel would take the possession of the kingdom. Man Singh at first deceived in the duel. He first sent his son-in-law, who is stronger than him, in the battle-field. Mistaking him as Man Singh, Isa Khan got engaged with him in a duel. For that reason, Man Singh’s son-in-law died at the hands of Isa Khan. Then Man Singh, revealing his own identity, invited Isa Khan in the duel again. This time Man Singh himself was also defeated.

At one stage of the fight, Man Singh’s sword was broken. If Isa Khan was coward, he could have killed Man Singh then. But instead he gave his own sword to Man Singh without causing any harm to him. But Man Singh did not accept the sword. Then Isa Khan, descending from his horse, and being unarmed, proposed Man Singh to wrestle with him. But Man Singh did not accept it and embraced him. Being impressed by Isa Khan’s courage and greatness, he made friendship with him. When Man Singh took Isa Khan to the court of Emperor Akbar, he appointed Isa Khan as the ruler of 22 parganas and he was sent back to his homeland upon being conferred the title “Masnad-E-Ala”.

Isa Khan’s father was a Hindu. His name was Kalidas. During the reign of Husain Shah, Kalidas converted his religion to Islam. Thus Isa Khan was a Muslim. Whether he was a Hindu or Muslim, his heroism will always be considered as the bravery of a Bengali landlord. The Mughal rulers could not occupy the Bengal territory as long as Isa Khan was alive. However, after the death of this great ruler, Bengal also lost its glory as an independent nation as they came under the rule of the Mughal Empire.

India vs Bangladesh 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match ends in 1-1 draw

The most talked about football match between Bangladesh and India in Group E of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier ended in a 1-1 draw at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata, India on Tuesday (October 15, 2019). With this draw, the men in red and green maintained their unbeaten record against India in their last three clashes. The previous two matches between them ended in 1-1 and 2-2 draws respectively in 2013 and 2014. The 104-ranked India got their last victory against the same opponent in 1999 when the Blue Tigers won 1-0 in the SAFF Games.

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Saad Uddin scored the goal in the 42nd minute of the match and gave Bangladesh 1-0 lead with a hope of returning home with all three points. The visitors were about to break the hearts of millions of Indian supporters, but Adil Khan of India leveled the score 1-1 in the 88th minute, which eventually saved the home team from losing the match at their own ground.

Against the 187th ranked Bangladesh, India was hot favorite. They were expected to beat their opponent easily. But Bangladesh proved that rank did not matter for causing trouble to their South Asian rival. If they did not miss some easy chances, they would have won the game. Bad luck for Bangladesh football team. However, the match was full of excitement from the beginning to the end. I wish Bangladesh best of luck for their next match.

Agreement of Verbs with Subjects

Subject-Verb Agreement

1.   The income of the workers ___ (has/have) been lessened.

Answer: The income of the workers has been lessened.

2.   One ___ (has/have) to obey one’s parents.

Answer: One has to obey one’s parents.

3.   The quality of the mangoes ___ (is/are) good.

Answer: The quality of the mangoes is good.

4.   The students in the classroom ___ (is/are) polite.

Answer: The students in the classroom are polite.

5.   There ___ (stand/stands) a big tree in front of our school.

Answer: There stands a big tree in front of our school.

6.   The cock ___ (crow/crows) in the morning.

Answer: The cock crows in the morning.

7.   The United States of America ___ (is/are) a rich country.

Answer: The United States of America is a rich country.

8.   The horse and carriage ___ (has/have) cost him three thousand taka.

Answer: The horse and carriage has cost him three thousand taka.

9.   The headmaster and secretary ___ (has/have) attended the program.

Answer: The headmaster and secretary has attended the program.

10.                The students of our school ___ (is/are) disciplined.

Answer: The students of our school are disciplined.

11.                These are the books which ___ (is/are) very costly.

Answer: These are the books which are very costly.

12.                The leader with his followers ___ (has/have) chanted slogans.

Answer: The leader with his followers has chanted slogans.

13.                “The Arabian Nights” ___ (delight/delights) many readers.

Answer: “The Arabian Nights” delights many readers.

14.                The collection of members ___ (is/are) very difficult.

Answer: The collection of members is very difficult.

15.                None of us ___ (is/are) getting any younger.

Answer: None of us is getting any younger.

16.                All that glitters ___ (is/are) not gold.

Answer: All that glitters is not gold.

17.                All’s well that ___ (end/ends) well.

Answer: All’s well that ends well.

18.                Many a boy ___ (was/were) present.

Answer: Many a boy was present.

19.                The farmers in the field ___ (has/have) been ploughing.

Answer: The farmers in the field have been ploughing.

20.                The World Cup Football ___ (begin/begins) tomorrow.

Answer: The World Cup Football begins tomorrow.

21.                Boys ___ (love/loves) to gossip.

Answer: Boys love to gossip.

22.                The Bengalees ___ (is/are) courageous.

Answer: The Bengalees are courageous.

23.                The virtuous ___ (is/are) blessed.

Answer: The virtuous are blessed.

24.                A good boy always ___ (care/cares) his lessons.

Answer: A good boy always cares his lessons.

25.                Gold and silver ___ (has/have) I none.

Answer: Gold and silver have I none.

26.                Many boys in the field ___ (is/are) playing.

Answer: Many boys in the field are playing.

27.                No news ___ (mean/means) good news.

Answer: No news means good news.

28.                His trousers ___ (is/are) very costly.

Answer: His trousers are very costly.

29.                Five and five ___ (make/makes) ten.

Answer: Five and five makes ten.

30.                Both the manager and the cashier ___ (was/were) rewarded.

Answer: Both the manager and the cashier were rewarded.

31.                The banana of Narsingdi ___ (is/are) famous.

Answer: The banana of Narsingdi is famous.

32.                The woman in the hall ___ (wear/wears) red sharee.

Answer: The woman in the hall wears red sharee.

33.                The crimes committed by him ___ (is/are) unpardonable.

Answer: The crimes committed by him are unpardonable.

34.                The man in white dress ___ (is/are) my friend.

Answer: The man in white dress is my friend.

35.                At least a million of people ___ (attend/attends) the meeting every year.

Answer: At least a million of people attend the meeting every year.

36.                The courage of the freedom fighters ___ (is/are) well known.

Answer: The courage of the freedom fighters is well known.

37.                The play has just ___ (begin/begun).

Answer: The play has just begun.

38.                It is you who ___ (has/have) told me the matter.

Answer: It is you who have told me the matter.

39.                You and your brother always ___ (disturb/disturbs) the class.

Answer: You and your brother always disturb the class.

40.                I ___ (has/have) taken my meal just now.

Answer: I have taken my meal just now.

41.                It is I who ___ (am/is) to blame.

Answer: It is I who am to blame.

42.                The picking of flowers ___ (is/are) his hobby.

Answer: The picking of flowers is his hobby.

43.                His decision of helping the children ___ (was/were) praised.

Answer: His decision of helping the children was praised.

44.                A few students ___ (respond/responds) in the class.

Answer: A few students respond in the class.

45.                The people of our country ___ (is/are) very simple.

Answer: The people of our country are very simple.

46.                A bunch of grapes ___ (is/are) for sale.

Answer: A bunch of grapes is for sale.

47.                The color of his eyes ___ (is/are) blue.

Answer: The color of his eyes is blue.

48.                The use of chemicals ___ (do/does) much harm to us.

Answer: The use of chemicals does much harm to us.

49.                His choice of words ___ (is/are) praiseworthy.

Answer: His choice of words is praiseworthy.

50.                A student always ___ (behave/behaves) well.

Answer: A student always behaves well.

51.                Every man and woman in this town ___ (seem/seems) lonely.

Answer: Every man and woman in this town seems lonely.

52.                Neither Rumi nor Sumi ___ (has/have) sung well.

Answer: Neither Rumi nor Sumi has sung well.

53.                Every boy and girl ___ (was/were) given a pen.

Answer: Every boy and girl was given a pen.

54.                Poultry ___ (has/have) been increasing day by day.

Answer: Poultry have been increasing day by day.

55.                He bought the apples which ___ (is/are) ripe.

Answer: He bought the apples which are ripe.

56.                There ___ (was/were) a very big crowd in the street.

Answer: There was a very big crowd in the street.

57.                Gulliver’s Travels ___ (is/are) a famous book.

Answer: Gulliver’s Travels is a famous book.

58.                To walk in the morning ___ (is/are) good for health.

Answer: To walk in the morning is good for health.

59.                He along with his friends ___ (has/have) visited Cox’s Bazar.

Answer: He along with his friends has visited Cox’s Bazar.

60.                Forty miles ___ (is/are) a long way.

Answer: Forty miles is a long way.

61.                The agenda ___ (is/are) carefully set.

Answer: The agenda are carefully set.

62.                The Prime Minister as well as all the ministers ___ (was/were) present.

Answer: The Prime Minister as well as all the ministers was present.

63.                The teacher as well as the students ___ (like/likes) to discuss the matter.

Answer: The teacher as well as the students likes to discuss the matter.

64.                There ___ (stand/stands) many trees in front of our house.

Answer: There stand many trees in front of our house.

65.                A mother with her baby ___ (is/are) crying.

Answer: A mother with her baby is crying.

66.                There is no rose but ___ (has/have) thorns.

Answer: There is no rose but has thorns.

67.                The headmaster and the secretary ___ (is/are) present in the meeting.

Answer: The headmaster and the secretary are present in the meeting.

68.                You and your students ___ (has/have) done your best.

Answer: You and your students have done your best.

69.                The clergy ___ (is/are) happy.

Answer: The clergy are happy.

70.                A pair of shoes ___ (is/are) on the table.

Answer: A pair of shoes is on the table.

Academic knowledge is not enough for getting a job

With the kind of education students are receiving from the educational institutions in Bangladesh, they are not achieving skills required for employment, a recent study has found this information.  

This survey was jointly run by private organizations such as BRAC, BIGD and BRAC University. This survey was conducted on more than 4000 young people aged between 15 and 35 years all over Bangladesh. The survey revealed that only 16% of these students are confident in computer and English language. Besides, only one-fifth of the participants think that their education will be helpful in getting a job.

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Nimmi Nusrat Hamid, one of the researchers of this survey, said, “One-third of Bangladesh’s population is young people, who will represent the country in the future.”

“So, to know the needs or problem areas of the young people and which areas they should work in to the best of their interest – this is quite a timely research to bring out these issues.

She told BBC Bangla, “It is important to know the opinions of the young people regarding what are the areas they are good at and what issues they are most concerned with.”

While conducting the research, it was seen that most of the young people are not aware of their own needs, for example, if someone wants to be an entrepreneur he/she does not know where to get the capital from, and it is same in jobs too, she revealed.

In that case, Miz Hamid raised a question about the prevailing education system of the country.

He said, “The education that the youth society of Bangladesh is receiving at schools and colleges is not preparing them well for their professional career.

“It is because our education system largely lacks in skills. And then, there are not enough jobs fitting the skills they are obtaining from education institutions.” 

“Then our youth society does not have that skills necessary to do well in the existing jobs”, said the researcher. Skills that are required include operating computers, English language skills, or vocational skills.

According to research report, only 14% of the young people have got vocational training. Considering this level of skill, only 24% youth are skilled- that means they are confident about their computing skills. But when it comes to women, only 10% are skilled. On the other hand, 21% young men are ahead in English skills while the rate of this linguistic skill for women is only 14%. That means, women are far behind in terms of skills.

This gap is more visible in villages than in cities. The main reason for this is said to be the under-developed quality of school education. Moreover, schools where standard education is given are out of reach for many.

The study has shown that young people who are still studying, their main goal is to go abroad after the end of the study. It is because they are not hopeful about their career prospect at home. The study has shown that those who are relatively less educated mostly want to migrate to UAE and Malaysia. And those who are skilled in English language and computer, they want to go to countries like Australia and USA.

Having no role models for the youth is at the center of their leaving the country. At least 54% of the students think so. Miz Hamid opines that the students need to be made more skilled with enhanced government networking. 

“Government job is everyone’s target. But outside government sector, the young people have many other potential career opportunities which they have to be given.”

“One of the reasons for young people becoming frustrated is that they think there is no one to listen to them. But these young people will lead us.”

Source- https://www.bbc.com/bengali/news-49107727?ocid=socialflow_facebook&fbclid=IwAR2FrNA3WxGcbknPWTWJJvOFiYEikYKWOTHNDF-whHA0b--w3i12OTy588E