A new variety of rice that can produce five crops from one plant

Normally, farmers get only one harvest by planting a paddy once, but now if it is planted once, farmers can harvest five crops throughout the year. Though it sounds unbelievable, such a variety of paddy has been developed by Abed Chaudhury, an Australian expatriate rice researcher and geneticist. Experimental cultivation of this variety of paddy took place at Kanihati village in Hajipur Union under Kulaura Upazila of Moulvibazar district. This paddy variety gives a high yield at a low cost. However, the yield in the later crops is slightly less than in the first crop. But the inventor has claimed that the cumulative production is more than five times higher than traditional rice plants. 

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Abed Chaudhury, who was born in Kanihati village of Kulaura Upazila, moved to Australia with a job after finishing his higher education in agriculture in the United States of America. He spent 20 years doing research on rice genes as the chief rice scientist at the Australian National Rice Research Institute. So far, he has invented almost 300 new varieties of rice. In December 2010, he started researching on 20 varieties of rice in a 25-square-meter cornfield in Kanihati village. Of these, there were foreign varieties such as Chinese paddy, Philippine paddy as well as local varieties.

According to Abed Chaudhury, one paddy plant is giving a yield in four varieties five times. Research on these four varieties has been going on for 10 years. In January this year, these four varieties of Boro paddy were planted on two bighas of land. An adequate amount of urea fertilizer was applied. After proper irrigation and care, plants reaching 85 centimeters to one meter in 110 days bore crops. Later, the paddy was intentionally cut at a height of 35 centimeters from the ground.

In early May, the first harvested crop was produced four tons per hector. Since then, after every 45 days, the yield per hector is from two tons to three tons. All varieties yielded 16 tons per hector.

Scientist Abed Chaudhury said that the varieties were developed by employing two methods. Various high-yielding varieties with local varieties and local hybrid varieties with local varieties have been hybridized. About 10–12 years ago, these were identified as suitable for yielding a second or third time.

He said that usually paddy is planted once and is harvested after 120 days. Boro, Aush and Aman paddies are grown in such a manner. The varieties that I developed were planted as Boro at the beginning of the year. This was followed by a Boro, two Aush and two Aman. Every time we harvested the crop and took it home, the plants grew bigger. This is a landmark result. This time the paddy will be harvested for the fifth time and the plants will be left on the field. Research will be done to get more yields from this plant.

Regarding the five-yield paddy, Abed Chaudhury said, “Earlier, I developed another variety of rice. I also developed a rice variety that is harvested twice; the international media called it ‘Rice Twice’. Many called it ‘Extended life rice.’ This is the first time another variety of rice, which I created, remained in the field throughout the year. The seed of this paddy is to be planted at a distance of 5 cm. As a result, the plant can grow steadily from the soil with a strong stem and more paddy plants can grow from one paddy plant.”

Dr. Mirza Mofazzal Islam, the newly appointed Director General at Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), an internationally renowned scientist and agriculturalist, stated that it is possible to yield four times in a paddy plant in regeneration method. But it is difficult to get five yields from one paddy.  For this reason, it is not so profitable. It will be more profitable for the farmer to plant other crops. It is better to have the maximum yield twice in one plant. More researches can now be done to increase the yield in this method. 

Sense and Sensibility: Justification of title

Sense and Sensibility is one of the most important works of Jane Austen. It was published in 1811, and it basically tells the story of two sisters named Elinor and Marianne. The novel narrates the events of their lives. They lived in South West England, and the events are thought to be taken place between 1792 and 1797. The central characters of this novel are two sisters. Elinor represents sense and Marianne represents sensibility. 

However, we all need to know the meaning of these two words ‘Sense’ and ‘Sensibility’. Obviously, the meaning of ‘Sensibility’ in the 18th century England is very different from that of our age. In our age, ‘Sensibility’ means wisdom or slowness and stability, but in this title, the word has a negative connotation. On the other hand, Jane Austen uses the word ‘Sense’ in a positive sense, and the word sense means slow, steady, calm. Sensibility, on the other hand, implies someone who is emotional and very hot-headed. Elinor symbolizes sense. She is a very calm and steady-minded woman. Not only because she is the eldest of the three sisters, she is very calm and polite and thinks about everything. She does not fall in head over heels love for anyone. Even after falling in love, she does not lose her wisdom. She calmly accepts her heartbreak. At least, she does not reveal her thoughts to everyone. Elinor Dashwood fell in love with Edward Ferrars and when Edward Ferrars was forced to leave her, she was emotionally traumatized but did not let others understand. 

What we understand by looking at Elinor or what Jane Austen wanted to show is that sense is a bit boring and dull. Just because someone has sense does not mean that he is a happy person. Neither it ensures happiness in life. Elinor fell in love with Edward but loses him unfortunately. In the end, she gets Edward, but she did not apply any tricks or tactics. What happened was that Lucie Steele, the girl Edward was supposed to marry, eloped with his brother and married him. 

On the other hand, younger sister Marianne represents sensibility. She always remains excited and expresses her emotion in front of everyone spontaneously. Marianne falls in love with John Willoughby. John Willoughby looked very handsome and knew a lot about literature and culture. However, he was a cunning and ill-natured person. Marianne is attracted to him easily and never realizes that John Willoughby is a fraud. John Willoughby cheats on her and leaves her to marry a rich girl. As a result, Marianne Dashwood’s heart is broken and she becomes very ill. 

Through Marianne Dashwood, Jane Austen wanted to show that girls should not be that much sensible. It may seem very attractive to men or lively to the eyes of society, but this type of sensibility or the kind of sensible Marianne was can bring extreme danger in a woman’s life. So, Jane Austen wanted to show through the life of Marianne that women should be as calm as possible because the reality is when a man and a woman fall in love, it is the woman who is in a vulnerable position. Had they engaged in physical intercourse, then Marianne would have become pregnant and it would destroy her life. When they broke up without having any physical relationship, Marianne almost died of an illness. On the other hand, John Willoughby marries a much richer girl in the lure of money. 

At the end of the novel, Jane Austen wanted to show that sense triumphed over sensibility. It is because Elinor becomes happy, but we do not come to know if Marianne becomes happy or unhappy. Marianne eventually marries Colonel Brandon whom she once considered too old to be married. So, Marianne learns from her elder sister’s life and develops some sense in herself. 

From the above discussion, it can be said that the title of the novel Sense and Sensibility is very suitable for it represents the lives of two sisters, and the writer gave both these equal importance. Jane Austen, through various events, beautifully described sense and sensibility. 

Harmful effects of smartphones on children

Suppose you have visited a place or been to a concert. Do you get busy taking photos there? Or, do you start counting likes after uploading a photo on your social media account? Many people even lose their minds if they do not get enough ‘likes’ on their posts.

Scientists have named such an addiction to smartphones as “NOMOPHOBIA”. Many people suffer from this problem. Such an excessive addiction to smartphones is creating physical and mental problems alongside decreasing our productivity and creativity. 

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There is no way to deny that smartphone has made our lives easier and in some ways better. Thanks to the smartphone, many official tasks can now be done very easily from anywhere. Such examples are not rare. But when we become too much addicted to smartphones then it becomes a burden for us. We spend hours after hours without any reason.

Let us take a look at some statistics:

BankMyCell, a price comparison site, and The Guardian have published some statistics, which clearly indicate that we are going to face a serious problem.

·         Users check their smartphones 47 times on an average per day, which means they check their smartphones 17,155 times in a year. The number of touches or clicks per day is almost 2700 times.

·         85% of smartphone users use their devices while chatting with family and friends.

·         80% of smartphone users use smartphones in bed before going to sleep.

·         Users of the 18-29 years age group spend three hours on smartphones on an average per day.

This smartphone addiction is not only wasting our valuable time but also causing many physical and mental illnesses. Numerous researches have been conducted on this issue. Researchers showed that smartphone addiction reduces emotion among people, increases anger and frustration and causes insomnia.

A survey conducted in the UK showed that parents’ excessive usage of smartphones has negative impacts on family life. Children are the biggest victims of this addiction. Tablet For School, a UK-based nonprofit organization, reported that smart device addiction reduced sleep among children. Research conducted by a group of American researchers revealed that smartphone addiction hinders their mental development. It is even affecting their social and family life.

Excessive use of smartphones can cause poor vision and myopia or poor eyesight. According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, blue light from a smartphone screen can cause permanent damage to the retina and push it towards blindness.

Ear problems caused smartphones depend on user's habits. Listening to music at a loud volume using headphones affects the inner ear cells and causes an abnormal attitude in the brain. There is a risk of becoming deaf at some point.

Despite knowing the dangers of the excessive use of a smartphone, many conscious parents are giving smartphones to their children for spending time. Due to the availability of the internet, many children and teenagers are spending their time on social media and playing video games online. Many people are becoming completely addicted to these. For this reason, they are spending six to ten hours a day or more on smartphones. It is creating depression, loss of appetite, exhaustion and also causing harm to their studies. The excessive use of smartphones is having a negative impact on children’s mental health.

Smartphone addiction is as dangerous as drug addiction. A two-minute-long phone call causes hyperactivity in the brains of the children, which lasts in their brain for the next one hour.

The risk of heart attack increases double. The nerve of the user becomes weak. The mood becomes irritable. Blood pressure rises. The body gradually becomes tired and dull; even it disrupts sleep regularly. Radiation from the screen of a smartphone is harmful to the health of adults. It is even more harmful to children. It hampers the development of their brain.

Parents will have to play an important role to stop the excessive use of mobile phones. It is possible to reduce the tendency of children to become addicted to smartphones by giving them time, developing the habit of reading books, motivating them to do creative work, etc.

A smartphone is more than just an electronic device that allows two or more people who are geographically separated to communicate with one another. Rather, its additional features and latest technologies have made it more than a talking machine. Aside from the usual functions, smartphones can now be used to listen to FM radio, play music, take photographs, videos, send voice messages, and so on. We should ensure the proper use of our smartphones and keep them beyond the reach of the young people in our family. Thus, kids will stay out of the influence of smartphones.

Use of imagery in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is the best poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is a long but highly enjoyable text in English literature and is read by hundreds of thousands of students around the world. This poem has remained alive since it was first published and is one of the most famous poems in English literature. In this poem, the poet S.T. Coleridge has used imagery extensively, and throughout the poem, we can find very good and skilled use of imagery. As a result of this skill of S.T. Coleridge, this poem has become even more enjoyable, and very few poems contain such artistic and grand skill of using imagery at the highest level. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is the poem that has brought immortality to S.T. Coleridge in the history of English literature.

At times, the images used in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” are strikingly visual. “A painted ship upon a painted ocean” - when we think of these few words from this poem, we can easily imagine the ship in the ocean. The ship is colorful just like the ocean and the description is beautiful.

Coleridge has used sound images too. For example, “cracked and growled” and again when just read these three words aloud, we feel a kind of image that becomes alive in our mind.

Coleridge has drawn extensively from the Bible while using examples in this poem. “Albatross dies by a cross-bow, I beheld a something in the sky, were casting dice,” these are related to the Bible, and there is a Christian moral tone in the poem. There is the issue of crime, punishment and redemption, and God is forgiving. The main message of Jesus Christ is forgiveness, and this forgiveness has been used in a good way by Coleridge in the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. Coleridge was a scholar, and he studied the Bible very well.

We have seen concrete images described above, but Coleridge was good at using abstract images too. “Fear at my heart”- these four words clearly helped the readers to remember their own experiences from life about fear. The poem has some supernatural elements, and these supernatural elements have been used in a very good way with the use of images. In fact, supernatural elements have been made possible by providing good descriptions and using good images by Coleridge.

The use of imagery in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by S. T. Coleridge often helps a reader to remember the relationship between nature and super nature. Coleridge has shown the supernatural things in a very natural way, and the images often helped him a lot to do the thing.

Perhaps any discussion about the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” will remain incomplete without talking about nature. Although Coleridge has an almost opposite and contrasting view with William Wordsworth about the role of nature in human life, he has described nature in a very good way. At times, his description of nature in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” clearly reminds us of his place as a great poet in English literature. There is a relationship between humans and nature, and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” shows us that we cannot totally get separated from nature. We have to respect nature, and we have to love the creatures of God. To give this message, Coleridge has often used clear and concrete images like the albatross hanging on the neck of the ancient mariner. Dead men walking on the ship, and there was water everywhere, but the ancient mariner could not drink anything. All these things have a clear impact on the mind of readers, and the readers can easily imagine them in their minds.

By using images skillfully, Coleridge has created a relationship between the poem and the readers. The readers are constantly not only reading but also imagining. Poetry is the faculty of knowledge that should make our mind sharper, and by using imagery so skillfully, Coleridge has exactly done this in the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.

Rugby Chapel is an elegy

Matthew Arnold was one of the three great poets of the Victorian age in English literature. His poem “Rugby Chapel” is an elegy, and it has some personal relationship because he wrote about his father, Doctor Thomas Arnold. Doctor Thomas Arnold was the headmaster of the Rugby School, and when he was the headmaster, the school became very famous and successful in England. After his death, the school lost some of its success and reputation. Anyway, this is a very good elegy, and before discussing this poem as an elegy, it is better to talk about the form of an elegy in English literature.

An elegy is a kind of poem where the death of a person or idea is mourned. The poet expresses his sadness at the death of a person very close to him or any idea he believes deeply. Normally, elegies are written about people rather than ideas. However, it is not only about expressing sadness or mourning or it is not only limited to that person only. The goal is to show that the person was a very high person, and there was a tremendous loss of the world or society at his death. Perhaps the most famous elegy in English literature is “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray. In that poem, Thomas Gray mourned the death of some village people and the good qualities they possessed.

The reader may ask himself or herself why Arnold wrote this elegy called “Rugby Chapel”. The first and obvious answer should have been that he wanted to mourn over the death of his father. However, it is more than the death of his father because after his father died, a magazine called Edinburgh Review criticized his father as a headmaster. This negative criticism had an impact on Matthew Arnold, and he wanted to prove that his father was not only a good headmaster but also a great person. So, there is a personal motif behind writing the elegy “Rugby Chapel”.

The loss is obviously personal because losing parents is one of the saddest experiences that human beings have to suffer in this world. A father is a guardian who looks after the children, and when we lose our father, most of us have the feeling that we have lost our shelter. Thus, the father is like a shelter, and Arnold has stated that children get shelter like a big oak tree gives shadow to people. His father always guided him, and for this reason, he could overcome most of the obstacles in this world. However, after his father’s death, he started to suffer because there was no one to guide him.

Arnold also stated that his father did not lead a meaningless life. His father was an ideal person and wanted to follow the right path or true way. He was not afraid of anything, and he was never tired of fulfilling his duties. In short, the poet’s father was a different kind of person, and he was always dedicated to his students. He was higher than the average people, and he was a good leader.

Matthew Arnold also said that his father was a person who used to encourage those people who were afraid in life. He did not hesitate to help the people and he did not care for his own comfort. Thus, he was a good person for society. The qualities that the poet speaks are rare in most people, and for this reason, Matthew Arnold’s father was a great person or a great figure.

Arnold did not fight back at the people who criticized his father. Rather, he indirectly praised his father a lot and tried to show that his father was a person who was worthy of only praise and did not lack any quality in his character. Thus, what we can see is that there is a personal intention of Arnold to prove that his father was a great person, but he has done it in a very good way. He has also shown that the qualities that his father used to possess were not only rare but also possessed by very few people alive today.

There is no doubt that “Rugby Chapel” is a great elegy, and it is perhaps one of the best elegies written during the Victorian period. Yes, there is a personal motif, and it is natural for a son to praise his father just as Arnold did. However, Arnold was very balanced when he was praising his father, and he did not show any emotion most of the time in this poem. This has given more or less a neutral point of view about the father, and it is up to the readers to reach their own conclusion about the father. If any person wants to enjoy this poem, he or she should read the background information about the Edinburgh Review’s criticism against Doctor Arnold (the poet’s father). In any case, it was a great elegy.

Symbols in “Ode to the West Wind” poem

“Ode to the West Wind” is perhaps the best poem of P B Shelley. This poem has made him immortal in the history of English literature, and it is one of the greatest and most memorable poems in the whole of English literature also. Shelley has symbolized the west wind, and at the same time, he has expressed his revolutionary ideas in this poem. 

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Shelley was good at using symbols in his poetry. In "Ode to the West Wind," the west wind may symbolize many things. The first thing that comes to the mind of the readers is that the west wind symbolizes nature but not in the sense that Wordsworth used nature in his poems. Here, nature is alive and strong, and it is personified in the form of the west wind. This nature is not static but dynamic, and it has the strength to destroy the old leaves, but at the same time, it preserves the seeds. So, the future is secured. At the same time, the west wind is like a force that can create a revolution. Shelley was among the second generation of romantic poets, and he was greatly inspired by the French Revolution. This west wind has a kind of strength that can touch not only nature but also human society. This is the dream of Shelley. Thirdly, this west wind also symbolizes the personality of Shelley. Shelley was an exceptional person during his time. He did not believe in the traditional form of relationship, but at the same time, he was different from most people and even from most poets of his time. He dreamt of a new world and a new society in which people will have more freedom and more liberty. Shelley wants that the west wind also touches him and gives him the strength to stand up in society.

The French Revolution took place in 1789, and it had a profound impact on Wordsworth, Coleridge and all the romantic poets. However, no other romantic poet was so deeply influenced by the idea of revolution. The main goal of the French Revolution was to establish a society where the citizens will enjoy maximum freedom and rights. At that time, France was ruled by an autocratic monarchy, and it created a lot of frustration among the people. It should be noted here that Shelley was influenced by the writings of Russo, and we know that Russo was a very important figure behind the ideas of the French Revolution.

Shelley was not very happy with the condition of contemporary England. No revolution similar to the French Revolution took place in England, and the king was still very powerful. The middle-class people did not have any right to vote, and the right to vote was limited to only a few aristocratic and rich people. Shelley’s own personal ideas and lifestyle were not appreciated by the contemporary people in his society. So, the condition of contemporary England was frustrating in every way to the poet.

The contemporary condition of England was like the winter, but Shelley was hopeful that spring would come. For this reason, he wished that the west wind would come and destroy the old ideas in England and bring new hope for the future. People would get influenced by new ideas from people like Shelley and perhaps to some extent from Byron, and they would rise up and start to change society. Of course, if we read history, we will know that the changes that Shelley dreamt of did not happen in England very quickly, but they happened slowly. The poets of three or four generations after him were also deeply influenced by his ideas and carried his ideas further.

Shelley also wants the west wind to influence his own personality. He wanted to write better poems and influence the people. Shelley wanted a new life for himself, and he wanted the west wind to come and make him fresh and strong.

When Queen Victoria took power, the condition of England started to change, and the rise of the middle-class took place. Freedom and equality among all the people did not come very quickly, but it was the dream of Shelley to see a democratic and modern England where people will be respected irrespective of their ideas and ideologies. This matter happened, but it took a lot of time, and we have to say that poets like Shelley and poems like “Ode to the West Wind” contributed immensely to changing England this way.

Mehdi Hasan Khan: The developer of Bengali keyboard Avro

Mother tongue is the language of freedom. In this digital age, one can either write in his mother tongue with a pen on a piece of paper or on a computer with a keyboard. Now, writing on a gadget is more convenient than writing on a notebook. But can a computer understand any language except English? Many Bengalis were suffering from this indecisiveness. Avro freed the Bengalis from this thought. Instantly after pressing few keys, Bengali letters- অ, আ, ক, খ- appeared on the computer screen. What a relief it was! Many people thought, who is the man who has done this impossible task? The answer came from the bank of the Padma river. Medical student Mehdi Hasan Khan developed this software called Avro. But how many of us tried to know about this creator of Avro that brought Bengali scripts on digital platforms? Let us remember the story of Mehdi Hasan Khan, one of the proudest people of Bengal. 

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Mehdi Hasan Khan, a Bangladeshi boy, was a medical student of Mymensingh Medical College. While studying in medical college, the thought of writing Bengali letters on the computer came to his mind. After a lot of brainstorming, he finally got his ‘Eureka’ moment in Archimedes’ style and quickly started implementing the idea. He wanted to innovate a technology that will allow people to type Bengali with an English keyboard. They will type Bengali words in English script. Accordingly, he started developing the software. At that time, people around Mehdi did not stop mocking him after seeing his ‘madness’.

He was told to quit studying medicine from the medical college. But this talented man with an innovative mindset did not pay heed to this. We got the result of his long hard work and research. From ordinary people to office workers and officers, everyone can type easily with Avro. Mehdi did not stop giving software as a gift. He made a catch line- ‘Let language be free’. The biggest advantage of it is that any language can recognize Avro. For this reason, its acceptance and popularity are the most.

Amar Ekushey (The immortal 21st February) is in our heart and soul. Today, thanks to Avro, you can express your thoughts to your Bengali beloved from Tanzania to Russia, sitting anywhere in the world by writing in pure Bengali. Mehdi Hasan Khan erased this distance. The father of Avro, Mehdi Hasan Khan, holding whose hand the Bengali language has been spread in digital platforms all over the world, is almost forgotten today. The inventor of Avro has neither international recognition nor special recognition. Doctor Mehdi Hasan Khan leads a very simple life. Watching the fruits of his labor spreading everywhere gives him great peace of mind. For this reason, Mehdi Hasan deserves credit on International Mother Language Day. 

Avro’s phonetic keyboard is the most popular and widely used keyboard among all the keyboard layouts used by Bangladeshi internet users for writing Bengali. The main reason for its popularity is that one does not have to memorize the layout like other Bengali keyboard layouts available in the market. For example, if you type ‘Ami bhat khai’, it will be written ‘আমি ভাত খাই’. Therefore, with Avro, anyone can become skilled in Bengali typing at any time by practicing for a couple of minutes. Without Avro, it would not have been possible to write Bengali so easily and in such a short time. With Avro, it is possible to type in Bengali with equal efficiency both online and offline. Another great aspect is that it is absolutely free. You will not have to spend any money. 

What is Avro?

Avro Keyboard is a UNICODE and ANSI supported free and open source Bengali writing software with graphical layout modifier for Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Ubuntu and Linux. With this software, we can write Bengali very easily on the computer. On March 26, 2003, Avro Keyboard software was launched for writing Bengali based on Unicode in Windows.

The literal meaning of Avro is ‘Sky’. Flipping through the pages of dictionary, Mehdi Hasan Khan, who was then an 18-year-old young man, chose this word to name his dream. It will be a free software which everyone will use. This idea motivated him to choose this name.

You must remember that before the launch of Avro Keyboard, Bijoy was the only medium of writing Bengali on the computer. But with the change of technology, the scenario has changed a lot. At present, Avro has occupied the place of Bijoy. Let’s see how long Avro can keep their dominance over Bijoy.

Relationship between man and nature in “Dejection: An Ode”

“Dejection: An Ode” is one of the best poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and here, we can find that the poet has talked in detail about nature. Nature was the most important aspect of the Romantic Movement in English literature. It was William Wordsworth who is credited with the starting of the movement, but what we often forget is that his close friend S.T. Coleridge had almost equal contribution at the beginning of the Romantic Movement. To Wordsworth, nature was very important, and Coleridge did not disagree with this view, but he had some differences with Wordsworth about the role of nature in human life and in poetry. In “Dejection: An Ode,” Coleridge has tried to talk in detail about the relationship between man and nature.

The first thing that catches our attention is that “Dejection: An Ode” is a sophisticated and philosophical exploration of the relationship between man and nature. No other romantic poet was perhaps so much philosophical like Coleridge. In this poem, Coleridge has explored his own crisis in life, and he has expressed his sadness and depression. Coleridge is most of the time melancholic. His inner self is expressed in the poem, and by reading it, we can find that he was very sad when he wrote the poem. However, this poem is more than his own sadness. It is a poem that explores philosophically the problems in life, and it also tries to find out the answer to the relation between man and nature.

Coleridge had a different view from Wordsworth about the role of nature in human life. But it does not mean that he thought that nature was not important. In fact, he has expressed or indicated the importance of nature, and we can find that the wind is helping him to express his imagination.

Although it was a sad poem, in “Dejection: An Ode,” we can find a very nice and powerful description of nature. For example, the beauty of the sky before the storm has been expressed in a very nice way. This beauty of the sky brings happiness and brings new feelings to the mind of the poet. He is sad and depressed, but he can see the beautiful sky. In fact, by his description, the readers also feel happy, and the readers can imagine the beauty of the sky and the beauty of nature.

Coleridge tries to state that nature cannot inspire him because he is very sad. He has lost the strength of youth both physically and emotionally, and he is depressed. He is in a melancholic condition, and he feels that nature cannot inspire him and change his mood. However, in some of his descriptions of nature and especially his descriptions of the beauty of nature, the readers can feel that Coleridge is influenced somewhat by nature. Otherwise, he would not be able to describe the beauty of nature in such a powerful way. If nature really did not have any relationship in his life, he would not be able to compose such a beautiful poem with such a good description of nature.

There is some joy and happiness and hope, and nature can give us a new earth and new heaven. Even in the depressing description of life, it seems to us that there is some hope in Coleridge about the future, and nature shows him that hope.

According to Coleridge, the relationship between nature and human life is giving and taking. He gets delight and confidence from nature, but he has lost his happiness. The stormy night reflects the stormy and tough conditions in Coleridge’s life.

In “Dejection: An Ode,” Coleridge has expressed that he lost his creativity and he lost the happiness of life, but it does not mean that nature has lost its importance totally. There is still a lot of bond between him and nature and even in total depression and frustration; he can see the beauty of nature. Any discussion about this poem would remind the readers about Wordsworth. Wordsworth wrote his immortality ode almost at the same time and critics often talk about these two poems and about the relationship between human beings and nature. To Wordsworth, the relationship between human beings and nature was direct and very strong. To Coleridge, it was not direct, but still, it was strong.

Theme of loss in “Dejection: An Ode”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a great poet in English literature, but it was his bad luck that he could not create too many poems because of his personal problems. “Dejection: An Ode” is one of the best poems written by him, and it is a poem about sadness and depression. It was written at a time when Coleridge was suffering from many problems and he lost hope in life and future. It is the poem of a desperate man in a desperate condition, but still, it has all the artistic beauty of an excellent poem. From the first to the last, the poet talks about sadness and emotional emptiness. He talks like a frustrated person- a person who has been defeated in life.

Mood of dejection is clearly visible throughout the poem. His losses are so much that he has lost everything in life and he cannot enjoy anything. He can see the beauty in nature, but he cannot enjoy it. Instead, everything in nature looks to him dull and lifeless. He cannot find any hope and happiness even in nature. To him, everything is meaningless and the mood of dejection is dominant in his mind. It is like that he has accepted his defeat and resigned from life. He is not even in a mood to try for the future and he has no emotional strength.

The poet in the poem “Dejection: An Ode” has an elderly and mature tone. He does not have the hope and vigor for life like his young days. Coleridge accepts that his youth has passed not only physically but also emotionally. He does not have the strength of the youth in his body and vigor and naturally, he cannot enjoy the things like past. But more than that he has lost the freshness of mind and he remembers in the past his life was full of hope. Youth is the most beautiful time in a person’s life. We enjoy everything in our young time. So, Coleridge is sad that his best time in life has gone and he has lost hope for the future also. More than the loss of youth, Coleridge is sad and dejected from the loss of creativity. He was a great poet who could write many beautiful poems in the past, but he has lost his creativity. He felt that he was becoming more a metaphysical person instead of a poet. This also gave him sadness. Coleridge could not think that he would be separated from poetry, but life was difficult for him. He was failing to write poems like the past.

“Dejection: An Ode” is a philosophical poem, and it talks about some philosophical ideas. Coleridge gives his own opinion and philosophy about the role of nature in human life. Wordsworth used to think that nature was inseparable from human life and nature was alive. Wordsworth also felt that nature could hill a man in terms of sadness and depression. Coleridge stated the opposite idea in this poem and said that life is full of despair and nature cannot do anything for a man. Instead, nature only increased his sadness and nature reminded him of all the sadness of the past. Coleridge was a man of philosophy, and like any philosopher, he was good at stating abstract ideas. This poem is full of such ideas and often it may become difficult for the readers to understand the inner meaning of the statements that Coleridge was making.

If we want to understand the significance of this poem, we have to take into account of the personal background of S. T. Coleridge. He was a highly talented person, but at the same time, he was a failure in love and career. He was not born in a rich family and all through his life, he struggled against poverty. He was not a rich person and fighting for money took a lot of energy from his life. He also suffered a loss in love and although he had a good relationship with William Wordsworth, during the time he wrote this poem, his relationship with good friend William Wordsworth became bad. So, Coleridge was a failure in everything and by this poem, he expressed his sadness and frustration in life.

It was bad luck for S. T. Coleridge that he was not born in our age. Today, a highly educated and talented person like Coleridge at least would not have remained poor in a country like England. I cannot say whether he would have been successful in the matter of love, but surely he would not suffer from poverty. At that time, poets had almost no field to earn money. Newspaper was not an industry. There was no cinema or television. So, creative people like Coleridge had a very limited scope of income. Secondly, England was not a fully democratic country. Since he was not from an aristocratic background, he did not have too many connections.

Coleridge lost a lot in life, and the theme of loss is the central theme in “Dejection: An Ode” poem. However, I feel that this loss, in the end, helped him to write this immortal poem.

Use of nature in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

We all know that the romantic age in English literature is mainly famous for the emphasis of all the poets on nature. There were five or six major poets in this age, and all of them wrote many poems directly or indirectly related to the theme of nature. It was William Wordsworth who put the most importance on the relationship between nature and human life, and he tried to show that nature is alive and is directly related to our life. Samuel Taylor Coleridge did not completely share the same view with his friend, but in his poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, we can find some strong relationship between nature and human life on various occasions.

According to Coleridge, nature was not so strong and deeply and directly connected to human life. However, we can perhaps find some interesting things in this respect in the poem. Coleridge wanted to portray supernatural events as very normal and natural.

A closer look at the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” will perhaps tell us that nature is indeed related to human life. The mariner sets on a journey, and at first, he was not concerned about anything else but his own pleasure. Even when he saw the albatross, he did not like it at all and for no reason killed it. Then, we can find that nature is not dead but its own soul. The mariner just offended the soul of nature by killing the albatross.

Albatross is the symbol of innocence. It was really and purely an innocent creature of God. It was the first thing the sailors saw after a long time in the ocean. So, the sailors were very happy as they had some company at last. The albatross came regularly and brought delight and fun for the sailors.

Coleridge has perhaps also tried to show that nature and God are not separate things. God was angry with the ancient mariner when he killed the albatross. Then, God brought punishment for him, and after suffering from a long punishment, the ancient mariner was changed in his heart, and he could ask forgiveness from God. God forgave him only when he showed mercy and kindness to water snakes.

Coleridge has used symbolism in this poem that is sometimes related to nature. For example, the albatross is a symbol and many discussions have taken place among the critics about the use of symbols in this poem. I like to state that the albatross is the symbol of innocence and in a way the symbol of goodness. When we throw away innocence and goodness from our life, our life becomes painful and meaningless.

Coleridge has painted some beautiful imageries with words related to nature. While discussing the sea, albatross, water snakes and the water around the ship, Coleridge really used very beautiful examples of imagery.

I have already said that according to Coleridge, nature is not separate from human life. However, Coleridge has focused on another thing that personal experience of the person is also important. The ancient mariner had some experiences in nature and these experiences changed him and made him a totally different person. He learned some moral lessons from the events that took place on the ship. At first, he killed the albatross, and then he suffered punishment. While he was suffering from punishment, life became intolerable for him. However, he understood that showing kindness to the creatures of God and to natural objects is important indeed.

In our age, many people talk about environmental pollution and care for the environment. In a way, this poem of Coleridge is like a pioneering effort in modern literature to make people conscious about taking care of the environment. For this reason, anyone who believes in supporting the environmental causes around the world should read the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.

John Donne’s treatment of love

John Donne started the trend of metaphysical poetry in English literature. For this reason, he is considered to be a very important poet of English literature. For many years, his poems were not appreciated. Thanks to brilliant poets like T.S. Eliot, his work is widely appreciated by the readers. Donne started his career as a poet in the late Elizabethan period, and he came out of the influence of major poets like Shakespeare and created a new style in poetry.

The subject of love occurred naturally in Donne’s poetry because from ancient times we see that in literature, especially in poems, love is given a lot of importance. In all ages, the poets always talked about love between a man and woman though in real life the scope of love was very limited. Still, poets praised love all the time.

What is striking about John Donne is that he introduced a new idea about love. Predecessors of Donne portrayed love as something heavenly and noble. Though lovers live in the world but enjoy heaven on earth. Donne neither admitted it nor denied it. He did not deny the importance of love in human life, but he did not present love as a heavenly object all the time in his poems. Love also causes pain, emotional upset and treachery. Sometimes he brutally attacked women. He said that no beautiful girl remains faithful to his lover. On the contrary, he spoke highly of his wife. The high thought about love that dominated in the works of the poets of ancient times was also very common among Elizabethan poets. Elizabethan poets of England were highly influenced by Petrarch, the famous Italian poet. Petrarch, in his poems, spoke highly of his beloved. This trend was broken by John Donne. It helped other poets to think in a different manner.

John Donne portrayed love from a realistic point of view. He even used logic to justify love. We all know that love has a deep connection with emotion, and love, in most cases, does not follow logic. It is impossible to judge love using logic. John Donne tried that impossible feat in many of his poems.

In fact, Donne tried to portray the true picture of love. It is true that love brings great joy and happiness in the hearts of the lover and his beloved, but it also causes pain, and Donne successfully presented this idea in his poems. Most of the lovers are men and they compose poems about their wives and beloved. We see some exceptions in Donne in this regard. Women did not have any freedom at that time and they had no rights or privileges. Most of the women were illiterate. There were no separate colleges for them. Most of the women studied at home and most men did not recognize women as a separate entity. Women did not inherit anything from their fathers or husband. John Donne in his poetry talked about women’s separate entity and their freedom. Sometimes they use their freedom for evil purposes and cheat on their lovers, but they have a separate entity.

In “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” poem, John Donne’s treatment of love is sensuous. In this poem, his statement repeats the Platonic statement that physical contact is not necessary for the development of spiritual love. It refers to a temporary departure when Donne was called from home. The poet compares him and his beloved with two legs of a compass. While one leg of a compass remains fixed, the other moves around to complete the circle. The physical existence is not necessary if a true bond of the minds has occurred, thus joining a pair of lovers’ souls eternally.

However, in some of his poems, we can find the influence of Petrarch and Ovidian. Such a poem is “Twickenham Garden”. This poem tells the poet’s friendship with the Countess of Bedford, a cultured and accomplished lady of the seventeenth century. There is no authentic source to know if the lady nodded her head to the love of the poet. This poem shows how love changes joy into sorrow. The poet is so unhappy that even spring cannot bring happiness to the poet’s heart. Women, in general, are false, and as a result, they are not worthy of being trusted, but the poet’s sweetheart is an exception. The poet wishes that lovers should judge their mistresses’ love by comparing the taste of her tears with that of their tears.

“The Good-Morrow” is another poem that shows the lover’s move from discussing sensual love to spiritual love. He realizes that, with spiritual love, the couple can be liberated from fear and the need to seek adventure. The poet said that he and his beloved are one because they are similar in all respects and as such none of them will die. Their mutual love can neither decrease, nor decline nor come to an end. Their love is immortal.

In his poem “Go and Catch a Falling Star”, we can find his cynical view towards women. It is one of the most common formulas in his love poems. It is anti-woman and hostile to the fair sex. The poet shows the impossibility of finding a true and fair woman. The speaker tells his listener that if he ever finds a true and fair woman then he would go to her as if he is going on a pilgrimage to some holy place. He also said that an ugly woman may be constant, but a beautiful woman can never be so.

John Donne thought very differently about love and he was the first one to present love as a complex matter. Poets before done talked about love as it was a heavenly object and did not think about it from a realistic point of view but Donne emphasized logic along with emotion.

Independence Day of Bangladesh

March 26, 2021, was the 50^th independence day of Bangladesh. On this day in 1971, the independence of Bangladesh was declared by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation. Before being arrested by the Pakistani army, he declared the independence of the country during the early hours of March 26, 1971. 

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This day has huge significance in the history of Bangladesh because from that day people in erstwhile East Pakistan started fighting for their freedom. However, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the undisputed leader of the Bengalis, in his speech given at the historic March 7 assembly at the Racecourse grounds, proclaimed the nation’s independence by uttering the lines-

“এবারের সংগ্রাম আমাদের মুক্তির সংগ্রাম (This time the struggle is for our freedom)

এবারের সংগ্রাম স্বাধীনতার সংগ্রাম।” (This time the struggle is for our independence)

On December 16, 1971, after nine months of the bloodiest war, Bangladesh got independence from Pakistan. To achieve this liberty, Bangladesh had to pay 3 million lives and honors of more than a quarter of a million Bengali women. For this reason, it is called a hard achieved freedom.

Celebration of Independence Day begins with a 31-gun salute at dawn. Then, people from all walks of life gather at the National Memorial in Savar, and by placing flowers and wreaths, they pay respect to those who sacrificed their lives for freedom. To celebrate the day, various programs are organized all over the country by government and non-government organizations.

Flower Village in Bangladesh

Flower has become an integral part of our everyday life. The use of flowers ranges from special festivals, including marriage ceremonies, Pohela Falgun, Pohela Boishakh, Valentine's Day, to special national holidays, such as Victory Day, National Martyrs' Day etc. We lay wreaths on monuments to pay tribute to departed souls. The use of flowers is also visible in shrines of all religions. It is used to decorate a home. Girls use it as an ornament. They are seen using flowers to decorate their hair. No doubt, it gives them a more beautiful look. From the above description, it is clear that we have a huge demand for flowers in our country, and most of the demand is met by the flowers collecting from Panishara village under Jhikargachha Upazila of Jessore district.

Farmers in Panishara village only grow different types of flowers. For this reason, this village is known as flower village. Gatkhali Bazar is the biggest flower bazaar in Bangladesh. Everyday flowers worth millions of taka are sold here. Farmers gather their flowers here and sell their products to local traders. Then again, the flowers are handed from one trader to another trader in the capital and ship them on trucks. When the flowers reach the capital city, especially in Shahbagh and Khamarbari, retailers buy their flowers from there according to their demand and budget. Afterwards, these flowers are taken to posh shops of Gulshan and Banani where they are made into bouquets and sold for handsome amounts. 

Bara Katra

Bara Katra, located in Dhaka, is a monument of the Mughal period. This edifice was erected on the bank of the river Buriganga in 1641 by the order of Shah Shuja, the son of Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built by Abul Qasim, who was known as Mir-E-Emarat. Though Shah Shuja was supposed to live here, it was later on used as a caravanserai. 

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Once known for its architectural beauty, Bara Katra today stands with its dilapidated entrance, a relic of its former self. The gateway of Bara Katra once had a stone plate featuring information written by Sad-ud-din Muhammad Sherazi in the Persian language. The stone plate tells about the founder of this caravanserai and the financial sources to manage the cost of its maintenance. The stone plate says:

“Sultan Shah Shuja always kept himself engrossed in charity. So, with the hope of receiving God’s grace, Abul Qasim al-Husainia-Tabtaba built this house as a symbol of good fortune. The palace adjoined 22 shops which would finance its reparation cost and the arrangement for free accommodation for the travelers. This provision would never be canceled. If it is ever canceled, the person held responsible would have God’s wrath unleashed upon him on the day of final judgment. This plate was written by Sad-ud-din Muhammad Sherazi.”

Pohela Boishakh

Bangladesh is a country of colorful festivals, of which Pohela Boishakh is the most significant. This festival, which is an inseparable part of Bengali culture, plays a pivotal role among Bengali-speaking people because it marks the beginning of the Bengali New Year. On this day, people bid farewell to the old year and welcome the New Year. For this reason, it is also known as Bangla Noboborsho.

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To commemorate this important day, people from all walks of life decorate themselves in traditional Bengali attire. Girls put on white sarees with red borders, wear glass bangles on their hands, flowers on their head buns, and tips on their forehead while men wear white pyjamas and panjabi or kurta.

What makes this festival different from other festivals is its universal and non-communal nature. People irrespective of religion and race can take part in it and together celebrate the day. The day starts with a procession called Mangal Shovajatra. A troop of singers gather in the city’s Ramna Batamul to welcome the New Year, and singing songs is a common scenario of this day.

Pohela Boishakh is a public holiday in Bangladesh. The joy and happiness on this day are no less than any religious festival. Joy becomes double when a clay pot filled with traditional food is served on the dining table. 

Diversified jute products

When we think of any product made by jute, the first product that comes to our mind is a sack. It is the traditional use of jute. However, time has changed a lot and with the time being, the use of jute has changed a lot. It is no more used for making a sack that is used for carrying rice and different other types of seeds. Rather, it has been transformed into an array of non-traditional goods, such as trendy handbags, shoes and sandals, laptop and tablet PC carriers, wallets, cushion and pillow covers etc. Diversified products of jute are given as follows- 

Jute products that are used at home-

1. Cushion cover, pillow cover
2. Carpet
3. Lamp post
4. Curtain
5. Table mat
6. Jute tray
7. Shoes and Sandal
8. Jute mat, floor covering

 

Jute products that are used in corporate-

1. Laptop bag
2. Executive bag
3. Wallet
4. Paperweight
5. Folder

 

Jute products that are used in everyday life and party:

1. Shopping bag
2. School bag
3. Water bag
4. Trendy hand bag

 

As jute is a fiber-type material, it can be used for making different products and goods, which are mentioned above.

 

Benefits/Advantages of Jute:

Not only the use of jute products will help develop the county and people's economy but also it will keep the environment safe from various pollutions- air pollution and water pollution. Jute products have various advantages on the economy, country and nature. The advantages of jute products are given below:

 

1. Advantages/Benefits of jute products on the environment:

1. Jute cultivation increases the productivity of the soil.
2. Green jute plants are an important source of providing oxygen to the atmosphere.
3. As there is no use of harmful chemicals in the production process, it is free from air and water pollution. One hectare of jute plants can consume about 15 tons of CO2 and release about 11 tons of oxygen during the jute growing season.
4. Jute fiber is an eco-friendly product and it is 100% recyclable and perishable. As it is a natural fiber, it can be recycled hundreds of times unlike plastics and can be subjected to rough use.
5. Jute cultivation requires little amount of money.

 

2. Benefit to consumers:

Durability: Compared to other products, such as plastic and paper, jute products are much more durable. Jute products are not easy to tear. It has an average lifetime of more than five years.

Reusable: Jute products, especially bags, are reusable. Customers can use it again and again for different purposes. They can reuse them for their future shopping and packing needs.

Strong: The most important feature of jute products is their strength. Jute bags have the reputation of being quite strong and can easily carry up to 15 kilograms compared to conventional carry bags.

Cheap and cost effective: In comparison, it is cheap and cost-effective than other products. Because of its cheap price, it is easily available. As it is reusable, customers do not have to spend money on buying carrier again and again.

Elegance: Its natural golden color adds elegant look to its products. However, varieties of colors are also available in market.

3. Advantages/Benefits for corporation or organization:

Use as a promotional tool: Various organizations can use jute products, especially jute shopping bags, as an important medium of promotional tool. For promotion, a company or organization can make any kind of design, use a logo or any message.

Give advertisement and promotional efforts more visibility: Because of its advantages of reusability and longer duration of time in the hands of customers, advertisement given by organization gets more visibility and promotional effort.

Customizable: Jute products can be customized by printing logos and slogans.

Why should we use it?

There are various reasons for which people will be encouraged to use jute made products. 

1. The first and foremost thing is that it keeps our earth safe from pollutions. So, if we want to keep our earth safe then we have no other option but to increase the use of jute products.
2. It will reduce the production of polyethylene or PVC, which is used in making carry bags. Polyethylene is a high pollution contributor.
3. Using jute products will help save the cultivation of jute, which is considered the oldest part of our culture.
4. As millions of people are directly or indirectly engaged in jute-related jobs, using jute products will help save their families and earn their living. It helps reduce poverty and hunger.
5. Jute has a demand in the international market. So, by exporting jute products, our government can earn foreign currency, which helps contribute to our revenue.
6. If anyone wants to open up his or her own business, he or she may choose the business of selling jute products because it requires less amount of money to invest. It will help increase more entrepreneurs and at the same time will decrease the unemployment rate to a more extent in the urban areas of the world.

Contribution of jute to Bangladesh’s economy: It is needless to say that the garment sector is playing a key role in earning foreign currency in the economy. It contributes more than half of the total economy. However, the contribution of jute products to the Bangladeshi economy is not less compared to other products that are export abroad.

According to a report published on May 7, 2012, in The Financial Express, it has been shown that Bangladesh earned about $23 billion in 2011. Ready-made garments are the highest foreign currency earner with $18 billion, which accounts for more than 78 percent of total export earnings come from this sector, including 41% percent from knit and 38% from woven. Frozen food is the second highest foreign currency earner with 2.92 percent. Then comes chemical products that have 1.8 percent. Jute goods and leather respectively capture 1.73 and 1.13 percent. Other products share 12.04 percent of the total export earnings.

In Bangladesh, 5.5-6.0 million (55-60 lakh) bales of raw jute are produced each year. Out of which, some 3.2 million (32 lakh) bales are used to meet the local demand and 2.4 million (24 lakh) bales of jute are exported to capture the international market.

If we look at the international market, we can see that it has 0.75 million (7.50 lakh) tons of demand for jute goods. Bangladesh is the major exporter with exporting 0.46 million (4.60 lakh) tons of jute goods. India comes after Bangladesh with exporting 0.285 million (2.85 lakh) tons of jute products in the international market. Bangladesh is the only raw jute exporter. It is because raw jute from Bangladesh has earned a reputation for its best quality.

Bangladesh is leading the international jute market with a 62 percent market share, which estimates Taka 20.125 billion (2012.5 crores) income by exporting jute goods. Last year, the country exported 2.4 million (24 lakh) bales of raw jute, which is worth Taka 9.77 million (977 crores).

Among jute products, jute sacks and bags experienced a significant increase in export earnings by 35 percent and earned the US $ 159.89 million in the first eight months of the current fiscal year 2012-13, according to Export Promotion Bureau. Jute yarn and twine also increased by nearly 10 percent and earned $329.06 million during the same period.

Imposing ban on plastic bags: I would like to give thanks to the Bangladesh government for imposing a ban on plastic bags. Bangladesh has become the first country to put a nationwide ban on plastic bags. Because of this wise decision, jute products, especially bags, are regaining the position that they lost to polythene after failing to keep pace with fast-moving technological changes in the packaging sector. This decision has also come as an inspiration for the jute bag industry. There was a big reason behind taking this decision. The government found out that polythene was the main cause of two-third of the country going under water during the 1988 and 1998 floods.