DHAKA Local Bus Services … let all be equal…

Wastage of time, energy and peace of mind… is it all which is being crushed due to traffic congestion? There are more … as thousands of men strive hard to get in the bus whole day through … women of similar extent does that too. In my 3 and half years of university life, mostly I had traveled through bus service in the capital uttara-banani route. During my internship, I experienced the appalling travel route from uttara to kawranbazaar area. And most believingly I despised it more than I reviled the university travel days. In the name of traffic congestion we hear issues regarding low availability-low consumption of transport, miss-management of seat system and adjustment, grubby environment in the bus counters, the offensive behaviors and bumpy driving, the bail-less attitude of the helpers and fuming passengers etc. but how many articles did make out the news regarding women exploitation in the bus? Physical molestation and contempt of gender is a common scenario in daily bus services. Currently “Stop Eve-Teasing” is a blazing issue in the newspapers and various media all over. But what about the incidents that take place and is never really been heard of - done by the educated so-called civics? Sigh…I am bit bewildered while writing about this as I don’t know whether I am writing this as in a victim myself or as in bearing a sensible milieu of journalism.

Yes…I am a victim in the sense that I have been through the filthy touches of strangers and mostly being silent in thoughtfulness of social bullshits. And also yes…I found it as mere responsibility to write out all these as I felt its nearly significant enough to question the erudite well-grown up male society who finds pleasure in touching women here and there while traveling beside them in a bus. Why am I calling them educated? Because unfortunately 90% of the men I found doing such shameful performance was wearing formal shirts-pants-ties with heavy silver watches (not cheap at all) along with shining shoes and laptop bags in the shoulders. Well-groomed, clean shaved and off course having the newest model mobile phones in one hand, I often found their other hand-fingers busy in finding place between my armpits next to my chest. In recent eve-teasing content, the uneducated boys full of ashes and brain depletion are being blamed for not choosing the right track in life and thus becoming criminals and murderers. It’s their drugs, drinking and ailing mental problems behind the disgraceful act they perform. But what about our co-passengers in the bus? Who treat us as if we are their keeps for the moment and its our job to allow them to touch us, press their bodies on ours as much as they want and stay silent, unnoticed about it? Many of you reading these must be thinking why not shout, why not slap tight these ill-mental creatures? When there isn’t much space for a girl or women to oppose against the social taboo’s limiting their rights and worthiness inside the house, it requires much, much more than courage or strength to do such thing on outside streets.

Most bus services provide at least 8 seats reserved for women now-a-days. Sadly, to sit in those our ears has to hear many of witty remarks from the men. Some of them even don’t want to let us take in – simply they make up such fussed drama that even if we get the seat it reminds us of unwantedness and embarrassment. And my o my, that of us who takes in the common seat- its more like getting on straight in the stove. Women these days are far near to what men works, earns, achieves, and gives out to life. If a women raises her voice for some reason that’s the moment the entire bus is cursing her with wide eyes and question-marked faces. But she isn’t supposed to do or question such groundless situations because it won’t matter or bother anyone. Regrettably till date Enormous amount of women suffer from male-abuse, gender discrimination, physical assault, mental break-downs in their households and workplaces 24/7. When those women can’t get out of their in-house sufferings, it’s practically pointless to expect women on street to gripe and defend thyself. I wonder what kind of men (?) does find pleasure or amusement
In touching women and torment their traveling experiences. It does tires me a lot and makes me feel like just a flesh with a skin of some dead raccoon. And honestly, such men seem to me worse than the meat-eaters of Africa.

I am not writing all these to speak of some awareness slogans or be a social-writer. I am writing to all those men out there, who don’t know how to respect a human-body. For you a woman is maybe just a body, but you have indisputably forgotten that your body was a small part of ours before you even saw this world. So in the name of your mothers, sisters and daughters, I pray to almighty that may you be blessed with keen pity for yourselves and be able to work-out your filthy retired mentality and leave our pride alone.

Disclosure: Rakhain Prabarana Purnima and Fanus Festival in Cox’s Bazaar

The total population of indigenous people in Bangladesh is around 1.4 million or more than that, consisting almost 45 indigenous communities using 26 different languages (internet). These Garo, Mogh, Mande, Koch, Marma, Khasia, Rakhain etc. indigenous tribes mostly live in the rural settings of Chittagong Hills, Cox’s Bazaar and in the regions of Mymensingh, Sylhet and Rajshahi. These people differ in their social association, religion, birth-death rituals, foodstuff, marriage system and other social traditions from the rest people of Bangladesh.

United Nations Human Rights Bodies, ILO, the World Bank and International Law apply four criterions to distinguish indigenous people:

• Indigenous peoples usually live within (or maintain attachments to) geographically distinct ancestral territories.
• They tend to maintain distinct social, economic, and political institutions within their territories.
• They typically aspire to remain distinct culturally, geographically and institutionally, rather than assimilate fully into a national society.
• They self-identify as indigenous or tribal.
•
The term “indigenous” is applied to elucidate certain social communities that shares comparable uniqueness – a cultural and communal subsistence that is distinct from the leading or primary communities in a society. Each indigenous community regardless to its extent carries out a typical, distinctive culture and heritage on its own. On 22
October, as part of out internship assignment in “Star Campus” we did endeavor the privilege to explore and experience such exclusive Rakhain Community in the Cox’s Bazaar Rakhain Polli. As in segments to that we attended the Rakhain Prabarana Festival at the IBP field Kiang (Buddhist monastery) and the Fanus Festival at the Barmiz Market local Kiang. The Prabarana Purnima (full moon) is the most significant and also the 2nd greatest festival among the Buddhism Followers. The Buddhists perform special religious rituals on the days of full moon generally because it is stated that the most memorable events of the Buddha’s life took place on the days of full moon. The followers all over the world observe the rituals and religious traditions on the same day for eons. On this very Purnima, Buddha displayed the miracles of spiritual power to his followers, which is why it holds an elite representation as a sacred festival for the Buddhists.

On the 22nd morning as we went in to the kiang, where people of all ages from the entire area were present. They have come to meet the current Vante (head bhikkhu of kiang) and other Vante’s from other kiangs in and out of the country with the offerings of various food items. They start the day with singing Buddhist chants and then all pay respect to the Vante’s and the Gautam Buddha figurine. After that all the Vante’s sit together and eats the foodstuff which followers had brought, till 12am. After taking the meal the Vante’s from other monasteries start off their journeys to new destination, within or beyond the border to visit other kiangs. Through a conversation with the current Vante with the help of a translator called Sha-mo, we ask him about his becoming a Vante. He tells us that he was just a 12 year old boy when he had the thought of becoming a Bhikkhu and left his parents in Burma to come to this kiang. It was his choice to leave the life of a regular person, leave off attachments, desires and started devoting himself in the convention of Buddhism. A Buddhist bhikkhu is allowed to go anywhere but return before night to a monastery unless he is on a journey. He is allowed to stay out of Kiang for maximum seven days in case of severe ill-ness related to his parents and his teacher only. As the mind mends no boundaries, Bhikkhu’s can and do go anywhere from Tibet to Timbuktu in search of peace of to practice Buddhism with true sprits. Hindering from sensuous lust, aversion and ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, sceptical doubt; To concentrate, be mindful and energetic, investigate, rapture and apply equanimity is the right persuasion of Buddhism. Though he mentioned that human-mind is wobbly and might change due to time. As for himself, he always wants to lead the spiritual life and continue doing what he enjoys most – spreading out Buddha’s principle among the people. It took him 30 years to reach such position which makes him 42 years old and looking at him it was quite hard for us to believe. His divine habits and apt living has kept him young as in a fresh soldier. During the discussion he also told us about the significance of Fanus (light balloon) Festival. Buddhist people believe that Buddha resides up there in the sky on the full moon night and Fanus’s are taken as the symbol of wishes and hopes. Through lighting these up and sending out in the air is more like reaching out the Buddha more or less. As speaking of the differences of past and present day celebrations, Vante shared that in past the younger ones were more into the religion and rituals. Now when the existence of the culture is at sake its natural they are more into changing religions or becoming less concern to their ancestral practices. The reasons behind it came upfront when we spoke to Sha-mo’s sister Ukhin, who had come with her little boy to visit Vante. Showing discontent in her voice she urged that Bengli customs and tribal customs are very different. But there is no safeguarding or fortification of tribal cultures and customs. Even they are bound to learn in Bengali, leaving off their own tribal languages. Hence, the younger generation is in lack of strong bondage with the religion and ethnicity. Talking to a 13-year old teenager outside the temple building, as she explained that she has been coming to the temple with her parents from a very early age and she more enjoys the celebrations than the regular prayers as it allows her to dress up nice and meet kids her age under one roof and dance and sing aimlessly. The religious patterns seemed less apprehension to her.

Due to the weather calamities, we had to wait for the next day to observe the Fanus festival and got on board with it on 23rd evening. By 5pm the sky started to getting filled with shining and shimmering light balloons. The Rakhain Polli kiang was surrounded by several booths made of paneled layers holding Buddha figurines and decorated in dazzling ways. All men came dressing up in their best and women wearing heavy ornaments made out of gold and silver. The teenagers were busy in setting out fireworks. The older Rakhain people were fueling up the Fanus and the kids gathered around
seemed composed with their face and glittering eyes. The balloons had the shapes of duck, bird, horse or just huge square typographies. As each Fanus went up in the air, the crowd screamed loud in excitement and joy. It was more of a fair of people occupied in lightening of both fireworks and Fanus’s all over.

While we wrapped up by 8pm and were preparing to get on the 10:30pm bus to be back in town, we were filled up with mixed feelings. Some of these were the happiness of knowing different culture, perceiving new dimensions of lifestyles which can be hardly seen in the capital. On the other hand we were in obverse of the mere truth of their insecurities- threats towards their own subsistence regarding their unique being. We felt bit accountable of the fact that despite of staying under one sky, at least 2/3 of the primary population doesn’t even think about of their uniqueness nor they have an option to come to us and exchange. For years the aboriginal population is fighting for their survival in the same homeland in the name of culture, language, education, land, shelter, recognition for equal rights and freedom to speech. But we choose them and culture as in our cover story topics once in a while and pay them a journey on pleasure basis. Sigh…How many of us do get back to them and speak with them, for them? Join them in and say “yes, we are equal“? The measure is doubtlessly countable.

Bangladesh is a well-developing country but our fellow Bangladeshi’s- the indigenous people are below the line to access development. For example: assuring a fixed quota in national university admission hasn’t ensured their development till date. Neither marking them as “Adibashi” and being nice to them does make us fair enough. Their language, clothing, food or maybe festivals are different then us… but they show the same amount
of energy or effort that a Hindu does during Durga Puja or a Muslim does during the Eid...they state their nationality as “Bangladeshi” as we do. It should be their existence we keep in mind not their quantity when we assess their individuality. It should be us not them, accepting them as in one of us.