I, AVIJIT AND MUKTO MONA
So Mukto Mona was out of cyber world for some days. We have been facing this problem off and on following the murder of Avijit. However, it has come to life now. All Mukto Monas are happy once again.
Origin of the Bengali Calendar
Only a couple of weeks ago, Bangladesh celebrated the Bengali New Year's day (Bangla Nobo borsho) with unprecedented razzmatazz – colourful festoons donned the apartments in high rise buildings, in rickshaws and even in lamp posts; women wearing bright yellow saris chanted Noboborsho welcoming songs; girls with garlands in their hands walked the streets, as if to offer garlands to the exalted souls of the New Year. An unprecedented air of jubilation and a feeling of festivity overtook the minds of the populace, who only a few days earlier emerged from long three months of suffering from political 'blockades' and 'strikes'.
Eating animals
How many Bengalis do you know who do not like shorshe ilish? Can you imagine a Bengali wedding without kacchi biryani, or beef rezala? If I had to guess, I would say that your answers are "not many," and "hardly." Even though my knowledge of Bengal is rather limited, I think this I know: Bengalis love meat, Muslims probably a bit more so than Hindus, and virtually every Bengali loves fish. One might think that makes lecturing about animal rights in Bangladesh a quixotic exercise. I found that the opposite is the case.