By:K C Milan
All of my attention was drawn to a picture surfaced on Facebook. But in true judgement that was a normal picture and I believe was not taken on a good camera by any expert or professional photographer. One of Facebook users from my friend list posted the picture in his timeline. Probably he took that picture by his smart-phone. However, the reason behind my attention drawn to it was a group of school going girls. School going girls are normally jolly as they have nothing to be worried about. Probably all those girls in the picture were jolly and had a lot of fun while on their way to school together. But when on a wooden or bamboo bridge over a brook to be crossed they seemed gloomy and frightened. The reason they were gloomy and frightened might be a thought of falling as the bridge was probably shaky. I always like and love girls. Wherever and whenever I see the girls, I feel a kind of sympathy for them. Because I have a young daughter and me, see her face reflecting on faces of all these girls. This is what I became gloomy too. I asked to myself how many days and how many times will they lose their jolliness, their laughter, and their fun?
In search of an answer to all these questions, I went back to the days of twenty years ago. I mean the days I spent in my village home. Not only my village but that total area was cut off all modern amenities like electricity, road, etc.
There were primary and high schools nearby my village or house but still we had to walk through knee-deep water and sticky mud especially in rainy season. We could not use even bicycle let alone other vehicles. We had to walk 15 miles only to get to a photo studio for some passport size photographs.
But now within this time a huge change took place all over those areas. Electricity is available, roads have been paved, place of the bicycle has been occupied by some other motor driven vehicles. A degree college has been established, more than three private banks have opened their branches there. People are getting treatment from government health clinic, doing business or buying necessary things from local markets. There is a branch post office; some N G O's are doing activities through their branch offices opened in our village. In fact, the village has been turned into a small town now.
This is the reality which comes through a lot of changes in the course of time.
I am sure this reality will come and appear to that place even to that wooden or bamboo bridge.
It may take sometimes. Maybe two, three or five years but surely that Wooden or Bamboo Bridge of today will be removed, and the modern bridge will be constructed over there. The things may happen that these girls will be seen at that time driving their cars over the bridge with happy mind and smile on face.
This is not the dream but reality. Because changes are taking place every hour and everywhere.
A season changes into another one; change takes place in nature and human life, love changes into hatred and hatred into love.
In short, change must take place everywhere in the course of time.