Right to walk
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Nehal Adil
A Manab Bandhan , human chain was organized by young activists near the central library on world health day to demand the right to walk in this congested metropolis. They were actually environmental activists who wanted to keep the city green and habitable for its citizens.
Unfortunately after nine eleven in USA, security scare was created in our country like the rest of the world. Though our intellectuals criticized erecting of barbed wire on our border by Myanmar and India , barbed wire was erected right inside our city center making impossible for the pedestrians to pass. When in the environment conscious Scandinavia Tri-shaw , a kind of rickshaws are being introduced rickshaws have been vanished from our city. The low income people have no way to move except walking and walking has been made impossible by barbed wire.
Where do we go " asked Rima, a research student who walks from her home in Madhubagh to Central Public library nearly every day. They were angry. They felt the barbed wires and travel restrictions were imposed by the industrial countries to sell their cars inoder to salvage their bankrupt economies. I thought that was too harsh a criticism. Recently I read an article by one Forrest Cooksson accusing the Bangladeshis of having free lunch. The criticism by the young ones was opposite to that. But no one should force Bangladesh to buy junk cars and make its streets jammed and unpassable. That is an irony. We want free and equitable trade. No one from Bangladesh has begged to any one. Our workers abroad earn more money than what the so-called donors give us.
Nine eleven did not happen in Bangladesh but many joke as its result one eleven was created. The slums were eliminated . Country people were made frightened not to come to the city. Possibly it was made to please Mr Cooksson who boasted the superiority of American white civilization , its nuclear dominance that has created its mighty dollar. Bangladesh a struggling emerging economy does not want any of it, though it has a two thousand world civilization. As sculptor Rasha,who is considered the symbol of nation's conscience want to walk on the street and sing. Can you do that with a sound mind?
No, I am afraid you can not. The police is around to take care of you. And then there is the RAB, the dreaded Rapid Action Battalion which emerged after the nine eleven and was strengthened after one eleven. In fact RAB is not that frightful, a polite RAB officer told me in Sanskriti Bikash Kendra, cultural Development Center. In fact he likes music and attends cultural festival when off duty. He told me he has no order to shoot down any body who walks on the street. But he thought it was better people avoided walking on the street because they could fall victim to the miscreants. If you read the manuals of our past colonial rulers from which Mr Cooksson has possibly got inspiration about his free lunch theory, most people are.
But I assure you our cultural standard is not inferior to any developed country. Our youngsters make best results in foreign universities. Our peace keepers maintain peace in world around. How such a peaceful people be branded a miscreants and denied the right to walk on their own street.
Democracy has dawned in our land of red sun. Its green is vibrating with life.
The land of Tagore is committed to non-violence and peace. No body should frighten us with nuclear superiority and its permanent terrorism.
We aspire a livable global environment . That was the message of Bangladesh in last climatic conference in Copenhagen. We did not beg as it was wringly presented.
Yet , the world owes some thing to Bangladesh. We were deprived of our national independence for two hundred years. The world's richest country was turned poorest and those who have done it owes something to us.
No our young people do not want to settle that account.
They just want to walk freely on their own streets. You can not save New York by erecting barbed wire fences on Dhaka streets. Please leave that fantasy. Let us breed free in peace and friendship.
A Manab Bandhan , human chain was organized by young activists near the central library on world health day to demand the right to walk in this congested metropolis. They were actually environmental activists who wanted to keep the city green and habitable for its citizens.
Unfortunately after nine eleven in USA, security scare was created in our country like the rest of the world. Though our intellectuals criticized erecting of barbed wire on our border by Myanmar and India , barbed wire was erected right inside our city center making impossible for the pedestrians to pass. When in the environment conscious Scandinavia Tri-shaw , a kind of rickshaws are being introduced rickshaws have been vanished from our city. The low income people have no way to move except walking and walking has been made impossible by barbed wire.
Where do we go " asked Rima, a research student who walks from her home in Madhubagh to Central Public library nearly every day. They were angry. They felt the barbed wires and travel restrictions were imposed by the industrial countries to sell their cars inoder to salvage their bankrupt economies. I thought that was too harsh a criticism. Recently I read an article by one Forrest Cooksson accusing the Bangladeshis of having free lunch. The criticism by the young ones was opposite to that. But no one should force Bangladesh to buy junk cars and make its streets jammed and unpassable. That is an irony. We want free and equitable trade. No one from Bangladesh has begged to any one. Our workers abroad earn more money than what the so-called donors give us.
Nine eleven did not happen in Bangladesh but many joke as its result one eleven was created. The slums were eliminated . Country people were made frightened not to come to the city. Possibly it was made to please Mr Cooksson who boasted the superiority of American white civilization , its nuclear dominance that has created its mighty dollar. Bangladesh a struggling emerging economy does not want any of it, though it has a two thousand world civilization. As sculptor Rasha,who is considered the symbol of nation's conscience want to walk on the street and sing. Can you do that with a sound mind?
No, I am afraid you can not. The police is around to take care of you. And then there is the RAB, the dreaded Rapid Action Battalion which emerged after the nine eleven and was strengthened after one eleven. In fact RAB is not that frightful, a polite RAB officer told me in Sanskriti Bikash Kendra, cultural Development Center. In fact he likes music and attends cultural festival when off duty. He told me he has no order to shoot down any body who walks on the street. But he thought it was better people avoided walking on the street because they could fall victim to the miscreants. If you read the manuals of our past colonial rulers from which Mr Cooksson has possibly got inspiration about his free lunch theory, most people are.
But I assure you our cultural standard is not inferior to any developed country. Our youngsters make best results in foreign universities. Our peace keepers maintain peace in world around. How such a peaceful people be branded a miscreants and denied the right to walk on their own street.
Democracy has dawned in our land of red sun. Its green is vibrating with life.
The land of Tagore is committed to non-violence and peace. No body should frighten us with nuclear superiority and its permanent terrorism.
We aspire a livable global environment . That was the message of Bangladesh in last climatic conference in Copenhagen. We did not beg as it was wringly presented.
Yet , the world owes some thing to Bangladesh. We were deprived of our national independence for two hundred years. The world's richest country was turned poorest and those who have done it owes something to us.
No our young people do not want to settle that account.
They just want to walk freely on their own streets. You can not save New York by erecting barbed wire fences on Dhaka streets. Please leave that fantasy. Let us breed free in peace and friendship.