My dad was watching the Bengali news (only person in the house to be remotely interested in any news from Bangladesh) when they showed a mini-riot in progress. Apparently some marchers decided to rally outside a shopping store and the police physically charged at them. Two people were shot dead, and a few other broken bones.
How a culture that prides itself on being Muslim can shrug off the loss of life is beyond me. No inquiries will take place about this 'incident'.
Now my dad is usually the most optimistic person about Bangladesh. If at any time someone comments, "Oh, I don't know how people live in Bangladesh", he will reply, "Why, is 150 million people not living there?" And so on.
Even he now thinks it would be a bad idea to visit at this time. It's Eid, it's elections, and it's a political mess. I was speaking to my cousin in Bangladesh and she of course was adamant that there is no danger, but then she's a local. I remember going shopping with her one time, when I was very young.
We were shopping in New Market and all of a sudden I start crying. I am horrified, why am I crying for no reason, that too in front of GIRLS? And then I turn, and I see that everyone was crying. It sounds like something out of a cheesy 80s horror movie but then someone whispered 'Tear Gas'.
All I remember was being dragged by my cousins into a nearby shop, where they downed steel shutters, and waiting while police battled - yes battled - some rioters outside. So if I go to Bangladesh, I will get to attend FOUR weddings (and hopefully no funerals). However, my plans to visit Rangamati (a nice, beautiful Kashmir-like place in Bangladesh) or Sylhet or any other city will be hold. And since my cousins all have hugely worrying parents (runs in the family) they won't be allowed to accompany me on my shopping spree (which is no.2 reason why I go to Bangladesh). Not to mention it will be much cheaper to go in February.
So NOW, thanks to the political imbeciles in Bangladesh, I have zero vacation plans. THAT IS A BIG PROBLEM. Yes I know people are starving somewhere else but I can't stop being pissed off at the moment.
Anyone attending RIS?
I saw Dhoom 2 and Casino Royale over the weekend. You know times have changed when the men show more skin than the women in the movie. The girls were just drooling.
Dhoom 2 was a classic bore. The first half was pretty good, and fast paced, so I didn't realize I had gone through 1.5 hours and 3 samosas by interval, but boy did it drag after the interval. Some people said 'well, it had style'. That is did - production values were top notch - but the script had no logic.
Somethings never change. It is a Bollywood movie after all. I would give it a 2.5/5.
Casino Royale was good in the sense that it was a different type of Bond. Man is that guy built! The scene where he rises from under the water on the bridge, it looked like he was inflated, muscles (or as one of my friends call them "mus-kels") all over the place. And the stunts in the first half of the movie blow you out of your mind. Pierce Brosnan was a pretty Bond but I would rather have Craig's Bond beside me in a street fight. The last one third of the movie drags though. Good thing I play poker so I knew what was happening in the middle one third of the movie. And the Bond girls? Hot as ever. Over all, 3.8/5.
LOL!!!! God, I love what you did to the picture. It's hilarious! I laughed so hard that I nearly spilled my hot and steamy cup of chai but it certainly made my morning off to a great start. :)
ReplyDeleteMezba!
ReplyDeleteDo the right thing! Be a man.
Okay, those lines were coming from Russell peters, I don't know if you have seen the part where he talks about chinese people doing business.
I can't believe you are NOT going because of political turmoil. Come on! It's a national sport. We love our national sport, the lathi pita game. It's not a big deal. When I was going to BD this past summer, the situation was like that, tear gas, gola jobai, mara mari, golaguli, and my family raised this bright red flag about me going to BD (i have little of close family left in BD) but it was my best friend's wedding! And of course a good time to treat myself as I had just finsihed college. I went, and you know what, amidst all the lagatar hartal, it was FUN (except that I don't want to think about the amount of money spent on the tickets).
This time, I am still going, inshaAllah! hehe! Nothing can be better than Winter in Bangladesh. MILD winter, with busy pedestrians in the early morning with bhapa pitha and khejurere rosh (come on!!!)
I mean, yeah the national sport is there, but if 150 million people can live there, I should be okay too. My life ain't any more worthy of living than a tokai in Komlapur station. Moreover, even though my class is cancelled (as Americans are scared because of the political situation), I got in contact with some folks at the ICDDR,B (surprisingly or not so surprisingly, I didn't get a hold of any Bangladeshi people there, it's all mostly white Americans, which says that we do have some real work going on there), and I got some work lined up. I am IMPRESSED how promptly people are working over there, halellujah!
Seriously, if you don't want to go to BD because of other reasons, that's cool. But if you are backing out for these political instability, come on, you call yourself a "BENGALI" !!! That's not big enough of a reason. Moreover, FOUR weddings, man! I would have gone, if I were in your shoes.
convinced yet?
LOL,nice pose,almost thought you were on the *poster*. Too bad you are not going to b'desh. My husband left early Nov to go and visit home(he just lost his mom).
ReplyDeleteBTW, am no bond movie fan, but the guy,ewww, he just doesn't look like a *bond*.Was hoping that they picked clive owen as bond, anyway, just wishful thinking. sf
think about it, 2000 bucks to stay stuck at home batting at mosquitoes.
ReplyDeletespend 20 bucks to drive up to Yarker and experience the same wilderness. they'll ever throw in the smell of gasoline (farm tractors) and manure for free.
i consider myself a bengali. but a practical one at that.
hehe nowal! you are absilutely right and that's why I am saying, if you have any other reason (which would include financial stuff) other than political instability, don't go. But if it's only because of hartals and stuff, may be not.
ReplyDeleteAlso, January first week is Eid and stuff, and hence will be better@ hopefully.
Salaam.
ReplyDelete"Ki dekhar kotha, ki dekhchhi? Ki shonar kotha, ki shunchhi? Ki bhabar kotha, ki bhabchhi? Ki bolar kotha, ki bolchhi? Tirish bochhor poreo ami shadhinota-take khunjchhi...
... Shadhinota ki niriho lok-er okaron-e pran dondo? Shadhinota ki panir tank-e golito lash-er gondho? Shadhinota ki hortal deke jibon kora stobdho? Shadhinota ki khomota horon-e chole bonduk judhdho? Shadhinota ki shontrashi-r haat-e maron-astre-r gorjon? Shadhinota ki orthe-r lobh-e bibek bishorjon?"
Can't really be summed up much better than Hyder Husyn, can it?
Still I'm with Sabrina. Given that I take off this weekend - Insha Allah - I am brimming with optimism (I'd better be) :).
Zehra: Thanks. It was taken at Albion - they had a cutout there.
ReplyDeleteHah! You should have seen the one I took of my friend! It was much better.
Sabrina: Oh Russel Peters. The most downloaded desi comedian ever! "You save 50 cents today, tomorrow you save another 50 cents, then you have a whoooole dollar, and you can go to the dollar store!"
It's not that I am scared about my life in jeopardy but it's the thought of hartals everyday and me being stuck at home and not getting my job done.
SF: sorry about your mother-in-law. Ya I was hoping to go but it looks like things will be at a standstill until the damn election is over.
PS. This bond is a man's bond. However the film is a woman's film. It's about Bond in luv *make face here*.
Nowal (or NAB as you call yourself now): That's the point. I dont want to spend 2G and just be stuck at home. That's the main concern. Hartals.
Em: Bon Voyage bro. Hope you have a great and safe vacation.
I'm so sad you can't go, brother :( That is so lousy.
ReplyDeleteThe photo is nice and of course you are recognisable since you are perhaps the only one not showing skin :) So many naked people in one poster :)
You want to go to Karachi with my family? You know because it is just immensely safer and all ;)
ReplyDeleteSalaam.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mezba...
"Vacation" indeed! I have to somehow convince institutes there to share some specific data with me... I've been forewarned that this could in fact be harder than actually defending my thesis. *sigh*
I am not going to Pakistan either this year... Sucks when you're broke...Here's to New years in front of the tv... or wait.. maybe we should have a blog party or something???
ReplyDeleteLovies,
S
What is RIS???
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity you can't go to Bdesh, you sounded like you really wanted to go. On the other hand, maybe you should go in Feb when the political situation isn't so rife with curfews and tear gases... *and significanly cheaper* .. in the meantime, you could watch more desi flicks and post up movie reviews because your reviews are hilarious!
I like the new James Bond.... he's so ...*rugged* drool, and of course a body to die for... I'm not sure if I can picture him being more *human* like Brosnan, but its time for a change, and Craig doesnt disappoint! The Bond girl... the Italian girl... I thought some people called her hot, but if you see her upclose and personal, she definitely looks like she has weathered with time! (I hope that doesnt make me look all jealous!)