Desicritics Author: Rezwanul Islam

The Bangladesh Win - India's 'Contribution'

Rezwanul Islam — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:53:28 EDT

I present three instances of how India perceived the Bangladesh cricket team before the match.

1) SET Max channel airs a promo of their Extraaa Innings program starring panelists Mandira Bedi and Charu Sharma. They show 9 teams including the number ten in ODI ranking Zimbabwe but leaves out the number 9 Bangladesh.

2) DD National channel airs The Fourth Umpire, a cricket analysis program. Their episode during the India-Bangladesh match contained Indian cricket legends like Chetan Sharma and Kris Srikanth among the panel. They were discussing how India will win this World Cup and which players will contribute to what extent.

Then there was the public opinion section via telephone. An young Indian was asked, "In last match Gibbs has hit six sixes an over. So what India will do today?" He said, "Dhoni will strike 7 sixes an over today." How? "Bangladesh will produce a no ball which will be dispatched over the rope again." Then the panelists were laughing at Bangladesh being a minnow and Srikkanth's view seemed like they deserved the 7 sixes an over.

Srikkanth dismissed any chance of Bangladesh causing an upset. Another panelist Anjum mentioned Bangladesh had beaten New Zealand in an warm up match. Srikkanth remarked that all this was rubbish. There is a vast difference between India and Bangladesh so Bangladesh cannot win.

India has come to win the World Cup. If they lose today they should take the next flight home. Everybody was laughing. Chetan Sharma commented India should not take Bangladesh seriously. If India should respect Bangladesh then they should not have come to this World Cup.

During the match break Srikkanth was upset with India's paltry total of 191. After some discussions he commented that it was the Indian batsmen who gifted their wicket , the Bangladeshi bowlers had really done nothing special. Chetan Sharma thought that Bangladesh batting is not that strong. Srikkanth still thought that India should take the next flight home if they lose.

After the end of the game as India lost to Bangladesh, Chetan and Srikkanth were not there to comment. People were wondering whether they went to the travel agent to confirm the Indian team's return ticket. Anjum, the other presenter thought that Bangladesh may cause another upset to beat Sri Lanka to provide a chance for India in the World Cup. Wow! what a complete turn around of assessment about Bangladesh.

3) Bangladesh has toured every Test cricket nation except India. Because cricket is a business to them and having Bangladesh is commercially unprofitable. A tour with a said minnow is commercially unattractive for the media and advertisers. India last toured Bangladesh in 2004 December.

Bangladesh beat India for the first time then. After that India cancelled their next scheduled tour to Bangladesh twice and did not play them in the last couple of years. The reasons suspected was again commerce. So India chose to defer it till May 2007. I am not sure whether they will come to Bangladesh or invite back Bangladesh as there will always be excuses available.

So what can you say about the above instances? Simple arrogance and looking down on others has caused India this disgrace. As the saying goes, "none are more unjust in their judgments of others than those who have a high opinion of themselves". India took their eyes off Bangladesh, who progressed a lot in 2006. Their techniques got better and they are getting used to winning albeit most of the opponents were not from the super eight of Cricket.

This simple arrogance also sieged the Indian cricket team who came to the field without in-form Sreesanth and Kumble and decided to bat first, probably with a score like 350 in mind. And the pressure on the players was immense as they found Bangladesh bowlers using the conditions and maintaining line and length. When Bangladesh was batting they just had no clue why these eighteen year olds were not respecting the paper tiger bowlers. While Bangladesh had a game plan they had no plan "B" to tackle the surprise.

Anand Vasu says in Cricinfo that:

Bangladesh have slowly, steadily, doggedly worked at their cricket to the best of their ability for years now, and the fruit of that is this win. The point is that they have been around for a while now, it's just that not too many have taken note.

The Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo said this win is a reply to the Indians' disrespect vis-a-vis Bangladesh. Bangladesh has proved to India that what is commerce to them is merely a game for them. The article concludes with the hope that India is put down on their feet with this shock. If they still cannot revise their opinion about Bangladesh they will be reminded in the coming tour.

Now India will go nowhere with blaming players and the coach for this loss. Cricket is religion, passion and everything to Indians. Actually millions of Indian cricket fans deserve better from the Indian team. And this will happen when all the extra pressure of high expectations and influence of commerce in cricket are reduced.

Let the Indian team play for themselves. Not for the cup, but for the sheer pleasure of the game. India has enough good players to become a champion but now it may be too late for this World Cup.

Great Day To Be Bangladeshi: Dr. Yunus and Grameen Bank Bag Nobel Peace Prize 2006

Rezwanul Islam — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 00:11:33 EDT

Wake up world! This is real. For the first time in recent history Bangladesh has made news in all the international media for a positive contribution to the world. Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his organization Grameen Bank have jointly been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below." Earlier he had been nominated two times for this award.

Although there may be some doubt on some minds as to why an economic model got Yunus and Grameen bank a Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel committee has this to say:

Every single individual on earth has both the potential and the right to live a decent life. Across cultures and civilizations, Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development.
Micro-credit has proved to be an important liberating force in societies where women in particular have to struggle against repressive social and economic conditions.

For those who are new to Microcredit, it is the extension of very small loans to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty who are not bankable. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimum qualifications to gain access to traditional credit.

The success of Microcredit model comes from the erosion of dignity among the poor and their desire to prove that they have a potential. These individuals remain under the umbrella of a closely knitted society and the defaulters face peer pressure rather than legal notices. The whole idea is to provide a decent life with dignity for the poor and it worked (sad the rich often forget that the poor also have reasons to be proud). Read more about Microcredit from Dr. Yunus.

Professor Yunus studied economics at Vanderbilt University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1969, going on to become an assistant professor of Economics at Middle Tennessee State University the same year. On returning to Bangladesh he joined the Economics Department at Chittagong University.

Mr Yunus set up Grameen bank in 1976 with just $27 from his own pocket. Thirty years later, the bank has 6.6 million borrowers, of which 97% are women with a repayment rate of more than 90%. Grameen Bank models have been replicated in many countries of the world.

Is Grameen Bank different from the conventional banks? Dr. Yunus answers.

Listen to Dr. Muhammad Yunus's reaction from an interview given to a Norwegian TV in a podcast.

The Bangladeshi blogosphere's take on this:

People are delighted over at the Bangla blogging platform "Bandh Bhanger Awaaj". Drishtipat has news, pictures and more links to texts and videos on Dr. Yunus and Grameen Bank. Mudhpud Chickness says Dr. Yunus has put Bangladesh on the map. The South Asia Biz says "Today is a great day for Bangladesh." Tanvir says : "I hope that this success will allow the Bangladeshis to dream big and lead the country to prosperity." Atunu says "Finally, a deserving Bangalee wins the Nobel Prize". Shahidul Alam of Drik posts an wonderful tribute to Dr. Yunus. Many other bloggers shared the news and congratulated Dr. Yunus and Grameen Bank.

The other two Bengalis to win the Nobel Prize were Rabindranath Tagore (Literature: 1913) and Amartya Sen (Economics: 1998).

Dr. Yunus's daughter Monica Yunus is a budding Soprano in the USA.

Dr. Yunus said once "One day our grandchildren will go to museums to see what poverty was like." I hope his dream comes true some day.

Today, I am proud to be a Bangladeshi too.

German Poverty - Poor Children In A Rich Country

Rezwanul Islam — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 05:25:03 EDT

The above picture shows the green grass of the Spreebogen Park in front of the Berlin main rail station (Hauptbahnhof) and besides the Chancellors office. On 20th September a German NGO called the Deutscher Kinderschutzbund E.V. laid out 200,000 such blue flags in Spreebogen Park and other places in Berlin to protest negligence by the government of the same number of poor children in the German capital. It is now official that one in six out of the 15 million children in Germany are living under poverty. Many of these children will not complete their education and will have poor health conditions. Because their parents are unemployed and social benefits cannot sustain the family well.

According to 2005 statistics:

"The growth of social misery is also expressed in the poverty rate, which indicates how many households earn less than 60 percent of average income and lie below the poverty threshold. In 2005 the poverty rate in Germany was 17.3 percent--the highest rate in Germany's postwar history. Every fifth citizen lives in poverty in East Germany and a half million live in poverty in Germany's capital city, Berlin.
...

One of the hardest hit groups is children. Since 2004, i.e., the start of the Hartz IV measures, the number of children living in poverty has doubled, with 2.5 million living from social welfare relief. One sixth of all children under the age of 15 live in poverty; in some cities this rate is one in three."

Berlin faces the 1990s fate of Washington, DC: of being a bankrupt city with a rich political ghetto. After unification in 1990 Berliners hoped to regain their role of industrial hub and gateway to central Europe. Instead, the city lost two-thirds of its jobs in manufacturing, which now employs fewer than 100,000 in a population of 3.4m. Almost half of the population live under social benefits.

Signs of poverty are now evident in Berlin. Beggars are common in U Bahn (underground) stations. You will see young men and women cleaning front mirror of cars in traffic stops and demanding money. In a busy street once in a while some one stumbles on you asking for some change. Meanwhile the Kurfurstendamm (similar to New York's Fifth avenue) boasts glittering designer shop windows with clothes starting from 3000 Euro. The world class infrastructure and well spread public transport portray a different picture. Berlin is the poorest state in Germany, the tourists will disagree.

'Non' to English - Chirac's Opposition to Globalization

Rezwanul Islam — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 10:33:10 EST

President Jacques Chirac of France stormed out of an EU summit meeting because one of his fellow countrymen dared to speak English - quelle horreur!

The IHT reports:

" When Ernest-Antoine Seilli�re, the French head of the European business lobby Unice began addressing the EU's 25 leaders in English, Chirac interrupted him and asked why he was not using his mother tongue.

"I'm going to speak in English because that is the language of business," Seilli�re replied.

With that, Chirac, 73, stood up and left the room, flanked by his finance minister, Thierry Breton, and foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy. He said later: "You cannot build the world of the future on just one language and, hence, one culture." "

Also in Germany leaders prefer to speak in German in international meetings although having good knowledge in English. This is a sharp contrast to the fact that the German version of American idol is full of local singers who sings mostly in English. The younger generation cherishes English songs.

English in some form or other is indeed a global phenomenon, but now a days big trading blocks are being established that bypass English speakers. In South America, the various economic partners have no need of English, neither do some Middle Eastern or East Asian trading groups.

Now, my question is, are the Europeans ready to face the challenging economic world linguistically?

Recognition: Riverbend, a Blook, by a Blogger in the Running for a Major Literary Award

Rezwanul Islam — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 13:19:40 EST

Did you ever wonder that around the world there are millions of bloggers with thousands of good writings worth publishing in paper media? But only in a few cases we have seen bloggers publishing their writings in book format and getting an wider audience.

The Guardian reports that Riverbend, an anonymous Iraqi woman has become the first blog author to contest for a big literary prize for a book published between hard covers. The book Baghdad Burning (after the name of her blog), written by the 26-year-old author is long listed for the �30,000 Samuel Johnson award.

Last October Riverbend won the 3rd prize at the Lettre Ulysses Awards for the Art of Reportage 2005 for the same book.

In fact she is not the first Iraqi blogger who has written a book. The widely known Iraqi blogger Salam Pax published two books in 2003.

But what makes Riverbend different from others? Salam Pax ran into controversy at the peak of his popularity. First circulating in the blogging community, discussion eventually reached the New York Times, with some pundits speculating that he was secretly a US, Israeli, or Iraqi government agent spreading disinformation about the war. There were also claims that he was the pampered son of a senior Baath party official. (Wikipedia)

Riverbend so far has not faced any such strong controversy. As an intelligent and prolific writer, she actively criticizes the occupation of the coalition forces in Iraq and also provides sane views as an Iraqi going through the turmoil in her country. It's not like reading and seeing things in places, which describes "The Iraqis say this" or "The Iraqis feel that" coming out of the mouths of people who were not Iraqi. She has a commanding gift for observation.

I wonder why she is not popular with many so called right wing bloggers; probably because she is against the occupation and writes satires of Bush. She is now getting plugged in media like CNN and Al-Jazeera. It is interesting to see that our choices of writers are sometimes influenced by their political views or standpoints. Often literary values and honest opinions are not recognized.

Solitude In Our Lives

Rezwanul Islam — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 22:40:12 EST

Solitude is the state or quality of being alone or remote from others resorting to a lonely or secluded place. It is an act or process of withdrawing, especially from something hazardous. In ancient Indian myths, people used to go to solitude in the woods. Buddha went to solitude leaving all personal belongings including his family.

But as communal beings, why do we need solitude? Bengali poet Jibanananda Das said;

"Not money, not tiredness, not recognition, not love,
Another depressed sensation plays in our blood,
Making us weak, weaker and weakest.
I cannot avoid it."

Solitude sometimes gives the benefit of freedom from irritations we experience when living in what was intended to be a community. If you contemplate the secrets you share with others, you will find that you cannot share some secrets with your parents, siblings or children. Some secrets you cannot share with your wife or closed friends. There are even one or two you do not dare to share with yourself too! You wish that the secret would have never existed. So how do you face them? Dissipate or reconcile yourself to the truth of your life.

Being in solitude, free from distractions of other people, we can explore our own minds with clarity and in depth. Being alone can exaggerate our anxieties, but solitude and silence enhance creativity and solve problems. The mark of solitude is silence, as speech is the mark of community. The best thinking has been done in solitude.

In this frantically companionable society, the solitary man or women is branded as anti-social. However, loneliness and solitude are not synonyms. You cannot feel lonely among other people. But Solitude, however, is a state of mind and one can be in solitude wherever one wants to be.

Solitude is very easy to care for. Experts recommend to give it daily attention and it should grow big and strong. It is like being alone in company, and alone having the company of the world. The spirit is in motion. With me I am more than one. In solitude we deal with our depressed sensation.