Comilla My Hometown

Maharaja (Photo credit: Nina Klein)

Kazi Nazrul Islam, the revolutionary Bengali Muslim who is now the National Poet of Bangladesh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Comilla Bypass. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Comilla Cadet College (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Comilla Medical College (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Comilla Maynamoti Bihar বাংলা: কুমিল্লা ময়নামতি বিহার (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Comilla Victoria College academic building (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Comilla Maynamoti Bihar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Susan,Alphie and Gepetto,before I begin today,I would like to share a poem written by my favourite poet,Rabindranath Tagore.He has written numerous poems in his lifetime. My mind tells me to pick this one.

Closed Path

I thought my voyage had come to its end

at the last limit of my power,—-that path before me was closed.

that provisions were exhausted

and the time has come to take shelter in a silent obscurity.

But I find that thy will knows no end in me.

And when old words die out on the tongue.

new melodies break forth from the heart

And where the old tracks are lost,

new country is revealed with wonders.     Rabindranath Tagore

I would like to take you back to the year 1905.A communal tension spread when a Muslim was shot during the partition of Bengal in 1905.On 21st November 1921. Kazi Nazrul Islam , a very famous poet of Bengal composed patriotic songs and tried to awaken the people of the town to protest the visit of  Prince of Wales in India.There were other major incidences,when a sizable number of people were killed.There is nothing strange about that. What we  the citizens of the 21st century, must try to stop wars,they just bring out the evil nature of human beings.

Comilla covers a total area of 11.47 square kilometers.It is bounded by Burchiganj and Tripura on the North,Laksham and Chauddagram  on the south, and Barura on the west.The major rivers that pass through Comilla are Gumti and Little Feni.Comilla is a hub of road communication for the eastern part of Bangladesh.One of the oldest highways of the Indian sub-continent ,the Grand Trunk road passes through the city.At present the most important Dhaka-Chittagong highway by-passes the city from the cantonment to Podua Bazaar.

“Gepetto,there are a lot of names which will sound strange to you,I would like you to make a note of them.When you are back in school you can give your friends a quiz,see how many of them they can pronounce.It will be a good exercise for the brain.” Gepetto was on his feet searching for his notebook, “What a neat idea,he thought.”

Tourism

Comilla has a number of tourist attractions.There are various archaeological relics discovered in the district.They are preserved in the Mainamati museum.There is a red soil rock ,it is named Lalmai Pahar.It has an ancient Chandi temple on the summit.Another temple, the Jagannath temple built by Maharaja of Tripura is a tourist attraction as well.

My father told my mother that we should settle in Comilla.My Mom liked the idea,her home in the village was near it.  My brother Shams bought a house.We moved into the house from our Grandpa’s home in the village.My younger siblings went to ,”Our Lady of Fatima Convent School.” Two of my brothers went to Comilla Zilla School. It was a very good school.The headmaster told me,my father was a student of this school as well. When I gave him a puzzled look.He described my father ‘wasn’t he tall and thin’.I knew then he was right.

Comilla was a small and quiet town when we lived there.at that time they had a few schools and two colleges. Now there are a lot more people.And they have a lot of schools and colleges and universities.When I went for a visit,I was surprised to see how much it is developed.

For me it was fun to be there even if it was for a short while.I remembered going to college near my home.I could hear my professor telling us about Civics.I grew up in a large family,making fun of people was what we thrived on.Karim Sir would pick up his book,he wore a large  round pair of glasses, get up on the platform to go to his desk and would look from side to side making sure we were not up to any kind of mischief. Then his daily routine would start, Civics from the Western point of view there was always a very loud emphasis on the words,  “western point.” ,then I had the Urdu Professor,who used his eyes not his tongue, to speak. I would come home and act it out.My mom would be furious,she said,” bad tameez,you should respect your teachers.” Now at my age ,sixteen will not come again,when I laughed and joked about my Profs.who certainly taught me what I know. I sometimes go back to my childhood to make sure everyone including Gepetto knows how evil I can be.

Okay my good friends Gepetto looks tired,Susan wants to learn more about my little town, Alphie hasn’t opened his mouth yet,I am afraid to ask.It has been quite a pleasant ride.We thank God and all His supreme creation for putting up with me,Ranu the guide extraordinaire and her little friends,Alphie,Susan and Gepetto,So long,till we meet again!

Comilla (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We have changed our itinerary

Chittagong, Bangladesh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Entrance to main Tomb of the Shrine of Bayazid Bostami in Chittagong, Bangladesh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Zia Museum, Lalkhan Bazar, Chittagong, Bangladesh. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Partial tree of Indo-European languages. Branches are in order of first attestation; those to the left are Centum, those to the right are Satem. Languages in red are extinct. White labels indicate categories / un-attested proto-languages. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Chittagong bypass connecting the Chittagong port facilities with N1 through Patenga. বাংলা: চট্টগ্রাম বাইপাস চট্টগ্রাম বন্দরকে পতেঙ্গার মাধ্যমে এন-১ হাইওয়ের সাথে সংযুক্ত করেছে। (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chittagong Shipbreaking (Photo credit: AdamCohn)

shipbreaking in Bangladesh near Chittagong (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kaptai Lake, Bangladesh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Star Mosque, locally known as Tara Masjid (Bangla: তারা মসজিদ), is a mosque located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is situated at the Armanitola area of the old part of the city. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Karwan Bazar, one of the most important business centres in Dhaka (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dhaka travelling by rickshaw (Photo credit: eGuide Travel)

Bengal Tiger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jamuna Bridge of Bangladesh is one of the most notable in South Asia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Agriculture in Bangladesh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Boat Bangladesh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A map of the languages spoken in Bangladesh, in English. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was able to convince Alphie that he should spend some  more time in Bengal.Since Bangladesh is so close to Kol kata,it would be unfair not to go to Bangladesh. Besides it is the country I am from. I didn’t have to say much to convince him.He thought about it.I only said it once and he was happy to change his booking.Gepetto however had a big smile on his face. He was at an age when missing school is a lot of fun.There will be no studies, no cranky teachers,no Principal’s office to visit as punishment.Ranu just made his day.  “I made the right choice by asking for a guide.Life is awesome he thought.”  Ranu thought he was exceptionally quiet,she inquired, “everything okay Gepetto,did I do anything wrong?”  ” Oh no he said,it is fine,I like your change of plans.”

We are going to Dhaka. I will show you my college,it is Holy Cross College,near Kawran Bazaar.After graduating I took admission in Dhaka university.My sister wanted me to take admission in the university after school.I was afraid of the male population.I had heard after the new year,the boys give names to the female students.As I did not want to face it.I decided to spend two years in the Girl’s college.I thought I would be two years older and might be able to deal with it. Dhaka university is the oldest in Bangladesh.There are a lot of universities now.After my education I taught in Residential Model School,Mohammadpur,Dhaka.I was unable to get a picture of my college,therefore I can only say,it was just an ordinary college.Most of our teachers were nuns from the united states.

From Dhaka we decided to visit Chittagong,the second largest city in Bangladesh.It is a port city in southern Bangladesh.It is built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River.It is the country’s busiest seaport.It has a population of over 5.5 million people.It is a trading post since the 9th century.It has a multicultural heritage of Islamic,Hindu and Buddhist traditions.A few parts of Chittagong were developed in the early  twentieth century under the British .The city also became a focal point for revolutionary activities against the British.

Chittagong has attracted people from around the world.The various waves of settlements left a lasting impact on the language and culture of the city.The origins of the people are diverse and multi-ethnic. The most significant contributors to the population are indigenous Tibeto-Burman people and traders and settlers of Arab,Afghan and Mughal origin.They travelled from the North-west many hundreds of years ago.

Lungi or Dhoti are the most common costume for men and Saree for women.Rice and fish are the staple food of the people.Because of its close proximity to the sea, sea food is very popular.vegetables commonly found are: egg plant,flat beans,okra,pumpkins,potatoes, gourds and several others are grown.The main fruits are Jack fruit,coconut,papaya,bananas and other varieties are grown.

The architectural features of Chittagong can be found in mosques,shrines,dargah and other masonry.The most revered shrine is the Bayazid Bostami.He was a Sufi,his birth place was Bostam in Iran. There are several conflicting stories about the saint.Some believe,he actually visited Chittagong. Some 18th century Bengali poets remembered a Shah Sultan of Nasirabad in their poems. Because Bayazid Bostami was also known as Sultan-ul- Arefin, therefore it is believed that the above two are the same man.

Chittagong is a major tourist attraction. Its green hills and forests, its broad sandy beaches and the cool climate always attract the tourists.The people of Chittagong speak Chittagonian,this is believed to be an Indo-European language of the Eastern Indic group.A large number of Arabic words are used in this dialect. Speakers of this dialect consider it a dialect  of standard Bengali,which is the official language of Bangladesh.

Personally speaking the words did not sound like standard Bengali.The first time I visited Chittagong,I could not understand what they were saying.My aunt and I stood in the station looking for a rickshaw driver whom we could understand.We did find one who was from my home town. I always was fascinated by different dialects and languages.I stayed with my mother’s uncle.He and all the members of his family spoke the dialect.I stayed with them for fifteen days and learned the dialect.Whenever they said something I didn’t understand,I would ask what does it mean.This curiosity of mine helped me to learn the dialect.I did not try to teach Gepetto the Chittagonian dialect.He was happy visiting all the places. Cleanliness was an issue,I reminded him he was in a different country to see all the unique things which he will not find in Canada.If he is uncomfortable because the place is not squeaky clean,he will not enjoy his trip.I told him to try to admire the beautiful architecture of the mosques and shrines.Susan seemed to find the two cities interesting.Alphie probably was thinking,when he would be able to go back and try outwitting some other naive fellow,then again I took him to so many religious places,would he try his trick again?Who knows! I thought of all the places I was able to go to,my job as a  guide made it possible.It’s a ‘COOL’ job.

Alphie family are ready to say, Allah Hafiz, May God Be With You!

Scenes of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)