MANUSCRIPT OF BENEATH THE STARS: PART TWO : DHAKA

Dhaka is the city I was born and brought up in. Being the capital city of Bangladesh, Dhaka is the center of all kind of happiness and sorrows of the country. It is the city of loves and tears, ups and downs, lives and deaths and every aspect of life. You can see high rise buildings beside a natural lake, whereas you can also see slums and cottages beside fantastic international shopping mall. The city is alive throughout each and every moment of the day. Vehicles are running on the road, and so are the people. There is a rush seen everywhere - whether it is a school going child, an office worker or a rickshaw puller. Rich people have their own cars, but most of the people here use public transports such as bus or hire an auto-rickshaw. But rickshaws are the most widely used transport system here. Most of the people use rickshaw for short distance travels. Rickshaws are the cheapest mode of transport of the city and so the rickshaw pullers have to lead a very hard life. There is also a large number of garments factory in the city and they are one of the greatest source of income of the country. A great many number of women and girls work in these factories. The garments sector is the greatest source of income of our country. The clothes are exported to different parts of the world which earns a lot of foreign exchange that builds up the economy of our country.

The history of Dhaka dates back to the Mughal Empire. Emperor Akbar tried to conquer Bengal, especially Dhaka for several times but he didn't succeed. The geography of Bangladesh was too hostile for the invaders of the desert, as well were the people. The king of the then Dhaka was Isha Kha, who organised and performed many successful battle against the mughals to protect Dhaka. The capital of Isha Kha was in Sonargaon, which is presently situated in the Narayanganj district just beside the new Dhaka city. After Isha Kha, his son Musa Kha also fought against the mughals very bravely. But he was defeated by Mughal Emperor Jahangir and thus Bengal went under mughal empire. The mughal emperors were amazed at the beauty of Dhaka city. They loved it, rebuilt it and decorated it in a different way. They built many mosques in the city and thus Dhaka was named as the "city of mosques" which prevails till today. Mughal emperors also built many forts in Dhaka city which were used to live by the royal families and to fight against the enemies. Some of these forts are - Lalbagh fort, Ahsan Manjil etc. The forts present a nice view of the past and shows the beauty of mughal architecture. They are one of the greatest tourist attractions of today Bangladesh. Dhaka is famous for its abundance of street foods and variety of taste also.

MANUSCRIPT OF BENEATH THE STARS: PART FIVE : KHULNA

It was rainy season in our country when suddenly the idea of visiting Khulna came into our mind. Khulna is mainly a coastal area of Bangladesh with the majestic mangrove forest called Sundarbans. It is the largest mangrove forest of the world and home of the Royal Bengal Tiger. Khulna is also a city of virtues. The prosperous city was built by Saint Khan Jahan Ali near the inhospitable mangrove forest. Khan Jahan Ali was a well-known saint of the then Indian sub continent. He built houses, water tanks, buildings throughout the city. Now - a - days, Khulna city has already gone a long way. It is now one of the most economically important division of Bangladesh. There is a famous university named as "Khulna University" as well as an engineering university named KUET (Khulna University of Engineering and Technology ) here. The people here are very friendly and most of the young people are engaged in various outsourcing projects and earning a handsome amount. In short, Khulna is one of the most technically advanced city of Bangladesh.


It was golden green all around. We say that, if you want to breath and live properly for sometime, you need to take a break and visit the countryside of Bangladesh. You need to touch, embrace and feel the true beauty of Bangladesh. Mother nature has adorned the country with the most fantastic beauties of the world. You have to stretch your hands to know them. You have to love them to feel the love dwelling inside them. Mother Bangladesh, decorated with all her beauties awaits for her children to embrace her. The beauty is not comparable to anything in the world and so is the love. Inter-City Sundarban Express was passing through the green beauties of Bangladesh. Starting from Kamalapur Railway Station, one after another the stations were passing away. While we started, it was dawn in Dhaka city. There was an affectionate mild sunlight all around. Everything was silent other than the birds chirping and the whole thing was very different from the everyday picture of Dhaka city. The morning paved the beginning of a heavenly journey ahead.

MANUSCRIPT OF BENEATH THE STARS : PART FOUR : COX'S BAZAR

Chittagong is mainly the hilly area of Bangladesh. It has outstanding natural beauty with an abundance of hills and waterfalls in Bandarban zilla. The most known natural scenerios are Kaptai lake in Rangamati, Keokaradong ( highest hill of Bangladesh) in Bandarban, Nilgiri hills in Bandarban, Boga lake in Ruma upazilla and the amazing and mindblowing waterfalls in Sitakunda Eco Park and in Himchari just a few miles away from Cox's bazar. Chittagong city also consists of eye catching beauties such as Batali hills, Foy's lake and Patenga sea beach which takes on an extraordinary view of sunrise and sunset. It is said that the most attractive views of sunrise and sunset of Bangladesh are observed in  the Patenga Sea beach. All these things meet alltogether and add to the scenic green beauty of Bangladesh. But above everything, here is the Cox's Bazar, world's longest sea beach. It is situated in the shore of the mighty Bay of Bengal. Cox's Bazar is the most attractive and most prominently visited tourist spot of Bangladesh. It is mostly a sandy sea beach with rocks on a special place called "Inani Beach",  another extraordinary beauty of Bangladesh.

The history of cox's bazar dates back to the time of British Empire. At that time, there was a rebellion going on between Arakans  and local people in the place previously named as "palanki" by the Mughal emperors. It is said that when Mughal emperor Shah Suja was passing through Bengal, he was astonished by the natural beauty of the place and orders all his horses and palanquins to stop. There were ten thousand palanquins with the Mughal Emperor and so gradually the place started to be called as "palanki". After that, when the British government ruled over Bengal, they sent Heiman Cox to make up all the disputes between Arakans and local people in the area. He died suddenly before he could finish his assignment, but the place got it's name as "Cox's Bazar" ( market of Cox) from then onwards.

Cox's bazar presents a panaromic breathtaking view to the observers. Tourists can reach there by a five - six hour bus journey or by a ten hour train journey from Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. After reaching the sea beach, there is beauty all around. When we reached there, it was already evening. It was a little bit walking distance from the bus stoppage to the sea, but every step I took forward - I felt that something deep inside was calling me. Something was arising inside myself that was very much eager to embrace the sea. We walked in the sandy sea shore and bought some pickles imported from Myanmar. We also bought some ornaments made of sea oysters by the local people. There were sea fishes and oysters all around and we really enjoyed the roar of the sea. It was just like a dreamland to me. We checked into the hotel and passed the night with the earnest eagerness to embrace the sea as soon as the sun rises in the east the next morning.

MANUSCRIPT OF BENEATH THE STARS : PART THREE : SYLHET

It was a foggy winter morning in Dhaka city and we were getting prepared for our visit to heavenly Sylhet. On the very day, we got up from bed early in the morning, too much early to be mentioned. We, the girls started to make some breakfast and roast some chicken so that we can have it on our way. All of us got fully prepared very quickly as there was on-going excitement in the air. We have got our tickets beforehand. The train was supposed to arrive at Kamalapur Railway Station, the largest railway station of Bangladesh situated near the Motijheel commercial area. As we were aware about the severe traffic of Dhaka city, we started for the railway station very early. It took nearly two and a half hours to reach there. As soon as we reached there, we hurried to the platform. But the train had not arrived by then and all of us were very hungry too. So we bought some snacks and a magazine from the nearby stores, sat beside the platform and started waiting to hear the rhythmic sound of the train. The train arrived one hour later. We got into it, searched and took our seats. Me, along with my mother choose the window seat so that we could have a great view of outside. My younger brother choose to read story books throughout the journey. The sun shone brightly overhead and we were heading towards the beautiful green countryside of Bangladesh. The compartment presented a nice view and so did the scenario outside. There were green paddy fields, huts, cottages, open sky and rivers all around. Milk - white cranes and other beautiful birds were resting, flying and singing here and there. I kept on clicking photos with my android phone and I had some beautiful views of sunset over green paddy fields. As night arrived, there was nothing but silence all around and it seemed that one can hear his own heartbeats. Sometimes through the silence, there was a sweet fragrance of tea leaves all around. It was late night when we arrived at Sylhet. So we just checked into the hotel room, had our dinner and slept quietly.

MANUSCRIPT OF BENEATH THE STARS : PART ONE : ROADWAY TO HEAVEN

It is said that if there is a heaven in the earth, it surely is in Bangladesh . I am going to take you to a journey through this piece of heaven . As a country decorated with happiness, laughter, celebrations, smiles and laugh - the country beneath the stars welcome people of each and every caste, creed and colour from every part of the world. She doesn't own any money making machine or surprise fortune. But the love she showers upon her child is beyond any worth. Bangladesh, is a land of culture and civilization. A land ushered with the most mighty thing of the universe - life! Here life is born every moment. The hardworking and dedicated common people of Bangladesh give birth to the lives. Here life is found in the morning dewdrops, in the heavy downfall of rain and in the ripe paddy fields. The wind blows with a touch of life here. Roar of the royal Bengal tiger, chirping of colourful singing birds, symphony of mighty waterfall and fragrance of fresh tea leaves mixed with the busy city life paves the roadway to heaven with every sunrise. If you come to visit Bangladesh, you just can't leave it. And even if you leave the country physically, a part of your heart will remain in the magical land forever.

Bangladesh has a rich cultural and political history also. She was a part of Indian subcontinent until the fall of British Empire and the dividing based on religion in 1947. Then she was a part of Pakistan and was stated as east Pakistan. But the Pakistani rulers used to oppress her people. At first, the attack was on the mother language , Bangla. Pakistani rulers tried to impose Urdu as the one and only state language of Pakistan whereas 56% people spoke Bangla that days. Bengalis strongly opposed the declaration and organised protest, rallies throughout the country. Police fired on the people in rally on 21st February , 1952 and many brave souls of the soil - Rafiq, Shafiq, Barkat, Zabbar, Shafiur, a child named Ohiullah laid down their lives for the sake of the mother language, Bangla. Protest went on full swing and finally Pakistan government declared Bangla as state language in 1956. After that, there was no stop on the way. Bangalis, along with their valiant leader Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman prorested against each and every misjudgement and injustice, oppression of west pakistan. After the language movement,  mass protest in 1969 and six commendments protest of 1966 are the most remarkable day of Bangladesh history before 1971. But the sacrifice of Bangladesh in the 1971 liberation war broke all the records of the past. More than three million people laid down their lives for the sake of freedom of motherland Bangladesh. More than 6 lakhs women and girls were raped by barbarous pak army. The war started on the night of 25th March, 1971 when pakistan army attacked the unarmed civilians of Bangladesh . The Bangladeshi Police and army officers revolted along with the general public and joined the liberation war. Finally, Bangladesh became independent on 16 December,  1971.  A new nation was born with the sacrifice of millions of lives. Time stated, "If blood is the price for freedom, Bangladesh has surely overpaid it."