::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Chintito

Dream to Change, Change to Dream

Chintito

There is a saying in Bangla that one's ears have been made heavy. Those of you who are climbing the heavens, searching the net and digging the earth, or looking behind your cupboard, to find the phrase, look no further it is 'kaan bhaari'. That is not to say they use heavy earrings because the malady is not in the least a medical disorder, but rather the result of one's durbal character. Nor is the aphorism sexist for even the male version of God's creation suffer from such infirmity and, frankly, these days more guys are wearing them trinkets than dolls.

There will be people, close people, more than brother people, around leaders (political, industrial, bureaucratic, media, educational, sports, financial you name it), who will take advantage of their proximity and penetrate the neta's earwax to fill the ear, and thereby the brain, with ill information that will serve their myopic purpose or harm an opponent.

The righteous leader makes his own judgement, and goes ahead with a decision that he considers to be the best according to his or her team's collective ability. Usually, he triumphs, because sincerity was the main ingredient.

Now that a new government has been formed, there are regular talk shows, newspaper columns and interviews of regular persons, almost the same lot (sorry, experts) who said before 20 January with one bhuru tilted thirty degrees, lips often pursed like the doors of a bank vault, voice thickened like Mario Puzo's godfather, that the JS elections may not be held, and if held at all, the results would be 170 to 180 in favour of the winning party and 120-130 for the opposition, whichever way it may go, and that “na” vote would be a big factor, as would be Jamaat, they are now (barely two-three weeks into the swearing-in) questioning almost in tandem whether the government would be able to deliver their manifesto. They usually conclude with the words 'that remains to be seen' with such narcissism that they would almost be happy to see things go wrong.

Obviously, it remains to be seen because the situation lies in the future. There is hardly any bahaduri in taking such a supposedly learned stance. If they were doing justice to airtime and print space, they should come up with ideas and strategies on how to overcome our apparently 'insurmountable' tasks.

For instance, when the Mahajote government made available fertilisers at half the price from that of even a week before, even a shaar would not have questioned that quickly whether the farmers would get them, but the cynic did. When the government reduced the price of petrol, there was a hue and cry on why the reduction was so less. When Awami League announced that if elected they would try the 1971 war criminals, the so-called pundits queried almost acrimoniously why it did not do so the last time they were in government. Arrey Bhai! Can no one undertake a new policy because it is right? Cannot the mistakes of the past be rectified for the betterment of millions? Or, is one stuck with a wrong once committed? Will we be continuously pulled from behind whenever we are surging ahead?

The government as well as the opposition shall have to believe in their well-thought-out own judgement, and not listen to the fish-fishani of vested quarters, if they want this country to go ahead, which they do, or else they would not be involved in politics. They must be able to discern between self-interest of their advisers (direct or indirect, known or unknown) and the benefit of a community. There must be extensive research in any action to be undertaken. Time is the best teacher. Experience is your class notes.

It is advisable never to listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic, because they take away your most wonderful dreams and wishes, the ones you have in your heart! They are the ones that will help mitigate the sufferings of the multitude! You have to dream if you want to change Bangladesh. More importantly, we have to change our attitude if we have to attain the ability to dream.

Everything you hear and read will affect your actions! Always think of the power which the words have. Therefore, always be positive!

Do not listen when people tell you that you cannot fulfil your dreams! Those words are not for your ears. They are for those who want to be defeated even before the game has begun. They are the ones who did not believe that one day even a farmer in Bangladesh would own a mobile phone. They smirked at the poster of a rural housewife talking into her cell phone. They did not have the last laugh.

Understandable, cynicism is in our blood. But now we all need a transfusion, if we have to pursue din bawdoler pala. It is time we changed.

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