BANGLADESH IDOL

Last Thursday evening I was attending one cultural show. A local band was performing rocks and modern Bangla songs. The crowds were seemingly not happy with the performance. The acoustics were good, but the vocals were not matching them. Then came a girl, who started to sing popular Hindi movie songs. The crowds were on their feet and cheering like anything. I quietly alienated myself from that place. This is not the Bangladesh I want, lost to the superiority of another culture.

The same night I caught a glimpse of the 'Close up 1 - Tomakey Kujche Bangladesh' (Bangladesh Looks for You) contest finals on TV. This is the first ever music talent show in Bangladesh(can be termed Bangladesh version of American Idol). In that show Nolok Babu, 19, with a passionate voice won the crown with 775,000 sms public votes against the 1st runner-up Razib (331,000 votes), who was the favorite of the judges.

Now for two reasons this competition is significant and successful. The first reason you will get to know from these headlines:

- A 'train singer' is Bangladesh idol

- Penniless street singer set to win first 'Bangladesh Idol' contest

Yes, this is not fiction. Nolok Babu started singing in public after his father, a taxi driver, left them several years back when his mother was down with Hepatitis. Funds were needed to treat her and Babu started singing at the local train station as well as on trains to ensure his mother fully recovered from the disease. On his first day he earned Taka 500, an unimaginable amount for novice street singer. Living in a slum did not stop him to pursue his dream as he continued to sing to earn and got recognition of his talent finally. The key to his popularity was his performance, not sympathy. Nolok Babu is the name he got from his friends and admirers. The prizes he got include a one million Taka singing contract, a car, home theatre system and Plasma TV.

The second reason is that this competition has been a booster for the Bangladesh Music Industry. On the following day, while walking past the music shops in Elephant road and New Market area, I heard the competition songs playing everywhere. The new voices are very good and refreshing from the ordinary contemporaries. People have really welcomed them. Especially the 2nd runner-up Beauty has got a very wonderful voice and she is deemed the next queen of folk music. You can download some of the songs sang by the top contestants (via Rajputro).

Yes, Bangladesh is looking for guys and girls like Nolok, to rock us.

Update: More songs from close up 1 to download.

Read More

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE

"So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas War is over
For weak and for strong If you want it
For rich and the poor ones War is over
The world is so wrong Now
And so Happy Christmas War is over
For black and for white If you want it
For yellow and red ones War is over
Let's stop all the fight Now"

- John Lennon

Read More

BANGLADESH ISRAEL RELATIONSHIP?

According to Israeli Media following the warm-up in relations between Israel and Pakistan, two other Muslim countries which do not have diplomatic relations with Israel have made attempts to establish contacts with Israeli officials. And guess what one is Afghanistan and the other is Bangladesh. (Via Salam)

Ynet News reports:

"Bangladesh's ambassador in a Mediterranean basin country recently approached the Israeli ambassador with an offer to establish regular relations. The Israeli ambassador happily accepted the proposal and the two agreed to keep an open discussion channel."

This is yet to be confirmed from news or other resources in Bangladesh.

Israel is the sole country to which a Bangladeshi cannot travel with his/her passport. A couple of years ago Richard L. Benkin wrote an Article called 'Dear Bangladesh', where he lauded Bangladesh and commented that by establishing diplomatic relations with Israel Bangladesh can play a good role in the peace process between Israel and the Middle East. And I wrote that I would be the happiest person if Bangladesh could make that possible.

Read More

TODAY'S LINKS

* Racism: Apartheid and South Asians.

* Racism: Views on recent case of racism in Australia.

* Violence: Protect women worldwide, stop violence against women by clicking a button!

* Technology: v-girl.com offers a mobile girlfriend to download and date. This artificial lady can be your constant companion who shares her secrets, provides conversation, and comes with realistic 3D animation.

* Economy: India is the next manufacturing giant.

* Languages: Quick Bengali lesson 01 by an expat.

* Ban: Pakistan Supreme Court has banned kite making, buying, selling and flying.

* Survival: A 40-year old Kashmiri woman, Naqsha Bibi, was pulled out alive from her living grave 63 days after the South Asian earthquake.

* Election: An Iraqi sees trouble ahead of Iraqi election.

Read More

LESSONS FOR RECONCILIATION TOWARDS PEACE

"We can not agree on everything, that’s normal, but we should not dehumanize each other."

Dina Mehta recommends this post to anyone who lives in countries where there is ethnic strife and conflict. In her words:

"I'd say that pretty much covers the whole world. Two bloggers I only recently met at the Global Voices Summit, one an Israeli and the other a Palestinian, both influential bloggers in their worlds, who went on a walk together to sort out some of the more bitter issues that had turned their blogs into targets for vitriolic comments.
The post really touched me because we have similar issues in India between Hindus and Muslims -- I've seen many many posts that bring forth huge loads of hate comments. And really only serve to widen the chasm and not bridge it. I'd urge all those who feel they are affected in any way by such conflicts, to read Haitham's post. It is sheer grace in his bold and brave admission that he has made some mistakes and constructive in his vision that he can learn from them."

Read More

TAXI DRIVERS IN NEW YORK DEMAND JUSTICE

(Via Saurav) "Bangladeshi Taxi Drivers Shajedur Rahman & Humayun Kabir Laskar Are In a Coma After Being Victims On the Job. Daily, Over 100,000 NYC Taxi, Black Car and Livery Drivers Face Assaults, Harassment, Road Rage and Verbal Abuse While Working 12-Hour Shifts."

* One out of four taxi drivers is a victim of crime.
* 60% of Taxi Drivers Are From Bangladesh, India and Pakistan (Desis).
* 90% Are Immigrants (Desis, Haitians, Africans, Latinos, Arabs, Europeans, etc.)

Recently the Bangladeshi Community Organizations & New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) have organized a rally in Astoria to protest these. I will be looking forward to further developments on this.

Read More

BANGLADESH BLOG BUZZ

(crossposted in the global voices online)

1) The liberation war of Bangladesh: The blogosphere went alive on the occasion of the Victory Day of Bangladesh (former East Pakistan).

On December 16, 1971, the Pakistani occupation forces surrendered to the joint command of Indian Army and Bangladeshi freedom fighters in Dhaka after a nine-month bloody war for independence of the country. Bangladesh boldly said no to Pakistan, which was formed on the basis of religion and still married to it. Bangladeshis gave their blood to the cause of democracy and secularism, to be free from oppression and to have a separate identity for the Bengali culture that is thousands of years old.

But the victory against the Pakistanis did come with a price. The Bangladeshis will not forget that between March 25 and December 16, 1971 estimated 3 million Bengalees were killed by Pakistani Army and their collaborators, 200000 women raped and 10 million were displaced. This was the worst genocide after the second world war.

Subhan is furious because thirty-four years later, the victims of the genocide are yet to see one single individual of the occupation forces or their associates brought to justice. Many new generation Pakistanis do not know about their forefathers crimes. Some of the collaborators in Bangladesh took advantage of a general amnesty and even become lawmakers of the present ruling qualition. The Golmal press thinks that Bangladesh is in the midst of a second war of Independence, trying to fight the Islamic extremists as they look nodifferent than the Razakars (collaborators) of the Pakistani Army.

Mezba however thinks that today there is no reason to go Pakistan bashing and ‘Forgive But Not Forget’ should be the motto of Bangladesh.

Razib discusses the misconceptions among some of the new generation Bangladeshis about India’s involvement in the 1971 liberation war and he thinks that the Bangladeshis have failed to pay the due respect to the Indians.

2) Bangladesh is the best: Adda posts an inspirational interactive sketch on why “Bangladesh is the Best” to him. It is sad that Bangladesh is portrayed in the international arena only by the headlines of flood, poverty and other such catchy stories. The bests of Bangladesh are hardly promulgated in the media.

3) Blogging in Bangla: ‘Somewhere in blog’, an affiliation of a software company ‘ Somewhere in’ launches the first ever Bangla blogging tool “Bandh Bhanger Awaj“. Probably this will help the advent of more Bangladeshi bloggers.

Read More