What is mind?

 Mind is only memories and thoughts and it loses it's existence when either of the two is lost.

Parting

 

The day I came to this town,

Grass was green and breeze blowing warm

I had health but not wealth.

The sun is setting and it’s time to go,

The grass turned brown and the wind got cold.

I have wealth now but not health.

Let the slate be wiped clean, no hurt and malice.

Let my bowl overflow spewing love and grace.

Let that be my swan song

Rest, turn to dust and blow away.

 

Prayer is a rude attempt to intervene in God’s Handiwork; surrender unconditionally and live in Bliss.

রাখো বিশ্বাস, পাবে ত্রান?

 

যদি রাখো যীশুতে বিশ্বাস

নাহি ভয় পাবে আশ্রয়, পাবে পরিত্রান।

সেইতো ঈশ্বর, আর কিসে ভয়?

নাও তার নাম, সে যে মহাআশ্রয়।।

 

আরে আরে একি কথা?

যাবে জাহান্নামে নিশ্চিত জেনো

ঈসা সে তো পয়গম্বর বই তো নয়!

করো আল্লাহর ভয়, করো তওবা,

আস্তাগফিরুল্লাহ, আস্তাগফিরুল্লাহ।।

 

রাখো রাখো একি কথা বল সবে

বুদ্ধই একমাত্র গতি মনে রেখো।

ভজো বুদ্ধ, স্মরো বুদ্ধ, বুদ্ধই গতি,বুদ্ধেই ত্রাণ।

করো বুদ্ধেই মন প্রাণ সমর্পণ,

যদি চাও সত্যিই পরিত্রান।।

 

কিইযে বলো, তোমরা কি গেলেই ভুলে

সর্বধর্মের মহা ধর্ম সেযে সনাতন ধর্ম ।

আদি ও অকৃত্তিম যা আছে আবহমানকাল

সেই সৃষ্টির শুরু থেকে, মহাশান্তির বাণী বয়ে

সকল ধর্মের মাতৃসম, সেই তো আদি ধর্ম।।

 

মৃদু হেসে বলে আমার বন্ধু বাহাই

তর্ক করো নাকো ভাই, তর্কে কি হয় বিশ্বাস?

কি হবে সেই পুরাতন নথি ঘেঁটে?

একেবারে তাজা, মাত্র দেড়শ বছর

এটাই হল সর্বশ্রেষ্ঠ ধর্ম, ভেবে দেখো ভাই।।

 

আমি হতভাগা নই বিদ্বান,

শুধু চেয়ে চেয়ে দেখি,

কুলীন কুলে জন্ম তাদের, কুলীন তাদের বংশ

চলে গির্জায়, মসজিদে, আর মন্দিরে পরমহংস।

আমার জন্মের নেই ইতিহাস,

কে আমার জনক, কে বা জননী!

অনেক ভেবেও পাইনা ভেবে

আমার কি হবে গতি?

কেমন করে জানব আমি

আমার কি হবে ত্রাণ?

মিছে অভিমান

 

একটা জীবন কাটিয়ে গেলাম

তোমার সাথে সুরঞ্জনা।

একই ছাদের নিচে

চারদেয়ালের ঘেরে।

আজকে আমায় বলছো তুমি

আমায় তুমি চিনলে না?

 

কেমন করে চিনবে বলো?

সীমার মাঝে অসীম আমি,

লুকিয়ে আছো অসীম তুমি।

বাইরে দিয়ে যায় যা দেখা

নয় সে আমি নয় সে তুমি।।

 

প্রতিদিনের খেলাঘরে

মান-অভিমান  থাক না ভরে।

কোনটা আসল কোনটা নকল

হাজার অনুভূতির মাঝে

জট পাকিয়েই থাক না সেযে।।

 

 হিসেব করে লাভ কি বল

 বড় বড় দুঃখঃ গুলো্‌?

একটা ছোট্ট সুখের স্মৃতি

 একটা ছোট্ট মিষ্টি শপথ,

বুকের মাঝে জাগিয়ে রেখে

 দিই না পাড়ি বাকিটা পথ?     

শেষ অন্ধকার

আমেরিকাতে কেউ বুড়ো হয় না

তা হোক না ৬০ কিম্বা ৭০।

চুলে রং, বোটক্স, আর ফেসলিফটে

এ দেশ চিরযৌবনা আর চিরসতেজ।।

 

এখানে ৪০ হলেই বয়সটা থমকে দাঁড়ায়

ঘড়ির কাঁটা পেছনে দৌড়ায়।

প্রথম কয়েকটা বছর থমকে থাকে

তারপর দ্রুত গতিতে পিছনে গড়ায়।।

 

আমেরিকান ড্রীম; সে যেন দিল্লীকা লাড্ডু!

স্বপ্নাবিষট, মোহাছছন্ন, অসংখ্য মানুষ

চলেছে ছুটে, দিনে, রাতে, নিদ্রায় জাগরনে

অন্তহীন পথ চলা, শুধু চলা আর চলা।।

 

কি দূর্দ্দান্ত সে ছোটারে বাবা, ছুটছি কোথায়

দেখবার ও সময় নেই কারো।

হুমড়ি খেয়ে যে পড়ল পেছনে

পায়ের তলায় তাকে মাড়িয়ে চলা, অনির্বার।।

 

চোখে ঘুম নেমে আসে তবু নেই ক্লান্তির অবকাশ

আছে এনার্জি বুস্টার, ওয়ান শট, স্বল্প কালিন।

কিছুই চিরন্তন নয় যে এখানে, স্বামি-স্ত্রী, বন্ধু, পিতা-পুত্র

সত্য শুধু বৃদ্ধাশ্রম, জীবনের শেষ  অঙ্গীকার।।

 

এরপর একদিন শুধু অন্ধকার, চারিদিকে আলো

নিরন্তর জীবনের খেলা, অস্থিরতা, উন্মত্ত সঙ্গীত,

তারি মাঝে নামে নিকষ কালো অন্ধকার,

শেষ না হতেই শেষ হয় জীবনের খেলা।।

 

প্রশ্নটা থেকেই যায়, শুধু এই ছিল লেখা?

এরই  তরে এতকিছু, বিদ্বেষ? হানাহানি, হিঁসা?

কর্কশ রুঢ় শব্দে জীবনটা বিষিয়ে তোলা?

হিসেবের খাতা শুধুই গরমিলে মেলানো?

 

আজ প্রদোষকাল, নিস্তেজ দুটি আঁখি শুধায় মৃদু স্বরে,

কোথায় হারাল জীবনের এতটি বছর?

কোথায় হারাল সেই দম্ভ? অসহায় ক্রন্দসির অশ্রুজল

ভ্রূক্ষেপে অবহেলায় পদ দলার সেই  ক্ষণ?

 

 

শেষ অন্ধকার নেমে আসার আগে মনে হয়

যদি বলে যেতে পারতাম, “ক্ষমা করো”।

অন্তহীন তিক্ততা যদি পারতাম মুছে দিতে স্নেহে, মমতায়

শুধু যদি জানতাম কোথায় জীবনের শেষ রেখা টানা,

বিধাতার কাছে তাই গুঢ় অভিমান

শেষ অন্ধকার নেমে আসার আগে।।

Give and Grow Rich

The water we carry is not ours

It’s the Grace of the Lord.

Drink from it if you’re thirsty

And if not, pass it on,

For who takes and hoards only gets poorer

The one who gives, grows richer!

God and Covid-19

“God is more powerful than the virus,” is the most nonsensical statement I have ever heard. Whoever says this understands neither God, nor virus.

God created the virus and She (Yes, God is a She because only females can create lives) has a purpose in doing so – what is the purpose?

THINK!

Einstein said, “God does not play dice.”

Behind God’s every action there is a purpose. So, contemplate, meditate, and pray to God with all your humility if you want to know the answer!

Mother

When my mother was alive, I did not always think of her in my daily life, there was a lot to do, time was short, and distractions too many. Leaving home at the age of sixteen I did not see her again until twenty-four, a long gap, yet the reunion was unremarkable, as if I was seeing her only after a week or so, such was her personality.

The earliest memory I have of my mother was when “Khaka” died and I was devastated. She was an old woman abandoned by her kin and had no place to live; my grandfather had given her shelter in our house. She lived in one isolated room of the house and survived on begging. She would often invite me to eat with her, sharing whatever little she could manage, and tell me stories. One day, when she could barely walk without a stick and her vision was faltering, she left our house to visit her ancestral village. She never reached her destination, died on her way, and the news reached us several months later.

To console me, my mother said, when people died, they became stars, and Khaka had become a star. Since then, I would wait for darkness to descend on the bamboo grove adjacent to our house, and try to locate the star that Khaka had become, over the tall bamboo plants.

My mother had a very strong will force, rarely seen in people, a striking memory of her is, it was an evening of Shabe Barat in mid-January, when she took bath with icy water. The night was deemed to be auspicious, and praying on that night was a custom for the people of faith. In those pre-electricity days, bathrooms were just a room in a desolate corner of the house where there was no plumbing, and one had to pour water from a bucket with a large mug. Although my mother was a devout religious person, she never forced her views on me.

We were not rich, lived on a very tight budget, nevertheless, when people came at our door with begging bowls on Fridays and other ‘holy’ days, they always got something, a few coins, a little rice, or lentils, I never saw anyone returning empty handed. Sometime one would ask for food, the person would be served on banana leaves, and my mother who always was the last one to eat would share whatever was left.

Once I left home I never went back to live there again. I went abroad to live and work, and my visit to home would always be several years apart, the remarkable thing was every time she would meet me like she had seen me just a couple days back, never giving me the feeling that we were estranged for such a long time. At times she would just sit by my bedside without talking, there was no need for words, her mere presence was so soothing and enriching to my being. Parting was different though, she would walk with me as far as I would walk before boarding a rickshaw; she never cried, yet I avoided her gaze, because it would tear me up.

Once I settled and rested, on the next day of every visit my mother would give me a small list with a few names, names of the people who were not doing very well and needed financial help; someone needed help for treatment, one’s husband had recently died, another one could not send her child to school.

My mother had no sense of monetary value, if I asked her how much should I give one, she would respond, give whatever you think is right. Sometimes, I would ask her jovially, how about 50 rupees? She would say, “Okay”. Then I would say, “But 50 rupees is very little.” She would answer, “Well, then give her 5000.”

My mother was a simple person, didn’t have much education, her values were deeply ingrained however, and she always taught me with her actions. No sermons, no lectures, simple statements, and actions. The strongest memory that I have of my mother was probably when I was 10, or, eleven, and that is why it has such a strong imprint on me. For whatever reason, once she was very upset with me; she caught hold of me in front of our house and beat the hell out of me. She was a short but stout woman, and I was totally helpless. My agony was prolonged because one of my school teacher who was passing by, watched the incident and he narrated it in front of the whole class, the following day.

It was a time when “beating” one’s off spring was not “politically incorrect,” and literally it was the whole village that used to take part in the admonishment of kids as they deemed it necessary. We were afraid not only of our own fathers but our friend’s fathers too. If they thought we had done something wrong, they would tell us so, reprimand us, or threaten to tell our fathers, which of course none of us ever wanted.

When my teacher started narrating my miserable story in front of the whole class the next day my immediate reaction was embarrassment, yet at the end, it turned out to be kind of a strange pride. As I felt some of my classmates were smiling, my ears turned red and I was silently praying for this saga to end. Then I noticed my teacher’s voice grew louder as he too noticed all those boys who were laughing; he ordered them to stand up. He then gave the class a big lecture which I barely followed, then called me in front of the class and said something to this effect: There is no shame in it, look at this boy, he is the luckiest among you because he has a mother who would make sure her son would grow up to become a good man. Whoever among you have such a mother shall feel proud, and whoever does not, shall wish that he would.

Like every mother, my mother left me one day to become one of the stars, and since that day she is always with me, shining on me in the darkness of night, hiding in sunlight in the day time, nonetheless, always loving, guiding, inspiring and carrying me in my darkest moments when I become fragile and tempting thoughts take over me to give it up, she tells me, no mother ever leaves a child, however difficult it becomes for her, she is always there, becoming the unbreakable shield, and she says, don’t give it up, just try a bit harder, the dark clouds are about to be lifted, and the brightest day is just to break.  

Third kid of the proverbial goat

While two of a goat’s kids suckle at their mother’s breast the third one jumps with joy just in anticipation that his turn will come soon. Notwithstanding, by the time the third one gets his turn there is no milk left anymore.

The poor and the middle-class Republican supporters are akin to the third ‘kid’ of a goat. Surprisingly, there is no shortage of them in this country and they abet the con party perpetuate their control of political power. Obviously, this control is accomplished by the help of the media, the ‘kids’ nonetheless never comprehend this.

In the USA 90% of the media is controlled by only six major conglomerates, Comcast, Fox, Walt Disney, Viacom, AT&T, and CBS. It is no surprise then that these large corporations behave, well like the corporations do – serve their stake holders’ interest, simply stated, make money for their owners. The sole purpose of a corporation is to make profit for its owners, and media owners are no different. Liberal media is a myth, liberals don’t own any media - all media owners are conservative billionaires. Period.

The ‘kids’ often point out to MSNBC and CNN, and surmise that since they speak against Donald Trump, they must be liberal, there can nothing be further from the truth. These media have chosen their business model based on the study that criticizing Trump makes good business sense, after all sixty percent Americans disapprove Trump.

Vital issues such as social justice, electoral fraud, purging of voter lists, healthcare for all, fair tax rate, global warming, increasing wealth inequality, industrial pollution, unregulated bankster activities and scores of other life-and-death matters for the populace are never discussed in the media, not even on CNN, or, MSNBC. Media actually divert peoples’ attention from the important subjects and keep them busy in insignificant matters.

My blanket condemnation of the Republican Party is by no means endorsement of the Democratic Party; the latter are just a tad better than the other only because a small number of Democrat leaders are progressive and embody their voters’ interest, the rest serve their corporate masters. At the gross level, both are war parties and serve only the rich and the powerful. The 2018 mid term election saw defeat of many corporate democrats and rise of the progressives. Is this going to be the new trend, or, just a one-time anomaly? Only time will tell. Afterall from the advent of agricultural era the rich have managed to do well for themselves. Their rudimentary method has never changed – divide and rule; with technology it has even become easier to influence the ‘third kids’ of the goat by playing them against each other under a sham democracy.

In this age of internet, it is possible to find out the rare progressive forums, however, that takes effort. Thom Hartmann is one of the great liberal talk show hosts, nevertheless, the number of his listeners pale in comparison with Rush Limbaugh’s or Sean Hannity’s. Pulitzer prize winning journalists such as Chris Hedges, or, Greg Palast are almost unknown to the mass population.   

But can you not be a sleep-walker and use your God-given brain?

More appropriately, can you not be the third kid of the proverbial goat?

No Lesson in the third Kick of a Mule

The first kick teaches you to stay out of the kicking range of a mule. The second confirms it. The third? Nope, nothing in it, zilch. Yet, the Dems never learn.

They lost 2000 Presidency to Bush – stolen by five activist Republicans hacks on the Supreme Court bench.

They lost the next one to voter purging and electoral fraud. Now this is the year 2019. In between they lost numerous seats because of Gerrymandering and other scams by the GOP fraudsters, but Dems insist on fair play and moral high ground. ‘So what if the other party plays rough and dirty, we will play fair’ is their mantra. But that’s not how politics is played, no where has been and never will be – Read history.

I am tired of these goody-goody, touchy-feely, Mama’s boys and girls! Literally, immature impractical wannabes.

I need my Reps to be ass-kicking, tough talking, and tougher acting activists, the likes of Tea Party leaders!

The moralist Dems can’t even see from their high horses what is happening on the ground. In Virginia Republicans realized that with a Democratic Governor at the helm, their voter manipulation scheme will be severely thwarted, so they targeted three rungs of Dem leadership in order to install a Republican Governor. Once they can do that the Dems can kiss Virginia goodbye for 2020 Presidential election. But the Dems are naïve and they easily succumb to the GOP intriguing, and their top leaders condemn Ralph Northam in unison; the Party of ‘big tent’ must stand on moral high ground!

In a gun fight Democrats take knives and Republicans bring LMGs, that’s how it has always been. And the Democrats have been massacred every time; they lose even when they win, what a shame!

On issues after issues, such as healthcare for all, social security, wealth tax, and scores of other progressive issues, there is overwhelming people support, yet, the media lies constantly - America is in the right of the center!

My foot!

The Republicans rule by deceit; with a p-grabbing white supremacist at the White House we should have seen decent Republicans speaking out and express their dissent. Donald Trump is emboldened by the whole GOP mechanism. What he represents is the face of the GOP. It is time to become strong and vocal, and the progressives must fight back.

I am still placing hope with these new bunch of young ladies who have been elected to the US congress for the first time. They have balls that the men lack. Let the new era of progressive fight back begin!

Cycle of life

A cupful tea, expectations, youth

life-time adventures.

The empty cup, falling leaves, autumn

song of death.

Science of God

Science is not God
Born of human quest, of curiosity, it is mere rationalization of thoughts
With persevering observation; all powerful at the hand of ignorant.
Human laws, theories, and hypothesis nothing permanent, none whatsoever.
Long live they may be, so long the learned believe in them.
What is true today, may not be tomorrow, the Truth is imperceptible.

God is unknowable, not with finite human brain.
God does not die the day we stop believing, we become inconsequential.
God doesn’t need us, we need God, to keep alive hope and our sanity
A little comfort, a little make-belief, from the wise to the unwise.
Time is illusion, life is surreal; dream is real, part we grasp, part we don’t.
There is but One God in you and me and the rest, our belief notwithstanding!

Science is the discovery of God
Peeling layers of onion, the layers of ignorance larger than ocean.
It’s the journey all encompassing, with ears open, mouth shut
And eyes all wide, the journey never ending, never resting.
Science is God at the end of journey, not to be seen, but experienced
Not to be described but embraced, not with brain, but heart.

Bengali Beauty

From the Kings of Devon to Bengali Beauty, Rahsaan Noor has trekked a long cinematic journey that clearly has taken a young tentative adventurous explorer to the world of serious film making. With each step, graduating through Simanaheen and The Spectacular Jihad of Taz Rahim, Rahsaan was announcing his blossoming to a tantalizing storyteller with magical camera lenses.

Bengali Beauty tells the story of a demure Moyna, a medical student who falls in love with Afzal, a striking Radio deejay, while listening to his World Music show during the era of the 70s in Bangladesh. It was an interesting time when a new nation was taking birth, cultural boundaries were being redefined, and young people were rediscovering themselves, enjoying the spirit of new freedom and meanings of life. It is a nostalgic time for the people who were young at the time and will relive themselves through this captivating romance.

Mumtaheena Toya plays an enchanting role in the character of Moyna, and Rahsaan Noor is self-assured and notable in the lead role of the radio deejay. The riveting story spans through interesting sequences ably supported by Mita Rahman played by Sarah Alam, and Ashfique Rizwan in the role of Rafel. The movie is a treat for the eyes and souls of the spectators.

Bangladesh film world has never recovered the loss of the great stalwarts of yester years, and is still looking for bold film makers to fill their vacuum. The movie industry is in desperate search of personalities who can tread a happy medium between art and commercial movies. With Bengali Beauty Rahsaan Noor raises the hope that we are witnessing the bold arrival of a major creator in the Bangladesh movie arena.

The movie is soon to be released in Bangladesh, and in the USA by MovieMax Cinemas in Niles. The movie is also being released in NYC, Dallas, LA, Bay Area, and Virginia, the February 16th weekend.

Waiting For a New Dawn?

If you’re a political junkie you must be having the best time of your life. Never a dull moment, the fight between the Tea Party and the Republican establishment and in its shadow the dance of the Democratic Party where the Corporate Democrats fight to keep the progressives at bay, has given a new meaning to political drama.

Republican Party is the wholly owned subsidiary of Corporate America and Trump’s election victory has given the owners of the Republican Party the trophy that they had dreamt for ages in the shape of the Tax Scum of 2017.

But like everything else even the Corporate America is not monolithic, there are George Soros and the likes of him who realize the pitfalls of drastic wealth gap between the rich and poor can kill the golden goose.

Mankind has gone through these stages, king had all the gold and his rules were golden rules. We now have a couple of hundred kings who rule the world under the guise of democracy and capitalism. The feudal society of the middle ages is in its new incarnation and threatening to wipe out all economic progresses the world has made.

Tom Hartmann, the wisest of radio talk show hosts of America asserts that in every ages there are a group of people who love authoritarian leaders, these people need to be led and they find comfort in being told what to do. In time like this, when all experimental systems are failing, when communism has failed and capitalism is on the wane, when democracy has demonstrated its obvious weakness to maintain balance in large nation states, the extreme right has regained its popularity. It is the nineteenth and twentieth century all over again; it is Hitler and Mussolini in new garbs, just watch the trend in Europe again.

Unjust economic systems lead to violent social upheaval; this is the history of mankind. Ben Cohen understands this, Jerry Greenfield understands this and that is why they join hundreds of other wealth Americans to plead, “We urge you to oppose any legislation that further exacerbates inequality.” The letter further stated. “Tax reform should be, at a minimum, revenue neutral — without using gimmicks like dynamic scoring. We are deeply concerned that revenue loss would lead to deep cuts in critical services such as education, Medicare and Medicaid, and would hamper our nation’s ability to restore investments in our people and communities.”

Will anyone listen?

Not the current administration, the Koch brothers’ controlled Republicans are not smart enough to understand the long term dynamics, they can’t see anything beyond the next quarter. The current Administration sees this opportunity as their lifetime dream fulfillment. They are going to stack the high courts with extreme reactionary political hacks, they are dismantling every safety nets, they call social security and Medicare, in which every American pays into, as entitlements, and they want to destroy all entitlements.

This Administration is against every institution that protects people, they are destroying EPA, repealed water safety regulation, passed law against constitutional rights to sue, dismantling all regulations such as Dodd-Frank, opening up pristine lands to drilling for gas and oil, snatching lands from national parks and giving to their masters. In the short span of four years they are going to set back the nation decades and decades.

The extreme weather, snow storms in the east coast and south is a result of global warming, nevertheless, the current Republican led congress does not have the intelligence to understand this, their Leader openly mocked – we could do with some global warming! How much further damage will they do in the next four years? I shudder with that thought but Americans are in slumber, no one appears to be worried enough except for a few conscious persons such as Tom Hartmann.

I know this will pass, we will see a Democratic-led government in 2020, however, that is no guarantee of a bright future. If the corporate Democrats retain the control of the party, and they run the administration in 2020, we will only be on the fire pan in place of direct fire.