Birds of Bangladesh

                                                   The Bird Finds Food in the Bill

                 

                                  Bangladesh is a land where various kinds of birds are found. We not know even the names of all birds. 

                                        There are birds living near our houses, in woods, marshy lands and hills. There are different in color, size and habit. Their food also is different. Some feed on worms and insects. Some feed on fish and flesh and some on fruits and grains.

                       

                             Of all birds the crow is the most familiar. It is a cunning bird. It enters our rooms and steals odd things. Though it is an ugly bird, yet it is useful. It feeds on dead animals and many rotten and dirty things. 

                                      The cuckoo is, perhaps, the most popular song bird in our country. It visits us in spring. It is as black as the crow. It is called ‘ the harbinger of spring ’. It likes to sit in some shady grove and sings sweet songs.    

                                                          Beautiful Bird In the Tree

                            There are other birds such as the doel, the sparrow and the ‘Bou-Katha-Kao’. They are all singing birds. The doel is our national bird. The pigeon, the swan, the cock etc. are also nice birds and they are called domestic birds. The parrot, the myna, the chandana and the cockatoo are very fine looking birds. The kingfisher and the woodpecker are wild birds, yet they are well-known for their beauty. The pink crest of the woodpecker is very nice to look at.    

                                We catch and kill some other birds for their tasty flesh. These are called game bird. The dove, the pigeon, the snipe, the bitten, the heron, the partridge and the teal belong to this class. They are found in almost every part of Bangladesh.  

                               The kite, the hawk and some other birds have keen eyes and sharp nails. They swoop down upon their prey and carry it away. So they are called plundering birds.  

                            There are some other common birds which deserve special mention. The tuntuni, the babui and the swallow are called tailor birds because they show great skill in weaving their nests. The vulture is a big bird, but it is ugly in looks and habits. The owl is fierce looking but it is harmless. It never comes out in broad daylight and prowls only in the night.

                   Birds are wonderful gifts of Nature. Some birds are useful creature. Some birds are trained to sing or to amuse us by their songs and talks. We also eat the flesh and eggs of kinds of birds. 

My Family Pet

                           The Goose

                                  We have several cows at our houses. They are mostly bullocks to plough the field. But there is one which is the most favorite to every member of our family. We never use her for ploughing. She is a milch cow and we call her Dholi. Dholi is our family pet and we love her dearly for her usefulness, grace and gentle nature.  

                            Dholi is a four-footed animal. She has two eyes, two ears and two horns. She has a long head and a short neck. She has a long tail and there is a tuft of hear at the end of her tail. Her body is covered with short and soft hair. She has only one set of teeth in the lower jaw. She has no teeth in her upper jaw. She has four hoofs on her feet and all these hoofs are divided in the middle. Her pair of horns is curved, her ears are long and flapping and her eyes are large. Most part of her body is white with only a black spot on the head. So we call her Dholi. 

                                Dholi lives on grass. She also likes to eat rice, straw, oil cake, and many other things. She does not eat her food all at once. She chews the cud.     

                                                                                               

                                                                        The Cow

                                      Dholi is very mild and gentle nature. She gives birth to one calf at a time. She is a very fond of her calf. She does not harm anybody. She has grown so fond of us that she does not gore even the little children of our house. But if any unknown person teases her or her calf, she will gore him or her with her horns. At times my little brothers and sisters play with her calf and she seems to show them affection by licking with her tongue.

                              Dholi is the most useful to us. She gives us milk. We milch her twice a day- once in the morning and again in the afternoon. She gives us over five seers of milk all together. Her milk is the best food for us, especially for the children of our family. We get ghee, butter, curd and make many sweet things from her milk. Even her dung is useful to us. It is used both as manure and fuel. Thus Dholi plays an important part in our daily life.  

              As Dholi does so much good to us. We take particular care of her and treat her with kindness. Long association has made her every dear to all members of our family, especially to the children. She is regarded almost as a member of our house.   

The Crow - A Familiar Bird of Bangladesh

                      Crow, Most Common Bird

                             The crow is a familiar bird. We see it near about our houses from sun-rise to sun-set. It arouses us from sleep early in the morning with its loud caw and we hear its harsh cry at sun-set too.  

                         The crow is jet black in color. It has two large wings. Its legs are long and thin. There are claws and nails on its feet. Its body is covered with black feathers. Its eyes are bright and keen. It has a strong bill and its voice is harsh. 

                                 There are many kinds of crows. The raven, the rook, the jackdaw, the carrion crow are some of these kinds. The raven is the biggest of all. There are white crows in Australia. The crow is found all over the world. It is seen everywhere in villages, towns and markets.

                        The crow is an ugly bird. Its voice is ugly too. Its caws and caws and its harsh and shrill voice annoys the audience. It is a superstitious belief in our country that the cawing of a craw at night foretells something ominous.    

                                                                                                       

                                                                Crow, in the Field

                         The crow eats almost everything. It eats fish, fruits, sweets, rice, grains and many other things. It is fond of ripe fruits and rotten things.                    

                            The crow is very clever but greedy. It enters our houses and steals things for food. It takes away food from the hands of children too. It also steals other birds ‘eggs’. It builds nests, lay eggs and hatches them. At night crows live in groups on tall trees.

Cunning or Foolish Bird- The Crow

                     Cunning Bird Crow

                                      The crow have a social life of their own. If any crow is in danger, other crows come in a body and help it. The crow rises very early in the morning. It is restless and has some nasty habits. 

                          The crow is said to be a very cunning bird. Indeed, its cunning ness is evident in the prolific mischief it makes throughout the day. The story of ‘ The Crow and the Jar’ speaks volume of its intelligence and cleverness. However, there are as many popular stories about its foolishness as about its cunning ness. The well-known story of ‘ The Crow and the Fox’ is one of them. The funny thing about the crow is that it is easily be fooled by the cuckoo which lays eggs in its nest.   

                                                                                               

                                                              Crow Finds Food

                          The crow cannot realize the trick of the cuckoo. It hatches the eggs of the latter and brings up the young ones of the cuckoo till they are recognizable. It is too late when the crow understands its foolishness. 

                          Though ugly in appearance and habits, the crow does us some good. It eats rotten and dirty things. Thus it cleanses filth and keeps our home and surroundings clean and healthful. Moreover, its devilish cleverness and its silly foolishness have made it practically a folk character.

Pet Animals of Bangladesh

                        Pet Animals of Bangladesh         

                                Many people keep pets in their houses. Some people are fond of birds, some love beats and some like fish. Some of these pets are liked for their virtues, some for their beauty and some out of pure love for animals. 

                           Rich people keep dogs of superior breed. The hound, the mastiff and the bull dog are popular among them. They spend a lot of money for keeping them. They bathe them with soap, keep them clean and take them out for exercise. Rich food is given to them. During winter their bodies are covered with warm clothes. Dogs are very faithful to their masters. They even lay down their lives to save the life and property of their masters. They are also famous for their watchfulness. These are the reasons for the wide popularity of dogs as pets. 

                          Cats are also favorite pets of many people. They are very clean in their habits and often sleep in the same bed and partake of the same food with their masters. They are very fond of children. They, too, have some usefulness. They kill the mice and keep worms and insects away from home. 

                                                                                            

                                                                              Goat

                                 Besides dogs and cats, the ram, the rabbit, the mongoose and the dear are also kept as pets. Cows, horses and buffaloes are kept more as useful domestic animals than as pets. Some people are very fond of birds. The mayna, the parrot, the cockatoo, the pigeon, the fowls, and the duck are common pets among birds. Some of these birds are kept in cases. Pigeons fly about by day, but they come back at night to the wooden or tin boxes where they are housed. Fowls and ducks are allowed to go about during day time but they are kept confined at night.

                              Sometimes fishes are reared in ponds and tanks. Gold fishes are kept often in glass jars. Visitors take delight when they see the fish take food and play.

  

                                    All pets are very dear to their keepers. They love them and take good care of them. Long association with pets make them very dear to all members of the family. Loss or death of any pet brings great grief to its keeper and even makes him weep and lament for a long time.

The Usefulness of Domestic Animals

                     The Usefulness of Domestic Animals         

                                                                                              

                     

                           The usefulness of other domestic animals such as the goat, the sheep, the dog, the cat etc. can’t be denied. We eat the flesh of the goat and the sheep. The dog watches our houses at right. The cat kills rats and keeps away snakes and insects from our houses. We get various kinds of products from our animals. They are milk, leather, wool, horns, bones, feces, urine etc. 

                                Of these, milk, meat, leather, and feces are valuable for us. Milk is an ideal food. We need it most as protein food. We also need meat as protein food. Leather meets our need for footwear and other things of daily use. It also earns a lot of foreign exchange. Feces make good manure for the soil. These are also used as fuel.

                            Domestic animals are our valuable asset. Their condition should be improved at any cost. In the first place, they should be fed properly throughout the year. This is necessary to keep them healthy and in working condition. We should grow animal food or fodder in the fallow land by the roadside, the railway lines, ponds and rivers and rear our houses. Secondly, we should have more people trained in Veterinary Science for rural areas. 

                                                                                 

                                                    Goats Give Milk and Meat

                                  There they can help people understand about animal health and animal sickness. Thirdly, we need vaccine and sera to avoid and cure diseases in rural domestic animals and should take care of ensure a good supply of them. Last of all, we should bring in some improved bulls and improve the stock of our local animals by cross-breeding.  

                      Ours is an agriculture country with almost no mechanized cultivation. Almost all the work of our cultivation depends on animal power. We have to depend on our animals for transport, protein food like meat and milk, manure and raw materials for industry. In view of such a great importance of animals in our life. We should be very particular about them, provide them with food and shelter and improve their condition for our own welfare.    

Handicrafts of Bangladesh

                     
                      Handicraftsof Bangladesh       

                Handicrafts are crafts that are carried on by hand. Unlike the products of big industries the handicraft products bear marks of skill of the artisans. Bangladesh has a good tradition in the production of handicrafts goods.      

                  Hand loom weaving is by far the most important handicraft industry in Bangladesh. Dhaka, the home of world famous   Muslin  industry, is still leading with her fine sarees ornamented with  ‘zoris’ and her famous  ‘Zamdani’. The coloured sarees of Tangail, Pabna, Kustia, Bagerhat, Mainamati, Joypara, etc. are noted for beauty and durability. Sarees of other qualities are made almost everywhere in Bangladesh by the Tantis and Karikars.    

                                  Hand-spinning by the charka is carried on extensively in Bangladesh. In Noakhali and Comila, Khaddar cloths made of hand spun yarn are produced in a large quantity.

                          The conch-shell works of Dhaka is famous. Buttons, bracelets, bangles, chains, rings and small images are made of conch-shell. The craftsmen are known as ‘Shankharis’. Bangles, combs, necklaces, caskets, buttons, paper-weights, etc. are made of ivory and mother of pearl in Bangladesh. Rangpur is famous for its fine ivory carving. 

                                 Two of the famous crafts of Bangladesh are cane and bamboo works. Sylhet is an important center of cane industry. Sylhet also produces ‘Seetalpatis’ which have the greatest reputation. Furniture of many kinds and designs are made of bamboo. Chairs, tables, benches, sofas, racks and shelves are made of Bamboo almost in every district of Bangladesh. Mats with various designs are made in Khulna.   

                                                                                 

                                                             Nakshi Quilt

                   

                        Pottery is a familiar craft of Bangladesh. People get their earthen pots, pitchers and other earthen wares of daily use from the potters. Painted pottery and image-making are beautiful crafts also. The images made by the Hindu artisans on different occasions of the ‘Puja’ prove their keen sense of beauty and design.

                         Of other handicrafts of Bangladesh we may mention the silk products of Rajshshi. The carpenters also produce different kinds of furniture for household and other uses. The art, skill and imagination of the simple village women of Bangladesh find charming expression in their embroidery works and other handiwork like Kanthas, Sikas etc.

                         In fine, handicrafts are trying to keep up the heritage , tastes and genius of our nation.        

Domestic Animals of Bangladesh

                      Domestic Animals of Bangladesh

                      

                                The animals that are kept in houses by their keepers are called domestic animals. There are quite a large number of domestic animals in Bangladesh. There are the crow, the buffalo, the horse, the goat, the sheep, the dog, the cat etc. They come to our service in various ways.

                           The general condition of most of the domestic animals is not satisfactory in Bangladesh. To our villagers the animals are like members of their own families. Yet these animals are not as healthy as they should be. Some of them may be healthy, but many of them are week and feeble and the rest of them are just skin and bone. This is because they are generally overworked but they are not provided with proper and adequate food to make up of the deficiency of their body. They are not properly taken care of because the ignorance of their masters. As a results, our domestic animals are much worse in many ways than the same kinds of animals in developed countries. On the average, a local cow gives only about one lite milk each day, while a Frisian cow gives            

The Cock

                    about 20 liters of milk. Our bullocks are not strong enough to do their task properly. 

                         The importance of domestic animals in our day-to-day life can not be overestimated. One reason is that Bangladesh is an agriculture country and there is no mechanized cultivation here. All the work of cultivation depends on animal power. Secondly, in rural areas agriculture produce, building materials and even women and children are carried by bullock carts pulled by working animals like the cow, the buffalo, the horse etc.

                               

Jute Industry in Bangladesh

                     Jute industry inBangladesh

                                      Jute is a kind of fiber of jute plant. It is golden in color. It brings lot of money. Of that reason Jute is called the golden fibre of Bangladesh.                                     

               

                     Jute grows well in Bangladesh because of fertile land. It grows well in low land. The suitable climate helps to grow more jute plants in Bangladesh. Besides, my neighboring country India, and other country such as China, Thailand also grow more jute plants. But Bangladesh is the best to grow more jute plants than that of any other countries.

                       The farmers of Bangladesh express their eagerness to grow jute plants. The soil of our land are very rich. The farmers can dig the land easily. The cultivators p lough the land from March to April. Of that time the seeds are sown. In a few days its plants come out. It is gradually grown up. They grow from ten to fifteen feet long. Some people use their leaves for eating. After three or four months the plants are suitable fir cutting. After cutting jute plants they put under water. After some days they are rotten. Next the fiber is taken off from the jute. After collecting fiber from jute it washed in water and dried in the sun. Then it is ready for sale in the market.  

                                                                              

Jute Tree

                                  Jute is a very useful thing. Many necessary commodities are made by the fiber of jute. Such as Ropes, gunny bags, carpets, paper, cloths etc. are made of it. Its sticks are used as gold fuel. Bangladesh exports jute to foreign countries and earned a lot of money. The demand of jute fiber is increasing day by day to foreign countries.   

                      Jute is the main cash crop of Bangladesh. Our Government should take proper step for increasing number of production of jute fiber.      

Disorderment of Production in Garment Industry

Wounded of Garment Worker

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Dismemberment of Production in the garment industry. The global economy is now controlled by the of production where the developed countries showed their attention to developing countries. The new representation is centered on outer surface system of production. The developed countries people discuss with the small center of permanent employees about finance, research and development, technological institution and modernization. The main elements of our production are exported in other countries. Reducing costs and increasing output are the main causes for this disposition. They have discovered the simple way to move of that production to a country where labor charge and production costs are lower. The developed countries provide areas that do not impose costs like environmental decline in good qualities.The exchange of production to Third World has helped to spread the economy growth of developed countries. Garment industry has became essential part of economy for transferring products one another country.                          

Industrial Building Damage and Many Workers Kill

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The globalization of garment production began before and has extended than that of any other factories. The demand of our production is increasing day by day in the out door country. The enrichment of communication system and networking has brought a great dimension in this development. The manufacturing has come in Asia and Latin America for industrialization in export in 1960s. North America and Western Europe to Japan took place the first garment manufacturing in 1950s and in the early 1960s. The rise of labor cost and activeness were in trade union to enrich their economy of Asian Tiger. The developed countries in Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and china have commanded in garment production. At present, China is the first exporter in garment production. Bangladesh especially in the sphere of garment industry has brought a new dimension. I think, in the near future in garment Bangladesh will show their greatness. About that matter, I am very optimistic.

Garment Industry in Bangladesh

                                                      Garments Industry in Bangladesh                               

             Agriculture in Bangladesh, is the backbone of economy progress. The people of Bangladesh, agriculture is the chief source in the sphere of economy. Ours is an agree-based country. Bangladesh is composed of villages. Of that reason, agriculture is the best product of Bangladesh. Our government wants to reduce poverty by getting highest productivity from agriculture sector. We wants to acquire self-reliance in food production. Apart from agriculture, the country is much concerned about the growth of export division. Bangladesh has already lagged behind of her export from time to time. In the before time, jute and tea were the most export-oriented industry in Bangladesh. But with the continual perils of flood, falling jute fibre prices and a considerable decline in world demand, the role of the jute sector to the country’s economy has deteriorated (Spin anger,1986). After that, focus has been shifted to yhe function of production sector, especially in garment industry.           

Working Workers

                             The garment industry has been the key export division of Bangladesh. It has played an important role for foreign exchange of the last 25 years. At present, the country produces about $5 billion worth of products each year by exporting garment. The industry affords employment about 3 million workers in Bangladesh. 90% workers of our garments industry are women. They are very poor. They can not provide a suitable dish for their children. The owner of the garments do not provide a suitable payment for the garment workers. sometimes, garment workers happen struggle against the owner of garments. They locked the garment factory. Our government has taken some measure step for the garment workers. Besides, the authority of Bangladesh has passed some effective rules for the welfare of garment workers. 

                           The demand of products is more to foreign countries. Especially, two non-market elements have performed a vital functioning confirming the garment’s success. These elements are under Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) in the North American market and especial market entry to European markets. The whole procedure is strongly related with the trend of relocation of production.

Manufacturing in Bangladesh

                                                           Solar  Panel in Bangladesh

               

                  Bangladesh is self-sufficient in match manufacturing. She has also her cement, leather and soap factories and her glass and silk industries, but all of them require further expansion. In the manufacturing of paper she is almost self-sufficient. She has got four paper mills, one at Chandraghona in the district of Chittagong Hill Tracts, another at Pakshi in Pabna and the remaining two are in khulna and at Chhatak in Sylhet respectively. These mills are producing a good quantity of paper from bamboo and other indigenous pulps. Besides, these are several Paper and Board mills in the country. 

                                     The essential prerequisite for industrialization of a country is the building up of heavy engineering and machine tools industries. The B.I.D.C. has bent its efforts towards this direction. It has established the first iron and still mill in Bangladesh at Chittagong at a cost of 27 cores 8 lake Taka. Bangladesh Machine Tools Industry in Dhaka is also a big scheme. Besides these, factories for manufacturing diesel engines, electric ware and cable, cement, medicine. chemicals, etc. have been set up. Ship-building, cotton textile and sugar industries are also making progress satisfactorily. Eastern Oil Refinery is a big project. There are also several fertilizer factories in Bangladesh.           

Manufacturing Industry In Bangladesh

                       There can be no prosperity without industry. The people and the Government realize this. From time to time the Government is holding industrial conferences. They have adopted plans and program mes to industrialize the country. But for want of coal and iron they are going rather slowly. Electricity is indispensable for industries. We have an abundance of flowing water in our country. Hydro-electricity can be produced from this. That can supply power to our industries. The Karnafuli Hydro-electric Project goes a long way in solving this problem but it is inadequate to our present requirement. Bangladesh is very rich in natural gas resource and our gas industry is making rapid progress.     

Industry in Bangladesh

                                                     

Industry in Bangladesh

No nation can make rapid progress without industrialization. Ours is an underdeveloped country backward in industry. Ours reason of our industrial backwardness lies in the fate that Bangladesh inherited little in field of industries. We have plenty of raw materials like jute and hide but we have not the requisite number of mills and factories to turn them into finished products ready for export. Hence there is the pressing need of rapid industrialization of Bangladesh.

Long before the partition of India the jute industry was localized near about Calcutta. As a result, when Bengal was partitioned, Bangladesh found itself deprived of all the jute mills of West Bengal. This jute a terrible handicap in the way of industrialization of Bangladesh. At first some arrangements were made for baling, pressing and weaving. Then some jute mills were established at Narayangang and Khulna. But the jute industry was given a stable foundation by Industrial Development Corporation which undertook to set up jute mills in various places of the country. In the year 1964-65 alone, it undertook a complete the work of 15 new jute mills and to expand 4 other existing mills. Bangladesh is now able to export jute products to foreign countries. Cores of Taka which drained to foreign countries for want of sufficient number of jute mills, now remain in the country and enrich our people.   

                                                                                                

Skin Industry

                                      There are some cottons mills located at Narayangang, Kaliganj and Kushtia in Bangladesh. In recent years steps have been taken to start many more cotton mills so that we can now produce enough cloths for our own use. At present there are about 56 Cotton. Textile mills in Bangladesh. The main difficulty is that the cotton mills in Bangladesh are dependent on imported cotton, but experience shows that cotton may be grown abundantly in Bangladesh.

                       Sugar industry in Bangladesh is also not in a better position now. At present Bangladesh has 17 sugar mills. The produce of these industries cannot meet our full demand of sugar.

                          We have tobacco but no noteworthy tobacco factories. Yet every year a large amount of money is spent to import cigarettes from foreign countries.

                           Tea is produced in Sylhet in Bangladesh. The position of Bangladesh as an exporter of tea is second in the world. In foreign merkets there is a great demand for our tea. There is ample scope for the development of our tea industry.  

Oppression of Bangalees by Pak Army

                                                         

Oppression of Pakistani Ruler

           

                        To save their lives, many people shifted to villages. But no place in Bangladesh was state for the unfortunate Bangles. The marauding hordes spread all over Bangladesh and perpetrated oppression on the Bangalees. Razakars, al-Badars, al-Shams the auxiliary armed organizations had also been formed. These organizations helped the Pak Army in their acts of man –slaughter, arson and rape which they committed with any scruple. The people were ultimately compelled to take shelter in neighboring India.    

                                                              Meanwhile Mukti Bhini came into being and the Bangles wgi could not flee away sensed a pulse of life in them. The Mukti Bahini kept the occupation forces always in utter embarrassment through their occasional armed operations. Very soon Mukti Bahini became strong and well-trained and the Indian forces came to their assistance. The Military rulers of Pakistan attacked India for her support to the just cause of the Bangles. The valiant Mukti Bahini and the Indian forces under a joint command fought a grim battle against the Pakistani hordes. The allied forces gave a crushing defeat to the formidable enemy who surrendered on the 16^th December, 1971.

The Picture of Operation Search Light in 1971

  

                                                  But even before their surrender the brute army of Pakistan did not stop their act of genocide. They butchered a large number of intellectuals, doctors, journalists and persons of their important professions. It is thus crystal clear that the ruling junta of Pakistan had a planned program me to commit genocide in Bangladesh. About 30 lakh of people were killed and 2 lakh of women violated. No one would find a parallel in the pages of history of such a horrible but planned genocide.  

The various War Crimes Tribunals and also the U.N.s convention on genocide have recognized crimes against humanity as punishable offenses. The Pakistani hordes should

have been tried and punished for their crimes and genocides in Bangladesh, but Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib granted amnesty to them.

 

Military Conspiracy Against Bangladesh

                                                                Pakistani Military

                     The West Pakistan rulers were always obsessed with an idea that East Bengal had been included in Pakistan only as a colony, the resources of which could be utilized for the enrichment of West Pakistan. So the people of West Bengal (former East Pakistan) were always denied of their due share in every field of national life. Bangabundhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the eyesore of the Pak rulers, because his politics were based on Bangladeshi nationalism. So the ruling clique of Pakistan could      not be happy when the Awami League of Mujib achieved a landslide victory in the first general election of December, 1970.           

                                              Instead of making sincere attempts to hand over power to the Awami League- it being the majority party, the Military ruler hatched a conspiracy to crush all opposition in Bangladesh through armed operation. Secretly but promptly, President Yahya Khan strengthened and equipped his army with all necessary weapons of modern warfare and placed Tikka Khan, notorious for his cruelty, in command of the Eastern Forces.   

                                                                                              

Conspiratorial Activities

                                                  On the fateful night of March 25,1971 the Pak Army suddenly cracked down on the innocent people of  Bangladesh. They were determined to subdue the agitating Bangalees once for all. The brute Army killed our literate youths like animals. They attacked the police, the E. P .R and the Bengal regiment who vehemently resisted them with whatever arms they had at their disposal. They also raided the University halls and teachers quarters. The Bangabandhu , the champion of Bangladeshi nationalism and leader of 75 million people , was arrested and taken to West Pakistan.. The Awami League was declared banned, and its leaders and workers who had been caught by the Pak hordes were persecuted an ultimately killed.