Rice – Our Staple Food

                         Rice – our staple food  

                               Rice is our staple food of the people of Bangladesh. It is also the main item of food of many other peoples of the world. People of some countries of the world eat rice as a luxury food.

                         

                               Hot but moist climate is suitable for growing rice. Bangladesh grows a large quantity and variety of rice. China, Japan, India, Bangladesh, Burma and Thailand are the main rice growing countries of the world. Rice is also grown in Italy, Russia, Egypt and some parts of America.

                        The chief varieties of rice grown in Bangladesh are Aman, Aus, Boro and Irri. A kind of fine rice called Khishrabat is grown in Rajshahi and Dinajpur. The district of Barisal is also famous for fine rice. It was once called the granary of Bangladesh.

                        Cultivation of Paddy

                           Boro rice is generally grown in the beds of rivers and low marshy land. The seedlings are transplanted there when water recedes to the bottom. It does not require any tilling of the soil. But the Aman and Aus require good tilling before sowing paddy seeds. Weeding and manuring are necessary for the rapid growth of paddy plants. The Aus generally grows in low and moist lands. The Aus is harvested in the months of Asharh and Sraban. Aman seeds are first scattered on mudddy lands. When they grow upto one or one and a half foot height they are transplanted in another plot of land prepared for the purpose. When they grow to a height of two or three feet, ears of grains appear at the top. They become ready for harvesting in the month of Pous. The ripe paddy is then reaped, brought home and is separated from the stalks. It is afterwards dried in the sun.

                           

                             Rice is available when dried paddy is husked. Husking may be done either by Dhenki or mills. Dhenki are commonly used by the rural people. The stalks and the chaff are used as fodder for cattle. We call the boiled rice Bhat, Chira, Muri, Khai etc. are also made of rice . Polau, Biriani, Khichuri, all are also made of rice.

             

                         The total output of rice in Bangladesh is not always sufficient for her needs. Owing to flood or drought, sufficient rice cannot be produced. As a result, people suffer for want of rice. Steps have been taken to increase the output of rice in our country. We should make an all-out effort to carry into effect the program me set by the Government at least to raise the output of rice to a large quantity to feed the vast population of the country.  

                               

Bangladesh – Our Homeland

                     

                          Bangladesh – our Homeland 

                         Bangladesh lies between 87.5 E and 92.5 E longitude and between 21 N and 26.5 N latitude. She surrounded on the west, north and east by Indian territories. She borders on Burma on the south-east. To the south lies the Bay of Bengal. The area of Bangladesh is 143,000 square kilometers or 55,600 square miles. She is divided into four divisions and 64 districts. She has a population of about 110 million. In point of the size of population. She is the eighth largest state in the world.

            

                       Bangladesh is mainly a plain land crises-crossed by a network of rivers and canals. In the eastern and south-eastern regions there are only a few hilly tracts. The land of Bangladesh is very fertile. She produces rice and jute in plenty. Rice is the staple food of the people and jute is the golden fib re of the country. Jute brings her a lot of money from foreign countries. The hilly slopes of Sylhet and Chittagong produce tea, and many other crops like tobacco, sugar-cane, cotton, oil seeds etc. grow more or less in every district of Bangladesh.

                                       

National Flag

                          Bangladesh was once a country of plenty and affluence. Her granaries were full of grains. Her cowsheds were full of cattle. But today she is in want and poverty. She is an overpopulated country and her population is increasing at a very high rate. Besides, every year crops are damaged by flood, drought, cyclone or pests. As a result, a large quantity of food grains have to be imported every year spending the lion’s share, of our hard-earned foreign exchange. This hampers our development. However, Bangladesh produces huge quantities of raw materials for industries. There are a rich source of hydro-electricity, cheap labor and a ready –made market. So she has a bright prospect for development of industry and agriculture improvement. Measures are being taken by the Government to make the country self-sufficient in both agriculture and industry. It is expected that with the co-operation between the Government and the people the country well be self-sufficient in near future.

                        Bangladesh has a glorious past. Her people are highly civilised. In the past, her people always fought for freedom and against foreign aggression. In Bangladesh there are many places which are the seats of ancient civilisation of a high order. Places like Paharpur, Mahasthangarh and Mainamati and numerous historical monuments and relics give evidence to our glorious past, rich culture and high civilisation.

                       Bangladesh has come to say after fierce fighting and much bloodshed. I have a great love for my free and independent country. I shall serve her and do everything for her progress and safety.      

The Bamboo and Its Uses

                        Bamboo Tree

                               The bamboo is a kind of grass. It is a very hard and tall grass. There is hardly any village in Bangladesh where it is not found.                 

                             The bamboo grows very tall. It grows about forty feet high or even higher. The stem is hollow within. There are joints in the stem. Its tom is thin and it bends under the weight of many twigs. It grows in clumps and the clumps make dense forest. When tender, it is green. When mature, it turns yellow. Its leaves are long and narrow. 

                            There are many kinds of bamboo. There are Tala, Barra, Muli etc. The bamboos of Burma are the best. The bamboo grows in hot countries. It grows largely in Bangladesh. It also grows abundantly in Assam in India, China, Japan, Mexico and Australia. The bamboo often grows wild and needs on cutlivation. It does not grow from seeds.

                                                                A Instrument made with Bamboo
                                                                         Using to keep Fish

                            The bamboo is widely used in our country and in many other countries of the world. It is very useful because it is both light and strong. Thatched houses in our country are built mainly with bamboo. From posts and walls to the framework of the roof, bamboo forms the chief material of a thatched house. Various useful items of furniture such as chairs, benches, sofas, shelves, baskets and boxes are made of bamboo. Very durable fencing can be made of split bamboos. Thin but hard pieces of bamboo are used as sticks or latish. These latish were once the commonest weapons inour village. High pandals are often built with bamboo in city parks and maidans. In building lofty structures, it is used by the masons as support. Ladders made of bamboo are used to get at things which are too high for us.               

                            Some agricultural implements are also made of it. It is also used for making fishing rods, rods of umbrellas and pulp for paper. Bamboo is also used for decorative purposes. Split bamboo is woven into frameworks and formed into arches which are placed at the gates and covered with colored paper, flowers and creepers on festival occasions. It is also suitable for making flutes and pipes. The Tazia displayed during Muharram is made of bamboo. Dry bamboo and its dry leaves are often used as fuel.    

                             

                 The bamboo is very useful and is a good source of income to our villages. But it has some demerits also. We should not grow bamboo clumps very near our houses because they pollute air and are likely to cause harm to our health. Moreover, large snakes very often live in the bamboo clumps. However, the bamboo is a great friend to our countrymen from the cradle to the grave.     

Flowers of Bangladesh

The Rose

                          

               

                           Flowers are the special gifts of Nature in Bangladesh. They lend color, smell, beauty and charm to the land. Almost every season in Bangladesh brings in its own wealth of flowers.  

                           There are various kinds of flowers in our country. They are so many that we do not know even the names of them all. They differ in size and colour. Some are large, some are small. Some are white, some are red, some are pink, some are yellow, while some are multi-colored. They are flowers that smell sweet, while some others are scentless. Some flowers are liked for their beauty, while some others are liked for both beauty and scent.  

                                                                            Lily

                     The best known flowers of Bangladesh are the rose, the lotus, the marigold, the champa, the jasmin, the tagor, the jui, the bakul, the beli, the chameli, the kamini, the sheuli, etc. The rose was not originally a native of Bangladesh. But it is now largely grown in all parts of the country. It is called the queen of flowers on account of its beauty and scent. It grows on a plant which is thorny. The lotus is well-known for its delicate perfume. The marigold has a bright colour and a strong smell. It decorates and beautifies the homestead during the winter season.

                        The beli, the jui, the chameli, the champa and the gandharaj are all fragrant flowers. The kamini is a very soft flower whose petals fall at the slightest touch. It scatters its fragrance over a vast area. The bakul is another type of well-known flowers, having a delicate scent. The sheuli has a snow-white color. The krishnachura, the kabari and the palash are all scentless and bloom on big trees. All grow in clusters. Kadams also bloom on big trees and they are a special kind of flowers in the rainy season. The sun-flowers of different sizes are found in different places. Winter and spring are the seasons of these flowers. The jaba has different varieties and the aparajita is of different colors. The hasnahena and the rajanigandha give out their fragrance at night. Besides, wild flowers of diverse hues are born in our country to blush unseen.  

                             

                        We love flowers for their beauty and scent. They are the symbols of beauty and purity. We present bouquets of flowers to our beloved persons and we also garland our leaders and visitors when they grace our functions. Bees gather honey from these hives. We get rose water and onto from the petals of roses.

                             Flowers are the most beautiful objects of Nature. So men, women and children of Bangladesh love flowers all alike. Nature has adorned our land with the most charming flowers of the world and has made us lovers of flowers. Such a beautiful land is rare in the world.     

                         

The Banana Tree of Bangladesh

                                                                   The Banana tree

                         

                                    The banana tree is a very common tree in our country. It grows in some other countries of Asia and Latin America also. The banana tree is not really a tree. Its trunk is made of many barks. Its body has no wood. The barks are one upon another and thus they make body. The barks are soft like sponge. The tree has no branches. It has big and leaves at the top. The tree is light green. It looks pretty.

                                 The tree does not grow from seeds. Shoots come out from old banana trees. These shoots are taken out from the mother tree. Holes are made into the ground some six or seven cubits apart. Then the young shoots are placed in these holes. The foot of the plant is covered with loose earth. The tree grows quickly but it does not grow in water.        

                             The tree gives fruit only once and then it dies. At the very top of the plant there comes out a cluster with some fifty or more fruits on it. In shape and size they look like tiny fingers. Day by day they grow bigger and thicker. When one or two of the fruits looks yellow, the bunch is cut off and kept in the house. After some days many of the fruits ripen and become soft. Then they are fit for eating. Ripe bananas have nice smell. They are tasteful and nutritious. 

Banana,Nutritious Fruit

                

                               The banana tree itself is of no great use to us. Boys make raft with it. Its dry leaves may also be used as fuel. But it does us the greatest good with its fruits. Banana are much in demand. So the cultivation of banana trees car brings us money                  

Importance of Trees

                      Various Types Of Trees

                               There are many kinds of trees which do not give any edible things but are of great importance. They are used exclusively as raw materials for different industries, fuel and for making furniture, housebuilding, sports-goods etc. Among the trees which give us fruits, the coconut, the mango, the jack fruit, the palm, the date, the banana, the blackberry, the lichi, and the batabi trees are notable. 

                        The sal, the mehagani, the sundari, the gewa, the chapalis, the telsur, the jarul, the gamari, the garjan etc. are trees which do not give us fruits but are used as raw materials for different industries and also for making furniture, houses, sports-goods, wooden implements and apparatus of many kinds.    

                         Trees are very useful and valuable to us. They give us flowers, fruits and wood. Bulk of human food comes from trees and plants. The fruits, bark and leaves of a large number of trees and plants are valuable as drugs. They are powdered and used as important ingredients in medicine. Rubber, which is widely used all over the world, is got from a kind of tree.       

Mountain Tree

             

                               Trees supply raw materials not only for small and cottage industries but also for big industries like those of paper, plywood, timber, matches, railway slippers, bridges etc. They also prevent a region from becoming a desert. They cause rainfall, prevent erosion and maintain ecological balance. Birds are beasts which are very important and serve us in many ways, take shelter in forests full of trees. Lastly trees and plants are essential to human life because they maintain the balance of life- cycle in Nature.  

                  We should protect the existing trees and plant new ones. Valuable trees should be planted in suitable places and scientific method of tree plantation should be introduced. It is wrong to cut trees indiscriminately. It is rather our duty to plant trees in a planned way and to take care of those that exist. We must not forget that taking care of trees is a part of taking care of ourselves.      

Trees of Bangladesh

                             Palm Tree

                                We have all seen trees. They are found in all countries of the world. They are our great friends because they serve us in very many ways. In fact, our life –cycle largely depends on trees. The contribution of trees of civilization is quite inestimable.  

                       A tree has roughly five parts-namely, roots, the stem or trunk, branches, twigs and leaves. The roots are in the ground. They keep the tree fixed to the earth. The trunk is the thickest part of the tree. It rises from the ground. Branches grow on from the trunk and twigs come out from the branches. Leaves grow on the twigs. Fresh leaves are green and dry leaves are brown.            

                                                       The Trees of Sundarban

                       Trees are mute but living things. Like human beings, they also eat and drink. The leaves have pores in them, and with those they gather food from the air. They also suck up juice from the ground by its roots.

                    There are many kinds and varieties of trees. Some are large and some are small. Very small trees are called plants. Some trees have many branches. Some trees , such as the coconut trees, the date trees and the palm trees have no branches. They have big leaves at the top.   

                              Again, there are some trees which give us fruits and edible vegetables, oil, etc. Some of them are also used as fuel and for making furniture.