The Tale of the Polite Daughter-in-Law and the Fierce Mother-in-Law

 

Even the harshest critics have seldom raised objections about Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's observational skills. Accusing him of being one-eyed or biased would also be unfounded. Once, in one of his lively tales, he recounted the story of a fierce mother-in-law and her polite daughter-in-law. Here’s a brief retelling of that story:

At the time, Sarat Chandra lived in Baje-Shibpur. In the house next door lived three people: a gentleman, his mother, and his wife. The gentleman was truly a decent man, and his wife was extraordinarily gentle and virtuous. However, the elderly mother-in-law was exceedingly fierce. From morning to night, she relentlessly hurled the most abusive language at her daughter-in-law.

The neighbours could hear the tirades all day long, and everyone was annoyed by the old woman. Yet, despite enduring such ceaseless abuse, the daughter-in-law never uttered a word of protest. Her silence and composure evoked the sympathy of everyone in the neighbourhood.

One morning, Sarat Chandra was awakened by the shrill screams of the mother-in-law next door. The harshness of her voice and the vile language she used were unbearable, enough to make one cover their ears. Yet, the daughter-in-law—clearly the target of these insults—remained silent. Curious, Sarat Chandra leaned over the boundary wall to intervene and witnessed an extraordinary sight.

The old mother-in-law was sitting on the veranda, while the young daughter-in-law was sweeping the courtyard. As she swept, the daughter-in-law would occasionally lift the broom and gesture threateningly at the mother-in-law, as if silently warning her of a beating. Seeing this, the old woman grew even more enraged and shouted louder.

And thus, many have come to say that silence and politeness are not always synonymous.

April 23, 2021

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Bangla Version

Donkey Chronicles

 

I am not exactly sure how donkeys drink water. However, since childhood, I have heard that they drink muddy water. Even if they are provided with clean water, they apparently stir it with their feet until it becomes sufficiently muddy and then drink it.

I have seen a few donkeys in nature, but whenever I saw them, they were busy carrying loads. I never had the opportunity to observe how their masters provide them with water.

If the muddy water story is true, it seems their owners deliberately supply them with muddy water. Often, citizens complain that the water supplied by WASA (Water and Sewerage Authority) is muddy. If the city authorities are supplying muddy water, then what does that make the citizens? Is this a creative question, or should it be treated as an objective one with multiple-choice answers?

Possible answers could be:

a) Donkey

b) Mule

c) Jackass

d) Intellectual

How would that be?

The connection between creative and objective questions arising from discussing donkeys is purely coincidental. There surely cannot be any relationship between those who manage our country's examination system and donkeys.

Humayun Azad had said several times, "People praise lions but prefer donkeys." People, being intelligent creatures, prefer donkeys. In today's international market, there is no demand for lion meat. Even though tiger skins have some demand, lion skins are not sought after. Lions are called the "king of beasts," or perhaps the "president of animals." Apart from roaring occasionally, lions don't have much of a role. Since childhood, I've noticed that even in children's stories, lions only show their bravery against mice.

But do you know the current demand for donkey hides? One kilogram of donkey hides costs nearly 500 dollars or sixty thousand takas. The Chinese are buying almost all the donkey hides in the world to make medicine. If donkeys, like snakes, could regrow their skin once shed, their owners would skin them alive and sell the hides.

In every class of primary school, I received the respect of a donkey from every teacher. The same situation continued in high school. In college, I did not even receive as much attention from any teacher as would be necessary to be addressed as a donkey. In the English class at school, I learned loudly that a donkey is called ass in English. With this knowledge, when I came abroad, I tried to show off by writing, "Your ass will solve your problems" to explain to someone.

However, I did not know that the ass I had considered a donkey had changed. I assumed that by simply interpreting the word in its straightforward meaning, everyone would accept it, but that was not the case. The person I was addressing thought I was referring to a specific part of their body. They could not understand that I was only trying to help them unselfishly.

If you have been reading this article from the beginning until now, you can understand that this writing has no specific aim. It is nothing but a reflection of our education system.

Doesn't Rachi's death make us guilty?

 

Afsana Karim Rachi began her university life with a heart full of dreams after passing a rigorous entrance exam. She was a student of the 53rd batch of the Marketing Department. Classes had started barely a month ago when tragedy struck. While walking on her own campus, a battery-powered rickshaw hit her with great force, throwing her onto the road. She suffered severe injuries to her head and face and lost her life. This incident occurred on the evening of November 19.

Rachi was walking along one side of the road near the Arts Building on the Jahangirnagar University campus when the rickshaw struck her. The collision threw her onto the road, causing fatal injuries. Along with her life, countless dreams and aspirations also met their end.

Can such a death simply be called an accident? How can vehicles operate recklessly within an educational institution's campus?

This is not the first time such an incident has occurred. Many students have previously lost their lives due to vehicular collisions on the roads of various educational institutions. Yet, apart from token administrative actions, no effective measures have been taken to control such accidents.

Are such incidents truly unavoidable? In any civilized country, strict laws regulate vehicle speed near educational institutions, with harsh penalties for violators. Within campuses, vehicle speed and routes are expected to be strictly controlled. While such laws may exist in our country, no one seems to follow them.

What is even more disheartening is the growing lack of concern and recklessness among us. The rickshaw driver who hit Rachi did not stop. The passenger in that rickshaw did not stop either. Whether someone lived or died seemed to matter very little to them. When the slightest sense of humanity vanishes, no law in the world can prevent such incidents. All that remains is to blame fate.

If we must rely on sheer luck to ensure the bare minimum safety for walking within educational institutions, can they even be called educational institutions? And if we do consider them institutions, are their responsibilities being fulfilled properly?

Does Rachi’s death not make our institutions culpable?

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21 November 2024

রাচির মৃত্যু কি আমাদের অপরাধী করে দেয় না!

 

দীর্ঘ কঠিন ভর্তিপরীক্ষায় পাস করে একবুক স্বপ্ন নিয়ে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় জীবন শুরু করেছিল আফসানা করিম রাচি। মার্কেটিং বিভাগের ৫৩তম ব্যাচের ছাত্রী রাচি। ক্লাস শুরু হয়েছে মাত্র মাসখানেক আগে। কিন্তু নিজের ক্যাম্পাসেই ব্যাটারিচালিত রিকশার প্রচন্ড ধাক্কায় রাস্তায় ছিটকে পড়ে সে। মাথায় আর মুখে গুরুতর আঘাত পেয়ে প্রাণ হারায় সে। গত ১৯ নভেম্বর সন্ধ্যায় এই ঘটনা ঘটেছে।

জাহাঙ্গীরনগর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে নিজের ক্যাম্পাসে কলাভবনের রাস্তার একপাশ দিয়ে হেঁটে যাবার সময়েই রাচিকে ধাক্কা দেয় ব্যাটারিচালিত রিকশা। রাস্তায় ছিটকে পড়ে গুরুতর আঘাতের ফলে মৃত্যু ঘটে রাচির। তার সাথে মৃত্যু ঘটে অনেকগুলি স্বপ্নের, অনেকগুলি বিশ্বাসের।

এধরনের মৃত্যুকে কি নিছক দুর্ঘটনা বলা যায়? শিক্ষাপ্রতিষ্ঠানের ক্যাম্পাসের ভেতর অনিয়ন্ত্রিত গতিতে যানবাহন চলে কীভাবে?

এধরনের ঘটনা যে এই প্রথম ঘটেছে তা নয়। এর আগেও বিভিন্ন শিক্ষাপ্রতিষ্ঠানের রাস্তায় যানবাহনের ধাক্কায় প্রাণ গিয়েছে অনেক শিক্ষার্থীর। কিন্তু নামকাওয়াস্তে কিছু প্রশাসনিক ব্যবস্থা নেয়া ছাড়া – দুর্ঘটনা নিয়ন্ত্রণে কার্যকরী কোন ব্যবস্থা নেয়া হয়নি।

এ ধরনের ঘটনা কি সত্যিই অপ্রতিরোধ্য? পৃথিবীর যেকোনো সভ্য দেশে শিক্ষাপ্রতিষ্ঠানের কাছাকাছি সবগুলি রাস্তার গাড়ি চলাচলের গতিবেগ অত্যন্ত সীমিত রাখার জন্য কড়া আইন রয়েছে। আইন ভঙ্গকারীদের জন্য রয়েছে কঠিন শাস্তির ব্যবস্থা। শিক্ষাপ্রতিষ্ঠানের ক্যাম্পাসের ভেতর বেশিরভাগ রাস্তায় যানচলাচলের গতিবেগ এবং গতিপথ দুটোই অত্যন্ত নিয়ন্ত্রিত থাকার কথা। কিন্তু আমাদের দেশে সেটা আইনে থাকলেও কেউই তা মানতে চান না।

আরো দুঃখজনক ব্যাপার হলো – আমাদের ভেতর কেমন যেন একটা অস্থির গোঁয়ার্তুমি বেড়েই চলেছে। যে রিকশাচালক বেপরোয়া গতিতে রাচিকে ধাক্কা দিয়েছে – সে রিকশা থামায়নি। সেই রিকশায় যে আরোহী ছিল – সেও থামেনি। একজন মানুষ বাঁচলো কি মরলো তাতে কিছুই তাদের আসে যায় না। সামান্যতম মানবিক বোধটুকুও যখন মাথা থেকে চলে যায় – পৃথিবীর কোন আইন দিয়েই এধরনের ঘটনা রোধ করা সম্ভব হয় না। তখন ভাগ্যকে দোষ দেয়া ছাড়া আর কিছুই করার থাকে না।

শিক্ষাপ্রতিষ্ঠানে যদি হাঁটাচলার ন্যূনতম নিরাপত্তাটুকুর জন্যও ভাগ্যের উপর নির্ভর করতে হয় – তাহলে তো তাকে আর শিক্ষাপ্রতিষ্ঠান বলার কোন মানে হয় না। আর যদি আমরা প্রতিষ্ঠানকে প্রতিষ্ঠানই বলি – তাহলে আমাদের প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলির দায়িত্ব কি ঠিকমতো পালিত হচ্ছে? রাচির মৃত্যু কি আমাদের প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলিকে অপরাধী করে দেয় না?

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২১ নভেম্বর ২০২৪