How Nari Jibon students/new bloggers are trying to go ahead

To develop Nari Jibon new bloggers, Nari Jibon arranged a photo session in last Friday (22 August 08). Four student bloggers (Jesmin ara Amzad, Jannat ara Amzad, Hira and Sufia), Nari Jibon staff blogger & Trainer Taslima Akter and Golam Rabbany Sujan went to visit Ahsan Manzil. They also visited and took pictures some of adjacent areas of Ahsan Manzil like Jagannath University and banks of Buriganga River, Victoria Park etc. Some of Nari Jibon students who receive skill training on English and Computers open blog addresses. Nari Jibon students also receive training on writing feature on different things in their classes, blog training, and digital camera operating etc. Some of them also open flickr accounts. As all the students bloggers have no own digital camera Nari Jibon authority arrange outside photo session for the students & regular bloggers. We think it will improve students’ knowledge and they will be motivated to keep more blogs.

Ahsan Manzil and (second) its display centre.

Ahsan Manzil was named by Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani after his son Nawab Khwaja Alimullah during the time of Mughals. It was built up during the time of Mugahls and it was used by Dhaka Nawab family. It is situated on the bank of the Buriganga River. Now it is using as a museum.

Nari Jibon bloggers are taking photos of Ahsan Manzil

Nari Jibon bloggers are introducing themselves with other visitors (foreigners) and inviting them to visit Nari Jibon. Jesmin and Jannath are talking in English with two Japanese and other people are listening to their conversation. Jesmin and Jannath are learning English at Nari Jibon.

We became sad when we saw the water of our Buriganga River is being polluted by the people and businessmen of this area and nobody care of this.

Two more success history of Nari Jibon students

Sweety started home based tailoring business at the end of her course duration of Nari Jibon. Last July’08 she earned 800 taka from her home based tailoring business. Sweety completed ‘Tailoring Cutting and Sewing Master Course’ from Nari Jibon recently. She learned there 34 tailoring items successfully. Now she can make various kinds of Children and women’ dresses, pillow covers, curtains, fotuya, panjabi, maxi, shorts and shirts, veil etc.Sweety is about 18 years old and unmarried. She studied up to class-8. After passing class-8, her parents were unable to prosecute her study as then they faced serious financial crisis. Then she quitted her study and started to work in the garment factory. But her parents and relative did not like her working in the garment factory. After working one year in the garment factory, she gave up continue her job. After that she was passing her time at their house. Being informed about Nari Jibon from her younger sister she took admission at Nari Jibon to learn tailoring items.She took admission at Nari Jibon dated 1st March 2008. She used to take class regularly and she was attentive to learn tailoring items. She got tailoring scholarship from Nari Jibon. That’s why she used to get chance practice more time and as a result she became very expert to make dresses. She started to work in the home based tailoring business from last June.

Sweety is making dress at her house

Sweety is thinking that she will set up a tailoring shop in a village market near her village with her younger sister who is working in a tailoring shop and she is also a graduate student of Nari Jibon. She already talked with her parents and they are also agreed with her plan. Her parents will also leave Dhaka.

Papia akter is about 23 years old. She could not read or write though she went to the school about one year at her childhood. She worked in the garment factories more than ten years. Due to being pregnant she gave up working in the garment factory at the beginning of 2005. Papia and her husband were not agreed to start working in the garment factory again due to their small baby. Papia heard about Nari Jibon from one of her neighboring girl who was also a student of Nari Jibon. Then she took admission to learn Bangla as she was interested to learn tailoring items. She took admission dated 15th February 2008 in Bangla section and Tailoring section.Now Papia can read and write Bangla and also she has learned English alphabets and some small words. She also can read and write numbers (English, Bangla), addition, subtraction and multiplication etc. Still now she is coming to Nari Jibon for more study. Papia also completed Tailoring Cutting and Sewing Master Course from Nari Jibon successfully. She learned 32 tailoring items. She practices long time at Nari Jibon and she also completed her internship. After being admitted at Nari Jibon Papia applied for scholarship. Then she was facing financial problem as she had to spend a good number of money during her delivery period. As she was regular, attentive and poor student Nari Jibon provide her scholarship to learn tailoring items well. She used to get long time to learn and practice at Nari Jibon that helped her being expert tailoring master.

Papia is making dress at her house

Now, she can make all kinds of child dresses, Pillow cover, curtain, Salower, kamiz, various designs of three pieces, Panjabi, Fotua and other women’ dresses. Last August’08 she bought a sewing machine as she wanted to run home based tailoring business. Last July’08 Papia earned more than 700 taka making dresses of her neighboring people. Now Papia does not want to take job to any garment factory or any tailoring shop as she is to look after her small daughter. But she wants to run her home based tailoring business. In future she will try to expand her business like as she will keep some assistant tailoring workers and she will circulate her business and collect more dress making order etc.

Biggest celebration in my community

We have many religious and cultural festivals in our society that are celebrated from the ancient period. We have two EID festivals, Sob-e-borat, Sob-e-kodor, Pohela Boishak (First day of Bengal New Year), First day of spring, Akushe February (Language Day), 16th December (Independence day), Nobanno utsab (festival of eating newly grown autumnal rice in the month of Agrahayan), etc
I think EID festival (EID UL FITRE and EID UL AJHA) and Pohela Boishak (First day of Bengali New Year) and Akushe February are our biggest celebrations in our community.
How we celebrate these festivals-
EID festivals:We (Family members and nearest relatives) get together during EID festivals as all the service holders have EID vacation. Our family members may live different places in the country but most of them come to our birth family. All the family members try to buy gift (new dress) for his/her and for other family members. Every family cooks rich food of different items. Married daughters are invited with their husband and children. Young children receive salami (tips). Many people fix their marriage date or other parties during these vacations.All the people of the society pray their EID namaj in an open place and greet (each other) warmly. Every people in our society become happy and stay in pleasure during EID days. There are some religious values that make our society happier like as we provide some money as Fitra, Jakat to the poor people in our society. We (who have ability) also try to provide new dresses or some money to the poor people in our society. People in our society also try to get the good wishes of Allah by the helping of others.

(Villagers are working together and sharing the korbani with everyone)

Some people provide immolation of a beast (Korbani) in the EID-ul Ajha and all the families in a community share these (meat) among themselves. Only poor people also get the skin or price of the skins of these beasts. All of these activities make all the people happy, unity and peace to live together in our society.
Pohela Boishak (First day of Bengali New Year)People in our society also celebrate Pohela Boishak (First day of Bengali New Year). It is also an enjoyable day in our society. Women and girls wear red and white colored sharee with soil-ornaments. Almost every child and other people wear cotton, colored, new or clean dress. They visit boishaki fair. There is an ancient landlord’s house in our locality including several large open fields where boishaki fair take place every year. We heard that landlord used to arrange boishaki fair after taking tax and to declare new tax rule. Now we have no landlord to take tax but we have the culture. People sing local and ancient folks, also enjoy horse race, different games like ha-du-du, kapadi, football etc. Young people get salami (tip) from the seniors. There are many games for young people and they can also buy various toys, various items of first food etc.
Akushe February (21st February)
Ekushe February (21st February) is our mother language day. Now it is International mother language day. Pakistani ruler wanted to set up Urdi as national language in east Bengal (Present Bangladesh). Students, factory workers, businessmen, farmers and people of every sector started to protest against this declaration and on 21 February 1952 students and political activities were killed by the Pakistani police who were protesting and demanding Bengali as their mother language. This agitation encouraged Bengali to be independent. So we celebrate this day from our heart every year. This day we awake up from the sleep very early in the morning. We go to the Shahid Minar (martyrs monument) on foot and we give flowers to the Shaheed Minar before sunrise. This day we don’t wear shoes. Young people make Shaheed Minar in lane to lane and area to area though every school, college and university has one Shaheed Minar. Highest amount of flowers are sold in this day. Every cultural and other organization arranges various programs in this day like Moncho natok (stage play), song ceremony etc. Schools and Colleges arrange their Yearly Play and Price ceremony in this day.Thus we enjoy whole day with our friends and family members.

This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.