A new journey
I was watching a TV show with my little cousin who is probably 6 years old. It was an Indian Bangla TV channel which was showing a reality show of dance. A 10/11 years old girl was dancing with her team where all of them dressed up with Army Costume. In background, a patriotic song was playing.
This is the month of August. India’s Independence Day is on August 15. The show I was watching with my cousin was telecasting their Independence day special program. However, the first thing caught my attention was the dress. Yes, the Military dress. It reminded me my belated father who died in his workplace almost ten years ago. It reminded me the person who loved his country more than anything, the person who was dedicated to fulfill all the commitments for his country. Though he was from military background but I never saw him with the military dress in direct. I saw photos but I never visited his workplace on his duty time and we (our family) never stayed his government quarter. So, seeing him on dress was difficult for me and I never tried really but now I feel that I should have seen him with that dress. That dress has a weight, has a noble responsibility. I do not know why but I feel more respect for those people who wear this dress. It does not matter who is he, where is he from.. these military dressed people are actually saving their country, dedicating their life for their country!
I am a Bangladeshi and that Indian channel’s TV show was playing Bengali (Bangla) song in background so that song touched my heart. However, suddenly, my little cousin said that,
Bhaia (Brother in Bengali), today is our independence day! See, that girl is dancing because today is our independence day!!
It felt like someone is hitting me with a hammer! Her innocent words was strong enough to injured me inside! It is India’s independence day on 15th August but same day is our Bangladesh’s National Mourning Day. Our father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed with his family member on the same date.
India TV channels are dominating audience network. Housewives, young students are watching Hindi channels and following their trends. It is alarming! Now, I see, little kids talk in Hindi rather than Bengali or English. Moreover, maybe, they are thinking that Bangladesh or India are not separate country. Not only my cousin, many like her follow Indian Hindi and Bangla channels. Thinking India’s independence day as her own country’s independence day is not a crime but it is really a sad feeling and it’s really really a alarming fact that our kids are not learning visually about their country properly. How come they will love their country if they are taught this way?!
It may sound that I am talking like die hard nationalists but it really matters when your young generation is not learning about your country, not learning about your country’s history rather they wrongly thinking that India is also their country! I told my little cousin that it is India’s independence day, not ours but she didn’t believe. How come I make her understand if all the day she watches foreign TV channels?
After this indecent, I am thinking of starting a new campaign voluntarily. I will write about it on next few days. This journey is about helping our country’s children to learn about our country. I saw the way my father love this country but in contrast, I see how our new generation ignoring our own country. They need to know about our country, our country’s history. Or else, how will they respect their our country?!
