Saturday, November 19, 2016

Super gloom



Lesserwisser has been hibernating a while. Actually I would like to wake up round 2020 and hope that the world still exists, people are wise and live in peace and harmony.
Unfortunately, the future looks more like I observed the super moon over Dhaka. Not very bright, not very big, rather super gloom. (Sunset in the picture above).


Terror, killings and violence are just escalating in Bangladesh. Recently the target have been Hindus and Santals. 
Hindu homes and temples in the eastern part of Bangladesh were under fierce attacks after a local youth allegedly shared a Facebook posting that Islamic hardliners said denigrated a holy site for Muslims.
Muslim hardliners protested and demanded action against the Hindu youth, who is illiterate and probably didn't write the posting.
Later at least four members of the indigenous Santal community were killed and more than thousand Santal families were forced to abandon their homes in the northern part of Bangladesh due to a land dispute. Santals belong to one of largest indigenous tribes in the area.
Radical islamism is tightening its grip of Bangladesh. This is also clearly visible in the streets of Dhaka where more and more women go more and more covered.


The pictures are taken from our building's roof top - the only place we can be outside in addition to expat clubs.
Life in Dhaka for foreigners gets more and more limited day by day. The streets are full of armed police men, check-points and security people. One is not supposed to walk at all. At the same time the traffic is, if possible, worse than ever. 

We are lucky to have the rooftop. With a pool, or rather an overgrown tub.
But I will never swim there after I saw a maid washing clothes in the pool. She had hung the washed items in the trees.

But not all is bad - I will start at a new part time job this week. At the moment the temperature is very pleasant, the air is not as polluted as in the winter and the mosquitoes haven't arrived yet.