Tragedy and happiness

Even people who know little of Bangladesh will probably recognize the words Rana Plaza.

I was one of them. 

Three years ago a building where your and my t-shirts were made, collapsed. More than 1100 people died, 2500 were injured.

Rana Plaza became a symbol of the price of the cheap clothes that we buy. I knew little of Bangladesh at that time and considered to boycott anyting made in Bangladesh.

Now I know better (at least I hope so) and would not boycott these products though the life of most Rana Plaza victims is still unbearable.

I have met some of the survivors. They are unbeliavable: so much energy, so many ideas, so little bitterness.

The garment industry provides over 70 per cent of the total exports in Bangladesh. Four million women sew t-shirts. These women work hard and earn close to nothing but at least they have the opportunity to make some money and maybe some time  they can sell their expertise for more complicated tasks than the simplest garments.  You and I must be willing to pay a little bit more for their work.

Eventually they can send their kids to school for a better future.

On this note, living in Bangladesh has given a new dimension of being happy. 

There is so much poverty, so much misery, so much inhumanity.

 Whenever you open a newspaper you are confronted with the most awful stories of gang rapes, killings, revenge, incurable sicknesses, poverty, frustrating inequality.

Still, people tell all the time that they are happy. They actually look happy. One of my readers commented on this (thank you!). People here have the talent of being happy for elementary thing and they actually show that. 

The other night we met a man who was washing himself and his clothes in the middle of the main street, Dhaka's Fifth Avenue, and was happy. He was happy and showed it. A good lesson for the most of us.

Happy Bengali New Year!

Bangladesh celebrates New Year today with large outdoors festivities, music, processions, dance and fairs.
This is a non-religious holiday and it has a uniting and joyous character. Like a Rio Carnival minus  bikinis and  beach, add covering clothes and sweat, keep the heat and the crowds. Welcome year 1423!

The party begins early in the morning, continues with large lunches together with family friends and relatives and also includes shopping, preferably jewellery.
Well, this is what I was told. 

Getting up at sunrise was not an option for me but there were large crowds even later in the morning when I wandered in my residential area. Dhaka University is the hotspot of the day but that will be next year. A newcomer has to start somewhere.

This applies also to an abundant New Year's meal. My stomach has been kind of rebellious. And ok, I have no family here, so no lunch invitations.. 
What concerns shopping, I was a rather good new year's celebrator. No jewellery but a pair of gold colored sandals.

People are dressed in their best clothes, the color code is red and white.
Women  have flower decorations in their hair and they wear perfect makeup.
It is a mystery how they can look so beautiful in this heat (38 Celcius and very humid). I left home looking relatively normal but came back like a soaked panda with mascara running down to ears, hair glued to scalp and sweat dripping from top to toe.

On New Year's Eve we had another earth quake in Dhaka. The epicenter was 400 kilometers east of Dhaka in Myanmar. The strength was 6.9. 
I was at yoga during the tremor. I thought that my muscles were shaking because of the exercise. It was only after the class we realized that the fitness center was emptied (minus the yogis) and phones were filled with concerned messages.