Biography 273: Mini stage program, every day.

 After lunch, every afternoon, we four sisters used to play together. We used to make plans, prepare and execute a cultural function. It had dance, song, reciting poems, and many more. We had a program speaker and also a mini stage to perform. The audience was also us. I can tell you about the program, its quality was very good. Generally, my two younger sisters and I always danced and sang along with other items. My older sister never tried that. She knew how to play guitar, draw pictures, recite, and other staff. But singing and dancing wasn't her plate of food.

Now, who was the boss? Everyone. When everyone is boss, the program obviously ends with fighting with each other, mostly verbally, sometimes physically. The final ending happened with my mom. She couldn't sleep because of our big fighting noise. Well, she also became physical, too.

Biography 259: "Tanga Buri"

By Picasso

 We four sisters have grown up together. Once we were all kids, then one after another, we became older, and life moved forward to older teens and adults. Our brother was born a little late. So, he kind of grew up alone.

When we sisters were kids, we used to try to play together. In the beginning, it was great. Then different opinions started coming and finally ended up with a fight. My mom had to come and end all of this.

We had a common dance that we used to do. It's a funny dance, and we used to dance and laugh. While dancing, we used to say a rhyme, "Tanga Buri, Tanga bur," and then take one foot up and down. When one foot is down, make another leg up. Looks like a bird dancing. We assume we are all very old (Buri) and dancing like that. We laughed loudly while dancing because it was too funny to see what others were doing while they were laughing by watching mine. Our parents also used to laugh by watching us.

Biography 157: University knowledge from my older sister.

 My older sister was studying at the University of Dhaka in the Accounting department. Her faculty was Commerce. She is 3 years of senior to me. At home, I was the only person to whom she used to talk about her university life. Sometimes she took me to the University too. So, before I admit there I visited the Commerce and Arts faculty. I didn't see the science faculty, and I had no idea about the Annex building in the university.

About one thing I am sure of, if anyone new comes and admits here, then that person has to do all admission procedures, and they will be totally lost. Paper works aren't the problem; the problem is they had to run from one building to another, then come back again and run to another. Take papers from one building and then fill them up, pay somewhere, attach and submit another building. There is no clear map of which one is where. Generally, people bring their big brother or sister to make things properly.

My sister took me to submit the form, test, and viva voice. She completed her duty by showing me where are registered building, bank, and bus stoppages are. And also Halls. At the University of Dhaka, all students are linked to a Hall (Student dormitory). I got admitted to the Shamsunnahar Hall.

I got to know this is the closest to the Annex building. I was pleased about that.

I met some of my sister's friends before I joined. So, I kind of became their friend too.  I went to their house to bring books (Novels). Still, some of them are my Facebook friend. Some live in the USA.

I like the commerce faculty too. At the front of their building, they cut the bush like a sofa set and coffee table. Looks amazing. University knowledge from my older sister.

Biography 121: Roaches 2

 Our 4 sisters used to sleep in a big bed. My mom inherited it from our grandfather (Paternal). Now a day she sleeps on that.

On a winter night, I fall asleep a little earlier than others. I was inside the mosquito net. After a while, my other 3 sisters came inside the net to sleep. Maybe during that moment or earlier a cockroach somehow got inside the net. Within the next few seconds lots of things happened like a tornado, let me try to take you over there in slow motion.

First, my older sister screamed like death and then open the net and run away. Maybe out from the room. I couldn't see that because I was under the cotton-made blanket (In Bangla we called it Lep).

Next, my immediate two younger sisters saw the cockroach and screamed and jumped on my blanket, when I was inside. They knew that very well, that I was sleeping there. But I was their only hope to get rescued.

Third, in my sleep, I suddenly felt two big mountains fall on me and lots of screaming happening around me. Now, if you think, that's it. No, my dear, that's just the starting.

Next, these two girls, well they were not a kid, they had enough weight to kill me, keep jumping on me and every time they jumps, they were screaming, "Mejo! telapoka (Second sis, a cockroach)!!". There was no way that I could push them aside and remove the blanket and get up.

I tried to get loud as possible below the blanket and kept saying, "first move from here and let me out!" But I was inside the blanket and they were not in a mood to listen to anything from me they kept jumping and screaming.

Finally, after trying several times, I pushed one and kicked the other to move from the blanket and was somehow able to get me out from the blanket. They saw my head out from the blanket, they pointed to the other side of the mosquito net and showed me a cockroach.

I guess the cockroach also got astonished after watching their jumping and screaming. That's why it couldn't run away and standstill.

I couldn't decide to whom should I get angry, to these sisters or to the cockroach.

Biography 120: Roaches 1

In Bangladesh, cockroaches are a little bigger in size. About 2 inches long. In summer when we keep all windows open sometimes at night they fly into our houses. If people can kill it, hit by a sandel mainly. It dies, and no more cockroaches. I mean if you keep your house clean there won't be any cockroaches.

There is some other kind of cockroaches too. These are small, brownish, about half-inch long in size. Someone told me these are Russian cockroaches. If it comes once, never left.

Again, these are not very common in our country. And if you can clean it properly, somehow can get rid of it.

Among our 4 sisters, I am the only one who is brave enough to kill cockroaches. It's not that I like it or don't scared of it, especially when they try to sit on you, but I know if I want to get rid of it, I have to kill it. Otherwise, it will keep flying in the house and sit on food.

My other sisters scare too much. They scream and run away. My older sister jumps first to get out of it from her body then run. One day she was eating her meal on her bed, suddenly someone told, " Boropa, Tela poka (big sis, a cockroach)!". It wasn't on her body but my sister didn't take any risk. She jumped, all her rice fall on the bed and then she run. Finally, she looked back if there were any cockroaches or not. Anyway, the cockroach was somewhere else. She is still like that.

Biography 43: Shekha

 When my youngest sister Shekha get born, I was staying at my mom's friend's house. There were few houses where Bangladeshi doctors and nurses used to live side by side houses. They had kids too. I found a couple of boys near my age. But when I tried playing with them, I found they like fighting games. That wasn't on my menu. No matter how much they fight with each other, they were nice to me.

One day my dad came from the hospital and told us, we have got a beautiful sister. I wanted to see her. But no, adults always prefer their way, they said, they will take me later. I told them, if they are not taking me now, I will go by myself. Allah knows, I told them the truth, I don't threaten anyone. Adults laughed at me. But my older sister kept an I on me so that I don't try to do that. I thought I know the path to the hospital, so I can go by myself. When my dad took me, I understood, I was wrong.

In the hospital, I saw my mom laying on the bed. There was a small baby bed is with her bed. My sister was sleeping over there. Then the nurse came and asked my sister's name, they will make the birth certificate. Here I should mention that in Saudi Arabia, people make names of the baby before they get born. But Bangladeshi culture was not like that. In those days, Bangladeshi parents took years to decide what will be kids' names. They first hear all suggestions from their relatives. 

But now in the hospital, they need the name right away. My mom thought, in Saudi people call Sheikh to honour men. So, she makes my sister's name Shekha as a female version of Sheikh. So, we got her name this way.

In this story, I would like to add about a Saudi woman. My mom told us the story. In the hospital, one day, my mom was washing her cloth by hands to remove stains. She was washing it in the attached bathroom near her bed. A Saudi woman came to the bathroom door and surprised. Probably her relative was in that hospital. She asked, what are you doing in this condition? My mom replied, what else I can do? The woman told my mom to go the bed and take a rest. Then the woman washed all clothes by her hand, without any hesitation. My mom doesn't know her name, never meet again. From the bottom of my heart, I salute that Saudi woman for helping an unknown woman.

Biography 36: My younger sister Sonia

 In Alkaseem (Saudi Arabia) we 4 use to live together. My mom, older sister, I and my younger sister Sonia. She was a very little girl, couldn't walk by herself. She uses to scroll all over the yard(In Bangla, Udhan) that's why all of her full pants were torn up at the knee.

When she gets born many neighbours came to see her. Mostly they give long cloth as a gift. In Saudi Arabia, there were a lot of flies. These flies always sit on food and also on kids' bodies. So, parents had to keep them covered with a long cloth. This was an important element to raise a kid in that desert area.

Sonia (My younger sister) didn't talk much when she was 1 year old. My mom thought this kid will take extra time to learn to speak.

She uses to scroll to the clinic and drink Vitamin syrups which were at the bottom selves, at her reach. My mom felt embarrassed but everyone liked this kid so much, no one ever tries to stop her.

Her hair was a little curly, light brown and she became very skinny. So, everybody thought she was a Saudi girl. As I told you before we were living in a desert area. The weather was very dry. Sonia uses to drink bottles of water. If it finishes, she cried out loud. But didn't want to let go of the bottle to refill with water. As she uses to drink a lot of water, so she didn't want to eat food. As a result, she became skinny soon.

One day my dad came to visit us. He was living in another city in Saudi Arabia. He performed Hajj first, then came to visit us. You know, after performing Hajj, men bold their heads, so he did too. When he arrived Sonia was on my mom's lap. A coloured bold man took her and smile, she got scared. She cried out loud. I have never seen her cried this loudly before. Mom took her back and went inside. She looked back over mom's shoulder and saw that guy is coming inside too. She shouted louder again.

Next year again dad came. This time he brought a lot of toys with him. He gave Sonia those toys first then came close to her. Those bribes worked. The second time, she didn't cry.

Biography 23: Comparing with my older sister

 My older sister is the best. From my childhood, I had to hear this. Do I believe it? NO. That's why, when everybody asked me to be like her, I never tried that or even think about it.

She is very polite. She is good with all relatives, neighbour, teachers, classmates etc. She is very good at her study. She had got the talent pool scholarship in her grade 5 and 8 exams. She had passed SSC with *marks and 3 laters (In three subjects she got marks 80+) and She took 13th place in Dhaka board in her HSC. She had completed her MCom in Accounting.

She started cooking in her school life, whenever my mom went to visit my grandparents. So, she handles the house. Everybody use to say such a polite and gentle girl.

What about me? I never fulfill my parent's desire like my sister. I wasn't gentle in my childhood. I liked to jump and run. I didn't like study. I never got scholarships.

In SSC, when my sister did very good, my grandfather (My dad's uncle) made a golden earring and came to our home with my aunt (His daughter). Before he left, he looked at me and said, do good in SSC like your sister. I smiled and felt shy, I knew I'm never going to do that. Then my aunt said, "Why would she be like her sister, she will do better than that". Everybody laughed at loud. Because that was impossible.

But the reality gave me a little twist, on the days I had got a new exam system. Objective questions. So, technically I did much better than her. Just for one mark, I didn't get the last position (Among 20) in Dhaka Board. No, I didn't get any earrings for that or any prize or appraisal from anyone.

Common fighting of my son

My youngest sister Shekha (Dia’s mom), Shafeen and Dia

Shafeen was 2 years and 2 months old. He was very happy to have a sister.

Shafeen and Dia are brother and sister. Their age difference is 1 and half year. They were very good friend until they could communicate with each other with mother language. But whenever they grew enough to talk with each other they can’t tolerate or play together. We (elders) had to sit between them as a peace maker to keep them away. Otherwise world war 3 will be started. Though when they stay away they misses very much each other, often asks where is my bro or sis? But till now can’t keep them in one room.