Pledge to Celebrate Cracker-free Diwali

Celebrating Green Diwali | Image courtesy: Rang-Decor

Diwali which is the contraction of the word Deepawali (দীপাবলি) is known as the “Festival of Light”; today we are at a stage when a section of our society is all set to change the meaning of Deepawali, i.e. to transform Diwali from being the “Festival of Light” into “Festival of Bombs”. In Bengal Deepavali signifies "Kali Puja" and it is a one day festival. Traditionally in Bengal nothing new is worn or bought as well as no new ventures are started on Diwali.

Every year when Diwali comes environmentalists, medical experts and some social activists raise their voice and warn us of the ill effects of firecrackers, and majority of the people just ignore these warnings and go around bursting crackers!

It’s time for us to make a difference; it’s time for all of us to unite and shun firecrackers. It’s time for us to show “We Care”! Care for our environment, our elderly citizens and babies, our unwell fellow-humans, our pets, the numerous poor-people who can’t afford a onetime meal and more precisely for our own health and our future generations. Let’s all pledge to celebrate “Green Diwali”!

It’s time that we completely stop this fire Cracker menace…! Yes, you read it right Completely stop... No ‘Fuljharis’ or ‘Fountain’ or ‘Charkhis’ also as they cause the maximum air pollution moreover every year several kids end up in burning their hand due to the misuse of these crackers. The only cracker that can be advocated for is the “Rocket” as it beautifies the Diwali Skyline.

If you hate the words- “Terrorists” and “Bombs” and the two very well resemble each other; then why do you start loving the “Bombs” during Diwali? We all know it’s so difficult to walk freely or drive a car or ride a bike peacefully on Diwali night because there are kids, adults and everyone bursting crackers on the Roads and the fear remains that the bombs can blast under your car or bike; Yes, this is  sort of terrorism to the people who are driving! It’s their life at stake, and practically numerous such accidents are reported every year during Diwali. If you hate Terrorists and their Bomb-blasts then Stop Bombing Diwali from now !

The noisy crackers sledgehammer our ear drums which may result in temporary or complete hearing loss or even injure the nervous system! It’s a terrible time for aged people, babies and patients because the noise affects them the most.

Diwali is the only festival that scares the shit out of the four legged inhabitants; you might have seen your tuffy-tommy-jimmy running under the bed, chair or sofa for sure! It’s an extreme torture for them because of their high sensitive hearing ability, the deafening sound of crackers hurt their little brains and they stop eating-drinking and totally freak out for few days.

The celebration of Diwali can be done peacefully by lighting our houses with “Deeps” or “Dias”.  Instead of literally Burning Money by bursting Firecrackers; it’s better to spend this money on noble causes. Let’s redefine Diwali celebration and celebrate cracker-free Diwali, after all any celebration can’t be at the cost of the environment and general health!

General awareness among the people about the ill effects of firecrackers is of utmost importance and simultaneously All Fire-Crackers should be Banned and this ban should be implemented stictly. We the youth, have the power to bring the change- the Change for a Better Tomorrow.

We are fortunate that West Bengal (Poschim Bongo) is the only state in India to have a Noisy(more than 90 dB measured at a distance of 5m from the point of bursting) Crackers Ban. But, its shameful that organizations like The International Marwari Association are protesting against the Cracker Ban!

So on this Diwali Say "NO" to Fire Crackers and Say "Yes" to Life ! Be a responsible citizen.

Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous "Green Diwali".

Bangladesh Unveils Cheapest $130 Android Laptops

'DOEL' Laptop | Made in Bangladesh

The dream of Digital Bangladesh in realization! Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has unveiled the worlds cheapest and also the first domestically manufactured laptop named 'DOEL' today at the Bongobondhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka.

The laptop will be produced by the State owned Telephone Shilpa Sangstha (TSS) (টেলিফোনে শিল্প সংস্থা) in collaboration with 2M Corporation Ltd., Dhaka and TFT Technology, Penang, Malaysia. The primary device will be priced at 10,000 BDT (6,490 INR | US$132.3) and will run on Google’s Android OS.

TSS is set to launch three more models by the end of this week which would run on Intel Processors are are priced at:

• 13,500 BDT (8759 INR | US$178.6) - Basic model with Intel Atom Processor,
• 22,000 BDT (14272.67 INR | US$291.1) -Standard model with Intel Atom Processor and,
• 26,000 BDT (16868 INR | US$344) - Advanced model with Intel Pentium Processor.

This is indeed a great step towards the realization of the dream of Digital Bangladesh and bringing about e-governance; it would undoubtedly boost the connectivity across the nation and will drive digital connectivity in villages.

However, the government needs to do a lot more to improve the internet connectivity across the nation else the distribution of laptops wouldn’t be of great benefit in terms of digitally connectivity. But, for sure this affordable laptop will cut the digital-divide among the citizens and will be very helpful especially for students.

An important feature would be the presence of Phonotic Bangla Keyboard along with English in all the four laptop models. This would surely make it easy for the people who are not well acquainted with english and would increase the reach of digitization by making a larger portion of people computer literate.

People need to have realistic expectations from this affordable laptop  because they are aimed to cater the basic needs and not to deliver high end services but its surely a 'value for money' deal. 

Configurations:  

DOEL Primary Price: 10,000 Taka 10.0″ LCD Panel  (1024*600) VIA 8650 800MHz 512 MB RAM Integrated 0.3 MP Webcam WiFi 802.11b/g 10/100M Ethernet LAN  (RJ-45) 2 USB 2.0 SD Slot for Max 32 GB Google Android Integrated

DOEL Basic Price: 13,500 Taka 10.1″ (1024*600) WXGA LED Backlit Intel® ATOM Processor 455 1.66GHz Intel NM 10 Express  Chipset. Intel ® GMA 3150  (Integrated) Graphics. 1GB DDR3 HITACHI/TOSHIBA SATA 250 GB HDD Integrated 1.3 MP Webcam 802.11 bg/n 10/100M Ethernet LAN  (RJ-45) 3 USB 2.0 Linux Based OS

DOEL Standard Price: 22,000 Taka 12.1″ (1360*768) WXGA  LED Backlight Intel® ATOM Processor N470 1.83GHz Intel NM 10 Express  Chipset. Intel ® GMA 3150  (Integrated) Graphic 2GB DDR3 SATA 320GB HDD Integrated 1.3 MP  Webcam 802.11 bg/n 10/100M Ethernet LAN  (RJ-45) 3 USB 2.0 Linux Based OS

DOEL Advanced Price: 26,000 Taka 14″ (1366*768) WXGA  LED Backlight Intel® Pentium P6200  2.13 GHZ Processor Intel HM55 Chipset 2GB DDR3 SATA 320GB HDD DVD Writer ( Samsung ) Integrated 1.3 MP  Webcam 802.11 bg/n 10/100M Ethernet LAN  (RJ-45) 3 USB 2.0 Linux Based OS

To get more information  click on TSS | Doel Laptops. 

The Naming of this Laptop: 

This laptop is named after the National Bird of Bangladesh i.e. Doel দোয়েল (English: Magpie Robin). So this should clear the doubts of all the people who think that its named to 'sound' like 'Dell'. 

It’s a matter of pride for all of us today…! 

জয় বাংলা !

Injustice Revived! Eight Bangladeshis Beheaded in Saudi Arabia

"Eight Bangladeshi migrants were beheaded (শিরশ্ছেদ) in public in Riyadh after they were convicted of killing an Egyptian security guard four years ago, a media report said.They were charged with robbing a warehouse and killing a security guard, Egyptian national Hussein Saeed Mohammed Abdulkhaleq, in April 2007, bdnews24.com reported on Saturday. 

Mamun Abdul Mannan, Faruq Jamal, Sumon Miah, Mohammed Sumon, Shafiq al-Islam, Masud Shamsul Haque, Abu al-Hussain Ahmed and Mutir al-Rahman were executed Friday in Riyadh. Three other accused were given jail terms. 

The beheadings bring the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year to 58, more than double than the 2010 figures. Twenty of those executed this year were foreign nationals."

Click >> Saudis behead 8 Bangladeshis | | bdnews24.com for detailed report.

Everyone deserves a fair trial in this world. Today, Saudi Arabia stands odd against the worldwide trend against the Capital Punishment. 

Laws (Sharia or Constitutional) are made for the benefit of humanity, but what the Saudi's did; is undoubtedly Inhumane and Barbaric. Its very sad and shocking; Its high time that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia get on track with the international judicial and Human right standards. What assistance did these migrant workers have from the Bangladesh Government ?

This is injustice and clear violation of Human Rights. Why there is no hue and cry against this brutal regime? Why are the western countries who 'care' a lot about human rights mum against this brutality- Everyone keeps quite- its a tough NO INTERFERENCE in Saudi Internal Affairs !

There is another side of this story, the case would have been different if they were US or UK citizens, as in this case they were poor Bangladeshi migrant workers, they were treated like worthless creatures - denied justice and were unheard!

Saudi Arabia is one of the worst place to live on earth at this moment, they completely RACIST- If you are a non-Saudi you cannot file a case against a Saudi person. I believe Saudi’s are not powerful than “Allah”, so “Allah” is enough for them to punish.