HAPPINESS

She was waiting for her husband along with her children under a banyan tree on a footpath near the Motijheel Government Boys High School. Her face had a gloomy, tensed look on it but that changed when she saw a van approaching her direction. She burst into joy and started dancing along with them. What a happy moment that was! I came to know that they lived in a slum nearby but the family presented a happy picture. “What is the reason behind to be happy” I asked. “We have a mutual sense of understanding and sharing that keeps us happy and satisfied,” said the couple. We human always hanker after happiness but rarely find it in our limited lifespan. As Swami Vivekananda says, “Man thinks foolishly that he can make himself happy, and after years of struggle finds out at last that true happiness consists in killing selfishness and that no one can make him happy except himself.”
Bipul K Debnath
Dhaka College
Dhaka

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The Little Super Hero

This happened a few months back when we went to Cox's Bazar. We decided to visit the Himchori hilltops. The hilly beauty of the place was something that needed to be captured so we decided to put our camera to use. While posing for a picture something had happened. There was this large tree nearby which had twisted and twirled up roots. If something fell in between, it might be lost in the greenery forever. We decided to sit down by the tree to take snaps. Soon enough accidentally my sister's branded sunglasses fell off and rolled all the way downhill. At the sight of her loss, my sister became very disheartened, particularly because she also lost an expensive watch earlier in the trip. We knew there was not a flicker of hope to get the shades back, since it seemed to be lost in the greenery forever. However earlier on, this little boy had been following us to earn a few bucks. After he learnt what had happened, he instantly jumped downhill and went after the sunglasses without hesitation. With a few quick jumps, he climbed back up with the glasses. Overwhelmed by his heroic act, my sister gave the little boy a kiss on the cheek and even took a photo with him. We later gave him some money as a reward. But the money seemed too little in value, as his kindness had a class of its own. We wish we could offer him something more.  We all will cherish his memory and remember him as our little super hero.
Sarah Sayeed Gazi
Scholastica, Dhaka

Photo: Anurup Kanti Das