The Nonsensical Things We Believe and Do
As one of the relatively underdeveloped nations of the world, it's safe to say we Bangladeshis don't get to enjoy a lot of first world privileges. I mean, how do you get into Pokémon Go if it finally hits the streets when it's not cool anymore, right? Forget the mainstream, how long did we dream of whopping down some Burger King right in our backyards? And how long did it take for the overpriced cheeseburgers to disenchant our taste buds?
Being in Bangladesh has its own little joys and victories, some even illegal. Pirated downloads, acceptable racism on a societal level (kalo, fossha, shemla, ujjol shemla, we got it all), corruption, heck, you can even get unlicensed drivers' licenses for the right price, apparently. In the chaos and pandemonium that ensues in the system and culture we live in, we find ourselves acting (or not) in a whole bunch of strange things. Here's a list:
1. Being honest at weddings: When your parents drag you to Mr. X's son's cousin's wedding and you're walking into an extravagantly decorated hall full of faces you don't know, it's obvious why you're there in the first place; the call of the Kacchir Aloo. Deep inside your heart you want to find an empty spot, eat your fill, and pull a Noakhailla and leave. Fake smiling and taking photos for random Aunties sure do work up an appetite.
2. Fret the dawaat etiquette: Dawaats have their own set of unspoken rules, rules which vary when one hosts and one attends. When you're "technically" hosting (we know you're probably hiding in your room cursing the "intruders" to the pits of hell), it's essential you starve yourself till every guest has a plate of food, at which point you can have at the rest. You must also awkwardly make small talk in the elevator when your mother makes you escort said guest to their cars. When attending you must spend at least 20 minutes on the doorway after announcing your intent to leave.
3. GPA-5 or die: One fatal flaw in the current system (fatal because people have actually died because of this) is the overbearing importance of the GPA-5, a grade so widespread and increasingly common that people tend to think not achieving the grade in SSC and HSC exams means their lives are devoid of meaning. While grades are important, they're not everything, and a system that properly merits students and nurtures their own talents is severely lacking. It's a vulture culture, and unknowingly getting taped into a TV Show aimed to discredit your apparent GPA 5 is just the tip of the dung-heap.
4. The you-know-what talk: The S word is equivalent to Voldemort with the amount of tension it creates in a Bangladeshi household, yet it's the word/activity most frequently thrown around whenever you're watching a show on your laptop and your parent happens to walk in. We actively hide our relationships and affairs from our parents when we're under marrying age because it's "so wrong", but then suddenly "soooo right" when society deems we're too old to stay at home single. The result? A lot of unhappy relationships, wrong decisions, and a society that labels dissatisfaction as "compromise".
With 2017 fast approaching, who's to say what the future may hold? Let's hope our culture progresses in a healthy manner and settles into a more open one where people are free to do as they please, unbound by meaningless expectations. Not one where "progress" is actually several steps back, where statements like "don't mix with non-straight A students" turn into "don't mix with non-straight students", and where openness means more open negativity. The future is what we make it, and let's try to make 2017 a step in the right direction, at least personally.
Happy New Year everyone!
Mustafid Raiyan Khan is an excellent procrastinator and has mastered the art of doing nothing and regretting his nothingness even further. Help his endeavors at https://www.facebook.com/mustaaachio