Understanding Bangladesh

July 31: Raindrops keep falling on our heads

I am sure by now that everyone is aware of the rain and flooding going on in Bangladesh. News reports vary, but we have heard that up to 50% of the country is flooded and as many as 5 million people are displaced.

We have had some experience seeing this, especially in the northeast corner of Bangladesh, near Sylhet. On July 31, we made a trip to Jaflong and Tamabil, and in our first few minutes drove through flooded streets in Sylhet and experienced some urban flooding for ourselves.

The waters were deep enough that we observed men fishing on the sides of the city streets with hand-held nets – and they seemed to be successful. Once we left town, the roads are basically on the embankments built to control the flooding, at least to a certain extent, so we could see water on either side, all the way to the horizon. Water buffalo stood under roofs on elevated land.

Compared to the height of flooded telephone poles, we estimated the water to be 5 to 7 feet deep over the fields and among the houses. Fishing was being done everywhere, with the catch being plentiful but very small in size for each individual fish. They are sold at the local market or eaten at home by the fishermen’s families.

We drove into the hill country, a beautiful area of tea growing and “rock picking.” Most of the work in this country is done by hand labor, including gathering rocks for construction of roads and buildings. This has to be one of the hardest jobs (the other, in my mind, is breaking bricks with a hammer for road construction) and is done by women and children as well as men.

Off to the right, (and across the river we eventually reached), we could see the hills of India. Also along the road were huge piles of coal, which we were told were imported from India. Even the sheep were black from the coal dust.

On our way back out of the hill country, we stopped in a village to see the “King’s Palace” and a temple that honors Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction. Both were in poor shape, but the walls were interesting with all the carvings of animals and a dancing man. Many buildings were made of brick in the past and deteriorate quickly, probably due to the tropical climate and dense foliage that soon overruns the roofs and walls. The palace was destroyed in an earthquake in the late 1800s.

We also were able to meet the matriarch of a local indigenous tribe that practices a nature-loving religion called Tang. In this group, the men marry into the women’s family (just the opposite of most of Bangladesh) and inheritance is passed through the women. Protima Sumer is the elderly leader of the clan which at this time consists of only 33 families. They are beginning to marry into Hindu families since their own group is so small. She was gracious and welcoming as we came into her modern, comfortable home.

As is usual on this journey, we had an interesting day filled with adventure and learning.

-- Linda Litterer   |    Login or Join to Post Comments