Developing for Living: Foot Soldier

When political parties in Bangladesh take their partisan wrangling from their beautiful parliament building, Sangshad Bhaban, to the streets of Dhaka, you end up with indefinite Hartals, or strikes, paralyzing the whole country. Clashes and violence is common. The government employees, and UN staffs, under the alternative work modality, can usually stay home, (and work a little I guess?) and still get paid. But it is the daily wage earners—the CNG drivers etc—who suffers the most from such economic disruptions. This month we saw a one week Hartal called by BNP (Bangladesh National Party), and others, against the current administration, which is lead by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. The opposition’s main demand is to repeal a constitutional amendment made by the League. The amendment in question annuls the use of non-partisan caretaker government when transitioning from one administration to the next. Traditionally the caretaker government system is believed to be pioneered by Bangladesh during the 1990s, to eliminate the influence of the incumbent administrations over election outcomes, to avoid election rigging, corruption etc.

There seems to be no progress in the bitter political fight between the BNP and the League. Other political parties and factions have weighed in as well, complicating the already messed up situation. As things stand, there could be more of such Hartals ahead. The Islamist groups are also protesting passionately against the secularist approach that the Awami League has taken after the government deleted the following phrase from the constitution: “Absolute Faith and Trust on the Almighty Allah.” This is quite serious. Imagine President Obama deleting “In God We Trust,” from U.S currency notes, and coins, or stop using it as the official motto! Therefore, I think the agitation will continue, and the likely ultimate outcome is difficult to guess especially for a nation as unpredictable as Bangladesh.

Anyways, I was not going to be stuck inside my apartment all week long. So I picked up my backpack, and set out for Bhutan. But the journey from Dhaka to Thimpu, and then back, which I travelled mostly by road, was at times lonesome, at times exciting, and no doubt exhausting. I travelled through the hills of Darjeeling, and Sikkim in India before entering Bhutan from Phuentsholing. It was a pretty long stretch totaling over 1,000 kilometers through the difficult mountainous terrain, and another 1,500 by air. But what my smugness considered it as “adventurous” was completely thwarted after I met a German & Austrian couple who did a 4 weeks long trekking through the beautiful but difficult Manaslu Himalayan region, eating forest berries, and camping alongside jungle animals. They were very well-informed, insightful, and had a spiritual aura about them. Meeting random people and connecting with them is one of the most exciting parts of any journey. We mutually agreed that three things are most important for any seeking spirit: Experience, Communication, and Freedom. The guy, Chris, described our chance meeting in a Thimpu night club, after a few drinks—in what I personally consider as an honor—as “serendipity.” We enjoyed, and had so much fun that not only did we forget that our chance meeting was temporary, we also forgot to exchange contacts. I don't think we will ever see each other again. Got me thinking that such is the nature of journeys. Anyways, I wanted to share some pictures I took during this latest trip I took in India and Bhutan.