Event

Torai Badha Ghorar Dim

Satyajit Rai has written scores of poems, stories and hilarious limericks for children to enjoy. On the 23rd of August there was a play based on one of his stories called Torai Badha Ghorar Dim. Rai has presented a unique point of view trough this play.

It's a story about a nonsensical world where the children rise up in protest. It poignantly displays the peculiarities of the somber world of the grownups. The children spend some time in an imaginary land where the constraints of the adult world are removed. It's a world inhabited by strange long legged people from Africa and a princess with her three friends who are incidentally pigs. Here they can ride around on the backs of alligators without ending up inside the belly.

This was the third Tunatuni performance that is cretd by the children for the children. Their first production was this year at the Ekushey Boi Mela commemorating the 21st of February. The second production was on poet Jasimuddins piece 'Kobor'.

The present production is an escape route for the children who want to spend their time in laughter. Its in contrast to the present situation where children are stuck at home staring at the glowing TV screen. The man behind Tunatuni is Mahbubur Rahman Joynal. He noticed that while living abroad he found Bangladeshi books for children were not quite up to the standard. As a result he came back to the country and instead of becoming engrossed in business he decided to do something about children's education and entertainment. Tunatuni started in 1984 along with the help of actor Mujibur Rahman Dilu and musician Anisur Rahman Anu. There have been a total of 21 productions by the Tunatuni group consisting of colorful books and audiocassettes. In 2002 there have been some 2D and 3D cartoons as well. Doing something for the children is a dream come true for Mahbubur Rahman.

The person behind the production of the puppet show and the dance programs is Mujibur Rahman Dilu. He has presented most of the shows.

One of the highlights of the Torai Badha Ghorar Dim is the lighting done by the amazing Sri Taposh Sen. At the age of 80 he came over from Calcutta to lend a hand with the Tunatuni productions. Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul looked after the musical compositions while Tamanna Rahman choreographed the dance routines. An eye-catching part of the display was the costumes worn by the young performers. The costume designs were done by Kirit Ranjan Biswas.

The success of the show was evident I the packed auditorium filled with the laughter of children.

By Sultana Yasmin

Love Talk? or the thougts of a noisy speaker

There are so many questions in my mind but I am unable to find the answers. No, it doesn't mean that I haven't found any intellectual or experienced person. There are so many around me but everyone just smiles and says, " Time just passes on. We don't know how." Yes, I also know that time passes on but the answer I want yet unknown. And the tragedy is I haven't yet got a chance to know it practically. Yes, I'm keenly interested to know what the "Romeos and Juliets" talk everyday while sitting together or in the phone. I know it's a very personal question. But I want to know!!

In my childhood I saw my sister attached with the phone like "super glue" and talking with her boyfriend (who later become my "JIJU"). Whenever I found her talking on the phone, I had tried my best to listen what she was talking for a long time but believe me I couldn't hear even a single word. I always found her whispering and could see her laughing or sometimes crying nothing more. It was a great wonder for me how my "JIJU" on the other end of the phone could hear her voice. And the most surprising thing was what they used to talk for a long time and almost everyday.
I asked my sister, "Apu tumi eto ki kotha bolo?" she had just given me a close up smile and said "NOTHING". Amazing!! I still can't understand if she had said nothing then how she passed the time? Now a days I'm watching my friends (the lucky fellows). Some of the couples are classmates. They spend most of their time together. But still after going home at a fixed time they have to talk in the phone regularly. I also asked them. But…

One of my cousins is in love for 8 years. God! He is only 24. Imagine for how many years they are talking! Where they get the topics to talk? Don't they get bored?

Recently I have asked one of my "Devdas" friends, " Do you think love is necessary in our life?" But he has given me the opposite answer that I had anticipated. He said, "No, it's not necessary. Love means waste of time, energy and money. Now I have lots of money to spend for myself. I don't have to buy costly gifts for my girl friend and pay the restaurant bills. Ami ekhoni valo ashi". But I know he lied. Some of my friends talk for a long time with their gf/bf in mobiles. Oh! It's really costly. But the contentment and excitement I see in their face is priceless compared to the material cost.

But still I don't know WHAT THEY REALLY TALK ABOUT?

By Meher Niger

Jokes

Poor dog
A blind man was describing his favorite sport - parachuting. When asked how this was accomplished, he said that things were all done for him: "I am placed in the door and told when to jump. My hand is placed on my release ring for me, and out I go."

"But how do you know when you are going to land?" he was asked. "I have a very keen sense of smell and I can smell the trees and grass when I am 300 feet from the ground" he answered.

"But how do you know when to lift your legs for the final arrival on the ground?" he was again asked.
He quickly answered "Oh, the dog's leash goes slack".

Time off
Two men working in a factory were talking. "I know how to get some time off," said one.
"How are you going to do that?"
"Watch," he said, and climbed up on a rafter. The foreman asked what he was doing up there, and the man replied. "I'm a light bulb."
"I think you need some time off," the foreman said, and the first man walked out of the factory. After a moment, the second man followed him.
"Where do you think you're going?" the foreman shouted.
"I can't work in the dark," he said.