Making women’s day celebrations meaningful
Every year on March 8, some of us celebrate the International Women's Day by wearing purple while some celebrate by harassing women in public transports or abusing them in workplace. For the latter category, the notion of an ideal woman becomes relevant. Essentially, the dictionary meaning of ideal is 'satisfying one's conception of what is perfect.' To me therefore, an ideal woman is a woman who has her rights protected by the law and is not judged for the choices she makes. But unfortunately, to many people, an ideal woman is one who spends her life behind a stove while to some people, an ideal woman is one who is educated yet willing to be an unpaid maid. There are some people who consider ideal women to be those who are 'permitted' to have a career and can handle work, both outside and inside the house. As per more conventional perceptions, ideal women are often thought to be those who will not talk back (even if their rights are violated), who will not wear 'modern clothes,' who will not try to be 'equal' and who will not care about inclusivity in a society.
Every year, much is said about changing people's perception, their mindset, but like any other piece of paper, we read about it and then forget it. But it is high time things changed. For the women we are celebrating today need to feel safe and equal in the society that promises them equality in "all spheres of state and public life" (Article 28 (2) of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh).
It is to be noted that the laws in Bangladesh, like the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010, the Labour Act 2006 etc, all provide with provisions that depict how much the statutes promote equality between men and women. However, it is imperative to comprehend that the main problem at hand is not the law, but the people's mindset, as has been mentioned already.
The *Nari O Shishu Nirjaton Daman* *Ain* 2000 for example is one stellar statute for many reasons but section 11 shows how the law punishes men with death penalty or life imprisonment only when they have hurt women for dowry. Clearly, when it is not a dowry case, extreme violence towards women will be dealt with under the Domestic Violence Act 2010 which does not aim to provide the women with any pecuniary relief or strict punishment. For women facing violence on a daily basis, laws need to subsume violence of all sorts and not only ones that are results of dowry demands.
If we are to look at the child marriage law of Bangladesh, we will find section 19 of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 which states that "notwithstanding anything that may be in any other section of this Act, for special circumstances which will be determined by the rules (Child Marriage (Restraint) Rules 2018), for the utmost or greatest welfare of the under-aged child, by order of the court and with the consent of the father/mother/guardian (in special cases), after following the rules laid out in this Act, if a marriage is solemnised, then it will not be considered to be an offense under this Act."
Clearly this section has not mentioned any minimum age which is very problematic since by order of the court and with the parents' consent, a person of any age can be married off. As various case studies show, victims of this loophole are usually a young girl. A sadder reality is that, in many rural areas of the country, young girls are forced into marriages that last as long as they do not have a voice, regardless of any law. Although campaigns are carried out by way of advertisements in news channels, stories of girls facing violence post marriage are all too common. Hence, it is important that women are protected by way of laws that do not have loopholes.
Another threatening issue for South Asian countries is the gender gap. In 2018, Pakistan was ranked at 148 out of 149 countries, Nepal 105th, and India 108th in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index. While Bangladesh, has shown some remarkable progress and was ranked 48th, it is essential that in real terms, the difference between men and women as reflected in social attainments is reduced by proper execution of laws at hand. Otherwise, simply wearing purple and displaying placards to show how much we care about women, is nothing but a mockery.
Educating street children
STREET children constitute one of the most vulnerable and marginal groups in Bangladesh. "Street children" are essentially the boys and girls for whom the streets, unoccupied dwellings, wastelands etc., have become homes and/or sources of livelihood, and who are inadequately protected or supervised by responsible adults.
Government statistics, based on a survey by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, estimate the number of street children in Bangladesh to be around 380,000 -- of whom 55% are in Dhaka city. A little less than half of them (49.2%) are of the age group The major problems of street children are: Insecure life; physical and sexual abuse by adults of the immediate community; harassment by law enforcing agencies; no, or inadequate, access to educational institutions and healthcare facilities; and lack of decent employment opportunity.
The role of appropriate education for empowerment of children -- especially the disadvantaged groups like the street or working children -- has been unequivocally established. Article 17 of the Constitution of Bangladesh recognises the right to education for all -- including the disadvantaged children.
The National Plan of Action for Children (2005-2010) also clearly emphasises the urgent need for "education and empowerment." Along the same vein, the National Poverty Reduction Strategy of the country provides for education as a means of "empowerment of disadvantaged groups" -- including children.
Notwithstanding the above official rhetoric, and despite a growing recognition of their vulnerability and disadvantaged status, there have been strikingly limited efforts to improve the condition of street children -- especially by providing them with appropriate basic education. It will not be an exaggeration to note that this section of our society has largely remained outside the main ambit of developmental interventions.
Much to the relief of all those who want, and aspire, to see a better future for our street children, there have been a few encouraging, albeit limited, efforts to educate them through Open Air Schools (OAS). These schools are managed and administered by a number of national NGOs, mainly in metropolitan cities.
The schools are strategically located, covering the city-entry points and/or working places for street children, such as railway, launch and bus terminals, market places on riverbanks, busy city markets, parks, etc. The street school spots are typically acquired (often free of cost) from the community or relevant public authorities.
A typical school functions for two to three hours everyday for up to six days a week. School operating hours are decided so that they do not interfere with the working hours of the children. Prior to commencement of classes, the concerned staff (development workers, teachers) walk around the neighbouring area to identify newly arrived children and to invite regular children to classes.
The learning materials predominantly focus on various life skills related topics. To cite a typical example, the schools run by the NGO Aparajeyo Bangladesh use an open learning package that includes the following topics: Life skills, child rights, child labour, protection from sexual abuse and exploitation (including trafficking), creating dreams, keeping safe on the streets, dealing with the police, and HIV/AIDS/STI prevention. The idea is to create an educational foundation amongst the targeted children by blending pedagogical and practical life skills.
Based on my recent experience and interactions with a number of such schools (and the key stakeholders including school staff, children, representatives of the surrounding local communities), a number of problems can be identified regarding the contents and conduct of the life skills training and capacity development sessions imparted in the schools:
The mixed age groups of children make it difficult for the educators to respond to age-specific needs, maturity and queries. For very minor children (aged 6 to 10), for example, sessions on fairly technical topics (e.g. sexual abuse, arsenic contamination, legal issues of child trafficking) are not easily comprehensible.
The time of the training (2 to 3 hours including the time for rapport building) is considered insufficient by most educators.
Some terminologies and technical jargons used in the training sessions are not easily amenable to children's understanding.
The schools run on bare minimum logistics and facilities, and lack any protection from weather fluctuations in the rainy and winter seasons.
As the children hail from varied geographical locations and cultures, some staff noted that diversity and variations in language (including accents and dialects) sometimes make uniform conduct of training sessions difficult.
Some training materials are not in adequate supply. Use of audio-visual materials is strikingly limited.
In the OAS, ensuring and maintaining regular presence of the children, who often tend to be highly mobile and restless, is a huge challenge.
Although most educators/trainers have basic relevant training (to a varying degree), advanced training on teaching techniques and tools is clearly inadequate.
It may be relevant at this point to think about and furnish some clues on improving the effectiveness of the OAS campaign. Some such ideas include the following:
The training topics, session time, and contents need to be reviewed and analysed by appropriately qualified experts and practitioners in order to make them more consistent, comprehensible and adaptive to the specific age and intellectual development of the targeted children and the local context.
To ensure "age-content compatibility," some educators and trainers opined that the children may be divided into two groups -- up to 11 years of age, and 12 years and above.
The logistical requirements of the OAS should be reviewed.
A need assessment for all teachers and trainers should be carried out, and further training such as advanced training on teaching techniques (preferably tailor-made to the street children) and training of trainers may be considered.
The contents and mode of delivery of various training and capacity development initiatives should more clearly focus on (and lean towards) a "right-based approach" as distinct from mere philanthropic orientations.
As far as possible, the training contents and literature should use visual and pictorial materials as well as physical demonstrations, where applicable. Other experimental models of training and learning may provide valuable lessons in this regard. (The relevant materials developed by such institutions as CMES, Breaking the Silence, Fulki-Chittagong etc. may be consulted in this regard).
Along the same vein, the training methodologies used in these schools need to be reviewed by appropriately qualified experts. Emphasis may be given to use of learning by doing, mock sessions, and various illustrative tools.
The concerned staff should have systematic and regular consultations with the targeted children and community people before designing and/or implementing any training scheme, especially about its contents, time and location.
Female children should be given preference, or at least equal opportunity, in availing various skills development training.
The salience and topicality of education as a means of broad-based empowerment are now unequivocally established, both amongst the academics and the development practitioners. This observation is especially relevant for the street children as one of the most disadvantaged and marginal sections of the society. The OAS campaign, despite all the limitations, does offer some rays of hope. This interesting initiative deserves immediate attention from our policy planners, academics, and development practitioners.
An unconditional love for animals
Md Salim Hossain Sourav sold a five-storied building, his only property, to run the animal welfare organisation, Care for Paws, along with a few of his friends. The initiative started its journey in 2014, and three years later, it was registered by the government and enlisted as a non-profit organisation. An avid animal lover since childhood, Sourav got his first pets, Nadu the cat and Caesar the dog, in 2011.
"At many points in my life, people criticised me for my commitment to animal welfare and no one really came forward to help,” said Sourav. “Despite challenges, we are committed to investing in the protection of the lives of innocent animals.” Sourav, along with his friends Zahid Hossain, Kamal Choudhury, Mahinur Akter, Kohinur Akter and Nabila Basher, set out to become the voice of the voiceless.
'One of my two dogs passed away due to the lack of proper treatment,” Sourav adds. “I did not have enough money. No veterinarians agreed to treat my dog without money. Since then, I wanted to work for animals.” The Care for Paws shelter, first located in Mohammadpur, shifted to Keraniganj in 2018. In the shelter, there are 62 stray dogs and 42 stray cats, most of whom are injured.
“In most cases, the animals are injured by people, which breaks our hearts. We found two dogs from Mirpur who were burned alive. We were able to save only one of them,” says Sourav. “We often rescue tortured street cats. One time, we found a dog whose stomach was fully cut and whose intestine was out.” There are four permanent staff members in the shelter and three veterinarians who visit the animals weekly. These veterinarians are also available at the Care for Paws clinic in Zigatola, which is open for all. Sourav further adds that most doctors in the veterinary hospitals run by the government, are trained in how to treat cows and goats, but are not well-equipped when it comes to treating cats and dogs.
“I took the tough decision of selling my five-storied building so that we could carry on the activities of Care for Paws. But once I made the choice, I did not think twice,” explains Sourav. The shelter receives donations from pet lovers around the country who are connected to their Facebook page. But before having the shelter, Sourav kept the strayed animals in his own building for a long time. He held a full-time job as a banker but gave that up to start his own business so that he could give more time to the animals. Over the years, Sourav and his team have saved the lives of more than a thousand stray animals. “Cats and dogs are our priority. They are most commonly seen in the streets across Bangladesh and they depend on us,” explains Sourav. “We aim to prevent dog culling in many places. At the same time, we want to create awareness about vaccinations and sterilisations for animals.”
In Bangladesh, Care for Paws also became the first to introduce cancer treatment for dogs. Previously, euthanasia was the only solution to cancer. As of now, the organisation has 10 paid volunteers and 40 unpaid volunteers around the country. “Our future plan is to establish an around-the-clock healthcare service where anyone can avail treatment, based on emergencies,” asserts Sourav. “Besides that, we want to build our shelter homes and healthcare services in all the divisions and districts of Bangladesh.”
The pursuit of a dignified life
Giving away her hard-earned income to the destitute, Dil Afroze Khuki of Rajshahi chose a life of constant battles.
In her 60s now, she has been a newspaper hawker in the northern city for 30 years.
Khuki collects newspapers from agents near her home in the city's Seroil area, and walks the city's wide streets and narrow alleys.
Sometimes, she narrates personal stories and sometimes discusses morality and life lessons -- as exemplified by great personalities including Socrates, Girish Chandra Sen and Begum Rokeya -- with strangers.
When she comes across someone, particularly women, in need, she extends a helping hand. She often lends money, but never claims interest. She is not known to lie.
Khuki's pursuit of a self-reliant, dignified life rarely receives appreciation. Many call her "insane" for her ramblings on values and morality, and her seemingly carefree attitude.
"Being born is easy, but living life is difficult. Life is like a boat that has to find a shore," she says rhythmically, as if she was reciting a poem.
"I'm a candle that doesn't know when it will be put out," she says.
She says she sells newspapers to people -- most of whom mistreat her.
"How miserable is the life that's dependent on others!" she says, adding, "I sustain myself by selling newspapers. Is it dishonourable? How am I offending anyone?"
Born into a well-off family, Khuki's life could have been different.
According to family members, Khuki is 10th among seven sisters and five brothers. She attended Bharateswari Homes boarding school in Tangail in the 1980s, and was married off, widowed at an early age.
Her husband's untimely death came as a shock and Khuki decided not to remarry.
In 1991, she started working as a newspaper hawker by selling the now defunct Rajshahi-based weekly Duniya.
Ahmed Shafi Uddin, a retired official of Rajshahi University was the helmsman behind the weekly. He recalled how Khuki got started as a hawker.
Khuki's brother-in-law Abdul Aziz took her to meet Shafi Uddin -- looking for a job for her at the weekly.
"She was in her 20s. I could not find a job for her, as she didn't know how to write. I asked them to go home and joked that I couldn't find her any other job besides that of a hawker," he said.
"A few days later, Khuki came to me and insisted for the job of a hawker. We were worried about her but she overcame all the hurdles. She started with 20 copies, and in no time was selling 500 copies a week. Gradually, she began selling daily newspapers," he said.
"She was well-mannered and well-versed. Subscribers liked her," he added.
"Sadly, she had to endure repeated harassment and assaults," Shafi Uddin said.
Jamiul Karim Sujon, former president of the city's newspaper hawkers' association, said Khuki sells over 300 copies of newspapers every day now.
"She sold more before. Now, because of wider access to internet and digital news, the demand for newspapers is on the wane. She buys newspapers with cash, never leaves anyone unpaid. She denies handouts if offered. Rather, she tries to help out whoever is in need," he said.
This correspondent met Khuki at Sagarpara area recently while she was resting on a footpath.
She said she inherited properties from her parents and husband.
She bought sewing machines and bicycles for several young women and their husbands, and regularly donated to orphanages, mosques and temples.
She has helped a number of families become self-reliant by buying them cattle.
She took this correspondent to her home in Seroil area -- a one-storey building with three rooms, surrounded by a wall covered in weeds.
Her room looked like it hadn't been cleaned in days. Hundreds of empty plastic bottles were strewn about and there was dirt on her bed and in her living room.
Khuki showed old, laminated photographs, bringing them out from a steel almirah.
In one photograph, she was receiving a bouquet; in another, she was addressing a rally -- glimpses of her life in the 1990s.
She buys food from street vendors, Nahid Akter Tania, a neighbour said.
"She has none to look after her. Most of her neighbours are her relatives, yet they never cared for her enough," she said, adding that Khuki has been offered assistance but refuses to accept.
Locals said some of Khuki's relatives tried to deprive her from her inheritance, but the locals helped her secure her ownership to her home. They mentioned attempts to grab her home.
When contacted, Khuki's nephew Shams-ur Rahman denied the allegations.
He said, "She is an embarrassment to the family. She doesn't like being assisted, and neighbours get the impression that the family is not helping her. It is the family who takes care of her when needed."
Khuki says her last wish is to be buried in Kushtia -- where she spent some of her fondest childhood years with her family -- and wants to leave her properties to orphans and students of the school she went to in that district town, but says she doesn't know how she would ensure that.
God
A tiger kept prowling around a village, and naturally, the people became frightened. The cows, the calves and even men were mauled to death by the tiger. Then everyone killed the tiger with sticks, spears, lances, and guns. But when one was gone, another one came. At last, the people prayed to God,
“God, Please, protect us from the tiger.”
God replied, “Okay.”
A moment later, the tiger made a complaint to God, “Men have inflicted torture on us. We have been running away in terror from one forest to another. The hunter always chases us. Please, save us from them.”
God said, “Sure.”
Right then, Nera's mother sent a prayer, “Oh father, give my son, Nera, a beautiful bride. Please, Lord! I will make offerings of sirni (sweets) worth five paisa to you.”
God said, “All right.”
Harihar Bhattacharya was going to court to file a lawsuit against his nephew. He said to God, “My Lord, I have been performing puja all my life. See how frail I've become due to fasting. I want to teach him a good lesson. Please, God, support me.”
God Said, “Okay.”
Shushil will sit for the exams. Every day he prayed to God, “Lord, make me pass the exams.” Today, he confided in God, “If I can get the scholarship too, I will feed the poor.”
God said, “Fine.”
Haren Purakayastha wished to be the chairman of the District Board. He requested God via Kali and a priest, “I need eleven votes!” Having received an honorarium, the priest irked God by pronouncing erroneous Sanskrit mantra.
God hurriedly said, “Okay, Okay.”
Farmers cried, “Make the rain fall.”
God said, “Yes, yes.”
A mother of a sick child pleaded to God, “He's my only child. Please, Lord, don't take him away from me.”
God said, “All right.”
An elderly woman, aunt Khenti, from next door complained to God about the same mother, “Hey Creator, she is an arrogant woman. Wearing new Jewelry she swells like a turkey. You have done a great job by making her child suffer. Punish her a little more.”
God said, “Oh.”
A yogi said, “God, I want to unravel your mystery.”
God said, “Indeed!”
The Chinese implored God, “Defend us from the Japanese.”
God said, “Sure.”
A novice writer from Bangladesh told God, “No editor publishes my write-ups. I long to publish them in the Probasi. Tell Ramananda Babu to be kind to me.”
God said, “Yes, sure.”
When God finally had a chance, he whispered to Brahma who was sitting next to him, “Do you happen to have pure mustard oil?”
Brahma said, “Yes, but why?”
God replied “I need it. Can I borrow some?”
Brahma nodded.
As soon as the mustard oil came from Brahma's abode, God pinched some and poured it into his nostrils and fell into a deep sleep.
He has been sleeping ever since.
Economy & Society During the Pandemic
**Acknowledgement:**
At the beginning I would like to thank to my course teacher Dr. Samina Luthfa who inspired me to do the study. Then I'll also be thankful to my elder brother Mostofa Kamal who helped me a lot to complete such an important study. I also gathered data from website so, I also want to be grateful to websites.
**Objectives of the study:**
To analyze the consequences of Corona Virus Pandemic
To analyze the influences of Corona virus in world economy, also my locality
To explore what paradigm from economic sociology we can use to explain economic activities before and after pandemic
To discuss the exact situation of Bangladeshi people in this Corona pandemic economy
**Abstract :**
This is a study about Economy And Society during a Pandemic. Throughout the study I tried to explain the corona virus pandemic and its influences on human beings and economy. As I am a resident of rural area, I completed the study depending on my locality's information.
'Coronavirus' is a new phenomenon of the world. It has become the most familiar and serious issue of throughout the world in a short time. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. After that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 10.3 million confirmed cases and over 5,71,570 deaths globally. It has also sparked fears of an impending economic crisis and recession. Social distancing, self-isolation and travelrestrictions have lead to a reduced workforce across all economic sectors and caused many jobs to be lost.Schools have closed down, and the need for commodities and manufactured products has decreased. In contrast,the need for medical supplies has significantly increased. The food sector is also facing increased demand due topanic-buying and stockpiling of food products. It has also affected lower class people greatly. Continuous lockdown and closing down off any kinds of institution like educational,political,organisational,economical etc institutions are also affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In response to this global outbreak, we summarise the socioeconomic effects of COVID-19 on individual aspects of the world economy.
**Introduction:**
'Corona Virus' indisputably this is the most familiar word throughout the world nowadays. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).
At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. That is why its sufferings are so much acute and the world is suffering from the disease constantly. The bad effects of Covid-19 are very much clear to us. As the whole world is powerless to the the disease, Bangladesh is not different.
Bangladesh witnessed its first official casualty from the Covid-19 coronavirus on March 8, 2020. Conducted in early April, this study looks at the impact of Covid-19 on the livelihoods of all walks of people of the whole country, specially urban low-income and lower middle-income people. The country is acutely suffering from Covid-19. On this study we will discuss the influences of coronvirus on all classes of people, economy, environment etc. We will also focus on the differences between the life people spent before coronavirus pandemic and the life spending after the pandemic. Then we shall try to explain the coronavirus pandemic bye using a paradigm from Economic Sociology.
**About Economy and Society:**
Economy and Society /Economic sociology is the study of the social cause and effect of various economic phenomena. The field can be broadly divided into a classical period and a contemporary one, known as "New economic sociology".
Economic sociology: mean a way of looking at the world that assumes that economic action is a form of social action; economic action is socially situated; and economic institutions are social constructions.The field’s core concerns as being the place in economic phenomena of personal interaction, the actions of groups and institutions, and norms and values.
As sociology arose primarily as a reaction to capitalist modernity, economics played a role in much classic sociological inquiry. The specific term "economic sociology" was first coined by William Stanley Jevons in 1879, later to be used in the works of Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Georg Simmel between 1890 and 1920.
**Impact of corona Pandemic on Society:**
The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications.
**A. Impact on Education:** The pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the widespread closures of schools and universities.As of 1 June 2020, globally, 1.2 billion learners (68.0 per cent of the world's total enrolled learners) were affected due to the education institute closure in 144 countries, according to UNESCO data. Bangladesh is no different. Since 17 March, all the educational institutes in the country have remained closed. Undeniably, the direct and most immediate impact of the Covid-19 on the education sector is the loss in learning opportunities. More than 36.0 million students (including 17.0 million in the primary) are now out of school.
**B.Impact on Lower-middle Income People:** Low income individuals are more likely to contract the coronavirus and to die from it. They suffer from the pandemic more than any walks of people. As Bangladesh is a poor country, there are a huge number lower class people and the also suffer a lot. Regular lockdown and quarantine may affect heavily on lower middle-income people.
**C.Impact on Religion:** The pandemic has impacted religion in various ways, including the cancellation of the worship services of various faiths. Many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have offered worship through livestream amidst the pandemic.
**D.Impact on Family Violence:** There are many reports of an increase in domestic violence and intimate partner violence attributed to lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Violence against women and children is on the rise in Bangladesh amid the COVID-19 lockdown, according to reports. Experts say a lack of social activities and financial pressures are increasing rifts within families.
**E. Impact on Older People:** Older people are particularly affected by COVID-19. They need special attention during the COVID-19 crisis, and their voices, opinions and concerns are important in formulating responses. But most of the elderly people are deprived of special attention in this pandemic.
**F. Impact on Agricultural Work:** Agriculture is also affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Ours is an agricultural country basically and for this reason we are affected so acutely from the pandemic.
The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to global trade, business. Bangladesh is equally affected by this contagion. Bangladesh will fall into a really difficult situation if the country remains locked down for a longer period. Here, a huge number of people live from hand to mouth. Consistent high growth has been unable to create sufficient jobs in the economy. Due to inequality of income and asset distribution, the advantages of higher GDP growth is not evident in society. Around 2 million workers in the industries will be affected by this. Around 4 million people are directly engaged with the RMG sector e.g. backward linkage industries, accessories and packaging factories and transportation sector. Recently, garment workers coming back to Dhaka amid the government-imposed shutdown and the risk of getting infected only revealed that due to disparity in wealth distribution these people are unable to stay at homes without work for their survival, thus, they are concerned much more about their job rather than Covid-19.
**Economic Activities During Pandemic in my Locality:**As mentioned above I am a resident of a rural village under Jhenaidah district. Jhenaidah's economy basically depends on agriculture. On the other hand, there are some small industries, garment factories etc. In my locality about two-thirds of the total population fully depend on agriculture, some have small business, some have handcraft, day labourer, some have govt. job. Our main target is to focus on the influences of corona pandemic on those people. Whereas the whole world is influenced by the pandemic, we are equally affected by the pandemic. Every classes of people are harmed by the pandemic. Now we wil see how the people are affected by the pandemic on by one.
**A.Agricultural Work:** An average of 90% of the total populations in my locality are basically involved in agriculture directly or indirectly. Agriculture is here like a regular buddy. The people of this area were spending there lives depending on agricultural work and also its income. But the sudden outbreak of coronavirus pandemic has influenced there lives and agriculture negatively. Coronavirus pandemic has frightened the ordinary people deeply. People are very cowed for the sudden pandemic. Almost sixty percent people don't know how the coronavirus was spread throughout the world. They became little bit anxious when they acquainted with the situation of deathful pandemic. The ordinary people don't know what should they do at the circumstances. They are afraid of doing agricultural work in there lands at this time.
On the other side, lockdown has affected there lives very seriously. Price of all the commodities is increased as a result of long lockdown and banned of public transport. A total one and half month of lockdown swallowed there accumulated wealth. They have lost their money to buy fertilizers and insecticides. Some days ago the farmers have their 'marsh rice' but they didn’t get the fair price of their harvests. As a result of their poverty as well as long lockdown they did not have any alternative way. They were forced to sell their harvest at a cheap price. Last of all I want to say that the pandemic has brought a grief to my locality's people.
**B.Day Labourer Work:** Fifty percent of the total population of my locality are day labourers. They live their lives hand to mouth. If they do not go out for work one day, they can not afford their family. Now unexpected outbreak of coronavirus pandemic has affected their lives too. How will they afford their regular consumption of the family? Who will take their responsibility? Although government is trying to offer grants, it is not possible to offer grants all of the day labourers family. Govt. is trying as much as possible but there is another word 'Corruption' that is very familiar and popular in Bangladesh. Are the labourers getting donation really? Surely they don't because of unworthy political leaders of our country. Many participants donate for poor but our political leaders consume those illegally. We have seen many circumstances some days ago. Many UP chairmen of our country did this kind heinous activity.Day labourers of my locality are spending an unfortunate life at this coronavirus pandemic.
**C. Small Business:** There are small number of small businessmen in my locality. By small business I mean grocery shop, raw materials shop, rice shop,tea stall etc. Coronavirus pandemic has affected there lives. Full or partial lockdown, the idea of restarting economic activities is becoming the foremost concern. For localities like ours, it is the small businesses already bearing most the brunt of the pandemic that are likely to struggle hard to somehow survive. It is becoming impracticable to survive due to long period of lockdown and shutting down of their shops. They remained closed their shops during lockdown as govt. advised. But the only income source of these people was their small business. They lost the source also because of coronavirus pandemic. Though they got permission to open their shops in a limited of the day, business is not same as before of coronavirus pandemic. Prices of all commodities were increased and selling decreased. At this time they are in an anxious situation. On the other hand,owners of tea stall are in more danger than grocery shop. We know that those who sell tea are very poor generally. So,this is more difficult to survive at this pandemic than other small businessmen. Coronavirus pandemic has brought a burden to these kind of poor people.
**D. Govt. Job:** A little number of people of my locality have govt job like primary school teacher,high school teacher.They are different from other people of my locality because financial facilities. Although govt job holders do not have duty of their nowadays , they are getting their salaries timely. Their salary is enough to survive in this pandemic. Those who have govt job are less affected by the coronavirus pandemic than others.
**Garment Workers:** There is a garment in my locality named Maiya Sweater Mill where approximately ten thousands people work. Most of the workers are woman in general. These women were enough empowered by working in this garment. They had a income source at least. But sudden outbreak ofcoronavirus pandemic has deprived this also. My won widowed sister was also a worker of the garment factory. At the end of the month a little amount was being added to our family at least. But this was stopped as a result of coronavirus. There are many people whose only source of income was garment. After the lockdown and closing down all the factories they had to face a critical situation.
**E. Handcraft:** There are also a number of people who survive their lives depending on handcraft work in my locality. But sudden outbreak of coronavirus pandemic has affected their lives roughly. Long period of lockdown and shutting down of markets have harmed them irreplaceably. They lost their only way of earnings because of this pandemic. A class of my locality live their lives by building citygold ornaments. They were forced to leave the work as a result of lockdown. By losing their work they are living a miserable life nowadays life now. Here is an example of their work,
**What Paradigm from Economic Sociology We can Use to Explain Economic Activities Now and Before Pandemic:**
This study is about which paradigm can explain economic activities during a pandemic like coronavirus There are three major paradigm in sociology namely Functionalism, Conflict theory and Symbolic Interactionism.
To explain economic situations after and before coronavirus pandemic we can use conflict theory. Karl Marx is recognised as the father of conflict theory. According to conflict theory, higher class is benefited by lower class. Conflict theory shows that society is in a state of perpetual conflict because of competition for limited resources. We can notice this all around our society during this pandemic. The ongoing lockdown, which has crippled the economy for more than a month and sparked unprecedented distress, has turned the so-called lower middle class into the new poor identities of the society. Low-income people are affected by the pandemic more seriously than a upper class people. Those who had little income to afford their family many of them lost their income source too as a result of coronavirus pandemic. This is very hard to live their lives at the situation. But we can see opposite scene too. The pandemic hasn't been bad for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic may have pushed the world economy into a tailspin, with 2020 projected to be worse than any of the years since the global financial crisis. But billionaires, at least a select group of them across countries, have seen their wealth soar during the past three months. Rich people and capitalists who have higher income source and have abundant wealth are totally different from those lower class people. They don't have any problem at this time and are capable enough to survive. Despite the pandemic, some billionaires are becoming richer. Here is an example of the differences between the haves and have-nots.
We also can notice that upper class people are getting health facilities during this pandemic. This can also be an example of conflict theory. Many poor people think that coronavirus is gifted by god and this is not on their hand. They believe in their luck. Despite the critical period of coronavirus some people will get extra facilities for coronavirus pandemic. A class of people will be richer than they were before the pandemic.Some people will think only about their benefit.
Comparison the Society Between Before and After the Pandemic:
With COVID-19 infections now evident in 213 countries, the pandemic is the most significant threat to humanity since the second world war. The COVID-19 outbreak contains widespread effects on rural economies across the country. This disease is affecting all aspects of rural society, both directly when people from rural communities fall ill, but also because of the social distancing restrictions that are in place to limit the progress of the disease. It is affecting household incomes and rural businesses in every sector of Bangladesh’s diverse rural economies, as well as charitable and community organisations. We notice huge differences between society before coronavirus pandemic and after the pandemic. There have been many changes as a result of coronavirus pandemic.
A total of 63 per cent of such population, including day laborers,transport workers, agriculture laborers, construction and factory workers, petty businessmen, shop assistants and rickshaw pullers became economically inactive during the time.The pandemic will be especially damaging to poorer and more vulnerable communities within many countries, highlighting the risks associated with rising inequality.The severity of the impacts depends on how long the pandemic lasts, and the national and international response of governments.
**Recommendations:**
The Covid-19 pandemic has thus far spread to 213 countries and regions of the world, significantly affecting the global economy. Since the virus has been growing exponentially, even the developed countries have been unable to contain its spread. As a result, people are dying in the affected areas at an alarming rate. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world, however, to our concern, the healthcare facilities in the country are too limited to serve its 160 million-plus population. If we look at the sector-wise resource distribution of operating and development budget for the fiscal year 2019-20, we would see the health sector has received merely 4.9% of the total allocation.
Meanwhile, the education and technology sector has received 15.2% allocation which is more than 3 times higher than the health sector allocation. Due to poor investment in healthcare infrastructure nationwide and scarcity of medical equipment i.e. testing kits, and doctors to combat Covid-19, the government is passing a very hard time.
In concrete terms, what can be done? Access to sick leave, unemployment benefits, and health benefits is useful for all in dealing with the effects of the pandemic but particularly so for poorer segments of society who lack a savings cushion and are thus living hand-to-mouth. The government should act promptly to allocate further resources to healthcare infrastructure development to tackle this pandemic. Till now, there is no vaccination for this virus. Thus isolation and lockdown are the only means to stop the spread of this deadly virus. The higher growth and increased per capita income have benefitted a small group of rich people much more than the much greater number of poor people. Now its the time for the government to think about this crucial issue and chalk out a long-term plan to minimise the disparity between the rich and the poor.Policymakers must use the opportunity to make fundamental changes so that when future shocks inevitably occur, including for example from the effects of climate change, societies have in place risk-sharing and social assistance mechanisms that will protect the most vulnerable much better than they do today.
**Conclusion:**
This is a study about coronavirus pandemic in my locality and its effects on economy. In this full study we tried to explain the impact of coronavirus on economy and how it affect our lives.
Labelled as a black swan event and likened to the economic scene of World War Two , the outbreak of COVID-19 (the disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCOV-2)) has had a detrimental effect on global healthcare systems with a ripple effect on every aspect of human life as we know it. Sohrabiet al. highlighted the extent of the outbreak with the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the COVID-19 outbreak as a global emergency on January 30, 2020 . In a response to ‘flatten the curve’, governments have enforced border shutdowns, travel restrictions and quarantine in countries which constitute the world's largest economy.
Memories of childhood were the dreams that stayed with you after you woke❤️
10 Ways Women Should Take Care of Their Health Always
A home is not a home without ‘Women’. They are the core part of the family. As a woman, you are a wife, sister, daughter, mother. You play different roles to fulfil the needs of family members. Throughout the day, you’re too busy and focused on taking care of them. And for you, it’s a common thing to push your needs and wishes on your to-do list. Finding ‘me’ time is like next to none in your busy schedule. Sounds something familiar? If you want to take care of others, you must care for yourself first. This International Women’s Day, inculcate below 10 ways to take care of your health and thank yourself every day. The bad news is: little hard to follow and the good news is: these activities will really make a difference in your daily life.
Contents
1. Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#1-eat-healthy-stay-healthy
2. Tone-Up with Yoga https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#2-tone-up-with-yoga
3. Enough Sleep ZZZZs https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#3-enough-sleep-zzzzs
4. Keep Moving https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#4-keep-moving
5. Say No to Sugar & Salt https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#5-say-no-to-sugar-salt
6. Hydrate Yourself https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#6-hydrate-yourself
7. Manage Your Stress https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#7-manage-your-stress
8. Gift Yourself a Spa Treatment https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#8-gift-yourself-a-spa-treatment
9. Spoil Yourself by Travelling https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#9-spoil-yourself-by-travelling
10. Regular Health Check-up https://www-medlife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.medlife.com/blog/10-ways-women-take-care-health-womens-day/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#10-regular-health-check-up
1. Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy
Are you the one who heaps food? Stop doing so because unknowingly you are increasing your caloric intake. So, eat the right amount of fruits and vegetables as it can increase your metabolism and give a healthy life. It is advisable to control your meal portions. Switch to three meals and two snacks a day program and try to include more calcium in your diet. Calcium not only protects against bone thinning but also reduces the significance of PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome).
2. Tone-Up with Yoga
Redefine your beauty with Yoga and Meditation. Relax your mind by simply focusing on your breath with easy Yogasanas. This will establish a sense of calm, peace and balance. Also, assist in controlling heart diseases.
3. Enough Sleep ZZZZs
A good sleep is like fuel which runs your body and mind. So, get at least 8 hours of sleep. Think sleep as your long-term investment as it is going to contribute to your mental and physical wellbeing. Try to not rely on pills for sleeping.
Read more: **Why Women Need More Sleep** https://www.medlife.com/blog/2017/03/women-need-sleep/
4. Keep Moving
Walking is an excellent way to burn calories and it boosts blood flow in the body. According to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, women who walk at least 6000 steps a day on an average reduce their risk of heart stroke and dementia by 20%. So, move as much as you can and gift yourself an active life.
5. Say No to Sugar & Salt
Cut down the amount of sugar and salt from your food. Studies show that these two evils are mostly associated with the risk of weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease and others.
6. Hydrate Yourself
Revitalize your mind and body with the regular intake of water. It is advisable to drink 7-8 glasses of water. Stick to this rule to improve digestion and overall health. Bored of normal water intake? Try lemon and honey water, natural juices, green tea, coconut water or water-rich fruits to keep yourself hydrated.
7. Manage Your Stress
Just do what you enjoy every day to slow down your stress level. It might be dancing, listening to music, cooking, reading, chatting with your friends, painting or watching movies. Counting to 10 can also ease stress and help to improve your mood.
8. Gift Yourself a Spa Treatment
Pamper yourself with a Spa treatment and enjoy looking your best at all times. If possible, give yourself a new look from head to toe. It would definitely make you look and feel great about yourself.
9. Spoil Yourself by Travelling
Plan a trip for yourself and spend quality time with your friends & family. This will lessen feelings of depression, anxiety & anger. It also helps to put aside your responsibilities and allows you to focus on the moment.
10. Regular Health Check-up
If you want to enjoy your life and achieve goals, then it is important to have a good health. Listen to your body and accordingly schedule your health appointments. Keep a track of your **health check-ups** and cut down your healthcare cost. Start by opting for women health package worth Rs. 1920 @ Rs. 1510 only from Medlife (T&C Apply). This package includes 42 tests – Complete Hemogram, Diabetic Screen, Lipid Profile, Vitamin D Check and Hormone Profile. Lab samples are collected at doorstep and reports are delivered via email with 24-48 hours. https://www.medlife.com/labs.html
Remember, no one can care you better than you. Show some TLC to yourself because you deserve it and be there for your loved ones. Recharge your battery by doing what you love and of course, don’t forget to appreciate yourself!!
Barriers to Your Success.
Any human being lives in one or another social clan or environment. There are many people of different mentality live with him. And where there are more people, there are more opinions. And so there are two types of criticism that can come against your work, good or bad. But if you get angry or scared at someone's criticism, it will be difficult to achieve success. So if you want to succeed, build the mentality of listening or tolerating criticism first.
Coronavirus Pandemic has totally changed my way of life.
The most terrifying word of 2020 is **coronavirus**.
**Introduction**:
No one could have imagined before that such a disease could come to earth and destroy the whole world. The movement of the earth has completely changed due to coronavirus. The result has been a dramatic change in human life worldwide.
That is no exception in my case. Coronavirus has completely changed my life. The beautiful course of my life has come to a complete halt. I was studying in the second year of the **Department of Sociology at Dhaka University**. Our university has been completely closed since March 17, 2020 due to coronavirus. I was forced to leave the university and return to my village home. I used to live a very beautiful life in university. I had some way of earning, but I had to lose everything because of moving to my village. The negative aspects of coronavirus seem to fall entirely on me.Today I will try to discuss how the negative effects of coronavirus have changed my whole life.
**My pride is** being a member of a lower middle class family it was very much proudly for my family that I had the opportunity to study at the University of Dhaka, (which is one of the **best educational institutions in Bangladesh**). Everything was going well. But since the beginning of 2020, coronavirus has been spreading worldwide. And it has completely ruined my life. I had two scholarships and two tuitions from which I received a fairly good amount of money. With which income I was going through my varsity life quite independently. But step by step the trauma came into my life, and the first trauma was:
**Leaving my tuition:**
There was a descent amount of money coming from two tuitions. But due to coronavirus, the varsity hall was closed from March 17, 2020 and I had to leave the hall and move to the village. And today, till March 2, 2021, the university was closed and I could not join the tuition. There is no work in the village except eating and using the phone. My al sources of income was totally vanished . And it greatly affected my economic situation.
**My scholarship is closed:**
I also had been getting good money from scholarships. But because of coronavirus, my scholarship was discontinued in early 2020. Here, too, a catastrophic financial crisis came to life.
**Destruction of my Study:**
When I came home to the village, my studies stopped completely. But while I was in university, I had a study trend. This is also because of the pandemic. And today, until the second March of 2021, a whole year has been passed from my life without studying.
**Becoming Burden for my Family :**
Being a highly educated boy, I have been a cause of annoyance to family members for over a year at home.
**Distance between my friends & me:**
I haven't seen my friend for a whole year just because of the coronavirus. That also created a huge gap between us.
**Online class came to me as a curse:**
For coronavirus govt. asked the educational institutions to start online class. But it also had a negative impact on my life. Because I don't have the device to attend online classes. And because of not being able to attend regular online classes, I fell behind of my class mates.
**Conclusion:**
In addition to these, there are many other negative effects of coronavirus in my life that need a lot of time to discuss. But this is not the appropriate time to say.
So, here is the end of my discussion. I don't know how you took this article. I hope you will look at it with a forgiving sight if I make any mistake here.
Thank you very much.
My Dream as a New User on Read.Cash
In Read.Case, I have a dream to come true. I have heard that a lot of money can be earned from here. But cryptocurrency is not very well known in our country (Bangladesh) . But still I chose this subject because there is a lot to learn besides making money here. Hopefully I will get everyone's help. If I do something wrong please let me know. I will do my best to work honestly here. I will abide by all the rules of the Read.Cash. Now let's see how far I can go.
Love : An Invisible Power.
**Introduction:**
Love is one of the most powerful things in the world. 'The love' that everyone in the world is waiting for that whether it is an animal or an human beings. Human civilization survives for love. And the earth so on. But its absence caused widespread chaos in the world. Which is what we are realizing in the world now. The presence of love in the world can no longer be realized. Everyone thinks of his own perfection. Everyone is now thinking about how to grow up by keeping others down.But it should have been the opposite. We should all have shown an attitude of cooperation towards each other. But we are doing the exact opposite.
We can show lots of examples of this. Some examples are shown below:
**Rich are always rich :** The rich countries of the world are trying to get richer by thinking of their own interests. And the underdeveloped countries are falling further pressure of the rich countries. The same thing is seen in the upper class people of the society and also in the lower class people. The upper class always dominate the lower class. **Karl Marx’s' 'Division of Labours'** theory is another example of this.
**Nuclear power** is also an example of breaking the rules of love.
**Civil War** can be shown as same as the above reasons.
**Conclusion:**
If we want to see the world in a peaceful wsy, we must get rid of this curse. And that is possible only with love. Nothing else can bring this world back peacefully. Finally, I wish peace to the whole world. Hopefully soon the whole world will be peaceful again.
Mother's Love Goes Beyond Everything.
**Mom,** we know this sweet word in many ways. Sometimes she is pregnant, sometimes she is a mother and sometimes she is love. No matter how many synonyms there are for mother, motherhood has the same meaning, and that is all the peace of the world is imprisoned in one place. There is no limit to mother's love. This love has no shape. From the birth of a child to the death of a child, the person who raises all the love in her heart is the mother. And this mother is not told how much I love her.We don't have time to give her time. But her time is not lacking for us. Whether the child is eating or drinking properly, his studies, his work, the mother has a keen eye on all aspects of him. And we are late for any work of that mother. The love of mother remains dormant among us. And mother's love should be expressed in her every action. Only the mother has such a strange ability to love.It doesn't take a day or a month to love a mother. Mothers often think about their choices later. First think of the child's choice. It is our duty to respect the love of the mother. One day is too short for the mother who has been keeping us in her womb for ten months and ten days and showing us the light and air of this world. Even so, one day out of 365 days of the year can be dedicated to him. So be his partner in loving mother. You need a mother just as you are useless without the love of a mother. Mother's love is a blessing for the child. And the mother is the paradise of the child. Give your mother as much time as you can and tell her that 'I love you very much'.
@HumanBeing
