RELATIONSHIP

Up to 1964, we lived in Bangladesh at a place called Chuadanga. It was then known as East Pakistan.

I used to study in Goethals with a student Visa that allowed me stay continuously for a whole year.

There were about hundred marwari families and we were very close to each other.Although very few of us were related, we used call each others as if we were a family

The names we gave to each other are given below.

ENGLISH	HINDI	BENGALI	RELATION
Uncle	Mama	Mama	Mother’s brother
Uncle	Mausa	Meso	Mother’s sister’s husband
Uncle	Phupa	Peese	Father’s sister’s husband
Uncle	Tau	Jetha	Father’s Elder brother
Uncle	Chacha	Kaka	Father’s younger brother
Aunt	Mami	Mayima	Mother’s brother’s husband
Aunt	Mausi	Masima	Mother’s sister
Aunt	Bhua/Phuphi	Peesima	Father’s sister
Aunt	Tai	Jethi	Father’s elder brother’s wife
Aunt	Chachi	Kakima	Father’s younger brother’s wife
Grandfather	Dada	Thakurdada	Father’s father
Grandfather	Nana	Dadu	Mother’s father
Grandmother	Dadi	Thakurma	Father’s mother
Grandmother	Nani	Deeda	Mother’s mother
Brother-in-law	Shala	Shala	Wife’s brother
Brother-in-law	Jeth	Bhasur	Husband’s elder brother
Brother-in-law	Devar	Dadabhai	Husband’s younger brother
Brother-in-law	Saru	Sarubahi	Wife’s sister’s husband
Sister-in-law	Bhabi	Baudi	Elder brother’s wife
Sister-in-law	Jethani	BaraJa	Husband’s elder brother’s wife
Sister-in-law	Dev Rani	Choto Ja	Husband’s younger brother’s wife
Sister-in-law	Nanad	Didibhai	Husband’s sister

This is so different than the neutral method by which the English language gives to its relatives.
The Indian system gives us warmth, which is missing in the English language.
People have used brevity in human relations but where brevity is required, they have maintained a divide.
Thus the ONE GOD is known by different name by different religions

Christians	Christ
Muslims	Allah
Hindus	Ishwar
Sikhs	Wahe Guru
Budhists	Lord Budha
Jains	Lord Mahavir
Communists	Self

What I write now is not for communists, as they do not believe in God.
They believe in Self Aggrandizement at the expense of fellow human beings.
Remember, “Four legs good, two legs bad” of Animal Farm.
But why can’t the other’s realize that we are all sons of ONE GOD.
Why do the Christian’s feel that their God is superior and have a duty to convert the rest of the human race to Christianity for them to achieve salvation?
Why do the Muslims feel that theirs is the one true God and Mohammed is his disciple and all the other’s are Kafirs?
Oh, why can’t people let the people live as they were born?
Improve their lot selflessly without any strings attached.
Each religion has its warts.
The Christians have Catholics and Protestants.
The Muslims have the Shias and Sunnis.
The Hindus have the abominable caste system.
This was originally made on the basis of professional capability of a person.
Interested politicians converted it to basis of birth system.
Being educated and rational, the English speaking and European nations have worked out a system whereby both Catholics and Protestants live harmoniously.
Being uneducated and lead by the nose by unscrupulous politicians and Mullahs, the Hindus and Muslims suffer.
The Muslims suffer because of this Shia / Sunni divide, every now and then.
As a matter of fact, whole nations have been divided on this basis.
Their mullah who has an interest in keeping his flock together rules the Muslims.
So he keeps them uneducated by teaching him only religion at his madarassa.
No relevant education, which will make him suitable to earn a living, is taught to the students.
He keeps an iron grip on his people and maintains the Shia Sunni divide so that his importance is maintained.
Just like the Brahmin’s of Hindus.
He controlled every aspect of his flock’s life.
When to eat, what to eat and on what days to eat.
Where to go, what time to go, which direction to go, which leg to put out first when you leave home.
Where to live, which direction your home drawing room, bedroom, and bathroom should face. Where you should keep water, which side should your entrance be from. We call it Vastu and the Chinese call it Feng Shui.
What days he should or should not shave.
What days he should enter Kolkata or travel north, south, east or west.
What days or season to marry or whom to marry and what Gotra to marry into.
What you have to do when you are born or die on certain days or under certain stars? Of course when you die, your relations do it.
One of our heroes of the Mahabharat waited a whole six months before dying, as he wanted to die when the sun was in the Uttarayan (Northern Hemisphere).
What the Brahmins started is now being continued by politicians like Laloo Yadav, Mulayam Singh and others who have an interest in continuing the caste system, to maintain their vote banks.
When will human beings start thinking of others as their own brothers, from the One God, instead of canon fodder to be used to advance their own selfish motives?
We have just seen the punishment that God metes out when we allow our selfish motives to overtake us.
Pakistan exported terrorism first to Afghanistan through the Taliban to fight the Soviet Union.
The Taliban became so arrogant that they even destroyed the ancient Buddha statues at Bamiyan in March 2001
They again attacked the USA on 9th September 2001.
The Hand of God gave an immediate reprisal through Bush, who attacked Afghanistan within a month
Bush could not eliminate the Taliban but now the Frankenstein turned on its master and started creating havoc in Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto is the second victim.
We don’t know how many will follow.
By the way, I don’t understand why there is so much sympathy for the Bhutto family.
It was Bhutto who massacred democracy when he refused to transfer power to Mujibur Rehman
when Mujibur won the elections and which finally resulted in Bangla Desh breaking away from Pakistan..
The hands of God grind slowly but surely.
Those who dig ditches for others are the first to fall into them.

Radheshyam