Children Park – a type of real social business

(example of MOON PARK & MOON HOUSE)

This was also published in The News Today 09 Dec 2010 and other blogs

http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=14376&date=2010-12-09

http://www.bdcomcn.com/English-Articles/children-park-a-type-of-real-social-business-of-moon-park-a-moon-house.html

 http://bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=343086  



Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, of Bangladesh while addressing the prize giving ceremony of a painting competition at Dhaka Osmani Smriti Auditorium on October 18, 2010, has directed the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to recover all the children’s parks in the capital. The prime minister, according to UNB Dhaka, vowed to establish a safe and prosperous Bangladesh for every child.

Yes, there is no doubt that concerned authorities would try their best to recover all government children parks, no matter how successful they would be to maintain and keep the campaign according to given directives from the highest executive of the government. But I, like many others, am little wondered as to how much those local influential illegal occupants have gone regarding places like Children parks too. There is no need to emphasize the requirement of children parks for the over all development of a total Children. Considering their importance’s, government did their parts and hopefully would continue doing the best in this regard always. But we being the brothers and sisters, parents and relatives, teachers and lovers of every child also got to think and do exactly in the same way as our Prime Minister thought and gave directives.

Because the government can not establish more and more children parks all of a sudden, and because we all also have the morale and social responsibilities too for all the children, so, we got to also do some thing, either individually or being in a group. We may think of taking following measures to ensure so that more and more children get the facilities of Children parks:

1. Authorities of schools and other educational institutions may consider establishing children parks at their own premises, no matter how small or big those could be. They should also ensure the proper maintenances of all existing children parks.

2. Those who, specially at rural area, can effort to make few items of children park at their own premises may also make such facilities available for their own and local children. There are few such items directly related to physical exercises which don’t need lot of space, cost or electricity. Besides, such can be made with collective efforts too. Some one may also think of making the same at their roof top at city location too. The idea is so that every child gets the minimum facilities of Children Park.

3. Many rich people of our society already have hundreds and thousands of “Farm Houses” (bagan bari in bengali pronunciation) of their own. Those are indeed their spare houses out side the city areas mostly for their personal leisure and pleasure. Of course I am not trying to say any thing against their farm houses, however, would like to humbly suggest so that they could also think of making those, whole or part of those, in to some thing like children park for the local children and thus allow local children to play there either free of cost or with little ticket money. We always talk about social responsibilities and social businesses. Arranging such facilities for the children could be one of the best social responsibilities. Again the concepts of social businesses often emphasized by our Noble Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus are known to the whole world and also widely discussed. So, from that point of view too, some token ticket money may also be charged from incoming children, however, the ticket fee got to be within affordable limit of those rural parents too.

Frankly speaking, I won’t suggest any of above if I won’t believe on those totally. I use to always think in the past about these children park facilities for our rural poor children. That is the reason I tried to establish two such children park at my own according to my personal interest, planning, limited economic capabilities and efforts. Spending my pension money, I have established one Children park named Moon Park at village PIRUJALI in General Area Hotapara, Gazipur. The area is near writer Humayun Ahmed’s Nuhash Polli and really green and comfortable in all seasons.

Well, for this case, I tried to establish and experiences by myself first and then now trying to suggest some thing for others too. It is said in the religion also that you try to do the same first before you suggest the same to others. When ever, I heard or read about the social businesses expressed by noble laureate Dr. Yunus, tried to think and identify as to how many types of social businesses could there be, specially for a country like Bangladesh? I also tried to think always as to what maximum social benefits can be offered with what minimum charges from different types of social businesses. Well, there can be many different types, but, for me, I have desired to do some thing related to children’s health, enjoyment, excitement, mental growth, physical exercise etc, and so thought of establishing one children park for them as part of so-well-discussed social business.

Now at this stage, being little encouraged by the noble directives of honorable prime minister of Bangladesh, I have only one aim of mentioning this as an example and that is, so that others who are interested may also establish such children parks at different parts of our country. Besides, those who are already having their Farm Houses (bagan bari) may also become interested as well as feel responsible to tern their those farm houses, part or whole, into children park for the local rural children and allow them to play either free of charge or with little token ticket money.

“Moon Park” is a small eco friendly green garden which is also used for picnic or outing spot for those city people who may afford to rent it and be interested to enjoy the green nature as part of their rest and refreshment. However, the focus is always given to the local children’s playing and that is why the word “park” is associated with it’s name. Any one may be wondered to know that a local child may visit and play at Moon Park with only taka ten ($ US 10 cents only) per person. The Moon Park was inaugurated on 14 April 2010 (pohela boishak) through arrangement of boishakhi mela (local fair organized on the bengali new year) where all the incoming children along with their parents, friends and relatives were allowed to go inside and play with free of charge. Surprisingly the total presence on that very single day crossed the figure 2500 (almost 100% children of that general area) which really proved in my mind that, yes, our children really need such facilities. I also felt very comfortable inside for being able to make one such park for our rural children. The smiling faces of our rural deprived children are still in my memories, pictures of which can also be shared by readers from below web link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/113734232071731875096/MoonPark#

“Moon House” is also another such place, same eco friendly garden with children park facilities where children can not only play but also see life birds and fishes. No matter how many facilities children are enjoying inside but only taka 30 ($ US 40 cents only) is charged per person. It is designed to be a real safe house for the playing of children and that is why the word “house” is associated with it’s name.

It may be mention that the eco friendly green gardens of both Moon Park and Moon House are also attracting foreigners and as such contributing to the tourism in Bangladesh too. Hope the scope of tourism in this sector would also increase in future.

I hope both Moon Park and Moon House would be able to contribute for children’s playing in the long run as part of social businesses in real sense. I also hope that many other persons having similar feelings like me would also try to do some thing better for our children which are so necessary for their total development. Children would carry us forward, they are our future hopes and so we must do our best to do best for them.

For those who may be interested to know about Moon House and Moon Park for their picnic or outing purposes may also brows below web link:

http://www.moonhousemoonpark.com/

 email: moonhouse.moonpark@gmail.com,

A Screenshot of the Talk Show called Tritio Matra

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;”

What can I say more than that? Far from my mother land I try to type some words on my note book. Recently I was monitoring some talk shows on the forth coming election in Bangladesh on a few Bangladeshi channels and noted some anomalies. The roll of media in Bangladesh seems a bit funny to me.

One of them is Channel I which airs a popular Talk Show called Tritio Matra. The host Zillur Rahman is a renowned Dhaka elite. Bangladeshi elites (Shusheel Samaj) are the 8th wonders of the world. Now who are these elites?

During the liberation war (1971) there were some notable intellectuals in Bangladesh, who augmented the cause of Bangladesh and some of them were able to escaped the wrath of the Pakistani and collaborator forces. They had representations in every part of the society and were very much near and dear to the people. Some of them explicitly dedicated their life for country. Their successors and the contemporary intellectuals had a dream for a secular and progressive Bangladesh. I can mention few names such as Kabir Chowdhury, Hassan Imam, Dr Nilima Ibrahim, Samsur Rahman, Begam Sufiya Kamal, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury and the list goes on. They fought for their Principle and rights without any compromise all through their lives. But they were countered by the reactionary forces and very often they were labeled as “Awami Intellects”.

In course of time a few of them already reached the end of their lives and the nation lost some valuable assets. Some of them like Humayun Azad was the target of fanatics because they had progressive thoughts. I am sorry to say we have not got eligible successors of them, probably they retracted out of fear. Instead, we got some compromising, power monger, rootless and people of double standard, who are now known as the elite class of Bangladesh. You will see their re presentation in almost every forum now.

A chunk of editors, retired army officers, barristers, business men, some rootless politicians, media celebrities have formed a big syndicate. Over the top they are getting support of a portion of Non resident Bangladeshi who have the fatal attraction for a non elected regime and backing of some ambassadors of some influential countries.

Coming Back to Zillur Rahman’s popular Talk show, suddenly I have found some funny kind of characters are appearing at his program. One so called businessman from Qatar, who tried to get nomination from one political party but failed, simply was slumming politicians indiscriminately and have made funny comments about the father of the nation on a free style manner. Zillur was also fueling on the fire.

Our elites are very often teaching us lesson of democracy. Some times they forget that “the people of the country know their need more than the elites”.

In the last few days there were much brouhaha about Arafat Rahman’s scandal in a Singapore Bank, which was exposed by the Anti Corruption Commission in Bangladesh. This news is making big head lines in the newspapers.

My question to the Anti Corruption Authority is, “why they chose this particular time before the election for this investigation? Were they sleeping the last two years?”

The Bangladesh media is a champion to show their allegiance to the party in power. They can also predict which party can come to power and try to show their faithfulness by going some extra miles. Some Journalists have already started to cash on Arafat issue to be near to Awami League even by resorting to some false reporting.

Over the top the High Court is giving verdict against the Election commission (EC) to include detained leaders in the polls. Now the election commissioner was seen showing emotional reactions to the media on these decisions of high court. In fact he had found ways to voice his frustrations without showing contempt to court.

But our so called Elites are silent on these issues. I don’t know if I ever will see a sane political process in Bangladesh but for now most of the so called Bangladesh elites seem to have a moral bankruptcy.