The lost diaspora

Mahmudur Rahman writes for DOT
It’s understandable to see the gleam of hope in the eyes of the sometimes uniformed sometime not streams that head for the oppressive conditions abroad on menial labour jobs. With no alternatives they’ll bet their hearth and homes for the privilege. But when it comes to the well disposed ones it is saddening. The supposed cream of the crop go to swanky universities jobs and then get lost in the frenetic fray. They’ll talk of all the inconveniences of Bangladesh overlooking their banal existence overseas as if it were heaven on earth.
Come winter they fly like birds to the mild winter of Bangladesh to meet their kindred and continue the bad mouthing. Any argumentation obviously loses out when it comes to public transport and basic services such as medicine and utilities. Patriotism is not a virtue ; neither is the vagueness of the twang that was picked up without the words in the right order. They find mirth in commenting on the social boisterousness that can lead to being misunderstood as rudeness. The many rude comments on the streets of New York and Chicago are never brought up in comparison. No that’s just not done. ‘How strange they don’t behave themselves’ just because everyone’s making a beeline to leave?’. The more stranger subject of these same peoples efforts resulting in the forex that goes to pay for tuition fees is of course not a point to be discussed.
‘You speak well, with a great accent’, said the young lady to this scribe. She was too young to understand those slighter elements can be picked up through an eager ear and a willing tongue. But even that was overdone by the other young man who just cannot take the decrepit nature of what society has become where even the private jobs require payments to get on to the payroll. Hence his eagerness to go abroad when he doesn’t nearly need to. Once there he will join the other crowd critical yet enthusiastic about what happens here no matter how lonely and machine like the existence over there.
Social engineering isn’t always a bad thing and it is here there must be focus to bring back the fun and merriment to life that was once ours till the British destroyed it for purposes of the grand design-the empire. It is an engineering that must take the best we have and be mounded so as to appeal to the new generation be it arts, literature and social activity. Clinging to the past has its benefits but at the end of it all its history. Otherwise that which we call diaspora won’t exist anymore-not the way we know it.
The writer is an author, columnist, communications specialist.