[Author: Humayun Ahmed. (Deceased) Translation by Fenir Roy]

This work is dedicated to our beloved author Humayun Ahmed. I want his works to spread internationally. I am merely a translator who wants no profit. 

This preface is vital and if not for that I wouldn't have sat around idly clarifying the start of this story. You will before long discover why the prologue to this story conveys significance.

Before I start, I might want to advise you that this story has been deciphered straightforwardly from my language. The translation has been done in such a way that the artistic style of the composing style stays unaltered. By doing this, you will actually be able to appreciate the distinctive taste of writing in my language. The sort of literature in my language is much different than the kind of writing in English literature. Thus, I tried to preserve the authenticity of the writing style. This taste might be your decision. However, the style in which you will peruse here is more famous in our country. This style of writing is the opposite of flowery writing. Too simple.

When it comes to taste and style, let's talk about the overall technology and improvement position of the environment here. Being an underdeveloped country, this country is still behind in the 1900s / 1800s. A lot of things are done in the style of the old days. Only lately the use of internet and smartphones has become common. Even then, in terms of mentality, it is still in those old days. You will feel as if you are in the Middle Ages, the only difference is that there is internet. In other words, in the environment of this story, you will find a strange combination of the medieval age, 1900 and the present.

So how about we get directly to the central concern without overstating. My name is Fenir. I live in a country that is presumably unique in relation to the universe of your country because the nation is a lot smaller in size and the number of inhabitants in the nation is more than the complete populace of Russia. Yet, this nation resembles a minuscule province. 

In this nation of enormous populace, the quantity of bums, criminals and con artists is more. The explanation is that unemployment is an issue that is practically inconceivable for the public authority to dispense with. Besides, the public authority of this nation is practically similar to the authoritarian arrangement of tragic culture.. There is only one difference, and that is we have just two political groups instead of one dictator and the both parties are corrupt. Ah yes, the agony of choice! 

On the off chance that some other party tries to come, the two groups together annihilate it in its early embryonic state. A large portion of individuals in the nation's attempt to engage in political exercises since this is the most ideal approach to bring in cash and to get an assurance from police brutality. The fundamental justification for this is nepotism in this country. 

 

For an example, lockdown in the whole country today. My friend Omer and I went to the shop to buy the essential goods. After going there, I saw Omar cleverly buying a pastry cake. He didn't even tell me. Other times I would try to get a share of the food, but today I was anxious. The reason was lockdown. There was no guarantee that the police would cause trouble. Although the government has allowed the citizens to purchase emergency supplies for a specific period, there is no guarantee of our safety..

 Usually what they do is they take people in and demand bribery for freedom. Of course, anyone can take the help of a lawyer if they want, but then the police will file a case in your name. And getting out of the case filed by the police is a lot of trouble.

If they get too angry, they can cause a lot more trouble, including filing a false lawsuit.

So anyway. I told Omer,

"What are you doing, dude? Is it time to do this? The police can arrive and cause trouble at any time. "

 

"Hey, they won't come. Let it be like playing a bet. It'll be fun. Let's see if the police arrive or not. And if I can finish before they come. "

"Seriously? Is it the time to have such fun? If the police arrive, we will be in dire straits. "

The police arrived before the sentence could be finished. The police caught one person. But that person is not me. That person is not Omer. He's the shopkeeper. 

Omer is even going after him to pay for the pastry. I was like "what the hell?".

The man halted the police and went to gather the cash. The cop hit the retailer hard with a stick. The shopkeeper took the cash subsequent to devouring the hit with a stick. Then, at that point, the police grabbed away the cash from him, smacked him across the face, and took him to authority.

This is the story. This is the thing that happened today. It's simply one more day here.

There is one more important thing. In this culture, the joint family is practiced. Boys and girls usually stay with their parents even after they become adults.

 Marriages are arranged marriages. The bride comes and starts a family at the husband's house. In most cases, the girl stays as a housewife. 

People without family are rarely seen. People without family are also shamed for being rootless. Usually poorest sections of society have the freedom to be live without family.

And maintaining family values is the primary duty. People value family values so much that many commit suicide for it. 

One set of outmoded notions concerning the origins of different ethnic groups in Bangladesh are based on racialist notions (focusing on physical differences), colorism is  left behind by the British colonialists

However, everything isn’t always so grim. One can discover fun even in hellfire, as one can deliver amusement even from within the inferno. Humans learn to cope.

 And that is why in this story I will present to you the reality of this country through the conversations, meetings and various small funny incidents of daily life.