THE SIGNAL

BY: NAZMUS SAKIB

No Way!

Jeromme exclaimed in utter disbelief.

How come the ship's computer receives a signal in this remote part of the galaxy and yet the computer is unable to decipher it!

Jeromme left the base station two months ago. It was too easy to convince the officer at the base station of planet Auriora that he intended to explore the planets those are listed in the official galactic map. There are hundreds of them and there are also thousands of uncharted regions and planets in this part of galaxy.

He was about set his direction towards a particular region of space but he could not mention that to the officer. There are many reasons and most important reason of those is that nobody is allowed to travel or explore uncharted region of space unless he has a valid authenticity which he don't have.

For about fifteen days, he was wondering within the charted region, landed on some planets. He was just trying to showing off that he was out there to explore the part of the galaxy to find out resources for doing trade. That is usual. Many of the Aurioran and people from other planets are exploring these authorized regions of galaxy often to make some fortune.

Though, the region is expanding as the authority updating the galactic map regularly including new planets. That is why he had to hurry. If in no time this particular region included in the official galactic map, it will be crowded with fortune hunters, traders and individual space explorers. And he couldn't let that happen as this will cost him his life time dream.

Nevertheless, as soon as he left the base station, he knew that the authority will track his route for a certain period only to be sure that he is like the others. A fortune hunter, looking for something in these planets with which, he could do some trading and could earn his living. So he had to make them believe what they wanted to believe. Once he had done so and when he was sure that the authority wasn't tracking him anymore, he punched the particular co-ordinates into his ships computer and asked to set the ship's course. His escape from the charted region will not be noticed until next two weeks and he needs only one week to finish his search. Then, if luck favors, he will return to his last position without alarming the base station and will return to the Auriora with tons of materials for doing trade. Even he could have enough fortune to buy his own planet.

So, here he is. Computer is showing that this is the right place as per the co-ordinates he punched manually. 

But the signal!

There shouldn't be any signal.

Is anybody else out there? Does his family secret revealed to some outsider?

That is not possible. The secret was hidden in their family archive for more than two hundred years. There must have some other explanation to this mysterious signal.

He must resolve that first before approaching towards the planet visible remarkably in his ship's visiplate, the planet he thinks where he should go to end his life's quest.

Actually this part of the galaxy wasn't unexplored at all though no one knows that. One of Jeromme's forefathers came here almost two hundred years ago with the help of an ancient space ship and crews. His forefather was the Galactic Governmental Space Carrier Pilot. In those days, during when the Galactic Government was getting its shape, these Space Carriers were in service to carry valuable minerals, resources, foods, and livestock's to the habitat planets under United Planetary States. That was his last journey and carrying most valuable cargos of his entire career.  After delivering the cargo he was carrying in his ship to the Capital Planet, he was about to retire. As a legendary Space Carrier pilot his earnings were handsome with which he could have lived a decent life in the Capital Planet. And needless to mention that the pension he would have got was enough for his future generation. But he was a man of dream, a brave and ambitious man. He dreamt about to buy his own planet where he could have started his own dynasty, where his future generation could live forever.

And then, during his last journey, he took the decision of a life time. He decided that this ship he was piloting with a huge fortune, with his dream, won't reach its predetermined destination. Instead he will take it away. He will take this ship for his own sake and his future generation. It was not that difficult to induce the crew members. So, he broke out from the usual space route, cut off the communication with the central communication system and headed towards the unknown region of the galaxy. He knew that he will be persuaded. Within the next few days the Law Enforcers Ships will be crowding the area where he had seen last and from there they will start track him down. He knew that, he couldn't survive in the space for long as in those days; the ancient space ships were not equipped with all the facilities to stay alive for a long time in the space. But that mattered neither to him nor to his fellow crews. He just wanted to hide the fortune of the ship somewhere and then to surrender to the authority. Of course he had no plan to tell the authority the whereabouts of the ship except his family to discover the ship again at a later time.

But fortune always did not favor the brave whereas he was the bravest. His broke out of the chain and escaping with the ship is still a legend. While escaping, he entered in such a region of the space which was still unknown to the human. He lost in the midst of the galaxy. His ship engines collapsed suddenly forfeiting his chance of return. May be he had seen his men to die before his very eyes. But he had nothing to do. May be at the last minute when he too was taking his last breathe he sent the last signal secretly to his son living at the Capital Planet.

But no one actually knows what happened. How could a legendary pilot like him lost in space when he was not too far from the usual galactic trade route and from the habitat planets? It remains an unsolved mystery to date.  

Jeromme's feeling tired.

Past seven hours, he has been trying to understand the meaning of the signal the ship's computer is receiving. But it seems useless that how much he tried all resulted in a big nothing. How come an advanced space ship computer is unable to decipher a signal?

Jeromme don't believe in alien's theory. He firmly believes that, like other human of this era, that there are no unknown species out there in the space hiding beyond the human eyes and very advanced technology. This kind of thought was very ancient and now a day's preaching about any unknown species or alien other than the species and lives originated from the planet Earth is complete nonsense.

And yet, he has been spending hours after hours in front of the computer to decipher the signal which experienced people like him have never seen also.   

Most terrible things of all is that the signal is coming from the planet in front of him, where he thinks, not thinks but he is certain that the fortune of his forefather is waiting for him.

Jeromme took a deep breath to let the anxiety out of his mind and body. Then he was back to the work, started all over again to understand the meaning of the signal. He doesn't believe that there are any signals that he or his computer couldn't understand. It may take time but he will decipher the code definitely. He dismissed the thought of somebody else being on that planet long ago. Actually he is afraid to think that somebody or something else is already on that planet before him. But the reality is different; otherwise he would not have received that signal.

He labored another three hours without losing his concentration for a single moment. His fingers were dancing over the keyboard and control buttons like a busy bee. At the same time he was also monitoring the data about the planet gathered by the detection antenna. There was nothing unusual. No sign of life though the planet's environment is suitable for breathing and living.

Finally he decided to take a break for today. He is trying to return as soon as possible but it is not like that he doesn't have time. Instead, he has enough time remaining. And if he can't return on time he has a plan B too. So, in the next morning, having some rest, with fresh mind he will start again. If he cannot find out the meaning of the signal by tomorrow, then by the day after tomorrow, he will approach nearer to the planet and will land on surface to explore for the treasure his forefather left for him.

With that decision made, Jeromme felt relieved. He stood up and stretched his body, hands and legs. Then insert some instruction into the computer, adjust some controls and left towards his sleeping berth to have dinner and some sleep.

But he did realized that the computer had not received the instruction he inserted rather it has been doing something like it is being controlled by something or someone else from outside!

The room is plunged into darkness.

But it is not Jeromme's habit to sleep in complete darkness. He remembered that he turned on the soft light before he went into the bed.

He closed his eyes and concentrate instantly to understand the surroundings. He could hear the usual humming sound of ship's engines. No problems there, he thought. But no light he could see any where in his sleeping berth. He is feeling tensed. Some alarm is shouting inside his head. Why there are no lights!

He wanted to rise from his bed, but a part of his self is telling him to not to be worried instead take a deep sleep. At the same time the other part of his self is telling that something terrible is happened or happening.

He felt a sudden urge to rush into the ships control room which is next to his sleeping berth.

But he found it difficult to rise from the bed. But it seems that, somehow or something unknown, soaking his all strength, prohibiting him from rising from the bed and to rush into the control room immediately.

With almost an inhuman effort he rose from the bed, sat there for a few minutes to gather his thought. To mingle again the divided parts of his own self. And then, as he is walking in his dream, he started towards the control room.  

There are lights everywhere. The control room is fully illuminated by the lights from the keyboards and control buttons. But all are shining steadily, no blinking or flashing. This is unusual.

He is standing there, in the middle of the room. He already came out from the dreamy baffle. His head is clear now. A clear picture of the situation is slowly framing up in his mind. Now he knows what that signal was and at the same time he also realized that can't do anything. He can feel the existence of an unknown supreme power inside the room which forced him to turn around to face the screen of the visiplate.

As soon as Jeromme reached here and received the signal for the first time, he inserted clear instruction into the computer to maintain a certain distance from the planet's orbit. All that time the planet was visible in the visiplate screen like a small disk at the centre. But now as he has been looking at the screen with sheer dismay, he could see that the planet almost engulfed the entire screen. That means the ship had moved and approached much nearer to the planet. The ship is now out of his control and the ship is now controlled by something powerful unknown till then to him.  Jeromme does not bother with that as now he knows what is happening.

On the computer screen, there is a live image of a human dressed in some ancient outfit. It is a man at his early sixty. Good looking, well build and eliminating some kind of power that even Jeromme can feel without any problem. Jerrome knows who this man is. This is his forefather, died more than two hundred years ago leaving a huge fortune for him in this barren planet. The man's eyes are fixed instantly on Jeromme's face and Jeromme can't move his eyes as he is hypnotized. The man's eyes are calling him, commanding him to land on the surface of the planet immediately.

Jeromme just stared back impassively, helplessly as he understood everything clearly. Now he knows what happened to his forefather and his ship. Now he realized what is going to happen to him and his ship.

The planet itself is a cosmic species and alive and probably after more than two hundred years it has found something to eat again.

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Story of Transition

Documentary – Part 2: For an International NGO

Story of Transition

Project Experience: Food and Livelihood Security (F L S)

Main Theme of the Documentary:

To create the food and livelihood security for the small and marginal sharecroppers and husband abandoned divorced and widow women headed ultara poor families of Bangladesh the Department of Women Affairs under Ministry of Women and Children Affairs implementing a donation based project “F L S” funded by European Union and in the field level four NGO(s) namely VERC, ASOD, ESDO and RIC are working as collaborator to implement this project.

How much the people from those project areas were able to improve their situation from past will be the main theme of our documentary.

Based on complete real facts this documentary of 20-30 minutes will include a few (4/5) narratives. Where will be inserted a few women headed family’s condition before and after the implementation of the project. Will be inserted the family condition before and after the implementation of the project of some small and marginal sharecroppers. In this documentary, based on project experience the scenarios will be shown incidentally in dramatical way and in an easy and simple manner. To make it enjoyable and realistic, appropriate rural dialogue and the past devastated condition of the beneficiaries, their future hope and dreams, benefits they got from this project and the story of their journey towards a improved life will be presented here. Along with that, the beneficiaries will get the opportunities to tell their story of their own directly in this documentary. Eaxh short length narratives will have their own sub title.

NARRATIVES-1 (RIC)

SALMA BEGUM’S STORY OF TRANSITION / EUPHONI OF PROSPERITY

Rampur- a small village at Boro Horishpur union of Nator District- with peaceful shadows of trees and beautiful chirping of birds. As soon as the first rays of early morning are seen, a beautiful rhythmic sound can be heard around the village as that torn sound creating the flashing of light piercing through some pain of deprivation. Here the work is underway to produce the household goods. These sound of pain created by whom? To learn, we went to that remote village. And the person working like a busy bee is Salma Begum. As if 26 years Salma playing the Euphony of Prosperity assiduously. We learnt that husband abandoned Salma Begum continues her life struggle with a vow to become self dependent.

[Salma’s Story: Past information of her family- Father’s profession? Sibling? Description of her previous family condition]

Salma was then 13 or 14 years old. Her hands were intimidated with Hanna color. As soon as she got married her the black shadows of dowry devastated her married life. For dowry she was facing unbearable physical and mental torture. Because she was from a poor family she had no other choice but to suffer the tortures day after day in her husband house.  

[Salma’s Story: Child’s death for malenutrition, Deportation from husband house and even facing troubles at her father’s house]

Neither at husband house – nor at her father’s house, when Salma found it hard living nowhere, she immediately decided that she had to become self dependent. She had to find the new way to lead a decent life

[Salma’s Story: Inclussion into the FLS project. All trainings and grants she got]

After receiving training on producing household products from FLS project organized by Resource Integration Centr (RIC), salma started to work from her home. Started to produce mugs, handle, Funnel. TCO Lutfunnahar from FLS project introduced her with the local wholesellers. Local wholesellers agreed to take the delivery of the produced goods from Salma’s home. According to Salma, now her weekly income is 1500 taka.

From FLS project Salma got training on vegetable gardening and from group meetings she learnt about the food nutritions and its usefulness. She bought two hens from the money she received as cash allowance, noe those two hens have ten chickn. Besides she planted cacabash, basil and papaya tree at her home. Which fulfill the needs of necessary nutritions and as well as increased her income.

[Story about Salma’s Dream: She will answer the question about her savings and future plan]

Work is the only way for Salma to live a prosperous future life and savings is her strenfth. The FLS project has stirred this conviction of Salma tremendously. And this underprivileged and marginal woman accepted this frankly. Blessed with the FLS project Salma is weaving her dreams through the rininging bells of production of household products.

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NARRATIVES- 2 (ASOD)

MUNI AKTER’S STORY OF TRANSITION / EUPHONI OF PROSPERITY

SCENARIO-1

Muni is bringing medicine for her parents. Give medicine to her parents. Then her neighbor Jaynob came to take the dress. Muni deliverd the dress to Joynob and took the payment. As soon as Joynob departed muni concentrated on her sewing work. And at the same time she was thinking about her past. (Early marriage of Muni+Quarrel with her husband for baby daughter)

7 years old daughter Jemi called her. Muni gets back to present.

JEMI: Mother, Mother, Look - Hen hatched eggs.

MUNI: (With a smiling face) Coming.

Mother and Daughter: This is for your grandmother and this is for you. I will prepare egg wash for you right now, dear. (Jemi becomes Happy).

JEMI: Mother, I am going to get ready for the school.

MUNI: OK, Dear (and then Muni gets back to the cooker).

SCENARIO-2

Muni is taking Jemi to school.

(Cammera panned on Muni’s face. Muni’s story can be heard from background).

Muni is an inhabitant of Dokshin Jahanpur village of Dhamoirhat Upozilla at Naogaon District. This is Muni’s only daughter Jemi. She takes 7 years old Jemi to the school regularly. With her old parents and daughter Jemi, now she is leading a happy life. But still day she is being haunted by her past.

[Muni will be telling about her family the hard time she had after marriage]

10 years ago Muni got married with Jaharul Islam of Hariyapur village of Panchbibi upozila at Joypurhat district. After marriage she started her conjugal life with her husband at her husband house and gave birth to a baby daughter. Since she gave birth to a baby daughter, her husband started to misbehave and started to torture her physically and mentally. Unable to bear the tortures further she left her husband house with 6 months old daughter and take refuge again to her poor and ill parent’s house. From then she was trying hard to get rid of poverty.

SCENARIO-3

Muni and her daughter are in flashback.

JEMI: Mother, I am hungry. Let me eat something.

MUNI: There is nothing to eat. (Daughter is crying).

MUNI: (Thinking). No, if this going on then we all have to die without food. I couldn’t bring father’s medicine for the last few days. I have to do something. Muni left house and went to another house.

OFF VOICE

To feed her family members, Muni took the job of a house maid to another house.

Then with the help of Assistance for Social Organization & Development (ASOD) she got the chance to become a member of FLS project. (Photo: Inclusion)

As the beneficiary member of Jahanpur Jobaphul Women team, she attended all the meetings and trainings of FLS project. Muni got the training on household gardening and sewing. (Photo: Going to meetings and trainings).  

[Muni will be telling about the benefits she got from FLS project]

(Muni can be seen in the inset to do the gardening and taking care of the hens).

With the cash allowance Muni is farming vegetables at her house yard, bought 8 hens, and took care of those hens. This is how Muni Akter started to search the new path of prosperity. But this is not the end. Muni has to go far far away. And she got that opportunity too when she received 14500 taka grant for purchasing productive resources. Started her fight fo a sustainable prosperous life. Muni thinks that, it is possible to achieve tailoring.

[Muni will be telling how she recovered from poverty through tailoring business]

SCENARIO-4

(Jemi is eating nutritious food)

JEMI: Mother, my eating is done.

MUNI: Coming dear.

JEMI: Mother, my exam is finished. Would you please take me to the Victory Fair.

MUNI: OK, Dear. As soon as I finished this dress of your Kulshum Aunty, I will take you to the fair in the afternoon.

[Muni’s parents will be telling something about their daughter’s success]

Muni has to stumble through a lot to win the battle of life. But for the grit of action and her trust and love to life unmoved Muni never stopped. FLS project provides her with inspiration and financial support. Based on that support now Muni becomes the only earning member of the family and a successful woman. 

INTERVIEW

Anju Ara Begum (Loom)

Previously I worked other hand loom job. I got only 60-70 taka per day. With that it was difficult to live properly with children. Then I got 5 days training from FLS project. After the training they grant me 14,500 taka donation. With that I bought this loom. Now my income is 400-500 taka per day. With this money now I can live a happy life with my children.

Anita Rani Orao (Traibal)

FLS project supervised by VERC constructed many things here for the tribal women. Many things of healthy life is discussed here in a meeting once in a week. Sister Mithun looks after us and Sister Shanti also helps us in so many trainings. We do not know anything about nutritious food before, they taught us about nutritious food, and how to prepare those. By eating these nutritious foods our children became benefited.

Momena Akter (Disabled husband)

My husband is physically disabled and cannot move around. We were in a hardship few days ago. Then our financial condition changed positively with the money received from FLS as donation. Received 700 taka as cash allowance and deposited 100 taka into the bank. Then I received 14,500 taka at a time. From that money I have started a grocery shop and with the rest of the money I bought the goods for this shop. Now we are living better than past.

Moryom Khatun (Mustard)

I was in a great depression when my husband became sick. How can I live with my children? Then one day village leaders put my name into the FLS project. First the FLS project gave me training, after training they donate me 1000 taka for vegetable gardening. I have started gardening with that money. I was feeding my family the vegetables I have grown and also I have sold these vegetables in the market. Now by the grace of Allah I am living better than the past.  

Kalima Begum (Mushrooms)

My condition was not good few days ago. My husband did not take care of me. He beats me. Then I left my husband and I was thinking to do some work for improving my condition. Then I got the opportunity to include myself with FLS project. After including myself with the project I got donation and with that money I have started to grow mushrooms. My financial condition uplifted. Now I can eat well, dress well and cand send my children to school.

Amena Begum (Tailor)

When my husband left me, then my eldest daughter was only a one and half year kid. I was in great difficulties. Since I knew some sewing work I was collecting some work from door to door. Even with that I was unable to run my family properly. One day FLS people came and include my name. They gave me training and gave 14,500 taks as donation. With that money I bought a sewing machine and some sheeting clothes and also appointed a daily helper. I gave him 200 taka per day. I am selling this clothes in the market and also from home. With the help of FLS now I am living well.

Abdul Karim (Marginal Sharecroppers)

We are very poor farmers. We were living hand to mouth. Recently after getting included with FLS project we are receiving some assistance. FLS project gave each farmer 10,600 taka. Then we altogether decided in a meeting that it is better to do something bigger accumulating all of our money rather doing something alone. We were total members and with all of our money we bought 2 hopper machines by One Lac Thirty Thousand Taka and started to wheat threshing. We assigned 8 members to run these machines in turn. Also decided that those who will be running these machines will get the 50% of income and the other members will get the rest 50% equally. After threshing wheat, we found that we have a good income. Last year we threshed 88 mounds wheat. Half of the profits taken by those run the machines and the rest money we divided among the 18 members of our team. The in the rice season we threshed 2200 mounds rice. So far we are advancing through FLS. We hope that with these machines we will be benefited as well as the other farmers in our locality will also be benefited

We also realized that the FLS project is very much opportune for us and for this project small sharecroppers like us got the chance to lead a happy life.

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