The Motherland Rides a Strange Camel

Know-it-all Shamsher, while digging into his ear with a toothpick, asks:

-What’s the matter? You look all sad-sad?

-Not sad, pops. It’s just that when I’m overwhelmed with emotion, my face goes blank like this.

-Open up the story, man.

I was reading the newspaper. In the month of our Great Victory Day, three 'extra-great' bank robbers have been caught. Hearing the tales of their greatness has left me quite emotional. Who says humanity has been exiled from this country?

Stopping his ear-digging, Know-it-all Shamsher let out a mocking cackle. Then, with a curled lip, he asked:

-Do you really believe that '420-grade' script!?

He winked, adjusted an invisible cap on his head, and spoke again:

-Use your brain, then you’ll be able to ‘connect the dots. You’ll be able to realize.’ You’ll be able to ‘take initiatives’ so that such situations occur more often in the future. Do you understand what I mean?

Would that be right? Besides, the three robbers are quite young. Two of them are practically children. All the robbers who enjoyed the patronage of the previous regime were seasoned veterans. What if someone guarding the bank had fired a real bullet against the ‘toy pistols’ of these child robbers? Can you imagine—looting 1.8 million Takas with a toy pistol!

-I think you actually believe this staged drama. Don’t you understand anything?

-I understand a bit, I guess. But uncle, why have you suddenly started sneaking in all this English so slickly?

-I’m putting myself into practice, man. I can’t quite figure out whose belly this country is heading into.

English is an international language. No matter which ‘block’ the country joins, English talk will work everywhere. Bujhchho? Bujhchho? Bujhchho? (Understand? Understand? Understand?)

Aloud, I said:

-You bet!

But to myself, I thought: Well, there’s always Google Translate. What do I have to fear!

[Written: December 2024: Photo: Gemini]