Page 61 - GOTIL (ENG) Sample

Village Life in Bangladesh 29

thrown away, but are ripped and used as rags or tampons,
or to make the patchwork quilts found in every poor
man’s home.

Another appealing aspect of simple village life is that
villagers do many things out of doors rather than being
cramped up inside all day. Bathing, washing clothes,
answering nature’s call, sitting and talking to people, or
quietly reading — all functions executed indoors in most
places — are often done outdoors in Bengali villages. Even
eating is often done on the veranda or in the courtyard of
a house. Those accustomed to this sweet simplicity can
appreciate why the Supreme Personality of Godhead in
His ultimate feature prefers village life to royal opulence.

Morning Bathing

The day begins early in villages. Most people rise with or
before the sun. Before dawn we would hear the lilting,
formal summons in Arabic from a local mosque, calling
the faithful to prayer. Sometimes this would be followed
by a less formal exhortation in Bengali: “Come on, get
up! Praying is more important than sleep!” For someone
to sleep till mid-morning would certainly be considered
strange, although in cities, television is changing people’s
lives.

Upon rising the first duty for villagers is tending to nature’s
call. They are regulated to evacuate at that time either in
the field or a latrine, generally just a hole in the ground
without drainage, the stench of heat-fermented stool