News News Home Eid in a Far Away Land Tulip Chowdhury It is, I suppose our habit to dig out old bones holding memories and sit with them, our emotions licking on the past. This Eid I remember the Eid-ul-Fitr of 2009. At that time I was in Arkansas, USA. That Eid was spent with my son's family. It was also a day that was spent in the company of other Bangladeshi families living there. For the short time I was in Arkansas, I was touched by the hospitality and love of these expatriate families. They may have migrated to another land but they are extremely loyal to their motherland. All of them seemed to be tied by an invisible thread of brotherhood. They were dressed in the traditional clothes and had chalked out the whole day to be spent together. In the morning they went to the mosque to attend the Eid congregation. The day was filled with the spirit of sharing and joy! Different families were hosting breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. It was a special Eid, spent in a distant land and yet smothered with love and unity. Arkansas is a beautiful place! There are mountains and lakes complementing each other throughout the region. It was early fall and so the trees were beautiful with colourful hues of orange, brown and yellow. We had to drive from one area to another to visit the hosts. But I was happy for my heart was wild with the excitement of witnessing fall spreading its beauty. The trees with their different colours looked as if someone had covered them with a painted cloth. The vast blue sky hung overhead like a canopy. There were flocks of birds flying everywhere. While driving by a wood, I spotted a squirrel scurrying along with his nut! At the dinner I found people all around me asking me questions about how Dhaka was changing with time. Some of the Bangladeshi families had been out of the country for decades. They had not yet got the papers that would allow them to travel to their home country. And some were going to Dhaka every year. However, among them there was the note of sadness, a hint of regret over leaving their motherland. Some of them had choices but for others circumstances had forced them to migrate. The life of the expatriates holds flowers and thorns. They work hard and reap the fruits of their work. Many of them were supporting needy families back at home. What I found really touching was how strong their unity was in that far away land. I was their “Auntie” and they gave me a day that was full of beautiful memories. Forgotten on that day were KFC, McDonald, Popeye and Jenny's. The tables were filled with 'deshi khabar'. Good memories are what we cherish when the heart is lonely. This year I remember that beautiful Eid spent in Arkansas and my heart fills with joy. As William Wordsworth has said of memories in his poem “Daffodils”, “ For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude…”