adhunika blog

This is the continuing article with same title by our participant Sharmin Islam.

Fortunately, the pregnancy was confirmed by a doctor and after what seemed like many months of trying, I was finally able to get started on my own journey into pregnancy.  I was surprised when I came to realize what a roller coaster ride that journey would be.  I started getting morning sickness and nausea from very early on and felt extremely fatigued and tired throughout the day, to the point where I had to drop out of my classes in grad school.  Although I was hungry all the time, certain things made me revolt and want to puke, like the smell or sight of beef and cabbage.  I craved crunchy green apples all the time of all things!  Another thing that was really difficult for me was trying to kick the caffeine habit and not drink tea daily, although doctors say that one cup of tea a day is fine during pregnancy.  Incontinence and frequent trips to the bathroom during the third trimester was another annoying and embarrassing part of pregnancy to deal with. Walking also became very difficult during the summer months when I was in my third trimester, accompanied by painful lower back pain that just would not go away, no matter what I did to alleviate the pain.  Finally, my mood swings also wore me down, with feelings of elation one minute and melancholy the next.  I really felt so alone and wished so much to be around my parents and family during that time, who were living an ocean and many continents away.  (more…)

Global Warming, green technology, and climate control. These are topics that we constantly hear about, from the media frenzy around Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth all the way to politicians discussing issues to implement energy conserving regulations. Although we hear and speak about climate control issues in our everyday lives, we rarely think about the vast negative implications on the everyday lives of citizens whose habitats are directly affected by such climate changes.

Photo BBC: Many children in Sharonkholur have lost parents in the cyclone, while food is in pitifully short supply.

Recently I came across the study being conducted by BBC which is working to document how global warming has impacted the rural areas of Bangladesh. Titled the Bangladesh River Journey, the project consists of a crew of BBC World Service members traveling along the rivers of Bangladesh in order to observe the effects of climate change on affected populations. And the moment Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh which has taken thousands of lives (and rising) and misplaced thousands more from their habitat, the team has been updating the harrowing ordeal of the local population. To remain updated read their entries at the following link:

“A harrowing day for the BBC team reporting on villages that were totally destroyed in the cyclone.”

Although the BBC article The Bangladesh Journey highlights the good spirits of our people, as even the journalist notes, “It’s difficult to do anything other than admire Bangladeshis. Among the poorest people of the world, they are amazingly resourceful and cheerful.” is fairly concerning, “the sea in the nearby Bay of Bengal needs to rise by only a few centimeters for up to 20 million people to be displaced”.

The Adhunika team is asking everyone to keep people affected by Cyclone Sidr in their prayers, and to share name of organizations who are helping the people with the recovery.