OSCH

  Sender:  Rehaan Syed Senders Location:  Glasgow, UK  Receiver:  Nabil Hasan Receiver Location:  Rajshahi, Bangladesh Dear Nabil Hasan, I want to thank you for sharing your experience with the OSCH and the efforts you and your  team are making to preserve the disappearing languages and cultures of ethnic communities  in Bangladesh. Your story about visiting the Rai Para and the Munda community was very  touching, and it is heartening to know that people like you are working to preserve the diversity  of Bangladeshi culture. I was intrigued to hear about the challenges you faced during your trip, particularly the difficulty  in communicating with the people because of the lack of a written form of their languages. As  someone of the Bengali diaspora, it’s easy to forget how ethnically and linguistically diverse it  is there so it really surprised me to hear that the difference was so large that you were having  troubl...

  Sender:  Aryan Kamal Senders Location:  Glasgow, UK  Receiver:  Ali Haser Al-Amin Receiver Location:  Rajshahi, Bangladesh Translation: To Mahi Hello, Mahi! I am extremely excited to write a second letter to you. I chose the topic of Scottish culture and language because it is where I am from and is important to me and could be knowledgeable for you as well. Allow me to begin and not waste any more time. Scotland is a country renowned for its rich cultural heritage, which includes its unique language and customs. We are proud people who have a distinct identify that’s reflected in our language, traditions and the way we live. Scotland has a long and fascinating history which has helped shape its culture and language over the years. The Scots are a Celtic people who’ve lived in Scotland for many years. They have a rich oral tradition, which has been passed down through the generations and this has helped to preserve their language and culture. The Scots la...

  Sender:  Nahian Iftekhar Senders Location:  Glasgow, UK  Receiver:  Minhazul Islam Receiver Location:  Rajshahi, Bangladesh Dear Minhaz, As I’m writing this letter, I’m still mesmerized about your letter. You talked about your favorite river as if it was your friend, not just a river flowing through the land to meet its end at the ocean. Reading your letter also made me want to meet your friend and walk along its banks. Someday maybe. As the month of April is passing by, the first thing it reminds me of is Pohela Boisakh, the first day of Bengali New year is on the horizon. Growing up in Dhaka, Pohela Boisakh has always been a festive occasion in our family. I used to wake up, freshen up and start the day by eating panta bhaat and mach. Although the trend nowadays has been to eat Ilish maach, my mother used to cook multiple fish es on those special occasions. On some years we used to join the Mongol Shovajatra organized by the students at the Institute o...

Sender:  Zidan Imtiaz Senders Location:  Glasgow, UK  Receiver:  Md. Mahady Hasan Zony Receiver Location:  Rajshahi, Bangladesh Dear Mahadi, I hope you are doing well and thanks for your letter and getting back to me. What an exciting experience must have been going on a long trip with your bicycle. I have also done once a trip in bicycle, but nothing compared to yours, mine was about 60km in total, but it was still a nice experience for sure. I recently just completed my 3 rd year honours in pharmacology, waiting to get my exams results back. Since then, I have focused a lot on physical activity, as I am a person who constantly likes to be active, by going to the gym and doing sports. I like to go the gym a lot and dedicate 5 days a week to it. I’m also a massive fan of football, with my favourite team being Ac Milan. I started playing football since I was a kid, and to this day I have the same passion and energy that I used to have when I was a kid. Here in G...

Sender:  Tazra Khan Senders Location:  Glasgow, UK Receiver:  Maesha Marium Receiver Location:  Rajshahi, Bangladesh Dear Maesha,   Good to hear from you. Firstly, I wanted to say how amazed I am by your photography skills. You are amazing! I love colours and the pictures you sent me were so vibrant and beautiful. I would like to thank you for sharing them with me, I will hold onto them for life. I have not been to Bangladesh in many years, and seeing the photographs made me a little nostalgic and I am now missing home.    As you shared about the Carnival that takes place in Rajshahi, I would now like to share a little about our Glasgow Mela, which I attended recently.   The Glasgow Mela is a vibrant and multicultural festival held annually in Glasgow. The Mela showcases the rich diversity of Glasgow, highlighting the city's vibrant cultural heritage through music, dance, food, arts, and crafts. This year, it was hosted in Kelvingrove park.  ...

Sender:  Suad Khan Senders Location:  Glasgow, UK   Receiver:   Samsad Jahan Receiver Location:  Rajshahi, Bangladesh Dear Samsad Jahan,  I hope this letter finds you well. Thank you for sharing your experience of visiting your childhood home in  Sirajganj. Your writing really captures the feelings of returning to a place that holds so many memories but has  also undergone significant change. I believe it is natural to feel nostalgic and even disappointed when we revisit a place that has changed so much  from what we remember. As you mentioned, it seems like buildings and places are the only constant in a world  that is constantly changing. However, I strongly believe it is important to remember that change is a necessary  part of growth and progress. While it may be sad to see the things we knew so well disappear, it is also exciting  to see new developments and possibilities arise.  It sounds like your childhood home hol...

Sender:  Sahil Amin Senders Location:  Glasgow, UK  Receiver:  Mariom Bentee Rahman Receiver Location:  Rajshahi, Bangladesh  Dear Penpal, Thank you for your letter and for sharing your experience in Sirajganj. It was fascinating to read about your life and how you were able to revisit the place where you spent your childhood. It sounds like it was an emotional experience for you, and I can imagine how much it must have meant to you to see the places where you have so many memories. It's interesting how buildings and places can hold so much emotion and nostalgia for us, even as they change over time. It's also true that change is a constant in our lives, and it can be difficult to see the things we love and cherish change or disappear altogether. But as you said, these changes are a part of life, and we have to learn to accept them even as we hold onto our memories and the emotions that they bring. Since you have talked about Sirajgani, I figure that I shou...

Sender:  Sadiya Taher Senders Location:  Glasgow, UK  Receiver:  Sarifa Islam Satu Receiver Location:  Rajshahi, Bangladesh Dear Sarifa Islam Satu,  তুমি কেমন আছ? আমি আশা করি তুমি ভাল আছ। আমার ক্লাসের জন্য কয়েক সপ্তাহের অ্যাসাইনমেন্ট লেখার ব্যস্ততা ছিল কিন্তু এখন এটি হয়ে গেছে, আমি খুব স্বস্তি বোধ করছি। তুমিও একজন ছাত্র হওয়ার কারণে তুমি এটি সম্পূর্ণভাবে বুঝতে পারবে বলে আমার অনুভূতি আছে। I read your letter two weeks ago and I must admit that I am impressed at how beautifully you have written this letter. It is so organised and detailed which I could never do; I am no good at writing letters. I loved reading about your childhood memory, and it made me miss my parents, Bangladesh and all the things that I did as a child flooded back to my mind. I could not think of anything similar to your story because I do not remember having any traditions like that with either of my parents. But I remember this one tradition where during iftar Baba (my father) used to m...