Today is a day entirely for celebrating indigenous people and their unique cultures. Indigenous people lead very amusing lives, something I'm quite keen about as personally, I find learning about cultures quite fascinating, especially under-represented and unheard ones. Indigenous people have quite a history too, dating back thousands of years. They are found in over 90 countries, speak 4000 of the world's languages and there are 476 million of them in this world! In my country, Bangladesh, the main ethnic groups are Garo, Marma, Shawtal, Monipuri and Tripura. Bangladeshi tribes either have...

Have you heard of the term, "two sides of the same coin"? Humanity has two sides, just like a coin. If a coin has one side, it wouldn't be anything of value or anything at all. Humanity, like coins have two sides: males and females. Just like a coin, if humanity, for example, only had the male gender, it would all be meaningless without their female counterparts. In every living organism, males and females are integral. They all have an equal role to fulfill in creating life and leading the way for others to follow suit. So, if, among the 100%, 50% are males and 50% are females, equality...

On the 18th of July, it was Nelson Mandela Day. On this day, every year, on Mandela's birthday, all of us across the globe honor his efforts, efforts that ended apartheid which was a system where white people were treated better than black people in his country, South Africa. On this day, I couldn't help but wonder how he was so dedicated to his cause that even while imprisoned for 27 years for fighting for his people, he continued fighting for black people in peace. He REFUSED to give up on his race's unfair treatment and was dauntless for 27 TEDIOUS YEARS IN PRISON. In South Africa, black...

Art has become a new passion of mine during quarantine. Before, I never really considered myself good at art, but rather writing, writing anything like stories, poetry, essays, reports etc. I've always been a writer and history fanatic at heart, but never an artist. However, despite being good at writing, I was and still am a person discovering myself and home confinement has made me discover that I have great potential for art too! I'm not going to lie, I used to have admiration and slight envy at great artists. I always wanted to be great at art too, but my gut told me I could never be and I...

I am Syeda Sabiqun Nahar from Bangladesh. I dream of a world where 'discrimination' is no longer present among us, rather, it would just become a term coined in our least liked part of the history. I hope to see a world where people from around the globe irrespective of their gender, class, creed and preferences join forces to provide a greener and safer environment for their children. I wish to live in a world where women and children are stronger and safe with the support of their family. And underneath the masks we're wearing today, may everyone's smiles remain unscathed. #voicesofyouth

Bangla New Year's, popularly called Pohela Boishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar, just as the 1st of January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. Pohela Boishakh is celebrated every year on the 14th of April and is a national holiday in Bangladesh and some parts of India. The greeting for the occasion is Shubho Noboborsho (শুভ নববর্ষ), meaning Happy New Year! Pohela Boishakh is celebrated since the time of Emperor Akbar, hundreds of years ago, when he introduced the Bengali calendar. The festival is celebrated by Bangaldeshis with a riot of colors, from the...

Yesterday, one of my Bengali literature teachers said something that left a mark in my heart, and I couldn’t agree more. He said that adults choose the safe side, when young people want the justice. I will add some more to his statement. Adults don’t want to take risks, but young people aren’t afraid to take risks and they want to experiment. That's why young people find ways in times when adults don’t. Young people lack maturity and sometimes judgement. Adults must guide them and teach them. They need to correct their mistakes. Young people need their supervision. But, adults try to control...

Today is International Mother Language Day, one of my favourite days to celebrate. Though now it’s an international day, the origin of celebrating the day is our country – Bangladesh. As a Bangladeshi, I have grown up reading the bloody history of the 21st February, 1952. At a young age those historical events didn’t touch my heart. History is something I don’t really like, and as I say to myself, everything becomes a bad thing when it gets into academic textbooks. So, the history didn’t really reach my heart. One day I was given a book to read. It was a historical novel. At first I didn’t...

Happy UN Day! This is a day that marks the historic establishment of the United Nations, an organization that keeps hundreds of countries in harmony. This day is important as it celebrates global euphoria and everyone can represent their cultures and traditions, make agreements, meet with other countries and more! I am proud of the United Nations for all they are accomplishing and trying to accomplish. They are giving youths (like myself) a chance to raise our voices against the innumerable injustices that plague the globe today, such as climate change, gender inequality, poverty, education...

Under the clouds, where we see The homeless people scattered on the asphalt In a mimicry of pebbles Visible yet camouflaged from our eyes. The homeless people enshrouded by no one But our animated restlessness That ceases for none but our wrist watches. Our wrist watches that show the time we don't have To lose over sightseeing And contemplating the woes of others. The woes of others? Don't they hold any weight Over whatever weight we were born with - and still carry? The asphalt, the bitumen, and the paved roads Lead us to their destination by chance And think of it for a second: If one of us...

I don’t think we are all equal. In my opinion, we are all different but our rights are equal. Men and women cannot be equal. Introverts and extroverts cannot be equal. Persons with disabilities aren't equal to others. Religions are not equal to one another. No two people are same. But yes, human rights are equal. The thing is accepting the fact that people are not equal. The thing is accepting the fact that they are different ​​​. The thing is accepting different ones and accepting the fact that difference is a part of the world. No one should be discriminated, not because we are all equal...

Every language has its own beauty and miracle. Only a native user can feel them. Language is such a miraculous thing. A language isn’t just words and alphabets. It isn’t merely a medium of communication. A language carries the culture. Translation cannot be the substitute of the original work. Translation is an option. Because for one person it isn’t possible to learn so many language and without translation we would be deprived of getting to know so many beautiful works because of the language barrier. Thanks to translation, I got to read so many famous classics by foreign writers, I could...

On 15th November, I had a biology practical examination. And then, the teacher told us to go to a different room to sit for the exam. As I can't walk without someone's support, I was at a loss. Then, two friends of mine came to me. They told me that they would support me. I was afraid that they wouldn’t be able to handle me. But they kept insisting until they finally convinced me to go with them. One of them gently supported me and finally they took me to another classroom. Never before could someone convince me to go with them. This was just a small gesture, but it meant the world to me...