THANK Allah for what you have, TRUST Allah for what you need.
Number 10,October 2008
Floods – the Scourge of Bihar
by Manzurul Haque
We are not writing the same story of floods retold any number of times. As a monthly magazine we report you nothing which has not appeared in public already. But we are here more to do the analysis of the devastation in order to provoke into seeking solutions.
Just to recount, the floods were caused by the breach in the eastern afflux embankment at upstream Kuaha village in Nepal on August 18. Later the Kosi broke through its eastern embankment at Jankinagar displacing over 30 lakhs people in 16 districts with 23 lakhs in worst-hit Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura and Araria districts alone. As per official count 675 lives were lost but the report is that not less than 2000 are missing. Ironically the area was considered secure against the possibilities of floods after construction of hundreds of miles of embankments and the Bheemnagar barrage in Nepal more than four decades ago. Obviously it did not work.
There is an easy way to blame the young river, and it’s even easier to blame God, and wrap-up the issue with a theory like the one given by honorable Malthus. If we take this route, all this relief actions and grim faces are parts of the melodrama of life which will run its course before coming to a natural halt. But if by chance we are serious then we make few specific comments here, and hope to invite the political authorities, the technocrats and the legendary bureaucrats of India (Inheritors of the ICS etc.), not necessarily in this order, to accept the challenge of a public discourse on these specifics without relying on the invisible pages of the files of their clerkdoms.
Here is a report: “SOS fax messages were sent by the engineers at Kosi dam. They were not attended to by relevant official as he was on leave. No other officer was deputed to act on the fax messages and the messages have piled upon the bureaucrat's (read IAS, whom we cannot name, out of sheer fear of his red beacon light – Editor) desk. Nitish Mishra, Bihar's disaster management minister acknowledged this and said action would be taken once all this is over”. 
...more in page-5
.... Eid.
The sense of sight is another important sense. Seventy percent of the body's sense receptors cluster in the eyes, and it is mainly through seeing the world that we appraise and understand it (USOE, p.1). Seeing everyone dressed in new clothes is a pleasure for the sight. However, Muslims living in the casually-dressed West sometimes downplay the significance of fancy dresses. Western Muslims should buy their children something rich and colorful and joyful to look and not something casual.
The sense of hearing is one that is taken for granted in many Asian countries but is often forgotten in Europe and America. In Egypt, as well as other Arab countries the streets are filled with drums, dancing and radios blasting during Eid. However, in the West, where loud music is condemned, Muslims often forsake the sounds of Eid. Muslims who do not already have a musical tradition for Eid should create one now. Of course the first "music" to consider is the music of the Quran. However, since we hear the Quran every day, one should choose certain verses to be recited on Eid. One can also choose from the growing market of Islamic music available for children as well as for adults There are many beautiful CD's by Youssef Islam such as "A is for Allah" that make wonderful holiday music.
The sense of touch is a hard one to capture. However, it is perhaps the second most important after the sense of smell. This is because the skin is the largest organ of body and weighs about six to ten pounds. Studies have shown that touch plays a crucial role in a child’s development. Muslims can encourage their children to experience the sense of touch during Eid by buying them Eid clothes made of soft velvet or silky material or Eid gifts they can hug such as a stuffed animal or soft doll. Children should be given extra hugs on Eid and encouraged to enjoy the sensation of the soft prayer mats as they pray on the carpet on the floor of the mosque.
Last, but not least are the senses of the heart and the sense of imagination. Children should be told many stories during Eid. Stories about what Eid was like for their parents or what Eid is like in other countries, can be part of their Eid day. There are some storybooks about Eid. However, the best stories will be created on an individual basis. Stories can come in the form of puppet shows, felt-board stories, plays, songs or tales about Eid. Children should be told Eid stories every night and encouraged to create plays and puppet shows about Eid during the day.
(Adapted from an article in www.islamonline.net/English/eid/1424/ health/article02)