Giant Magpie Robin at Dhaka

Giant Magpie Robin Statue at Dhaka

DIT Avenue: Dhaka: Bangladesh

Magpie Robin(Copsychus saularis) is the national bird of Bangladesh. Commonly known as Doyel (দোয়েল) has some ood impact on our national life. The bird is used in our currency landmark. Using as a symbol for Bangladesh. This bird also selected as the mascot of SA games of its last edition.

This time, sight by walk edition is going to show the statue of a life size Oriental Magpie Robin. This statue caught my eye on my regular on road journey to cross Gulistan grid-lock, one of the busiest of Dhaka City. Any pedestrian can see this giant bird at the gate of Bangladesh Olympic Association building, while walking on DIT Avenue, from DIT building to Gulistan node.

Well, I have no proper idea about the size and height about this life size statue of this one. This statue is made in honor of 11th South Asian Games. There is another one of the same size at the entrance Prime Minister's Office. There is a popular sculpture of of this bird at Dhaka University, in the node of Shishu Academy and Curzon   Hall, but this one is like the original one looking for fly to catch. Enjoy.

Google Map Location

Remembering War Heroes at Maynamati War Cemetery

Remembering War Heroes at Maynamati War Cemetery

Maynamati : Comilla : Bangladesh

Prologue
Recently I have few times to roam to the middle Eastern part of Bangladesh, in this hectic schedule. I revisit some of my old day traveled places, like many other tour I miss my camera to take some good snaps around, but did not delay to collect my clicks by others cellphone VGA cameras. This time I pay homage to the World War II heroes, visiting the War Cemetery at Maynamati, Comilla.

From Panoramio

Background
According to CWGC the historic background is given as-

"Before the war Maynamati was a hamlet of a few dozen huts, but during the war a large military camp was established there. Several ordnance depots and a number of military hospitals, both British and Indian, were in the area, including Nos. 14 and 150 British General Hospitals; and the majority of the burials in Maynamati War Cemetery were from the various hospitals. Graves from isolated places in the surrounding country, and some from as far afield as Burma, were moved into the cemetery by the Army Graves Service and later on by the Commission; and it was found necessary to transfer also graves from small cemeteries at Dacca, Faridpur, Paksay, Saidpur, Santahan and Sirajgany, where they could not be maintained.

Under a canopy of indigenous flowering and evergreen trees such as teak, gold mohur or flamboyant and mountain ebony -- serene, sombre and peaceful -- dominated by a small flat-topped hill, lies the graves of 737 soldiers.[Mysyed]  

The cemetery was started by the Army and laid out by the garrison engineer. It is dominated by a small flat-topped hill crowned with indigenous flowering and evergreen trees. Between the entrance and this hill lie the Christian graves, and on the far side of it are the Muslim graves. On a terrace about half-way up the hill, facing the entrance, stands the Cross of Sacrifice, and on the other side a shelter looks over the Muslim graves to a tree-framed view of the countryside beyond." 

This place is quite calm,there is  no hassle around. CWGC mentioned that there are some 700 hundred casualties engraved here, exact figure is 737.

Other Trivia 
Most of the war heroes are young soldiers within the age range of 18-25 of  various religions, while civilians around 40. A large cross make the center piece  of this grave yard. This is the second World War II, graveyard in Bangladesh, other one is situated in Chittagong. Muslim casualties are graved on the mound of the grave yard. This cemetery is the rare place which have the grave of Jews. 23 unknown soldiers has been buried here. Each tombstone of marble and mosaic carries the name of the deceased and some information about the origin of the person and the regiment he belonged to. In this cemetery lie the bodies of British, African, Indian, Australian and Japanese.


Google Map | Commonwealth War Graves Commission