Patriotism in short supply
I have a feeling that we Bangladeshis miserably lack the qualities of patriotism and fellow feeling on which hinges the well-being of a person, society and the nation. It is now about three months I have been working as a Cashier-cum-Clerk in a convenience store Cullen Blvd, about 25 miles from our residence in Houston.
Cullen Blvd is predominantly a Black majority area with a few Hispanic people and some immigrants from different parts of the world. The store I work for is owned by a black gentleman.
The mailman designated for this area comes to the store every other day. One day he inquired about my identity. I replied that I was from Bangladesh. Instantly he said, "Assalamu Alaikum." I fell from the sky and reciprocated by saying, "Walaikum Salam." He further told me that he was from Egypt and has been living in the United States for more than two decades with his wife and three children.
One day after delivering the mail, he bought something from the store and I could guess that he did not need the stuff he just bought. I asked him, "Did you buy this because of me?" He replied in the affirmative.
Our Economics teacher back at school in 1970's, while discussing the economy of Bangladesh, told us about one of his childhood friends. After the partition of Pakistan and India from the British colonial rule, a Hindu friend of his living in the then-East Pakistan was looking to buy a box of matchsticks made in India, which would bolster the economy of the newly independent India.
It is almost impossible to come across a Bangladeshi who would prefer to buy a Bangladeshi product if a similar foreign product is available in the market. And with this mentality a country can never attain economic prosperity.
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