2011: Events that shaped Bangladesh

Traditionally, the start of the new calendar year means a list of superlatives, including "the best", "the sexiest", "the richest" and a host of other, often meaningless lists designed to remind us of all that has transpired in the last 12 months. As I sit here, forced by my family to go to the doctor after two weeks of illness, the serene surroundings and interminable waiting give me ample opportunity to look back on the news events that I've read about there in Bangladesh.

Which events and news stories were the most formative to my interpretations and understandings of Bangladesh? Which 10 stories of 2011 were, for me personally, the most definitive?

Of course this list is completely subjective. I would love to hear from my readers, which stories affected them the most. Which stories did I overlook? Which events would make your personal list? So, before the physician's assistant calls me in, here they are –

1. The shooting of Felani

I remember the scene from the movie "Gandhi", where a reporter is describing the bludgeoning of unarmed Indians at the hands of the British. He says, "whatever moral ascendance the West held was lost today." I stared at those horrible pictures of a slaughtered 15-year-old whose only crime was crossing an arbitrary line. When those Indian border guards shot an innocent girl and left her to die on the wire, whatever moral ascendance India held was lost in that act of brutality. What was even worse was that no one in the Western press seemed to care.

2. The World Cup opening

Here was a rare opportunity to watch Bangladesh throw a world-class party. Sure, there were some missteps. The worst of these was the rock throwing incident. I was impressed with the subsequent demonstration of apology. The subtleties of cricket are still lost on me, but for a few short weeks, I was swept away by cricket fever.

3. The story of Yusuf, the rickshaw-puller

This story, which I happened to read in bdnews24.com was the first testimony to something I would see repeatedly, and came to understand about how the best of you handle tragedy. When this enterprising family man was burdened by tragedy that forced his wife to be hospitalised indefinitely, he sacrificed everything, sold all that he owned in order to take care of her. For me, Yusuf is one of the heroes of 2011, and a shining example of what a husband should be. May my daughters all find such a man!

4. Yunusgate

Was this a case of assassination by corruption charge? This story generated passionate feelings on both sides, and a very patronising reaction from Muhammad Yunus' friends throughout the world. In fact, whatever you believe about this case, the reaction of the US ambassador made me cringe. My personal feelings are that Muhammad Yunus had good intentions, and hopefully we have not seen the last of his activism. Perhaps the Grameen Bank wasn't the best outlet for his considerable talent. In that case, the government may have inadvertently done Yunus a favour.

5. Rewriting the Constitution

From the controversy surrounding the word "Bismillah" to the removal of the caretaker form of government in re-elections, I discovered that every time I read the Constitution this year, it had been tweaked. This is very difficult for an American to understand. In 222 years, our Constitution has only been amended 27 times. Therefore, I am very suspicious of any government which attempts to alter the fundamental laws of the land. When I lived in Argentina, the governing party would change the Constitution to specifically favour the governing party. Is that what's happening in Bangladesh?

6. The life of Azam Khan

How unfortunate that the first time I listened to the music of this remarkable singer and songwriter it was just after his death this year. Even though I could not understand his lyrics, his remarkable soul shone through in music that was so accessible that one could almost intuit his biography from the sound of his voice. I still listen to his songs and I hear in his voice the courage and the mourning of a freedom fighter who clearly loved his country not just abstractly, but in simple, everyday ways.

7. Rais Bhuiyan vs. Governor Perry

Meanwhile, in Texas, a young Bangladeshi crime victim was teaching Governor Rick Perry, presidential candidate and darling of the Religious Right what it meant to be a true imitator of Christ. When a racist Texan went on a rampage and shot three innocent men including Rais Bhuiyan, Rais campaigned for clemency. The governor would not relent, and Bhuiyan's-would-be murderer was executed. Rick Perry brags that when he makes political decisions, he asks, "what would Jesus have done?" I'm pretty sure that in this particular case, Jesus would have agreed with Rais Bhuiyan.

8. Mirsarai tragedy

International politics, even national politics can create problems that we have no control over. Wars can lead to death, border crossings can lead to death, extrajudicial killings can lead to death and the common person is nearly powerless. However, some actions are especially tragic because they are the result of a culture of carelessness that is within our power to correct. We can bemoan inadequate enforcement, we can ask for stiff penalties for those, like the driver of the truck, whose actions caused the death of 40 people, mostly children. But every one of us who speaks on a cell phone while driving is potentially as guilty. Each one of us who drives can choose between the brake pedal and accelerator. Each time I am tempted to reach for my phone while I'm driving, I say a prayer for the 40 who perished in an avoidable accident, and I keep my hands on the wheel and my eyes on the road for their sake.

How many more traffic related tragedies will we have to read about in 2012?

9. Manmohan Singh's Bangladesh visit

Declared a success before it began, any hope of meaningful diplomacy was sabotaged by regional politics in India. Dams will still be built, Bangladeshis are still being shot along the border, and it would seem to be a folly to permit even more traffic to pass through Bangladesh when current traffic control is already an extreme problem.

10. The election of Selina Hayat Ivy

This to me represents the most hopeful sign I read about all year and Bangladeshi politics. This was the triumph of the people over political machines. It made me think that a new generation of leadership may be able to rise from within the ranks of the old, and bring about the type of government that truly reflects the better angels of your nature.

So, if I had to nominate one individual for Bangladesh's person of the year, and heck why not, it's my column? I think Selina Hayat Ivy would have my vote. On a personal level, if I had to name the two Bangladeshis that most influenced my personal behaviour in 2011, it would be a tie between the rickshaw-puller and Rais Bhuiyan.

My doctor's visit is over. I was planning to attend my sister's party for New Years, but my doctor has ordered me to spend New Year's in bed in order to recover from a bronchial infection.

Oh well. We cannot know which of our plans will succeed and which will come to naught. All we can hope is that we do our best and that God takes care of the rest.

The Quran promises that every hardship is followed by ease. So for you my dear readers, I hope that if 2011 has brought you hardship then may 2012 be a year of ease. And if the coming year happens to bring hardship, may that hardship simply be the groundbreaking for a foundation of greater peace and prosperity for years to come.

Happy New Year.

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Frank Domenico Cipriani writes a weekly column in the Riverside Signal called "You Think What You Think And I'll Think What I Know." He is also the founder and CEO of The Gatherer Institute — a not-for-profit public charity dedicated to promoting respect for the environment and empowering individuals to become self-taught and self-sufficient. His most recent book, "Learning Little Hawk's Way of Storytelling", teaches the native art of oral tradition storytelling.