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Best Games to Play with Babies (0 to 12 Months Old)
Your baby’s life during the first twelve months will be marked by many developmental milestones, such as vocalisation, mobility, social awareness and so on. Babies naturally develop into well-adjusted adults as long as the basic needs such as nutrition, rest, and emotional bonding are met. You can further encourage your baby’s development by stimulating him both mentally and physically, which can help him explore and understand his environment.
Research has shown that the key components in this process are parents who take the time to interact with them in different ways. There are several fun activities described in this article which can help them in their development.
How to Play with Babies?
The first year is going to be difficult, with the rearranged sleeping schedules, fussiness, crying, constant attention and so on. As a newborn grows older, they become more aware of their own body in the context of their surroundings. One of the most common ways babies explore their new environment is their mouths. They tend to put everything in their mouth. Fingers and hands are also developing during this period, allowing them to grab, pinch, hold and lift objects as they grow. There are various games you can play with your child that help him experience the world, involving visual components, social bonding, hand-eye coordination, motor skills and memory.
Games to Play With Infants Under One Year
Babies younger than one year have rather short attention spans. Combined with their age, personality and disposition, it can become difficult to keep them focused on a single thing. This is why it helps to repetitively play the same game over and over, so it becomes firmly entrenched in their minds. If your baby is enjoying the activity, he will be smiling or laughing. However, if he looks disinterested or squirmy, change the game.
Birth to 3 Months
Newborns seem like they are unaware of most things around them. So you might think it’s difficult or impossible to engage them. However, even very young babies have working senses, which can even be stimulated and sharpened.
1. Locating Objects
Tracking or finding objects can help with visual development. You can use a brightly coloured item in this activity. When your baby is on his back, keep the object right in front of his face. Then, slowly move it from left to right until your baby begins to follow it with his eyes.
2. Song and Dance
You can introduce him to music and movement. Play a relaxing song with a beat, firmly hold your baby and dance around the room slowly in time to the song.
3. Identifying Reflections
Hold your baby in front of a mirror and point at his reflection. You can ask him “Who is that?”, And repeat the activity for other reflections, such as yours, his sibling, or a toy.
4 to 6 Months
Babies of this age tend to be more physical, they will start rolling over, sitting up, holding objects in their hands and mouths. You can introduce more physical games now.
1. Bubble Distraction
Playing with bubbles is quite fun, and can be an interesting way to distract your child if they are fussy or cranky. You can blow bubbles anywhere, at the park, during bath time or even when putting your baby to sleep.
2. Flight Simulation
Since your baby can now support his head, you can lift him up in your arms and carry him around as if he is flying.
3. Introduction to Scents
Let your baby get a whiff of the various smells around the house. This activity can distract him as well as teach him how to associate odours with actions. For instance, you can employ mild spices like cinnamon, cloves, cumin as well as lotions, creams, soaps and so on.
7 to 9 Months
Your baby should be now able to grasp objects and transfer them from one hand to another. He might even begin crawling around.
1. Obstacle Courses
You can use large but soft objects like pillows and quilts in his crawl paths so he can learn how to manoeuvre around them. This is excellent to improve motor skills.
2. Sensory Stimulation
Babies are pretty noisy, especially when they take objects and bang them around on the floor or tabletops. This is not because they want to annoy you; they are curious about the sounds being produced. Give them items like spoons and bells which make interesting sounds. You can also give them embroidered cloth or other complex but delicate surfaces to hone their tactile skills on.
3. Hide and Seek
Hide and seek, or peek-a-boo, is a great game to help your baby understand the concept of object permanence, that is even if an item moves out of the line of vision, it still exists somewhere. You can hide behind a door or curtain and let your baby find you. You can also cover your face with a cloth and reveal yourself when your baby starts calling for you.
10 to 12 Months
At this age, your baby should be learning how to stand, pull himself up, climb and so on. Fine motor skills like turning pages are also developing.
1. Make Movement Fun
As your baby learns to walk, you can encourage his mobility by keeping his favourite toy in different locations, so he goes to get it. Also show him how to push objects around the room, which will help him establish a sense of balance.
2. The Imitation Game
Babies around a year old love imitating sounds and expressions. You can encourage them by making strange sounds and faces until your baby starts copying you or responding with their versions.
3. Order from Chaos
Your baby is now learning that the world around him is ordered. You can show him how to maintain that order by giving him toys and other objects and show him how to arrange them by size, colour or shape. This will also show him that order need not be established rigidly, but rather that there are multiple ways of doing so.
Tips for Parents
Activities and games are essential in the early development of children. Here are a few tips for parents to play with infants, which can help make the experience both fun and informative for your little one:
Make playing with the baby a family activity. This will strengthen the bonds between family members and stimulate the formation of an intimate relationship between the family and the baby.
Make sure you have the time to play with your baby. As explained earlier, one of the important factors in child development is the active presence of a caring parent. The activities mentioned in this article are quite simple and do not need special rooms or items.
Remember that the solutions to the problems in the activities must come from the baby. Your role is just to create the setup and assist your baby with anything that is required.
Keep an eye on your children when they are playing. If you observe any instances of mean behaviours, such as refusal to share or physical altercations, you need to interfere and show them how to play fair.
Don’t hold back when it comes to giving your babies different objects to play with. Babies who experience a wide variety of colours, sounds, smells and textures are better at developing the ability to integrate their perceptions with the environment.
Be aware of the materials used to make the objects used in the activities. For instance, plasticine and clay is a bad idea for babies under twelve months as they could swallow it. Similarly, other plastic toys may have chemical colourants that can enter the body if the baby keeps them in their mouths for too long.
Don’t set the rules for their activities. Allow them to build on their creativity and ideas. Play with them in a distraction-free environment, away from disturbances, especially television.
Growth and development happen according to a biological schedule. Even though there might be a few differences, most babies follow the same pattern, starting with rolling over and followed by sitting up, crawling, standing, walking and so on. But always know that all babies are unique, and it does not help to compare your child with others. Some babies might take their own sweet time in learning things while others can be much faster, but at the end, this speed has a negligible effect on their adulthood. However, if you notice your baby takes considerably longer to reach his development milestones, it might be due to an undiagnosed condition. Please consult your paediatrician in this case.
Also Read: Baby Activities – Fun Things to Do with Your Babies Read more
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How to Deal with Eye Infections during Pregnancy
During pregnancy, it is common for some women to experience eye problems. Pregnancy is the time when women go through a lot of bodily and hormonal variations as they prepare for subsequent childbirth and parenting. The changing pregnancy hormones and augmented blood circulation may make pregnant women susceptible to infections. Pregnant women may develop dry or watery eyes during their pregnancy. Many of the eye problems that crop up during pregnancy are minor and transitory. They are likely to disappear on their own after childbirth.
Eye Infections in Pregnancy that You Should Aware of
Some of the eye infections that you may like to be aware of in pregnancy are:
1. Dry Eyes
Most pregnant women develop dry eyes during pregnancy due to hormonal changes which are responsible for producing less water in eyes.
The eyes may become red and are likely to dry out.
Quite often a burning sensation is also felt.
Eyes may also turn sensitive to sunlight.
Refer to an eye doctor who may suggest mild eye drops to resolve the issue.
In case the problem continues despite putting eye drops as recommended by the doctor, you may want to fix another appointment for a second eye checkup.
On examination, you may have to go in for nonvascular constriction eye medication which may thin the blood vessels present on the eye’s surface.
2. Weak Eyesight
This condition may develop during the second trimester wherein the vision appears to have become weak.
Weak eyesight commonly happens because of increased fluid retention by the body due to the fluctuating pregnancy hormones.
In case you use contact lenses you may find your vision to be quite blurred.
You may like to opt for glasses instead of contact lenses.
You can also seek your eye doctor’s advice regarding other feasible options.
The weak eyesight is likely to correct itself after childbirth.
3. Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye
Conjunctivitis refers to a condition in which conjunctiva, a thin membrane that shapes the eyelid and shelters the front part of the eye gets inflamed.
The eye may look bloodshot or red as blood vessels on the eye’s surface dilate or widen forcing additional blood into the eye.
Usually, the pink eye has other symptoms too like a pain in the eye, irritation, burning or itching, swelling of the infected eye, watery discharge.
Conjunctivitis in pregnancy may get triggered by an allergy, infection (viral or bacterial), increased pressure in the eye, plugged tear duct or chronic dry eyes.
Conjunctivitis is a contagious condition and thus should be treated promptly.
Your eye doctor on evaluation may determine the cause of your conjunctivitis and then recommend antibiotics, if necessary.
Alternatively applying cool washcloth on the affected eye may provide some relief from irritation and
Tips to Take Care of Pregnancy Eye Infection
Here are some tips to help you deal with eye infection during pregnancy:
1. Maintain Good Hygiene
Observing basic hygiene is the most important thing that can prove helpful in preventing eye infection. Bear in mind to wash your hands frequently. Avoid touching or rubbing your eyes. It is also not a good idea to share towels.
2. Cold Water Splashes
Splashing or washing your eyes with cold water several times in a day may eradicate the presence of any foreign bodies in the eyes and bring relief from irritation. Then again, putting a cold pack on the infected eye can aid in soothing the dilated blood vessels in the eye.
3. Warm Compress
Gently applying a warm compress at regular intervals to the affected eye can help in easing out some of the pain and inflammation.
4. Avoid Eye Makeup
In case you are prone to allergies, it is best to stay away from using eye makeup during pregnancy lest it causes infections.
5. Protection for Eyes
Always remember to wear a pair of good sunglasses when stepping out to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays of the sun, dust, and other pollutants.
6. Rose Water
You can also put a few drops of rose water in your eyes to wash away the infectious agents and allergic irritants.
Pregnancy eye infections are usually temporary conditions which may get automatically cured after delivery. During pregnancy self-medication to treat eye infection or taking over-the-counter eye drops should be avoided to prevent any probable pregnancy complications later on. One has to be careful while taking medications especially antibiotics during pregnancy. So, it is always desirable to contact your doctor for treatment of eye infections in pregnancy.
Also Read: 22 Infections That Can Affect Your Pregnancy Read more
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Amazing Facts and Information About Drought for Kids
Drought is not just a period of very high temperatures and the least water throughout the year. Even in the dead of winter, what does a drought look like is nothing less compared to a massive hurricane. Agricultural damage and water supplies may be at risk due to droughts, a natural event. Droughts fall into various kinds, each having a different source and effect. It’s essential to know how this drought affects us, and these statistics may help you do just that.
What Is Drought?
Meteorologists define drought as an extended period of precipitation that is below average. Drought is defined as an absence of water that affects both supply and quality when it comes to water. Hydrologists define drought as a prolonged period of low rainfall and streamflow.
Types of Drought
Drought can be categorized into four broad groups based on the four primary approaches used to quantify it:
1. Meteorological
A meteorological drought occurs when precipitation falls below normal levels over an extended period. Other types often precede droughts produced by the weather, affecting agricultural and rangeland ecosystems.
2. Hydrological
Hydrological drought affects surface or underground water resources when precipitation, including snowfall, is insufficient. Typically, a watershed or river basin is used to classify a drought.
3. Agricultural
Drought occurs when the topsoil layers lack sufficient moisture to sustain crop and pasture development. Drought indicators include rainfall, temperature, and soil moisture content.
4. Socioeconomic
Demand for an item exceeds supply in a socioeconomic drought due to weather-related water restrictions. Hydroelectric plants get their energy mostly from water flow, which implies that a drought might significantly reduce their output.
Causes of Drought
Droughts can be caused by many factors, both natural and artificial. Some of these are:
1. Natural disasters
A severe drought can occur independently, as has been seen throughout history, afflicting people for most of that period. The amount of moisture and heat circulating through the atmosphere and on the surface of the earth’s oceans were factors in naturally occurring droughts before human-induced climate change became a significant factor.
2. Changes in weather patterns
Furthermore, how air moves through the atmosphere may impact rainfall distribution across the globe. An anomaly in surface temperatures, particularly water, disrupts air circulation patterns. As a result, the amount and distribution of precipitation across the globe changes, and the resulting weather patterns are more likely to throw water supply and demand out of whack, as is the case when snowmelt occurs earlier than expected in the spring and summer, reducing the amount of water available for crops.
3. Excessive water consumption
As a result of an imbalance between the supply and demand of water, it is also possible to experience a drought. A tremendous amount of water will be required to maintain both the human race and agricultural techniques. The global human population grows alarming while intensive agriculture methods are becoming more common globally.
4. Deforestation and soil deterioration
Having trees and plants is necessary because they release moisture into the atmosphere, resulting in the formation of clouds and the pouring of rain, which replenishes the soil’s water. Tragically, the human race has perfected the art of depleting the earth’s limited natural resources. As a result of the loss of trees and plants, there is less water available to fuel the water cycle, increasing the vulnerability of entire regions to drought. For this period, deforestation and other land-use practices that degrade soil quality, such as intensive farming, will continue to degrade soil quality and reduce the land’s ability to absorb and retain water. Farmers face agricultural droughts as soils dry faster than they can be replenished, while hydrologists face hydrological droughts as groundwater recharge is reduced.
5. Global warming
As the term implies, climate change is causing the world to warm at an alarming rate, resulting in droughts in the future. Human activity, such as the emission of greenhouse gases, is primarily to blame for global warming in most cases. Global temperatures rise due to the trapping effect produced by these gases. Water from rivers, streams, lakes, and other water bodies will evaporate more due to increasing temperatures. In contrast, other activities will result in less water being returned to the earth as rain. Water will be scarcer, and droughts will become more frequent due to these changes.
6. Climate change
As temperatures rise, climate change increases precipitation in wet areas and decreases precipitation in dry regions, resulting in a cyclical pattern. Wetter regions will see more rain due to warmer air absorbing more water. In contrast, drier areas will see less rain due to higher temperatures, which will cause water to evaporate more quickly and result in smaller rain events. Climate change also alters large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, causing storm tracks to deviate from their regular trajectories and become more severe due to the changes.
Harmful Effects of Drought
Keep reading to know about drought - what happens during a drought and catastrophic effects:
1. Maximum hunger and starvation
Due to an inadequate water supply, drought affects the growth of food crops. People grow hungry when a deficiency occurs or eliminates food supply, leading to famines during severe and persistent droughts. The most well-known example is the famine in Ethiopia in 1984, which was precipitated by a fatal mix of severe drought and catastrophically poor governance and resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of people.
2. Potable water is in short supply
Droughts can result in a scarcity of usable water for drinking and other purposes. All living species need water to survive, and when people are in severe need of drinking water, they will turn to untreated sources, which may result in illness. According to the World Health Organization, a lack of safe drinking water results in insufficient public sanitation and personal cleanliness and a wide array of potentially fatal diseases. Millions of people get sick or die each year due to a lack of access to adequate drinking water and sanitation, and droughts will only worsen the problem.
3. Wildfires and their effects on wildlife
Droughts are defined by low moisture and precipitation levels, which can quickly create dangerous conditions in forests and rangelands, laying the groundwork for wildfires that can cause severe injury or death and significant property damage, and a reduction in already depleted food supplies. When wild animals and plants are subjected to droughts, even if they have adapted to dry conditions, they die or seek water in human settlements, ending in the species’ extinction. Droughts result in a rise in animal mortality and a decline in reproduction, which is incredibly detrimental to populations of threatened species.
4. Frequent conflicts and wars
When a resource such as water becomes scarce, it results in a lack of food. People may compete and fight and kill to get enough water and food to survive. According to reports, the Syrian Civil War began when millions of rural Syrians fled their drought-stricken homelands for metropolitan areas, spreading instability.
5. Migration and relocation issues
A drought-stricken region will witness a considerable rise in the number of people and animals leaving to find a new home with better water and food availability.
6. Blackouts
An overwhelming majority of the world’s population continues to rely on hydroelectric power facilities to meet their energy demands. Droughts reduce the amount of water stored in reservoirs behind dams, reducing the amount of energy produced. This may be especially challenging for the many minor settlements that rely on small-scale hydroelectricity generated from a modest electric turbine on a nearby stream.
Possible Solutions to Prevent Drought
Take a look at the several methods to prevent drought and steps to take after a drought:
1. Rainwater harvesting is a widespread practice
This essential drought treatment may be done relatively quickly at home. Rainwater harvesting enables homes to store rainwater and use it during dry periods rather than depleting existing water supplies such as rivers and reservoirs. Assuming that a house has a primary water supply, rainwater collecting provides an auxiliary water source that may be used if the primary water source is unavailable.
2. Increased tree plantation and prevention of deforestation
Planting is a responsibility that everyone on the earth should take up, and it has the potential to result in the plantation of billions of trees each day. Tree plantation improves the quality of the environment and increases precipitation by increasing the quantity of moisture in the air. If the trees are properly cared for until they reach maturity, it may also assist in rehabilitating a region’s drought and dry circumstances. Besides planting more trees, it is also better to avoid cutting down the existing trees until more are planted.
3. Transitioning to renewable energy sources
We have long relied on non-renewable energy sources such as petroleum to meet our energy demands. These fuels result in increased greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and droughts. Additionally, it is feasible to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, which have little to no environmental effect and do not contribute to droughts.
4. More severe government policies
Strict policies are important at the local, national, regional, and global levels. It is vital to impose substantial penalties on individuals who participate in actions that contribute to droughts or other environmentally damaging results. As a consequence of this effort, climate change can be reversed, remedying the ongoing insufficiencies.
5. Acquiring an understanding of environmental concerns
This includes educating and training the younger generation on protecting and maintaining the environment by planting trees and recycling and reusing most products. Besides including in the educational curriculum, the need for environmental stewardship must be promoted by the media and companies so that avoiding droughts becomes an individual duty.
Other Interesting Facts and Information About Drought for Children
For more information on drought for kids, check out these interesting facts and informational resources:
After hurricanes, droughts are the second-highest economic impact.
A surge in snake bites is reported due to snakes relocating in response to dry weather conditions.
In the 1930s, the United States had an extended period of catastrophic dryness, known as the ‘Dirty Thirties.
For most of the history of the United States, the 1987–1989 droughts were widely regarded as the most expensive natural disaster the country has ever experienced.
Droughts are the most severe threat to food security in Sub-Saharan Africa, owing to the devastating effect on the region’s agriculture.
In other cases, droughts may endure for months or even years in some locations.
Drought may be brought on by a lack of precipitation in a specific region.
Drought, which occurs due to a water shortage for agricultural irrigation, may impact the food supply chain, resulting in famine.
Droughts are growing more prevalent as the climate continues to rise.
Between 1969 and 1980, a drought in Africa resulted in a famine that impacted 150 million people worldwide.
Drought may harm the environment, but it can also damage the economy. Drought-prone regions may be helped in a variety of ways. Check out the facts in the article if you wish to educate your children about drought and its consequences on the ecosystem.
Also Read:
Volcano Facts for Children
Facts About Pollution for Kids
Earthquakes Facts for Children Read more
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6 Tips to Make Kitchen Time Less Tiring
Even if you are a passionate and committed cook, there will be moments when you will simply be too frustrated to carry on in the kitchen! Moms need to finish scores of chores in the kitchen, and rhythmic as that sounds, it is hardly so in reality!
If only being in the kitchen just involved cooking, life would be so much simpler, wouldn’t it? Sadly, kitchen time involves pre-cooking and post-cooking chores grueling enough to tire out the most energetic person!
If you’d rather be anywhere else than in the kitchen, check out these 6 tips to make your time in the kitchen less tiring.
Making Kitchen Time Easier For Moms
1. Take breaks
Cooking is often a long process. It begins with chopping, slicing, boiling and a million other little things. Instead of taking on the whole process all at once, do it in slots. For example, once you have finished chopping your vegetables, leave the kitchen and do something else for some time.
2. Stock up
If you don’t have the luxury of taking breaks, use the weekends to cook up and freeze several meals for the coming week. This way you have a stock of pre-cooked food in the refrigerator which you can heat and use whenever you like. Initially, it might seem daunting to cook several meals at a time, but give it some time and you will get used to it.
3. Use the right tools
Invest in good quality appliances like a food processor, pressure cooker, dishwasher, etc., to do all the dirty, repetitive work for you. Once you notice the oodles of time and energy you have saved, you will see that they are totally worth the investment. If you don’t want to spend too much money, you can always go for the economical models, or purchase when a sale is on. ||
4. Set the right mood
Put on your favorite music and turn up the volume. Tune in to a hilarious TV show. Or simply pour yourself a glass of wine. Trust me, even the most mundane chores get a lot more bearable when you do them along with something you enjoy.
5. Involve your family
Who said you are solely responsible for kitchen duty? Ask your kids and hubby to chip in. Let them take care of tasks like setting the table, doing the dishes, etc. This will not only help you save time, it will also teach your kids the importance of doing chores. If you take it a step further and gradually teach them how to cook, you might just spark their interest in cooking itself!
6. Learn simple hacks from old-timers
Ask your parents, grandparents, or any experienced cook to divulge their secrets for whipping up quick meals. You could also search online for time-saving cooking hacks and quick recipes. If you’re old school and prefer paper to digital, consider purchasing a cookbook from a local or online store. Read more
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মেঘরঙা মেয়েতামান্না জেনিফার ও দাদু, দাদু...আমাকে বিয়ে দিবা কবে?
ছ'বছরের তিথির মুখে এমন কথা শুনে হেসে লুটোপুটি খান দাদু একরাম উদ্দীন ৷ হাক ছেড়ে ছেলের বউকে ডাকেন তিনি..
"ও বউমা শুনছো,,দেখো আমার বইনে কি কয়...হাহাহা"
তিথির মা সুমনা আড়াল থেকে মুখে আঁচল চেপে হাসে ৷ এই ছোট্ট তিথিই তাদের সারা বাড়ির সুখ..সারাদিন তাথৈ তাথৈ করে নেচে গেয়ে বাড়িটা যেন ভরিয়ে রাখে ৷ বাবার চোখের মনি,দাদুর আদরের বুবু আর মায়ের নিঃশ্বাস ৷ তবুও যেন কোথাও একটা সুরকাটা ভাব...
গায়ের রংটা ওর বাবা বা দাদাবাড়ির কারো মতো ওমন দুধে আলতা হয়নি ওর ৷ বরং মায়ের মতো শ্যামলা গায়ের রং..এ নিয়ে আজ ছবছর ধরে কথা শুনে চলেছে সুমনা ৷ শ্বাশুড়ি রাহেলা বেগম নিজে হলেন অপরুপ সুন্দরী ৷ অমন কালো নাতনিটি তাই তার বড্ড অপছন্দের ৷ নাতনিকে কালী কয়লা ছাড়া তাকে ডাকতে শোনা যায়না কখনো..
দাদু আর তিথির এমন আহ্লাদ দেখে রাহেলা বেগম মুখ খুললেন...""মরন !! যে না চেহারা,তার আবার বিয়ে..তোর মায়ের মতো কাউকে ভুলিয়ে ভালিয়ে যদি তার গলায় ঝুলতে পারিস..ছিরি দেখো কথার,,বেলজ্জা বেশরম মাইয়্যা...""
একরাম উদ্দীন বলে উঠেন ..""আহ,রাহেলা..কি শুরু করলে তুমি..একটা দুধের শিশুকে এসব কি বলতাছো খেয়াল আছে তোমার !!""
""মরন !! সত্যি কথা কইলেই গায়ে ফোস্কা পরে..আমারে না চুপ করায়া বরং নাতনীরে কিছু স্নো পাউডার কিন্না দেন..তাও যদি একটু ছিরিখান ঠিক হয়..যেমন মাও তার তেমন ছাও...সবি আমার কপাল..."" বিলাপ করতে করতে রাহেলা বেগম বাড়ির বাইরে চলে যান..
ওদিকে ছোট্ট তিথিকে যেন এসব বাকবিতন্ডা স্পর্শ করতে পারেনা ৷ নিজের পুতুল দুটো নিয়ে আপন মনে বারান্দায় বসে খেলছে সে ৷ আর অপেক্ষা করছে তার বাবা কখন আসবে..বাবাকে যে সে তার পুতুলের জন্য নতুন শাড়ী আনতে বলেছে ৷ কাল তার পুতুলের বিয়ে তার সই সাদিয়ার পুতুলের সাথে ৷ ""নাহ,বাবার আসতে দেরী আছে,তারচেয়ে না হয় একটু সাদিয়ার সাথে খেলিগে যাই"" ভাবতে ভাবতেই একটা ভো দৌড় দেয় সাদিয়াদের বাড়িতে..
সাদিয়ার মা উঠোনে বসে মাছ কাটছিলেন ৷ তিথিকে দেখেই জিজ্ঞেস করলেন ""কি রে তোদের নাকি পুতুলের বিয়া?"" তিথি ঘাড় দুলিয়ে উত্তর দেয় ""হ্যা তো"" ৷ সাদিয়ার মা হেসে হেসে বলেন ""দে দে ,,পুতুলেরই বিয়া দে...যে তোর গায়ের রং..বিয়া হইতে খবর আছে..""
তিথির ভীষন খারাপ লাগে..নিজের হাতের দিকে তাঁকিয়ে ভাবে কেন সে এত কালো..তার দাদীও একি কথা বলছিল আজ..কস্টে তিথির চোখে পানি চলে আসে...
সুমনা আর তুরাগ ছিল সহপাঠী ৷ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে একি সাথে পড়তো তারা ৷ সুমনা খুব ভালো ডিবেট করতো,আবৃতি করতো ৷ নবীন বরনের দিন সুমনা ভরাট গলায় আবৃত্তি করেছিল—
‘মেঘ বলল যাবি
অনেক দূরের গেরুয়া নদী
অনেক দূরের একলা পাহাড়
অনেক দূরের গহন সে বন
গেলেই দেখতে পাবি.."
সেদিন সুমনার কবিতা শুনেই ওর প্রেমে পরেছিল তুরাগ ৷ বাবা মার একমাত্র ছেলে ৷ ভীষন সুন্দর দেখতে যেন স্বর্গ থেকে নেমে আসা কেউ ৷ যেকোন মেয়েই যাকে পছন্দ করবে নির্দ্বিধায় ৷ অথচ সুমনা দেখতে শুনতে তেমন না,শ্যামলা মুখে বিষাদের ছায়া ৷
তুরাগ যখন সুমনাকে ভালোবাসি বলে তখন যেন মরমে মরে যাচ্ছিল সে ৷ তুরাগকে সে স্পষ্ট জানিয়ে দেয় এ সম্পর্কে সে রাজী না ৷কারন ছোটবেলা থেকেই নিজের গায়ের রং নিয়ে এত তুচ্ছ তাচ্ছিল্য সয়েছে সে যে তার মনে হতে থাকে তুরাগ তার সঙ্গে ঠাট্টা করছে ৷ এসব হয়তো মোহ,কদিন পর যখন আর থাকবে না মোহটা তখন ঠিক ওকে আস্তাকুরে ফেলে দেবে তুরাগ ৷
সুমনার ধারনা ভুল ছিল ৷টানা দু বছর রোজ কোন না কোন ফুল হাতে সুমনার সামনে গিয়ে দাড়াতো ৷ একসময় সুমনা বোঝে তুরাগ তাকে আসলেও ভালোবাসে ৷ এমন ভালোবাসা উপেক্ষা করার শক্তি সুমনার ছিলনা ৷ সাড়া দেয় সে তুরাগের গহীন ভালোবাসায়..
এরপর তিনটে বছর ওরা শুধু একে অপরে মেতে থাকে ৷ সহপাঠী থেকে শুরু করে অজানা অচেনা লোকেরাও ওদের নিয়ে কটুক্তি করতে থাকে ৷ ""দেখ দেখ রাজপুত্রের পাশে ঘুটে কুড়ুনি""অথবা ""ছেলের রুচি কি ভয়ানক,মাগো!!"" এসব শুনে মাঝে মাঝেই ভেঙে পরে সুমনা ৷ তবে তুরাগের এসবে কোন ভ্রুক্ষেপ নেই..
এরপর আসে বিয়ের সময় ৷ সুমনার পরিবার থেকে কোন ঝামেলাই ছিলনা ৷ তুরাগের বাবাও প্রথম দেখাতেই সুমনাকে ভীষন পছন্দ করে ৷ তবে বিয়েতে বাধ সাধলো রাহেলা বেগম,তুরাগের মা ৷ কোন মতেই মেয়ের গুন দেখতে নারাজ তিনি ৷ তার কথা একটাই ""দুনিয়াতে কি মাইয়্যার অভাব পরছে !! এমন কালো মাইয়্যা তার ঘরের কাজের মেয়ে হবারও যোগ্য না "" অনেক যুদ্ধ শেষে বলতে গেলে একদম বাধ্য হয়েই বিয়েতে মত দেন রাহেলা বেগম ৷
অবশেষে সুমনা বউ সাজে..তার ভালোবাসার তুরাগের বউ ...
তবে বিপত্তি গুলো যেন কেবল শুরু হলো মাত্র...
সারাদিন শত শত কাজ করেও যেন কিছুতেই মন পেত না সে রাহেলা বেগমের ৷ বান্দীর বেটি ছাড়া কখনও ডাকেন না তিনি সুমনাকে ৷ সারাদিন পাড়ায় টো টো করে ঘুরে বেড়ান আর শাপ সাপান্ত করেন সুমনাকে ৷ সবাইকে বলে বেড়ান ""আমার ওমন রাজপুত্রের মতো ছেলে....ওই কালনাগিনী কালা জাদু করে রাখছে আমার মানিকটাকে...""
এভাবেই দিন যাচ্ছিল ৷ একদিন সুমনা বোঝে তার ভিতরে অন্য একজনের অস্তিত্ব ৷ সুমনার মনে হতে থাকে তার মতো সুখী কেউ নেই ৷ অনেকদিন পর কবিতার বই হাতে নেয় সে ৷ অনেকদিন পর নিজেকে ভালোবাসে সে ৷
খবর শোনার পর রাহেলা বেগমের মনে হয় সুমনাকে বোধহয় আর তাড়ানো হলোনা ৷ গম্ভীর গলায় গিয়ে সুমনাকে বলেন ""বাচ্চা হইবো ভালো কথা ৷তয় এ জন্য যেন ঘরের কাজে কোন গাফিলতি না হয় ৷আর আমার নাতি চাই ৷ মাইয়্যা যেন না হয়...বংশের পয়লা সন্তান ছেলেই হওয়া চাই"""
ধীরে ধীরে ন'মাস শেষ হয় ৷ সুমনার ঘর আলো করে তিথি আসে ৷ তিথি দেখে সুমনা আর রাহেলা বেগম দুজনই খুব কেঁদেছিল তবে সুমনা কেঁদেছিল সুখে আর রাহেলা বেগম কস্টে ৷ একেতো মেয়ে তার উপর মায়ের গায়ের রং......সারাদিন অভিশাপ দিতেন ফুলের মতো তিথি আর সুমনাকে...""এত লোকে মরে তোগো মরন নাই...মরিস না তোরা আমার হাড় জুড়ায়....""
এসব শুনে সুমনা আড়ালে বসে কাঁদতো..আর আল্লাহকে বলতো ""করুনাময় আমার সন্তানকে তুমি ভালো রেখো "" তবে প্রতিবাদ সে করতো না কখনো ৷তুরাগ বলতো "" আমি আর বাবা সারাদিন থাকিনা...তুমি কোন অন্যায় সহ্য করোনা...প্রতিবাদ করো..."" ৷তবে সুমনা ভাবতো আল্লাহ সব দেখছেন...
ছয়টা বছর এভাবেই গেল..বিনা প্রতিবাদে অন্যায় সহ্য করে....সুখে অসুখে.....
তিথি সাদিয়াদের বাড়ি থেকে এসে আপন মনে আবার পুতুল নিয়ে বসে ৷ ছোট্ট তিথির পরিস্কার মন...একটু আগেই যে কথাতে তার গাল ভিজেছিল এখন বেমালুম ভুলে গেছে সে..
রাহেলা বেগম পাড়ার আড্ডা শেষে বাড়িতে ঢুকছিলেন...তিথি দাদীকে দেখে আহ্লাদ করে বলে "দাদী...দেখোতো আমার পুতুল সোনাকে কেমন লাগছে..." ৷ রাহেলা বেগম খেঁকিয়ে উঠেন তিথির কথায় " মরন ! এই আমাকে ছুস না অলক্ষী..তোরে দেখলেই আমার চোখে জ্বালা করে...মরতে পারিস না তুই....কালী কয়লা..."
রান্নাঘর থেকে সব শুনছিল সুমনা ৷ এত বছরের ধৈর্য্য আজ যেন ভেঙে চুরমার হয়ে যায়...অনেক হয়েছে আরনা...সুমনা রান্নাঘর থেকে এসে তিথিকে কোলে তুলে নেয় ৷ তারপর বলে """অনেক বলেছেন মা..এবার থামুন..আপনি শুধু ওর গায়ের রংটাই দেখেন,,ওর মায়া ভরা চোখ দেখতে পান না?? কেন এত অভিশাপ দেন ওকে...অনেক বেশী বলে ফেলেছেন..আমার সন্তান আমারই...কালো হোক যেমনই হোক ওকে ওর শৈশবটা আনন্দে কাটাতে দিন..."""তারপর তিথিকে বলেন """মারে,তুই দুনিয়ার সবচেয়ে সুন্দর বাচ্চা..বাবা মায়ের আদরের ধন...লোকের কথায় কান দিবিনা..তুই বড় হ তোর মতো করে...""
বিশ বছর পর...
তিথি আজ হাইকোর্টের উকিল ৷ নির্যাতিত মেয়েদের জন্য কাজ করে ৷ না,তিথি লোকের কথায় ভেঙে পরেনি ৷তিথি বড় হয়েছে ওর নিজের মতো করে ৷ নিজেকে পন্য নয়...মানুষ হিসেবে গড়ে তুলেছে..
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Sai Prasanthi R L has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
14 hours ago
Q. Hlw dr its my 6th month pregnency can i intimate with my partner
Sai Prasanthi R L
Mom of a 10 yr 2 m old boy
14 hours ago
A. Hello dear! If your pregnancy is going on fine without any high risk factors then it’s okay. Still, would advise you to check with your doctor once before going further. Maintain a good personal hygiene routine and a healthy lifestyle
Abhaya Rajput has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
11 hours ago
Q. My breasts feel full and heavy, but there’s no milk when pumping and during feeding baby —what do I do?
Abhaya Rajput
Mom of a 14 yr 4 m old boy
5 hours ago
A. Hello there ma’am please do not worry about it too much. But it is really very difficult to say anything without proper examination. It is advisable to get yourself evaluated by a doctor and follow doctors advise properly. You can also book online doctor’s appointment on FirstCry where the doctor can help you and guide you properly.
Thanks and take care
Dr Disha Patel has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 6 months
11 hours ago
Q. can I take medicine pcm n citrazene in pregnancy fir sore throats n fever
Dr Disha Patel
Ayurvedic Physician
6 hours ago
A. dear mom.
better to take tab pcm for time being n do take steam inhakation couple of tines a day, follpw good home renedies for cold, taje more rest .
Swati Kar Samanta has added a new answer
Mom of a 9 m old child
4 hours ago
Q. hi everyone good morning,
sorghum can I give to my 10 month baby is it safe or not please revert I waiting for your reply
Swati Kar Samanta
Mom of a 2 m old girl
2 hours ago
A. Yes but first give in very small quantity to judge the reaction of your baby.
Rashmi has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
2 hours ago
Q. #asktheexperts is it okay that the baby is kicking less than usual?
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 7 m old girl
2 hours ago
A. Yes it is the what part is that your child is kicking if you feel that there is a movement of your child whether it is a cake or slight movement also you know that your child is doing fine so there is no problem in that if the movement is less it’s completely alright
Dr Sameer awadhiya has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
1 hour ago
Q. #asktheexperts what to do if the baby’s nose is blovked
Dr Sameer awadhiya
Paediatrician
1 hour ago
A. Nasal blockage is very common, specially in small children because of the narrow nasal cavity. Any kind of saline drops like nasal clear will be helpful in dissolving the stuffy secretions, which can be taken out by vnasal aspirator gently also steam inhalation will be helpful also, try to avoid keeping the child directly under the fan.
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