‘Seeing Is Believing’

Photo-Above – (from Encyclopedia 2006, Fifty countries signed the
charter on 26 june 1945. Poland signed it shortly after making the
first 51 Member States of the UN. The charter was based on proposals
made by China, Britain, the USA and the Soviet Union. Now the number
of member nations has risen for 51 to 125.)

'My grandfather said that 24th of October was a great day for the
world. It was a day of international significance, for it was on 24th
October 1945. It was the day the United Nations Organization came into
being. It was a day of bright hopes for the future of mankind. It was
a day for the people's prayer for a peaceful world. At that time my
grandfather talked about that day, I was too young to understand. But
I was happy to hear these wonderful words from my grandfather.

There had been two great wars and people had gone through unfold
suffering, we feared that we could not face such a thing again. We
were afraid of being another war broke out. If it so, it would be the
end of the world. But my grandfather said not to be afraid of, because
the founding of the United Nations Organization was the result and in
it lies all our hopes for a peaceful and happy new world. WHO, FAO,
UNICEF, UNESCO were several agencies of United Nation Organization
(UNO). They had special duties and they did noble work. Hence, as we
greet the United Nations Day which is coming round again, we must
renew our pledge to make the world a better and happier place to live
in.'

When I was at school, I had to memorize and recited by heart to write
down in the essay about UN day in the examination. I had to be careful
to know all the abbreviation of UN, FAO, UNESCO, etc. It would give us
good marks in the exam! I thanked my grandfather for explaining the
meaning of UN in simple way.

'Seeing Is Believing'

I thought that their success means the world is being made safe from
war and violence, poverty and ignorance, sickness and disease. We had
to measure their success by seeing how our world keeps on toward
international peace and tranquility and the people's happiness.

--
'J'

Thadingyut festival (october)

we have great fun during festivals. People go to the monasteries,
pagodas and some interesting places during festivals. Many festivals
are celebrated all over Burma.

Thadingyut festival (october)

This month, 12th of the October is the full moon day of Thadingyut.
Thadingyut , the seventh month of the Burmese calendar, marks the end
of the lent. There are three days of lights festival, namely the
day before the full moon, the full moon day and the day after .These
are days of music, dances and fun. Streets, houses and public
buildings are illuminated with coloured electric bulbs. During the
Thadingyut season Burmese Buddhists go round paying respects to
parents, teachers, elderly relatives and friends. It is quite usual
for the senior citizens in their residences to receive gifts and
respects from the young people of the community.

During the Thadingyut festivals, we brought foods, biscuits, cakes or
some seasoning fruits or medicines and paying respects to our
grandparents, parents and teachers. (But bringing those gifts was not
compulsory. Paying respect to adults was accomplished by the act of
respectful deed.)

In our younger days, our grandfather was a teacher. He had many
pupils. There were also young people who loved and respect our
grandparents. My father was a teacher too. So during the Thadingyut
festivals, our house was crowded with their students and their
friends. In Thadingyut seasons, there were lots of cakes and foods
received at our house. Our grandparents gave away sweets and small
change to children. We were happy during these days. There were many
cakes and foods around us. Our grandparents were so happy to meet
their students and young people in those days.

Sometimes we visited some countries and we were not at home during the
Thadingyut festivals. Our grandparents left their relatives and
friends to watch our house. When we came back, the ones who watched
our house gave us the lists of the visitors who came and paid respects
to our grandparents during Thadingyut. They also showed us the empty
packs of cakes. There were names of the visitors written on the label
and showed who came and which package belonged to. (They had to eat
all the cakes, because the cakes would not be good if they kept them
so long until we returned!)

My grandmother said that 'it was on the full moon day of Thadingyut
month that Buddha descended to the abode of humans. He and His
disciples were attended by a heavenly host of celestials who created a
pathway of stars. Humans on earth illuminated the homes and streets to
welcome the Buddha and His disciples.'

So, thadingyut days were very meaningful to us. We illuminated and
lighted the candles around our house and in our garden. It means we
welcome the Buddha and His disciples. We pay respect to our
grandparents, parents and elderly relatives. It is a time for
remembering those to whom we owe respect and gratitude. Moreover, if
there were teachers or elderly people lived with you, you could have
lots of cakes and foods received from their students or young people
and you could enjoy cakes so much fun.

(Photo(above) – It was drawn by U Ba Kyi (1912 – 2000) famous artist in Burma. 

His family and our grandparents were closed friends. When we were only 3 or 4 years 

old, the whole family visited their house. We were too young and we all were playing 

around in his drawing room. He called us to near him and gave us the Burmese 

calendar as a present. In our Burmese year, each month has each festival. 

The calendar had 12 pages and each month drawing represents the festival 
of the Burmese seasons. All the drawings were drawn by U Ba Kyi. This photo above
represents one of the Burmese months, October (Thadingyut in Burmese). 
This old calendar was now a very precious to me.)
(Thanks to my mother for keeping this calendar for a long time, when we received it 
at that time  we were too young to value it. Our mother kept it preciously for us.)

‘Where Dams Dare’

The Nile is the longest river in the world flowing from Burundi to the
Mediterranean Sea. It flows north to south through much of eastern
Africa. Heavy rainfalls cause the Nile to flood each summer. Because
of seasonal rains farther south in Africa, the Nile overflowed its
banks in Egypt every year. When the floodwaters drew back, a rich
black soil covered the floodplain. This natural phenomenon and its
effects on the environment enabled the ancient Egyptians to develop a
successful economy based on agriculture. The Nile served as a water
highway for the people, a constant source of life-giving water, and
the sustainer of all plants and animals.
Aswān High Dam, dam across the Nile River in southern Egypt, located
near the city of Aswān in 1964. The dam impounds Lake Nasser, one of
the largest reservoirs in the world. By mid-1968 construction was
essentially completed. The dam was formally installed in 1971. It has
a generating capacity of 2,100 megawatts of electricity.

'What's Done Is Done'

Although the Aswan High Dam has provided many benefits to the area, it
also has caused problems. The formation of Lake Nasser flooded many
villages along the Nile in both Egypt and Sudan, forcing thousands of
people to change place. Farmland along the Nile is becoming less
fertile and productive because it no longer receives the fertilizing
silt from the river's floodwaters. Farmers have attempted to use
chemical fertilizers instead, but these are not as effective. Although
the dams now control the Nile flooding, they have severely reduced the
deposits of sediment and the fertility of the valley and the delta.
The environmental impact of the dams has been profound, as stretches
of the river above the dams have become blocked with silt, and
decreased flooding has led to increased erosion and greater salt
content in the soil and water of the delta. Local communities and
ancient sites in Egypt and Sudan were either submerged or relocated
because of the dams.

According to the research of National Geographic Society in 1993, by
the Oceanographer Daniel J.Stanley studying of focusing on the
environmental conditions of the Nile River Delta, why the delta is
subsiding? Modern influences including population growth, pollution,
shrinking agriculture lands, irrigation canals, saltwater intrusion
are destroying the Nile River Delta.

'Where Dams Dare'

The river Irrawaddy flows from north to south in Burma was challenged
to build a big dam. It was started to plan to be 500 feet wide and 500
feet high. The Myitson Dam will be the fifteenth largest hydroelectric
power station in the world if Myitson dam project was not suspended by
Burma's president U Thein Sein. If completed as planned in 2017, the
people live around the river Irrawaddy would face same problems as the
environmental conditions of the Nile river delta. If the suspension
means stopping construction, it will entirely comfort our worries
about the delta dam.

'Epilogue'

The Irrawaddy is the longest river in Burma and its waters make
farming possible for the people of hot, dry places around the river.
It gives people transportation, fishing, swimming, agricultures and
natural resources. It gives artists pleasure and we can dream our old
memories. I had posted essays and articles about the river Irrawaddy
while I heard the plan of the river Irrawaddy dam. I admit that I did
not have complete knowledge as the geographic specialists of the
environmental conditions or what happened if the Irrawaddy Delta
imperiled. But I could wish my beautiful memories to be bound each
generation to each generation by natural faithfulness.

'Metaphors of the Irrawaddy'

(photo(above) – When I visited some remarkable places near Pyay(town
in the Bago Division in Burma, Pyay is positioned on the Irrawaddy
River) in 2005 by boat along the river Irrawaddy, I was near one of
the branches of the river. If we compare the river Irrawaddy with
'head and body', her branches will be 'hands, fingers and legs' of the
river. Its water describes as 'heart and soul'.
See how romantic view of the stream naturally flowing beside me! I
wish these memories altogether will be as beautiful as forever.)

Reference:
(1) Science and Technology; essay 'The Shrinking of the Delta' from
Frontiers II by Isaac and Janet Asimov 1993.
(2) From the research paper of National Geographic Society and
Smithsonian Institution, by Oceanographer Daniel Jean Stanley in 1993.
(3) Microsoft Encarta of 2009