August 6: Today Is the Hiroshima Day

U.S. atomic bomb explosions over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right) cities of Japan in 1945

Photos courtesy: Wikipedia

 

The New York Times reports of the Hiroshima bombing

Photo courtesy: PDX Retro.com

Today, August 6, is the Hiroshima Day, observed throughout the world remembering the dead and suffering resulting from the U.S. atomic bomb explosions over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9 of 1945. On this day, people also promise not to revisit the nuclear bombing in future. 

To gain a deeper knowledge of these unfortunate past events, the reasons behind them, and their repercussions for the future, please continue reading the following:

• Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- World War II
• The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (atomicarchive.com)
• 1945: US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima (BBC News)
  
• Why the A-Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima?
• Hiroshima Bombing Photos (www.google.ca)
  
• Nagasaki Bombing Photos (www.google.ca)
  
• Hiroshima Atomic Bomb (1945): A Day That Shook the World (YouTube video)
• Hiroshima & Nagasaki: Before and After the War Photos
• Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Photos from the Ruins (TIME magazine)
  
• Haunting Hiroshima and Nagasaki pictures compare cities now and immediately after bomb attacks
• A Photo-Essay on the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Photographs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Hiroshima, the pictures they didn't want us to see
• Nagasaki: one day after the atomic bombing seen in newly-discovered photos
• Amazing color pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bomb
• Declassified Photos Show the US's Final Preparations for the Nuclear Attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Hiroshima Survivor Junko Morimoto talks about the day the atomic bomb landed on her city
• Hiroshima: 70 Years AFter the Atomic Bomb
• The Bombing of Hiroshima, 1945
• Hiroshima-Nagasaki Day: Notable Quotes to be Shared on 70th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing
•  The conversion of the Catholic priest [Father George Zabelka] who blessed the [U.S.] atomic bomb crews
• Father George Zabelka: A Military Chaplain Repents
• Blessing the Bombs: A Catholic Priest's Journey from Nagasaki to Nonviolence (by Father George Zabelka)
• Fr. George Zabelka: The Reluctant Prophet (a video) 
• Tough lessons to learn from Hiroshima and Nagasaki: just war, nuclear disarmament

(Updated on August 16, 2015)

'Angshik Holeo Shotto' Is A Book of Reminiscence

The cover of the book, Angshik Holeo Shotto

David Swapan Rozario's book, Angshik Holeo Shotto (It's true, though partially), is a 228-page Bengali-language book, published in January this year. This book reminisces his childhood and adolescent experiences at Rangamatia Village of Gazipur

District, Bangladesh; his work life at the Bangladesh Biman Airlines offices in Dhaka and certain other countries; some observations on Catholic religious teachings, Christmas season, and some personalities; and his and his wife's travels to different cities of India, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Canada, and the USA.

The 37 topics, written in the popular style, make interesting reading. 

The book was published from Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

The Quotation of the Week (August 2 - 8, 2015)

A quotation of Kailash Satyarthi on 'childhood,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Photo (A child exploring his surroundings in Toronto: July 21, 2015) © Ujjal Peter D'Costa

Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Demand Government Recognition of Their Rights

Indigenous peoples in Dhaka demanding official recognition of their constitutional rights

Photo courtesy: UCANews

More than 200 people, belonging to different indigenous groups, created a human chain in Dhaka on July 31 and demanded the government recognition of their constitutional rights. 

Braving rains, they also criticized the government for shying away from the annual official  observance of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on every August 9.

"Indigenous people are routinely abused for their property and land because the state does not recognize them as equal citizens. They are evicted from their land, face violence including murder and rape, but our law and justice system can't protect them," said Sanjeeb Drong, secretary of the Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, the largest one for ethnic minorities in the country.

Bangladesh, with an area of 147,570 square kilometres (smaller than the Canadian province of Ontario), has a population of about 160 million -- the majority being the Bangali Muslims. About three million people  belong to 45 indigenous or tribal groups.

For more news on this topic, please read the following:

• Indigenous people in Bangladesh seek recognition of rights 

The Quotation of the Week (July 26 - August 1, 2015)

A quotation of Mother Teresa of Calcutta on 'love in action,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Photo (Flowers in Toronto: May 19, 2015) © Jerome D'Costa

Archbishop Patrick D'Rozario, CSC, Visits Bangladeshi Catholics in Toronto

Archbishop Patrick D'Rozario, CSC, of Dhaka, Bangladesh, was on a pastoral visit in Toronto on July 15 to 20 meeting with Bangladeshi Catholic immigrants. He offered two Masses for two groups of Bangladeshis. 

One of the Masses, held on July 18 at St. Theresa's Parish Shrine on Kingston Road, was arranged by the Bangladesh Catholic Association of Ontario (BCAO). The BCAO also gave a post-Mass reception to the archbishop. 

The first eight photos below are of the Mass and the last four are of the reception at St. Theresa's Parish Shrine in Toronto.

The archbishop also met with and offered Masses for five other Bangladeshi Catholic communities in the USA and one in Bermuda before coming to Toronto.

Photos © Jerome D'Costa

The Quotation of the Week (July 19 - 25, 2015)

A quotation of Robert Collier on 'success,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Photo (A parking lot near Ikea store in Toronto: Nov. 29, 2014) © Jerome D'Costa