On your second

What do I wish for you today?
When everyday I wish the best for you
I wish for a smile that never leaves your face
I wish for a dream that stays with you
I wish you a heart that is full of joy
And a tinkle always in your voice
I wish for a sprint in your step
And everyday that you rejoice
I wish you the strength to follow your dream
And to know what is right and good
I wish you the best in all you do
And I wish you bonds of love for good

Two years

I still remember this day, two days back when I was in a store looking for twin stroller. There was still a week for my elective procedure and I had just started buying things for my twins. Little did I knew that I would go into labor within 12 hours and that my boy would die eight days later. In these two years of joy and sorrow, every time I have laughed for my daughter, I have cried for my son. I have wished him to be alive, to play with his sister. I have wished for him to be here or else to have never been. Every time I visit baby stores, the trip hurts me. It hurts me for the child I lost.

A case for secularism

The Bangladesh High Court rejected a 28 year old case challenging the amendment of the Constitution making Islam the State religion without a hearing. This case came at a time when the attacks on religious minorities have more frequent. With the impact of fundamentalists increasing, the dismissal of the case without a proper hearing cannot be a surprise.
Secularism is important because it protects the religious minorities. Secularism broadly means the separation of church and state. It connotes that there shall be no State religion and the State shall neither favor one nor loath the other religion or its followers. Secularism gives the right of religious freedom which protects the religious as well as the atheists and agnostics alike. Without it, blasphemy laws come into play and atheists and religious minorities are in danger of their life and property.
The modern societies which are cosmopolitan in nature require secularism as a base. When individuals from all religious faiths come together for work, it is essential that those who are in minority are protected from extremist elements. In a free society, every man should have a right to follow and practice the religion of his choice or to not follow any religion at all if he so desires.