If you come from a temperate climate you might be surprised to discover that despite the fact peak temperature varies between 20°C and 40°C, Bangladeshis recognise no fewer than six seasons over their landscape. Mostly these can be grouped into three smaller seasons. In the winter months of late October to February, conditions are comfortable and dry, with temperatures staying somewhere between 15°C and 25°C, except in December and January, when cold spells grip the land and impenetrable fogs linger well into the morning. From March to May, the heat and humidity build to a point where nearly everything is sweating and hot, and temperatures climb sometimes upwards to a stifling 40°C. Finally, everyone breathes a sigh of relief when the rain bladder breaks and the monsoonal rains reduce temperatures to a more tolerable level through the months of June to September. Each season has a brief transitional period, giving rise to the reason Bangladeshis name six seasons.

Click on the image to see more from Russell John.

The Bangladeshi Photographers group recently completed a Cyclone Sidr fundraising exhibition, which presented a mix of amateur and professional photography at the Russian Cultural Centre last week. The exhibition has now moved to another venue (details below) but for those who may not able to make it, I managed to speak with some of the photographers about some of my favourites from the show.

The BP group is unique in that many of them have come together via the internet—they are currently sharing their images in an ever increasing pool of quality photography of Bangladesh, which is freely available for all to see at Flickr. Click here to see more of the group’s pictures. You’ll find a mixed bag—some are amateurs with a a real talent, others are just out to have fun with their cameras and explore.

The above image is by self-professed “IT Guy” Russell John. You can hear the story of this image and a few other favourites by following the link below and by listening to the podcast:

[display_podcast]

M R Hasan’s “Road Workers” photo.

Moniruzzaman’s “Creator of the Earth” photo.

Next venue’s details:
Venue: Chobir Haat (opposite of Institute of Fine Arts, Shahbag)
Time: 11 AM to 8 PM
Date: 1st February 2008 to 3rd February 2008

Click on the image to see it in full size.

The Bangladeshi Photographers group is holding a Cyclone Sidr fundraising exhibition until January 31 at the Russian Cultural Centre in Dhanmondi.

What is most impressive about this event is not only quality of the images but by the collaboration of the photographers involved. We’ll be watching this group closely at Joybangla.info.

More of the group’s photography is available at Flickr.

(Jan 20 – DHAKA) What do you do when a devastating cyclone strikes the area that you’re about to visit?

If your name is Michael Mangano, you raise funds from your friends and family and bring money for the relief goods with your own two hands. That’s exactly what the Boston graduate student did in early January.

Mangano used online merchant Paypal to successfully raise $1,005 USD (or approx 68,000 Bangladeshi Taka) for victims of Cyclone Sidr, especially in the hard hit Sundarbans region of Bangladesh.

Watch the video:

“It’s a kind of ‘do-it-yourself’ relief work,” says Mangano. “My whole trip feels much more worthwhile because of it.”

Mangano’s original purpose was to visit Bangladesh as a tourist and to meet fellow traveller and Information Technology Specialist Mikey Leung. Upon news of the cyclone, Michael decided to raise funds from his family and friends before his visit.

With Leung’s voluntary technology support, the duo produced a Youtube.com video from the field showing the relief goods being handed over, while a series of audio podcasts tracks their progress. The purpose of the volunteer work was to prove to donors that their funds were being used and to demonstrate the idea of “Relief Tourism” to a wider audience.

“The idea of relief tourism fascinates me,” says Leung. “If travellers only knew which organizations are trustworthy, they could help support Bangladesh’s development initiatives while experiencing them first hand.”

After bank fees, a total of 65,000 Bangladeshi Taka was donated to various branches of Rupantar, a Bangladeshi non-government organisation that is supported by several international donor agencies, including USAID, ActionAID and CIDA.

“This is responsible travel in action,” says Leung. “By taking away all gaps between philanthropists and benefactors, we cut out all the bureaucracy and experience the plight of cyclone survivors first hand. It proves to be an educational and positive experience for both local and visitor.”

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Funds involved:
-65,000 BDT raised after Paypal and bank transfer fees
-40,000 BDT ($580 USD) was used to purchase 17 fishing boats and milk for the village of Dhangmari
-20,000 BDT was ($290 USD) donated to an orphanage supporting child victims of the cyclone
-5,000 BDT ($75 USD) was used to purchase musical instruments in support of Rupantar’s cultural change initiatives

Background:
- Michael Mangano covered his own travel expenses personally—none of the donated funds were used for this purpose.
- Mikey Leung is currently researching a new Bradt travel guidebook to Bangladesh in which he plans to encourage travellers to visit Bangladesh in a bid to reduce poverty
- Rupantar is a well-known and respected organization supporting the development of Bangladesh’s south-western region. A branch of the organization supports eco-tourism in the Sundarbans.

Contacts:
DHAKA, BANGLADESH
Mikey Leung, Freelance Journalist and IT Specialist
+880 1714 361 173 // www.joybangla.info // joybangla.info [AT] gmail.com

KHULNA, BANGLADESH
Nazmul Azam (David)
+880 1711 829 414 // ret [AT] khulna.bangla.net

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA
Michael Mangano, Boston University
+1 617 721 4749 // mjmangano [AT] hotmail.com

republished from an e-mail message from Guide Tours

Dear Friends,

Greetings from The Guide Tours Ltd. We hope you and your families are well.

Reports and pictures from the devastating effects of cyclone Sidr have certainly reached your homes. Caring words from all over the world are reaching us with concerns and requests to extend a helping hand.

Natural disasters have and will always strike and effect the poorest of our country the most. We cannot close our eyes to the suffering. As a Tour operator we highlight the beauty and diversity of Bangladesh, while also working towards poverty alleviation. We truly believe that tourism can play an important role in our country’s development. Our long-standing commitment towards the conservation of the Sundarbans has been reaffirmed by seeing the importance of our only remaining natural barrier to the sea during this recent disaster. Although the mangrove forest and its inhabitants took a serious blow, many areas further north were protected by the mangrove forest. We are all shaken by the devastation caused especially to the coastal areas, where many temporary fishing villages were completely destroyed and many lives lost. However, we cannot even start to imagine the effects the cyclone would have had without the protective shield of Sundarban.

Some of our guests have decided not to avail their scheduled tours to the Sundarban forest this month. Although we regret their decision, we understand the reasons and will not charge any cancellation fees this month. Instead we kindly invite you to contribute your cancellation fees towards ongoing relief efforts. With your support we hope to rebuild the tourist facilities in Kotka & Kotchikhali, after ensuring the most immediate required relief to people in and around the forest. Our Sundarban Tours will be running as scheduled.

As a leading Sundarban tour operator we are in the privileged situation of having three vessels that can now be used to distribute relief in areas accessible only by boat. Our vessels started assisting the urgently needed relief work immediately after the cyclone hit. We are focusing on the settlements within the forest (mostly fishing villages and forest stations) and the adjoining areas of Sundarban. In the first phase we are taking down essentials such as drinking water and food. Until today we have already supplied over 3 lakh (4,500 US$) worth of food, water and warm clothing to fishermen, forest department staff and villagers. In the second phase we will assist the rebuilding of shelters, homes and essential facilities.

If you would like to contribute, any assistance in the form of money, dry non-perishable foods and blankets or warm clothes is welcome. We guarantee that all incoming support will be used directly for food, water, fuel, shelter supplies and other essentials. We are obviously not a ‘relief organization’, but our local contacts in the affected areas are helping us coordinate the distribution.

The Guide Tours Ltd. family promises to continue doing their utmost to bring relief to those in need.

We thank you for your concern and support.

Yours sincerely,

Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur, CEO
Hasan Mansur, Chairman

The Guide Tours Ltd.
Darpan Complex, Gulshan-II
Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh

Tel: 880-2-9862205, 9886983
Fax: 880-2-9886984

For your information:
1 US$ = 3-4 Liters of Safe Drinking Water
10 US$ = 20 Kilo of Rice or 10 Kilo of Lentils
100 US$ = one day ship fuel required for transport

Details for Donations:

Name of the account:
The Guide Tours Ltd.

Name of the Bank:
Standard Chartered Bank
Dhaka. 2, Dilkusha c/a, P.O.Box-169, Dhaka-1000
Swift Code Number: SCBLBDDX
Account number: 01-1104772-01
Comment: Cyclone Relief

or, please consider a local or international Relief or Aid Organization for your donation.

***
In order to facilitate donations, we (Belinda Meggitt and Mikey Leung) are accepting funds on behalf of Guide Tours via online payment gateway Paypal. You will need your credit card to donate, please see this link to learn more, or simply click the “Make a Donation” button below. You will need to register for a PayPal account in order to donate. On Dec. 7, we will then wire these funds directly to Guide Tours for restoration work in the Sundarbans.