Is the winter bearable for everyone?

Who doesn't like the winter? Many people wait for the season all year. But have we considered whether winter is bearable for everyone?

Bangladesh is a country of six seasons. The destitute in our country struggle with one major problem throughout five seasons - the problem of food. In winter, another problem arises – the cold. Winter is unbearable for those who do not have warm clothes. The upper and middle classes are able to buy large amount of winter clothes. But the poor have to suffer through the winter with tattered old clothes. Some, like the many children seen walking the streets naked, don’t even have old clothes.

In winter, many villages start harvesting rice. But how often do we think about the farmer who grows rice and provides it for us? Does he have enough food for himself? Is his family able to eat properly?

The sweet juice of dates is a beloved part of winter mornings. People who harvest it can be seen coming through the foggy atmosphere from far away with pitchers full of date juice. Eating raw date palm juice while sitting in the winter sun gives a sense of peace. Date juice molasses and date rice cakes are delicious. But do the people who deliver us these delicacies get to enjoy them for themselves?

All kinds of different pithas are prepared across the country in winter. Families also cook a number of different winter dishes and share them with friends and relatives. Many varieties of treats are available – from different rice cakes to puddings. But do we ever think about those people deprived of these things? Of the farmers who wake up early on winter mornings to tend or harvest their paddy and jaggery and get a pittance in exchange for their crops?

The winter wind also harshens the severity of the season, bringing misery to the poor. Labourers face many hardships working in the cold. According to the Bangladesh Institute of Development Research (BIDS), a quarter of our total population live in poverty. Most of them are involved in various low-paying professions such as driving rickshaws or vans, working in garment factories, or working in the transport and construction sectors. They are trying to get through the cold winter with only light blankets for comfort. Sometimes it is difficult for them even to manage that. Buying warm clothes is often a distant dream.

But we should not only think about human suffering. We have to think about animals too. How do they survive the winter? Animals suffer in winter just as humans do. Animals on the street often roam helplessly in search of shelter from the cold. Many puppies die due to extreme low temperatures, and cats search for warmth. They have no food, either.

We have to think about everyone. We should extend our helping hands to those less fortunate than us whenever possible. We have to consider innocent animals too. How do they survive? We have to remember that we are the luckiest creatures on earth - we are humans. So it is our responsibility to take care of them. That is how we can prove our humanity.

Reporter's Age: 14 District: Dhaka