Machizo showcase

Sakura is flowers not leaves. It is the only one example nature flowers before leaves. It makes the Japan as a garden in March- April with ... all » different types flowers. However it makes a cultures. Hanami ( nature observation ), festival, event even the food and perfume widely used in this time based on the beauty of Sakura and its mode. As my experience, its make an excellent unity between nature and human heart.

Koinobori are fish shaped flags traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Children's Day. ( 5th May ). Traditionally, the flags are used to incourages children as the carp can swim upstream. The flags are made by coloful decorated paper, cloth, nonwoven fabric etc .The sizes of 'koi flags' genearlly one feet to a few meters long. However it is flown generally infront of house, school where the children gather.

A small documentary on Rickshaw and Rickshawpuller of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. The documentary having the follwing story:

Dhaka is the city of rickshaw. With aesthetic glimmer firth rickshaw in Chittagong in 1919. In Dhaka rickshaw first appear in 1938. One landlord of old Dhaka first brought this vehicle in the capital.

Once rickshaw was consider as gorgeous van. According to city corporation, there are seventy six thousand in Dhaka.

With vision of a good life, the illiterate villagers migrant to Dhaka after fighting with poverty. But don't get job. At last take rickshaw pulling like hard job.

After whole day hard job they return with weak body and mind.
With limited income they can not maintain family properly.
So wife also join in income generation, do job as housemaid or garments worker.

Because of poverty can not send children to school. One son also become rickshaw puller like father. Such a way going on their life circle.

The documentary, “Shankahri Bazar” portrays the reality of shankhari art & artist, old Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is a team work of Humayun Kabir, Washiqur Rahman, Shamsul Arifin, Raihath Sohel and directed by Shahjahan Siraj@Machizo. It is a project of MSJ-303, Ulab, Spring 2007. DVD is the shooting and output format of the documentary.

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Shankhari Bazaar, the name itself is inheriting glory of shankha art. Once the Shankhari Bazar was famous as the place of art. The traditional Shankha industry is now struggling for survival. Fighting with Indian products, excessive prices of raw materials; however low-income and less market demands are the main cause of the struggle.

Before also these works was done by hand with touch of total heart. Nowadays machine are widely using in Shankha industry. Although much works is done with in short time but creativity become limited within monotonous format. Cutting, cleaning, carving, sketching, designing and polishing are the six steps for making an artistic shankha. After cutting and cleaning, pairing and rounding has been done by machine.

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The orginal format of documentary is DVD, view: panoromic, duration- 14 minutes
Price: 10 USD ( Tk. 500 ). Contact: siraj@machizo.com
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Lalon was mystical poet and saint. He was devoted to love, freedom and peace that express in his songs. He taught the way of eternal liberation. He strongly emphasized to resolve the internal conflict and dominancy of false desires.

He was the greatest mystic-singer of the subcontinent. Lalon believed, the ‘body’ is the universe and the universe is the body. He was revolutionary, challenged to contemporary life style, religions and practices with simple word of songs.

Japanese wedding is very expensive, elegant and serene event. The spring and autumn are the weddings seasons in Japan. Ancient time the traditional marriage was held at Shinto shrine. But now it is organised at hotel, restaurants and wedding places.The members and relatives of both bide and bridegroom's family attend in the ceremony.

The video portrays natural swan farm of Abukumagawa River, Fukushima, Japan. By the patronization of government the farm becomes now a tourist spot. Everyday huge number of visitors visit the spot , the swan and ducks plays is the visitors. The visitors also give. The scenes become a heavenly by the harmonization of birds and human hearts.

‘ The Optimists: A Hope for the Bangladeshi Children’, a documentary film based on the activities of The Optimists, will be screened at 6:30 pm on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at PS 234 Auditorium(30-15 29th Street) in Astoria, NY.

The Optimists has been working with a program named ‘Child Sponsorship Program’ (CSP) to help the helpless and distressed children of Bangladesh since the year 2000. Director Shahjahan Siraj visited the CSP project areas and interviewed the sponsored children, their families, and the Optimists’ doctors, officers and volunteers. He also used the statistical data, information and pictures of the Bangladeshi distressed children. These children are in a very neglected and miserable condition, without proper education, nutrition, healthcare, and are often forced to be engaged in child labor.

The film ‘Optimists: A Hope for the Bangladeshi Children’ will help you understand how helpful the CSP is in the lives of the sponsored children.

There will be a Q&A session at the end and light refreshments will be served.

Please attend the show and witness the Optimists’ effort with support from expatriate Bangladeshis and others.

Minhaz Ahmed

21st February, the International Languages day is celebrating with highest honor and dignity nationwide. The millions of people gathers in Shahid Minir ( language monument) to honor the language martyr heroes. 1952 of this day, the lover of mother language sacrifice the lives to protect the Bangla from the grasps of non-democratic Pakistani rulers, who wanted to declare the Urdu as state language instead of Bangala, the language of majority peoples. At last it was settled Bangla as state language after the sacrifice of patriotic spirits & movement. The launages movement is the basement of Bangali nationalism from which Bangladeshi peoples inherited sprit to win in all democratic and rights movement includeing the independence of Bangladesh.

On November 17, 1999, the Unesco declared February 21 as the International Mother Language Day, is celebrating worldwide. From President to general people of Bangladesh celebrate this day, offer the flowers in Shahid Minar with bare foot, however expressed the heart and devotion for national prosperity. The day is a public holiday. The national flag will be hoisted at half-mast atop all government, autonomous and private buildings. The government and different socio-political and cultural organisations have taken up separate programmes to observe the Language Martyrs' Day.It is an inspirational event to save the language and culture of thousand minority tribe of the world.

Videography: J. Alam
Concept & editing: Shahjahan Siraj
Production& Copyright: Machizo Multimedia

Since January 2008, Bangladesh was dangerously panicked with bird flu. Although there was not happened any human cased. The majority people was anxious, did not eat chicken even eggs. The Poultry industry and business was collapsed . From the beginning government, media and concerned NGOs promote the issues as public health measure and basic alerts to save both poultry industry and lives. From this month March the people particularly city dwellers get back confidence with promotion.