Essay from Iftikhar Zaman Ononno

Young South Asian teen boy with short brown hair with eyeglasses and a white collared school uniform top.

Tree Plantation

Tree plantation means planting trees more and more. Trees are important element of our environment. They are our best friends. They give us oxygen and take carbon-dioxide. They prevent the earth from becoming desert and they maintain the balance of nature. They give us food, shade and shelter. We get fuel and wood from trees. They save land from erosion. They are useful in many ways. They prevent natural calamities. But men are destroying them at a random. They are cutting down trees with the increase of population.

So, we should not cut down trees. Rather, we should plant more and more trees. All the year tree plantation is good. From June to August is the proper time for planting trees in Bangladesh. We can plant trees on both of road side, river side, pond, big field, small field, canal side and in the garden. Besides, any open space in and around homestead should also be used for planting trees. We should preserve the planted trees. Public awareness should be raised to make the tree plantation programs successful. If we want to preserve our environment, we should plant more and more trees. So, tree plantation is very important to make our nature safe.

Iftikhar Zaman Ononno is a student of grade 7 in Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh.

Synchronized Chaos October 2023: ELECTRONICA > Sound Medicine

Curated by Kahlil Crawford, this month’s issue features works about electronic music, the intersection of art, creativity, technology and healing, and electronic music composition itself.

‘We must break out of this limited circle of sounds and conquer the infinite variety of noise-sounds.’

Luigi Russolo (1913)

We start off with Bakhora Bakhtiyorova and Tasirul Islam whom provide basic introductions to the contemporary roots of electronic music and technology. Next, Chris Esparza, provides an insider view of rave art history in the midwestern United States – a visual preamble to the upcoming Viva Acid event in Chicago – the home of House music.

Delaware artist/poet Robert Fleming‘s pop art illustrates prominent discotheques in Ibiza, Berlin, London and New York then Metariddim converses with DJ Toyacoyah about indigeneity in and around the electronic music scene. Meanwhile, Zimbabwean poet Abigirl Phiri waxes philosophic on the (electronic) music contributions of Australian vocalist Sia and South Africa’s Makhadzisa.

‘Personally, for my conceptions, I need an entirely new medium of expression: a sound-producing machine.’

Edgard Varèse (1939)

Photographers Daniel de Culla and Isabel Gomez de Diego offer up images of nature, religion and wedding music while poets Kristy Ann Raines and Maja Milojkovic recite the melodious connection between soul, love and music. Mahbub Alam continues this theme with his personal connection to music.

Not limited to music, electronica encompasses our everyday mobile devices as illustrated by Don Bormon. Sabrid Jahan Mahin takes things a step further with a deep technological discussion between father and son while Nurujjaman articulates the lifeways of music and technology on a whole.

‘Many musicians have dreamed of compact technological boxes, inside which all audible sounds, including noise, would be ready to come forth at the command of the composer.’

John Cage (1942)

Yahya Azeroglu explains how music nourishes the soul and provides quotes from historical figures to support this notion. Muhammed Aamir spins a tale of skateboarding, playlists and mixtapes then Jannae Jordan explores the deeper divinity of music frequencies. Tanvir Islam envisions a pro-technological future and DJ Kittenbear sonically reminds us that the beat goes on…

Poetry from Kristy Ann Raines

White middle aged woman with reading glasses and very blond straight hair resting her head on her hand.
Kristy Raines
LOVE IS OUR SONG

Love as we know it is our song 
The music fills our souls with life 
It flows with each breath in perfect pitch 
You come alive with each new verse 
For me you gave up your solo 
You sacrificed it for us as a single note 
Your title became mine and mine yours 
Burning in love forever is our anthem 
Our memories are as many as the stars 
We spend many nights in unison 
Our love will be forever heard 
Like a symphony that plays through the ages 
And I hear it each time I look in your eyes.

Kristy Ann Raines is an American poet and author born in Oakland, California, USA. Kristy has five books which will soon be published. One anthology with a prominent poet from India,  Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai, will launch sometime in October 2023 called, “I Cross my Heart from East to West.” She has also written two fantasy books entitled, “Rings, Things and Butterfly Wings” and “Princess and The Lion”, a collection of poems in English,” Walking Without You”, a collection in French, “Little Rose Poetry”, and one in Arabic called, “Jasmine and Roses", to be released in the future. Kristy has received many literary awards for her unique style of writing. 

Poetry from Maja Milojkovic

Younger middle aged white woman with long blonde hair, glasses, and a green top and floral scarf and necklace.
Maja Milojkovic
Melody of the Soul 

The melody of the soul has a sound, 
Sublime vibrations that cannot be seen by the human eye 
Music conveys lofty thoughts that touch other people's hearts. 

I don't know the melody of my heart, 
I write about God and I know that such topics are heard far and wide 
When many people tell me that my words touched them, 
Through the poem, through my words and the image of a smiling 
Maya I know that I am fulfilling my goal. 

The song sings for me and the whole world hears it. 
It doesn't matter that I don't know the melody of my soul because 
I am surrounded by people who love me 
And send me hearts and huge bouquets of roses.

Maja Milojković was born in 1975 in Zaječar, Serbia. She is a person to whom from an early age, Leonardo da Vinci's statement "Painting is poetry that can be seen, and poetry is painting that can be heard" is circulating through the blood. That's why she started to use feathers and a brush and began to reveal the world and herself to them. As a poet, she is represented in numerous domestic and foreign literary newspapers, anthologies and electronic media, and some of her poems can be found on YouTube. Many of her poems have been translated into English, Hungarian, Bengali and Bulgarian due to the need of foreign readers. She is the recipient of many international awards. "Trees of Desire" is her second collection of poems in preparation, which is preceded by the book of poems "Moon Circle".  She is a member of the International Society of Writers and Artists "Mountain Views" in Montenegro, and she also is a member of the Poetry club "Area Felix" in Serbia. 

Essay from Mahbub Alam

Poet Mahbub, a South Asian man with dark hair and glasses and a suit and tie
Poet Mahbub Alam
The world is created with the blend of love and beauty, sorrow and suffering, joy and defeat. We, the human beings are to live with the mixture of all the natural aspects of life within and outside the world. And music is such a type of art that reflects what we see and feel in and outside the surroundings. Again the experience in life is different from the different person of the world regarding its culture, society, geography and demand of likes and dislikes. 

As a Banglalee I do have my own style of life that may have difference from the others regarding its choice of food, culture, speech, life style etc. But the feeling of joy and sorrow is the same all over the world. So, when the tune starts with its rhythm whether it is joy or sorrow it approaches the same to the whole world. There are so many songs in Bangladesh such as folk songs, modern songs, pop songs, etc.   

Our English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in his poem "To a Skylark" says, "Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought."   Shelley is an optimistic poet. I feel the same but I do have more interest in the love tone of music or song. We would not like to extend our pain listening to the painful songs though many of us may have the desire to listen to such types of the music. But in this short living world I feel so excited to the music of love that makes us all living in touch of this love feeling and take us to move for living in a peaceful world. 

One night many years ago when I was a student of honors class at Rajshahi, I had already gone to sleep in my room.  Suddenly a sweet tone of music with a sweet voice of love reached my ear and it acted in my heart so fast and stimulated my brain. I felt so excited that I would like to listen again and again but it stopped. I became maddened for my love but no way. The whole night I passed with uneasiness and excitement that I cannot forget even now at the moment. 

                                                                      
Chapainawabganj,  Bangladesh
28 September, 2023

Essay from Tanvir Islam

Young South Asian teen boy with short black hair and a white collared school uniform shirt
Tanvir Islam
About Technology

In a world of wires, screens, and code, 
Technology's path we boldly strode. 
From the wheel's invention to the internet's birth, 
It's reshaped our lives, for all its worth. 
From smart phones small to satellites high, 
Technology soars through the sky. 
Bringing us closer, tearing down walls, 
In this digital age, it enthralls. 
But caution we must exercise as we progress, 
For technology's power, we must assess. 
With great innovation comes great responsibility, 
To shape a future of endless possibility 
So let us embrace this digital age, 
With wisdom, compassion, and courage engage. 
For in technology's heart, the future's key, 
To build a world where all can be free.

Tanvir Islam is a student of grade 9 in Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh.

Poetry from Nurujjaman

Young South Asian preteen boy with short brown hair and a collared white shirt with a school emblem
Nurujjaman
Music

Music is an art,
It gives us emotional exult.

Music is the part and parcel in our life.
Which charmed our mind as reef.

It can expose our intention.
It also influences the deliberation. 

Music is on of the beauty of nature, 
We can enjoy it everywhere.

Nature's sound is one kinds of music.

The sound of birds mesmerizes us, 
The sound of flowing river. 
The quiet sound of trees,
The sound of the All wind-
All makes our mind flutter.

When I sing songs, 
All the feelings of my mind
Slowly come out. 

Singing and listening to music, 
One of my hobbies.
When 1 listen to music, 
I fell as if I entered a deep fantasty.

Whether it is believable or not
But, no lives without that.

Music removes our inferiority complex.
It brings peace to our mind.

The reality of life emerges through the music.

20/09/2023 


Technology

Wherever we look,
We see the variety of technology.
Technology is the best in the world now.

There is no end to it.
Computer is a popular technology.
There is no end to its expansion.
Life is tangent without technology.
This is why, life is better.

Where earlier agricultural technology was underdeveloped.

But today, it has improved greatly.
Technology is preventing us from wasting time.
Also increasing the importance of time.
The world is now at our fingertips.
Thanks to the mobile phone technology.
We are enjoying a bliss equivalent to heaven.
Basically, technology is our life now.

24/09/23

Nurujjaman is a student of grade 9 in Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh.