Inside

The other day I had been given a gift covered with color paper. One of my characteristics is I'm always indifferent to gifts or anything else covered.

I kept it as it was for past few days.

One day while I was talking to my daughter over phone I remember the gift. My daughter is different from me. She is always curious especially about gifts or anything else covered. I like this type of curiosity of her.

I told her about the gift.

She asked without saying any other words “What’s that?”

“I don’t know. It’s covered.” I replied.

“Tear it off and tell me what it is.” She insisted on.

I assured her telling, “I’ll do it. But I need sometimes.”

“Take. But don’t take much time.” She told showing her impatience.

Still I kept the gift pack aside as I was tired and wanted to sleep for the night. The next day probably was weekend and I was taking more time to wake up.

I would have taken more time but my daughter phoned me asking “Have you already opened up the gift pack?”

“No” I told first. Then I told again “Ok I’m opening, wait a minute”.

I extended my hand and brought the pack nearer. I assured my daughter that I’m going to tear the cover and tore it.

I found a bottle of scent which was giving a kind of fragrance coming out as if of rose.

“It’s a bottle of scent” I informed my daughter.

“Ok keep it and bring for me when you come if it’s better than that I’ve.” My daughter told me and cut off call.

Still then I could not come out of my sleeping mood. I placed myself on bed again but could not close my eyes.

With my two open eyes I saw a number of things all around the room. All were old but appeared seemingly new. Most of those things were put inside or covered with something else.

I tried to guess what the things would come out if covers open. First my eyes were drawn to a computer bag. I knew a laptop, charger, pen drive, money bag and my specs were the things supposed be inside. Then I cast my eyes to another bag and remembered clearly a Punjabi (A type of traditional dress in Bangladesh) I bought only two days ago for a special occasion. I saw a few more bags or packs but could not remember exactly what the things would be which are inside.

I left that task of remembering for another time and moved to the window.

I saw outside a hundreds and thousands of houses vividly visible as far as my eyes went. All these houses made a society as it is consisted of houses.

Society is important for human beings to lead a civic and civilized life. No one can imagine of having school, college or university, club, office, community, hospital or clinic without society. Where there is society there is all for people to lead a decent life. Standing beside the window I was looking outside and thinking all these aspects of society and here I found even the society is also covered with an invisible cover. As this is invisible cover it cannot be tore off or opened by outer force. But sometimes it becomes flexible or unable to keep everything hidden inside. What comes out when it is flexible or unable?

Both sweet smell or fragrance and bad odor or malodor may come out.

What is the sweet smell or fragrance here that comes out of a society?

In my opinion these are some of the things can be called sweet smell or fragrance.

• Task that is done by society for society


• Unity that the people make in society to protect it


• Unity that the people make in society to remove evil things from it


• Conducive situation and environment society creates where people love one another and consider them as one flesh.


• People are aware of not creating pressure or repression on women.

And now it is easily understood that the bad odor or malodor would be quite opposite that we see most of the time.

However, my thought came back to myself and went straight to people on the street, shops or in the markets. Then my thought went a step farther to the people at homes.

Here in case of human beings I found two sides-‘Inner and Outer.’

Inner side is covered with outer side which can be called physical structure. Physical structure visibly consists of some limbs but contrary to this inner side is invisible and filled with both sweet smell or fragrance and bad odor or malodor.

Love, compassion, patience, tolerance, long suffering etc., are the sweet smell or fragrance and opposite to all these such as hatred, envy, impatience, conflict, etc., can be called bad odor or malodor.

Apparently people seem more active to use their bad odor or malodor which is the main factor for this world to be notorious and hostile. It also seems the people do not know that the sweet smell or fragrance is a kind of power and proper use of it can make the world a beautiful and safer place especially for children and women.