Friday, November 23, 2007
A Thanksgiving Toast from Bangladesh
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-- From Cal Perry,
-- CNN International Correspondent, in Bangladesh.
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When I sat down to write this, my immediate thought
was: what do I have to be thankful for? I'm surrounded
by death, disease and destruction. The airlines lost
literally everything I own - I've been wearing the
same clothes for over a week, and I just got done with
a 12 hour round trip boat ride to an Island of death
that involved a death defying motorbike ride (the 2nd
in two days).
But then I remembered what thanksgiving is all about.
And so I stand and toast to the following:
First, to our crew of misfits. Cameraman Sanjiv
Talreja, who I saw leap off a ferry to get a shot as
his blackberry flew into the water - also a man who
can sleep anywhere - including on the back of flying
motorbikes. Producer Ayanjit Sen, who can speak more
languages than I knew existed, somehow managing to
keep our expenses in line, when you're tipping local
boys on barren islands who help carry our gear that
can't be an easy feat. To producer extraordinaire Tim
Schwarz who swooped into country from Hong Kong with
gear and the heart to carry the story forward -
literally editing pieces in speedboats across the vast
Bangladesh delta. All the while, never once did they
complain about the smell emanating from their fore
mentioned dirty and smelly reporter.
To our foreign desk - always a calm voice on the other
end, making our pieces stronger, available 24 hours a
day for anything, and making sure the world sees the
tragedy that has struck this beautiful nation.
To our London bureau - for running around like crazy
and making sure all our paperwork was in order. Our
editorial head in London for recognizing early as she
did that this was an important story, and coordinating
with our incredible futures department to deploy
quickly.
To our families - who put up with so much. So many
missed holidays, year after year - checking the TV to
see how we're doing instead of watching football as
many others are, and always looking on the Internet to
see how we're doing. Text messages in the middle of
the night, expecting the worst, but always sending
supportive messages. Our wives and significant others
- who groan when that phone rings and we leap out the
door - another holiday burned . they still stand by
our side.
To all journalists, who are in war zones and disaster
areas around the world - from Iraq to Africa to tents
in Bangladesh - speaking for those who cannot speak
for themselves, acting as a global megaphone, showing
how the majority of the world really lives.
To the people of this beautiful country who have lost
so much - but still try to hand us what little water
they have left - when we look thirsty and insisting
all the way through thick jungle and past mass graves
to carry our heavy gear.
To the children of Bangladesh whose faces tell the
story of death - as they carry forward, one foot in
front of the other.
Finally and most important - the people who live on
the island of Char Andar, all the way in Southern
Bangladesh - in the Bay of Bengal. They have very
little to be thankful for - other than for just being
alive - surviving the storm.
I hope they know somehow, I will never forget the day
I met them, Thanksgiving Day, 2007.
Posted by In The Field Online Producers: 4:43 AM
CNN Link:
http://www.cnn.com/exchange/blogs/in.the.field/2007/11/thanksgiving-toast-from-bangladesh.html
Kumar Islam
Chicago, Illinois
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