As told by Bosir Ahmod, 30 years old, a Rohingya athlete and teacher
Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh
***
Long ago, there was a king who had a son, Shaahain. The king wished for his son to become an educated man, so he sent Shaahain abroad to complete his studies.
Shaahain was a good student and had a love for knowledge. After several years, Shaahain finished his schooling and returned home, wanting nothing more than to teach the things he had learned to his fellow countrymen.
The king built Shaahain a beautiful home with three stories and terraces. Soon after, the king began to pressure his son to getting married, but Shaahain was resistant. One day, the king sent an advisor to ask Shaahain which woman he was interested in marrying.
“I’m not interested in marrying any woman! I will be a teacher forever and dedicate myself to sharing my knowledge with the people of the kingdom,” Shaahain exclaimed to the advisor.
Upon receiving word of his son’s reaction, the king was very sad and disappointed. He very much wanted Shaahain to marry and to have a family of his own.
There was a king in another country who had only one daughter, the beautiful Shundar Banu. Like Shaahain, she was only interested in learning about new things.
One day, Shundar Banu visited Shaahain’s country. There she saw a beautiful building with three floors and terrances, filled with wondrous items. On one of the terraces she saw Shaahain, sitting on a chair and reading a book, and she fell instantly in love. Shundar Banu knew that she had to meet this mysterious man, so she hatched a plan.
Shundar Banu carefully studied Shaahain’s habits. She learned that every day, Shaahain would walk to the school to teach the children. She learned the types of things that he was interested in and the style of shawl that he would wear.
The day before she was set to return to her country, she enacted her plan. As Shaahain was walking to work, Shundar Banu passed close to him and secretly spit juice from the betel nut that she was chewing on his shawl, staining it a deep red.
That evening, Shundar Banu visited Shaahain’s house and brought a new shawl as a gift. It was beautiful, just the kind that Shaahain loved.
“Wow!” he exclaimed.
“Only today I discovered that someone had spit betel nut juice on my shawl!”
Every day Shaahain wore the shawl, growing more fond of Shundar Banu each time. Soon they began communicating, sending messengers between them to deliver messages.
Over time, as they got to know each other, they fell in love. One day Shaahain asked Shundar Banu to marry him and they lived happily ever after.