June 2nd, 2024
This is Laily of Grameen Phone who
Thirteen years ago, she invited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to eat rice with eggplant bhorta. She still gets goosebumps when she remembers the moment she spoke to the Prime Minister. “I feel a little ashamed of my own stupidity. Does anyone invite the Prime Minister of the country to eat rice with eggplant bhorta?” But what will Laily do, after receiving the Prime Minister's call on her mobile phone. Her chest trembled with unknown joy. She couldn't speak very confidently. Moreover, the mobile phone was also very new for her. Even then she could not fully grasp the use of the device. Yes, this Laily is none other than the first customer to talk to Grameen Phone. Full name Laily Begum Nurunnahar. But she is known as Laily at home and abroad. 13 years ago on March 26, 1997, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched Grameenphone by calling Laily's mobile phone. Over time, Grameenphone became the country's largest mobile operator. It has more than 2.6 million subscribers. Customers are increasing every day. But how is Laily? How is her life? How much has she changed in thirteen years? Does she still use that mobile phone?
Patia Bazar Tempostand is just 8 km from Khilkhet. No matter how short the distance, the area along the banks of the Balu River was still not developed. Everything was being filled by dragging river sand. Various housing companies, project signboards were hanging. There were no less than a number of signboards marking the designated location of Police Officers Housing Society in the vast underwater area. Every now and then, expensive luxury cars used to rumble along the narrow road. But for those who lived in this area, tempo was one of their means of transportation. It went on for a long time. And the line of trawlers used to wait in the sand river. The number of people walking were not less. Laily said, now the situation is very good. Four or five years ago there was only water and water around here. When walking on the street, it was like being carried away by the wind. There was no communication system. People had to go to Khilkhet in monsoons by trawler. And in other seasons, there was no way but to walk. If it rained, it would not be possible to travel anywhere. The medium of communication was letters. The postman used to deliver letters every day on a bicycle. Information was given from one person to another. It is surprising to think how the mobile phone has changed everything. Now her son also runs the internet on his computer through his mobile.
Laily's house is next to Patira Bazar tempo stand. Near the main road. A residential and commercial complex can be called more than just a house. What is not in it? Roadside restaurants, saloons, fuel oil shops, residential houses, generator houses, biogas plants, tenant houses, and cow farms. No It didn't end here. Laily pointed with her fingers—the empty space up to the mango tree in the distance is also ours. With a cheeky smile, she said, "After talking to the Prime Minister on the mobile phone, we have changed this." This is how a mobile phone has changed our lives.
How?
Laily started to say that the incident occurred around 1993–94. We had a difficult life with two sons and a daughter. Laily's husband is Atiqur Rahman. He is known as Atiqullah in the area. He also joined his wife. He started saying, There was a tea shop in front of the house. I used to work there. I used to cut the soil. I used to stay at home. Laily added and said, one of my sisters-in-laws informed me one day. She said loans were available at Grameen Bank on easy terms. Well, that's how it started. I took a loan of four and a half thousand taka to buy a cow. After buying a cow, I started selling cow's milk in the morning. And in the afternoon, I ran the tea shop with that milk. Paid off the loan in 44 weeks. There was no loan to buy a car again next year. I paid that in one year. After that, I bought again. In the meantime, the cows had their calves. I sold them too. And that is how it went. Early events of 1997. We were asked from the center of the bank whether we wanted to buy a mobile phone. I heard that 200 applications were dismissed. Three of us applied for mobile phones from our center number 33. One of the other two is Hasna, and the other was Hasina. They called us. “Why do you want to buy a mobile phone?” - they asked to know. Hasna said, “My husband lives in Malaysia. I will talk to him.” And Hasina said, “I need a mobile phone to talk to my relatives.” When I was asked, I said, “My house is next to the road. There is a tea shop. I will do business there if I get a mobile phone.” I saw that they liked what I said. After that, they started communicating with me regularly. They came to my house and asked thousands of questions about how to do business. At one point, I got bored. But I was given a mobile phone 18 days before the official journey of Grameenphone. They said that I would have to talk to engineers from now on. The mobile sets of that time were not as small as they are now. It was very big. Also very heavy.
After taking it in hand, I trembled with fear. How do I talk? I have never done such a thing in my life. Engineers gave me courage. They said, “You answer what we ask.” At first, I was very shy. Engineers used to call and ask if I was cooking. Who is at home? Sometimes they taught me in person how to use or talk over the phone. I used to get scared when the phone rang. It was then said that the mobile phone would be inaugurated and the prime minister would call me. Hearing this, my body trembled. Engineers said, “What is there to fear. You are talking. Whatever you are asked, you will answer.” March 26, 1997. Thousands of people were in the center. The founder of Grameen Bank too. Many local and foreign guests, including Muhammad Yunus, appeared. All the people of our region were to attend the event. I was shaking with fear. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called at around 11 o'clock. She said, “How are you? What is your name?” She also wanted to know the news of my son and daughter. I said, “I am fine.” I also said, “Apa, please visit us even though our village is in a rural area, but it looks very nice. You will have to come and eat rice with eggplant bhorta made by me.”
Hearing my words, the Prime Minister laughed.
She asked, “Why did you talk about eggplant bhorta?”
Laily Begum explained that it was eggplant season. We also had an eggplant field at our house. In fact, immediately, I could not understand how to invite apa. But now, if I could talk over the phone, I would have said, “Apa you come. The car will come near our house. I will cook meat for you and you will have it.” Laily sighed, because now she does not know Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's number. Once again, she started recalling from her memories that after talking to the Prime Minister, my condition changed entirely. I became somewhat successful. Everyone started talking to me with a smile. People who did not even know me started to call me Bhabi and started checking up on me.
Tell us the story of your success?
Her husband, Atiqullah, came forward again. The two were giving information - “I got a Grameenphone mobile phone with a loan of 18,000 taka. The price of the SIM was 10 and a half thousand taka. However, as the opening ceremony was held here, the news spread around very quickly. People from nearby Belna, Dumni, Baridhara Tek, Patira, Ichapur, Pinglan, Gupingpur, and Rayartek started coming to my shop to call. 10 thousand people live in this area. Basically, the calls came mostly from abroad. My monthly bill was 22 thousand taka. 15,000 taka in profit would always have been there. The main income was from incoming calls. Assume another 15 thousand taka. At that time, no employee here could earn thirty thousand taka per month. You can say, our lives changed like this. 22 percent of the land we had only before the mobile phone business. Later, I bought another 15 percent of the land at the rate of 60 thousand taka. Now the price of that land is 5 lakh taka percent and now I am trying to educate my sons. Eldest son is studying LLB at South East University. I want to make him a barrister. The little boy is in class nine. My daughter got married while studying in the ninth grade. My sister-in-law took her as a wife for her son. I now have 5 shops from the tea shop. I also did a generator business. I bought 10 bhori of gold for my wife and daughter. We started with a loan of 4,500 taka and then our courage increased. Last year, I took a loan of 1 lakh taka. I have repaid. This time I have applied for a loan of 20 lakh taka. I will trade sand trawlers. I will try to repay this money in 2 years, inshallah.”
Reminiscing about the memory of that time of business with mobile phone, Laily said, “I used to sit in the shop in the morning. My husband used to sit in the afternoon. We used to provide home service. Someone may have written a letter to his wife and told him to call on such and such a date. We used to move that business to this house with mobile phones on time. And after hearing this, other expatriates from the same area also called around this time. At that time, the income was more than 10 taka per minute. Many times it has been seen that I went to the village with the phone at 9 pm. I returned last night at 3 o'clock. Two and a half thousand taka have been earned in one night. It's not just about income. Being the only mobile phone shop in my area, it started to be considered a bridging space. The first time someone spoke on a mobile phone, a crowd gathered around him. How many people have talked while sitting in my shop? But most of the outgoing calls are about health concerns.”
What is the status of Grameenphone's first mobile phone?
Laily said that there was no previous set. There is no shop. Now is the era of dual SIM mobile sets. So the VIP number has also entered the husband's mobile. There is no business as before, as everyone has a mobile phone. So Laily-Atikullah focused on other business. And the mobile phone has become essential to protect communication in these businesses. However, many unwanted calls have to be received as this number is well known. Or sometimes. So it was four months off. So that people forget. It's back on. Laily has become a celebrity with Grameen Bank loans. Laila's joy - Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus visited our house three times.
He talked on our marriage bed. Queen Sofia of Spain also came. She wanted to have amra bhorta. Although we could not make that. But we have shown her how to make muri. Uncountable foreign guests come to our house every year. A photographer came here a few days ago. He was here from morning to evening. He said, “You work as you do and I will take pictures.” But we don't have those pictures.
Source: ManabZamin Date: 16 August 2010
Patia Bazar Tempostand is just 8 km from Khilkhet. No matter how short the distance, the area along the banks of the Balu River was still not developed. Everything was being filled by dragging river sand. Various housing companies, project signboards were hanging. There were no less than a number of signboards marking the designated location of Police Officers Housing Society in the vast underwater area. Every now and then, expensive luxury cars used to rumble along the narrow road. But for those who lived in this area, tempo was one of their means of transportation. It went on for a long time. And the line of trawlers used to wait in the sand river. The number of people walking were not less. Laily said, now the situation is very good. Four or five years ago there was only water and water around here. When walking on the street, it was like being carried away by the wind. There was no communication system. People had to go to Khilkhet in monsoons by trawler. And in other seasons, there was no way but to walk. If it rained, it would not be possible to travel anywhere. The medium of communication was letters. The postman used to deliver letters every day on a bicycle. Information was given from one person to another. It is surprising to think how the mobile phone has changed everything. Now her son also runs the internet on his computer through his mobile.
Laily's house is next to Patira Bazar tempo stand. Near the main road. A residential and commercial complex can be called more than just a house. What is not in it? Roadside restaurants, saloons, fuel oil shops, residential houses, generator houses, biogas plants, tenant houses, and cow farms. No It didn't end here. Laily pointed with her fingers—the empty space up to the mango tree in the distance is also ours. With a cheeky smile, she said, "After talking to the Prime Minister on the mobile phone, we have changed this." This is how a mobile phone has changed our lives.
How?
Laily started to say that the incident occurred around 1993–94. We had a difficult life with two sons and a daughter. Laily's husband is Atiqur Rahman. He is known as Atiqullah in the area. He also joined his wife. He started saying, There was a tea shop in front of the house. I used to work there. I used to cut the soil. I used to stay at home. Laily added and said, one of my sisters-in-laws informed me one day. She said loans were available at Grameen Bank on easy terms. Well, that's how it started. I took a loan of four and a half thousand taka to buy a cow. After buying a cow, I started selling cow's milk in the morning. And in the afternoon, I ran the tea shop with that milk. Paid off the loan in 44 weeks. There was no loan to buy a car again next year. I paid that in one year. After that, I bought again. In the meantime, the cows had their calves. I sold them too. And that is how it went. Early events of 1997. We were asked from the center of the bank whether we wanted to buy a mobile phone. I heard that 200 applications were dismissed. Three of us applied for mobile phones from our center number 33. One of the other two is Hasna, and the other was Hasina. They called us. “Why do you want to buy a mobile phone?” - they asked to know. Hasna said, “My husband lives in Malaysia. I will talk to him.” And Hasina said, “I need a mobile phone to talk to my relatives.” When I was asked, I said, “My house is next to the road. There is a tea shop. I will do business there if I get a mobile phone.” I saw that they liked what I said. After that, they started communicating with me regularly. They came to my house and asked thousands of questions about how to do business. At one point, I got bored. But I was given a mobile phone 18 days before the official journey of Grameenphone. They said that I would have to talk to engineers from now on. The mobile sets of that time were not as small as they are now. It was very big. Also very heavy.
After taking it in hand, I trembled with fear. How do I talk? I have never done such a thing in my life. Engineers gave me courage. They said, “You answer what we ask.” At first, I was very shy. Engineers used to call and ask if I was cooking. Who is at home? Sometimes they taught me in person how to use or talk over the phone. I used to get scared when the phone rang. It was then said that the mobile phone would be inaugurated and the prime minister would call me. Hearing this, my body trembled. Engineers said, “What is there to fear. You are talking. Whatever you are asked, you will answer.” March 26, 1997. Thousands of people were in the center. The founder of Grameen Bank too. Many local and foreign guests, including Muhammad Yunus, appeared. All the people of our region were to attend the event. I was shaking with fear. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called at around 11 o'clock. She said, “How are you? What is your name?” She also wanted to know the news of my son and daughter. I said, “I am fine.” I also said, “Apa, please visit us even though our village is in a rural area, but it looks very nice. You will have to come and eat rice with eggplant bhorta made by me.”
Hearing my words, the Prime Minister laughed.
She asked, “Why did you talk about eggplant bhorta?”
Laily Begum explained that it was eggplant season. We also had an eggplant field at our house. In fact, immediately, I could not understand how to invite apa. But now, if I could talk over the phone, I would have said, “Apa you come. The car will come near our house. I will cook meat for you and you will have it.” Laily sighed, because now she does not know Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's number. Once again, she started recalling from her memories that after talking to the Prime Minister, my condition changed entirely. I became somewhat successful. Everyone started talking to me with a smile. People who did not even know me started to call me Bhabi and started checking up on me.
Tell us the story of your success?
Her husband, Atiqullah, came forward again. The two were giving information - “I got a Grameenphone mobile phone with a loan of 18,000 taka. The price of the SIM was 10 and a half thousand taka. However, as the opening ceremony was held here, the news spread around very quickly. People from nearby Belna, Dumni, Baridhara Tek, Patira, Ichapur, Pinglan, Gupingpur, and Rayartek started coming to my shop to call. 10 thousand people live in this area. Basically, the calls came mostly from abroad. My monthly bill was 22 thousand taka. 15,000 taka in profit would always have been there. The main income was from incoming calls. Assume another 15 thousand taka. At that time, no employee here could earn thirty thousand taka per month. You can say, our lives changed like this. 22 percent of the land we had only before the mobile phone business. Later, I bought another 15 percent of the land at the rate of 60 thousand taka. Now the price of that land is 5 lakh taka percent and now I am trying to educate my sons. Eldest son is studying LLB at South East University. I want to make him a barrister. The little boy is in class nine. My daughter got married while studying in the ninth grade. My sister-in-law took her as a wife for her son. I now have 5 shops from the tea shop. I also did a generator business. I bought 10 bhori of gold for my wife and daughter. We started with a loan of 4,500 taka and then our courage increased. Last year, I took a loan of 1 lakh taka. I have repaid. This time I have applied for a loan of 20 lakh taka. I will trade sand trawlers. I will try to repay this money in 2 years, inshallah.”
Reminiscing about the memory of that time of business with mobile phone, Laily said, “I used to sit in the shop in the morning. My husband used to sit in the afternoon. We used to provide home service. Someone may have written a letter to his wife and told him to call on such and such a date. We used to move that business to this house with mobile phones on time. And after hearing this, other expatriates from the same area also called around this time. At that time, the income was more than 10 taka per minute. Many times it has been seen that I went to the village with the phone at 9 pm. I returned last night at 3 o'clock. Two and a half thousand taka have been earned in one night. It's not just about income. Being the only mobile phone shop in my area, it started to be considered a bridging space. The first time someone spoke on a mobile phone, a crowd gathered around him. How many people have talked while sitting in my shop? But most of the outgoing calls are about health concerns.”
What is the status of Grameenphone's first mobile phone?
Laily said that there was no previous set. There is no shop. Now is the era of dual SIM mobile sets. So the VIP number has also entered the husband's mobile. There is no business as before, as everyone has a mobile phone. So Laily-Atikullah focused on other business. And the mobile phone has become essential to protect communication in these businesses. However, many unwanted calls have to be received as this number is well known. Or sometimes. So it was four months off. So that people forget. It's back on. Laily has become a celebrity with Grameen Bank loans. Laila's joy - Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus visited our house three times.
He talked on our marriage bed. Queen Sofia of Spain also came. She wanted to have amra bhorta. Although we could not make that. But we have shown her how to make muri. Uncountable foreign guests come to our house every year. A photographer came here a few days ago. He was here from morning to evening. He said, “You work as you do and I will take pictures.” But we don't have those pictures.
Source: ManabZamin Date: 16 August 2010
