Today is World Bamboo Day. Bamboo has been closely associated with human life, culture, art and architecture for thousands of years in different parts of the world. However, bamboo is surrounded by many unknown facts and mysterious properties, which make it different from ordinary plants.

The first thing that is notable is the incredible growth of bamboo. It is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Some species of bamboo can grow up to about 40 millimeters per hour and become about one meter long in just one day. Such rapid growth is not usually seen in any other plant. Many consider bamboo to be a wonder of nature for this feature.

Another strange feature of bamboo is its life cycle. Many species of bamboo bloom suddenly at the same time, which is a very rare event. Surprisingly, after flowering, bamboo produces fruit, but at the same time, the entire bamboo bush dies due to the enormous energy expenditure. Not only that, even if a seedling taken from the main bush is planted elsewhere, the tree grown from that seedling also dies at the same time as the main bush dies. This can be called a mysterious effect of the genetic connection of bamboo.

The fruits produced from bamboo flowers are also quite amazing. They can be larger than olives. In some regions of India and China, rice made from this fruit is used as “bamboo rice”, which is known as a special ingredient in the diet.

Not only biological properties, but also the importance of bamboo is undeniable from a cultural and historical perspective. Bamboo is an essential element in rural life in Bengal. The presence of bamboo is clear in the construction of houses, the manufacture of daily necessities, festivals, folk culture and even folklore. There are many stories about the “ghost of the bamboo garden” in the rural stories of Bengal, where it is said that a miraculous entity exists in the bamboo bush.

Bamboo also has special importance in the history of Bangladesh. A shining example of this is Titumir's Bamboo Fort. During the anti-British movement, Titumir built a fort with bamboo, which became a symbol of his patriotism and resistance. That bamboo fort still highlights the social and political importance of bamboo in history.

After all, bamboo is not just a tree, but a unique symbol intertwined with nature, culture, history and human life. Therefore, by knowing these unknown facts about it on World Bamboo Day, we can appreciate a wonderful gift of nature in a new way.