Dipan Nandy

Old Dhaka’s Paridas Road is starting to turn grey, not in the sense that it’s getting older by the day, but due to concrete slabs being erected all around.

The block lettered sign on the ochre yellow building reads “Nazirabazar Matri Sadan”. Right beside it, a large banner reads -- “24-hour normal delivery service for expecting mothers”.

Even when it’s afternoon, one can barely see anything inside. Many beds are worn-down, while others don’t have any covers.

The Dhaka Mahanagar General Hospital is located at Naya Bazar, near the Babubazar Bridge. Its outdoor department is always crowded with patients, many of whom go there for Covid vaccines these days.

The word “haat” brings with it images of some rural setting. Banks of a river, a banyan tree, rows of traders selling their haul under it, that’s what a haat is, right?

If you looked at Old Dhaka’s sky yesterday, your eyes would surely get blinded by the sheer amount of colours, with thousands of kites flying in motion. Kites were flown from every rooftop of the area. The sky might be the limit for these kites, but the joy was beyond any such limits.

Shakrain -- a festival most awaited in the neighbourhoods of the old town. Only a week is left, but the excitement is in the air of the “Puran Dhaka” alleys.

The grass is graced by dew at dawn. Leaves are falling from the tree. Calendars are no longer holding up. A change of guard is right around the corner. So is the New Year, 2022.

By 12:00pm yesterday, a crowd had slowly gathered at Gurudwara Nanakshahi’s doors. Far from being confined to adherents of Sikhism, the premises welcomed people from all religions, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians, in line with the Guru Nanakshahi’s message -- the door is open for all.

The month long Amar Ekushey Boi Mela is set to begin in time from the first day of February next year. The book fair will also mark the golden jubilee of the nation’s independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Shakhari Bazar’s Jatin and Co wasn’t always where it is today. We’re talking about 111 years ago, from its early days at Old Dhaka’s Ampotti and Patuatuli. It’s only recently that the legendary music instrument shop came to its current home.

At first glance, it doesn’t look much different from any other table. In fact, you or someone you know may own one bearing the very same design.

Every inch of Suhrawardy Udyan bears the history of Bangladesh’s ascension. From Bangabandhu’s reception after he was freed from jail to the Pakistan Army’s surrender there on December 16, the park is inseparable from the country’s origin story.

There’s this historical relationship between train travel and literature. For a journey that requires long hours of sitting still, travellers had always found companions in books. Until, of course, smartphones and the internet arrived.

If you visit Old Dhaka’s Loharpool area, you’ll come across a structure that’s quite hard to miss. Its sign reads in bold -- “Zahir Raihan Cultural Center”. In the quest to accommodate the cultural practices of the citizens of Old Dhaka, the centre was established in 2008.

Today is November 22. On this day in 1971, 10 members of the Harijan community were picked up and killed by the Pakistan forces.

Tunnelling out of Gulistan’s hustle and bustle, one arrives at Nababpur Road. At the Sri Sri Radhashyam Jew Thakur Mandir there, there’s a 97-year-old tradition of feeding the poor and destitute, all in exchange of nothing.

By Monday morning, it was two whole days of anxiety for Riya. On Saturday, her pet cat -- who’s a few months pregnant -- had gone missing. Thankfully, the cat eventually returned on Monday, but not without some nasty bruises on her head.

Before proceeding, let’s ask a question: what was the first library of the capital? Common knowledge would say it’s the Northbrook Hall Library, but it’s a little known fact that the Ram Mohon Roy Library was constructed 13 years before this establishment, way back in 1869.

In 1993, Postogola’s Shamshan Ghat finally got its own electric furnace to cremate the deceased. The then unified Dhaka City Corporation brought it in to help members of the Hindu community complete their burial rites in an environmentally-friendly way.