RBR

Once upon a time in Dhaka, telephone operators and postmen were the most revered service providers, especially for a young adult in love or an elderly parent residing in any mufassil town.

Essentially a research-based, artist-run, non-profit organisation, Brihatta Art Foundation has worked in Dhaka for quite some time. With an objective to integrate locals in community development, they have given the people of Hazaribagh greater accessibility to art and culture.

I went to the Lalbagh area last Saturday to finalise an interesting project for My Dhaka readers (stay tuned), but this business meet-and-greet was unlike any I had ever attended or conducted.

An artistic mind finds inspiration even in the mundane details of life. It makes the ordinary extraordinary. The smell of frying omelettes, the stirring sound of the spoon in a teacup, the sight of a mother oiling her daughter’s hair, or an old man reading a newspaper -- any of these can spark a fancy in their mind.

This year’s Pahela Baishakh celebrations will be lacklustre, as many pundits suggest.

Experiencing a “kalbaishakhi jhor” inside the mangrove forest of Sundarbans can be both a spine-chilling experience or a romantic one.

As Ramadan concluded at the end of last month, beckoning the arrival of Eid festivities, there was a lot of buzz on social media regarding “Eid gifts”.

The last two days before the grand Eid day are packed with frenzied fuss about anything and everything.

Tailors typically enjoy star status at this time of the year. Besides your regular tailor, who takes your bespoke orders for dresses; there are tailors for upholstery work, who are no less busy and sought after now.

Subbasi is a Bengali-influenced dialect that is now spoken by original residents of Dhakaiya community

What is hardship food? I had no idea. The thought of what people eat during natural calamities, war, displacement and such, never came to my mind. It is something we do not think about unless we start to live in destitution.

Tracing the roots of Old Dhaka's unique dialect

Food prepared on the streets is nothing new in Dhaka. Darul Kabab of yester-Dhaka saw various kebabs on skewers, or seekh as it is called in Bangla, being grilled over an open fire or coal embers.

Shojon, a Bangla word, when roughly translated means a dear one, or maybe a near one. With the promise to hold your hands in your darkest times -- like a loved one, SHOJON is a mental health service, an initiative of the SAJIDA Foundation.

As I seated myself in the Halda Valley Tea Lounge, seeing the way the welcome drinks were served left me in awe.

I had nothing significant planned for last Friday, and was absent-mindedly saying yes to all sorts of plans my friends were making; completely forgetting an important wedding reception I had to attend that very day.

I would not go near Tetulia simply because I love the tropical weather in Dhaka. For the two months that winter lasts here in Bangladesh, this old city is cloaked in a mild chill. That is enough for Dhaka locals to bring out their monkey caps, mufflers, coats, and whatnot.

Hollowed cane chairs with pillowy cushions in white cotton covers surrounded a cane centre table with a glass top, on which, there would be a brass flower vase, posing with beautiful pink roses or gardenias from the garden -- this was how verandas looked years ago in Dhaka, or casual day rooms. Cane furniture was a timeless and vintage home décor style in Dhaka homes of the sixties.

When our Liberation War broke out, I was just shy of two. I have no recollection of what happened around me during that period.

Snacking on the streets of this city is nothing short of a culinary treat, and if you add the streets of Old Dhaka to the list, then it is an epicurean ball.