Early Morning Adventure

The vibrant Krishnochuras on the trees and the pretty pink Padmo flowers in the water paint a beautiful, serene picture that is bound to make any passerby happy.

I head out of our apartment building in Dhanmondi and take a left turn towards the lake. The air is crisp, the sun not yet glaring. And the best part, no traffic to worry about. It is almost 6 AM, and Dhaka City is barely waking up. The only people out on the street are the morning walkers. They walk briskly with a sense of purpose. I join them feeling pleased with myself.

For the past ten years, I've been coming home to Bangladesh, to visit my family almost every year from the United States, my second home. One of my favourite activities is my morning walk in the Dhanmondi Lake area, my neighbourhood. I am happy to note, every year Dhanmondi Lake goes through little but visible signs of improvements. By improvements, I don't mean the lake is crystal clear and unpolluted. No major change like that! The lake always attracted morning walkers, but in recent years, it has become a proper joggers/walkers park in the early hours of morning with many noticeable changes.

The footbridge makes it very convenient for pedestrians to cross the busy street to access both sides of the lake.

Among the positive changes are the paved walkways. The walkways crisscross the lake connecting residents of Dhanmondi living close to the area from all sides. I come to a stop when I approach a busy intersection. I'm impressed to see a pretty footbridge that is a relatively new addition. Just a couple of years back, there was no footbridge and I found it daunting to venture to the other side of the lake and walk by the 'Dinghy' boat club once the morning rush hour traffic started.

But this time I eagerly climb the stairs, get on the bridge and admire the scenery. It is summer and the vibrant Krishnochuras are in full bloom. The red and orange Krishnochuras are a bonus for me this year – I usually come in winter, so miss out seeing these gorgeous flowers! I click some photos and spot a couple of men on a boat peering through the dirty waters with great interest. One of the men picks up a plastic bottle and what looks to me from the bridge, also a polythene bag. I realise they are scavengers or garbage collectors who sift through trash to find items they can sell. One man with a beard and a gamcha (scarf) tied over his head interests me. I see him everyday and it is his attention to detail that makes me curious. He seems to spot something from a distance then hones in on it in a hawk-like pursuit and picks it up looking satisfied. For the next few days, I try to catch him to have a chat about what he finds, but the elusive man is either in the middle of the lake or directly across from me.

I continue walking. Always on the lookout for interesting people, I come across another man, this time an educated looking man possibly in his late 60s. I have seen him on my last trips in winter. It is very easy to single him out amid the diverse morning crowd. In the past few years, I used to see him doing tai chi by the waters. Since tai chi is not a very common form of outdoor exercise in Dhaka, I noticed him with a mild curiosity. But it is not doing tai chi that makes him stand out. This person seems to come to the lake with a purpose each morning besides the obvious reason of getting some exercise. He sits with his gardening tools in the little green patch by the mosque and helps the 'malis' (gardeners) with their job and points out the spots they missed. I strike up a conversation with him. He is amicable and tells me, he is a retired banker turned consultant and likes to tend to the garden because he feels it needs attention. He points at a nearby loud group of men engaged in a heated political debate while working out. “They always complain about the government, the politicians and life in general, but don't realise that they can do something constructive instead,” he observes. I nod agreeing with what he is saying, but feel guilty as I too, fall under that group of nonchalant morning walkers. I mind my own business – just walk, then go home and I am ashamed to admit, without a care about making a difference like this man. We wish each other well and I move on.

There are all kinds of vendors right outside the lake - from spice and fresh produce vendors to women selling clothes.

I walk a short distance and am face to face with a recent development. In front of me is a huge Dhaka municipal water supply lorry claiming to deliver clean, pure water to the lake visitors. A woman in crutches is helping her two daughters fill up their school water bottles. This woman is also one of the regular faces at the lakeside. I see her almost every morning with her daughters, getting them ready for school. The girls wear the red uniform of the nearby Shurovi School, an institution that provides education to low income urban dwellers. I find it touching to see a caring mum getting her girls ready for school by the lake. The scene reminds me of my own daily routine getting my little girl ready for school in the United States.

Now comes the last but best part of my walk. I always finish my walk with a cup of steaming doodh cha (milk tea). I stop by at my usual cha place, where the young cha walah (tea vendor) has perfected the art of making the popular caffeinated beverage. As I sip the perfect cha, I notice huge boiling vessels of milk in one corner. I ask the cha walah casually where he gets his milk from. He immediately replies, from Karwan Bazaar, “We have our own factory and we get the powdered milk mixed with chemicals from there,” he boasts. I almost choke on my cha, thinking how naïve I am to think that cha is probably the safest 'street food' I could have. After all, it's boiled and served in a disposable cup, right? Of course, like the fruits we eat, the fish and veggies and everything else, the cha too, has to be 'chemically enhanced'. I am my cynical old self again and wonder exactly what toxic ingredients they mix in the milk, and really just how much of it is actually milk?  

Men working out using simple exercise equipment at the Dhanmondi Lake.

After my dubious cha break, I buy some quail eggs from a vendor near the Rabindro Shorobor. The deem walah (egg vendor) insists quail eggs are best for making biriyani. I refrain myself from telling him that cooking biriyani at home is a waste of time, with numerous restaurants like Star and Fakhruddin catering to the biriyani lovers in the city.

I walk back home, listening to Pharrell's “Happy” on my ipod. This song can put even the most crotchety person in an exuberant mood - if only for five minutes! I feel blessed for life's simple pleasures and my world feels just fine after my early morning adventure on this krishnochura-filled gorgeous morning. Perhaps I won't feel so great later in the day - when the heat is stifling and the traffic horrendous. But at this moment, life is good and I am happy to be home in Dhaka.

The man rowing the boat looks for discarded items in the lake he can sell.