Dipan Nandy

Any discussion on the Language Movement cannot take place without mentioning Beltala. It lies right beside Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s Amtala, another historic site by its own right. It was at Beltala where the first public meeting on the movement took place.

This is how the saying goes -- back in the days, a British traveler arrived in the area and was so blown away by all he saw, he exclaimed, “What a grand area!”

Those who are regular listeners of contemporary Bangla music are familiar with a song that talks about roaming around the streets of the city in search of a cup of tea that comes in cheap.

Bangla Academy has decided to hold this year’s Amar Ekushey Boi Mela from February 15, with the condition that all concerned with the fair will have to possess Covid-19 vaccine certificates.

Even though the way to Buddu’s Puri was shown by a flower seller sitting in front of Sutrapur’s Govinda Mandir, it was difficult to locate the vaunted puri shop inside the labyrinthine Hemanta Das Lane.

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.