29 November 2009
Panamnagar is now one of my most regularly visited places. I've visited Panam several times during the last few years. My last visit was in January 2009. Each of my visit revealed something new for me. This place is under a so-called restoration process, which has been debated quite a few times in many quarters. This renovation work has given Panam its curse, and given me the reason to record change.
It was Eid-ul Azha. A day out on the second day morning of Eid was a bit too much for many. Had to manage family members at home. It was yet another effort by the TTL buddies ("Through the Lens: Bangladesh" group of Flickr). A short photowalk organised on short notice. Anyway, it ultimately came down to mental strength to get up that early in the morning. I almost goofed up; but Gazi Bhai saved me by giving me a timely phone-call. We all met at Gulistan for the start by around 7:40AM. We, three of us, broke off and took our own vehicle. Others came by bus.
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Where time stands.........
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Beauty behind bars........
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Bricks; old and new.....
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Time window......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Passing history......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Marks of existence.......
Holiday traffic took us to Sonargaon very quickly. It was barely 8:30AM when we knocked on the doors to Panamnagar. Morning light was still trying to peep through. We decided to go off the main Panam street and go the old houses behind Panam before the sun went too high and too bright.
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Panam lake.......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Marks of stupidity......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Morning worship.....
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Morning works......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Over-growth......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Crystal balls.......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Morning surprise!!
This part of Panamnagar is always my most favourite. Environment plays a big part here. Lights and fog mix here at times to create extraordinary settings. It wasn't quite like that on that day, but we enjoyed the warm light from the east. We spent quite a bit of time here exploring the opportuntiy to get some snaps. A considerable amount of time went behind shooting a small butterfly that got completely covered with dew drops.
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
A journey through time.......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Windows........
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
A walk through the past.......
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Living among history........
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Marks of authority?
We switched to Panamnamar main street soon enough. We met with our other buddies there. Panam's old buildings are changing their profiles on short notice. Most of the buildigs are now empty. I've seen a similar state during my last visit, but this time round, the buildings looked emptier. Yet, some of the buildings were still occupied and we saw people in there. Another building had government papers slapped on the doors with orders to evacuate within a week!
Some of the most beautiful of Panam's buildings are still off limits. Some of them have slight openings, through which its possible to get a slight peek, but most of them are completely sealed-off. We saw children playing around these old buildings, giving a feel of timelessness of this place.
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| From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009 |
Mindless graffiti........
We took group photos at one of the most beautiful buildings of Panam, which I had only visited once, during my last visit. I promied my family that I would be home right after 11:00AM. Dhaka was still in Eid mood; so, I couldn't waste any more time. Visitors were still trickling in. There weren't too many, but enough to make us feel good about the timing. I always prefer early morning visits to Panam.
We left Panam by around 11:00AM and reached Dhaka in an hour. It was a very short tour of the place, but gave me enough reason and thoughts. The next visit would probably be in the same line.
