Panamnagar, November 2009

Yet another Peek
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.

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Where time stands.........

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Beauty behind bars........

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Bricks; old and new.....

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Time window......

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Passing history......

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.

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Panam lake.......

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Marks of stupidity......

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Morning worship.....

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Morning works......

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Over-growth......

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Crystal balls.......

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.

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

A journey through time.......

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Windows........

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

A walk through the past.......

From Panamnagar, Sonargaon, November 2009

Living among history........

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.

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.

Chawk Bazar "Iftar-walk", August 2009

29 August 2009

TTL did it again. Thanks again to Shudipto for organising this, and also thanks to so many participants for making this a success.

Tt was such a warm day; and should I mention the massive traffic on the road? Yet, many of us did manage to reach Chawak Bazar in time to catch the busiest hours. The gathering place was at BUET (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology); not too far from the old part of the city. Our aim was Chawk Bazar, the place known for its Iftar Market during the month of Ramadan. Iftar is what conclusion of day-long fasting ritual.

Iftar is a religious thing. But Iftar market? And Chawk Bazar? Its more like a tradition than anything else. The name of this Iftar market is known to most. Known because of its traditional items; items that make this market unique. Top of the list is the item called "Boro Baper Polay Khay" or literally translated "Eaten by Big Daddy's Son". However weird the name sounds, it is the top-most attraction of this market.

I spent around an hour on the street, while others spent a bit more or less time depending on arrival. Reuters photographer Andrew Biraj was also there; though he wasn't really part of our mostly amateur group.

The Iftar market is on a small piece of road clearing among the densely populated areas of Old Dhaka; adjacent to the southern boundary of Central Jail. Even though this is a small piece land, its important is always prime; and its regularly under the media coverage. We saw cameras and reporters from Ekushey TV there when we were about to return.

It was a nice short photowalk there; covering one of the cultural pieces of Ramadan. We bought some items from the market and left for BUET campus once again. We had a pretty grand Iftar there together. It wasn't just a hunt for photos. It was a warm day and most of us were fasting. Being able to meet a lot of friends, and to share some light moments was worth the effort.


Here are some of the moments captured during the "Iftar-walk".

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

Transactions........01
Hygiene has always been an issue here..... monetary transactions take priority over cleanliness!!

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

Transactions........02

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

Transactions........03

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

The calling.......01
Whats in a market without some hustle-bustle?..... the old man at the helm of the main attraction "Boro Baper Polay Khay" tries his best to make enough noise...... he has to make sure that his' is the central attraction of the market.....

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

The display..........
Displays play a big role in the overall marketing...... making the items look succulent is a constant effort......

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

The grab..........01
Iftar is never complete without the inclusion of dates...... this mainly Middle-eastern fruit has been traditionally associated with Islamic food, especially Iftar

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

The grab..........02
Sweets were in high demand.......

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

The scales.........
Keeping to the promise of right measurement has always been under debate...... this issue had appeared in a lot of verses to motivate Muslims to be fair.....

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

The calling.......02
"Shuti Kabab" is another traditional item being one of the centre-pieces of the Iftar market.........

From Chawk Bazar Iftar Market, Dhaka, August 2009

The grab..........03
Of the sweets that are sold locally, perhaps the most popular is "Jilapi"..... Old Dhaka boasts with some of the most unique "Jilapi" items, including the really big ones on display here........

The Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Last Cry of a Legend
29 May 2009
33, Paridas Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh

When my school friend Riel called me and proposed a photowalk, I couldn’t resist. It seemed too good an offer. Riel had access to this building through one of his friends, which gave us such a unique opportunity. All credit goes to Riel for arranging such a wonderful venture.

The building located at 33 Paridas Road in the old parts of Dhaka was over a century old. According to the dwellers, who happen to be relatives of the current owners of the house, the building was around 170 years old. A building of this age isn’t that common in a tropical area like Bangladesh, where stones are not available for building construction. The building was constructed by an individual named Peari Das, who happened to be an important government official working at the municipality. He constructed a narrow road up to his house, and according to the then municipality rules, the short road was named after the constructor. There are many other roads in Old Dhaka with similar history. People who constructed buildings like these were wealthy people, holding important places in the society. Peari Das was no exception. The residents couldn’t mention the exact dates of construction. The building also doesn’t have an inscription.

How did this building become so important to us? When Riel told me that the building was about to be demolished within a short time, I could realize the importance of it. We had to listed to the last cries of this legend. We organized the photowalk using “Through the Lens: Bangladesh” (TTL) group of Flickr. Shawon Da came from Sylhet along with a friend of his. Fakrul Bhai didn’t have to come from Sylhet, as he was already in Dhaka. Our TTL buddy Rezwan joined in, so did Saadi, a childhood friend of mine. Thanks goes to all of them to make this venture a successful one.

We rendezvoused at Gulistan Circle by around 6:30AM and took rickshaw from there to reach Paridas Road. By around 7:05AM, we were there outside the building and we didn’t waste any time there watching. We straightaway unleashed our cameras and began to shoot. Riel had arranged permission beforehand and had some tough time convincing the owners that this venture was not going to harm them in any way. Anyway, we were really lucky to get the go-ahead from the owners. The owners don’t live there.

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Its not a child's play anymore..........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

The fate is locked..........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

The western face...........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Windows.........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Old, but stylish.......


The building was a west-faced one. The morning sun was behind the building. The front face was thus a bit gloomy. The front of the building showed off the grand pillars that resembled the days of the Zamindars. The two stories visible at the front had big balconies decorated with pillars. There were some trees surrounding the house, making it very difficult for us to get a clear shot of the whole building.

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Morning shines..........01

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Morning shines..........02

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Morning shines..........03


We spent some time shooting at the front, and then moved to the middle of the building after getting permission from the dwellers. The house had a wonderful courtyard in the middle. Morning light was peeping in to hit the western part of the courtyard. The western part was three stories high. That’s the part of the building where Peari Das lived hundred years ago. Some other members of his family lived in the eastern part. There were two kitchens for two types of food habits. One was for the vegetarians and the other one for non-vegetarians. This was related to Hindu culture of those days.

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Top view.........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Morning shines..........04

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

In.........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Out.........


We moved to the first floor quickly. This part was not in use for years. We had to maintain caution while moving around the floor. The first floor wasn’t as big as the ground floor. There were some open balconies there along with some rooms. We didn’t go into each room, but would’ve well appreciated that. We got some great view of the ground floor from above.

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Closed.........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Of pillars and frames........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Of pillars and designs.......

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Point of contact.........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Metal designs........01

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Stairs and corridors...........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Metal designs........02

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Metal designs........03

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Metal designs........04

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Metal designs........05

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Stairs.........


Anyway, we moved around until we ended up on the western face of the house on the first floor. The grand pillars stood there like guardians. The floor wasn’t that strong in some parts of that big balcony, especially towards the stairs that led to the second floor. Riel repeatedly warned me not to spend time near those stairs. The stairs didn’t have any support below. The walls were also not giving full support. Some parts were being penetrated by overgrowth.

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

An untimely death..........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Spotlight on silence........

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Memories.........01

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Memories.........02

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Light still comes in.......01


We moved to the second floor and got stunned. This was the floor that contained most amount of mystery. The floor was in complete ruins. One room was full of destroyed books, newspapers, furniture, and what not. We even discovered some old family pictures in the ruins. The second room was virtually empty, which led us to the big roof. We could now get an idea where the building stood. There were high-rises going up everywhere. No wonder that the owners took the opportunity to hand over the building to developers. There was already a signboard outside the building, showing off the particulars of the developers. The building was counting days.

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

Light still comes in.......02

From Legend of Peari Das, Dhaka, May 2009

The last cry.......


We could feel the heat in the open roof, even though it was hardly 8:15 in the morning. We spend some more time on the second floor, getting to feel the environ and also to find some more ideas. We came down to the ground floor, but couldn’t leave. Our host was just too generous to entertain us with a bit of breakfast. We finally left the building by around 9:00AM.

We walked and tried to utilize the tour even more. We visited the legendary Beauty Boarding and was impressed by the old building beside it, which had an arch constructed under it, letting vehicles to travel under the building. The building was being used by the police. Anyway, we didn’t really spend much time over there. Shawon Da and Fakrul Bhai left the scene and they had some other engagement. The four of us hard breakfast at a local restaurant. After the meal, we found the weather a bit too harsh to continue the photowalk without any problem. It was hot and it was humid. We decided to call it a day. The adda was great, mind you.

To summarize the tour, we had a great experience there among those old bricks. The designs, the textures, the feel of those damped-out walls would be in our mind for some time. It was actually hard to swallow that something as valuable was not in the protected list. We had to accept the inevitable with a heavy heart. I told Riel to keep an eye on the demolishing date. That might be a melancholy experience.