Dipan Nandy

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.

Today is November 22. On this day in 1971, 10 members of the Harijan community were picked up and killed by the Pakistan forces.

Tunnelling out of Gulistan’s hustle and bustle, one arrives at Nababpur Road. At the Sri Sri Radhashyam Jew Thakur Mandir there, there’s a 97-year-old tradition of feeding the poor and destitute, all in exchange of nothing.

By Monday morning, it was two whole days of anxiety for Riya. On Saturday, her pet cat -- who’s a few months pregnant -- had gone missing. Thankfully, the cat eventually returned on Monday, but not without some nasty bruises on her head.

Before proceeding, let’s ask a question: what was the first library of the capital? Common knowledge would say it’s the Northbrook Hall Library, but it’s a little known fact that the Ram Mohon Roy Library was constructed 13 years before this establishment, way back in 1869.

In 1993, Postogola’s Shamshan Ghat finally got its own electric furnace to cremate the deceased. The then unified Dhaka City Corporation brought it in to help members of the Hindu community complete their burial rites in an environmentally-friendly way.

There are almost two lakh Dhaka dwellers belonging to the Christian faith and another 30,000 who practise Buddhism. Yet, despite repeated appeals to the government, there are no dedicated cemeteries and crematoriums in the city where the last rites of the deceased from these communities can be observed.

Since the early 20th century, Gendaria gained popularity in the city for hosting Sadhana Aushadhalaya -- the once-famed, now-fondly remembered ayurvedic pharmaceutical company.

It’s been 15 years since the Shegunbagicha Multipurpose Complex was completed. On the third floor of the five-storey building, it hosts the ward councillor’s office, while the first two are used as a kitchen market.

33, Revati Mohan Das Road, used to be known as the Sutrapur Zamindar Palace, with a history and legacy of hundred years attached to it.