M H Haider

Among all his accomplishments and stories -- the buildings that are attributed to his era, long years of service as a subahdar, the success of keeping rice prices low -- one curious footnote would be his royal lineage.

It was on 15 February 1982 that the National Parliament Building housed its first session. 

Many of us already know of Shaheed Shafi Imam Rumi as a valiant freedom fighter through Ekattorer Dinguli, penned down by his illustrious mother Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam. In a humble attempt to understand him more intimately, we recently interviewed his brother, Saif Imam Jami. Here, we present, a lesser-known side of the Rumi saga: the memories of a brother.

From the olden times to the present day, much has changed, but Chawk Bazar continues to be one of the commercial hubs of the capital.   

To paint a picture of what this majestic building looked like just after the catastrophe, a line from an eyewitness account may be apt here.

To illustrate, the visual featured here -- taken from the book Glimpses of Old Dhaka by Syed Muhammed Taifoor (Second edition, 1956) -- has the caption, "Ruined bridge at Tantibazar-Nowabpur Road".   

If you went to the Mohammadpur area, you would come across a splendid Mughal-era mosque: Saat Gombuj Masjid, or Seven-domed Mosque.

His tenure in Bengal began in 1639, and a curious footnote would be that he actually stripped Dhaka of its status as a Mughal capital, shifting the seat of government to Rajmahal (a place now in India).

In the late 19th century, some of the streets had oil lamps, and there was also an announcement by Ahsanullah to introduce gas lamps. 

The legend of unearthing the idol is traditionally ascribed to Ballal Sen, but it is doubtful whether this story talks of the renowned 12th-century king, Ballal Sen.

Well, it’s a little late for that of course. 

Dhaka University was established in 1921, whereas the foundation of Curzon Hall was laid in 1904.

Now known as Pogose Laboratory School and College, operating under Jagannath University, it was founded as far back as 1848, by Joakim Gregory Nicholas Pogose, a rich Armenian businessman. 

When you see a carriage today in the capital, you probably think of it as a recreational ride or a vehicle by which bridegrooms arrive at weddings.

They have bragworthy numbers of subscribers and followers; they have those staggering numbers of likes and views — now, for their insights…

Bakharkhani in Dhaka mainly comes in three flavours. Perhaps, the most popular is the classic one. There is also a sweet twist to the classic bakharkhani, which is sometimes slightly harder in texture.

Several foreign travel vloggers have visited our country, entertaining Bangladeshis and the rest of the world with their videos on our food, culture, sights and sounds, and people. Their vlogs never fail to create a buzz on YouTube and social media.

Hence, first abandoned by a prince, and then shunned away as inauspicious, Lalbagh Kella remained a work-in-progress, forever incomplete!

The hint of this past is in its very name — “gandari” means sugarcane, and it is widely believed that the etymology is based on all the sugarcane cultivation that took place there.

How much did our city change in the last 100 years? Definitely an astounding lot! But Beauty Lassi and Falooda has stood — nay, won — the test of time.