Those childhood Eid memories can never be relived: Dolly Zahur

Veteran actress Dolly Zahur has countless dramas and films under her name. The Ekushey Padak winning actress has acted in many iconic dramas and even till now the noted actress continues to act. 

In an interview with The Daily Star, Dolly Zahur reflected on her childhood Eid memories. 
Yet beyond the lights, cameras, and accolades, there remains another side to Dolly Zahur — one shaped by simple childhood joys, neighbourhood friendships, and the magic of Eid in old Dhaka.

In a conversation with The Daily Star, the actress reflected on the Eid celebrations of her childhood, memories that continue to live vividly in her heart.

“Eid in our childhood meant immense joy,” Dolly Zahur said. “Where did that happiness disappear? Does that same joy still exist in adulthood? Sometimes I feel that the true joy of Eid can only be experienced during childhood.

Every person goes through that phase in life, and that is when all the excitement and happiness surrounding Eid feel the most magical.”

There is a deep nostalgia in her voice when she speaks about those days — a longing not just for a festival, but for an entire way of life that now feels distant.

“I will never experience that kind of joy again in this lifetime,” she continued. “To be honest, that kind of happiness can never truly return. It is impossible to relive it.”

The actress spent her childhood in Dhanmondi, at a time when the neighbourhood carried a quieter charm and Eid brought entire communities together. For her, the celebrations were not confined to one household; they stretched from home to home, carried through laughter, food, and affection.

“Back then, our home was in Dhanmondi,” she recalled. “Eid holidays were filled with so much fun. My friends and I would visit one house after another. My mother would send meat dishes to neighbours and relatives, and we would go around delivering them to familiar homes.

Everyone treated us with so much affection and would offer us all kinds of delicious food. Those were truly sweet times.”

Among her fondest Eid memories are the small pleasures that meant everything during childhood. Salami money from parents became a source of endless excitement and adventure.

“During Eid, I would receive salami from my parents,” she said with a smile. “My friends and I would go downstairs together and buy ice cream from familiar neighbourhood shops with that money. Pickles were sold at almost every street corner, and we would buy those too. It felt as though all the flavours and joys of life were hidden in those ice creams and pickles.”

Then comes the pause of remembrance — the kind that arrives when memory collides with time.

“Ah, where did the childhood and teenage days disappear?” she wondered.

Eid outings with friends were another cherished ritual. The actress fondly recalled riding through the city in rickshaws, wandering aimlessly through unfamiliar streets and occasionally losing their way.

“On Eid days, my friends and I would roam around together,” she said. “We would hire rickshaws and travel from one place to another.

Sometimes we would get lost as well. I would tell my friends, ‘If you don’t know this area, why did you bring us here?’ Then we would ask the rickshaw puller to take us back to where he had picked us up from. That’s how we eventually found our way back home.”

As Eid approaches each year, the memories of salami still return vividly to her. The amounts may seem small today, but to a child then, they carried enormous value.

“My mother used to give me ten taka as salami, while my father would give me twenty,” Dolly Zahur recalled. “Back then, that amount of money meant a lot. Receiving salami made me incredibly happy. I would share my excitement with my friends, and we would even discuss who received the most salami.”

New Eid clothes were another treasured part of the festivities. Like many children of her generation, Dolly Zahur would carefully hide her new outfit under her pillow so nobody could see it before Eid morning.

“As children, getting new clothes during Eid was one of the greatest joys,” she said. “We had so much fun with it. I would carefully hide my outfit under my pillow so nobody could see it. Then I would visit neighbouring houses to see my friends’ Eid dresses. Some would proudly show theirs, while others would keep them hidden as well.”

For the veteran actress, those memories remain untouched by time — fragments of a childhood filled with innocence, warmth, and togetherness.

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“Those were truly special days filled with a different kind of happiness,” she said softly. “If only I could relive those moments again — but that is no longer possible.”