Sense & Insensibility
Do we celebrate defilement of Dhaka?
PRAY, tell us in clear language, what do we celebrate in the name of celebrating 400 years of Dhaka? Do we celebrate the defilement for centuries that has left this once beautiful city bleeding and squeaking in deathbed? Do we celebrate its ghastly disfigurement done by the beastly nails of the rapists? Do we celebrate the orgy of plundering of its wealth that has downgraded Dhaka to the status of a poor old beggar woman on the street? If not, then what is left of Dhaka that is worth celebrating?
Pray tell me, where are those magnificent, exotic trees of Dhaka, and those birds living in their lofty heights? Do you hear the call of the green parrots (tia) anymore from the top of those trees? Where are those century-old krishnachura trees by the side of the roads that provided shade to the weary walkers? Where are those large ponds where people bathed to cleanse the grime off their body?
Then again, where is the clean and safe Buckland Bandh (Dam) at Sadarghat where people, rich and poor, used to go in the afternoon to enjoy the fresh, health-giving breeze coming across the river Buriganga? Where is Buriganga for that matter? Who is responsible for its black water and the foul stench that make people fall ill? Do we want to celebrate that? How did those ugly structures come up on the bank of the river thus blocking the view of the century-old heritage buildings like the Ahsan Manjil? Do we celebrate that?
Where have the canals of Dhaka vanish? Who were those people who had taken the decision to fill them up and construct roads, without even taking into consideration how the rain and floodwaters would recede from the city centre? Don't we suffer today when there is a little rainfall? Where were the "people's representatives" when such decisions were taken to destroy Dhaka? Should we think that they were the ones who had gotten the road construction contracts? Well, that explains.
Why did the 'great ones' decide to bring down the beautiful old building where the National Press Club stands today? Couldn't they keep the building for the sake of heritage and aesthetics and construct the new building behind it? Does modernity mean destruction of everything of the past? It pains me to think that some of our senior members of the journalist community gave their approval for bringing down the old building.
What have we done to preserve and conserve many other magnificent buildings that once proudly dotted Dhaka's landscape? We know in what state lies Ruplal House. If those old edifices of history vanish into the dark void of eternity, what will be left for posterity to celebrate? Will they celebrate the odd building standing with the stance of defiance on Hatirjheel across Hotel Sonargaon? Will they have any idea how neat and clean and safe residential enclaves like Wari, Gandaria, Azimpur, Bokhshibazar, Purana Paltan or Segunbaghicha used to be in the golden days of Dhaka? Along with the buildings have disappeared madhabilata, jui, kamini, joba, kathali chapa, rojonigondha and jui flowers from those parts of the city.
Look at the skyline of Dhaka. Doesn't it look like a madhouse where everything is in a mess and everybody is going in a wrong direction? There is no order, no cohesion, no sense, and no logic in Dhaka's traffic system, construction system, water supply system, sewerage system, garbage disposal system and its law and order system.
Today, we do not dare to go out on a rickshaw or CNG at night, as there is 200 percent chance of getting waylaid by dangerously armed hijackers. But there was a time, in the golden days of Dhaka, when there was no such thing as muggers on the roads. There was a time when a crime like murder used to take place once a year or maybe once in every two years. Today, on an average, four murders take place a day in Dhaka city.
Frankly speaking, give me one reason why we should celebrate Dhaka? Is there anything left of the past beauty to celebrate. Rather, Dhaka should be celebrated by the people who had forcibly grabbed the land on the shore of the Baridhara Lake. Dhaka should be celebrated by the thugs who have forcibly grabbed land on the Gulshan Lake. Dhaka should be celebrated by the goons who have forcibly taken land by the side of the roads and canals and ditches. Dhaka should be celebrated by the encroachers who have forcibly taken land on the banks of the Buriganga and Turag.
Therefore, today, instead of making ridiculous attempts to celebrate some of its past glories, we should mourn the sad and slow demise of Dhaka. We should wail for the next four hundred years for the damage and defilement that has robbed Dhaka of its original countenance -- the flamboyant facade.
Today, instead of indulging shamelessly in frivolous festivity, we should highlight in large posters and video documents how, through the centuries, greedy people have violated the youth and beauty of a virgin called Dhaka and destroyed everything that was once so splendidly serene. We must pronounce loudly and unabashedly how some people are taking slices off Dhaka to satisfy their greed that is so viciously vulgar.
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