ALL THINGS OLD AND WONDERFUL

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ALL THINGS OLD AND WONDERFUL

Nivedita Raitz von Frentz

 

The Daily Star

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=63920

Nov 19 2008

Bangladesh

 

Life in Shakhari Bazar (from top): a crumbling ornate facade,

renovation and upkeep are the major issues; an artisan making

'shankha.' Photo: Joyobrata Sarker and Urmee Chowdhury

 

Freshly baked mounds of 'bakarkhani' and little potato 'shingara'

can be seen at every street corner. There was a palpable festive

feeling in the air for it was just a few days before 'Kali puja';

Kali is the fiery reigning goddess of Shakhari Bazar. Idols abound

in different stages of completion, their straw innards covered and

moulded with clay by artisan families; her tongue sticking out,

on realising she has trodden on her destroyer god consort, Shiva.

 

Following the collapse of a house in Shakhari Bazar in 2004, a

further 90 structures in a similar state of ruin were earmarked

for demolition. For four long years, the Urban Studies Group (USG)

has battled to preserve some of the period buildings here, and

in neighbouring Kotwali Road and Tanti Bazar. The USG, fuelled by

the commitment of architect couple Homaira Zaman and Taimur Islam,

has meticulously documented the condition of the buildings, and are

in the process of applying for a grant, in an effort to commence

renovations. They also organise weekend walks through the winding

lanes, trying to raise awareness for the crumbling remnants that

are part of this city's heritage. Despite their efforts thus far,

Shakhari Bazar has not been elevated to the status of a heritage site.

 

Dhaka's first urban re-development project can be traced back to the

early 1900s, under the auspices of British urban planner, Patrick

Geddes. Back then, Shakhari Bazar was twice its present size; two to

three hundred buildings still stand, 25 percent of which have ground

floors dating back to the late Mughal period. Despite major congestion,

the long corridors of the narrow shops/houses are clearly visible,

but one must crane the neck to see what survives of the ornamental

facades of the older buildings. It is only due to Taimur and Homaira's

special bond with the residents, that the fascinating inner world of

their multiple courtyards was accessible, privy to 15 families going

about their daily routines.

 

Shakhari Bazar is Dhaka's oldest neighbourhood (mohalla), where

descendants of the original Hindu community are still around today,

some carrying on the traditional craft of their forefathers. Unlike

Tanti Bazar and Lakshmi Bazar, property ownership has been retained

with the Hindu families. At one end is the country's first private

school, Pogos, founded in 1848 by the Armenian merchant J.G. Nicholas

Pogose. The old school rooms continue to be used; one even sports a

fire place and boarded-up French windows. Sadly, the library is in

a sorry state, restoration funds not stretching so far.

Simply buzzing with activity, from shops making traditional spice

grinding stones, to 'shankha' shops -- selling conch shell bangles

from which the street derives its name -- and Dhaka's oldest musical

instrument shop, Jatin & Co. which has been in the Mondol family for

generations. The surnames Sur, Nag, Nandi, Sen and Dhar keep cropping

up in the 'shankha' business. Men sit hunched in corners breaking

conch shells; the powder will be used in the different stages of

bangle making. Very little persuasion was required for proprietor

Dakshineshwar Nag to provide an impromptu demonstration on a rather

large conch shell! At Amiya Kumar Sur's shop, a bangle-fitting session

was in progress. Some 'shankha' makers have branched out into paper

craft, selling kites which fly out of the shops during the 'Sankranti'

festival.

 

Turning the corner into Kotwali Road, Taimur and Homaira keenly watch

number 27/1, the building with the red chest ('lal shindook'). Half the

building has already been demolished; the other half is on a heritage

list for preservation, so may be saved once it's been officially

designated as such. Follow the road into Tanti Bazar, where a group

of 14 buildings is being touted for conservation on the left hand

side of Radhika Mohan Das Lane. The jewel in Tanti Bazar's crown is

the 19th century Radha Ballav temple, where the original street view

must have been stunning; the temple keeper's reduced circumstances

have forced her to take in tenants into an eyesore of a room smack

in front of the temple steps.

 

Disappointment is no stranger to Taimur and Homaira, who collected

funds to try to save another temple, only to see it demolished before

their eyes. It is an uphill struggle, one the couple seems to bear

with a smile. Somehow, a single walk leaves one unsatisfied, and the

temptation to return to these old Dhaka lanes lingers on.