& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

All things old and wonderful

Nivedita Rutz von F rentz
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 t^s' prtt a few days before. KalupcjaV 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 andTaimur Islam, has meticulously documented the condition of the buildings, and are in the process of applying for a granj, 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 redevelopment 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 tradi-
tional 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 ('lai 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 ofRadhika Mohan Das Lane. The jewel in Thnti 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 theseold Dhaka lanes lingers on.
The writer is a freelance contnbutor