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Jhilpar Park: a small respite in Dhaka
PHOTO: STAR
Ashif Ahmed Rudro
The cramped city of Dhaka comes with a default setting of stress and traffic. But there are a few places where people still sit down, sip a cup of tea and share their woes. Jhilpar Park on South Badda road is one such place.
The elephant in the room
In this case, the elephant is on the road. Jhilpar Park stands right beside the “Elephant sculpture”, which is also marked on google maps as “Hatichottor”. The four elephants that consist this sculpture face the Hatirjheel link road, forever staring into the infinite traffic. This sculpture can be your landmark when you are trying to get to the park.
A breath of fresh air
The park stands right on the bank of Gulshan lake. Which means that there is a consistent gentle breeze that can fill your lungs with fresh air and rejuvenate your soul. Standing here in the evening, under one of the trees and taking in the cool air is nothing short of therapeutic. The trees, combined with green lights here and there, creates a verdant cocoon on this small roadside-island surrounded by roads all around, but still, you feel like you can just sit here and relax for a while.
There’s a view of the lake, just on the other side of the road, which might as well be an extension of the park. There are benches facing the lake where one can stare into the lake. The swelling waves on the water body as boats pass by, the cool air creating tingles on the skin, and the scenic view of a busy city in the distant is a picture-worthy moment.
Fancy a snack?
The appeal of street food in Dhaka is strong, and Jhilpar Park will not disappoint.
“We come here often. It’s on my way home from university and we love the street food options here. It’s really convenient because without this place, you have to get a rickshaw and go all the way across the lake,” says Shawon Bhuiyan Rahi, a third-year student at Manarat International University. His friend Sifat Ahmed agreed, and one can see why.
There are the usual options, such as halim, fuchka, pani puri, jhalmuri, and boiled eggs, but that’s just the beginning. For street food junkies who like to treat their tastebuds, there’s kebabs and rolls, soup and noodles, dosa and, hold on to your seat, live pizza!
If you are still looking for more, there are carts that make chitoi pitha on the spot, and if you’ve ever tasted these delicacies with chilli chutney, your mouth should be watering by now.
If you want to elevate your street food experience and get fancy, there is also a restaurant here that offers Thai, Chinese, and Indian food, along with a juice parlour where you can get a refreshing drink to forget the terrible weather these days.
And finally, to finish things off, there’s ice cream, and who can so no to ice-cream really?
So, if you are around Hatirjheel this week, why not drop by for a chat?