BEMOANING THE CITY THAT WAS
The Daily Star
July 21 2008
Bangladesh
Photo exhibition highlighting Old Dhaka architecture
Karim Waheed
To mark the 400th anniversary of Dhaka as a capital city, several
organisations and institutions have chalk out special programmes. An
ongoing photo exhibition, sponsored by the Hong Kong and Shanghai
Banking Corporation (HSBC) Limited, at Drik Gallery features the
architectural heritage of Old Dhaka, minute details of designs and
festivals that are an indelible part of Dhaka life.
Most of the photographs at the exhibition are by Babu Ahmed. Ahmed
started his career as a photojournalist in 1988 and has worked for
major national dailies. His previous exhibitions include "Glimpses
of Bangladeshi Heritage" at Drik Gallery (2002), "Mughal Monuments
of Bangladesh" at Institute of Fine Arts (2003), "100 Temples
of Bangladesh" at Bengal Gallery (2004), "Selected Monuments of
Bangladesh" (2005) and "Islamic Heritage of the Ganges Delta" at the
Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin (also in 2005).
Ahmed’s photographs highlight the Mughal influence in Dhaka
architecture; exquisitely ornate Hindu temples; lavishly decorated
villas and abodes of the zamindars and merchants — local and from
overseas; churches, cemeteries and mausoleums that flaunt a hybrid
style and more. The underlining message that comes across is the
muffled wails of an overly burdened city losing its essence.
Ahmed’s collection of photos features the oldest Church (1677) in
Dhaka (Tejgaon) that showcases a brilliant amalgamation of Hindu,
Christian and Muslim styles. The collection also includes a photo of
a crumbling mausoleum — of one Colombo Saheb (1800), an East India
Company official. The structure follows the typical Mughal style.
The memorial (1900) in honour of a Greek merchant, living in
Narayanganj, still stands at TSC, Dhaka University but the beautifully
ornate house (1890) of Manik Babu (an affluent local merchant) in
Old Dhaka does not exist any more.
The Armenian Church that marked the existence of a once thriving
community does not cease to impress but it has been painted over
without much consideration repeatedly. The 150-year-old (app.) Ruplal
House has lost much of its magnificence, now it’s being choked by
inconsiderate new constructions surrounding it.
And so it goes. Life goes on. A city gradually loses its soul.
The exhibition also includes reproductions of sketches of early
19th century Dhaka, by Charles D’Oyley (from the collection titled
Antiquities of Dacca).
D’Oyley was the collector of Dhaka between 1808 and 1811. He made
quite a few drawings and decided to publish them in the form of folios.
One sketch features the remains of a bridge near Tantee Bazar. Another
shows Bara Kuttra.
The exhibition also includes a few frames by Munem Wasif who
has recently garnered international acclaim for his "Old Dhaka"
series. Munem’s photos feature festivities that have become part of
Dhaka’s identity — celebration Dhaka style. "Qurbani Eid", "Durga
Puja", "Rong Khela" in Old Dhaka and processions of impassioned
Shiites on "Muharram".
Photos from the Urban Study Group (formed by a group of architects)
that focuses on the need to preserve the architectural heritage of
Dhaka, feature details of designs.
The display, though informative, could have included works of more
photographers, considering "400 Years of Dhaka" is a theme on a grand
scale. More points of views and angles would have been nicer.