ALL THINGS OLD AND WONDERFUL
Nivedita Raitz von Frentz

The Daily Star
20
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.