It is first tour of the year. I have to go with a foreigner in Old Dhaka to show her some places. Her mane is Maya. She is the professor of History in Herbert University. Her age may be thirty seven. Once upon a time, her grandfather lived in Bangladesh. She comes from America to see that where the place her grandfather lived and where the place he read. I brought the address from Mosiur Bhai yesterday and saw some places where I would guide her. I went to some places but I had not found one place anywhere because when they lived in this area it was the event of 1930.
Almost after hundred years, it is difficult to find out that place. I depart in the morning at 8 am. Rahat Bhai is waiting for me with a car near the Parliament Building. We go to Gulsham directly, then bring Maya and start our journey to Old Dhaka. First we arrive Loxibazar, we enter the Saint Gregory School. In 1932, Maya’s grandfather started his education in this school. The school was established in 1882. We enter the old building and look around the building. We find a student of class six named Marin like a guide, who speaks very well in English. In the ground floor we see a large room and some photos hang on the wall, who were the first teachers and organizers of the school. There are some small classrooms by the two sides of the big room. When we see the second floor stairs we think that it may collapse at anytime, but when we come in second floor, our mind give us refreshment and say us we are all alive. The Church is on the second floor and some rooms are locked. There is no way to see inside the room. We come outside to see the old school.
The new building is beside the old building, all classes are held currently here. The old building is incompatible to the new building. We tell Marin bye and come to 61/1 at Shuvas Chandra bosu avenue. Maya’s grandfather’s family lived in this house. There is a press and an account section on the ground floor. Here we find a Christian woman who maintains the official acts. In the second floor, there is a dinning room, a prayer hall and an office room. Father Joynto Saint Gomage maintains this office room. Maya gives is am information that this office room was used by his grandfather as a reading room. In the third floor, there are three or four office rooms. We are introduced to a sister named Maloti Costa. She is a coordinator. Rahat Bhai and me are astonished when we enter another room. They use this room as a studio. This studio broadcasts the programme of Christian religion in bangla. They named it ‘Radio varitas Asia,’ Group Bangla, Philippine. It means programme is broadcasting in Filipine. ‘Varitas’ means ‘truth’. Besides, they have an weekly magazine named ‘Protibeshi’. A shop is in the ground floor. Religious things and publications are sold in the shop. They have published a dictatory which gives the information of all districts. They have published a directory which gives the information of all districts of Bangladesh. It gives the information that where is the Church, who is the father of the Church and the list of the name and address of them. Not only that they publish many other articles.
Our next destination is Banargy Zamider Bari. Maya’s grandfather lived outside of the Jomider Bari. The title of their family was ‘Gupta’. There is no family here with this title. I know that they never find any family of that title. As indicated by Maya, we go near Sutrapur market. Her location is that there is a lake there. A Zamider house is beside the lake. It is known to the people as Banargy Zamider Bari. It is the hardest work on world but I did it yesterday. According to her information, there was a canal there but now a road has been made upon the canal. A Zamider Bari is beside the road but it is not Banargy Zamider Bari. Local old people give us some information that this house was Mr. Sutu and Utu babu’s but now this house is used by civil defense’s colony. However, we cannot find anything.
Anyway, Maya has a wish to see some ancient houses. Then we go to BK Das road to see some ancient houses. We start to walk and reach Narinda walking all the way. Then we enter the Christian graveyard. When we enter the graveyard some dogs start barking. As if they ask us “what are you doing here?” After some moments they feel tired and keep silent. In the graveyard there are so many graves. The epitaphs mention mane of the birthday and death day of the dead. I came once to this graveyard. This place is calm and quiet, only some birds are singing. On the other side, we only hear Maya’s camera’s click sound.
Coming out of the graveyard, we start walking towards Dholai Khal. We call our driver to reach Dolai Khal. We start our journey in the morning and the whole time we only walking and walking. It is 3 pm, we enter a workshop to see how a labour melt iron to make dice. Maya never saw this type of work so she is surprised. She says surprisingly that how they can do it!
We take our lunch in a hotel. We eat Birani and Maya eat bread and vegetable. Completing lunch we go to Sadarghat. We enter the terminal to get the ticket. Almost all the launches to the southern part of the country start their journey from this terminal and some people are shouting the destination of the launches. We see that the authority have made am exit space for the foreign minister Dr. Dipu Moni. People are gathering around us wherever we go. Some people think that we all are foreigners, so they ask some questions in English and we answer it Bangla. The Maya feels pleasure.
Visiting Sadarghat we go to Ahsan Manjil. The time is 4:30 pm, Ahsan Manjil was shutdown but we stand outside. Our car is parked on the gate and we go to the front side of the house called Nabab Bari Ghat. In the place, we see the whole house.
At last, we start to reach our destination. We arrive at the main city overcoming traffic jam. I feel very happy to see all things.
Translated by Surya Begum.
This tour was arranged by Jatrik Travels Ltd.