Part Five
Frolicking in Monsoon Days!
"Megha
meduro boroshai, kothai tumi?"
(Where are you, my
beloved, in this monsoon-drenched day?)
- Kazi Nazrul Islam
Part Five
Frolicking in Monsoon Days!
"Megha
meduro boroshai, kothai tumi?"
(Where are you, my
beloved, in this monsoon-drenched day?)
- Kazi Nazrul Islam
June 7, 2001
It is hard to believe that I have
been to my city where I grew up just 5 days ago. In this short few
days, I already got the rhythm of Dhaka. Hustle, bustle, and all
that cacophony! Never mind the pollution. But since it had
been raining for the last 3-4 days, the pollution level was kept at minimum.
Thanks to Mother Nature. Monsoon had come a bit earlier this year.
It is thus a blessing not only for my family and me but for the millions
of urban dwellers. It makes a very big difference in June-July in
the tropics whether the clouds can cover the sun. The temperature
is moderated by the cloud cover. I like the cloud for other reasons,
too! The awesome beauty of monsoon cloud reminds me the erotic poems
of Kali Dasa. The collection of these exhilarating poems was grouped under
one theme by this ancient Sanskrit poem of Northeast India. Meghadutam
is the name of this collection. These poems are a must read item.
There are several Bangalee translations available. The one I liked
is by Narendra Dey. Do yourself a big favor. Go to Bengal or
any part of Northeast where monsoon comes religiously during the Bangla
month of Ashar and Sraban. When the rain shower falls incessantly,
then grab Meghadoot (the Bangla translation of Sanskrit Meghadootam) and
read aloud first the Purba-Megh and then the Uttor-Megh. I promise
you this much that you will be a different person. No guarantee here
that it will change your life. It is a small wonder that when life
was chaotic about 1400 years in Middle East, this Deshi man took his quill
and wrote about 140 or more Sanskrit verses to express the desolation of
a lonely man. He was writing on behalf of a lovesick young by the
name Yakkha.
The Palm Tree-lined
Lovers' Lane next to the Shangshad Bhaban
It is not uncommon to find people
in our part of the world becoming lovesick during monsoon time. But
we do not live in isolation, as it was the case in the ancient time.
These days, the lovers are hardly separated by spell of a cast or at the
whims of parents or big guys of the society. Conversely, they flourish
and their love-affairs blossom under the watchful eyes of their parents.
Thanks to Bollywood for trivializing every-day love affair. Within
less than a week after coming to Dhaka, I accidentally stumbled onto the
Lover’s Lane of this great metropolis. I was even able to capture
the ambience of the tryst place. While I was there, the modern day
Romeos and Juliets of Dhaka were snugly sitting under the shade of palm
trees while munching on peanuts and nervously gazing to see if anyone they
know was there observing their dalliance. Later when I reached home,
I narrated my experience and eagerly asked my sweetheart of 26 long but
eventful years to accompany me to the Dhaka’s Lovers’ Lane. She simply
refused to visit the place. What can I say? Society back then,
in early seventies, was not that permissive as it is now. Moreover,
the teenagers were not promiscuous then. The Bangladesh society is
in a state of flux. All these VHS tapes, VCD disks, and DVD disks
are taking its toll on the fabrics of our one-time conservative society.
I have to guess that kids are meeting theirs object of desire discreetly
or not so discreetly. The Lovers’ Lane in Second Capital in Dhaka
is abuzz with whispers and laughers. To see the place in action,
one has to go in the early early afternoon. Because, if you go there
when the sun tilts in the western sky, then throngs of crowds would jam
the place. The place becomes a meeting ground of families.
By that time the lovers have all but abandoned the place.
A pair of Lovebird
absorbed in their own world!
In Bangla they call this place the
Shangshad Bhaban (The Assembly Building). In the sixties during
Ayub’s time, the Pennsylvanian architect Louis Kahn designed some beautiful
buildings to be included in the "Second Capital" of Pakistan. The
construction project was going on in Manipuri Farm in Tejgaon in the late
sixties. After 1971, when money dried up for such project, there
was a lull in the construction work. When Petro-dollars started coming
back to Bangladesh during the reign of first military junta, then, the
construction of Shangshad Bhaban was re-started. I cannot recall
exactly when the construction was completed. Undoubtedly, this building
is a great specimen of fine architecture. This got to be a landmark
in Dhaka. The landscaping is the very best Dhaka could offer.
No wonder, the romance seeking youngsters like this place. Their
other favorite place is Ramna Park. I saw many young "couples" in
the park not too far from Ramna’s Botomul (Banyan Tree) where a carnage
took place in April this year during the performance by Chayanot students
to celebrate the Bangla New Year day.
The Sangshad Bhaban
serves as the backdrop for the Garden of Eden
The lined palm trees near the Shangshad
Bhaban create an ambience that is difficult to attain in Ramna park or
for that matter anywhere in Dhaka not even in DU campus. It is an
airy place. The expanse is great. It seems as if the would
be lovers and the seasoned lovers all love this place. The few digital
images that I have taken would attest to my assertion. I also found
the nearby places to my liking. There is a plethora of nice shrubs
and flower producing small trees. A Krishna Chura here, a yellow
blossomed tree over there (see the photo). All adds up to the ambience
of this place. Only thing that mares the aesthetics of the place
is the street vendors selling peanuts, chanachur, ice cream, cucumber,
and other goodies suitable for Bangalees’ taste buds. To my
surprise I also found a whole bunch of European cattle grazing in the field
nearby (see the digital image).
A mid-sized Krishna
Chura is loaded with red inflorescence
A random sampling of the love birds
who were there when I visited the place gave me the idea that men were
little older than their female counterparts. May be these days, girls
in Dhaka are maturing a tad faster than before. Most girls seem to
be in their teenage years. I even spotted a Hijab-clad young girl.
All the restrictions imposed by Islamic garb could not hold the emotion
of this young girl in check. By the way, the girl removed the Nekab
(head cover) so that she could talk to her lover eye-to-eye.
European cows grazing
the field next to the Garden of Eden
After spending sometime here I figured
it was time for me to go. With a camera in my hand, I felt as if
I was a persona non grata here. Earlier that day, I bargained
for one thing and that is to see our Shangshad Bhaban. However, never
had I thought at the time that I would be visiting Dhaka’s famous Lovers'
Lane. It won’t be bad idea after all for Dhaka’s parents to visit
the place and see for themselves what their teenage daughters are doing
while playing hooky from school! Truly, truancy is a game played
everywhere by young people. The hormone hopelessly kicks in.
And there is no escape from it. Consequently, the world looks
rosy enough for teenagers and sometime they make a fool out of themselves.
An ice cream vendor
pateintly waits for the Lobe Birds to quench their other thirst!
About 1400 years ago, the famous
Indian poet Kali Dasa also felt that way. The hormone knows no bounds.
We all have trodden this path. The only difference is that Kali Dasa
sat and wrote the entire 140 or so short poems to express his inner feelings
for the young maidens of fabled city Obonti. Some of the poems are
outright erotic in nature. Nonetheless, Kali Dasa’s description of
the young pretty maidens is considered high literature. They say,
time is short but art is long. The monsoon cloud, the longing
for loved one, the lure of the forbidden love, etc., all played a role
in Kali Dasa’s Meghadootam. The same forces are now acting on modern-day
Romeos and Juliets. They hardly write any poem, but they surely go
to the Lovers' Lane to relieve their tension and libido. Thanks to
American Architect Louis Khan for creating a modern-day Garden of Eden
right in the heart of Dhaka. What is the Forbidden Fruit in that
garden of Eden? Could someone answer this?
----------------------
A.H. Jaffor Ullah writes from New
Orleans. All photos by the author. Comments should be directed
at - Jaffor@netscape.net
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