If you ever visit these shop, do not be swayed by the apparently ‘unhygienic’ look of the surrounding or at the sight of the worn-out chairs and plates of the shops itself. Just try the food on our word and you will like it.

A bit of history should serve you fine. The capital of Bengal over 400 years back, Dhaka’s history stretches as long back as the seventh century when urban settlements began during the Kamarupa dynasty.

Besides the culture and traditions, the food from those long gone eras can still be found in some corners of Dhaka. The trend of setting up shop, where inexpensive yet scrumptious food are sold, has prevailed in the capital ever since.

Street-side eateries are the prefect place to savour delicacies such as “fuchka”, chickpeas and ‘beguni’, kebab and parotha, the lip-smacking food. These are a great place to hang out with friends while relishing the different tastes available. Seating areas are simple and basic which echoes the experience.

For those who squint or make faces at the sight of petty street shops located in messy areas of the city, here is a teaser. On a cool, weekend evening, try Rabindra Sarobar at Dhanmondi 8, one of the favourite haunts to many, for its great ambience. It’s near the bridge over the serene Dhanmondi Lake!

The three of us just wanted to check out if the puris and potato and chick peas were still to die for. I was feeling pleasantly peckish.

And so, concerns of food safety were thrown out in the street; after all, these treats of the great outdoors could not be accommodated in the five-star interiors, in the sanitised confines.

Make no mistake—the street, the vendor and all attendant grime and grit often add their own flavour to roadside food traditions.

If you ever visit these shops, do not be swayed by the apparently ‘unhygienic’ look of the surrounding or at the sight of the worn-out chairs and plates of the shops itself. Just try the food on our word and you will like it.

The deep-fried kebab may not be easy on your stomach nor the water used to wash the plates and utensils, but if you are past caring, you’ll be just fine.

But beware! AR Khan, director at the ICDDR,B, better known as cholera hospital and a public health expert, says people are taking street food and water that are not hygienic and as a result, they are becoming sick. People might contract Hepatitis A and E, jaundice, typhoid, peptic ulcer and diarrhoea to name a few diseases, according to Khan.

Well, people at the shops go about their business as usual. One of the customers at one of the shops, Mousumi Huq, said she likes the food, the casual ambience and the price, too.

Her partner Rashed Ahmad said it’s a hang-out for them to catch up with friends. Health issues were something he was least concerned about.

When was asked about how his business was going, the sales guy at the ‘food court’ was guarded, unsafe in the knowledge that we could be people who he pays protection money or simply hooligans who could ask for a slice of the pie.

He tried to carefully choose his words, but Mostakim blurted out: “On weekend we usually make Tk 6,000 more than we do on weekdays.”

It’s not just the wonderful aroma of fuchka but also the crispiness that makes it so very special. Once you’ve dipped a piece into the tamarind sauce and popped it into your mouth, you feel that life is never going to be the same again.

I had my fill, and buttoned up my coat. A cold breeze had started blowing, but I was as warm as could be. A crispy fuchka does that to me.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

Dhaka bound plane belonged to “Free Sky Airways” got fire after  hit by a thunderstorm near to the landing at Shah Jalal International Airport.

The airplane was 20 years old and was coming from Dubai.

Before the plane exploded, 20 people were able to get out. They are now at Paro hospital. Some of them suffered broken bones or burn injuries. The doctor who is treating them, Dr. Gloria Gaynor, says they will survive.

Flames shooting out of the windows on the south side of a ten-story building. photo: Flickr/Paloetic

Fire fighters had difficulty arriving  to Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue because an accident involving a bus and a rickshaw near the scene of the fire had caused a traffic jam.

23 people trapped on top of the building were rescued by a helicopter while More than a hundred people were injured in the fire.

Three firemen were burnt in the fire and had to be rushed to hospital.

The fire is the fault of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) planning committee which takes bribes and allows the construction of illegal buildings.

http://www.lightstalkers.org/galleries/slideshow/5711

I started my photographic career at Drik Picture Library Ltd ( www.drik.net) in 1996 since I felt that I would never be able to do ordinary jobs. I have learnt a lot of things working with Drik for more than eight years but specially documentary photography which became my passion and first preference as a photographer. After leaving Drik, I joined European Pressphoto Agency (www.epa-photos.com) as Bangladesh correspondent and started to cover daily news but mostly important events. In the beginning, I was a bit nervous to cover the strike events, specially because of my new Canon camera. I bought a Canon 20 D camera with a 18-55 mm cheap lens with the money that I got from my provident fund from Drik. So I didn’t want to break my camera trying to prove my courage and fight with other photojournalists, security officials and demonstrators for space in a strike day. For the last two years I have been covering major disasters in Bangladesh like ferry accident at Aricha, Garments tragedy at Savar, Suicide bombings aftermath at Netrokona and Gazipur. I also covered the major political clashes in the last one year. It’s an adventurous and exciting journey with getting there at the right time and being at the right place, working with speed amid pressure and finally filing photos within the tight deadline.

I am sharing my experience of covering a recent fire tragedy at the NTV building. Munir, one photographer of DrikNEWS got a phone call from one of my students Liton regarding the breaking of fire. We lost no time and I left with Munir sitting pillion on his motor bike. We saw hundreds of civilians already on the street and watching the NTV building helplessly. Fire fighters arrived and started their rescue efforts with their limited resources. I was a bit confused about my position and running around the building and taking photos. I was wearing a short punjabi, my most comfortbale wear, and sandals. My sandal, trouser and punjabi got drenched with the water both from the street and from the hose pipe of the fire fighters. Suddenly I felt that the best place for taking photos is the front gate of the building where the light is mysterious with the smoke and the fire fighters putting all their efforts to extinguish the fire and rescue the stranded people from different stairs. I took a life risk attempt when one volunteer got electrified and fell down from the third floor into the balcony with the electric cable. Some one shouted from the same floor ‘everything got electrified, hey camera man don’t move any more’ — I was hesitating and finally moved close to him and took the photos.

The fire was spreading with alacrity and caught different floors in huge flames. Panicked people were crying and asking for help from the top floors. After almost three hours fight the situation came under control. I suddenly felt the urgency to go back in my office to file photos to my agency in Germany. Munir did a remarkable job to find his way to reach Pathshala avoiding thousands of people who gathered and blocked the street. I got phone call from my regional chief from Delhi to send the photos as soon as possible. It was almost 2:30 in the afternoon and I started to download photos in my laptop. After a quick editing and captioning I started filing photos. It took one hour to send twenty five photos including the downloading, editing, captioning and filing time. When I finished the entire job, I suddenly felt unbearably hungry, I went up to the dinning room of the Pathshala guest house. Rice became cold as the vegetables and the daal. I started eating like a stricken person who hadn’t known the taste of food for a couple of days……..

Abir Abdullah

Dhaka, Bangladesh
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