Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, Jamuna Future Park 6. Standing incongruously in neighbouring Bashundhara is Jamuna Future Park. This is a complex which includes a colossal shopping mall – less than half-filled at this stage – cheek by jowl with a ride park, replete with modern, new theme park-standard contraptions designed to terrify (you know the …Read More
That’s a photograph of a pile of recycled paper, with each piece being about 1 metre x 1 metre. You can see about a third of the piles in this shot. Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, short at the cash register 1. Linda and I were shopping one evening during this past week and finished in …Read More
Shuvo shokal from colourful Dhaka, Special Foodie Edition It’s been no surprise to either of us to discover the fact that Bangladeshis take their food seriously. Shortages of said substances usually do wonders in galvanising the thoughts on the subject, eh what? But, most people here are not starving. Not even the stray …Read More
Shuvo shokal from the Tropic of Cancer, What happens when three blokes are cleaning the tiles on a wall and someone introduces a sandblaster? What happens when six blokes are tending a field in a rural zone and someone introduces a tractor? And, what happens when four blokes are pushing mowers across …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, It took a boat trip on the river to convince us that the waterways are the major thoroughfares in this country. The surface road there was a dirt track barely capable of taking the traffic. (Apparently it shows as an expressway on maps of the country! Some cartographer’s joke, …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, Quote of the Week (from Taaseen in Grade 12 Business, when I asked him about the discrepancy between his oral contributions and his written responses on the topic of Methods of Production): “I’ve always been more interested in mergers and acquisitions.” Taaseen is a local Bangladeshi, from the …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, Under normal circumstances, both Linda and I are disdainful of the shopping experience; anti-shoppers to be sure. But these are clearly not normal circumstances. The shopping experience here is such an enjoyable one, we are finding ourselves unaccountably and unexpectedly seeking out opportunities to buy things. …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, Bangladesh is certainly proving to be a multi-dimensional experience for us. Whilst the work has us in a kind of cocoon, we are sufficiently intrepid to make some reliable observations, even if they are somewhat based on limited perspectives thus far. measures of development Bangladesh …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, Bob Newhart knew how to hit the nail on the head. I love his skit in which he tells the story of the nightwatchman’s first night on the job. He says, as a general observation, no matter how thorough the training, the first problem one encounters on the …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, Foreigners here generally refer to themselves as ‘ex-pats’, regardless of their origin and despite the fact that they are actually here and not home. Some appear to endure their time abroad, at least in this country, rather than embracing the differences. Linda and I have difficulty understanding the fact …Read More