The historic center of Shakhari Bazar is the venue for many of the colourful festivals celebrated by Bengalis, hosting arguably the most famous ‘Poush Sankranti’ as well as the annual kite flying festival, and the Holi festival. These festivities have gracefully continued for hundreds of years, and are still integrated into the culture of the modern city. Old Dhaka is also replete with buildings of architectural beauty, historical, religious and cultural significance. “They are eloquent testimony to our history, culture and tradition. In more ways than one these buildings are images of the past with which people still identify Old Dhaka” (IABNL, 1989). As I ventured through the street, I realised a large number of these buildings are degrading, and if this situation continues, these structure and our memories will soon be lost forever.
There are a vast number of squatters living in Shakhari Bazar. During 1971 revolution, many of the buildings were evacuated as the owners escaped from the West Pakistani military in fear of their life. Since then, squatters have settled here, many of whom have legally taken ownership of the buildings under squatter’s right. Unfortunately, these buildings have not been properly manipulated to accommodate modern lifestyle or have been left to weather away over the years.
My walk through this historic wonderland led me to one particular building. I noticed the crumbling limestone bricks barely holding on to the existing historic structure. Above the building I could see a full grown tree with lush, green leaves providing plenty of shadow to the building below. When I looked closer, I was quite astonished to see that the tree grew out of the building, the roots tangling around and through the bricks and cement. It had held firmly onto the building for years as it grew into a beautiful, healthy tree, affixed to its host building, receiving nourishment throughout the years. I wondered then, is that plant responsible for the degradation of the building, or is it possibly holding the building’s structure together with its roots in its simple effort to survive? Does the plant act as a parasite or is it a symbiotic relationship? Is it any different from the squatters who are possibly living in that building right now? As someone practicing architecture, what is my role in their existence? If they are still here after all these years, there must be a reason why the locals have allowed them to be integrated as part of their family.
Prianka Smita is a graduate student at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. She grew up in the military environment of the east in which she was expected to serve her country. Currently in the second year of her masters studies, she is developing her thesis entitled Render Authenticity which enables her to engage in a dialogue between her passion for artistry and devotion to the progress of her native country. This pursuit brought her to return to Bangladesh in the summer of 2014 to conduct research. She says of her daily working methods, “I doodle when I want to organize my most obscure thoughts, listen to music when I want to be inspired, and write when I want to have a conversation with myself.”
For more about her travel and research visit her website priankasmita.com and stay tuned for future posts.
