Picking up the pieces after July 1, 2016

It used to draw Dhaka’s hip crowd and the expat community alike.

Diners would frequent the trendy Holey Artisan Bakery not only for the delicious baguettes and croissants, but also the ambience it offered.

The lakeside eatery at the end of Road 79 in Gulshan used to get busier after sundown until that evening on July 1, 2016, when five gunmen stormed into restaurant -- taking dozens of diners hostage -- carrying out the deadliest terrorist attack in Bangladesh’s history.

Twenty people -- including 17 foreigners -- were murdered. Two police officers also lost their lives. The bloodbath did not only leave behind a warzone-like scene, it also left the entire nation in a state of shock.

Following the unprecedented terror attack, the entire diplomatic zone wore a spooked look for months. Security was beefed up throughout Banani-Gulshan-Baridhara areas.

After three years, the verdict of the sensational Holey Artisan Bakery attack case is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.

The building with large windows -- offering soothing views of the lush lawn and the lake -- that used to house the restaurant still stands there, but it does not enjoy the lively conversations of happy clients.

The walkway on the eastern side of the house, along the lake, has been closed ever since the tragedy.

The building has been renovated by the owners and they occasionally stay there. However, the house rarely receives visitors, said a security guard at the establishment.

“Some renovation is still happening... The family mostly stays at another apartment in Banani,” the guard added.

He said entry is restricted, including for media personnel.

The tranquil lakeside property was originally allotted to Dr Suraiya Zabin -- to be used as a residential building-clinic in 1979. In 1982, Lakeview Clinic was built on one side of the plot adjacent to Gulshan Lake.

After Dr Suraiya’s death, her daughters -- including Samira Ahmed -- became owners of the plot. Later, Samira’s husband Sadat Mehdi started the restaurant there, along with his friend Nasimul Alam Porag, his wife, and Ali Arsalan in 2014.

After the attack, the owners were shattered by what had happened to the project that took immense effort, considerable resources and a lot of passion.

Holding their nerve, they reopened the eatery on January 10, 2017 at a shopping centre near Gulshan-2 Circle, just a few blocks away from its previous location.

The new Holey -- much smaller but attractive nevertheless -- has found a loyal client base.

When the owners of Gourmet Bazar, a supermarket chain, opened its first outlet near Gulshan-2 circle and offered the owners of Holey a space to reopen the bakery, they did not take much time to respond positively, said Ali Arsalan, one of the owners of the café.

The most important thing for them is security; the new Holey is located right by a police check-post, he added.

Sadat Mehdi, another owner of Holey, said, “I don’t want to call it a revival…We’re just using a smaller space now.”

He added they have no plan yet to relocate to a larger space like the previous Holey.

The employees of Holey Artisan, who were in the restaurant during the attack, are also trying to move on with their lives but the trauma continues to haunt them.

Delwar Hossain, an assistant chef who hid in a washroom along with several coworkers, said the horrific moments of the night flashes through his mind every now and then and would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He added that regular customers still visit the bakery which can accommodate around 20 people at a time. They obviously miss the charm of the old place, he remarked.

During a lunch-time visit on a Saturday, the café seemed full with patrons queuing up for ordering take-away from the counter.

“The new venue is smaller but sales are better than before,” Delwar said, adding that working at the previous Holey was a memorable experience.

Ali Arsalan hoped that whatever the verdict, may it offer some solace to the victims’ families.

“Hopefully no more young men will be misguided like the attackers were. Thankfully, Bangladesh feels much safer today than the days and weeks after the incident, and credit goes to everyone involved for their tremendous efforts,” he said.