Hangouts reel from shock

If you happened to take a ride around Gulshan in the past weeks, there would have been a few scenes that you just couldn't have missed.

The immense increase in the number of security personnel, the empty restaurants and a number of delivery scooters speedily honking their way around the area -- these are the sights that have dominated the circles ever since the July 1 deadly attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery. 

An area that has long been considered the hub of Dhaka's nightlife, with a number of restaurants that used to be open till two in the morning, today provides a rather eerie feeling. By nightlife of course, one indicates the late night addas at the many cafes in the neighbourhood, where it was so common to see youngsters hang out until midnight.    

The emptiness in the region hits you in the face. Even though these scenes have dominated Gulshan for nearly a month now, the changes are still quite difficult to fathom. 

Restaurants where people needed to queue up just to get seats just last month have been forced to cordon off certain sections due to the lack of customers.

The roads that used to be filled with cars, a highly irritating aspect in Gulshan one might add, clear out as early as 8:30pm and seem quite desolate. Heck, there are even times when the streetlights at certain stretches in the area aren't turned on, further adding to the uncanny scenario.

Restaurants in Gulshan where people had to queue up to get seats just a month ago have been running almost empty since the terror attack on July 1. Photo: Palash Khan/ Prabir Das

The so-called “happening” restaurants in town are now narrating unfortunate tales. They are either facing losses or are closing down. 

“Honestly speaking, the number of customers who come to our restaurant is just one-third now,” says a dismal Nandos manager of the branch located near the Gulshan 2 circle.

“People prefer going to our branches in Dhanmondi or in other areas. But we see very few people come to this branch. Even those who do come here, I can sense, they are a bit scared.

“They often tend to look towards the door and prefer to stay alert. I think it will be fair to say that most of our sales take place through delivery companies like Hungrynaaki and Foodpanda,” he adds.

Like Nandos, there are several other restaurants in the area that have seen an increase in the number of orders from delivery companies and it's no surprise that one gets to notice more delivery scooters in Gulshan in the evening.

Not too far from Nandos is the Butlers Chocolate Café. An international food chain, the eatery is quite famous for its pizzas and array of chocolates.

The place used to get so crowded on most evenings that it often created mini traffic jams in the Gulshan 2 Avenue. It was not uncommon for the restaurant's parking arena to overflow.

Restaurants in Gulshan where people had to queue up to get seats just a month ago have been running almost empty since the terror attack on July 1. The photos were taken between 8:30pm and 9:30pm yesterday and on July 25. Photo: Palash Khan/ Prabir Das

But even there, one could see the drastic fall in the number of customers. While the past week seemed a lot better than the Eid weekend, it still doesn't match the kind of reception it used to get before the attack in which 20 hostages, 17 of them foreigners, and two police officers were killed by militants.

A few hundred metres from Butlers lies the Gloria Jeans Cafe, a place where you are welcomed by two smiling gunmen these days. Just like Butlers, Gloria Jeans is a place where foreigners tend to visit often.

In fact, the place used to get so crowded on weekends and festivals that waiters were often compelled to use walkie-talkies to immediately inform their colleagues the presence of a free seat in the restaurant.

The scenario, quite obviously, seems to have changed drastically since the attack. A visit to the restaurant around 9:00pm on Tuesday revealed that its top floor was closed and it barely had customers on the ground floor. Things have been almost the same these past few weeks.

Some of the smaller, yet popular restaurants have had it worse. Cafe Mango, a popular eatery which made its mark 16 years ago closed down last week. The restaurant announced its closure through its Facebook page.

“The recent incident at Holey Artisan Bakery and Restaurant has pushed all neighbourhood-based cafes and restaurants to be shut down on days' notice. As an architect and citizen of this city, I find the decision premature and not rational. In a city like Dhaka, places like Cafe Mango and others act as public living rooms. They offer refuge to those who wish to take a break from the immensely disturbed urban Dhaka. To take such rare and few spaces from the city dwellers does more harm than not,” the post read.

The Yellow Submarine Cafe at Gulshan 2, popular for its pancakes, also decided to close down. They were open for one last night yesterday.

It seems as though the anxiousness in the region is yet to recede.

“It's not as though I am scared. I would still go to Gulshan and hang out like I used to. But I don't have too many friends willing to go there after evenings now. It just seems a hassle with all the security checks and with all the restaurants closing early,” explains Tahmeed Hossain, a resident of Uttara who used to stay at Gulshan until midnight quite frequently until last month.

Several people in Gulshan have decided to shift the hangouts indoors.

“I am sure there will come a time when all this tension will end and we can all enjoy the late nights in Gulshan again, but until then we just need to order in and chill at home. Besides, in my home everyone gets tense if I am out after six in the evening these days,” says Zyma Alam, a resident of Gulshan 2.

Even the defiant ones who still prefer hanging out at Gulshan until ten or eleven at night seem to have backup plans churning in their minds before they enter a restaurant. 

“I have stopped going to restaurants alone now. And also every time I go to a restaurant, my friends and I try to look for a place near the exit. It doesn't make much of a difference, I know, but it gives you a hope of escaping if anything bad happens,” smiles Bushra Rubayet Khan, a resident of Baridhara DOHS.

“I have grown up here and I am sure that within the next few weeks everything will be back to normal,” she adds.

Four weeks into the attack, there have been a number of positive turns. The frequency of the security checks has increased and several militant dens have been busted.

However, by the looks of it, it seems as though it will still take a while before the capital's thriving nights can return to where it belongs, Gulshan.