@ Purbachal
Lack of food-less recreation has led our people to meet up with their friends at Hatirjheel ignoring the simple fact that it's a lakefront meant to minimise traffic congestion and ease communication and not to set up a date with your significant other.
We, the city dwellers, are in desperate need for recreational facilities where we can spend some time with our friends without discussing what the couple at the other table is wearing or eating. And Hatirjheel is the perfect example that speaks of our plight.
Purbachal, popularly known as 300 feet road is our saviour in times of such desperate needs. Located just 10 k.m. away from the Kuril highway, beside "Rajuk Purbachal New Town", it's a 15 minute drive from Hajrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport.
In our country, long road trips can get exhausting and boring if not outright awful. The sound of cars constantly honking and knowing that the gridlock won't get cleared anytime soon is enough to give us headaches. But, once you head for Purbachal and start driving down Kuril Flyover, you can sense the significant change in the air around you. The vastness of the horizon and the wide ceaseless roads right infront of your eyes remind you how badly you needed the fresh air and the long drive.Here, the high rise buildings don't obstruct your view of the blue sky and it's a marvelous thing to drive off into the sunset without a destination.
As you drive along the lands with almost zero population, you are greeted with a large, extended region waiting to be turned into a residential area. The grassland on both sides and the poles serve as perching posts for birds of all kinds, namely munias, rollers, shrikes, larks, pipits and lapwings. The vegetable gardens provide a feeding ground for small birds, rodents and insects. The colourful and pretty birds can be seen in the morning hours chirping and flying over the fields.
Purbachal boasts an exclusive vegetable bazaar with its products coming straight from the adjoining village 'Porshi gram.' The vegetables are grown by farmers from the nearby villages on small patches of their own land. If you're a nature lover, you can take a walk with them on their fields and choose whichever vegetables to buy.The friendly villagers will pick the vegetables right away just for you.
After a long drive, bird watching and vegetable shopping, you can indulge yourself at the wide range of restaurants available at 300 feet. Items ranging from appetisers, combo meals, side dishes, drinks and shakes to sea food are available and the meals can be customised with your personal choice of add-ons. The special attractions include potato wedges, cold coffee and barbeque. Roof top barbeques can be arranged with prior appointment and thankfully the food tastes great!
"The food items are priced reasonably and some of the food courts provide nice seating arrangements where we can hangout for hours and enjoy the live music show. And in all honesty, some local singers are wonderful," said Md. Touhidul Islam, a regular at the restaurants.
"Since campus cafeteria has been so crowded lately, coming to these cafés has become a regular thing for me. They provide special offers and student discounts all around the year. Decent food at reasonable price shared with the right people is a day well spent!" said Jarin Tasnim Chowdhury, an IUB student.
Amongst the multifarious choices, Khana's, Street BBQ, Back Street Café, Shwarma house, Re-Eat, The Bizarre Café, 300 ft Xpress, BUZZ 300, Gravity Kitchen, Gusto Pasto are worth mentioning.
Amidst our hectic schedules, beating deadlines and juggling tasks, Purbachal can be the best spot to revitalise oneself and go for an un-interrupted long drive or casual bike ride. It's a place definitely worth exploring.
By Tahmina Begum
Photo: LS Archive
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