Dhaka blues? Here’s how we turn gloom into bloom

Dhaka is moody; and politically charged with high-strung residents, colours of the city change every day, some good things happen and some not so good. But it is always exciting.

In Dhaka, when things are dull and depressing, we, who love the city to no end, always find ingenious ways to cheer ourselves up. Trust me, even when you hit a wall, the city and its cheerful people light you up in ways you cannot fathom.

Everyone has their own pick-me-up routines, otherwise we'd have gone mad ages ago. For me, finding a bundle of turmeric flowers on shop racks, having a plate of steaming momos at mid-night, trying out new ice cream flavours like strawberry cheesecake from Igloo, or just driving around the Dhaka University campus to read the graffiti; any such simple pleasures of life re-energise me.

However, there are times when we also need more innovate ways to keep ourselves entertained and busy, and get out of a bad funk. And eating out cannot be our only source of relaxation; we need our motor skills and brain cells in working condition too!

Things like interactive events, performances, and shows with easy access to performers leave you in a light-hearted mood. On that note, Dhaka recently hosted one such interactive and memorable show; a solo performance by Miftah Zaman, organised by Yamaha One True Sound. As I see it, Miftah Zaman has no celebrity airs about him. He is an extremely amicable, frank, and humble person who wears different hats -- a singer and a musician, an L&D and HR Specialist, and an entrepreneur. He sang Bangla songs and classic covers, and also tried to keep requests that were not on his list. His light-hearted demure was contagious and lifted the audience's spirits.

I realised, while listening to Zaman, that if only Dhaka had a fun centre for its people; a place where we all could sit and chat, sew, knit, share recipes, watch movies, and talk politics, our favourite pass time, then we might be able to process the current collective trauma of the on-going social upheavals. These activities would be like our collective counselling to heal ourselves.

What Dhaka really needs for its populace is clubs with easy access for people of all ages. We need to meet and talk to friends more often -- the book clubs, plant lovers' clubs, walking clubs, fishing and even playing cards clubs. They are there, but not everyone can access it because of their exclusive membership policies.

We just cannot deny that Dhaka is on a raw nerve now; political uncertainty makes us jittery, because we have always been a politically charged nation.

Thus, our collective anger or trauma, however you put it, shrouds Dhaka. With so much socio-political drama going on, the city needs to heal. We have to get our sunshine back, in spite of the dark clouds. Who's with me on this?