Dhaka’s unexpected transformation: From chaos to community
During the recent protests, the amount of people demanding to rebuild our country again were many. For good and bad, a lot has changed for Dhaka and its residents since then, and a new chapter in history was written. Just as the nature of any revolution, it was achieved through bloodshed and mindless atrocity.
Even as the dust settles, with an interim government in place, we are witnessing a renaissance, regarding societal, and mindset change.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. We are no longer accepting autocracy or extremism in any form. Dhakaites now know who their neighbours are, and find strength in unity.
Let's see how Dhaka is now a better place because of it.
Our men in uniform
These men obey orders; however, there is no reason to forget their early actions against protesters, or forgive them for it. Then again, I realised the importance of our police force. The minute they went on strike, I felt defenceless and exposed to a hoard of serious crimes that had put my security at stake. I never thought I would say this, but when I saw police officers back in active duty on their bikes and standing at street corners, I was genuinely relieved.
Citizens did a laudable job in protecting their own, but in all seriousness, the job of a police officer cannot be undertaken by ordinary citizens.
Traffic woes sorted
You know, I have always seen that when our ordinary public vehicles and personal cars enter the cantonment area, they instinctively abide by traffic rules, for the fear of fines and punishments that are in place there.
Unfortunately, out in the real world, things are different. Even my car, on any other road, would change lanes without indicators, block the left lane, and take a U-turn just like that. Motorbikes would dance through the traffic chaos, rickshaws would stick out their front wheel in front of a moving car, or a pedestrian would lift a hand and start crossing a busy road. We have been at it for so long that this kind of behaviour felt as the norm.
However, it was our students who showed us how bad our traffic mannerisms are. They made sure foot-over bridge and zebra crossings were used, lanes were maintained and if anyone broke the rules, they put the guilty on traffic duty as a punishment. What an ingenious way to teach them traffic rules!
Clean Dhaka
When we travel abroad, we keep their cities clean, but do not show the same care when in Dhaka. But we have seen that the students have cleaned Dhaka's alleys, thoroughfares, debris, and garbage. Just the other day, I wanted to throw my banana peel on the island as plant food, but refrained from doing so for fear of being chewed out by youngsters!
I loved how the kids placed garbage boxes, and dustbins at road corners, how they picked up trash and kept Dhaka clean. I hope these basic civic duties are carried forward by the rest of the populous.
Without the Internet: Dhaka's unplugged resilience
If nothing else, the forced detox from our obnoxious online addiction did us good. Young and old, rich or poor, we were all stuck to posts/reels on our social media profiles. We were in a toxic relationship with social media.
Having said that, we do need the internet for work and all sorts of financial transactions. The pre-paid electric meter conundrum was very real for many of us. The fear of our electric connection from DESCO being cut off, our meter showing bills in the minuses, the DESCO office being closed, and online money transfer services being disabled was exasperating. ATM booths had their shutters down and banks were closed, so life with no cash at hand and with no cashless card service, was upsettingly dreadful.
Now that internet has been restored, if nothing else, it has taught us to always keep physical cash on hand at home in case of emergencies like this.
The show of patriotism from Gen Z
Hats off to these spirited young individuals who proved how much they love Bangladesh and its future. Their movement, which started from demands of quota reforms, are now trying to reform the culture of our bad politics. We, who always say that we saw the War of Liberation or we fought for our country, actually believed that we were the sole saviours of the state. We have always stayed silent when we saw the misuse of power by any political party. We were stuck in a vicious cycle of political corruption practised by all political parties; we turned a blind eye to their aggression, and remained a pawn to their ruinous policies. We never demanded clean politics.
With a fair election on the cards, I plead that no undeserving person stand up as our future leader. These students have lit the fire of patriotism in us. So, now, someone with a good heart and true love for the country should give this nationalism and loyalty a real chance. Let no one encash this spirit for personal gain.
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