SAVE THE HERITAGES OF BANGLADESH
Photos: courtesy
It doesn't get as straightforward as this. The group's name itself, Save the Heritages of Bangladesh, is all you need to know to get an understanding of its aim and its sentiments. And surely, our country is in dire need of such organisations, given the ill-treatments and lack of awareness there is regarding heritage.
Save the Heritages of Bangladesh is a not-for-profit, social awareness group on Facebook. It was created by Tony Angel; however, he is longer active in it. The group is currently being managed by 5 admins, with Sazzadur Rasheed being the leader and figurehead.
An architect by profession, he is an Associate Professor and the Head of the Department of Architecture at State University of Bangladesh. He is also the Principal Architect of Trimatra.
In today's world, the power of social media is unparalleled. And Save the Heritages of Bangladesh is a very active group. Do you want to know the story behind a heritage site? There are history buffs out there who will come forward to help you out, suggesting website links, books, etc. Do you need pictures of a particular historic building? The admins are very cooperate in helping you with that. Have you heard of a fabulous heritage site that you would like to visit but do not know the location? Many of the group's members are passionate travellers and are likely to provide you directions, in addition to the admins giving you Google Earth images, for better identification, whenever possible. And of course, you can always share your own experiences and pictures.
The group also expresses its concerns about conservation to our country's Department of Archaeology.
A small portion of Facebook groups become successful enough to actually cross the boundary of virtual world and form something in the physical world. Save the Heritages of Bangladesh is one such group.
It organises a daytrip on the last Friday of every month. There are fascinating places in Bangladesh that you have not even probably heard of. The group will take you there and tell you about its history.
Destinations include Comilla, Mymensingh, Munshiganj, Savar, Tangail, Old Dhaka, etc. Is it really possible to go to these places, see the sites and come back on the same day? Punctuality is not crucial, but necessity. The trip actually starts on time! "We have a pre-planned list of sites we are going to visit. If we start off late, we won't be able to cover all of them," Rasheed explains. "Our journeys are supposed to start on 7am; at worst there may be a delay of 5 to 10 minutes for members to get settled in transport. But that's it."
For new members, the strictness about punctuality can be shocking - and impressive!
The travellers are a diverse mix: students, architects, corporate job holders, archaeologists, photographers, journalists, foreigners who are in Bangladesh for work or in a vacation, etc.
Registration fee for a trip may vary but is usually somewhere around Tk1000. Mode of transport is air conditioned mini-bus/micro-bus; breakfast, lunch and snacks are inclusive. Not a bad deal at all!
Today is the last Friday of November. As you are reading this, the group is enjoying in Kishoreganj. You've missed it.
Don't miss the next one!
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