The genius that came out of
traffic-hawking
It's a normal day in the streets of Dhaka. You're seated for hours in your car, wondering why your luck has left you to hum at the awful songs they're playing on the radio, endure the crazy-accented radio jockeys blabbering on about weird things and while your driver is muttering to himself. A short little boy knocks at your window and you stare into outer space with a frown on your face. Suddenly, something catches your eye. Something that you want to take home. Something that can make all the torture that your mind's been through worth it. Something that usually meets with its end a few days later. Or ends up in a dark corner in your room. It's a small victory how these little things can brighten up your day so much.
Story by Neshmeen Fatimah, Photos By Ahmed Hasan Sunny
Hari-pateels
Little pseudo-cooking utensils a.k.a the haripateels we used to play with when we were little. Not only did these pots and pans bring back memories of dinner dates with your little maid, they emotionally blackmailed you into buying them, giving off a faint allusion to perhaps that scene happening again sometime in your boring grown-up life. Even though you do end up gifting them to someone in a more befitting age, who didn't love making semi-edible murgir mangsho dishes when they were little right?
Flowers that smile at the sun
What were those called exactly? They came in different colored flowers with light green leaves that kept on moving up and down on their own. Every car ended up with one in the end! Some even had multiple! And no one knows what they're called, what a shame. They were cool though, and pretty. Many slightly more expensive designs came out later too, pandas and birdies in various colors and whatnot.
Plastic fantastic
Plastic is a child's joy. They come in colours that dazzle and they don't break, usually. Sunglasses, carts, little dragons with little wheels attached. Fish. Fish with wheels attached. Tiny little sets of misshapen dinosaurs and tigers. A few bucks a pop, and you got yourself the entire food chain. Kids love food chains.
Devil Horn/Ear things
Ever wanted ot give into your dark side but still retain a touch of color? These horns attached to hairband-like things help you get out of your tiny suffocating sphere of innocence and, for a brief while, let you live a life of fantasy filled with sheer coolness. They come in pink, green and blue lights. 'Nuff said.
Magic Balls
Yeah you know the ones! Those sparkly-tiny-I'm-so-cool-and-round-I-bloat-up-when-you-soak-me-in-water things! Even when you realized you were being ripped off having to pay so much for a pack of little colorful balls that eventually ended up in a mossy water-filled jar somewhere in your room, you just had to get them! They were just brilliant, and in your eyes, a brand new marvel of an invention.
Miniature umbrellas
Sure they didn't exactly act as umbrellas and were instead small wannabe toy ones made of cloth, but they were still cool. Usually in bright pink or orange designed with other very bright colors, they had little leg like stands which helped them get out of the stereotypical role of umbrellas being useful tools of rain protection to great new heights of attaining luxurious positions in showcases in your drawing room. Not bad, eh?
Blow 'em up
There's air, hot air, everywhere we turn. Politicians on the massive street soapboxes, tea stall intellectuals with their country changing ideas and CNG fueled exhaust. Make better use of all that hot air, blow up some toys. Air filled toys come in every shape, color and denomination. Doraemon (RS's recent victim of debate), swans, cute little cows, more Doraemon, footballs of every scale and color, tubes and interestingly shaped hearts. And Doraemon. There's everywhere and they're brilliant. Give it to a kid, buy one for yourself and you'll feel light hearted.
