Writing about stories of one's past, of an era gone by, of innocent childhood memories can often be a daunting task. The city we call home is on a fast-forward button as old staff quarters and memories are torn down while huge apartment complexes religiously shoot up to take their place.

Gone are the evenings bicycling in the "oli-golis" of the narrow streets -- now they are taken up by the big whizzing cars. The green Neem tree that shaded your Ludo games on sunny afternoons is now long gone as a mall now stands tall in its place selling gadgets that you can play in the cool of your air-conditioned room.

Walking down memory lane, almost everyone gets teary-eyed as they recall wonderful stories of living in government staff quarters -- once a mainstay in Dhaka now pushed to the corners by burgeoning development.

Young men especially hold fond memories of growing up in the quarters of Motijheel where evening cricket matches and winter badminton contests took up a large portion of the days. Growing up, they had teams of two as the senior boys and the junior boys were divided amongst the buildings and the goli'r cricket matches gave way to full-fledged leagues played out in the nearby math, sponsored by mothers' home-made lemonade.

One young man, today in his final year of university, recalls fondly his colony childhood days especially during Shab-e-Barat. Preparations used to run amok as the children popped cheap fire-crackers and the mothers spent a busy day preparing halwa (sweet concoctions made from carrots, chickpeas and many other ingredients), savoury meat dishes and bread made from rice flour. All this was then shared with almost all neighbours and usually the house overflowed on that day with sweets coming from all directions.

Where everyone knows everyone, even a simple ritual such as the evening tea at the local 'tong' becomes a debate session as the men diligently partake in all the political discussions whilst the women get busy sharing the current gossip.

Many government quarters still remain near the Azimpur, Motijheel areas. We are rarely exposed to the unique bonds and wonderful traditions these places boast of. Growing up in a colony or even spending a few years there is a unique experience. Today, Dhaka stands to lose this age-old tradition. 'Moholla' cricket matches or 'hadudu' matches all risk extinction as we become more and more nuclear, moving to apartments, choosing seclusion over a communal experience.



Photo: Star Lifestyle Archive/

Sazzad Ibne Sayed