Dhaka under one roof
What will you do if you want to research the history and traditions of Dhaka -- the ever growing capital of Bangladesh.
After reading this article, you might want to visit a three-storied building standing on Mohini Mohan Das Lane in Farashganj, Old Dhaka.
For over two decades, Dhaka Kendra, situated on the second floor of the building, has been a go to place for researchers and academics, as the facility famously assembled the city's history and traditions, all under one roof.
In 1997, Mohammad Azim Buksh, son of former Panchayat Sardar Mawla Bakhsh, established the Mawla Buksh Sardar Memorial Trust on his own initiative.
It included five projects, including a cultural centre and hospital. Dhaka Kendra is one of them.
At first glance, the square-shaped building, which also attracts visitors for its creative architectural pattern, will appear as an old structure in need of renovation.
But the real magic's hidden on the second floor.
During a recent visit, this correspondent saw that the floor housed a library with 6,000 books related to the history and heritage of Dhaka. Besides, various materials used by Old Dhaka residents, pictures, historical documents, maps, and colorful monuments of the city on the banks of Buriganga can be found there.
The library has some rare collections of books, written in English by British and Indian writers back in the days.
Patrick Geddes's Dhaka: A Study in Urban History and Development, written in 1917, Abdul Karim's "Dhakai Muslin", Abu Joha Noor Ahmad's "Unish Shotoker Dhakar Somaj Jibon", Kedarnath Majumder's "Dhakar Bibaran a Dhakar Brahma Somajer Itihash", Nazir Hossain's "Kingbodontir Dhaka", Nirmal Gupta's "Dhaka Katha", Jatindramohan Roy's 'Dhakar Itihash', Rafiqul Islam's "Dhakar Katha", Satyen Sen's "Sohorer Itikatha" and Haridas Bose's "Dhakar Katha" are only a glimpse of the historical books that can be found here.
The library stays open from 4:00pm to 7:00pm every day except for Thursday, but researchers can stay at the facility for longer hours by the authority's permission.
"Farashganj is the oldest area of Dhaka. Once it was full of life, but those days are long gone. However, if this centre is of little benefit to someone, Old Dhaka's legacy will live on for a long time... that's my motivation," said Dhaka Kendra Chairman Mohammad Azim Buksh.
There's also a small museum next to the library. It has a land deed made in 1896. The novelty of its language is an attraction for interested researchers.
Apart from this, parts of the first motor repair factory established in Dhaka, ancient maps, and brick designs of old buildings can be found there.
There's also a separate gallery of some socially important families of Old Dhaka. All the rare artifacts used by these families, including, drinking bowls, cooking pots, hookahs, saris, fabric and salt containers can be found here.
"Researchers still flock to our library although the overall readership has declined...," Azim Buksh added. "My father wanted to create a place where people from all across the city would come and study about our city's rich history. This is his legacy, and I will carry it forward."
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