DHAKA 100 YEARS AGO

Dhaka in mid-1900s was not a great place to be. The glorious Mughal ways of life had by then waned away, replaced through numerous years of colonial British rule. Even half a century ago from that time, one could relish in those traditions and practices. 

A tribute to that bygone era was 'Dhaka Ajse Panchas Baras Pahle', a show that was aired in 1945 from All India Radio's Dhaka centre. The show was hosted by Hakim Habibur Rahman (1881-1947).

He was a man who wore many hats. Hakim was an Unani physician. He was a politician, a close associate of Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah. In fact, if you go to Ahsan Manzil, you would see a portrait of him.

He was also an avid collector of old manuscripts and coins. A testament to this can be found in the introduction of historian and archaeologist Dr Nalini Kanta Bhattasali's catalogue on Hakim Habibur Rahman's coin collection, which he donated to a museum. "… no one is better fitted to compile this catalogue than the donor himself," he wrote."But as his profession is 'herbs' and mine 'coins' he has wisely and compassionately left the work to be done by the professional, though, I am sure, the man of 'herbs' knows more about old coins than the man of 'coins' himself." 

The radio show was published in book form in the year 1949. The book, named Dhaka Panchas Baras Pahle (Dhaka 50 years ago), has been translated to Bengali by Dr Mohammad Rezaul Karim. 

Today, it is an invaluable primary source of information for historians working on Dhaka. The book is a rather thin one, and it is quite an easy read. It is broken down in small chapters – episodes of the radio programme. 

One glance at the contents section will tell you that the book deals with lifestyle of Dhaka in late 1800s/early 1900s: in the time of the radio programme, Hakim Habibur Rahman spoke of Dhaka 50 years ago from that time. Hence, today, when we read the book, it is essentially about Dhaka more than a hundred years ago. 

Topics include various foods, cuisines and culinary traditions of Dhaka, the different 'tupis' (caps) people used to wear, recreational activities, etc. This book is very different from more or less all the others about Dhaka from the perspective that it almost solely discusses Dhaka from a lifestyle perspective (food, fashion, etc.).  

Hakim Habibur Rahman was also a littérateur. At the young age of 13, when Nawab Ahsanullah passed away, he wrote a poem as a tribute to him. In 1906, under his editorship, the first monthly Urdu periodical in Dhaka, named Al Masriq, was published. 

With so many accomplishments, he had left behind many rich legacies. 'Dhaka Panchas Baras Pahle' is one of them –an important one, for that matter. 

The book is very rare. Look for it whenever you are in Nil Khet and in Aziz Supermarket. You might get a copy if you're lucky. But if you are impatient and curiosity has taken over, visit the library of Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. You cannot borrow unless you are a member, but the library is open for everyone to come, sit and read.