Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the epitome of city living; many buildings, cars, and people. There is a distinciton between old and new Dhaka. Old Dhaka is south and old, really old (buildings, family roots, etc) and new Dhaka is north and well, new, "modern." You'll find out why I put quotes in a later post. Both of my parents' homes are in Old Dhaka.
I arrived in Farashgonj, Dhaka where my mom's family lives. Downstairs, my cousin Nisha waited for me. "Welcome to our home," she said with a big smile. She took me by the hand, showed me where to leave my shoes, and led me up the stairs. Through a door, I saw a dignified old woman, skinny, fair-skinned in a white sari sitting on a bed. I recognized her as my mom's mom, my nanubhai. I buried my face into her shoulder and cried. So many years, I thought. I heard my mom coming up the stairs and anticipated her tears, heartache, and joy in seeing her mom for the first time in 23 years.
I got a tour of the house, which has been in my mother's family for 50 years. The big house consists of five stories, two of which are unfinished, four bedrooms, and two and a half bathrooms. My parents and I occupied the spacious third floor, which had a bedroom, chaat/rooftop, and a bathroom with a toilet!
Hundreds of years ago this area was a French port hence the name Farashgonj. Before partition, Dhaka including Farashgonj was mostly Hindu. After partition, Muslims from West Bengal and Bihar settled in Dhaka and some Hindus moved from Dhaka to India. My maternal grandparents moved to Farashgonj from Calcutta. Papa's family home in Gandaria is a stones throw away from my mom's home in Farashgonj. From the chaat I saw the Buriganga (Old Ganga) river. I saw weather worn houses and palm trees, and rickshaws weaving through the narrow streets.
This would be my home for the next 10 days.
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