The title of my post comes from a Bangladeshi advertisement for flats in the posh district of Bashundhara. The advertisement ends with a woman saying in singy songy voice, "Cholo Amra Bashundhara Jai - Let us go to Bashundhara." Bashundhara district shares its name with Bashundhara City mall. Bashundhara City is one of the largest malls in South Asia and the WORLD.
To me Bashundhara city seemed out of place like seeing a Mercedes parked in front of a housing project. A Mercedes symbolizes success, achievement, and wealth. The projects, on the other hand, symbolizes the polar opposite of that. The person driving the Mercedes gives an appearance of wealth, but it's a facade and that's what Bashundhara City is, a facade. Bangladesh isn't any less poor or more modern because of this mall.
Another problem with Bashundhara City is that it's like buying a hummer and not being able to afford the gas (sorry for getting my point across with car examples). Bangladesh doesn't have the infrastructure to support a mall like this. Bashundhara doesn't even have air conditioning! People go to a mall for three things: shopping, eating, and air conditioning. I couldn't and wouldn't eat at the food court after I saw a cockroach run from one garbage can to another. Ick. I didn't buy anything from the stores in Bashundhara because surprise surprise almost everything sold there can be bought for cheap at local bazaars.
Bashundhara does share one thing with a modern Western mall, one that I didn't expect. Bashundhara offers teens, young adults, and couples a place to hang out. I saw groups of guys checking out girls, girlfriends hanging out, and couples arm in arm or hand in hand even embracing. I didn't see any PDA in Bangladesh except inside Bashundhara City. It's a place to waste time kindling young hormones like…a Western mall? Wow. An uncommon common denominator.
Inside Basundhara:
Elevator
Rotunda
ooo technology
Just hangin' at the mall.
NAILED IT!
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