Dhaka from backseats: Things you observe while commuting

When you're on the streets of Dhaka, perhaps idly sitting in the backseat of a vehicle, if you take a minute to stop doom-scrolling and stare out through the windows, you will more than likely see drama unfolding before your eyes!

For the hasty commuter, the surroundings are typical and mundane. But for a keen and curious observer, Dhaka's roads portray a whirlwind of activities, characters, oddities and emotions which are no less than what you might watch on Netflix.

The only difference is that you cannot hit pause on those short-lived scenes, like the one where you see three friends walking in the rain sharing the same umbrella, just the way your long-forgotten school trio once used to.

Observing some carefree friends chattering about, you realise that you have been in the same stage, in the same scene, but you are now the audience instead of the cast. It is an open theatre where many unknown characters roam around, but in some way or another, you can always find a slight resemblance to each of them.

Photo: Star

Stories brew in cups of tea in "tong" shops among co-workers, whilst on the other hand, a lovely date suddenly turns into a breakup quarrel -- all happening out of the corner of your eye! 

Seeing the weary face of an office-goer in the evening, who is perhaps staring blankly out of the dusty windows of a bus, instantly puts me into the shoes of Feluda. My mind wonders of that passenger's aspirations and feelings. Is he worried about making ends meet? Is he going home where his children are waiting for him, or has he left his family behind and lives in Dhaka in a shared flat?  

One moment you see a white-collar person rushing frantically trying to catch a bus, and the very next moment, you see an auto-rickshaw casually overtaking a huge car and hurling the road into a haphazard confusion, along with the inevitable skirmish that follows.

It is quite impossible to keep up with this city where so much happens at a time!

Whether you admire the bright smile on a hawker's face when he successfully sells that yellow smiley balloon, or you get entertained by the haggling of aunties in front of roadside shops, Dhaka from the backseats is like a cinema that follows through. The only cost of watching this art performance is the unfinished stories.

And during the night, the neon lights at every nook and cranny or the series of street lights at a flyover are pleasing to the eye -- only if you pause to look at them.

So next time, instead of typing away on your phone when commuting, look out through the window and try to embrace the charm of Dhaka a little more -- maybe you will realise that the city you curse so much is not too bad after all.