How a residential area turns into a place of urban gathering

Dhanmondi is one of the prominent residential and commercial areas in Dhaka city. Art, culture, food, fashion, education, and medical treatment are all factors nourished in this area. There are some popular areas where people like to roam with family and friends.
This place becomes more crowded in the evening nowadays. Youth go there to hang out with their peers and loved ones, spending some quality time after a long day. But the picture was not always like that. The area has 'changed' or 'evolved rapidly.'
Dhanmondi has a history of being commercially and culturally nourished, particularly after British rule in the 1950s under the Dhaka Improvement Trust (DIT).
Even in the pre-liberation period, the area was urbanised with bungalows for government officials or 'upper or upper-middle class' families.
The name Dhanmondi is derived from 'Dhan', meaning rice, and 'Mandi', meaning market, referring to the paddy market if we go by literal meaning. However, it was also known that there was a vast agricultural land before it became urbanised. Dhaka city has been culturally enhanced by modern technology.
Economic upgradation has made the area colourful and diverse. Mirpur Road and Sat Masjid Road are well-known parts of the region. There is also an Eidgah field, which tells us about its past, linked to the Mughals.
Some restaurants and cafes are popular places to go. North end, Java House, Munch Station, Nerdy Beans, Zen, Nosh, Awake Cafe and Bistro, Crimson Cup, Soi7, etc, are popular eateries.
Shimanto Square is a multi-purpose shopping complex in that neighbourhood that features a food court and a Cineplex theatre.
There are schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, commercial or NGO offices situated in the area as well.
Dhanmondi Lake is a popular public place to get fresh air. Rabindra Sarobor, an amphitheatre, gives a cultural glimpse beside the lake.
Saima Nabila, an undergraduate student of Women and Gender Studies at, University of Dhaka, shared her experiences in the Dhanmondi area. She visits there often with her friends. She stated that the area becomes more magnificent after the sun sets. She said, "I usually go to several cafes to spend quality time with my friends. The roads are more crowded in the evening than during the day, especially from 6 to 9 pm."
Meanwhile, cafes are somewhat calm places to stay.
"In the evening, the area around Shimanto Square is crowded and grand, filled with people of all ages and professions. I also go to Dhanmondi Lake sometimes. Other than these, I visit super shops and some other restaurants," she added. Amidst a busy life and schedule, she visits the area to find relief from her tiredness in its colourful transition.
Tirtha Shimanta, an MBBS student of Ibrahim Medical College, emphasised that, "Well, I started going to Dhanmondi when I was enrolled in a school there in 2007. Even though I don't live there, I have spent most of the last 18 years of my 24 years going back and forth to Dhanmondi."
"I mainly remember it being much cleaner. The air was fresher, and the water in the lake would sparkle when the evening sun hit it at just the right angle. The streets used to be less congested with traffic, as this was before every building in Dhanmondi was basically a restaurant.
I remember it being quieter too," he added further.
To him, the air, like everywhere else in Dhaka, is hard to breathe.
He expressed his discomfort, "The streets are packed with all manner of transportation, occupying every available inch. The water in the lake is filled with trash and green with algae."
Over time, the area became a busy, crowded space. The author asked about experiences regarding the restaurant culture being pompous in the evening, and Mr Shimanta replied, "The mornings are generally quiet, with only a few of the many seats being occupied by freelance workers, retirees, or people on breaks or vacations. However, by 3 pm, the restaurants slowly start to fill up with people coming off of work, children finishing school, friend group hangouts, or couples going on their weekly date."
Dhanmondi roads and streets are experiencing heavy traffic. People going through the pathways are aware of it, and sometimes they enjoy the festive crowds here and there, and sometimes it is unbearable. "I have been living here since birth, and it has been five years since I became a job-holder", said Mr Aktar, who is a software developer. "Even after 3 pm, you cannot move easily, you will start experiencing heavy traffic from Katabon to Elephant road to Rifels square and way further because of this much crowd. On Eid, you can't get a seat in the restaurants as well."
When being asked about the living experience in Dhanmondi and the cafe culture there, Kumkum Begum, in her late 40s, stated, "I like Dhanmondi. Compared to other places I have lived, I like this place more. The lake view from my home is also very fascinating to me."
"I think the restaurants have changed their interior, it's more diverse and colourful. I think it was plain and straightforward before," she added. According to her, cafes are good, well-decorated places to spend time with her family. Echoing Mr Aktar, she also believed that the place is a bit crowded than festive, and there's a traffic jam almost always after evening in this area, which makes these cafes crowded as well.
Dhanmondi, the city's area, serves different purposes according to people's and time's needs. Over the years, the area has evolved in so many colours that sometimes its residents feel sorry for that. Then again, that is precisely why everyone loves Dhanmondi: a go-to place for people of all ages.

sanjidahossainfariha365@gmail.com