The Iftar rush hour and the footpath market
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
The Iftar rush hour is a very frustrating. One has to start a couple of hours earlier to reach anywhere in the city before Iftar. Thankfully, most workplaces close by 3:00 in the afternoon or thereabouts.
The traffic jams are an old story but during Ramadan, and so far, it is maddening to get caught in them. If one is on a public transport, as this writer is, then the problems are manifold. Although one feels like cursing the traffic cops at times, one should spare a thought for those poor guys because it is unthinkable that they are responsible for the jams. For their part they can be seen going near crazy trying to get the long lines of vehicles moving.
Their near hysterical behaviour and the shrill cry of their whistles prove they are not having fun on the road. And day in day out, one has to brave this Iftar time anarchy.
Like the jams on the streets, there are jams of sorts on the city footpaths-they have been taken over by vendors or 'hawkers' as they are commonly called.
Earlier it was thought they cater only to the lower-than-middle classes. Not any more, say the hawkers. Although their main customers are the lower income group, these days many middle class people are seen bargaining with the vendors. These people can only gawk are the splendid but horrifyingly expensive stuff in the cities many malls. Just as in the malls, one can buy just about anything on the footpath sellers from clothes to shoes to toothpick and far, far cheaper than what is priced in those mall stores.
They sell all sizes of clothes, shoes and accessories-there is almost everything for almost everyone from adults to babies. Women have a special fascination for the footpath around Gausia Market. This is because they see the expensive stuff inside the market but similar material is much cheaper and affordable.
A. Rahman
Wari
Dhaka
The traffic jams are an old story but during Ramadan, and so far, it is maddening to get caught in them. If one is on a public transport, as this writer is, then the problems are manifold. Although one feels like cursing the traffic cops at times, one should spare a thought for those poor guys because it is unthinkable that they are responsible for the jams. For their part they can be seen going near crazy trying to get the long lines of vehicles moving.
Their near hysterical behaviour and the shrill cry of their whistles prove they are not having fun on the road. And day in day out, one has to brave this Iftar time anarchy.
Like the jams on the streets, there are jams of sorts on the city footpaths-they have been taken over by vendors or 'hawkers' as they are commonly called.
Earlier it was thought they cater only to the lower-than-middle classes. Not any more, say the hawkers. Although their main customers are the lower income group, these days many middle class people are seen bargaining with the vendors. These people can only gawk are the splendid but horrifyingly expensive stuff in the cities many malls. Just as in the malls, one can buy just about anything on the footpath sellers from clothes to shoes to toothpick and far, far cheaper than what is priced in those mall stores.
They sell all sizes of clothes, shoes and accessories-there is almost everything for almost everyone from adults to babies. Women have a special fascination for the footpath around Gausia Market. This is because they see the expensive stuff inside the market but similar material is much cheaper and affordable.
A. Rahman
Wari
Dhaka