I was at Paltan the entire morning, and here’s the coverage of the hartal processions, protests, more.

Check out rest of the pics here (87 pics in total).

• Bangla (also known as Bengali), the national language of Bangladesh, is the fifth most frequently-spoken language in the world. Bangladesh became a country in 1971 when it declared its independence from Pakistan. Bangladesh used to be East Pakistan, or East Bengal. West Bengal is a state in India.
• The word Bangladesh was coined around 1971 when the country was formed: it means land (desh) of the Bangla (Bengali people).
• Bangladesh is bordered by two countries: India and Burma (Myanmar).
• Bangladesh has its own 12-month calendar with six seasons.
• Bangladesh is known for its production of the jute plant, whose fiber is made into carpets, rope and other products. Jute is known as the golden fibre in Bangladesh.
• Every region of Bangladesh has its own dessert (mishti): if you are eating chum-chum, you’re in Tangail, if it’s Roshmallai you’re in Comilla.
• In Dhaka, all of the autorickshaws and most of the taxis run on clean-burning natural gas (CNG) rather than diesel or petrol.
• The Bengali people of Bangladeshi fought for the right to speak their own language in 1952, this event is now commemorated worldwide as International Mother Language Day.
• The monsoon season in Bangladesh is generally from June to August. If you visit then, bring an umbrella.
• Bangladesh lies on the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees northern latitude). Other countries on this line include Mexico, the Bahamas, Eygpt, Saudi Arabia, India and China.
• Bangladesh’s parliament building, an architectural landmark, was designed by an American architect, Louis Khan.

• Barisal, one of the six divisions of Bangladesh, is known as the Venice of Asia because of its waterways.
• During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, believers do not eat or drink for the entire day. After sunset, families have feasts known as Iftar.
• Every year, about one third of Bangladesh floods during the monsoon season.
• In Bangladesh, high school spans grades five to ten, while grades 11 and 12 are considered to be college.
• In Bangladesh, there is one house in parliament (the Jatiya Sangsad). Members are elected every five years.
• Just as movies from the US come from Hollywood, and those from India are from Bollywood, movies made in Bangladesh (Dhaka) are said to be from Dhalliwood.
• Rickshaws are often elaborately decorated. The designs may depict nature, scenes from Indian mythology, or scenes from Bollywood and Dhalliwood movies.
• Kids in Bangladesh attend secondary school (high school) from the age of 12 to 16, and then college when they are 17 and 18.
• On the first day of summer, the Sun is exactly over Bangladesh at noon.
• One fruit or another is always in season in Bangladesh: mango, papaya, banana, guava, jackfruit, pineapple, and many more.
• Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the man who lead Bangladesh to Independence in 1971 is often referred to as the Bangabandhu, or friend to the Bengali people.

• The Bangla language has its own numbers, written differently than arabic numbers. When people give their phone numbers, however, they usually do it in English.
• The Bangla language is a descendant of ancient Sanskrit, and more literature is available in Bangla than any other language of the Subcontinent.
• The Bengal region was first united in the seventh century by Shashanka, a Hindu ruler.
• The longest (120 km) natural beach in the world is found in Bangladesh at Cox’s Bazaar.
• The national animal of Bangladesh is the Royal Bengal Tiger.
• The national bird of Bangladesh is the Magpie.
• The national fish of Bangladesh is the Hilsa fish.
• The national fruit of Bangladesh is the Jackfruit, a large spiky Mellon.
• The national flower of Bangladesh is the Water Lily (the Shapla).
• There are no polar bears in Bangladesh.
• The same person wrote the national anthems for both India and Bangladesh: famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore.

• The suffix “wallah” is often tacked onto words to indicate someone who does a task. The person that pulls a rickshaw is a “rickshaw-wallah”, the person who delivers milk (dudh) is a “dudh-wallah”.
• The two most popular sports in Bangladesh are cricket and football (the kind with a round ball).
• Known as the “banker to the poor”, Muhammad Yunus is the first Nobel laureate from Bangladesh, awarded in 2006.
• Almost everything that Bangladesh imports or exports goes through its sea port city, Chittagong.
• At dusk, it is not uncommon to see big (one meter wingspan) fruit bats flying around throughout Bangladesh.
• At the beginning of each summer, strong wind storms are sometimes accompanied by hail. The hail balls may be up to 10 cm in diameter.
• There are three rice crops each year, each of which has different seed stock and growing conditions; the crops are called aman, anus and boro.
• Three major rivers come together in Bangladesh: the Padma (a branch of the Ganges), Jamuna and Meghna.
• Tigers, elephants and crocodiles can be found in the Sundarbans, the forest in Southern Bangladesh
• To accommodate large numbers of students, many Bangladeshi schools use a shift system, where one set of students attends a school in the morning, and another set of students in the afternoon.

• Bangladesh is a member state of the Commonwealth, the OIC, SAARC, BIMSTEC, and the D-8.
• Weddings in Bangladesh often run about five evenings, with celebrations each night.
• Traditionally, men in Bangladesh wear a lungi, a wrap of fabric, instead of pants. In cities, however, pants are now common.
• Women in Bangladesh often wear a sari or a salwar kamez. The sari is more formal, and is essentially a long piece of fabric which is intricately wrapped. The salwar kamez consists of a pants and a top, and is usually worn with a scarf known as an orna.

…to be continued.

Located on the banks of Buriganaga river and very near to Sadarghat Launch Terminal, it was the residential palace of the Nawabs of Dhaka. Now turned into a museum, it has 31 rooms and 23 galleries displaying portraits, furnitures and household articles and utensils used by the Nawabs.

Closed on Thursday, the museum is open from 10:30 to 17:30 on weekdays, and 15:00 to 19:30 on Friday during summer time (April – September). During winter (October – March), it’s open from 9:30 to 16:30 on weekdays and 15:00 to 19:30 on Friday. Go ahead and spend an hour or two at Ahsan Manzil and enjoy it’s beauty only in return of a 2 taka entry fee.

Check out more pictures of Ahsan Manzil.

I’ll never ever go back to that place without a very good reason. I never imagined a part of Dhaka could be so ugly.

The stupid government can’t take care of the poor animals just like they can’t take care of us! Fuck the goverment!