Travel, they say, broadens the mind. I am not sure if it really does but it is certainly an experience in itself. An opportunity to try local delicacies — if the delicacies play havoc with your delicate digestive system, seasoned travelers tell you that is part of the experience and you must not moan and groan excessively about it.
Avoiding an assault on your digestive system while on holiday in Dhaka can be a problem. Ducking and diving to escape colorful food thrust upon you at every turn by enthusiastic relatives and friends, you will soon become worn out. Not to worry — like urban guerrillas, they will always ambush you when you least expect it.
Just like the food, the public transport is also an experience; if it does not broaden your mind, it may succeed in congesting your lungs! Dhaka streets are always full of smoke-emitting buses and lorries as well as the three-wheeled scooters.
Dhaka’s phenomenal growth has, by any standard, outstripped the capacity of its transport system. Traffic jams are a daily part of life. Residents say vehicle-related pollution has soared to alarming heights and traffic snarls have tripled over the last few years. Perhaps to ease the situation, one of the many NGOs — non-profit organizations — in Bangladesh should set up a "Save Dhaka" campaign.
If there were improvements in bus service, however, would that mean higher fares? I heard someone mention that planners intended to deregulate bus fares and encourage entrepreneurs to engage in "healthy competition." Whatever the result, these projects with prevailing "healthy competition" will definitely make more people poorer and a few much richer.
Leaving that aside, it is true that in Dhaka at any hour of the day and in any area — from the city center to the tree-lined affluent residential districts — there are always crowds of people going somewhere. Or perhaps just waiting for something to happen. One thing is sure: You will never feel lonely! Although thousands do walk to work in the capital, Dhaka provides no real facility for pedestrians. The occasional pedestrian crossing is more of a joke than a reality or a solution; they are ignored by motorists, rickshaw pullers, cyclists and scooters. The crossings are more of a suicide trap than anything else. One form of transport, however, is extremely popular, widely available, cheap, private and environmentally friendly. I am speaking of course of the rickshaw. The most interesting feature of the slow moving three-wheelers is the bright and colorful "moving art" which decorates their sides and back. The drawings range from romance to the wildest flights of fantasy. The scenes are common: Airplanes, helicopters, gunbattles, masked men in sports cars, rosy cheeked well-endowed women, palatial mansions and landscapes. They also include scenes from the latest Indian, Bangladesh and Hollywood movies — Shah Rukh Khan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and strangely even Sporty Spice can help you smile away the miles!
When you hail a rickshaw, make yourself "comfortable" and tell the driver your destination, you have then become a part of the moving art exhibition. The rickshaws are decorated in vivid colors, from front to back. The medium is cut-out plastic stuck or sewn on equally colorful backgrounds. Plastic tassels, flowers, mock-carriage lamps and mirrors are everywhere. The slippery rickshaw seats are not meant to hold more than two and the two will be close to each other; still it’s not unusual to see several college students on the rickshaw, perched in some acrobatic formation, or people moving goods such as cupboards or even larger objects which defy the laws of gravity. Comic animals, subtle political caricatures and futuristic drawings are in great demand; an Anglo-French Concorde taking off from Dhaka is popular on the back panels. With two women prime ministers to date, the country’s women have come a long way from their traditional roles. It’s no surprise that rickshaw art also features speech-delivering and gun-toting females, Lara Croft-style! The pride of the moving art galleries is the scrap metal placed between the rear wheels in the rear. This is where the rickshaw driver shows his real macho personality. Unfortunately as a passenger, you have little control but it’s your money that is moving the show. These works of art by unknown and unsung artists are a far cry from those of famous artists. You cannot deny, however, that this rickshaw art reaches millions everyday. Something only dreamed of by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh or Monet.
Arab News Review article 28 November 2002