Encounters Series - An Actress in Dhaka Bangladesh

The streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, are a chaotic mess of rickshaws and crowds. Truth be told, it gives me the willies roaming its streets. Not because of baddies. In fact, this city has some of the friendliest denizens around. But the norms of the people and their overbounding curiosity provide a bit of a shock – sparing no one, not even an Asian like me.

It is one of the most congested places in the world. It was then such a relief to visit the peaceful grounds around the Mausoleum of National Leaders - the eternal resting place of great Bangla national leaders, Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Haque, Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy and Khaja Nazimuddin. This hole in the city transports you to a neverland called peace and tranquility -both are luxuries in mad, mad Dhaka.

There’s really not much to see after you’ve walked around the spectacular architecture which looked like an upturned clam with 3 tombs sitting beside each other. There was a small mosque hiding at the back of the compound. After a 10-minute respite, I headed towards the exit gate where I noticed a throng of people in a huddle. It was a filming crew, and right in the middle of the crowd was a lovely girl that, with skin fairer than most Dhaka urbanites, stood out from the crowd.

Someone rightfully loves her close-up.

Back at our hired rickshaw, I nudged at Mahfuz, my day guide, and told him about the beautiful actress. He wasn’t impressed. They were filming a local tv series. I seem to bump into these film crews (like I did in Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia – and then again, while taking a Jeep Safari at the Nehru Zoological Park in Secunderabad, India).

I guess it isn’t such a big deal, but a pretty face is always a pleasure to see. Beauty in any form – a person, a place, a sound, a song, a moment - is a day’s welcome bonus regardless of one’s activity. Pay it forward by sharing beauty in any form.

This is the Eye in the Sky.