Dhaka-roads

In 1978, Golapi, the central character in the film Golapi Ekhon Trene, boarded a train. In 2026, pink buses for women are taking to the roads of Dhaka. Nearly five decades separate the two scenes. One takes place on a movie screen, the other on real streets. One involves a character named Golapi, the other a pink colored bus. Yet somewhere between the two lies a long line tracing the journey of Bangladeshi society. In one, there was a poor woman who took to the road to earn a living. In...

A darkened road. A faint light in the distance. Farther away, a streetlight. Suddenly, a pothole appears ahead. The brakes have to be applied. Rainwater has collected in the pothole, shimmering in the moonlight. After moving a little farther, the vehicle hits an unmarked speed breaker. There are also potholes and uneven sections beside the speed breaker. Altogether, it feels like a nightmare at night. This is not a description of a village dirt road or a regional highway. The scene unfold...