After reaching the rooftop, I looked up and did exactly what I had done last year: I screamed at the top of my voice looking at the fireworks, sky lanterns, and laser lighting all together with the night sky in the backgroundFor someone whose workplace is near Shakhari Bazar, festivals are never too far away. As far as my knowledge went, I only knew Shakrain to be a daylong kite festival followed by fireworks and releasing sky lanterns from the evening. But I never knew the extent to which it could go. Sakrain is held across many parts of the town including Laxmibazar, Shutrapur, Shakhari Bazar, Tantibazar, Jagannath University, Lalbagh, Dhupkhola and Shadarghat. Each location has its own way of celebrations and it is nearly impossible to visit all the places in one day. When we reached Shutrapur it was almost evening. Walking down the streets, we could feel the air of festivity—children holding kites they had been flying all day, adults walking hurriedly with the fireworks, people of all ages wrapped in their shawls and jackets and socks, ready to climb up the stairs to reach the rooftop of whatever house they can to begin the fireworks. We went to the house of Mullick Brothers, owners of a well-known publishing house. They had the tallest building in that area, and one of their brothers was a student at the department where I work as a lecturer now. They gave us a warm reception, and we ran to the lift as if our life depended on it. After reaching the rooftop, I looked up and did exactly what I had done last year: I screamed at the top of my voice looking at the fireworks, sky lanterns, and laser lighting all together with the night sky in the background. Takmila and Pranjal, the photographers in our group brought all their accessories with them; they started clicking their cameras swiftly and the rest of us kept looking at the sight, already overwhelmed with joy. I walked to the railing and looked down: All the houses were decorated with lights and all the rooftops crowded with people, preparing for the show of fireworks and sky lanterns. They looked completely absorbed in enjoying their lives collectively. The sky that was covered with kites during the whole day transformed completely in the evening. Watching the fireworks rocket up straight into the sky, breaking into thousands of pieces of coloured light soon to disappear, I had a bizarre feeling that I had been waiting all my life to be in that exact place doing exactly what I was doing. As I kept on looking for a long time, I started to feel a bit confused, and the life I had lived till that very moment felt like a vague memory in a distant past. After a while, the thought of coming back to the “New Dhaka” -- the place where we lived -- sounded outlandish and unreal. In the modernised part of the city, festivals can easily turn artificial but in Old Dhaka they arrive with a deep sense of authenticity and vigour, Sakrain accentuates that fact quite delightfully. The people--who love to eat Mughlai dishes, live in dark and dingy houses on narrow streets crammed with rickshaws, cars, buses and all kinds of vehicles imaginable, are also the people who know how to enjoy life and celebrate it in their own way. I know I will get busy living again, coping with increasing pressure at work, but I know for a fact that no matter how bumpy or smooth my journey in the new year becomes, I’ll always look forward to Sakrain for its next spectacular show, to those divine kites and to the mesmerizing fireworks that light up the sky, creating some of the most beautiful memories for me to relish.
Farhana Susmita is lecturer of English, Jagannath University.
