Since my childhood, I always wanted to preserve the time to cherish the memories associated with celebrations.
I am not certain if this is only my perception, but I feel like our Eid celebrations were more vibrant. Some might say it is just a matter of growing older, but I wonder if there are more reasons than that.
The first change that comes to mind is our natok. Although the entertainment industry has made great strides in terms of technical advancements, there is always a question if it can still maintain its supremacy. I remember a time when my family and I eagerly anticipated the latest TV dramas and would even make a list of the ones we wanted to see.
However, this Eid, I did not see anyone in my family watch a single TV show. The rise of OTT platforms and endless TV advertisements have put the “Bangla Natok” in a precarious position. However, if the relevant stakeholders and senior artists take initiatives together to revive this industry, it could still be a great source of entertainment. We have the resources, artists, and stories.
Secondly, our society's obsession with urban development has resulted in a scarcity of open spaces for leisure and recreation. In a city like Dhaka, where over 23 million people live, the number of parks or open areas available for relaxation is extremely limited.
Do we even have enough amenities to refresh our minds? The only places to visit in the city of bricks are the restaurants, even during Eid.
However, some restaurants even shut down during this time, and those that remained open were incredibly crowded. As a result, customers could not receive the usual level of service, and finding a vacant table became a matter of luck.
In the past, visiting distant relatives' homes during Eid was common, but this trend seems to be fading away. As our priorities shift and our minds develop over time, many people now prefer to spend hours sipping coffee at a café with loved ones.
If we could focus more on the environment and the well-being of future generations, we might have been able to plant more trees to combat climate change or create more parks, ponds, and other recreational facilities. Perhaps, life could have been different if we were less materialistic.
Hasin Shahed Shad is a Senior Officer at Insidemaps and Adjunct Lecturer at Manarat International University. His email address is- [email protected].
