Iftar on Dhaka streets
Monday, which was the first working day since Ramadan began this year, put Dhaka in its fully active mode on the fourth day of fasting.
Dhakaittes kicked off the day beating the crazy morning rush in high spirits.
However, the traffic got uglier as the day progressed. By afternoon, the city traffic system went haywire.
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Long queues of vehicles were stuck at almost every intersection of the city with hundreds of commuters expressing their grievances on social media, which appeared as a testament to the traffic havoc.
People set out to rush back home as soon as the office hour ended formally at 3:30pm.
Unfortunately, only a small section of people could make it in time. Some commuters got off their vehicle, while stuck on the road, to purchase a bottle of water to break their fast.
There were many seasonal street vendors who were seen selling Tk30 iftar packages- including dates, cucumber, chickpeas, alu chop, peyaju, beguni and puffed rice. Some were selling water and cold drinks.
As soon as the call to prayer was heard, almost everyone fasting took a pause to take a sip of water, just like traffic surgeon Lal Mahmud in front of the Soinik Club traffic box.
On buses, many passengers shared their water to break the fast. One female passenger was offered water by the bus driver when she was about to get down to buy a bottle of water.
The owners and employees of the local business outlets in Mohakhali sat on the floor of their shops to have iftar together following which they stood up in congregation to pray the Maghrib prayer. Meanwhile, small crowds were seen around roadside iftar shops.
Despite missing the comfort of home-cooked iftar after more than 13 hours of fasting, the peaceful calm in the evening accompanied by a gentle breeze, brought everyone together.
There were no names or professions to consider. Just people, sharing the same city with unending traffic, uniting to share a bite.
Tomorrow will be another day.
