সৌদি প্রিন্সের সোনার গাড়ি…!!

সোনার গাড়ির কথা কেউ কখনও শুনেছেন? সোনার গারির বাস্তব গল্পই শোনাব আপনাদের। সৌদির আরবের প্রিন্স ব্রিটেনে সোনার গাড়ি নিয়ে ঘুরছেন।

সম্প্রতি ব্রিটেনে গিয়ে তিনি তার সোনার গাড়িটি চালিয়েছেন।

সংবাদ মাধ্যমের খবরে বলা হয়েছে, একটি সোনার গাড়িতে বন্ধুদের সাথে মনের আনন্দে ঘুরে বেড়াচ্ছেন সৌদি প্রিন্স তুর্কী বিন আব্দুল্লাহ।

মায়াবী শহর লন্ডন। ব্রিটিশ বিত্ত-বৈভব আর গৌরবের কেন্দ্র হচ্ছে এই লন্ডন শহর। সেই মহানগরীর রাজপথে, শপিং মলের সামনে প্রায়ই কিছু সোনার গাড়ি দেখা যাচ্ছে।

পথে সোনার গাড়ি দেখে অনেকের মনে প্রশ্ন এই গাড়ির কনভয় কাদের। এসব গাড়ি দেখে সবাই এর ছবি তুলছেন। আবার সোস্যাল সাইটেও আপলোড করছেন।

সৌদি রাজকুমারে প্রাচুর্য দেখে চমকে উঠছে লন্ডনবাসি। এক খবরে জানা যায় ছুটি কাটাতে এসেছেন সৌদি প্রিন্স তুর্কী বিন আব্দুল আজিজ।

সৌদি আরবের রাজধানী রিয়াদ প্রদেশের শাসক তিনি।

উল্লেখ্য ৪৪ বছর বয়স্ক প্রিন্স তুর্কী সৌখিন গাড়ির জন্য বিশ্বে পরিচিত। লন্ডনের রাস্তায় এবার সোনার গাড়ির বহর দেখিয়ে আত্মতুষ্টি উপলব্ধি করেছেন তিনি।

Posted by Editorial Team on ১০:২২ PM in সৌদি প্রিন্সের সোনার গাড়ি…?

জন্ম দিনের উপহার – একটি পাহাড় (Mountain for birthday)

     জন্ম দিনের উপহার – একটি পাহাড় (Mountain for birthday)

এক টুকরো জমি, একটি পাহাড়, কিংবা জলাভূমির অধিকার নিয়ে সারা পৃথিবী জুড়ে যখন শুধুই রক্ত খরচের কথাই শোণা যায়, পুরাণ থেকে নিয়ে ইতিহাস, রাজনীতি, কূটনীতি যখন মানুষের কথা চিন্তা না করে জমির পরিধি বাড়ানোর জন্যে যুদ্ধ ও যুদ্ধ জয়কেই প্রাধান্য দেয় – সেই সময় নরওয়ের প্রধান মন্ত্রী যখন ফিনল্যান্ডের স্বাধীনতার শতবার্ষিকীতে ফিনল্যান্ড ও নরওয়ের সীমান্তের একটি পাহাড় ফিনল্যান্ডকে উপহার হিসাবে দেওয়ার কথা ভাবে, আজকের বিশ্বের কাছে দুই দেশের মধ্যে বন্ধুত্বের এক নিদর্শন তৈরি হয় – ইতিহাসের পাতায় তখন এক নতুন গল্প, বন্ধুত্বের গল্প লেখার সূচনা হয়।

নরওয়ে ও ফিনল্যান্ডের সীমান্তে Halti পাহাড় শ্রেণীর বেশীর ভাগ অংশ ফিনল্যান্ডের দিকে, কিন্তু সবচেয়ে উঁচু চূড়াটি Halti peak নরওয়ের দিকে। অধিকাংশ নরওয়ে বাসিরাই মনে করে, ফিনল্যান্ড যখন পরের বছর তাদের স্বাধীনতার জন্ম শতবার্ষিকী পালন করতে প্রস্তুত হচ্ছে, সীমান্তের Halti পাহাড় শ্রেণীর উঁচু চূড়াটি যদি ফিনল্যান্ডকে দিয়ে দেওয়া হয় – এর চেয়ে ভালো উপহার আর হতে পারে না – এক ঐতিহাসিক উপহার।

আর সেই পাহাড় চূড়া উপহার দিলে, নরওয়ের ম্যাপের প্রায় কিছুই বদলাবে না, শুধু নরওয়ে থেকে মাত্র 0.015 স্কোয়ার কিলোমিটার জমি ফিনল্যান্ডের অধিকারে চলে যাবে – যথা ভাবা তথা কাজ। বেশীরভাগ নরওয়ে বাসী সেই উপহারের পক্ষে ছিল, কিন্তু, বাঁধা ছিল আইনের – দুই দেশের জমির এগ্রিমেন্ট নিয়ে। কিন্তু, সব বাঁধাই নরওয়ে বাসীদের এই উপহার দেওয়ার ভাবনা থেকে বিরত রাখতে পারে নি। এমনকি, নরওয়ের প্রধানমন্ত্রীর দপ্তরও ভাবতে শুরু করে দিয়েছে – ফিনল্যান্ডকে কি ভাবে সেই পাহাড় চূড়া উপহার দেওয়া যায়। জন্ম দিনের শুভেচ্ছা সহ একটি পাহাড় – এর চেয়ে ভালো উপহার কি আর হতে পারে

Posted by Editorial Team on ১০:২৯ PM in

  Banking on the page of history

                           

The picture shows coins of the East India Company era. Photo: Source: Commercial History of Dhaka, a DCCI publication

It is believed that the money of Jagat Sheth together with the sword of the English brought about the fall of Nawab (emperor) Siraj-Ud-Daulah in Bengal in 1757.
In history, Jagat Seth's House is known as the kingpin of the Plassey conspiracy. What is little known is its monopoly of the mint, currency business and banking sectors of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa for over 100 years between the 18th and 19th centuries.
The house had served as the East India Company's official banker for years.
Jagat Sheth meaning 'Banker of the World' was a title conferred on Fateh Chand, a rich Marwari merchant in Bengal.
The Jagath Seth House was the most influential bank at a time when there was no formal or regular banking in the subcontinent. They had their merchant and loan offices in Dhaka, Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Murshidabad. These loan offices extended their lending activities to rural areas and gave short, medium and long-term credit at a 40-50 percent rate of interest.
In the 18th century, Subrabankis, Sahas and Basaks came to grab a share of the business and banking activity with the help of other businessmen, who were Hindus.

Modern banking evolved in Bengal during the British period. The Hindustan Bank was established in Calcutta in 1700. But the Bengal Bank, established in 1784, is considered to be the first British-patronised modern bank in India to start trading in credit and money. Also, there were loan offices in major towns in the then East Bengal.
“Although the British rules established and ran the Bank of Bengal with the local revenue, it did not lend to the businesses and the people of the Bengal,” said Dr Chittabrata Palit, professor (emeritus) of history at Jadavpur University in Kolkata.
The historian is in Dhaka to attend a three-day international seminar on 'the history heritage and urban issues of capital Dhaka', as part of celebrating the completion of 400 years of capital Dhaka. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh is organising the event at the Senate Building in Dhaka University.
“Then, Daraknath Tagore came up with Union Bank to help Bengali businesses. But the bank was collapsed in 1840 due to some British companies' no return of loans that they took from the bank,” said Dr Chittabrata, who has 46 publications, some of which have focused on the evolution of the banking history in Bengal.
Md Salah Uddin, assistant professor of Jagannath University, who presented a paper on 'banking in Dhaka since 1757', said Dacca Bank established in 1846 with a paid-up capital of Tk 3 lakh, was the first modern bank headquartered in Dhaka.
“Nawab Abdul Gani was one of the sponsors of the bank,” he said.
During the Sawdeshi movement in the early 1900s, the Bengalis made an entrance in a big way in banking. At that time, cooperative, agriculture and commercial banking also flourished.
The banking sector was reshaped after the separation of India and Pakistan in 1947. Only a few state-owned banks had their activities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) with a huge concentration in Dhaka. Some Bengali entrepreneurs established the now Pubali Bank in 1959, to support their fellow businesses with loans.
The banking sector had to start a fresh journey in the war-ravaged Bangladesh after independence in 1971. The government took over all banks under a nationalisation order in 1972.
“The sector got a new and dynamic shape after the government took up the privatisation policy in 1983,” said Salah Uddin. Pubali Bank and Uttara Bank were denationalised and the sector opened up to the private sector. By 1985, a dozen new banks hit the market under private ownership.
Now 48 banks operate in the country, of which, 39 are privately owned, including nine foreign banks.
Dr Robert Gallagher, a UK delegate, was amused to know that all of these banks counted profits in 2009 when big banks in his country collapsed due to the global economic meltdown.
“It is a great success. But the credit should go to the ancestors who struggled to set up a bank in the 18th.

Posted by Editorial Team on ১০:১০ PM in

Posted by Editorial Team on ৬:৪৯ PM in

Dhaka historic pictures and potos-7

             Dhaka historic pictures and potos-7




The Armenians

We continue with our river cruise, circa 1880. There are many mansions lining the waterfront. After all, if you are a big shot, this is the place to build your house. This one, for example, was built by Manuk, a zamindar of Armenian descent:



But what is an Armenian doing in Dhaka? Armenians, like other foreign ethnic groups, came to the subcontinent in search of new opportunities. The earliest Armenian grave in Dhaka that I am aware of, is dated 1741, so it is reasonable to assume that the first Armenians arrived some time prior to that. At that time Dhaka was still a large and prosperous city in the post-Mughal period. Initially these people found success as contractors in the salt trade. As Dhaka declined in the early years of British rule, the Armenians stayed on, now working on behalf of the East India Company. The Armenian Church, founded in 1781, was a focal point of this community, and still today remains perhaps the most significant of Dhaka's historic churches. Eventually Armenians sought opportunities in other commodities, such as jute and leather, and were quite successful in this regard. By 1900 there were around half a dozen families of Armenian zamindars in Dhaka, such as that of Manuk. Over time this community has gradually whithered away. As of a few years ago, there was just one Armenian left in Dhaka, who used to look after the church. I don't know if he is still alive or not (he would be 77 this year). The church, to the best of my knowlege, hosts multi-denominational (as opposed to Armenian) services today.

Posted by Editorial Team on ৩:০১ PM in

Dhaka historic pictures and potos-6

                        Dhaka historic pictures and potos-6

Mughal Katras Revisited

All right! Time to continue with our 19th century river cruise! In the first page of this thread, I posted some info and pics about the history and plight of the two surviving Mughal katras (caravanserais) in Dhaka. Although the current pitiful condition of these structures may not convince some people that they are worth saving, I hope the following pictures give a sense of how fine these structures looked along the Dhaka riverfront.

First, the Chhotta Katra (Small Caravanserai), in a picture from around 1880:


I don't have a picture of comparable quality of the Bara Katra (Big Caravanserai). However, this one from around 1840 should give an idea of its grandeur:


About ten years ago I found a small color picture of one of the katras viewed from the river in a 1950s copy of National Geographic. Back then I didn'[t know enough to distinguish between the two. I will try to find that picture some day and post it here. Even back in 1950s, an unobstructed view from the Buriganga was possible. Today this is not possible, as the river has moved a little further south, and the intervening land is filled with new buildings. For more information on these buildings, please check posts 11, 12 and 16 of this thread. If you are interested in seeing what this stretch of riverfront looks like today, check out post 30.

Posted by Editorial Team on ২:৫৯ PM in

Dhaka historic pictures and potos-5

                                   Dhaka historic pictures and potos-5

Buckland Bund and Mitford Hospital

Now a special treat: over the next couple of weeks or so, we will be going back to about the year 1880 and taking a cruise along the River Buriganga. But first, a little historical context.

Dhaka's fortunes declined rapidly after the advent of British rule in 1757. The capital had already moved elsewhere, but the destruction of the lucrative local textiles industry, left the city without any financial means to sustain itself. By the early 1800s, when Charles D'Oyly made his series of sketches, the city was mostly a collection of Mughal period ruins. Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, however, the city staged a gradual recovery. The prinicipal factor behind this recovery was the new importance of jute as a world cash crop (most jute in the world at that time being grown in eastern Bengal). Access to the city also improved with the advent of railroads and improvement of other means of communication.

Back then, the Buriganga riverfront was the equivalent of what a place like Gulshan Lake is today...the place to build your house if you were among the wealthiest. But additionally, some important civic buildings were also located there. Development of this waterfront was facilitated by the construction of the Buckland Bund (embankment), named after the British engineer responsible for it. In Mughal times there was only a primitive embankment that did little to protect the city from flooding - this being an important reason why many of the Mughal structures that once lined the river bank no longer survive, having fallen victim to erosion. Buckland's "Bund" was a major improvement, and by 1900 Dhaka had a very elegant riverfront, quite different from the largely chaotic scene that exists today.

The first structure we visit on our boat ride is the Mitford Hospital. This hospital, established in 1854, was once the most important medical facility in the subcontinent east of Calcutta. The hospital was founded through the generosity of Robert Mitford, who served for many years as a collector and judge in Dhaka before his death in Europe in 1836. In his will he bequeathed a large sum of money for the fuoundation of the hospital, but legal challenges by his relatives delayed the construction of the hospital. In 1875 a medical college was added to the hospital, and various ward buildings were also added over the years, most notably the King Edward Memorial Ward.

The first picture, from around 1880, shows the complex more or less as it originally appeared.


Opposite view, showing the front of the hospital:


Here is the same view today, taken from the 2nd Buriganga bridge. This is now the Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital. The original buildings do not survive, but to the best of my knowlege, the later Colonial period buildings, including the Medical College and Edward Memorial Ward, are still intact.

Posted by Editorial Team on ২:৫৭ PM in