Saving the Kamalapur Railway Station building
Kamalapur Railway Station. Photo: Collected
Having grown up in Dhaka in the early 1950s, I am aghast at the way we are erasing our architectural heritage. The buildings of Gulistan and Naz cinemas which had deep imprints on public memory has been replaced by an ugly monstrosity of a shopping mall. Our national mosque Baitul Mokarram, one of the first examples of modern architecture in Dhaka and representing modern Dhaka, has been extended by stylistically incongruous gates and minarets besides being surrounded by shops degrading its serenity and visibility. Shahbagh roundabout fountain, an iconic landmark of Dhaka, was replaced with an ugly mass. The Agriculture Laboratory building, a fine colonial structure in Farmgate along the metro line, has already been demolished.