Fading splendours: Tales of heritage homes in Old Dhaka

The thing that has given me the most pleasure in the last two years, besides writing, is exploring Old Dhaka. I wandered from one road to another – sometimes looking for traditional foods, a house, and sometimes festivals and culture. 

While looking for these, I discovered the youth of this old city. When I look at the dilapidated houses of old Dhaka now, only the fascinating histories float in front of my eyes.

For example, an ancient balcony does not look like a dangerous, damp thing. Instead, it reminds me of how the balcony was once decorated with fringes and candles in the evening. The narrow roads of Tatibazar and Shankhari Bazaar remind how the distinction between Hindu-Muslims melted away in these alleys.

As new shops are emerging around Old Dhaka, the streets have a touch of modernity. At the same time, these old structures and buildings are disappearing daily, and once gone, the loss will no longer be recovered. Even the buildings recognised as heritage in the official gazette in 2009 are not exempt from this demolition. 

Recently, The Business Standard looked into four heritage-listed and non-listed houses, once known as tall and charming buildings in Hazaribagh, Lalbagh, Tatibazar, and Farashganj of the capital. 

A place for shooting films

"Before the partition of the country, Haji Aftabuddin Ahmed lived in Bhawanipur, Kolkata. He worked in the East Pakistan Bank there. After that, when he was transferred to Dhaka, he started making arrangements to move here," said Asif Arshad Ahmed, the grandson of Haji Aftabuddin Ahmed. 

Among all the houses Haji Aftabuddin owned in Bhawanipur, he could only exchange one house with this one in Hazaribagh. The documents of the rest of the houses were burnt during the 1947 riots. 

Until 1990, this house in Hazaribagh was the tallest in the area. You can hardly recognise the current building if you match it with the picture of the old one though. 

While browsing the internet about the house, I found its name in many places – 'Manik Babu's house'. No one knows the title or the full name of Manik Babu. However, many people in the area still call this Manik Babu's house. 

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

What is known about Manik Babu is that he was a Hindu zamindar and he had two sons. Asif said his grandfather Aftabuddin Ahmed exchanged the house from one of these brothers. 

According to Arshad, the house was under occupation for about 20 years after independence. It was eventually saved thanks to the documents. Arshad's grandmother, Roshan Ara Begum, fought alone in this rescue work. 

The story, however, does not end here. In 2003, architect Enamul Karim Nirjhar's film 'Aha!' was shot here. 

Initially, the film crew said it would take about three months, but the shooting took almost two years. So, Arshad's family was forced to rent the house next door for two years. 

They wanted to demolish the house in 2003. But the house had to be demolished after the shooting in 2005. Arshad said, 'The price of cement and sand in 2003 increased thrice. What is worse is that we weren't even offered any compensation.' 

Arshad thought the house was built in the eighteenth century because other ancient structures of this area were also built at that time. He remembers that when he was a child, he could see the Buriganga River if he stood behind the house. 

It was a house of wonder in Lalbagh 

I stood in front of the gate of Lalbagh and showed a picture of the yellow house saved on my cellphone. It stood in this spot nearly twenty years ago, and its grandeur, adorned with intricate lime-work, remains unforgettable. 

The beauty of this elaborate structure is still vivid in the memories of many. I approached the old shopkeeper to gather more information. 

The late owner of the house was Haji Sultan. If you ask around about Haji Sultan's house, people would point towards a six-storey apartment complex now. 

Entering the house, I started talking to Haji Ismail Hossain, the son of Haji Sultan. 

Their ancestral home was in Churidhatta. But in 1963, his father purchased the house from the government, and they have lived there ever since. 

Haji Sultan had nine sons and five daughters, all of whom grew up in this house. Ismail, who is in his 60s, shared, "We used to maintain most of the traditional buildings in old Dhaka. My father received recognition from the government for his efforts. He would regularly paint, clean, and restore the house." 

The house transformed and became an apartment. Earlier, it was a Hindu student hostel during the partition, but details about the hostel, school, or college students were unknown. 

Ismail Hossain described the house's features, including courtyards, toilets, and a unique iron spiral staircase. His memories are filled with events like pitha festivals, milad, and gatherings with relatives and neighbours. 

The family is recognised as one of the traditional families of Old Dhaka. Ismail said, "Our house is mentioned in history books. Foreigners would visit, and Fine Art students would draw pictures of it during entrance exams." 

When the house was two hundred years old, cracks started appearing during road construction, leading to its demolition due to safety concerns. The once proud and one of the most beautiful structures in the area now exists only in photographs and memories. 

A photograph of the house occupies a prominent spot on a side table in the living room, a tangible reminder of its former glory. 

Ismail shared, "We attempted repairs for as long as possible, but when I realised the imminent danger to our lives and those on the street, the decision to demolish was made. Even after 20 years, the regret of losing the house persists."

House 27 stood tall as a magnificent structure in Tatibazar

I was strolling along Tatibazar Goli, near 27 Kotayali Road. The gold shops on both sides illuminated the street with red and green lights. After showing the photographs of the house I was looking for, I was directed to a goldsmith's shop. 

I removed my shoes, entered the shop and sat down. Seeing the photographs, the goldsmith murmured, "Our house... I'm seeing it after such a long time! Where did you get it?" 

Initially, I assumed he was the owner. But later, he clarified that they were not the owners. However, for generations, they rented the ground floor of this house. So, even though they were not the owners, the emotional connection remains. 

The goldsmith, unwilling to disclose his identity, shared that their shop has been under this house since the British period, and they are now continuing the family business for generations. It originally belonged to a Hindu landlord named Karthik Chandra Sen, known as one of the two sons of the Tatibazar elite, alongside his brother Anantlal Sen. 

Karthik Chandra Sen owned 13 houses in the Kotayali police station area. However, during the riots of 1947, he sold his houses and relocated to Kolkata. 

The property was exchanged with Khalilur Rahman, who, despite having his ancestral home in Vikrampur, was a wealthy businessman with various dealings both in Dhaka and Kolkata. 

The only magnificent building in Tatibazar was house number 27, featuring a decorative heavy wrought iron work porch—a rarity in the city's old houses. Locals reminisced that, as long as the house stood, tourists from different European countries came to capture its beauty. 

Md Salauddin currently oversees the maintenance of this house and shared its tumultuous history with us. 

In 2015-16, Salahuddin received a call informing him that the house at 27 Kotayali Road in Tatibazar had been dismantled and given to a developer. The two-storey house had a shop at the front, still standing, and they received rent for these shops. Four families lived in this house, including the record keeper of the DC office, Abdus Salam Talukdar, along with his son Ukil and wife Jahanara. This family claimed ownership of this house by manipulating old records and creating fake deeds. 

Legal disputes have halted the house's work for the past eight or nine years, and Salahuddin is still determining its future. Despite the challenges, they continue to fight, facing issues with all their houses in Tatibazar.

The black house in Farashganj 

A black stone house used to be located just a little further past Lakshmi Villa from BK Das Lane in Farashganj. The house belonged to the Saha family – two brothers named Umananda Saha and Nitai Saha. 

However, neither the owners nor the house are there anymore. 

Many elders still remember Umanand and Nitai. Their father's name was Radhamadhav Saha, and their grandfather was Kalicharan Saha, one of the wealthiest businessmen in that area. Kalicharan Saha Road is named after him, as he donated three and a half thousand taka to the Dhaka Municipality in 1922 to expand electric lights. 

This house dates back to the time of Kalicharan Saha's father. Kalicharan had two sons, Radha Gobind Saha and Radhamadhav Saha. Umananda and Nitaibabu were the two sons of Radhamadhav Saha. 

Anupam said, "None of us or our uncles have ever lived in this house. We always put it up for rent. There were Biharis who stayed in this house without paying rent for almost 20 years. There have been eviction cases twice, but they didn't work." 

Ultimately, the owners sold it to one of the MPs, and now the MP has built a house there. The house was bought by Anupam's grandfather, Radhamadhav Saha, but Anupam does not know when or from whom he purchased the house. 

There was a shop on the ground floor in front of the house featuring the famous Kashmiri store, still remembered by locals. The homestead was on the second floor, accommodating three families. Later, the entire space was used as a factory when the house began demolishing. 

Anupam Saha attempted to build a new house by giving it to a developer, but he could not. "It is difficult to maintain Hindu property. It is easy to create enemies when you are Hindu and have properties. Muslims loot Hindu properties. So, I had to sell it. I got a fairly good price," he shared.

Anupam Saha currently oversees the remaining properties of the Kalicharan Saha family in Kapurianagar of Farashganj. They now live in Kapurianagar and have some remaining properties in Mitford, Babubazar, and Armanitola.