Old Dhaka alive with Shakhrain festival

While bristling through the streets of old Dhaka in a winter morning, one can only observe the stoic mysticism that symbolises Puran Dhaka - narrow lanes, overbearing transports, multifaceted aromas of tea, cigarette and whichever product is displayed in the showrooms (depending on which part of the town you are at).
But if you are in time for the 'Kite Festival', or Shakhrain (or Poush Shongkranti among Bangladeshis), as it is locally known, you can be rest assured to witness one of the most oldest and famous festivals in this part of the capital city.
Celebrated at the end of the Bangla month of Poush, children and adolescents of almost every old Dhakaites march to the rooftops to engage in duels of a different kind, that which would make Khalid Hosseini proud. (Khalid Hosseini is famous for his novel The Kite Runner)Apart from kites, the lanterns, or fanush, are the less-riskier objects which are also a part of the festivities (alongside potka, atoshbaji and other firecrackers), when they are lit and pulled into the sky, defying gravity and taking memories with them to unknown destinations.As Shakhrain happens to be a 'magical culture' among Dhakaites, it does emit a fairytale depiction of life in old Dhaka, but it also serves as a reminder of what our generations are missing out on, and what may eventually perish due to ignorance if it is not promoted by the government or policy-makers as a true Dhakaite festival. -BSS