June 11, 2010 Dhaka 10:33 pm
Dhaka. Yes, today she is going to be the topic of my blog.
I have often wondered as to what is it about Dhaka that her detractors despite criticizing her 24/7, still can't resist the charms of the city, and keep coming back for more and more? Many a foreigner has whined and cried about the ills of the city - the traffic situation, the dearth of public transport, the insecurity of life while traveling in the green CNGs (baby taxis so called because they run on CNG gas as fuel), the lack of sophistication amongst the common man on the streets, the humid and sweltering heat of summer, the pools of dirt and muck lying around in every nook and corner during the rainy season, the ever-rising prices of essential commodities, the bad habit of distorting foreign names of brands/shops/stores and trying to pass it off as the original (!), ... and ... well, the list is endless. I could just go on and on and on.... But that's not the main issue that I want to talk about today, so before I digress further ... let's move on to the main point..which was ... with so many problems, WHY do some people keep returning to this place time and again???
Is it because this city with all its negativity, still holds some positive attractions for them? Is it because these very foreigners are valued more here than they would ever be in their own countries? Could the reason possibly be that a handful of dollars go a long way here? Or maybe it is the prestige, respect and status accorded to their lighter and fairer skin color? Yes, dear reader, u read me right...here in Bangladesh and not only in Dhaka but nationwide, a lighter, fairer skin tone accords you an enviable esteemed position cos Bangladeshis (and most people from the developing nations) are often suckers for white skin! {Anyways, here I digress again!}. Mind you, I am not talking about the white skin acquired by using Fair & Lovely and similar beauty creams, but the skin tone acquired as a natural deficiency of melanin :-D And here one thought that S.Asians had eventually been freed from the effects of the British Rule!!!
Anyways, Dhaka is one such place where simply being a foreigner (often with a lighter skin tone) is enough to guarantee you awe and admiration from most quarters. This is highly evident in the discrepancy of remuneration (in almost all sectors) amongst equally qualified incumbents...where the only difference is usu. in the origin and nationality! Even in cases where the local incumbent may be more qualified and a better contender, s/he is often surpassed by the foreign candidate...because having a foreigner as an employee is presumed to add more value and esteem to the organization (!)
I know what you might be thinking right now, that poor lil me might have had to bear the brunt of being a non-foreigner and hence the rambling....well dear friend (or foe :-P) sadly (for you) nothing as dramatic has happened yet in my own life, but what irks me and eventually led to this blog today is .... the constant criticism and derision evident in the musings/acts/behaviors of the foreigner, while s/he goes about enjoying all that the city has to offer them in terms of respect, status, facilities, admiration, blah, blah, blah...and all because they don't belong here. And instead of being thankful for all this, what do they do in return for the city - shout out their disdain and make a complete mockery of her short-comings! So to all such people out there ... to earn respect you have to learn to give respect, and despite what you might think, there are still many people out there who CAN and DO see through your idiosyncrasies and often tend to ignore it, not because they approve of it, but because they think U R JUST NOT WORTH THE EXPLANATION! So please, if Dhaka bugs you so much, then LEAVE...no one's stopping you ... except you yourself :-D
And just for the record, all you people out there reading this, kindly refrain from assuming that I am in love with Dhaka, because in reality I am not. However unlike certain others, I don't believe in putting the city down ever chance I get, cos I know that a'int cool or even justified! Despite all her negative aspects, there are many good things too that Dhaka has to offer - but one needs eyes, common-sense and the capability to feel and acknowledge gratitude to figure that out :-P
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