Bailey Road: From Dhaka’s cultural centre to just another food haven

Sajjadur Rahman, a man in his late sixties, was buying a few sticks of rajanigandha (tuberose) in front of the bookshop 'Theatre Corner' on Bailey Road one weekend evening.

A retired government officer now living in Siddheshwari, he reminisced, "My wife and I used to walk along this road every evening in the early days of our marriage, all the way to Ramna. She is bedridden with illness now, but I still come here most evenings to walk and relive those memories." 

Smiling shyly, he added, "I'm buying these flowers for my wife, who is waiting for me at home."

Sometimes he comes across familiar faces. But those encounters are becoming increasingly rare. More often than not, he walks past strangers. And it's not just the people—Bailey Road itself has changed beyond recognition over the decades.

"Honestly, today's Bailey Road hardly resembles what we saw in the '70s and '80s. Back then it had a very different charm. Now there are countless shops, shopping centres and restaurants. Even the sidewalks are crowded with food carts," he said.

All this has turned Bailey Road into one of Dhaka's liveliest stretches, buzzing with activity from afternoon till midnight. Yet, in the midst of this vibrancy, the old soul of the area—the essence that once made it one of Dhaka's true cultural hubs—seems to be fading.

The road itself dates back to the British colonial period, named after Sir Steuart Colvin Bayley (1836–1925), Lieutenant Governor of Bengal from 1887 to 1890. Over time, the anglicised "Bayley Road" became popularly spelled and pronounced as Bailey Road. More than a century later, in 2005, it was officially renamed Natok Sarani (Theatre Street) to honour its theatre heritage.

That heritage began to take shape after Bangladesh's independence in 1971, when Dhaka's theatre scene was reborn. Newly energised troupes such as Nagorik Natya Sampradaya began staging full-length public productions, including some of the first regularly ticketed shows in the early 1970s, at the Mahila Samiti and nearby venues. 

This steady stream of ambitious productions quickly gave Bailey Road a national reputation as the place to experience serious stage drama.

Professor Shafi Ahmed, who taught English Literature and Theatre Studies at Jahangirnagar University for nearly 40 years, recalled how cultural figures like Ramendu Majumdar, Ali Zaker, Ataur Rahman and others spent time in Kolkata during the Liberation War and witnessed its vibrant theatre movement. 

"When they returned to a free Bangladesh," he said, "they dreamed of building something similar here. Bailey Road became the centre of that dream."

Nagorik Natya Sampradaya, founded in 1968, staged its first post-independence productions in 1972 and pioneered the idea of ticketed shows. Mahila Samiti Auditorium became their home, and in 1982 the Girl Guides Association opened Guide House Auditorium, adding another important stage to the street. 

"Such things were unthinkable in our times. Back then, Mahila Samiti—and Bailey Road as a whole—was alive with theatre performers. Even when rehearsals or shows weren't happening, you'd see actors sitting on the stairs, discussing plays. That atmosphere is no longer visible."

Professor Shafi Ahmed, Former Faculty of English Literature And Theatre Studies, JU

Other venues, such as the British Council and even the Bangladesh Railway's Mahbub Ali Auditorium, also hosted plays in Bangladesh's early years of theatre. But Bailey Road soon became the unrivalled heart of the cultural awakening.

Since many early theatre performers were Liberation War veterans, they viewed drama as a form of struggle and a tool for social change, turning stage plays into a powerful platform for expression. 

Groups like Aranyak, Nagorik, Natya Chakra, and Dhaka Theatre emerged, with the Liberation War as a central theme in plays such as Payer Awaz Pawa Jay, Aynay Bondhur Mukho, Joyjoyonti, Seisob Dingulo, Court Martial, and Ekattorer Pala. Other works explored diverse subjects, ranging from Senapati and Chor Chor to Mayur Singhasan and Nityopuran. 

In the 1980s, opposing Ershad's authoritarian rule, theatre groups developed street theatre, performing on roads as protests, despite arrests and police harassment, including works like Tapan Das's Desh Natok. 

Theatre here was never just about the plays; it was about the community that surrounded them. 

"Sagar Publishers, with its motto tobu o boi porun ('still, read books'), was a crucial part of the movement," Professor Ahmed remembered. "They sold drama tickets, as did the small Gulistan eatery Khabar Dabar. People would line up there, chatting about plays while buying tickets." 

Alongside, boutiques like Tangail Sharee Kutir and a scattering of bookstores created an atmosphere that drew Dhaka's culturally inclined residents. 

"The area held onto its unique identity for a long time," he said. "It was mostly a neighbourhood of beautiful residences belonging to lawyers and university professors, giving it an aristocratic middle-class character. Alongside these homes were Viqarunnisa and Siddheshwari schools, Mahila Samiti, the Girl Guides, theatres, and a few bookshops and boutiques."

Photo: Mehedi Hasan

Over time, however, much of this shifted. In the late 1980s, during renovations of Mahila Samiti, many theatre groups began staging productions at the Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha. The trend only deepened over the past few decades. 

"Hall rents are far cheaper at Shilpakala," said young actor Sayem Ahmed Sezan. "There you can rent a hall for Tk 4,300–5,000, while Mahila Samiti costs more than Tk 11,000. Plus, the halls there are small. Naturally, groups prefer Shilpakala."

Even so, Bailey Road has not been forgotten. A steady stream of plays still takes place every month. "A few months ago, when Shilpakala auditoriums weren't available for government programmes commemorating the July Uprising, many shows returned to Bailey Road," Sezan recalled.

He added, "For many actors like me, both Shilpakala and Bailey Road hold a special place. We perform at both regularly, and many of us began our careers right here on Bailey Road."

But theatre is no longer the defining identity of the road. For today's young crowd, Bailey Road means cafés, restaurants, and street food. "If you ask them why they come here," Sezan said, "most won't say theatre, music, or books. They come to hang out."

Even at the Mahila Samiti, theatre is often overshadowed by other activities. On weekends, its grounds host colourful fairs by women entrepreneurs, selling everything from achar and pitha to clothes. Occasionally, a play may be staged upstairs, but few people outside are aware of it.

"Such things were unthinkable in our times," reflected Professor Ahmed. "Back then, Mahila Samiti — and Bailey Road as a whole — was alive with theatre performers. Even when rehearsals or shows weren't happening, you'd see actors sitting on the stairs, discussing plays. That atmosphere is no longer visible."

The decline shows in other ways too. Last year, Sagar Publishers was shut down after decades of business, leaving book lovers adrift. 

Habibul Islam, a young aspiring writer and avid reader, said, "When I was at university, I used to come to Bailey Road just to browse Sagar's shelves. Now the few bookshops that remain mostly sell popular titles and stationery. If I really want to buy books, I go to the nearby PBS Book Café instead."  

Just like Bailey road, other places in the capital—once considered as cultural hubs—are also undergoing a slow death. Starting around 1984-85, poets, writers, musicians, theatre artists, journalists and painters used to throng the Aziz market. Similarly, Beauty Boarding—hailed as Dhaka's oldest literary den—was once a buzzing place for poets and writers. But now the legacy of all these cultural hubs are fading away as they no longer attract crowds and creative minds. 

Owing to such decline, Dhaka has slowly turned into a city of concrete only over the years as there is almost no vibrant place in the capital that can be truly appreciated for its cultural presence or activities.