From tin shacks to tower blocks: How life has changed in Dayaganj’s sweeper colony
A move from slums to high-rise flats has brought visible improvements in living conditions for Dayaganj’s sweeper community, but deep-rooted social and economic barriers continue to shape their lives
When the lift doors open on the upper floors of Dayaganj's new buildings, it is hard to imagine that this was once a slum known as a sweeper colony. Today, three ten-storey blocks house 343 families, each in a compact flat measuring about 10 by 12 feet.
Each ten-storey building has two lifts, and the flats were allocated in mid-2024. Every unit comprises two small rooms, a kitchenette and a bathroom. In some flats, as many as eight to ten family members live together.
Wi-Fi, LED TVs and new aspirations
Twenty-five-year-old Gobinda Das works as a cleaner under Ward No 6 of Dhaka South City Corporation. He lives in one of the flats with his parents and wife.
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The outer room of his flat features a framed photograph of his grandfather, Nokaraju, while his father's name is Gatisur. Gobinda, who has a degree from Habibullah Bahar College, has decorated the space himself—downloading designs from the internet and guiding workers accordingly.
A large LED television sits at the centre, flanked by shelves holding potted plants. The flat is equipped with Wi-Fi, which Gobinda uses on his television and three smartphones.
His family traces its roots to Andhra Pradesh in India. Gobinda visited the ancestral region in 2010 out of curiosity. At home, they speak Telugu and enjoy foods such as idli and dosa. Every afternoon, vendors sell these items at the colony gate, while many households also prepare them at home.
A past marked by hardship
Gobinda's father grew up in a very different Dayaganj. During his youth, the colony consisted of tin shacks; earlier generations lived in bamboo huts. Outsiders referred to the area as "Methor Patti" and often kept their distance.
The residents remained socially isolated. After long days of cleaning waste, many would gather in the evenings, drinking locally brewed alcohol. Arguments and domestic violence were common, and quarrels often became a form of entertainment.
The community belongs to the Dalit group—historically marginalised within the caste system of the Indian subcontinent. Most residents are of Telugu origin, with ancestral ties to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, though many no longer know their exact hometowns.
They were brought to Bengal in the mid-19th century by the British, who struggled to recruit local people for sanitation work. Economic hardship in southern India made migration appealing, and the British offered financial incentives.
These workers were employed in railways, municipalities and tea gardens. As infrastructure expanded from the establishment of Malnicherra Tea Estate in 1854 to the Dhaka municipality in 1864; the influx of labourers from South India continued.
Three taka a day — a life shaped by loss
Apparao Bhupati is now 50. In keeping with Telugu naming conventions, his family name comes first—Bhupati Apparao. His grandfather bore the same name but never came to Bangladesh, spending his entire life in Visakhapatnam. Apparao still knows the name of their ancestral village—Papadu.
Apparao was born in 1969, the eldest of three siblings.
That stability did not last.
When Apparo was 12, his father left home saying he would travel to India via Darshana. He never returned.The responsibility of the household fell on his shoulders.
In the early years of the Ershad era, he managed to secure a job as a cleaner at the Madhumita Cinema Hall. His daily wage was a mere 3 Taka.
Every day, he would reach the hall before dawn to clear away the previous day's waste. This grueling routine would stretch on until the 3 PM show was about to begin. It was only then, just before the next screening, that he could finally find a moment's peace. Once the day's chores were done, he would slip into the darkened hall and tuck himself away in a quiet corner.
He was a true film fan. During his tenure at Madhumita, not a single film went unseen by him.
Life, however, demanded more than dreams.
He arranged his sister's marriage, got married himself and bore the cost of his mother's treatment as her health deteriorated under the strain of uncertainty over her missing husband. Apparao now has two sons and a daughter.
New buildings, old constraints
Apparao never secured a government job and has spent his life working in the private sector.
When construction of the new buildings began, he and his family had to move out of the colony. Later, when flats were allocated, the city corporation introduced a rule—only its employees would be eligible.
His daughter received a flat through her husband's job, but his sons, both in private employment, did not qualify. As a result, Apparao could not return to live in the colony.
Still, his ties to the place remain strong. He visits regularly—drawn back to the community that shaped his life.
"Our literacy rate has risen by nearly 60%. However, there is a fear that this rate will soon plummet. If one has to return to the work of a sweeper even after completing a Master's degree, then what is the point of an education? We are starving ourselves to pay for private tutors for our children, yet they cannot secure decent employment. Does studying even mean anything then?" Raju Dash, Vice President of the Telegu Development Society.
A festival, and a memory of change
On 26 March 2026, during Ram Navami, Apparao was standing at the entrance of the colony when we met him. A thin man in a yellow panjabi, he was surrounded by others—some also in yellow, others in blue.
When asked about the colour-coded gathering, Apparao smiled and explained, "Today is the birth anniversary of Ram. On this day, we organise a symbolic wedding of Ram and Sita. Those of us wearing yellow represent the groom's side, while those in blue are from the bride's side."
Each family contributed Tk200 for the ceremony. Those who were relatively better-off added extra—some brought rice, others lentils, others oil.
Apparao now works at the BCS Administration Academy in Shahbagh, employed through an outsourcing arrangement. He earns Tk18,000 a month. His son is married and has three children, but remains unemployed.
Cleaner surroundings, fewer conflicts
The colony has seen visible improvements. Cooking is now done using gas cylinders instead of firewood. Residents collect drinking water from 12 taps installed on the ground floor at scheduled times.
According to B Apparao, president of the Telugu Community Development Society, around 3,500 people live in the three buildings.
"Cleanliness has improved and health risks have decreased," he said. "Conflicts have reduced significantly—from about 10 incidents a day to just two. Some residents have even installed calling bells. Social interaction with the outside world has also increased."
B Apparao said he had not come across any. "Some individuals may be involved on their own, but there is no organised group," he said.
He paused before adding, "Poverty has held us back in many ways. We have people with master's degrees, and many are graduates, but they cannot find jobs because of their names and identities."
According to him, many young men in the community hide their backgrounds to fit in. "To make Bengali friends, our boys often conceal their identities. They take on names like Dipu, Tipu or Babu."
Education without opportunity
Raju Dash, the Vice President of the association, said, "Our literacy rate has risen by nearly 60%. However, there is a fear that this rate will soon plummet. If one has to return to the work of a sweeper even after completing a Master's degree, then what is the point of an education? We are starving ourselves to pay for private tutors for our children, yet they cannot secure decent employment. Does studying even mean anything then?"
Vepara Kumar is twenty-four years old and holds a Master's in CSE from ULAB. He completed his A-levels at John International English Medium School and funded his own studies through private tutoring. Although he passed the written portion of the government job exams, he was disqualified at the interview stage. He eventually abandoned those efforts and took a job at an English medium school in Jatrabari, while also opening his own coaching centre.
Earning a good living now, Raju enjoys fast food and spends little time in the colony. In his view, the construction of new buildings has brought about visible external changes. Balcony gardening is one such change; since there were no balconies before, gardening was never an option.
There have also been shifts in the way children dress and style their hair. The most significant improvement, however, is in hygiene and cleanliness. Even the young children have become accustomed to using dustbins. That is certainly something worth noting.
Still left behind
Despite these improvements, Kumar feels the community remains far behind.
"I believe we are still 100 years behind. The main reason is our profession. For generations, we have been confined to cleaning waste. We do not have access to the outside world, and that limits our progress," he said.
Health patterns have also shifted. According to residents, earlier deaths were caused by diseases such as cholera and malaria. Now, strokes and heart attacks are more common.
"That is the only change we see," said Shibaratri Apparao, watching the Ram Navami celebrations with his two-and-a-half-year-old grandson.
