When cacophony faded into quietness
As the general holiday today for the national elections made for an extended weekend, the capital adorned itself with an emptiness that is as striking as it is surreal
Silence is the language of god. All else is poor translation
- Rumi
An incessant cacophony has become part of Dhaka's characteristics.
Yet as Bangladesh went to polls amid a political buzz, the capital went quiet – quite literally.
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Most of Dhaka's denizens hail from various corners of the country.
The government announced a general holiday today – making way for an extended weekend following the Friday and Saturday
As the elections were about, many of them went back to their roots to exercise their voting rights.
Some went for vacations, others just chose not to go out.
Concurringly, the city adorned itself with an emptiness that is as striking as it is surreal.
It gives Dhaka a moment of suspended animation, an interlude of stillness.
Roads that once pulsated with ceaseless movement, honking horns and bustling crowds now lay silent and still, save for the occasional echoes of children's laughter that ricochet off the walls of the buildings.
The very essence of the city seems to have shifted gears, exchanging its usual frenetic rhythm for a rare moment of calm.
In this absence of the usual throngs, children reclaim the streets as their playgrounds.
Their laughter, once drowned amidst the city's clamour, now reverberates freely.
With unbridled joy, they play hopscotch and kick makeshift footballs, get lost in a game of cricket and in general savour the newfound expanses usually crowded with vehicles and pedestrians.
Families, often confined by time constraints and busy schedules, find themselves in a state of unexpected togetherness.
Sitting on stoops or gathering in small pockets of greenery, they share stories, laughter, and meals, relishing the intimacy of these moments.
The hush that blankets the city seems to foster a sense of closeness among these individuals who are usually swept up in the relentless rush of urban life.
In a way, it is a spectacle as Dhaka morphs into a placid tableau.
Short-lived and sparse, it also offers a glimpse into an alternate reality.
As the sun sets on this anomalous chapter in Dhaka's narrative, one cannot help but ponder the significance of this fleeting intermission.
For in this rare vacancy, amidst the departing crowds and quietude, lies a poignant reminder of the city's ebb and flow - an interplay of motion and pause in the tapestry of urban existence.
