Parallel realities

 

There are many countries with striking contrasts between the poor and the rich, the old and the new, the traditional and the modern, the good and the bad.
These countries are pale copies of Bangladesh: the contrasts here are everywhere and they are huge.

 Today's little walk is a good example.
We headed for Jamuna Future Park which is the the largest shopping mall in South Asia and number 11 in the whole world. The building is an embodiment of the strong economic growth in Bangladesh.
This eight floor air-conditioned shopping paradise has its own power plant, swimming pool, movie theaters, amusement park plus a plethora of posh clothing stores. The shiny mall has been open for two years but still many of the stores are empty.

 And no wonder since the reality outside the flashy building is slightly different.
The local market less than ten minutes walk from Jamuna Future Park consists of merchants sitting in the dirt mending shoes, selling live poultry and welding car parts in the street. These customers don't need parking services since they hardly can afford a bus ticket.

 Today the official Bangladesh was paying tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He and most of his family was assassinated 40 years ago. The young nation became fatherless at the age of under four years.
As a newcomer, I feel that this theme is a bit big for me after less than two weeks in Bangladesh. But as an avid observer, I can say that National Mourning Day was not very visible in the streets.