Feature

Eateries of Dhaka University

Professor Abdul Mannan

As I went to pick up my daughter from DU campus it was quite a welcome site to see so many makeshift arrangements where students could eat. There are few mobile eateries on wheels. One even had a name- 'Ravenous.' My daughter tells me it is run by Himu bhai and his wife. Business has been good and Himu bhai has expanded. Now he has few Ravenous eateries on wheels on DU campus run by his staff. They sell rolls and chowmein, shingaras and bhel puri. There are quite a few eateries in different parking areas on the campus. Some small 'tonghouse' run their business under different shady trees around the campus.

Back in the mid 60's during our student days such facilities were non existent. However there were quite a few small tea stalls and canteens in an around the campus which were quite popular with the students. Talking about canteens one has to start with the legendary Madhur canteen. Madhur canteen migrated from the previous arts faculty building (present Dhaka Medical College Hospital) to the present site. Madhur canteen never had a working hour though food would normally be available from 7.30 in the morning... Madhuda (shahid in1971) had a very short menu comprising of butter toast, omelet, sweet and shingara. On the days when our classes started at 8.30 a.m. many of us would take our breakfast at Madhur canteen with two butter toasts, one omelet and a cup of tea would normally cost about 12 anna (75 paisa). By 10.00 a.m. Madhur canteen would be bubbling mostly with student leaders and workers rather than customers. I presume the culture still continues.

Sharif Miah's canteen situated on the eastern side of DU library was a popular place for young poets, artists and upcoming intellectuals and self styled intellectuals. The location of Sharif Miah's canteen was located is the current front lawn of the Nat Mondol. In those days Nat Mondol had to be accessed from a southern gate opening up to the public library (currently the eastern part of DU library). There was boundary wall running from the entrance gate (Mosque side) to DU library. Sharif Mia was tucked inside this nice secluded place. He was a very mechanical man. Wipe his small table after making every cup of tea, put fresh tea cups, put fresh tea leaves in a boiling tea kettle, make the tea with a bit of perfection, always keeping an eye on all his customers so that they did not have an extra cup without his knowing. All in that order. He was hardly five feet tall with ever receding hair line, always wearing a lungi, half sleeve vest and never smiling. He was the cook, the cashier and assistant. He had an equally serious looking second in command, Ramzan. Sharif Miah's menu would be even shorter. In the morning he would have butter toast. His lunch begun at noon and would serve tehari and cost 50 paisa per plate. He could never keep pace with the demand for tehari and always run out of supplies. Those of us who took lunch in Sharif Miah's canteen on a regular basis had to give one taka advance to book two plates of tehari. The small thatched canteen could accommodate only six customers on two long wooden benches. Sharif Miah's shingaras was the best, each priced two anna. This would be available after lunch and would have fragrance of pure ghee. Once I asked him did he actually fry them in ghee? He said that it is his trade secret and would not share with others. In Sharif Miah's canteen I got to meet people like poet Nirmalendu Goon, Abul Hassan, Sheikh Kamal. Goon always seemed a very mysterious and interesting person to me. Though not a DU student he would often stay with his friend Akhtar un Nabi (late) in Mohshin Hall. Next to Sharif Miah's there was another canteen though not as popular as Sharif Miah's it would also try to imitate Sharif Miahs menu. Both canteens became casualty on the night of 26th March 1971. Along with Madhur canteen the marauding Pakistan army on that fateful night believed the canteens of DU campus were as dangerous as its student for the integrity of the Pakistan. So, they had to be destroyed. Though Sharif Miah and others could escape Madhuda was not that lucky. He was killed in his residence. Sharif Miah came back after the Liberation War was over. His second home coming was short lived as DU was expanding and they needed the small space he occupied.

'Hasina' another thatched hotel in the BUET campus was very popular with the students of DU and BUET. It was also very small, clean and could accommodate about 10 customers and served only lunch and dinner. You had to pay two taka for each meal. Rice and Dal was free. The cooking was excellent and some times one had to stand in a queue to be served.

If you had the time you could go little bit beyond campus near Chankarpool to Popular Restaurant. Popular would be busy till late night serving meals to the students of the DU, BUET and Medical College. Lots of customers would also come from the old Dhaka.

Shahinu Pahlewan's morag polao was not only popular among the students, his small shop near the Qillarmore (Lalbagh) became an icon of old Dhaka. On a regular day Pahlewan would sit in his shop after the Maghrib prayer with a big dekchi full of morag polao. The dekchi would be wrapped with lalshalu and polao would be sold in shal pata thonga. Each pack cost five rupees. People would normally buy polao for take away and those of us who wanted to eat there pahlewan had few plates. Restaurants in Dhaka, I believe is yet to serve Morag polao of Pahlewan's quality. Shahnu Pahlewn's morag polao has become a history!

If you wanted to venture out and eat some good food in a popular restaurant Selimabad Restaurant in front of the Ramna Bhaban was a good place. However it would be always crowded and sometimes you had to wait for an hour to get a seat. DU engineering office Atomic Energy Commissions and the NIPA building (currently Faculty of Business Studies) all had their own canteens frequented by staff and the students. Going beyond the Nil Khet you could not miss the Chittagong Hotel in front of Dhaka College. It would never close. They did have a shutter. The food was cheap and the staff very friendly with the students.

Of course we had our TSC. TSC was the most glamorous of all eateries available to DU students. By any standard TSC cafeteria was excellent. All of its crockery and furniture were imported. The self service cafeteria served excellent lunch. Mutton polao cost Tk. 1.25. You had to put in extra twenty five paisa for the chicken. Last year I went to TSC for lunch. It was an apology for the TSC of the sixties.

It has been 40 years. Time has passed. Many of the eateries do not exist any more but good memories never fade away. I wish my daughter was lucky enough to have lived these memorable experiences.

Professor of Business Administration,East West University