Bailey Road

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Bailey Road is a well-known thoroughfare in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It runs through Shantinagar, connecting the Kakrail-Ramna road with the Siddheshwari junction, including both Nailey Road proper and the New Bailey Road. It is generally regarded as one of the classier areas of the city[citation needed]. Bailey Road was featured in a song of the same name by Ayub Bachchu, lead singer of the popular rock band LRB. Bailey Road was officially renamed Natok Saroni (Theater Street), in recognition of the road's contributions to performing arts in the capital.[1]

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[edit] Name

Bailey Road has been named after Lt. Governor of Bengal Sir Stuart Bailey. Sadek Hossain Khoka, the Mayor of Dhaka, announced the change of its name to Natok Soroni on August 26 2005, accompanied by eminent theater personalities Sayed Ahmed, Ramendu Majumdar, M Hamid, Liakat Ali Lucky and Mamunur Rashid.[1]

[edit] Theater street

Bailey Road is perhaps best-known as the heart of Dhaka's theater world. The stage productions of Dhaka's major drama companies are usually performed in Bailey Road. Over the years, its theaters have played host to some of the country's best actors and actresses. The major theaters on the road are:

  • Guide House Auditorium: The Guide House was established in 1964 to spearhead the movement of the Bangladesh Girls' Guide Association and the auditorium was built in 1982 as a means of raising funds for the organisation. In 2003-04 the auditorium went through structural upgradation with advice from eminent theater personalities M Hamid, Jamaluddin and Nasiruddin Yusuf.[2]
  • Mahila Samiti Auditorium: A centre for stage productions that introduced ticketed stage plays in the 70s. The centre is located in the building of the Bangladesh Mahila Samiti.

[edit] Shopping and eateries

The street is also popular among Dhaka's residents for its quality book shops, clothing boutiques (i.e. the Jamdani sari stores), and fast food shops.

  • Eateries: Bailey Road played an important role in popularizing the junk food culture in Dhaka[citation needed]. The area features fast food shops Palki, New Dahlia's, La Vista, Golden Food, Helvetia, Euro-Hut and Domino's Pizza. It also features Pitha Ghar, a place for indigenous Bengali sweetmeat (known as Pitha) and Swiss Bakery, one of the oldest confectioneries in Dhaka.[3]
  • Boutiques: The major boutiques in Bailey Road includes the handloom sari shops, like Tangali Sari Kutir and Jamdani Sari Kutir. [4] In 2006, Khaleda Zia, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, made gift of silk Jamdani saris from the former to Gursharan Kaur, wife of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Sonia Gandhi, chief of ruling Indian National Congress.[5]

[edit] Education

Bailey Road is within reaching distance of a number of academic institutions. Among them are Viqarunnisa Noon School, Viqarunnisa Noon College and Viqarunnisa University. There also is the Willes Little Flower School.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b "Bailey Road renamed Natok Saroni", The Daily Star, 2005-08-27. Retrieved on [[2006-12-25]]. (English) 
  2. ^ Sanwar Rahman, Avik. "Guide House to wear a new look", The Daily Star, 2003-11-10. Retrieved on [[2006-12-25]]. (English) 
  3. ^ "Fun options for Eid", The Daily Star, 2004-11-12. Retrieved on [[2006-12-25]]. (English) 
  4. ^ "Demand for handloom clothes high in Eid shopping", The New Age, 2006-10-06. Retrieved on [[2006-12-25]]. (English) 
  5. ^ "Khaleda's gifts for Manmohan's wife, Sonia", The Daily Star, 2006-03-19. Retrieved on [[2006-12-25]]. (English) 

[edit] External links