Road 86

The leader of the Bangladesh National Party, Khaleda Zia, has recently moved her offices to Road 86 in the Gulshan II neighborhood. As you may have guessed from the Roman numerals, Gulshan in a planned community. It was built specifically for diplomats, ex-patriots and wealthy Bangladeshis. Road 86 intersects with a road that I drive on any time I am going to the American Club, and is right next to an apartment full of teachers on Road 84.

We have been issued warnings from the embassy's Regional Security Officer and the school to stay away from the BNP headquarters. I'm not sure exactly what these people plan to accomplish, but at night there is often a relatively large congregation of people in the streets. Perhaps it is to raise the party's profile, to be close to the leaders, who knows, but people are expected to be around up until the December 29 election. In response, our school has been sending a kind of scout car ahead of all buses that regularly use the route to make sure it is secure.

A few days ago, I forgot about this warning and drove through Gulshan II on my way home from the A.C. As I drove down the road I saw a stopped car and, with the lack of street lights, could not tell exactly why it wasn't moving. As I rolled up behind the car I realized that it was waiting to turn onto Road 86, and that a throng of people was blocking its advance. Soon the crowds surrounded my car, and a fear of the notorious Bangladeshi mob action creeped through my body. There were people tapping on the car from all around, and though I have no reason to think that the gathered people meant any ill will (a tap on the car does not mean the same thing here, in the land of no personal space), the voices and the tapping and the energy of the scene made me uncomfortable. After a minute or so we finally we able to roll through the people and out onto the empty streets beyond.