Lalakhal, Sylhet

A few days me and some of my friends went to visit Sylhet. But we actually barely got out of the Rest-room that we stayed because of the unusual hot weather. But we still managed to visit a couple of tea estaes, Jaflong and Lalakhal. Many of you know about Jaflong. So I am not going to tell you about the captivating beauty of jaflong.I would rather like to depict about a charming place "Lalakhal"- a place not commonly visited. . Lalakhal can be reached by turning right side while going towards Jaflong which is 6-7 km from the main road.The road towards lalkhal isn't much pleasing though as it is not paved and very undulated .To some other people this place seem very usual
but the mother nature and tranquility of the small place won my heart. The green bluish color of the water will just blow your mind. You can enjoy boat ride there. When you cross the lake you will come across a tea estate . The vast tea estate and calmness of the tea area are worth enjoying.We have heard from the locals that the tea easte is 5-6km long...couldn't varyify the truth of the locals statement as we stayed there for only one hour. Wish we could stay there atleast one night. Those who want to stay there they can contact with the manager of the Tea estate. I wish to visit the place in the near future.

Documentary on Warfaze

Warfaze is a popular hard rock and heavy metal band in Bangladesh both in the underground and mainstream scene.The band was formed in 1984. Kamal, Mir, Hell, Naimul and Bappy started a line up and after a very short time Tipu joined the band as drummer and band leader. They started the journey to do some real good hard rock and heavy metal music in Bangladesh in the old days where people used to listen only to pop, folk etc kind of music.They introduced the mass people to the sound of bengali hard rock for the first time. Soon they became very popular.

The band Warfaze is thought to be the pioneer of today's heavy metal bands and inspiration of todays many underground bands. The band's most popular albums are Warfaze, released in 1991, Abak Bhalobasa in 1994, Jibandhara in 1996, Asamajik in 1998, Alo in 2000 and Moharaj in 2003.Till now the band Warfaze has gone through many changes in the line up but yet producing good quality of music.The current line up is...

Guitar - Kamal
Guitar2 - Oni
Vocal - Mizan
Keyboards - Shams (Backing Vocal)
Bass - Roger (Metal Maze)
Drums - Tipu (Percussion)


Now my words are not strong enough to depict a band that's stayed for more than 25 years into the hearts of bangladeshi music lovers.So here is my little effort to documentary the legendary band Warfaze. All of these Photos were captured in BUET in the occasion of "level completion of Batch 05" & "Civil festival".



Before starting the concert...tuning going on




Warfaze kicks off the show with their popular song " Hotasha "




Rocking Hard: featuring Oni




Mizan the vocal of Warfaze performing "Shomoy"




Kamal & Roger delivering ear-searing heavy metal music




Tipu caught in the frame while performing "Oshamajik"




Warfaze Performing "Ekti chele"




Oni doing his Solo part.....




Drummer tipu playing the blood pumping drum beats



Warfaze mesmerizing the crowd with their striking performance




Kamal the master of guitar....is also very popular in the underground scene




Jamming of Guitar gurus




Wardfaze performing "Jibondhara"




Oni in action (1)




Oni in Action (2)



Oni in action (3)




Roger the bassist of warfaze




Roger showing his bass dexterity


Shams is the keyboardist of Warfaze....he also plays the role of back vocal.




Keyboardist Shams creating magic behind the keyboard




Warfaze performing their last song of the show...."Moharaz"

Mechanism of Brick field

Workers are preparing soil for brick production. The pile of stocked dried soils cut by one worker while other worker is softening the soil by throwing water into the soil.

Boshila, March 2009




A worker in the brick field arranges the dried raw bricks. Later these the raw bricks will be sent to burn into the oven.

Boshila, March 2009




Women workers carrying raw bricks for stocking. Most of the stored bricks will be burnt during the production time while the extra stored bricks will be burnt during the starting of monsoon. Till then most of the bricks will be covered by the polythene.





Mr Saidul is a brick carrier. He comes from Mymensingh, works from dawn till disk. He earns 150tk daily. Like Mr. Saidul most of the workers of brickfield are seasonal migrants, contracted with the “Shardar” for 6 months to work from November till mid of April. After the end of their deal they have to come back to their home and they engage themselves in agricultural activities in their native village until the production season starts again.

Aminbazar, March 2009



Nurjahan…a coal worker…..breaks coals into pieces…prepares it for burning in the oven. She says it is getting tough to work under the hot sun as it hasn’t rained yet this year. She also takes care of her child. Women do all sorts of work here from breaking coals, carrying bricks to cooking, taking care of families. ...most of them earn just enough to be able to have three basic meals every day.

Fatulla,Narayanganj, March 2009



A worker is pouring coals into the heat chambers of the Brick oven. The coals are the fuel for the oven. This brick oven runs all over the season.The workers sometimes put their large pots in the heat chamber to cook their meals.

Pagla,Narayanganj, March 2009




It is 3.00 p.m. in the brick fields. Here workers get 2 to 2 and half hours of rest after working till 12 p.m.. A manager is yelling at his worker for starting the work in delay. The manager seemed a bit hot tempered as some of the workers have fled away cause of scorching heat of March; puts extra pressure on the manager to produce bricks. Fleeing away from the brick field is a common scene in the brick fields.

Tongi,Dhaka 2009




After stocking some bricks into the oven a worker is rushing back to bring more raw bricks as the workers has to stock more raw bricks before dusk. Yet all-day long fatigue doesn’t help him much from smiling.

Aminbazar, March 2009


Workers bringing the raw bricks to put those into the oven for burning. These bricks will be burnt for 7 days. After that the produced bricks will be stored for selling.

Aminbazar,March 2009


It is almost dusk. But the work doesn’t stop in the brickfields. A worker transports manufactured bricks through van along a steeply ground. His child comes to help by pushing the cart. Here children are not seen very commonly to work in the brick fields. A positive sign is that the owners of the Brickfields are more conscious about Child labor law.

Aminbazar, March 2009




Workers working in Amin-Bazar brick field. This is the month of March. They will work for 1 more month. After that the production will stop as the monsoon starts. During the monsoon the whole brick field goes under water. The labors are sent home and the “Maliks” sell the stocked bricks during the whole off season.

Aminbazar, March 2009

Ramna Park

It is actually a shame that i never visited the famous Ramna park with in my 1.5 years of University life.The shame would would have actually lasted longer if it weren't for Tanim bhai. Last year (2008)in November our classes were over and 2 week long preparatory leave (PL)for exam was about to start. But i was looking for a bit relief rather than sitting straight for studying. So I asked my close big brother (Tanim bhai) from our Department for companionship (and also for security...:)...i never take the risk to go to unknown places alone with my camera).

It was a early November morning. We met in front of Tanim bhais dormitory and started the journey.We entered the park around 6.40 am.

Among very few Parks of Dhaka City Ramna Park is one of them. This park serves as a lung of the City. The park, established originally by the Mughal emperors in 1610, was later developed by the British colonial rulers and local Nawabs in the 19th Century.This park contains a lake and many varieties of trees.Among them many are rare ones and safe nests for the birds.The people of Dhaka city come here to get a bit of relief from the hectic Urban life.

We walked along the pathways adorned with natural beauty.The tranquility and peace of morning in Ramna Park is great which is also quite impossible to imagine in a city like Dhaka. The green scenario of the park is very refreshing. The sun was flickering through the leaves of the tree. I tried to capture the rays with my camera.

People were jogging and doing exercise.These people come here to keep themselves fit.Women in large group doing exercising can also be found.Many old people also come here early in the morning. They come, gossip, do exercise. The jogging continued till 8.30 am. After that things started to loosen up as many of them had to go to their work-place.


Here are some of the moments that I captured that day.....



People working out early in the morning.......



People jogging early in the morning in Ramna Park



To stay fit.......



In search of healthy soul, mind and body......


Streching......


Morning time pleasure



Bathing in the morning rays



Dance of Light and Shadows




We stood there for about 1.45hr. After that we came back to our Dormitory. It was a good experience to visit a refreshing place like Ramna Park. I have a plan to go there again and do a documentary about the situation condition and lifestyles of Ramna Park.

Bandarban, November 2008

And it happened all of a sudden when our exam was postponed. We got plenty of free times and wondering about what to do during the unexpected free time. One evening me and my friend Rana proposed the plan to go to bandarban. And that was it! The plan seemed to be everyone’s liking as everyone was willing to break free from the monotonous life.

The journey started at 24th November night 10.30 p.m. The plan was to go to Chittagong from Kaamalapur rail station though train, then through bus to bandarban. We were 10 in number. All of them were from my department. The train started off a little bit late (11.00 pm)…..and we were on to our journey.

Once I earned my seat in the train I tried to sleep as much I could as I knew the very next day will be very tiring…..while my other friends were playing cards, joking. We reached Chittagong train station around 7.00 am. After reaching the train station we had some light but very tasty breakfast.

After having the breakfast we went to the bus station and started off from there at 9.00 am towards our final destination Bandarban. After managing my seat in the bus I started to discover the Chittagong city through the glass of the bus. After a while I found all of my friends asleep......must the night long card playing! But having a sound sleep in the train didn’t help me either! Soon I fell asleep unknowingly. I don’t know how long I slept and was waken up by my friends call who was very excited and asking me to look out the window. When I looked out of the window a cold feeling of excitement flowed through my heart. It was all green and big mountains were surrounding us. And the bus was moving through hilly, undulated and meandering road which made me realize we were close to Bandarban!

We reached Bandarban at at 11.00am. We didn’t have any plan to stay in the Bandarban City rather our plan was to stay at ruma bazaar which is almost 40 km away from the main town center. And the only available transportation to reach Rumabazar was “Chader gari”. Chader gari is a special type Jeep car which can contain almost 25 people inside or on the roof of the Jeep. So we split up into two groups into two Chadergari.


Chader gari

But unfortunately we couldn’t manage our seats inside the jeep. So we had to settle down our self with the sits on the roof of the jeep and of which we obviously were not happy at all. But as the Jeep started to move we realized how lucky we were. The view from the roof was breath taking. The visibility over the distant hilly areas was mind-blowing. The sky was blue. The hot sun seemed just perfect. If we weren’t on the roof of the Jeep we would definitely miss the captivating beauty of the bandarban. Besides we found staying on the “Chader gari” very challenging as you have to keep balance by grabbing the rod of the Bridge of the roof which was risky as well. I tried to take some snaps from the Chadergari....but as the Jeep was moving I ended up with blurry shots….besides I hadn’t the widest lens to take some landscapes.

Anyway we reached at shangu nadi ghat at almost 1.30 p.m. From where it was almost 1 or 1.5 hours of journey by boat to reach Ruma Bajar. So we didn’t delay much, straight got into the boat. And not to mention the view from the boat was fantastic. There were mountains on the two sides of the Shangu river. The water level wasn’t high at all as it was the time of winter. I saw some indigenous kids catching fishes in ankle height water. Once thought to frame the pictures in camera but decided to enjoy the beauty with my own eye. Sometimes you just can’t capture all the beauty of the nature. You have to feel it, enjoy it with your god gifted eye. This is what I realized while I was discovering Bandarban.



Beauty of Shonkho river. Locally known as Shangu . The only river in Bangladesh that starts and ends in Bangladesh

We reached at Rumabazar at 3.30pm. We were starving and very much exhausted. Our next target was to look for hotels and we finally managed a hotel (Hilton Hotel) with 2 rooms of total 5 beds for 700tk. After getting a bit fresh we were on our way to fill our stomachs. The meal was very delicious....may be because of staying the whole day unfed.
Next we went the check out the area…..but it was too late. It was dusk already. But we managed to visit some tribal homes in the adjacent hilly areas and had a great time with some tribal kids. They seemed pretty blissful to see us. But we had come back early to Rumabazar Hotel due lack of light. The night we went to bed early as we knew we had a big day ahead of us. The plan was to wake up early sharp at 6.00 am and to move towards Bogalake.


Layers of Bandarban


Tribal kids in front of fire

But as usual no one wake but me. I wake up my friend Arif and took him with to check out the area, hoping within this time my friends to wake up. It was around 6.30 am and the whole Ruma bazaar was covered by mist. Nothing was visible but the lights of the houses that were still turned situated on in the hills. I couldn’t wait to have a look to the surrounding conditions of the Shangu River. The view of the Shangu River was just excellent. The boats were floating the foggy weather; People were bathing, collecting waters. The misty condition gave the Shangu River a whole new appearance, the mood and atmosphere was totally different from the river I saw yesterday. My mind became full of bliss, being able to explore the beauty of misty Shangu River.


Misty Ruma bazar at 6.30 am



Shangu River at the winter morning

We started our journey towards Boga Lake at 8.30 am. We took permission from the local army camp and had to hire a guide. We decided to walk. The guide told us if we can walk fast enough we might reach there within 2 p.m. which leaves us a very little time to explore the famous Boga Lake as we had to come back to Ruma bazaar within the present day. He also warned us it is not going to be that painless and he insisted to hire a Chader gari. But we decided to enjoy the gorgeousness of Bandarban while walking and hiking and decided to come back from the Boga Lake through Chader gari.

But the guide proved himself right just after 30 min when we got tired hiking a steeply hill. But the guide assured us that next 3 hours will be easy as we will be walking through plain land. So we started moving again. We were on foot in the plain grounds, surrounded by hills in the both side. The beauty of the hills made us dumbfound…and we started to consider ourselves lucky for not missing the magnificent vista. We came across many water streams. The water was crystal clear. It was always my dream to cross across little “Jhiri” (small water streams)…step on the stones inside the water and watch tiny fishes go swimming. And finally my dream came true.

I found some tribal fisher man catching fishes in the Jhiri. The sun was up and the weather got warmer…we started to get sweaty. But the fabulous scenarios of Bandarban were always there to take away our fatigue.


Walking in between the hills


Tribal Fisherman throwing his net insearch of fishes


Tribal women going out for work

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Tribal Fisherman


Tribal women looking for crabs & fishes inside the stones.


And the journey still goes on......

But things started to get worse when we started hiking again after 4 hours. A friend of mine became sick. It became hard for him to walk anymore with his bulky body. He was slipping in the steeply hills and became frightened. All the way we had to give him confidence and mental strength to trek the hills.


On the top of the hills . This is about 3000 ft high from the sea level. From there we hab to trekk down another 45 min to reach there.

After another 3 hours of struggling and trekking we finally reached Boga Lake. We had no strength left. Not every day you do 6.5 hours of trekking!!...Right??





After 7 hours of trekking all of a sudden the first view that you will get is this when you are close to bogalake which is refreshing enough to take all of your tiredness.


A trible abode in hills around Bogalake


An afternoon moment in Bogalake. Locals believe that the Dragon Lord lives inside the lake.Some people assumes it might be crater of a dead volcano.2700ft above the sea level this unique lake is a must to visit.



Returning from Boga lake

We returned from Boga lake around 4.45 pm. Through Chader gari. We couldn’t stay much in Boga Lake because it is dangerous to drive in dark. While coming back we got the opportunity to enjoy sunset from the hills. The Jeep was moving fast so I couldn’t capture any of the beautiful scenarios.



The next day that is the last day we decided just to check out the Bandarban main town and the well-known Temple of gold. So we came back from Rumabazar and entered the town centre at 11 am. After filling our stomachs we decided to check out the town a little.


A view from the bridge of the Bandarban town.

And our last visited place was the famous temple of gold which is 25 min rickshaw distance from the main town and which only opens from 3.00 pm for visiting.



Temple of Gold (1)


Temple of gold (2)


Prayer. ( in temple of gold).


The last picture of that tour.......returning from temple of Gold.....

There are so many places to visit in Bandarban....Nilgiri,Thanchi, Darjilling para, Keokradong, Chimbuk. Among them none of them we explored. But still we had best time in Bandarban. Bandarban a place we want to visit again and again. The sweet memory of this journey will last ever among us.