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Pulling people, and the crowds -
rickshaws adorn match venue
Thursday February 17, 2011 03:18:58 PM,
IANS
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Dhaka: The humble mode
of transport, the rickshaw, is clearly a crowd puller in more ways
than one with the road leading to the Sher-e-Bangla National
Stadium, the venue for the opening World Cup game between India
and Bangladesh Feb 19, decorated with colourful models.
Resplendent in green, blue, orange, red, yellow, silver and
violet, the rickshaw models have been placed on a raised platform
on the roadside. And they are a huge attraction, with the young
and old clicking photographs of the rickshaws.
"In years to come, these photos will remind us of the World Cup,
and how well we organised it," said a youngster.
Cricketers as heroes
While spending crores on refurbishing the Sher-e-Bangla National
Stadium, which also houses the headquarters of the Bangladesh
Cricket Board, the authorities have not forgotten to honour the
players who have helped give the nation a prominent place in the
cricketing world.
Colourful portraits of celebrated cricketers like skipper
Shakib-al-Hassan, aggressive opener Tamim Iqbal and pace spearhead
Mashrafe Mortaza adorn the walls of the compound.
Each portrait is accompanied by a catchline that summarises the
player's contribution to the team and the game.
Shaqib has been described as "the world's No.1 all rounder"; Iqbal
has been eulogised for his "indomitable spirit"; "You have shown
our fast bowlers the way," says the catchline for Mortaza, who has
to sit out the World Cup with a right knee injury.
Kamal both happy and sad
Kamal Sardar is a fruit seller who operates from a cycle van close
to the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. His business has increased over the
past few days as thousands mill around to see the refurbished
facility. But Kamal is not entirely happy.
He is horrified that the authorities have cleared the shanties and
removed beggars and hawkers from the pavements of Dhaka.
"I escaped because I have this van. But I feel for these people,
who are also poor like me. Now you people will go home and write
there are no beggars, hawkers or shanties in Dhaka. Have you ever
tried to understand how much they are suffering?"
When told they are being given daily allowance as compensation, he
shook his head in disapproval. "How long will the government pay
this compensation? May be for one or two days. Just wait and see."
Holiday in Dhaka
People of Dhaka are now in a holiday mood, with the World Cup
ensuring a four-day leave at a stretch from Wednesday to Saturday.
While Wednesday was a holiday across Bangladesh in view of the
Muslim festival Milad-un- Nabi, authorities have declared a
holiday in the capital city Thursday to clear the roads of
congestion in view of the World Cup opening ceremony at the
Bangabandhu National stadium in the evening. Friday and Saturday
are normal weekend holidays.
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