Towheed unlocks his time capsule of nostalgia, humour and adult adventures dating back to the 80's....
The most difficult book to review is the one written by one's brother, and especially if he is the elder one. You never know how to satisfy him. Repercussions could be severe if you had penned the wrong words. However, if this review somehow tastes 'too sweetened' don't blame me and you may stop reading it right away.
Few writers play with memories and even a fewer transform those memories in progressive chapters topped with humour and baked in adult adventure masalaas. And when it comes to get nostalgic few can weave memories good enough to relive them, and Feroze senior is unmatched.
Furthermore, his book is a testament of time narrated in the shape of anecdotes disclosing the tales of a rebellious yet adventurous mind.
Towheed's chronicling of past events is captured through the exploring lenses of a juvenile that has broken all social taboos. But this hard-to-put down book has a weakness: it's meant for a target specific audience - particularly, those who were born and brought up in the Dhaka of the 70's and 80's - that too, under a set of middle-upper class conditions of that time. Number of this particular group of 'Dhaka kids' has significantly reduced, and becoming a rare species. More than half of the writer's contemporaries who had grown up have left the country. And those who had filled up the vacuum - outsiders settling in Dhaka - do not even have the faint idea how it felt like growing up in Dhaka at that time.
Perhaps the writer' friends are his well intended targeted audience.
His growing up with rock 'n' roll songs, football mania, social-political settings and of course prohibited adventures is that of an urban explorer. His limits are defined by his own terms. Commenting on Towheed's Dreams of Dhaka writer and social scientist Dr. Mizanur Rahman Shelley said, " Not only the book touched our mind but the writer has displayed 'spellbinding magic" in his description of Dreams of Dhaka.
Can't say if it's magic or not but what's spellbinding is Towheed's typical style in describing his tale: humour expressed through puns.
Many are likely to differ with his drawn-out political views and appeals for the prohibited world while he was growing up , but how many senior writers can you list in Bangladesh to have revealed their 'darkest secrets'?
Probably the editor Mr. Nurul Kabir has most appropriately defined "Dreams of Dhaka", according to his understanding , 'When the anti-autocratic movement was going in the 1980s, the entire society was passing through a transformation in all spheres of life. Transformation was taking place in people's outlook, in their culture and in their desires and expectations. The book has masterfully described every aspect of those transformations. It described how changes were taking place in cinema, book shops, modes of transport, roads and music, as well as the minds of the youth.'
There is a time machine in Towheed Feroze's book and whether you want to take a journey by travelling in it - is your decision.
Printing and photo quality of the book handled by Palok publisher echoes the same old truth: in terms of publishing and promoting books, we are at least a half a century behind.
Most publishers have not become professional and the selection of photos should have been much diverse. In simple words, Towheed's book is an enjoyable read. Priced at TK 350 your copy awaits at Pathak Shomabesh.
The reviewer is Assistant Editor for the Daily Observer
