Sehri parties keep Dhaka awake

Has Dhaka become a city that never sleeps?

It certainly seems so, especially during the month of Ramadan. Lower your eyebrows, and think about the sehri parties.
It’s a new trend in busy Dhaka life. Iftar has become a popular networking tool, and sehri won’t be left behind.
People of the city have turned nocturnal, seen gathering at restaurants particularly in Dhanmondi, Banani, Gulshan and older parts of Dhaka way past midnight for sehri parties.
These places buzz with activity at midnight as people place orders for sehri, enjoy special dishes, and hang out with friends and family.
If anyone lists famous restaurants in Dhaka for sehri, Old Dhaka’s Hotel Al-Razzak is sure to top the list.
Visiting Al-Razzak early Wednesday, this correspondent saw the 30-year-old restaurant and its surroundings buzzing with life. The long queue of cars parked in front of the restaurant, and groups of young people hanging out, say it all.

Mohammad Rana Hossain, manager of the restaurant, said the crowds start arriving right after midnight and it is hard to find a vacant seat on weekends.
Businesswoman Nighat Parvin drove all the way from Dhanmondi with her four daughters in the middle of the night for the mouthwatering Old Dhaka food.
“This is my first sehri at a restaurant. I was doubtful whether people really had sehri at restaurants when my daughters told me about the trend,” Nighat Parvin said.
“But my daughters were not wrong. I am amazed seeing so many people having midnight sehri at Razzak,” she added.
Groups of young people with stylish Mohawk haircuts, newly-weds, university friends, mostly of the more solvent class of people who have their own vehicles, travelled from Dhanmondi, Baridhara, Banani or Gulshan to feast on Old Dhaka menus.
But what makes these people abandon their homemade delicious dishes in the wee hours of the night?
Popular singer-songwriter Pritom Ahmed, who loves eating out at restaurants, thinks the idea of sehri party has been spreading like wildfire as Bangladesh is a festival-crazy nation.
“We're a festival-crazy nation. We love to celebrate any occasion, whether it is religious or national. I find nothing wrong with that. In last few years, the culture of having sehri at restaurants has become a common phenomenon. Almost all the restaurants of Dhaka stay open at midnight to serve sehri,” Pritom told Prothom Alo.

“People sometimes have sehri at restaurants just for a change from their everyday meals,” said the artiste, who recently hung out at a sehri party at Banani’s Aadi Dhaka restaurant.
Celebrated singer-lyricist-musician Shafiq Tuhin, however, loves to have sehri with his family but is not adverse to the idea of enjoying a sehri occasionally at restaurants.
“I sometimes go out in the middle of the night to have sehri with friends to celebrate someone’s birthday or just to get together with friends,” Shafiq Tuhin said.
“The culture of eating sehri out has been spreading fast in Dhaka and Facebook plays an important role in this regard. Facebook posts and photos encourage people to follow the current trend and that’s what’s happening with sehri,” said Tuhin who recently attended a sehri party at Banani’s Platinum Suites and Residence.
The restaurants which have sehri offers in Dhaka are Gloria Jeans, Nando's, Chaap Shamlao, Star Kebab, Hotel Al-Razzak, Platinum Suites and Residence, Chittagong Express, Choi Jhal and Pizza Inn, among others. The latest addition is Premium Sweets in Gulshan-2 and it has gained popularity fast.
People can enjoy a wide range of dishes in these restaurants, from simple deshi food to Thai, Chinese and Indian dishes.
Gloria Jeans, at its two outlets at Dhanmondi and Gulshan, offers butter chicken with basmati rice platter at Tk 350 and fish Manchurian with mushroom rice platter at Tk 500.

‘Buy one get one free’ offer is available at all outlets of Nando’s while Chaap Shamlao offers a sehri platter comprising rice, beef, fish, dal, bhorta and bhaji at Tk 230.
Hotel Al-Razzak offers its traditional menu from regular morog polao at Tk 160 or mutton leg roast at Tk 170 to special full chicken roast at Tk 550 or rupchanda fish fry at Tk 350.
The sehri party culture has been a boost to the local restaurant business.
Even the corporate world has started organising sehri parties for its employees and clients, said Symon Imran Hyder, an owner of Chaap Shamlao.
“But we’ve seen fewer crowds due to last few days’ incessant rains. People usually come in droves during the weekends (Thursdays) with their family,” Symon told Prothom Alo.
“People have started enjoying sehri at restaurants as traffic remains thin during midnight. They get together, hang out and enjoy a midnight meal. It’s the one with cars that normally are our clients,” he added.
The young entrepreneur believes the culture of sehri party will spread soon and fast in Dhaka like the countries of the Middle East.
“Restaurants remain open in sehri in most of the parts of the Middle East including Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Kuwait. All Bangladesh restaurants will follow the trend in near future,” Symon predicted