Ramadan in Dhaka

So here I am, back in Dhaka and in the midst of Ramadan. What’s different? Well, for a start, work finishes early so that people can get home to break their fast. The traffic has also altered its pattern with a phenomenal rush homeward starting from about 3 and the  streets really empty around the time of iftar (the snack before dinner that breaks the fast). There are also a lot more beggars on the street but this is more than balanced by an increase in alms-giving and not just by those who can afford it without thinking. If you want to read a rather fine local take on Ramadan in Dhaka, you could do no better than check out Shahnaz’s blog as she writes with an eloquence and knowledge that I could never hope to match.

Tonight, many of the team in our office celebrated iftar together – usually everyone is dashing homeward from 3.30 – and you can see us breaking our (well, their) fast in these photographs.