Aziz Super Market

With the Eid and Puja shoppers rushing all over the city to buy something new and fashionable to wear for the festivities, Aziz Super Market provides a unique experience. Devoid of the glitz and glamour of the super malls, the corridors are dark, the shops dimly illuminated. But there is no dearth of activity in this market, once exclusively a den for intellectuals to mingle among the bookstores, now flooded with 17 stores selling clothes. But the uniqueness of this shopping area can be detected through the interesting names of the shops, which are all Bangla names, a refreshing change from English sounding appellations that are often mispelt or used totally inappropriately. Britto, Swadeshi, Pheriwala, Dhak Dhol, Hodai, 1971, Shada Mata, these are some of the names that reflect a growing urge to establish a Bangladeshi identity. Set up mostly by artists from the Fine Arts Institute or Charukala, the clothes sold are reasonably priced and all made in Bangladesh. Fotuas, punjabis, shalwar kamiz, T shirts and saris -all have the trademark of a particular designer and provide mainly middle-class customers, with a much-needed, affordable market for trendy clothes.

- COLLECTED. (The Daily Star, September 19,2008. By ZAHEDUL I KHAN)