You would not believe it when I say that walking at night is the most relaxing thing in the world for me. As evening approaches and the yellow of the sky is replaced with black, the lights of different houses in neighborhoods flicker open exposing the streets-and people on the streets-to a pallid, shadowy hue.

Going back through memory lane, my evening walks in Dhaka as a child meant me being hoisted off the floor by either my uncle or some other relative and toured around the neighborhood block. The sky would change color according to its own will and choice.

In the long run it meant me often walking and looking up at the changing sky and watching its various shades spread all over the blue. Walking past a shop and being careful not to get hit by a car on the pedestrian sidewalk, I would ask my uncle, aunt etc to buy me something to eat. They would always oblige and I would revel at the opportunity to get something tasty to eat every time we went on a walk. Aside from that…..

Walking-or going out-by night meant watching traffic in Dhaka’s busiest streets, people getting off their cars in the middle of the road and/or buying a tiny packet of badam from a street side vendor and such other sights.

But I also remember that one would have to be careful while walking on the streets in the late evening so safety was a big thing. Everyone in Dhaka knows things could go out of control in a span of minutes.

The sights varied and in my memory’s mirror I can see my own para with its many real-life paintings in motion or in still. The elderly walk out at night to reach parks or visit a shop to buy groceries. These would be people in their 70s and 80s going out to catch a breadth of fresh air sometimes with family escorts or occasionally by themselves.

Safety was a major concern for them taking this evening walk bordering on the early dark. It’s not crime that the family is worried about but these elderly people falling down and hurting themselves. Thankfully, such scenes were rare but after all these years my memory of that anxiety still remains.  

Maybe crime was an issue in some parts of the city but older residents are also stronger now, more self- reliant and taking care of themselves better. But it’s true I wish I saw a would-be snatcher getting whacked by an old man like a senior citizen version of superman. But it’s true, overall for Dhaka, precautions must be taken at night by those who want a taste of walking in Dhaka at night.

Toronto

Visiting cafes in Toronto at night time is different from Dhaka’s night time. With safety and security well taken care of, taking a walk to a neighborhood park is not an issue of concern for night strollers. When I was there, I would watch from my veranda the neighbourhood as night fell after the evening had gone to bed. The park was just a few blocks away where so many came around to taste the night descends amidst the trees. So much would happen there. It had swings and other playground toys for children. There was a large space for events and activities held in the park.

I would enjoy riding the swings at the park in the daytime but I would not go out at night alone as a stabbing had once occurred there a few days back and so for many children, night outs were off for a while. But then crime is so low in that city that family walks returned and the night was claimed back by the people living there.

For those living in downtown Toronto, the lights, busy streets and endless people walking through offer a visual and sensory stimulation of their own. Downtown Toronto offers many peaceful delights, like the cafe where some of them one can even pet a cat as an extra. Interestingly, such joints have now opened in Dhaka too. In terms of the cozy feel that one gets visiting a nearby convenience store, Toronto and Dhaka both offer that sense of pleasure including visiting vendors or joints for a midnight snack and tea.

Both cities are different and also the same in many ways. Both have their own tongues in which they speak to the residents but both are welcoming to all. Toronto is in the richer part of the world so many matters of safety and pleasure are taken for granted but Dhaka with all its limitations offers an experience all of its own.  

So get up, open the door and take a walk as the lights come on.