MUSINGS FROM BANGLADESH

61. MUSINGS FROM BANGLADESH

Between October 10–17, 2015, I was in Bangladesh.  The longest sojourn so far in my 3 years of association with the PRAN-RFL group, one of the largest and highly respected business houses in Bangladesh.  The trip was to review performance of nearly 6 ETP’s already installed by us for our Associate and to inspect ongoing construction and commissioning of 3 more ETP’s at different factories and locations across the country.  And to visit the site of a proposed ETP for a new milk collection and chilling centre, and which in a few years will be converted to a full fledged Dairy.

A trip which took me from Dhaka to Natore – Shazadpur ( Rabindranath Tagore is revered here)  – Dhaka – Habigonj – Palash – Ghorasal – Kaligonj - Dhaka

A hectic schedule which culminated on a Friday afternoon with a presentation to over 30 officers of the PRAN –RFL group directly/ indirectly connected with the ETP’s, gathered together from the various factories and the Head office.  This final meeting was at  the Mymensingh Agro Ltd. Conference room in the RFL Industrial Park ( RIP) at Kaligonj right on the bank of the Shitolakkha river.

Here are some snippets of information, musings if you like about the wonderful city of Dhaka and our neighbor – Bangladesh. These were earlier posted serially on facebook during my stay in Bangladesh

SWEET LASSI

Had by far the best, most delicious sweet lassi at The Aristocrat Restaurant on National Highway N4 to Natore, near the iconic 4.8 Km long Bangabandhu Sethu bridge. Pure Mishti Dhoi whipped up with extra cream, a hint of Bashundhi, served in a tall glass, cold and thick. Very thick. So thick you could float a dollar coin on it ( to borrow a phrase from Louis L'amour).

SCRAPED, DENTED AND BASHED UP

Yet to see a Rickshaw, car, bus or truck that has not been scratched, scraped, dented, bashed up or otherwise seriously abused. Police and army vehicles are the only exceptions. Not surprised.

TRUCKS AND BUSES

An overwhelming majority of trucks in BD are Tata, Eicher, Ashok Leyland in that order. All the buses are Hino from Japan. What makes trucks from India competitive but not the buses ?

Got the answer from  Vivek Annaswamy, My uncle who retired from Tata Motors as Chief Executive from  after decades of service in that company at various locations and in various functions :    “  Comfort level. Here ( In India)  we make Buses from Truck chassis. Order of the day are Low floor Monocoque buses “

CHEESE AND PEPPERONI PIZZA

Lunch at Pizza hut in Dhaka today. Pepperoni and cheese : All beef, no Pork. And in India the same Pizza comes with pork - No beef. Would love to let loose our worthy politicians on this one.

GREASED LIGHTNING ?

If you finish your commute in Dhaka at an average speed of 5 Kmph, you have zipped thru the city. Compare this with the greased lightning speed in Bangalore of 8 Kmph !

DEMOGRAPHY

 Some interesting statistics from BD  :

:

- 87 % of the Nationals are Muslim- 12 % of the Nationals are Hindu- 1 % of the Nationals are Buddhist- 0.5 % of the Nationals are Christian- 100 % of Bus drivers are Insane

To which my good friend Devinder Singh from Frankfurt observed : 87+12+1+0.5 = 100.5% !!!

And my Riposte : 

May be this is the reason they say BD is overpopulated ? 

SUNSET ON NATIONAL HIGHWAY N2

We left Habigonj in the far North East of Bangladesh late in the evening at 5.30 PM.  The sun sets early in these parts. With the Sun calling it a day, emerald green paddy fields on either side of the Highway fade to grey in the distance as a thin gossamer mist hangs over them gleefully proclaiming that every sun has to set.

SPEEDBOATING ON THE SHITALOKKHA RIVER

New experience today.  Factory hopping from Pran Industrial Park (PIP) to Pran - AMCL factory to RFL Industrial Park (RIP) by speedboat on the Shitalokkha River. All on account of a blocked road connecting the factories. Mercifully no traffic jams on the river.  And to beat the afternoon heat, travelled standing to catch the onrush of heady river air.

EVERYONE ON EMERGENCY DUTY

Half the trucks and minivans plying on arterial roads, streets, lanes and bylanes of Dhaka carry a placard “ On Emergency Export Duty “.  There are ululating ambulances and police vehicles. A myriad cycle rickshaws darting, dodging, weaving and squeezing their way from lane to lane.  Pedestrians crossing wide boulevards chock a block with traffic seeking safe passage with upraised palms.  And the private vehicles which although do not carry any placards, are for all intents and purposes “On Emergency Personal duty”.  Here Nobody gives way to anyone or anything.  Refreshing to see no VVIP culture here.  Would love to plonk our own Chandrababu Naidu and Chandrasekhar Rao in Dhaka traffic.

A BEEHIVE OF ACTIVITY

Every time I visit the factories of the PRAN – RFL group, may be after every 6 months or so, It never fails to amaze me the changes I see in these units.  Old gives way to new, new constructions everywhere, technology upgradation, modernization of machinery, new products, backward and forward integration and constant expansion. Never seen anything coming close to this kind of frenetic activity even in designated industrial Areas in India : Just the scale of it is mind boggling.

WELL DONE PRAN – RFL

From the time they paid a hefty fine to the Bangladesh Department of Environment in early 2002 for polluting the Shitolakkha river, PRAN group has made tremendous strides in its environmental control activities.  All the factories along the river now have scientifically designed ETP’s running well, as in their other factories in Bangladesh.  There is a high level of awareness which is now widespread in the group and its officers about their environmental responsibility, and a good working knowledge of the treatment processes in ETP’s.  A remarkable achievement in such a short period of time.  It took almost a couple of decades I reckon for a similar transformation to happen in India.

Dr. Ananth S Kodavasal                                                                        October 18, 2015