Rose Garden: A history of passion and pride

At Kamini Mohan (K.M.) Das Lane in Tikatuli of Old Dhaka, there lies a majestic mansion called “Rose Garden”. Interestingly, it was built to host parties by one of the prominent zamindars of Dhaka, named Hrishikesh Das. He built the Rose Garden in 1931 on a 22-bigha plot along with a famous garden that had various species of rare roses. Thus the compound earned the name “Rose Garden”. The central piece of the garden is the elegant building. 

The story of Hrishikesh Das

In the early 1900s, Hrishikesh Das became one of the distinguished zamindars in Dhaka. He had his residence in the area known as Hrishikesh Das Road (at present near Tanti Bazar). He led a lavish lifestyle and had a knack for lofty things. During that time, “Baldha Garden” was the place for socialites to mingle. It became an important element of the social life of the city’s wealthier Hindus as most of the jalshas (parties) were arranged there. Unfortunately, as a member of the lower caste, Hrishikesh was not welcomed.

Rumour has it that while attending one of those parties, he was insulted for being a lower caste. Reportedly, the insult came from none other than the famous Narendra Narayan Roy Chaudhury who was the landlord of the estate of Baldha and owner of the Baldha Garden. That incident offended Hrishikesh Das in such a terrible way that he decided to build his own garden which would eclipse the Baldha Garden. Hence, he went on to build one of the most beautiful buildings with a garden, which we now know as the Rose Garden.

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This historic building was the site where the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was formed on June 2, 1949. The word Muslim was dropped from the name of the party in 1953. The premises was declared a heritage site by the Department of Archaeology on 21st December, 1989. The property has been acquired by the Government of Bangladesh by paying lawful compensation to the present owners in August, 2018 to convert it into a museum.

Click here to read the original story from The Daily Star of 20th January, 2020 published from Dhaka, Bangladesh.