Dhaka, Sept. 18 -- In the early 70s when we all believed in political solutions to all our problems, there would be a need to hide for some. These were people who were angry and had taken to arms to attack whom they considered their enemy. Sometimes they won a skirmish or two but mostly they lost and afterwards came down to the teeming bowels of Sin City to hide for their life. Someone who hides others was called a "shelter master". There were several in Dhaka.

It was the only place in the country where you could get lost in the sea of faces, where your enemies may miss you even as they pass right by you. That's what you hoped.

The routine was fairly simple. The one needing to hide just had a contact name and address and on reaching Dha...