Dhaka, Dec. 13 -- As a scrawny and timid child, I grew up in one of the maze like alleyways on Bakshi Bazar Road in the 1980's. Night came on early for my family and I. We would rarely stay up longer than 11 pm and the kids were retired to bed by 8 pm. I never questioned authority back then or revolted against my set bedtime.

I often inwardly marvel as I tell my daughter that back then we had only BTV channel which showed only a single cartoon at 5 pm. Later on, the adults would huddle around the sofa and watch shows like Dallas and MacGyver around 9 pm, which once older we sometimes were also permitted.

I ponder, as I look back, at how simple our lives were back then..

The delicious haunting fragrance of jasmine or beliphul hung thick...