Bongo Bazaar situated behind the Dhaka University campus may not be at the city center, but is certainly at the center of the shopping attractions in Dhaka. A day of shopping at Bongo is almost tantamount to going out on a day of adventure - you need to push through the sea of people who throng the Bazaar, find your way through the narrow passages, dig through piles of clothes to eventually get what you desire, and put your haggling skills on test like never before!
Bongo Bazaar was established in 1990 and is a hawkers market comprising of over 25,000 stalls. From the very beginning its appeal to consumers has been astounding. It is perhaps the only market that caters to both the lower and upper classes of the society. During business hours the bazaar is loud, crowded, colorful, and humid. On a typical day you would witness hawkers yelling out prices at the passing customers, intense bargaining sessions, and in summer, bear the excessive heat and humidity often accompanied by the unpleasant odor of the crowd. Garments on display are mostly brought in from several garment factories across the capital and beyond including Gazipur, Sawar, Norshindi, etc. that come from the stock of clothes to be exported to giant western brands. Some stalls also claim to have their own factories and tailors.
What can be found?
- Western and traditional clothes
- Bags and Accessories
- Shoes
Compared to its luxury mall counterparts, the shabby looking bazaar might be misconstrued to house low quality products, but it boasts the largest collection of export quality apparel and brand items in the city, ranging from Levis jeans to Calvin Klein shirts.
Shoes, accessories, clothes for both men and women including sarees and lungis, can be found at the ground floor of Bongo Bazaar. The first floor of the market is dedicated to sarees that are more festive and relatively expensive. Customers agree that the prices of similar products as those found in Bongo are twice or thrice in fancy malls across the city.
In 2001 another market was built across the street i.e. on the West side, and is commonly known as the ‘New Bongo Bazaar’. It is characterized by a better infrastructure with passages that are more spacious than the original Bongo Bazaar. The new outlet offers mostly foreign garment items with the absence of shoes or accessories.
Sales for Bongo Bazaar has been declining subtly over the last couple of years due to inflation and enduring political unrest in the country. According to most salesmen, profit is restricted to a mere 15%-20%, who claim that the purchasing price of clothes has increased while the retail price remains fairly unchanged. Regardless, the changes in prices or sales are independent of the number of people who continue to visit Bongo on a regular basis.
Drawbacks:
- Clothes may have defects
- Narrow passages
- Big crowd
- No trial rooms
- Heat
Before purchasing, the clothes must be strictly examined to ensure that there are no cuts or holes in the fabric and the zippers in pants are working fine.
Although it is difficult to navigate through the narrow passages especially in the humid summers, it seldom causes restriction to the vast number of customers who are acclimatized to the ambiance and lured in by prices.
There are no changing or trial rooms available to try on clothes before buying them, so it’s safe to carry a pair of pants or shirt that fits well and find clothes in that particular size. If you find something you love but it is oversized, you can always get it altered for as little as Tk. 50 by street side tailors.
The salesmen and customers both complain about the suffocating heat that lingers in summer, but also agree that if air conditioning was to be introduced, prices would considerably increase.
Foreigners:
Bongo Bazaar is a great attraction to foreigners who reside in the country or are here on vacation and they comprise of a large portion of the total customers of the market. If you are in town, it is imperative you visit Bongo at least once. Foreigners often find themselves put on display much like the clothes they see because of the overwhelming attention they receive from the salesmen. However, once accustomed, it really isn’t a big concern especially when an H&M shirt can be bought for as little as Tk. 100.
Winter this year in Dhaka is colder than usual but Bongo remains heated as the winter season is a time for huge sales. You can expect to find all kinds of winter clothing here, not to mention at very appealing prices.
Food:
After a long day of shopping, you can feast on some mouth watering local street food found at the small food stalls surrounding the Bazaar compound. These include spicy treats such as chotpoti, puri, jhal muri and haleem, and in winter delicious hot pithas (Bangladeshi sweets) can tantalize your taste buds.
There is no place better than Bongo to get name brand items and quality products at unbelievable prices. Sure it comes with some drawbacks, but in the end it is all worth it. Bongo Bazaar has become a distinctive feature of the city and perhaps will not cease to be as popular as it has been over the last twenty years.
Kutubuddin Kamal - Kutubuddin Kamal is a final year Engineering student, majoring in Telecommunication. When he was little, he wasn't excited about wires or ...
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