Beauty boarding is intrinsic to the history of our capital that was once a popular rendezvous for poets, politicians, and litterateurs. In addition to being a hotel with residences, the two-story yellow building in Old Dhaka is a witness to the age-long history of Bangladesh, even before its inception, making Beauty Boarding a destination of great historical significance.
Story of Emergence
Dhaka’s publication industry had grown in the 1940s, with Banglabazar as its center. Before 1947 saw the partition of India, the weekly magazine “Shonar Bangla” had its offices in the home of landlord Sudhir Chandra Das. It was the publication where Shamsur Rahman’s debut poem appeared. However, following the partition, Shonar Bangla moved its headquarters to Kolkata.
Later in 1949, the Saha brothers, Prahlad Chandra and Nalini Mohan, opened a residential hotel and restaurant in this 11 Katha land vacated by Shonar Bangla, named after the eldest daughter of Nalini Mohan. Soon Beauty Boarding became a popular place to book traders from all over the country used to come to Banglabazar, the center of book publishing, printing, and stationery wholesale market in Dhaka.
Hub of Creativity
Famous poets, authors, intellectuals, artists, journalists, singers, actors, and many other people have lived at Beauty Boarding since its inception. At that time, beauty boarding was at its peak.
Poet Shahid Quaderi, one of the most prominent poets who has strengthened the pillars of modern Bengali poetry, was the first person to discover this two-story yellow building and started hosting a literary gathering with his peers. Over time, this location attracted an increasing number of poets and writers. Tea, snacks, and lunch were reasonably priced, and guests could rent a room for as little as two or three takas. So in ten years, it actually developed into a literary hotspot in Dhaka.
Among its guests were Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Jasimuddin, Shamsur Rahman, and Syed Shamsul Haque. At Beauty Boarding, well-known filmmaker Abdul Jabbar Khan wrote the script for “Mukh O Mukhosh,” the first Bengali motion picture with sound. From here, poet Fazal Shahabuddin published his literary journal, “Kobikantho,” in 1957. There, magician Jewel Aich also began his career, and music composer Samar Das wrote many songs while seated in a beauty boarding. Poet Nirmalendu Goon lived there for almost five years. Without frequent references to this place, it is difficult to imagine how Bangladeshi poetry might develop in the future.
Historical Significance
Beauty Boarding served as the freedom fighters’ den during the Liberation War in 1971, and Bangabandhu would occasionally go there. On March 28, 1971, when the collaborators learned about it, Pakistani forces attacked the boarding house and killed 17, including the owner, Prahlad Chandra.
The family of Prahlad Chandra relocated to India, but in 1972, his wife Pratibha Saha and their sons Samar and Tarak returned and reopened Beauty Boarding. Although some of its old charms have been lost, Dhaka foodies regularly visit the boarding house restaurant.
Taste of nostalgia
One of the restaurant’s initial legacies is still present in the meals it serves. At Beauty Boarding, meals are still served in steel utensils to maintain tradition. This is still the place you should go if you’re seeking a true feast of traditional Bengali flavors. Local fish curries, including Kalia of rui carp, curries of poma, pabda, sarputi, chital, chanda, koi, and boal, lentil soup, and various bhortas are served with steamed rice for lunch and dinner. They also serve hilsa fish curry, and fish roe, which is one of their specialties.
There are 22 rooms available for guests to stay in the hotel. A large room can be rented for Tk 1,200 per day, while a small room costs Tk 200 to 300 for a stay of an entire day.
