Segunbagicha Explained

Official Name:Segunbagicha
Native Name:সেগুনবাগিচা
Settlement Type:Neighbourhood
Pushpin Map:Bangladesh Dhaka#Bangladesh Dhaka division#Bangladesh
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Segunbagicha within Dhaka##Location of Segunbagicha within Dhaka Division##Location of Segunbagicha within Bangladesh
Pushpin Label Position:right
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Bangladesh
Subdivision Type1:Division
Subdivision Name1:Dhaka Division
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Dhaka District
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Dhaka
Timezone:BST
Utc Offset:+6
Coordinates:23.734°N 90.4077°W
Postal Code Type:Postal Code
Postal Code:1000
Blank Info Sec1:PWD Sports Club
Blank Name Sec1:Notable sport teams
Subdivision Type4:Municipality
Subdivision Name4:Dhaka South City Corporation
Subdivision Name5:Shahbag
Subdivision Type5:Thana
Subdivision Name6:Ward No. 20
Subdivision Type6:Ward
Area Code:+880,

+880 2

Map Caption1:Expandable map of vicinity of Segunbagicha

Segunbagicha (romanised:) is an upscale residential, administrative, commercial, and institutional neighbourhood[1] [2] [3] in south-central Dhaka.[4] The neighbourhood is one of the important areas of Dhaka featuring a large number of government and residential complexes.[5] It acts as a bridge between the major thanas of Ramna, Shahbagh, Dhanmondi, Paltan and Motijheel, and is located at the crossroads of Ramna, Shahbag and Paltan thanas.

Segunbagicha is a centre of government office building and institutions including the headquarters of The Directorate General of National Security Intelligence, Anti-Corruption Commission (commonly known as duduk; দুদক),[6] Motsho Bhobon (building of Department of Fisheries), Bangladesh Secretariat, the International Mother Language Institute, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy,[7] the Public Works Department, the Bangladesh Department of Architecture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as several tax zones.

History

During the British Bengal era, two English officers, Captain Graham and Colonel Stecky built a garden in the area. Among all the plants in the garden, there were numerous teak trees, called segun (pronounced as shegun) in Bengali. The neighbourhood got its name for the teak trees it contained. The responsibility of the area was then handed over to the municipality after the officers moved to another part of Dacca. The municipality then decided to cut down the trees.[8]

In the late 1940s, Segunbagicha was a desolate and solitary area, located on the outskirts of the Dacca city. It was sparsely populated, but it hosted mostly Hindu intellects and used to be a residential colony where many educated doctors, lawyers, teachers and other intellects resided. However, Segunbagicha quickly became occupied due to the influx of migrants. The first Chinese restaurant in Dhaka (then Dacca), "Café China", was set up in the neighbourhood.[9] [10] [11]

According to Bangladeshi writer Qazi Anwar Hossain, there were only a few low-rise buildings in the sparsely populated Segunbagicha in the 1950s. The area also hosted a huge swamp.[12]

Muhammad Ibrahim, a Bangladeshi physician, who later founded the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders at Shahbagh, set up a tin-shed out-patients clinic in Segunbagicha in the 1950s to fight diabetes.[13] [14]

When the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was appointed as the first Bengali chairman of the Pakistan Tea Board, he moved to the erstwhile 115 Segunbagicha. After Mujib was arrested, his family moved to the erstwhile 76, Segunbagicha. After he was released, him and his family moved to Dhanmondi.[15]

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the primary cultural centre of Bangladesh was set up in 1974 in Segunbagicha.[16]

Etymology

Segunbagicha is a junction of two Bengali words, Segun (romanised: Shegun), meaning teak (Tectona grandis), which is a species of plant native to South and Southeast Asia and Bagicha (romanised: Bagicha), meaning garden. Therefore, the name "Segunbagicha" literally translates to "The Garden of Teak" or "The Garden of Teak Trees". The naming therefore suggests that this location was once a site of teak trees.

Geography

The coordinates of this area are approximately 23.734°N 90.4077°W. To the north of Segunbagicha lies Kakrail of Ramna and to the west lies the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and the iconic Ramna Park. Paltan Thana is to the east of Segunbagicha, of which the Bijoy Nagar-Purana Paltan area borders the area. Areas like Moghbazar, Eskaton, Malibagh, Motijheel, Paltan, Shantinagar, Ramna, Bailey Road, Shahbagh neighbourhood, Siddheswari, Dhaka University campus area, New Market and New Elephant Road are also adjacent to Segunbagicha. Segunbagicha is located in the south-central part of Dhaka and falls under the jurisdiction of Dhaka South City Corporation and is located in Shahbagh Thana, and formerly in Ramna Thana. The area is a part of Word No. 20 of DSCC. It was previously a part of Ward No. 56 of DCC. Segunbagicha is within the boundaries of Dhaka-8 constituency of Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad.

Notable institutes

Government institutions

Cultural centres

Medical institutions

Corporate offices

Education

Culture

Segunbagicha is home to the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, perhaps the largest cultural centre in the country.

During Bangla New Year, Segunbagicha bustles with vibrant stalls, people with cultural attires and accessories and splashes of various cultural symbols of Bengal floats all across the neighbourhood.

The prime reason for such attraction of crowds during cultural seasons in this neighbourhood is its strategic location. The area sits on and beside the University of Dhaka, the Ramna Park, the Ramna Race Course (officially the Suhrawardy Udyan), the International Mother Language Institute and the Shilpakala Academy.

Transportation

Important roads like Topkhana Road, Moulana Bhasani Road, Segun Bagicha Road, Abdul Ghani Road and the National Eidgah Street run through and around the neighbourhood.

Segunbagicha has a metro station called Bangladesh Secretariat, which lies on MRT Line 6 of Dhaka Metro Rail on the route from Uttara North towards Kamalapur.[30] The station building is located near the Bangladesh Secretariat, Press Club and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shantinagar & Shiddheswari Area Guide - Bproperty . 2024-02-22 . Bproperty Area Guides . en-US.
  2. Web site: Obesity on rise in Bangladesh children owing to junk food, unhealthy lifestyles . 2024-02-23 . www.aa.com.tr.
  3. Web site: 2024-05-11 . Segunbagicha: From Dhaka’s cultural capital to a commercial centre . 2024-05-14 . The Business Standard . en.
  4. Web site: Residential building catches fire in Dhaka's Segunbagicha . 2023-06-22 . bdnews24.com . en.
  5. Book: Siddiqui . Kamal . Social Formation in Dhaka, 1985-2005: A Longitudinal Study of Society in a Third World Megacity . Ahmed . Jamshed . Siddique . Kaniz . Huq . Sayeedul . Hossain . Abul . Nazimud-Doula . Shah . Rezawana . Nahid . 2016-04-01 . Routledge . 978-1-317-05400-9 . en.
  6. News: 2021-02-16 . 5 bank officials held for embezzling gold jewellery worth 11.4C . 2023-06-22 . Dhaka Tribune.
  7. Web site: Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy . 2023-06-22 . Banglapedia . en.
  8. Web site: পুরান ঢাকার সাতসতেরো . 2024-05-01 . সোনালী নিউজ . en.
  9. Web site: Dhaka . 2024-05-01 . Banglapedia . en.
  10. Nilufar . Farida . 1997 . The Spatial and Social Structuring of Local Areas in Dhaka City - A Morphological Study of the Urban Grid with Reference to Neighbourhood Character within Naturally-grown Areas . PhD . University College London.
  11. Web site: Jamil . Syed Maqsud . 2013-08-02 . Eateries of Dacca . 2024-05-01 . The Daily Star . en.
  12. News: https://www.kalerkantho.com/feature/eid-special-2019/2019/05/31/775332 . 2024-05-01 . Kaler Kantho . bn:সেগুনবাগিচা . 31 May 2019 . bn.
  13. Web site: The Founder . 2024-05-01 . Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital & Research Institute.
  14. Web site: Mazid . Muhammad Abdul . 2012-09-06 . National Professor Mohammad Ibrahim: A Believer In Change . 2024-05-01 . The Daily Star . en.
  15. News: Bangabandhu's Dhaka life: From 150 Mughaltuli to Dhanmondi 32 . Dhaka Tribune.
  16. Web site: Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy . 2024-05-01 . Banglapedia . en.
  17. Web site: দুদক প্রধান কার্যালয়ের ঠিকানা .
  18. Web site: No.33.00.0000.109.25.017.14.421 . Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
  19. News: Research is vital to preserve, revitalise and develop mother languages: PM . The Business Standard.
  20. Web site: Public Works Department . 2024-01-31 . old.pwd.gov.bd.
  21. Web site: Ministry of Foreign Affairs . 2024-01-31 . mofa.gov.bd . en.
  22. News: Revised narcotics control law gets tough with drug traders . Dhaka Tribune.
  23. Web site: Official Contact . Press Council.
  24. Web site: Customs Bond Commissionerate,Dhaka . 2024-01-31 . cbc.gov.bd.
  25. Web site: 2018-03-05 . Birdem General Hospital-2 . 2024-01-31 . BIRDEM General Hospital . en-US.
  26. Web site: SSG - contact . 2024-01-31 . www.ssgbd.com.
  27. Web site: Techno Drugs Ltd . 2024-05-14 . technodrugsltd.com.
  28. Web site: Contact Us .
  29. Web site: HOME . 2024-01-31 . imc.ac.bd.
  30. Web site: Metro rail is expected to trigger a paradigm shift in commute . 2024-01-31 . The Financial Express . en.