Jeanette Van Tassel was a 24 year old American aeronaut whose balloon ascent over Dhaka's Buriganga River in 1892 was meant to dazzle a city. Instead, it ended in her death after a rescue attempt went tragically wrong, leaving her buried in an unmarked grave in Old Dhaka. More than a century later, a researcher's chance discovery brought her remarkable story back to light.

Overlooking the Buriganga River, Ahsan Manzil is an architectural and historical gem of Old Dhaka.

The site was acquired in the 1830s by Khwaja Alimullah, father of Abdul Ghani, from the French. There was a French factory or trading centre on the site.

You may have visited Ahsan Manzil — or at least know of it — but did you ever encounter this dilapidated gateway? 

To paint a picture of what this majestic building looked like just after the catastrophe, a line from an eyewitness account may be apt here.

Nawab Ahsanullah warned in the press release that he would file charges against anyone who caused any harm to these animals.    

If one goes to look for Farashganj Ruplal House in Dhaka, it would be a near impossible task to find it amid hundreds of shops. When they do get there eventually, they will find an old residential building covered with moss.

JUST as we do not like to have shik kabab with Chinese noodles (hopefully I am right), or expect someone to wear a red tie over his ...