The Dhaka Symphony

The Call to Prayer

There I was readers lying there at 5.30 this morning pondering my navel as an old music school teacher would say to me.  Well it was a music class and there was only so much of trying to play the recorder anyone could do before anything became more or less interesting instead.  Anyhow at 5.30 am there is the morning call for prayer and it struck me - do all cities have their own noise?  There own very sound that is unique to them and could be described as their own heartbeat?

Now being located close to the central mosque in Gulshan, means we are in direct 'firing' line for all the call to prayers - yes there are more than one and depending on which mosque it could range from four to seven.  Yes I would like to point out that Madam failed to notice said mosque when she was doing the apartment recce!  Thankfully the call is short and you can nod back off to sleep.

However this morning I noticed in the distance all the other calls from the other mosques and how they were all uniquely different, never mind sounding different and being of a variety lengths.  A short while later there was the occasional bell ringing from rickshaws before the noise built up into rush hour.  With all this in mind and my inner classical musician eagerly waiting to write his first symphony the TS, yours truly indeed reckons he got it written by morning coffee today.  

Here's how it goes:

Movement 1 (Allegro) - Dhaka Awakens

Starts off slow with the call to prayers starting off one by one (in the right key of course) followed by the jingly bells and toots form the Tuk-Tuks.  This then builds up into a fast pace with horns from the cars, bells, toots and generally the fast pace of life of Dhaka.  People missing cars, cars missing cars, cars missing rickshaws etc  People selling tupperware, books (latest edition allegedly, cheaper than you can get elsewhere), maps and even tea towels.  This culminates in a crescendo of sorts to end with the call to prayer (mid-morning one - in the right key and in harmony) and life has begun in Dhaka.

Movement 2 (Adagio) - Life Takes Place
This movement slower to the first, but focusing on the people of Dhaka as they go about their business whilst the bells, toots and horns still take place but are less frenetic.  Again ending with a call to prayer (well it is after lunch you know).

Movement 3 (Scherzo) - The Madness Begins
Starting with the late afternoon call to prayer, the traffic madness begins as the noise is worse than before as everybody is up and contributing to the chaos.  The traffic gets stuck and suddenly a 30 min journey becomes two hours.  The queue of rickshaws looking for fares never mind clogging up the streets is worse at this time.  Again it ends with the call to prayer - early evening.

Movement 4 (Allegro) - Dhaka Slows
The movement starts fast and ends calmly as the day has finished and all the noise subsides ending with a toot toot and the final bell ending the symphony.

So readers - what do you think?  Any takers?  Anyone willing to give a grant to investigate it further?