Old Dhaka

In the past, the bakarkhaniwalas (bread-makers) used to lit up tandoor after midnight to bring out product by morning. Bakarkhani dough of white flour and mawa thoroughly mixed and kneaded for hours before stretching thin by hand over the entire span of wooden board. Then after spreading ghee over it, flour is strewn on. It was folded and process repeated several times. After sizeable numbers of such small dough are ready, they are made into roti on the board and sesame (teel) seeds are spread on it. The rotis are then put inside the tandoor. During the process of baking, pure milk is sprinkled on them twice. This is the story of making pure bakarkhanis. But now in place of ghee and milk, molasses solution is added so that the bread turns reddish.

Even now, bakarkhani is mainly baked in Old Dhaka. From there it is distributed in different shops in different parts of the city. Most of the Bakarkhaniwalas belong from the family of Bakarkhaniwalas, meaning that their father was also a Bakarkhaniwala.

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form. Usually the metal is heated until it glows red or orange as part of the forging process. Blacksmiths produce things like wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils, horse shoes and weapons.

The profession of a blacksmith is not very easy. It is difficult in the sense that the working environment is not very healthy. The smoke that is emitted in the process of making objects is extremely unhealthy.A blacksmith continuously inhales that smoke all day long. But inspite of working in a hazardous environment, his income is very small. The life of a blacksmith is a vary sad tale.