On a Friday afternoon when 2 friends are debating about where to go to enjoy a nice meal together, Banani 11 is a name that comes up every time. And that is the story of almost every one of us. “Banani 11” isn’t just a road, it has become an unconscious part of our everyday lives. However, contrary to popular belief, Banani Road 11 wasn’t always the busy social hub that it is today. The chaotic “BFC building” was once a home filled with the laughter of kids. The iconic Road 11 was originally intended to serve as a residential area as part of Banani. However, despite being termed as such, the street did not gain the level of popularity for residential purposes as expected. Over time, quite a few significant changes took place and they were the main reasons behind the phenomena that Banani 11 is today.
During the 90s
The 1.3 km long street, which ended at the lake separating Gulshan and Banani, was dotted with a small number of houses. Road 11 was a great place for neighborhood folks to go for a nice afternoon or evening stroll in the 1990s. There was a strong sense of community there, and nearly everyone on the street knew each other. Every now and then, members from each building would gather to either celebrate a special occasion or simply pass the time with some good old-fashioned gossip. It was a pretty close-knit community.
In the words of Rina Mubin, a long-time resident of the area, Road 11 had gradually lost the charm that it once held as a community. “When my kids were growing up in the area, Banani 11 was the place where all their friends would meet up and even go for a walk during the evening. Now the crazy traffic and restaurants at every other corner represent the new Banani 11.I don’t think people realize that this place was once built to be a residential area. Oh, how time flies!”
Bridging the Gap
Banani road 11 experienced an unexpected change in 2008. A bridge was built over the Gulshan Lake, connecting the two areas. This set in motion a chain of events that transformed Banani Road 11 from a seemingly quiet residential street to a highly sought-after commercial location. Some people began to leave, relocating to a less crowded area suitable for a home. Others began to rent out their residential building spaces to accommodate small businesses. Whatever the exchange was, it was quite evident that a revolutionary change was taking place in the area.
The growth of different businesses was also a significant change that everyone witnessed in Banani 11. Larger corporations gradually moved in with their offices. Banani Road 11 had completely transformed into a commercial hub within a decade. Restaurants, pharmacies, hotels, businesses, fashion stores, you name it, Banani road 11 has it.
Banani is known for being the hotspot for restaurants. Many restaurant businesses have started their journey from this road and went on to become successful franchises. Yum Cha District is an ideal example of that. Keeping the business aspect in mind, the popular pan-asian restaurant Yum Cha District started its journey from this iconic road. Explaining their logic behind choosing the road for their business venture, one of the partners of the restaurant Adnan Khan said, “With full confidence in what we were offering, we believed Banani 11 would be the perfect place to start our business. The reason being, people from every area of the city visits Banani 11 almost on a regular basis. As we have now been in business for over 6 years now and have expanded the business all over the city, you can say it was a pretty good decision from our end.”
Not just the locals or the businesses in the area, Banani 11 holds a special place in everyone’s hearts. Even people who don’t fall into these two categories but are regular visitors of the area.
And Fardin Fahad, a young professional is the perfect representative of this group. According to Fardin, who frequently visits Banani road 11, Banani’s most iconic street has evolved into a more diverse location. With a diverse range of lifestyle stores catering to people from all walks of life, rather than just Banani locals. He says, “When I was a student of BRAC University, Banani 11 used to be our regular hangout spot. Now I am working professionally and my office is in Gulshan. However, I still couldn’t detach myself from Banani 11. You would find me chilling with my friends in the Banani Crimson Cup after 6:30 p.m. almost every other day.”
Banani’s Road 11 in present day doesn’t look anything like how the locals remember it to be. A place that has experienced a strong spirit of the local community, is now one of the biggest social hubs of the city. For better or for worse, we wouldn’t trade our dear Banani 11 for anything else.
