Our Family photo; 1965

A FAMILY PICTURE — 1965
This is a family picture in black and white. My father, mother, two brothers, me and my youngest sister. We are standing in front of the newly built house in Dhanmondi. We had specially dressed for the occasion. We used to oil our hair at that time. My oiled hair appears to me as wet hair. A swimming pool was made at the back of the new house. Chlorine would be added to the water to make it look blue and to keep it bacteria free. When I see the picture I can smell chlorine and as I said I imagine my hair to be wet. I am amazed to see the exactly same expression of my father and my elder brother. This was probably in the mid of 1965. Amma is smiling with downcast eyes. Pincho bhaiya, my younger sister and I are smiling. My younger sister is wearing a hair band of stretched material. We don’t see those bands anymore. Amma is wearing a nylon saree. Come to think of it, and it’s a picture of fifty years back. In those days synthetic material was fashionable. Probably the nylon saree and my sister’s band were brought by my aunt from England as gifts. I cannot see the color as it is a black and white picture. But I remember the dress that my sister and I are wearing was made and it was a netlike material of salmon pink color. And I am pretty sure my two brothers and my father are wearing white shirts. It could not be any other color at that time. At the most, light blue or off white.
Why do my father and elder brother look smug? No reason for that, really. I guess in those days men did not smile or laugh much. My father was not at all the non-laughing type. My elder brother had an inverted snobbery, as his friends recall. He is fifteen years of age in this picture, after five years he would be going off to the liberation war never to return. I am amazed also the way the three of us resemble each other. My father my elder brother and I.
I can also imagine Hafeez uncle behind the camera. He was a family friend and also a student of my grandfather. Philosophy was his subject. Probably this picture was taken on the day of Eid or the day after in May 1965.