A city with many faces

After exiting the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun, or 'Doon' as it is popularly known, you will immediately feel nature's embrace as you make your way towards the city. Rolling hills flank the roads on way to the capital of India's Uttarakhand state, which rises as high as 960 metres above sea level.

Travelling to cover Bangladesh's three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, it has been a fascinating experience for this reporter to come to Dehradun, a place where an international cricket match has never taken place.

It would be hard to tell that an international series was about to take place in the city. You may see beefed-up security, but then you are told that it is because of the convocation of the Indian Military Academy next week.

The shops usually close by 9:00 pm and apart from a couple of shopping malls there is hardly any place to hang out after you finish the day's work.

The city is known as the 'school capital of India' for its world-class residential schools that attract students from across the globe. The Doon School stands out as former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and famous film star Amitabh Bachchan studied there in their early years.

Entering the city centre, Dehradun offers a laidback atmosphere with its not-so-fast lifestyle. Small roads and shops dotting the roadside lend a feeling more akin to Mymensingh or Comilla than the hustle and bustle of Dhaka.

Currently there is a circus show going on right at the heart of Dehradun and along with the national zoo, it is one of the few places where you can get some conventional entertainment.

But through Bangladeshi eyes, Dehradun offers a treat that goes beyond the conventions of recreation most Dhaka dwellers would know. The sleepy, laidback city may remind one of the mufassil towns of Bangladesh, but the facilities it offers the populace here -- the world-class schooling system is an obvious example, but then you also have the state-of-the-art Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium -- make for a rich mixture of old-world charm and modernity. Dehradun certainly has more to offer than initially meets the eye.