The Bengali calendar [2] is made up of six seasons, with two months comprising each season. Now is the Hemonto (হেমন্ত), or the dry season. During this season, the sky comes alive with vibrant color, from deep blues and pristine whites to the golden shades of dusk. Snowy patches of clouds hang overhead, and the sun warms the air.
Such was the scene on 17 November, 2013, with the striking beauty of the sky overwhelming the horizon above Bangladesh's capital city Dhaka [3]. Talk of the stunning sight spread like wildfire on social media as netizens shared their beautiful images on Facebook and Twitter, some using the #Dhakasky [4] hashtag. Even some newspapers featured them [5].
Journalist and blogger Simu Naser (@simunaser [6]) wrote:
বাপরে, নিউজফিড দেখে মনে হচ্ছে আজকাল সবাই কাজ কাম ফেলে আকাশের দিকেই তাকিয়ে থাকে। এটা ভালো।
— Simu Naser (@simunaser) November 17, 2013 [7]
Oh no. Looking at newsfeeds, it seems everybody is watching the sky leaving all their work. This is good.
Torongo (@ttorongo) said:
আকাশ দেখে মুগ্ধ হয়েছিলাম বিকেলে, নীল সাদার সুষম কম্বিনেশন পুরো আকাশ জুড়ে।এখন দেখি ব্যাপারটা অনেকেই দেখছে,#ঢাকাস্কাই হ্যাশট্যাগও দেখলাম
— Torongo M (@ttorongo) November 17, 2013 [8]
I was amazed by the sky in the afternoon, it was a combination of blue and white stretching to the horizon. Now it seems that everybody's noticing it. Even saw the #Dhakasky hashtag.
Shafiul Alam (@shafiulnub) appreciated the moon too:
দিনের বেলায় জিরাম এট্টা আকাশ ছিল, এখন সিরাম এট্টা চাঁদ উঠছে।
— Shafiul Alam (@shafiulnub) November 17, 2013 [9]
During the day, the sky was beautiful, now the moon is stealing the show.
Atif M Safi tweeted an Instagram photo of the sunset:
The beautiful #sky [10] today at #sunset [11] #cloud [12] #skyviewers [13] #dream_sunset [14] #lifeisgood [15] #godhuli [16] @ Dhaka | ঢাকা http://t.co/2lXbtcz3CW [17]
— Atif M Safi (@Atif_Safi) November 17, 2013 [18]
Others also shared photos of the sky on Twitter:
#Dhaka [19] landscape #Bangladesh [20] pic.twitter.com/yPvGOjxUME [21]
— Ahmede Hussain (@ahmedehussain) November 17, 2013 [22]
Bird of prey… Dhaka Sky #dhakasky [23] (at Nitol-Niloy Tower) [pic] — https://t.co/2ewwpn7CvN [24]
— Simon Templer (@thewickedsaint) November 17, 2013 [25]
Many users uploaded pictures of the #Dhakasky. Global Voices republishes some with permission:
On YouTube, Abhie Zibran shared a video [31] of the sky: