'Journeys Within' photo exhibition to launch on Friday 17 June

The three-week ‘Journeys Within’ photography exhibition by accomplished visual artist Shumon Ahmed will launch at the BAGHA Club at 19:00 on Friday 17 June. The images have been taken during Ahmed’s travels through Denmark, the United Kingdom and Bangladesh. They are explorations of the outside world and reflections of the self.

The event will include complimentary finger food. Cheers.

Bring an expat club card to enter.

Shumon Ahmed

Shumon Ahmed is a visual artist from Bangladesh, born in Dhaka in 1976. In spring 2008, he journeyed to Denmark to study photojournalism at the preeminent Danish School of Journalism. In 2009, he graduated in photography studies at the renowned Patshala South Asian Media Academy in Dhaka.

His works have run in print and online publications, and they have been featured in Asia’s biggest biennial photo festival, the Chobi Mela, in 2009, as well as the ‘150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh’ landmark exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London and the Fotomuseum in Zurich in 2010.

Shumon lives in Dhaka, and aside from teaching photography at Pathshala, works freelance while exploring the fusion between video and photography to vividly tell stories that are profoundly private and communal at the same time.

The BAGHA Entertainment Expo 2011 is coming to you on Friday 6 May!

The BAGHA is preparing a massive entertainment expo and wants you there! Restaurants, tour operators, spas, and social groups will be showcasing their services to you in fun and creative ways.

Meanwhile, some awesome entertainers will be putting on one of the great shows of the year! Max Mystel, a magician coming to us from London, will be moving around the venue with his unique blend of street magic, card tricks and comedy.

The phenomenal Pandu White blues ensemble, fronted by Seth Blumberg, a former guitarist for Ike Turner, will be back for what should be another mind-blowing performance.

And finally, the renowned DJ Simon will be there to lead us through the rest of what we hope is an epic evening.

So come on. Sample the exquisite foods of Wasabi. Get your head massaged by reps of the Sawasdee Health Care Spa. Purchase wonderful toys from Pebble. Check out the river cruises with Contic Tours. And then get ready to laugh, dance, socialise and party.

This event is about connecting you with the good times around you. Help us make it big.

The event grounds open at 19:00
Entry is 500 taka
The gate closes at midnight
Entry is for people with expatriate club cards

Announcing BAGHA Unplugged November 2010

Our first Unplugged event in June received an awesome response, with tunes that ranged from the soulful to the upbeat to the positively hilarious. It was so successful that we decided to do it again in August.

We were amazed. More than 150 people came to show their love for great music, great food and cocktails. And so, we are bringing back Unplugged for you on Thursday 11 November.

Expect three hours of music, a two-hour Happy Hour, Tex-Mex barbeque, and a midnight raffle with great prizes. This is pretty much everything you need for a good time. All you need to do is show up early to grab a seat and a table.

To make sure you can be part of the event, we suggest you pick up tickets (on sale from tonight) as soon as possible.

This Unplugged event is particularly special because it is a celebration of the annual, worldwide United Nations “Universal Children’s Day”. The JAAGO Foundation children’s charity has challenged people to organize fundraising events that will help the 280 underprivileged children at the JAAGO School in Rayer Bazar near Dhanmondi.

BAGHA Unplugged November 2010 is our answer to that challenge.

Our Unplugged events are about relaxing, singing, sharing the love of music with friends, and eating food cooked under the stars. There is no simpler, better way to enjoy life.

Don't miss BAGHA Unplugged November 2010.

~Tickets are 400 taka (BBQ separate). Funds will go to the JAAGO Foundation children’s charity.
~Show an expat club card to enter.

3 reasons to join the BAGHA's welcoming community

If you to join a friendly and diverse community, check out the BAGHA Club.

You can swim, use the gym, receive tennis lessons, sip fresh coffee while enjoying the wireless Internet access, read books from our library, chat with the best staff in Dhaka, and mess around with the digital jukebox and karaoke system. You can spend an entire day here and still not get through everything that is on offer!

The great thing about the BAGHA is choice.

Our menu offers something for every kind of good time. Sizzling steaks. Barbeque chicken pizzas. Bacon sandwiches. The best and best-priced frozen daiquiris you will find anywhere. Shawarmas. Fish and chips. And awesome finger foods. This place is a treasure trove of satisfaction.

If you are new to Dhaka, visit the other eight international clubs, too. Check out their facilities. And spend some time getting a feel for each community because each place has its plus points. The Nordic Club is peaceful and offers great food. The British High Commission Club offers a wonderful pool and beautiful grounds.

The BAGHA is busy.

It is lively and exciting. You can meet people right away, which is great if you have just arrived. You can chat freely with fellow members who can help you settle down by pointing you in the right directions. All you have to do is say hello. And just so you know:

we process applications very quickly so you can get involved immediately. People have received their membership cards on the same day they applied! Just bring your EU passport with a visa, cash or chequebook, and two passport photographs. We will review your documents as soon as possible and call you when we have an answer for you.

You should choose a club that fits your wants. And if you want to settle down quickly and meet people easily, the BAGHA may be the place for you.

Think about joining us. Cheers.

- the BAGHA Club

Remember:

The great thing about the BAGHA Club is choice

The BAGHA is busy

We process membership applications very quickly

Announcing unique day trips for BAGHA members

Bangladesh offers some unforgettable entertainment experiences, though finding them can be a challenge because of a lack of info and advertising. To make things easier, we are bringing entertainment to you in the form of day trips. Join us for our first, a sunset cruise with Contic River Cruises, on Saturday 16 October.

For more info about Contic, check out its Facebook page or Wikipedia article. Contic’s flagship is the B613, a luxurious, 92-foot wooden boat that boasts the largest sails in Bengal. For a glowing review about the sunset cruise on the B613, click here.

Vans will pick us up from the BAGHA at 15:00 on Saturday. We will then travel on an hour’s journey eastward to Savar, where we will first enjoy a tour of the Tara Tari shipyard. Some French engineers there will give us a tour and tell us about their groundbreaking work in Bangladesh.

After the tour, we will board the B613. It includes six double cabins, bathrooms, a kitchen, a great roof and an ever greater deck. Over the course of a few hours, you will have a chance to catch a glimpse of river life, watch the sun go down, and, finally, enjoy a fantastic feast.

We will then return to the boat yard, jump back in the vans, and be back at the BAGHA by 21:30.

The sunset cruise is a wonderful experience. Roughly half of the 30 available tickets are already gone, so move fast.

We hope this will be the start of many, many extraordinary day trips. In the meantime, if you are looking for what else is on offer in this beautiful country, we suggest a copy of the Bangladesh: Bradt Travel Guide. It is fantastic. If you are looking for something online, check out the Been There: Bangladesh Facebook page.

Relax, socialise and be active in a safe and welcoming environment

The British Aid Guest House Association (BAGHA) Club was established in 1979. It is a part of the British High Commission estate and proudly serves a wonderfully-diverse mix of EU nationals.

The BAGHA is a place in which members can enjoy sports activities, relax and socialize in a safe and welcoming environment. It is one of nine international clubs in Dhaka and heartily welcomes members from other clubs every day of the week (after 18:30 on Fridays).

If you are interested in membership, please call 881 4644 or email manager@baghaclub.com. We will be happy to help you in any way we can.

Road 44, House 17, Gulshan (behind the back end of the Westin). If you are travelling south on Gulshan Avenue away from the Gulshan 2 intersection, turn right immediately after Movenpick and Fahim Music onto road 44 and go straight for 200 metres. The BAGHA will be on your right side.

Facilities

• all-day restaurant
• swimming pool and paddling pool
• tennis court and tennis instructors
• children’s play area
• second-floor terrace
• air-conditioned bar
• flat-screen televisions for sports events
• library and DVD library
• digital jukebox and karaoke systems
• wireless Internet access

Opening hours

• 06:30 to 23:00 on Sundays to Wednesdays
• 06:30 to 00:00 on Thursdays to Saturdays

Learn about the next big BAGHA idea: Unplugged

In June, we hosted Colours: a film exhibition, barbeque and unplugged music event. The tunes ranged from the soulful to the upbeat to the positively hilarious. It received such a great response that we are hosting something similar again.

So, get ready for Unplugged. This time round, the music will start earlier, and the theme of the barbeque will be Tex Mex. We suggest that you arrive early (around 19:30) for a good seat, as things will get very busy very quickly.

We think we may be on to a winning formula here here. Great food. Great drink. Great music. And a worthy cause to support. If this event works out as well as the last, we will turn these unplugged music nights into regular monthly features, as the demand for this kind of chilled-out entertainment appears to be tremendous.

Once again, tickets are 400 taka (BBQ separate). Funds will go to the JAAGO Foundation children’s charity. Please help us spread the word.