This is the audio of a street vendor in the streets of Dhaka. These kinds of vendors open their shops after the sun sets, around 6 pm, and usually stay on the street as late as 10:30 pm. They set up small stalls beside the street and advertises their products over loudspeakers. The night sounds of the streets of Dhaka are filled with car horns and loudspeakers of such vendors. These vendors try to attract commuters and other office workers who leave their offices to return home. They sell a wide variety of products, especially men’s items such as wallets, moneybags, keyrings, cologne, hair gel, and hair oils. The most interesting part about these vendors is that they make wild exaggerated claims about their products. For example, the man in the picture is selling small containers of perfumes. He is claiming that the perfume contains special chemicals that can keep the person wearing it happy throughout the day. Wearing the perfume will help solve any family arguments or quarrels. There are other vendors selling wallets claiming that their wallets are completely theft-proof, and vendors selling hair oils claim that their oil can give a bald person dense bushy hair in just a week. Because the vendors sell their products on the streets, they do not actually have to rent out stores or pay any sort of taxes on their sales. So, they sell their products at very cheap prices. This attracts a lot of customers who are looking to buy cheaper alternatives of the products which they cannot afford from the local shops.

Recording, photgraphy, and description by Rahabar Mahmud