Korail, nestled in the heart of Dhaka City, is a testament to resilience, hope, and community

strength. It is the home and hope of climate migrants from all over the country. Locally, it
is known as ‘basti’, which in the true sense means settlement, but is more synonymous with
the word ‘slum’. Gazing upon Korail from an external vantage point, one cannot help but
fall victim to the stereotypes associated with slums - poverty-stricken and deprived
surroundings with people living in precarious conditions. When trying to venture into
Korail and delving deeper reveals a nuanced reality, one is faced with the most profound
realization - the pattern of life for a local Dhaka resident does not work within Korail. To
an outsider, it is a labyrinth. It is a microcosm unto itself, akin to a city within a city, with
its own patterns of economic networks and a distinct language of art, recreation, and
cultural narratives. Since its inception around the 90s, it has been self-organizing and has
found innovative ways to solve its own problems. Amid the turbulence of the COVID-19
pandemic, when most were struggling to make ends meet, residents of Korail turned to
urban farming as a means of securing food and income. However, this modest initiative was
unable to sustain when met with the labyrinth of Dhaka city’s governance. The city
authorities soon sought to reclaim the land for commercial purposes and were backed by
residents of surrounding affluent neighborhoods. In the labyrinth of Dhaka’s governance,
the powerful wield influence, constructing barriers that the vulnerable find daunting to
navigate. However, it is a symbiotic relationship; the two labyrinths, Korail and Dhaka are
interdependent and cannot sustain without each other. Korail exists because Dhaka cannot
function without it, as an indispensable cog in the bigger machine. Korail’s residents
provide all kinds of care and technical services to the rest of Dhaka’s residents, which often
go unnoticed and unappreciated. When these services were no longer sought during
COVID-19, Korail’s economic network started to crumble. In order to sustain, both
labyrinths need to acknowledge the need for each other. Settlements like Korail have
existed for decades, but its residents are not dignified with the basic necessities that the rest
of the city enjoys. These settlements are instead ignored and feared by those who hold
power in the upper echelons of Dhaka city. The labyrinth-like nature of Korail is viewed as
a problem, rather than viewing it as an infinite source of possibilities and inspiration for
countless stories. As a result, these stories haven’t made way to try to reform Dhaka City’s
current governance system. Yet, within this discord lies the seeds of possibility, awaiting
cultivation and nurturing of the dream of an equitable society.