Dhaka, March 22 -- "I'm enjoying an old-fashioned Eid in the village. No electricity since afternoon. Had to buy candles for Iftar after ages -- the candlelight didn't feel too bad," wrote Ataur Rahman, a Dhaka-based journalist visiting his home in Shariatpur on Eid holidays.

The message was tinged with irony, but the frustration was unmistakable.

"My phone is about to die. I called the local Rural Electrification Board official -- he's on Eid leave. Told me to call the complaint centre. No one picks up. This Eid, it's clear -- we're in for trouble."

Posted on the eve of Eid, his words echoed far beyond his village. Across Bangladesh, similar accounts emerged -- of families returning home for celebration only to find themselves in prol...