Drishtipat Blog

By Priscilla Raj

[Editorial note: Priscilla set off to find the real impact of price rise in the most poverty stricken region of Bangladesh -- the extreme Southern part of the country in the remotest of chars. This series, the partial cost for which is being borne by this blog, is a reflection on that trip. Hope you will find this series, the first of which is being published today, to be interesting and fascinating as this is a part of the country whose voice is often unheard in our conversations ]

To the Extreme South

I had been wondering how people are coping with the present price hike. Every day each of the daily life commodities - rice, flour, puffed rice, pressed rice, oil, vegetables, sugar, milk - is getting ever expensive. When any fuss about lowering of price of any commodity is heard, it is only about reducing one or two taka per kg or litre. One day an old woman begging told me that she could not buy rice for several days because she did not get enough alms. In such families people usually buy rice or other bare necessities on daily basis. What she told meant that either her family did not eat rice for the days they failed to procure or ate insufficient. I thought if that is the case in Dhaka what is the situation in the remote parts of the country? Already there are rumors that a silent famine has started in certain pockets of the country. I am not an extensive newspaper reader; still I have a feeling that there might be a lack of on-the-whole scenario of the country from which we can understand how people are plying through their life in present time. I felt that traveling several corners of the country may give me a better picture. I had started my journey from Dhalchor, the southernmost island of the country under Bhola, the island district.

I had almost an opposite picture in Dhalchor though.

We had started for Dhalchor on February 17 (2008). The route was from Bhola to Char Fashon by bus. From there to Dakhkhin Aicha also by bus. From there to Char Kachchapia by rickshaw. From there to Dhalchor by boat. Afjal, the local young journalist accompanied me. Our bus started from Bhola bus stand at seven in the morning. A ten-minute break on the way for breakfast and reached Char Fashon little past ten. Char Fashon is an Upazila of Bhola district. Dhalchor is an island under Char Kukrimukri of Char Fashon Upazila.

Char Fashon was at one time an island separate from Bhola island. All these big and small islands are in the mouth of Meghna River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. Silt deposition over the years has joined some of the islands like Bhola and Char Fashon. So you don’t have to cross any river to go to Char Fashion from Bhola.

An afternoon at Char Kachchapia

The rickshaw from Dakhkhin Aicha to Char Kahchapia treads on the embankment built to save the island from the erosion of the Meghna River. The shimul blossoms had spread the patches of spring vermillion among the green and grey of the trees and the human habitats. We had reached the tiny anchorage at Kachchapia at quarter past noon. The boat to Dhalchor has already left by quarter past eleven followed by the next trip at three in the afternoon. The long dusty journey had somewhat exhausted us. It was a thick neighborhood full with houses and shops. Bangladesh is no more a place for the hermit. Even at the farthest corner of the country you will feel the stifling weight of its population. We walked in the gangway like path of the Char, had tea, talked with the people. We had found in the tea-stall sugar-sweet bananas that were ripen straight in the tree and not by the sprinkled hormone or other artificial ways followed for the big, commercial urban markets.

Not only Char Kachchapia or Char Fashon, the whole of Bhola depends largely on the fishing blessed by the Bay of Bengal and Meghna River. The atmosphere of the area gave an impression of an ongoing, if not thriving, economy able to provide living for its population in one or other way. The price of the cheapest rice is thirty taka but most people could buy it because they have increased the rate of their respective trades. One example is the rickshaw fare. We had paid 10 taka per person to come to Char Kachchapia from Dakhkhin Aicha. One rickshaw puller said it was five taka per person even a year ago. The rate of day-laborer has also increased. But what happened to those whose pay didn’t increase? They are probably the service holders or those who have lost or in process of losing their occupations owing to different factors. In this journey we have not met them.

I sat on a stone waiting for the boat to come. A middle aged peasant asked me why I was going to Dhalchar. Our conversation shifted to the price hike. Shahid the peasant was from Char Patila, one of the three and the smallest islands under Char Kookri Mookri Union. Patila is probably the poorest and with less population than the rest two islands. Shahid complained that rice was sold at a shocking 40 taka per kg at Patila. People gathered around us and participated in our conversation. Somebody said that it was not the case. Shahid corrected himself by informing that the price reduced now at 35 taka per kg. At that time rice was sold at 30 taka per kg in Char Kachchapia and the adjacent areas. Someone from the crowd commented that the carrying cost might cause the price increase at the distant islands. I remembered that in Dhaka government was selling rice at 25 taka per kg at the concession shops. It was an opposite situation from the earlier days when food materials like rice sold cheaper in the villages than in the urban areas. I asked Shahid if they had complained to the authorities about the prices. “Who would go to those big men for making complaints? Time is not good now. Who would risk ending up behind bars? I can come close to you because you are my mother,” he said.

Anwar Hossen the rickshaw puller informed that for last one year they were buying the rubber tube for the rickshaw-wheel at 270-280 taka which was 150-160 before. He also informed that the ruin of Aman rice by the Cidr has contributed to the price hike.

Amidst the sea in a toy

The boat came at last. It’s a trawler with the shallow engine. Not many passengers boarded for the afternoon trip. Shopkeepers took stock of biscuits, breads, matches and other daily commodities. Big chunks of ice were taken from the ice-mill of Kachchapia for the fish arat, i.e. the wholesale centers. These two morning and afternoon trips are the lifeline of Dhalchor. Soon the boat crossed the Kachchapia Canal to fall into the Meghna River. It’s a sea. For nearly an hour there was nothing but the endless expanse of water, calm though in these last days of winter. How does this tiny boat ply through this water during monsoon? I felt almost sick with fear.

Some basic information about Dhalchar

From some government documents I have learnt that Dhalchar is quite an old island although human habitat started not before several decades ago. In older days thundering roars were heard by the coastal inhabitants from this island. They called it “the sound of the Shahbajpur cannon,” after the legend of some Mughal general. The scientists refer to some particular combined factors of the sea, wind and land for the sound. Later with the changes of the nature the sound was heard no more.

It was evening when we landed on Dhalchar. A land of boats - was my instant reaction at the sight of numerous boats of so many sizes scattered round the island. Accompanied by Bashir Jamidar, the UP member who came in the same boat we came to a hotel. “This is the five-star hotel of Dhalchar,” said somebody as we sat.

Master Anisur Rahman who had joined our table teaches in the local Dakhil Madrassah and a UNICEF school for the pre-primary children. We got some basic information about Dhalchar from him with reference to different government offices. The island has human habitat on little more than 1200 acres of land. The rest has been under forest department where forest has been created. In 2001 the island had about 10,000 inhabitants. Many inhabitants in the island are the victims of river erosion in the nearby localities. Fishing or fishing related occupations are the livelihood of most people. The land is sandy and salty and so not very suitable for cultivation. Only one crop is done during the monsoon when the level of salt reduces in the soil as the flow of sweet water rises in the river.

From the government only the forest department has an office in Dhalchar. The whole island is divided in three wards under the Union Council having three members and one female member. Of the NGOs there are COAST and Shebak which are operating micro credit and other programs, UNICEF school for the pre-primary children under its Ananda Program, Red Crescent society doing relief programs. There are no NGOs formed exclusively by the local people as we see nowadays in other places of the country.

to be continued