Fishermen struggling in rivers, beels joyless at Durga festival

PHULBARI, KURIGRAM,  Oct 14: Hundreds of fishermen family members in Phulbari Upazila of Kurigram, a district close to the northern border of the country, are making a living with great hardship by catching fish in rivers, canals and beels.

Despite pulling nets in the river from dawn to dusk, they are not getting enough fish. After fishing all day, each person earns only Tk 200 to Tk 300. In a market of rising prices of daily essentials, they are struggling to run their families with this small income. As a result, the dream of buying new clothes or eating good food with family members during Sharadiya Durga Puja remains unfulfilled for many.

Visits to Naodanga, Bhabhita, Phulbari and various other unions of the upazila showed that while preparations for Durga Puja are under way all around, these fishermen living on the banks of the Dharla and Baromasia rivers are spending their days in search of a livelihood.

For them, the thought of arranging two meals a day has become bigger than the joy of the festival. Even on puja days, they have to go down to the river with nets, catch fish, and run their families with the money from selling that fish.

Meanwhile, even as the puja festival approaches, for these fishermen families burdened by livelihood uncertainty and financial crisis, the struggle to run their families has become bigger than joy.

According to them, they have demanded that government and private initiatives stand by these helpless families at this festive time, so that at least some smiles can appear on the faces of family members during the puja days.

Recently, while fishing in the Dharla River of Phulbari Upazila, this correspondent spoke with Bishwanath Biswas, 75, a resident of Kutichandrakhana Village of Sadar Union.

When asked about preparations for Durga Puja, he heaved a sigh and said, “Do the poor have the joy of puja, brother! I cannot even run my family. When arranging two meals a day is difficult, how will I buy new clothes for puja? Where will I get the money?”

Despite the burden of age and various adversities, Bishwanath is catching fish in the river, carrying the responsibility of supporting his family on his shoulders. His family includes his wife and other members.

As he cannot find work in farming, he is compelled to fish all day in the sun. Sometimes he does not even get lunch. He has to run his family somehow with the small amount of money from selling fish. Although he wishes to eat good food and wear new clothes during puja, he sees no hope of fulfilling that wish amid financial crisis.

Krishna Chandra Biswas of the same area said, "The four of us went out to catch fish around 9am. Sometimes we do not even get lunch. Fishing all day in the river, we get two and a half to three kilograms of local fish. Some days we get two kilograms, other days around four kilograms. We have to run our families by selling this fish."

About the joy of Durga Puja, he said, "The joy of puja belongs to the rich. We poor fishermen struggle just to run our families. There, the joy and festivity of puja do not fall to our lot, brother."

Aminul Islam, 50, a fisherman of the same group from Chandrakhana area, said they have been fishing together for five to six years. Fishing is their main means of livelihood. There is no scope to stop fishing even during puja to meet family expenses. Even on festival days, they have to go down to the river out of the need to earn a living.

More than two hundred families living in Gorokmondol fisherpara of Naodanga Union in Phulbari depend on fishing for their livelihood. According to locals, about 60 to 70 of these families are helpless. Some families are passing their days amid extreme financial crisis.

Fisherman Aychan Biswas said he has to run his family somehow even after fishing all day in the Baromasia River with a boat. He has been passing his life through the same hardship year after year. Even during puja, there is no festive mood in his family.

He said, even during the puja festival, my day passes like any other day. I have to fish in the river with a boat all day. All the money is spent just running the family. There is nothing called the joy of puja in the family.

Fisherman Dinesh Chandra Biswas does not have his own net either. He has to depend on others' nets or equipment to catch fish. As a result, he does not get the full amount from his fishing income.

Khagendra Chandra Biswas, 75, of the same area said, "It is difficult just to make a living. On top of that, I dream of new clothes and good food on the occasion of puja. But for families like ours, fulfilling that dream is difficult."

Tapan Chandra Biswas and Ripon Chandra Biswas, leaders of the Naodanga Union fishermen's organisation, said more than two hundred families in Gorokmondol area alone are involved in the fishing profession. In the entire union, the number of fishermen families is more than two and a half hundred. Among them, more than a hundred families are in an extremely helpless condition.

According to them, the income of fishermen has fallen due to the decline in fish in rivers and canals. As a result, many families are struggling even to meet their daily needs. They have demanded government and private assistance to stand by these helpless families.

Sukumar Sen and Birendra Nath Ray, Convener and Senior Joint Convener of the Phulbari Upazila Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Welfare Front, said their organisation has no allocation to provide new clothes or financial assistance to helpless Hindu families on the occasion of Sharadiya Durga festival. However, they think it would be positive if anyone stands by helpless people through personal initiative.

Kartik Chandra Sarkar, President of the Phulbari Upazila branch of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, said there is no special assistance arrangement from the organisation for helpless Hindu families on the occasion of Durga Puja. However, he has been assisting several families through personal initiative for some years. But he has not yet decided whether he will distribute anything this year.

Hafizur Rahman, Fisheries Officer of Phulbari Upazila, said the total number of fishermen families in the upazila is 1,297. Of them, the number of Hindu fishermen families is 590.

He said as Phulbari is not included in the hilsa zone, fishermen here do not get the special government assistance allocation during the hilsa harvesting ban. Except for Bhurungamari, Phulbari and Rajarhat upazilas of Kurigram District, other upazilas are under the hilsa zone. 

He said registered fishermen in those areas are given 25kg of rice each under specific programmes.

Dilara Akter, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Phulbari, said there is no special government allocation for helpless Hindu families in the upazila on the occasion of Sharadiya Durga festival.