Feature



Rubaiya Ahmad

Ever since my graduation, I had been nurturing the idea of returning to Bangladesh. Soon that dream took a backseat to a routine of a 9-5 job and lazy weekends. I finally returned home last year after a decade-long trip to the US. Starved for a vacation, I refused to take up yet another “job” right away and lounged around for almost a year. The calling to do something meaningful was there, but my resources were limited. That's when my good friend in the US also returned with infinite spirit and an amazing idea. Along with some expatriate Bangladeshi youths, she was working on setting up an initiative to identify, document, and create a partnership with innovative grassroots initiatives in Bangladesh.

Through one of the brainstorming sessions for this project, I met Naimuzzaman Mukta. Mukta Bhai, a leading member of a team of 70 eminent journalists in Bangladesh, told us that they have hundreds of such success stories stashed away in their storage. We decided to go through these reports and start making site visits. Our first success story is that of “Maheshwarchanda”, a village in the Jhenaidah district and Kaliganj subdistrict.

When I got on the 7:30 am bus to Kaliganj, I was secretly worried about traveling through such heavy fog and actually making it to our destination. The excitement of exploring a village for the first time in my life was overshadowed by the anxiety of a potentially hazardous journey. Mukta Bhai and I were at the station at 7:00 am. Dr. Gul Hossain, one of the most reputed agricultural scientists, joined us minutes before departure. The journey was rather smooth and painless. We crossed the river Padma by launch. It took us a good six hours to get to Kaliganj, where we had our lunch of mughlai parata and tea. We rented a Rickshaw Van to take us to Maheshwarchanda. This was another first for me. Dr. Hossain and Mukta bhai sat on the front of the van while I carefully sat myself on the back, facing the traffic. We started for the village at around 2:30 pm.

I am embarrassed to admit that up until recently, my idea of rural Bangladesh was profoundly influenced by images fed by BTV drama serials. A humble cottage, a few banana trees, chickens running around and a haystack finished up, this is what I thought to be a village. Poverty and hunger automatically came in mind. This idea started changing long before we even reached the village. Perfectly paved roads, Acres of Lichi trees, Sugar Canes, Mustard crops, countless Fisheries and the abundance of Livestock put my pathetic city existence to shame.

As we entered the village, a 60+ man welcomed us with a big smile and open arms. He was at the time sweeping the streets as though it were the most enjoyable thing to do in the whole world. He wore a watch that didn't work and walked so fast that a 30 yr old was having a rough time keeping up with him. He is Md. Helaluddin, popularly known as “Member”. This man is the Farmers' Leader of Maheshwarchanda village and the protagonist of my story.

Member wasted no time and hurried us to his home where an extravagant meal of “chaal er pitha”, fresh, raw honey and “Khejur er gur er payesh” was awaiting us! I was too busy looking around and admiring the simple yet remarkably clever planning of his home and the land around it. Member's bedroom had no roof. His floral printed mosquito net was neatly tucked away and a very inviting Shitol Pati was showing itself off on his bed. Piles of freshly picked organic eggplants in the kitchen, baby lettuce, Papaya, Boroi in his garden, Aloe Vera, Mint and many other medicinal plants growing somewhere in the back, all of this make Helaluddin a very happy man. “Helaluddin Rani” (Mrs. Helaluddin) proudly declares that her husband writes “boi” every night. I deciphered the meaning of that much later. Helaluddin maintains a journal!

There was a time when Helaluddin was merely a day laborer struggling to make his ends meet. Like many others in his village, Helaluddin was poor, unable to feed his children or find work.

But this 60-year-old has a renewed confidence in the future now. Helaluddin, a worthy disciple of Omar Ali, the main architect of Maheshwarchanda, is now leading the way of “Modern Farming” to help farmers become self sufficient, profitable and independent. Dr. Gul Hossain's scientific expertise and Helaluddin's hard work and innovative vision turned this village into a “model” that others can replicate. Extremely clever land reforming, homemade Vermicompost and natural seeds are just a few of the ingredients of his recipe for success. Once a pitiable farmer, he now shows tremendous pride in what he has done for himself and his community. Helaluddin asks.

“Tumi ki kaaz koro”? I said, “Brac e kaaj kori”. He replies promptly, “Tomago Brac to amader shob dhani beez ar jomi shesh kori disse! Sakri korba koro, desher kawthao to bhabti hobe!”

Helaluddin's words grounded me and made me see where I stood in the big picture. I remembered how at our meetings, we were struggling to find the right expression for getting involved with the grassroots initiatives. The truth is, many of us don't really know anything about who these people are, what they expect from the community and how much they need to be happy!

Maheshwarchanda wants to receive approbation as a role model of success. They want to share how they succeeded in driving hunger and unemployment out through intensification of vegetable production and diversification of income earning in poultry raising, fisheries and vegetable production. They also envision a development of micro-enterprises in the villages, primarily through creating successful female entrepreneurs in producing and selling vermicompost, which can also help diversify the local economy and reduce environmental risks. Bangladesh Golden Agri Seed Associates (BGASA) encourages the rural poor to develop mini and micro seed enterprises, as well asprovides assistance in company formation and small-scale business management. BGASA has been working closely with Maheshwarchanda throughout its journey. It has trained farmers and farmwomen in seed production and assisted network members in obtaining credit from financial institutions. Some trained farmers and farmwomen have now become proficient in vermicompost production. They are now producing vermicompost at household levels and using it for vegetable and rice production with success. These farmers are no longer using chemical fertilizers and pesticides in their fields.

Helaluddin sent us home with a big sack of his garden-grown plump eggplants, two huge pitchers of “Khejur er Goor”, two bottles of fresh “Khejur er rosh” and an immense sense of satisfaction. He rode along with us all the way to the station. We exchanged phone numbers and promised to keep in touch. This is one promise I know I will keep. As we waited for the bus, Mukta Bhai started humming:

“Rakhte jodi apon ghor e
Bishsho ghor e petam na thai
Dujon jodi hoto apon
Hoto na mor apon shobai”.

Rubaiya Ahmad is an IT professional and a volunteer at Bangladesh Golden Agri-Seeds Association (BGASA).

Past cannot bring any joy,
Future cannot show any hope,
Present is nothing but full of pain and pangs.

There is nothing to look back,
There is nothing to look forward,
Life seems to come to a standstill

I sit quietly and wait,
I wait for something to happen,
I wait for someone to come.

Nothing happens, nobody comes,
Day becomes night, night becomes day,
And life remains the same, full of emptiness.

(Writer is a school teacher)