Journey Through Bangladesh

Sunamganj

Baul Roundabout

A roundabout on Sylhet-Sunamganj highway is going to be named after its famous son Shah Abdul Karim. The roundabout is going to feature 2 red ochre cloth-wearing bauls with Dotara and flute on hands. Twelve lakh taka will be spent for the structure on a plot of thirty feet space. Everyone feels the structure would help paying homage to the great baul of the area.
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Iqbal Siddiquee

Photo Credit: Nasir Ali Mamun

The Sunamganj Zila Parishad authority has taken up a programme to build a memorial of the late great bard Shah Abul Karim on the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway's Madanpur point, a road stretches to the home-upazila of the great baul. It would be named 'Baul Samrat Shah Abdul Karim chattar'.

Coming from village home in Derai upazila, Shah Abdul Karim often used to wait at the Madanpur point on Sylhet-Sunamganj highway for transportation towards Sylhet or to Sunamganj.

A design of the physical structure for the memorial with 2 red ochre cloth-wearing bauls with Dotara and flute on hands has already been prepared and it is about to be approved from the Local Government & Rural development ministry very soon. The officials are hopeful of completing construction of the structure by December.

It will be the first structure in the district as a mark to pay homage to the nationally famed great baul at his home district. The Roads and Highways department has already given their consent for using the roadside place for the memorial, Sunamganj Zila Parishad officials informed.

About Taka 12 lakh would be spent for the structure on a plot of 30 feet space. The bard's only son Shah Nur Jalal on behalf of his family members expressed his satisfaction at the initiative in memory of Shah Abdul Karim. It would help paying homage to the lamented son of the soil, they feel.

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