The riverside poor earn their livelihood by cultivating 'meley' (one kind of grass used in making mat) on the bank of the river and making mats with those.

Every year, thousands of mats made from meley plants find their way to adjoining Jhenidah, Kushtia, Razbari, Faridpur and even to Dhaka, the villagers told this correspondent during a visit to the area.

Poor housewife Kajal Rekha first cultivated meley on the river bank and made mats from the dried plants. Her innovation has helped many to add some bucks to their poor income. This has changed their lot.

The landless families are now better off by cultivating meley plants and using it in a diversified way. Locally, the mat is called 'pati'.

Kajal Rekha was married to day-labourer Gour Adhikari about 16 years back. They had bad days, which still haunt their memory.

"My elder daughter had to work as a domestic help at a house in Magura town. Fortune smiled on us when my father suggested me to cultivate meley and to make mats with those for sale".

Kajal said she brought some seeds from her father's house sowed those on the bank of Fatki river about eight years back. When the seeds sprouted, she with the help of her husband planted the seedlings on the same land. They cultivate meley plant in the Bangla month of Agrahayan and harvest twice after sowing the seeds once.

Mat-making with meley plants is a simple process. Only a locally made tool called 'shan-machine' is needed. It costs only Tk 300, Kajal said while making mat.

A big size mat costs Tk 35 to 40 and it is sold at Tk 85 to 90 while a smaller one costs Tk 20 to 25 and sold at Tk 55 to 60.

Every Saturday, Kajal supplies mats to wholesalers who come to their house from Jhenidah, Kushtia, Rajbari, Faridpur and Dhaka.

"Today I earn around Tk 6,000 per month. My two daughters now go to school", she said. They have already built a tin-shed house with the earnings.

Kajal's success inspired other families in the village who also started meley cultivation and making mats. Around 150 families are now involved in the business.

Parul Adhikari, another housewife in the village, said in last eight years she made her livelihood by selling mats made from of meley plants.

Gurudash, father of one son and three daughters, said he is better off by following Kajal's advice. He has been involved in the work for about three years. He has been able to make a tin-shed house with the earnings by selling mats.