An unusual offering as a last-ditch effort
On Saturday afternoon, thousands of villagers gathered around the banks of the Arial Kha river with a resolve. Over the past few years, erosion caused by the river has intensified, submerging two mosques, a primary school, at least 50 houses, and hundreds of acres of agricultural land.
On the day, right after Zuhr prayers, villagers participated in a milad, went to the river bank adjacent to Aroji Kalikapur Primary School -- under Babuganj upazila of Barishal district --, and poured at least three decks of khichuri into the river.
"We organised the action with a hope to protect the village from erosion," said Mizanur Rahman, a member of Chadpasha union. "Many villagers volunteered to provide 48 kilogrammes of rice, while someone donated money for the other ingredients."
"We spent a little more than Tk 10,000 to buy 30kg lentil, around 40kg vegetable, 10kg hen meat and spices and cooked the khichuri," he added.
Dulal Hawlader, a retired office assistant at Barishal Divisional Office and president of the organising committee, said, "The river is very angry here, eager to devour everything it comes across. We have poured the khichuri with the hope to appease it. If Allah wants, the erosion can be stopped."
This may not make much sense to outsiders, but according to him, there's precedence for this kind of rituals. "Many years ago, our forefathers had appeased the Kirtankhola river at Barishal river port area this way," he said.
Villagers said they had tried many different methods to calm the river down, but none worked. As a last ditch effort, they arranged for the ritual.
However, not all of the khichuri was poured into the river. Around half of it was given away to the disadvantaged in the area.
UNO Amrirul Islam of Babuganj said, "I have not heard of the issue, but we're aware of the river erosion problems in the area. The Water Development Board officials have already visited the area to initiate a river bank protection project immediately."
Comments