The Brazilian clique on Bangladesh's paddy fields
At first sight they seem like regular land workers toiling to make their living. Upon closer inspection however, this group of 15 men, hailing from villages such as Laxmanpur, Koranipara and Dolua villages under Bangalipur union of Saidpur upazila, have something special about them.
Cloaked in the unmistakable yellow and green of the Canarinho, these men are die-hard fans of the Brazilian national football team who wear those yellow and green t-shirts as they work on boro paddy fields from dawn to dusk, a sight to behold in their relatively desolate locality.
The group are enthusiastic football fans and as their beloved country is a long distance off from playing in the biggest tournaments of the world, they have turned to the South American nation to satiate their love of football.
Around noon on Sunday, this correspondent found the group at work on the paddy fields and had the chance to speak to their leader, Moksedul Islam.
The 28-year-old said that after wrapping up their work by the evening, the group usually enjoyed sports programmes on television while sitting at the local tea stalls or youth club.
He also provided some insight as to how this group's love for Brazil developed.
“We enjoyed the 2014 FIFA World Cup matches on TV and were impressed to see the magical performances of the Brazilian footballers and that turned us into passionate Brazil fans.”
Moksedual added that they had bought the yellow and green t-shirts to display their support for Brazil at Tk 120 each from the Saidpur Railway Market and wore them to work everyday.
“It is mandatory for all of our group members to wear the t-shirts. If anybody fails to do it, he will be excluded from the group for the day,” he added.
Not only are they fans of the team, but this correspondent found that they could fluently pronounce the names of stars such as Neymar and Coutinho.
One of the labourers, Abdul Kader, said that the dress code gave them extra energy and they could do additional work on 7-8 bighas of land and earn a total of six-eight thousand taka daily.
The money is shared equally and an amount in deposited to bear common expenses in the group, such as paying the bill at the tea stalls or lending money to members in times of need.
Even farm owners are keen to employ the group as they work in a jubilant mood, sometimes singing songs, and complete the work efficiently while creating a striking view for passers-by.
“We are poor and like to hide our sorrows by creating a cheerful and exciting situation,” added Moksedul.
Chairman of Bangaliapur union parishad Pronobesh Chandra Roy said that the Brazil-supporting day labourers were honest, hard working and sporting and had gained love and respect from everyone around them.
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