The last call
The last call
“This could be the last talk between us. I may go out of network soon. We have to go deeper into the sea for a better catch” -- this is what Mohammad Rahim told his wife Soma over the phone on Thursday night, only hours before his fishing vessel capsized in the Bay.
“He told me laughingly, 'I might not be able to see you again,' and I mildly scolded him for saying that,” Soma told this correspondent yesterday afternoon as her wait at AK Khan Ghat in Chittagong was growing longer with no update on the fate of 26 fishermen missing in the capsize.
The 22-year-old is pregnant with her first child and had come from Bhola's Lalmohon soon after hearing the news.
But it's neither the exhausting wait nor the general sickness that was worrying her. She was sobbing because her husband's joke was nearing a cruel truth with every passing moment.
Rahim, 25, was on FV Bandhan when a merchant ship hit it at Elephant Point in the Bay causing the fishing vessel to turn turtle around 30 nautical miles northwest off the Saint Martin's Island around 3:10am. Three of the 29 crew were rescued by a nearby fishing trawler. One of the rescued later died. Navy ships and choppers were scouring the area for the missing.
There were many like Soma at AK Khan Ghat in Banglabazar area, waiting for news of their dear ones still missing.
Ripon was holding a photograph of his brother Moktadir Billah, captain of the capsized vessel.
"My brother became father of a baby girl only 24 days back, 13 years after his marriage," Ripon said.
Moktadir called on his wife's phone around 9:00pm on Thursday and inquired about his child.
"He wanted to host a grand feast on his return from the voyage to celebrate the occasion. But everything is doomed now,” Ripon said staring blankly at the sea in front.
Shefali Das was squatting on the ground and wailing. Her fisherman husband Hari Jaladas signed up for the voyage just four days after their daughter's marriage.
“My daughter's Jamai Bhata [a post-wedding rite] was scheduled for last Friday. And on Thursday night, my husband over the phone asked me if the arrangements were done properly,” said the 48-year-old.
“The news [of the capsize] came to us when we were preparing to begin the ceremony on Friday morning,” said Shefali, a resident of Jelepara in East Madarbari area of the port city.
Four more people -- Badal Jaladas, Ranjit kumar Das, Md Elias and Al Amin -- from her neighbourhood were missing in the capsize. Of them, Elias and Al Amin are cousins.
Visiting the ultra poor fisherman neighbourhood, this correspondent found Al Amin's elder brother Belal.
"My 18-year-old brother was jobless. Our cousin Elias found a vacancy in the fishing company and got him the job only eight days ago. Al Amin knew it was a risky job and did not want to join," said Belal.
"But we are too poor to let him stay out of work any longer. So, we were forced to send him to the sea.
"It was his first time in the sea. Perhaps the last time too," Belal managed to say before his voice choked.
Five of the missing crewmen -- Rabiul Awal, Md Monir Hosen, Md Jahir, Abdus Sattar and Habib Ullah Kaiser -- were from Kachua and adjoining areas in Chandpur.
Rabiul's elder brother Sohag said his brother phoned him on Thursday night and asked him to recharge his cell phone balance.
“Please send me the recharge quickly. I want to talk to others before I go out of network,” Sohag quoted his brother as saying on the phone.
"This was his last request. My brother will never want anything from me," Sohag said before he burst into tears.
Not just Sohag, relatives of most of the missing fishermen were struck with despair by yesterday evening.
As if they had started to believe that the missing were dead by now, they said they wanted to get back the bodies at least.