Palo Bawa festival revives in haor

Sunamganj Correspondent :

‘Palo Bawa Festival’ is part of the tradition of rural Bengal. Although polo in haor or beel was once important for fishing, it is now being lost due to the touch of modernity. To bring back that lost rural tradition, one of the festivals of rural Bengal, fishing with polo, has started in Hail Haor of Srimangal. To join this joy, hundreds of people have come down to the water of Hail Haor and joined the fishing festival with polo. The Polo Bawa Festival is going on in the areas of Charikhal, Bhadali Canal, Garur Dara, Gopala River, Chirabad Ali, Jaiyatar Tack, DoomerBeel, Dori Duva, PaitaraBeel, Kodali Par Beel, AgaruraBeel, in the Hail Haor area of Bhunbari Union of SrimangalUpazila. The Polo Bawa festival is held every year from the month of Agrahayan to the month of Chaitra. This festival is held every week.
On Monday afternoon, when I went to the Jaitar Tack in the Bhunbir area of Srimangal Hail Haor, I saw that hundreds of people from various villages and neighboring areas had come to fish with poles. The sight of them fishing in groups was enjoyable for everyone. They were seen fishing with great joy with towels tied around their heads and waists. Whenever a fish landed on someone’s pole, they would often shout loudly.
They were seen fishing with poles for fish such as Boal, Katla, Magur, Gaghat, etc.
Abdal Mia, who came to fish with a pole, said, “Fishing with a pole is a traditional festival. Since the beginning of winter, people from different villages have been coming to Hail Haor with poles to fish. Poverty has gradually swallowed up the past tradition of this traditional rural festival. Even so, every year in the winter season, we all celebrate the fishing festival together like in the past.”
Majid Mia, who came to fish, said, “We had come here before to play polo, and we came today. Our ancestors have been doing this traditional festival for years. Now we are trying to maintain it. The people who eat the haor have taken a lease on some parts of this haor and have occupied the entire area with nets. Whenever we come to fish with polo, they behave aggressively with us. We are demanding that the haor be freed from fisheries by evicting the illegal occupants from the haor. Once upon a time, there were many fish in this haor. Now, due to these illegal occupants, these fish are almost on the verge of extinction.”
Bangladesh Nationalist Party BNP Jubo Dal Union General Secretary Ahad Nia said, “Many species of fish in the haor are on the verge of extinction today due to some illegal haor hawkers and encroachers. After we gave a written complaint to the administration in this regard, the administration did not take any action. The haor hawkers have surrounded the entire haor with nets. For their own benefit, the breeding of haor fish is being destroyed. As a result, many species of fish are disappearing day by day. We request the administration in this regard. To evict the illegal haor hawkers and free the haor from encroachment.”
SrimangalUpazilaNirbahiOfficer Md. Islam Uddin said, “We have been conducting operations in this regard continuously. We are taking necessary measures against the illegal occupants. And very soon we will free the entire airspace from encroachment.”