FAIR & A BOND AT INTERNATIONAL BORDER

Every year Hujur Saheber Mela held annually along the international border with Bangladesh is on 18th February. Mela (that is, Fair) constitutes a unique bridge between the two nations, just near the zero-line on the India-Bangladesh International Border (IBIB) at Chilahati, under Haldibari town/Police Station of Coochbehar district of Northeastern Indian State, West Bengal, where the mausoleum (that is, Mazar) of Pir Hujur Saheb is situated. Even, in times of animosity between the two nations it has acted as a catalyst in bonding people across the boundary. (The only exception was in 2001, when during the border build up after the terror attack on international frontier guard Border Security Force of India (BSFI) by the jawans of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), which has been renamed as Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB), people from across the border could not participate.) Now, in an environment of peace, the event is set to become a famous. There is a lot of enthusiasm among people living across the border. In this connection, BSFI has made extensive arrangements. For it has been a symbol of brotherhood and communal harmony for around 65 years, revealed a BSFI official posted at Indian International Border Out Post (IIBOP). Actually, the mela along with the Akramia Esale Souab (religious meeting) is held in memory of spiritual leader, Hujur Saheb on the fifth and sixth day of the Bengali month of Falgun every-year. People of all sections or casts, creeds, colours, communities and religions gather to the fair. The bulk of visitors come from Bangladesh. It is believed that if one prays for anything with heart and soul, Hujur Saheb fulfils the prayer, evolved a Bangladeshi septuagenarian pilgrim, who comes to pray at Hujurs grave. In fact, the tradition began in the year, 1943 the year Sahi Sufi Khandekar Muhammad Ekramul Haque (popularly known as, Hujur Saheb) passed away. Both Bangladeshi Hindus and Muslims are crossed the IBIB at will and lit candles at the Hujur Sahebs Dargah (that is, Mosque, erected by or on the grave of a Mohammedan saint) to prey for health, rain and good harvest. Our Hujur Saheb was born in 1846 at Punashee Shareef, Kandi, (now) in Murshidabad district of Eastern Indian State, West Bengal (WB). At a very early age, he came to his grandfather Ajijur Rahaman at Jhajhali (now) in Coochbehar district of WB and studied up to class X .., said Muhammad Anisur Rahaman, a resident of Chilahati of Nilfamari district of Bangladesh We enter mostly during the evening, light candles at the Hujur Sahebs Mazhar-e-Sharif (that is, shrine) in the morning, buy food, cloths, others mementos and return, expressed Sayed Fazlul Haque, who does not have any passport but comes every year from district headquarter town Bogura of Bangladesh .. look, the two-day long mela begins at the sprawling ground around the memorial of our beloved Hujur Saheb, which is a blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture. From both sides, approximately 04-lakh to 05lakh numbers of visitor makes deal of about 02-crore to 03-crore rupees through more than 03,000-numbers to 03,500-numbers of shops. Traders from Indian States like Gujarat, Bihar, Assam, Rajasthan sell their wares, from wooden horses to tractors in this fair. Although, the main attraction of the mela are the camels brought from another Indian state, Rajasthan .., claimed the member of the said mela committee, Muhammad Abdul Quadir Sarkar. In spite of the security restrictions in view of the border problems between the two countries, the fair has drawn huge crowds every year. And seeing this, Dr Firoz Alam Beg of district headquarter town Nilfamari of Bangladesh appealed, Devotees from across the border want Government of India to loosen the rules on these particular two days. As an inhabitant of the aforesaid international boundary, I may say, there are so many temples and mosques existed all along the aforesaid international boundary. In our (North Bengal Sector of West Bengal State) area there are around 04-numbers to 05-numbers of these kind of Milan Mela (that is, union fair) occurred each and every year. Of them this union mela of Chilahati village is indeed the oldest one. Further, it has its own history. It is at this time, people of two Bengal (that is, East Bengal and West Bengal. The earlier name of Bangladesh was East Bengal, while the West Bengal is the state of India)s get together and assemble at the aforesaid place village fair. Both sides share their weal and woe with love, respect and intimacy during in this particular festival, mentioned Mansur Habibullah, a local student of the Konamukta village under Sub-Division and Police Station (PS) Dinhata of Coochbehar district. Look, this has happened due to the drawing of an illogical and unscientific arbitrary line by the socalled British Engineer, Sir Cyril Radcliff, who divided the above two nations (India and Pakistan) in the year 1947. Even, after the partition (that is, presently), when (a sections of so-called engineer or official of) the Indian Central Public Works Department (ICPWD) has made the IBWBF without our proper consent, interest, safety, security and measurement! As a result, so many things are today situated or fallen either in No-Mans Land or Zero-line Area and similarly either Indian side or Bangladesh side as well as either outside of the IBWBF or inside of the IBWBF, stated social experts, though the Indian authorities deny the thing or doesnt want to buy this logic at all.
SHIB SHANKAR CHATTERJEE

Huzur Sahaber Mela Is Set To Bring India & Bangladesh Closer

But, it is fact that the Islamic State of Bangladesh, erstwhile East Bengal (that is, locally called Purbo Bango or Purbo Bangla, which later renamed as East Pakistan, locally called Purbo Pakistan [of West Pakistan, known as Poshchim Pakistan] of present Pakistan State) and then Bangladesh (that is, after 16th December, 1971) is closely connected (whether socially, culturally, economically, demographically and ecologically or others) to the Northeastern States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, West Bengal and also with the Mizoram. In 1947, during partition between India and Pakistan, a serious problem had been created, when Sir Cyril Radcliff, the British Engineer, while dividing former Undivided India through drew an arbitrary line and as a result, there were several problems created, which still exist. Even, after the independence of Bangladesh, when the Government of India wants to protect the country (after mounting threat of unabated illegal infiltration, smuggling, anti-Indian activities, fanatic religious fundamental activities and insurgency works) by making or erecting the International Barbed Wire Border Fencing (IBWBF), International Border Bridge (IBB) and International Border Road (IBR), that had been taken up in the year 1986-1987 along the India-Bangladesh International Border (IBIB) that creates also difficulty for the some Indian and Bangladeshi peoples, who live in the IBIB areas and their lands, houses, schools, temples, mosques, playgrounds, shops, markets, and etcetera have been fallen outside of the aforesaid IBWBF.
(Author is former Contributor BBC, The Statesman, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Telegraph, Asia Times & Photographer of AP, AFP & PTI of Northeast India /The writer specialises in South Asia & Indian Northeastern States region Affairs)