The New Nation - Internet Edition

in the southern coastal area of Bangladesh, where lies a small island called Dhal Chat through which flows River Porir Khal. In Bangla, the name 'Porir Khal' means 'Angel's Canal' and the River sure does live up to its fairytale name.

Life starts early in Porir Khal but the River knows better. It has flown through the souls of fishermen who with their bouts of uncertainties net their hopes. For a long time now, this River has witnessed a drama of the hunter getting hunted and the odds remain at large. Struggling first in the nets of injustice of the fish buyers and then the Nature's fury, the fishermen live deep amidst the silent waters.

Life is indeed hard but there shimmers a ray of hope when the colourful boats make their way back to the ditched surface and the fresh smell of the fish glows upon everyone's faces. The chaos of the morning then settles down but the calm isn't easy. A hectic day retires but there remain scars, each that tells a different tale. The journey thus never seems to end in the Angel's Canal. Or does it? As the dusk dawns, a new day has already started with the knotting of dreams. Will the net show its magic once more? The bouts of uncertainties raise their heads with the moonlit sky.

Life celebrates the next morning as the colourful boats cast their reflection in the troubled waters and the fate bearers set off for the unknown. For the next two to three days, fairy tales replaces the fresh smell of the fish as the story tellers continue to get robbed off their riverside land…perhaps the Angel's Canal will be a fairy tale too. The notion blurs into the misty night of Porir Khal but the fishermen know better. Soil Erosion has already robbed off half of Porir Khal's land. Will the Angel's Canal meet its fate in 10 more years? There are many a questions which are yet to be answered but for now, has the morning broken?

Text: Arpan Shrestha

Photo: Tanzim Ibne Wahab

DrikNEWS