A fish fair was held in Bat Tala area at Uthli village in Shibganj upazila of Bogura on Sunday to celebrate the Nabanna Utsab this year.
From early morning till midnight, the fair was bustling with people from all walks of life. Vendors set up stalls displaying various types of fish such as boal, rui, katla, chital, black carp, and many more. In addition to fish, the fair also had stalls selling fresh vegetables, new potatoes, sweets, and children's toys.
It was learnt that this fair is 250 years old. It is held at Bat Tala in Uthli village every year, centering around the Nabanna Utsab. This year was no exception, as the fair was filled with the sounds of buyers and sellers. Since Sunday morning, people from various parts of Bogura had gathered at the fair to buy large fish.
When this correspondent visited the fish fair, it was seen that over 100 stalls were set up in the morning at Bat Tala in Uthli village, with fish ranging from 1 kg to 17 kg in weight. Fish such as a 17-kg black carp, 11-kg katla, 7-kg rui, 4-kg kakla, brighead, bagar, silver carp, chital, boal, and many other types were sold at the fair. The large-sized rui and katla were being sold at Tk 400 to Tk 700 per kg, while chital was sold at Tk 600 per kg. Medium-sized fish were sold for Tk 250 to Tk 400 per kg, and black carp, brighead, and silver carp were sold at Tk 450 to Tk 600 per kg. The ancient Uthli fish fair turned into a reunion for relatives from 22 nearby villages. Manik Mia, a fish vendor from Mokamtala market in Shibganj, said that he sold 17-kg black carp at Tk 800 per kg this year.
Shariful, a resident of Shibganj upazila, said that over a hundred fish stalls were set up at the fair, with each vendor selling at least 5 to 10 maunds of fish. To ensure fish supply at the fair, 20 warehouses were opened at night, where local vendors bought fish in bulk and sold them at retail prices at the fair.
Nishikant Sarker, a retired teacher from Shibganj, mentioned that this fair had been held since the British era. Although it was organized for the Nabanna Utsab, it had become a gathering point for both Hindus and Muslims.
