On the occasion of Nabanna festival, fish fairs are being held in different places of Bogura district. This fish fair is going from early morning till midnight and the fairs are full of people from different walks of life. The sellers arranged the fish dishes of different species including Boal, Rui, Katla, Chital and many more native big fishes.
In addition to fish, children's toy shops along with new potatoes, vegetables and sweets are bought and sold worth several crores of Tk on the occasion of the fair. A fish fair is held every year in Battala of Shibganj's Utholi village around Nabanna festival. This year is not an exception, this fair has become lively with the walk of buyers and sellers. Starting from 1 kg to 22 kg bulk carp, 15 kg weight Katla, Boal, Rui, Katla, Chital, silver carp, brigade carp, various types of fish are sold in this fair. New potatoes are being sold at Tk 200 per kg. In the fair, the large-sized carp fishes were sold at Tk 400 to Tk 800 per kg, while medium-sized fish were sold at Tk 200 to Tk 350 per kg. Apart from this, blackhead, bighead and silver carp fish are sold at the rate of Tk 250 to Tk 500.
Azizul Haque, the organizer of the local fair, said that Utholi fish fair is a tradition of almost 200 years around the Nabanna festival of Sanatan religious people. The festival is organized in the houses of the people of the villages around the fair. In every house the relatives including daughters-in-law are entertained with vegetables bought from Navanna fair including big fish and new potatoes. People of all communities, including men and women from the surrounding districts, come here to shop. Even if they do not come on Eid, relatives come to every house of the village on the occasion of the fair.
Local Nirmal Chandra Dass, Rafiqul Islam and many others said that people from different areas come to see big fish and buy in the fair. On the occasion of Nabanna, there is a fish fair, but other vegetables and other vegetables picked from the land are also arranged in the fair area. In this fair, new potatoes were sold at the rate of Tk 200 per kg. In addition to this, sweet potatoes and saffron (fruit) were sold for 150 to 200 taka per kg. Mokhleshar Islam, a fish trader in Shibganj's Utholi area, said that he sold fish in Gaibandha, this time he sold 22 kg of bulk carp at 17,500 taka in the fair.
Shibganj Upazila Chairman Feroze Ahmed Riju said that all the Hindu Muslim houses in the area, including sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, are invited to the fair. The mood of the festival prevails everywhere in the village.
Meanwhile, fish fairs are held in various places including Mahasthan, Nandigram, Dupchanchia in the district. In the fair, the sellers also set up stalls of various products, including new potatoes, vegetables, sweets, curds, clay toy stalls. A few crores of rupees are sold in the fair
