Green fields line both sides of the road, and among the green leaves rows of red water lilies are in bloom. From a distance it looks as if a red sheet has been spread across the green.
The sight can be seen beside Chhoto Moheshpur village on the Nawabganj-Birampur road in Nawabganj upazila, Dinajpur. The red lilies flowering in the roadside ditch catch the eye of passers-by.
Many stop at the sight of such natural beauty beside a busy road. Some stand for a while to enjoy it; others record the scene on their mobile phones.
Some local young men said that about three years ago a few youths of the village built a bamboo platform over the water of the ditch to sit and rest on in their spare time.
Later, to make the spot more attractive, they planted water lily seedlings there and began tending and looking after them regularly. That small effort gradually turned into a pond full of red water lilies.
They said the ditch fills with rainwater in the monsoon, and in the dry season water used to irrigate Boro paddy fields drains into it. Because there is water for most of the year, the red lilies bloom all year round.
Passer-by Sabuj Islam said: “You don’t often see so many water lilies by the road. Standing here for a while enjoying the flowers fills the mind with peace. This unusual effort by the village youths truly deserves praise.”
Through the small initiative of local young men, an ordinary roadside ditch has become a place of calm for passers-by. The red water lily pond of Chhoto Moheshpur shows how much good a joint effort to protect natural beauty can do.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report