Every year, on the last Tuesday of the Bengali month of Bhadra, the traditional Baluh fair begins in Hazrakhana village, Chougachha upazila, Jashore. This year, the fair will run for 15 days. All preparations for the fair are complete, and administrative permission has been granted for 15 days, said Mizanur Rahman, president of the fair’s organising committee.
Women’s-seat MP Sabira Sultana Munni will inaugurate the fair at 10am on Tuesday (September 15).
Relevant sources said traders from various districts and upazilas have arrived, chosen their spots, and set up shop. The fairground has filled up with all kinds of toys for children. Administrative permission for the fair usually runs five to seven days each year; this year, it has been granted for 15 days.
Chougachha’s traditional Pir Baluh fair has been held on the last Tuesday of Bhadra for more than a hundred years. No one has ever been able to say exactly how old the fair is. Elderly residents of the area say they have heard stories of this fair since their grandfathers’ time.
Fair organisers said speedboats will run on the Kapotaksho river from Mashila Ghat this year. Shops selling various kinds of wooden furniture have also been set up. A tour of the fairground found rides including boat swings, Ferris wheels, jumping rides and slides.
Traders Asadul Islam, Salamat Hossain and Arab Ali, from Manirampur upazila in Jashore, brought wooden furniture to the fair. They said they have been coming to this fair for nearly two decades, selling well and returning home with considerable profit.
The well-known Khokon Bhai’s chotpoti stall from Basundia in Bagharpara, Jashore, has also come to the fair. Shop owner Khokon said sales have been decent so far. Usman Molla of Madaripur brought cosmetics to sell. “It’s the Baluh fair, after all — I come every year,” he said. “I’ve come again this time, and I’m hoping business won’t be bad.”
Bogura trader Liton Hossain has set up a stall with an assortment of children’s toys. He said he expects good business this year. Trader Abu Taher came from Gulistan in Dhaka, bringing blankets to sell.
Market management committee president Mizanur Rahman and general secretary B M Babul Akter said the Baluh fair is a traditional rural fair that has continued for generations. It will be run with the cooperation of villagers and everyone in the area, they said, adding that discussions on this have already taken place.
Local residents, however, have demanded that the fair not become a cover for indecent dancing, gambling, drug dealing or other antisocial activities.
Chougachha police station OC Mamunur Rashid said the Jashore superintendent of police granted conditional permission for the 15-day Baluh fair. Police will be deployed at the fair to maintain law and order, he said, and strict action will be taken against indecent dancing, gambling, drug dealing and other antisocial activities.