The Hilsa Belongs Again
THE hilsa fish has become part of Bengali tradition, indeed an integral component of our culture. Our gastronomic heritage has consistently spoken of the hilsa being one of the great loves of any and every Bengali household. Of late, though, much worry has gone into the high prices people have had to pay for the hilsa. On top of that, the export of the fish, especially to the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal, has sometimes led to grumbling in Bangladesh about the inadequate and therefore pricey availability of the fish in the country. Well, as these images demonstrate and as the statistics tell us, the hilsa has come to us in remarkable abundance this year. In such important spots of the country as Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong, sales of the fish have been encouraging. Even the prices of this gleaming fish have remained within the purchasing capacity of citizens. On the Padma, deep in the Meghna and even through the waves of the Pasur, fishermen have stumbled upon whole, large schools of the fish. Bengalis across the spectrum are delighted. And yet one must deal with the criminality which causes the hilsa, even before it has fully matured into an edible commodity, to be netted, sold and consumed.
Photo: Anisur Rahman, Anurup Kanti Das
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