Welcome of sons-in-law in fish fair
Fairs are one of the means of entertainment from time immemorial in the villages of Bengal. The fair is held on a specific date in the year. The people of the village are waiting for it all the year round. At the fair, everyone got excited. Different types of ‘pithas’ are made at home. Relatives are invited. Especially the sons-in-law of the area. The sons-in-law were welcomed with the fish of the fair. One such interesting fair is called Kurikhai Mela.
Kurikhai Mela, the biggest hundred year old tradition of the district, is going on in Katiadi of Kishoreganj. The fair started from last Monday February 8. The fair will last for 10 days. The fair is being held at Kurigai, a rural village within 3 km from Katiadi Upazila Sadar. Enthusiasm is prevailing in 50 surrounding villages around the fair. Fair stalls are set up across an area of about five acres.
The main attraction of this fair is the son-in-law and wife fish fair. There is a custom that sons-in-law of 40 villages buy fish from this fair. According to the custom of the area, the sons-in-law come to visit his father-in-law's house during the fair. They will go to the father-in-law's house only after buying the best and biggest fish from the fair. That is why traders from different parts of the country are sitting in the fair premises with fish stalls. There is a silent competition among the sons-in-law over who will buy the biggest fish and take it to the in-laws' house.
There are different kinds of big fish in the fair. A big shapla fish has grown in it. Price Tk. 56 thousand. The price of a ‘boal’ fish has risen to Tk. 46,000. Rui fish Tk. 40 thousand. There is also a huge collection of many species of fish.
Jaglul Hakim (65), son-in-law of the area, came from Dhaka to buy fish at the fair. He said, I bought a ‘boal’ fish for Tk. 35 thousand. The price of fish seems to be a little higher to match.
Thousands of people are descending on the fair. Apart from sweets, toys, sweets-mandas, firni-batasa, binni khai, the fair also attracts a large number of people at entertainment venues including circuses, puppet shows and Nagar Dola. People of different classes and ages are coming to the fair. Children are also coming to the fair holding the hands of adults. Everything at the fair has become interesting, the fish market sitting at the fair.
Visiting on the spot, it is seen that people of all ages are flocking to the fair. The fish market was the most crowded. There was also a crowd of boys and girls in the carousel. High prices of goods have been noticed in the fair. The reason, traders say, is that the committee has to pay to get the place. This has an effect on the price of goods. The shopkeepers are raising the prices as they wish. There is no one to supervise. Jasim Mia (30) came from Belabo with a cosmetics shop. He said that he had to pay Tk.3600 to get 6 hands. Aslam Sheikh from Natore district brought the hotel to the fair. He said he had to pay Tk. 8,000 to get a 20 cubic feet place.
Moinuzzaman Apu, general secretary of the fair committee, said, "We have no field of our own to organize the fair." The fair has to be organized with rent from the land owners. There are also incidental costs. The money was taken from the traders. However, extra money is not taken. I am happy that whatever is given is taken.