Playing 'Sampan' in the kingdom of flowers
Winter afternoon. The clock struck four. The sun is slowly moving towards setting. Thousands of people are roaming around a huge lake. Five sampans decorated in different colors including red, blue, white and yellow are floating on one side of the lake. Just finish what! There are middlemen too. Everyone is waiting for the whistle. In the meantime, the whistle suddenly sounded. The Sampan race began. With the clattering sound of Baitha, the sweaty pilgrims are walking down the streets, calling out 'Here, Haiyore'. The aim is to first touch the north bank by going around the south bank of the canal.
On Saturday (February 3) afternoon, the legendary Sampan Race competition of Chattogram was organized for the first time at Faujdarhat DC Park on the outskirts of the city.
The competition was scheduled to start at 3 pm but started an hour late at 4 pm. Five teams participated in it. Starting from the north bank of the park pond, try to turn to the south bank and touch the north bank again. The sampan beach ended with six midgets in each of the five sampans sweating it out in less than an hour.
When the people of Chattogram say sampan, the Karnaphuli river floats in their eyes and Shefali Ghosh's song "Man hachara majhi tor sampanat chattaman...", "Ore shampanwala tui amare karli diwana...". This sampan has an inherent relationship with Chattogram. Sampan is still running across the Karnaphuli river here. But now that sampan is on the verge of extinction due to the influence of mechanical boats and speedboats.
In order to introduce the traditional vehicle Sampan to the new generation, this time DC Park has organized the Sampan Race by the district administration.
Abhay Mitra Ghat Sampan Samiti won the first place, Ichanagar Bangla Bazar Ghat Sampan Samiti won the second place, Charpathar Ghat Brijghat Sampan Chalak Kalyan Samiti got the third place. Besides, Ichanagar Sadar Ghat Sampan Tempu Malik Samiti and Karnaphuli Nadi Sampan Machi Kalyan Samiti Federation team participated in the competition.
Member of the winning team Didar said the Sampan Race competition started in 2000 in the Karnaphuli river. A few years have passed in between. Meanwhile, the district administration has recently organized such a competition at DC Park. We are very happy. We want this game to be organized more in the future. Let our next generation know.
Subhash Das of the same party said, we are happy. We can play such races every year if the Deputy Commissioner cooperates with us.
Sampan owner leaders who came to Sampan Race demanded to protect the ghat. President of the Sampan Association Abul Islam told Barta24.com that they said big millionaires and industrialists are taking over our ghats. Our sailors are in a lot of trouble. If this goes on, the sampan will rise from the river. Our heritage of Chattogram is fulfilled. Everyone is taking us to Ghat by post. We want them to be given their due. City Corporation directs a boat to the leaf ghat.
Sampan Race is seen by the visitors coming to see the flower festival. At this time, they called to retain this tradition of Chattogram. Many others are excited to see Sampan play live for the first time. People from all walks of life regardless of children, teenagers, men and women, old people come to enjoy this race in DC Park and rejoice.
Abdur Razzak, a student of City College, came to DC Park with his friends from Agrabad in the city. Sampan Race came to see the flower festival. When asked to know, he told Barta24.com, "I came to visit and saw the traditional Sampan Race of Chattogram going on. I like it very much. This game should be retained.'
The visitor from Karnaphuli said the same thing to Mohammad Rajan. He said, Sampan Race is a very old traditional game. It is almost lost. Thanks to the Deputy Commissioner for bringing back such a tradition. I wish that this kind of game happens again and again.
Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman told Barta24.com that our month-long flower festival is going on at DC Park. Along with that flower festival, today we organized the traditional Sampan Race of Chattogram. This Chattogram used to be the Sampan Race. Now it has reduced a lot. We hope to have a Sampan Race every year at DC Park in Chattogram from now on. We also organized the Sampan Race in Karnaphuli river last year.
He also said, besides, we are going to make a boat museum of a thousand years. Where Bengal has different types of boats, 15 old boats are on display. We are hoping to build a museum called Bangla Boat Museum in Chattogram in future where more than 100 boats of Chattogram will be housed.
Incidentally, a month-long flower festival is going on at DC Park in Chattogram. This year's flower festival is decorated with lakhs of trees of 127 species of flowers from the country and abroad. Around this festival, there are various events including book fair, pitha festival, kite festival. Every time people become popular it becomes a DC park.