There is sea salt all around and greenery in the middle. Small waves scattered on the shore, splattered oysters scattered on the sand, occasionally red crabs coming out of the holes. The breeze blows from the side of the sea and blows to the side. Naturally, the island is called Kutubdia. The words are not enough for describing the beauty of this 216 square kilometers island. Kutubdia is an upazila under Cox’s Bazar district. Last Saturday, December 30, 2016; was the centenary of the Kutubdia Police Station. The whole island wore a festive look the whole day. Upazila administration organized national anthem, rally, discussion meeting and cultural evening. The participation of ordinary people at the event was eye-catching.
The event became more fascinating in the service of “Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan”. On that day, we were overwhelmed by the love of Kutubdiyas towards the local culture of rural Bengal.
Although there was a program on the 30th of December, we started on the 25th of December. Upazila Executive Officer Mr. Sujan Chowdhury Sir sent the car under his supervision and took us from Chittagong University. The car stopped near the Kutubdia channel. From there we crossed the channel by boat. We found two more cars waiting for us there on Kutubdia Island.
We got up in the car and the car took us to Kutubdia police station. We got a warm welcome and love from UNO sir, OC sir and their family from the car. UNO Sujan Chowdhury sir made our overall inquiry while we were drinking tea. From there, we reached Kutubdia’s luxurious hotel ” Samudra Bilash”.
After we got refreshed from the hotel, we went to the beach to eat dinner. As the waves came to our feet we forgot about the fatigue of the long 4 hour journey. About an hour and a half, the salty air of the sea, we returned to the hotel and then went to sleep. When the sun was rising in the morning, the beauty of the island became more and more revealing. We got up early and got breakfast. Then we went to Kutubdia Adarsh School, and saw several students of that school already there. They were waiting for us, just minutes after we arrived; they made a stage with stools & tables for our rehearsal. Then the rehearsal went on for hours. In the meantime, UNO sir and OC sir inquired & assured us that they are also with us in any need.
We had breakfast at UNO sir’s house and lunch at Kutubdia Police Station. The OC sir served us with his own hands.
By 9pm we got up on stage to perform the folk-related Songpala “Lottery”, written by the honorable president of our ” Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan”; Abdullah Al Maruf. Thousands of spectators from all around, enjoying each and every character of our play in a great way. There was heavy applause all around. When leaving the premises at the end of the play, the crowd gathered to see us a little. Members of the Legislature made way for us, pushing the crowd. Satisfied with the success, we returned to the hotel, returned to eat and went back to our favorite seaside, cool in the salty breeze and fell asleep anyway.
The next morning, the meeting was held under the chairmanship of Abdullah Al Maruf, President of the “Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan” & the General Secretary Raihan Sumon; with some local culture students. Sujan Chowdhury Sir, Chief Executive Officer of Kutubdia Upazila, as the chief guest. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Magisa Manisa Mahajan, chief magistrate of Bandarban district, senior officials of the Kutubdia Upazila administration and head teachers of various educational institutions.
Guests invited to the meeting appreciated the “Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan.”Finally, UNO Mr. Sujan Chowdhury Sir held some directional discussions. He assured all the cooperation of the “Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan” in any work and called for opening of a branch of the “Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan” in Kutubdia upazila.
At the end of the meeting, he arranged to visit Kutubdia as a whole. We traveled the whole group to Qutubdia’s famous places such as the lighthouse, the aerospace center, the Qutub Auliya shrine, the salt farming, and returned to the hotel around 9pm. That day was the last day of 2017; that is, 31st Night. UNO sir invited us to the Officers Club to celebrate the night. When it was 12:30 am, we all blow up the lanterns and forget about the sorrows of past year & take the vow to work on the new initiative for the new year.
That night was our last night. We had to leave early in the morning so we packed everything up at night. At 7am the car arrived for us. We got up very quietly. We left Qutubdia while the Qutubdia was sleeping. On our return we were looking forward to Kutubdia. It is heard that love is a big “maya.” On returning, we all felt it. We also felt that the Qutubdivians had occupied a place in the minds of us all. We saw a few who wiped the corner of their eyes. We then looked at the ocean. One of them asked, ” Isn’t the feelings bad?” I said, “There is no turning back.”
Good luck Kutubdia, Stay well UNO Sujan Chowdhury sir, OC Didarul Ferdous sir, the leader of the Cultural Movement of Kutubdia & the sea. We will come again and again to this beautiful place.
May the people of the “Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan” win.
Author: Abdullah Al Maruf &Raihan Sumon.
President & General secretary; respectively.
Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan.
Writer:-
Abdullah Al Maruf
(Founder President, Lokojo Sanskritik Sangathan)
Translator:-
Tasnim Binta Saif
