The 200-year traditional “Poradaho Mela” in Bogura started with the presence of thousands of people at Golabari under Gabtoli upazila in Bogura district on Wednesday and in the following day the traditional “Bou Mela” for the women will be held in the same area.

History says that a mela has been holding in the suburb of Eshamoti River near Golabari area of Mohishaban union under the upazila in the district for two days for around 200 years followed by Bou mela in the area on the last Wednesday of Bengali month Magh.

Local elderly Abdus Haresh Ali said that the mela has been continuing in the area over 200 years on Wednesday and on Thursday, the women of the area would take part in the mela as it is called Bou Mela and every house of the area look joyous centering the mela.

Local people said that the mela is also called “Jamai Mela” and the son-in-laws of the areas are being invited by their father-in-law’s houses and all relatives also present in the mela of the district.

Different kinds of fishes, furniture, sweet meats, toys, agricultural tools and different kinds of foods, fruits were being sold in the mela and circus and different entertaining programmes are taken in the mela by the organisers.

Visiting the mela area, huge numbers of people of the surrounding area were present in the mela and they had been buying different items like big fishes, furniture, sweetmeats, different items of fruits and toys for children and others.

A big-sized black-curf weighted 40 Kg was being sold at Tk. 80 thousand and later the fish was sold at per Kg at Tk. 2 thousand.

Taking the big fish, fisherman Bazlur Rahman from Golabari area said that he escorted the fish from Natore district and he had been trying to the fish to one customer and if he failed to sell, he would sell the fish by cutting at Kg.

Ranjon Kumar, another fisherman of the mela said that he took a big Katla weighted at 30 Kg and he was seen trying to sell the fish at Tk. 1250-1300. Besides, Ruhi per Kg at Tk. 400-500, Boyal per Kg at Tk. 1000-1200, Aair fish per Kg at Tk. 1300-1500, and Pangush from River per Kg at Tk. 1000-1200.

Besides fish selling, different kinds of sweetmeats, fruits and even furniture had been seen to sell and huge number of people from around 200 villages of Bogura and surrounding districts had come to buy fishes, sweetmeats and fruits.

Huge number of the people of the areas who had relatives in the areas visited the mela to buy fishes, sweetmeats for giving in their respective relatives’ houses.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) of Bogura Abdur Rashid said that in the traditional mela area, huge additional forces were deployed to evade any kind of unwanted situation and to control traffic.