Day with shelarchor fishermen of sundarbanসুন্দরবনের শেলার চরে জেলেদের সাথে সারাদিন

The Sundarbans chars are bustling with fishermen, trawler fishermen, and sukani fishermen every morning, afternoon, and evening. They flock to the chars in sync with the ebb and flow of the tide. Some trawlers come from the localities. They bring market deals and various daily necessities for the fishermen. Some trawlers also take them to some locality to sell.
We also got off a trawler and started walking towards the fishermen's settlement in Shelar Char in the Sundarbans. They are busy with various activities in front of the fishermen's houses.
Trawlers have loaded fish from Jahangir Sagar in Morelganj to the char. Some are sorting dried fish all over the char. Some are stirring it in the heat of the sun. One of them is Shukur Molya. Ignoring all the fears of the jungle, he has come to Shelar Char in the Sundarbans in search of a livelihood.
Monir, a fisherman from Sharan Kholar, said that the fish situation in the sea is very bad this time. The fishermen will not be able to afford to sell the fish they have caught so far.
The fishermen are drying fish in different parts of the char in the boundaries they have divided. Some are sorting and separating different types of fish. At this time, Didar and Alam, dried fish traders, are seen roaming around the char. In the course of the conversation, they said that they have come from Chittagong. They may be able to buy dried fish at a lower price from here after seeing for themselves.
As soon as they went to the other side of the canal in Shelar Char, they met Sakhawat. He was fixing his torn nets sitting in front of his house. He said that he has been fishing in the sea and rivers for so many years. He does not have any fishing gear.
All the fishermen here collect fuel for cooking food from the forest. Some collect firewood from the forest. Apart from this, dead trees and their roots that are uprooted by storms at different times are their main source of firewood.
Although the dry markets here are spread across the country, their main destinations are Ishwardi, Rajshahi, and Chittagong.