Dhanmondi morning market draws walkers
Some working men and women processing some of the fish by the roadside in Dhanmondi.
Everyone wants to eat healthy. However, this a very difficult thought in today’s Bangladesh. A majority of the foods available on the markets are tainted. From vegetables to spices. fishes to dried fishes, oranges to pineapples and from beef to chicken, all are supposed to be adulterated in one way or the other. And a majority of us have accepted it.
The early morning fish market opposite the Eidgah in Dhanmondi is a respite for the somehow alert citizens willing to pay hefty prices for the apparently live or fresh fishes. The vegetable market on three-wheelers nearby has no guarantee of the poison-free food. Neither does the deshi chicken market and mutton sellers or the fresh milk on a mini truck, converging here early every morning for a slice of the Dhanmondi market.
The idea of having such a market comes from none other than some opportunist party activists. Each of the fish vendors, about 100 of them, whose daily investment could be as high as Tk. 50,000, is charged Tk. 300 daily by the hoodies for running the business on the street for about three and half hours starting from 6:30 am. Casually dressed but deep-pocketed morning walkers of Dhanmondi descend on the market every fine morning.
Some of the fish for sale opposite the Eidgah in Dhanmondi.
The bargaining is not intense. The vendors know money is not a problem here. Looks of his merchandise should only please the clientele. Live and fresh ruhis, boals, kois, pangash, nolas, chingri, chitol, aair, and of all kinds and sizes, apparently fresh, are on display by the poor but determined traders coming from different districts of the country. And, they know the language of the rich.
“There is no bargaining with you sir, you can see my fishes are alive and kicking, the price of Tk 700 per kg of my ruhi is fixed sir,” a seller would approach a potential customer. The customer would immediately go for the buy, weighing the fish on a dubious digital scale.
The market has benefitted some poor working men and women who live in slums of the nearby Rayer Bazaar area. Some of them seat themselves on the footpath with large, sharp bothis (country knife) to process the fishes bought by the customers. The minimum charge is Tk. 20 per fish and could go up to Tk. 50 depending on the sizes. And at times customers are held on the queue for up to half an hour for processing the fishes.
A thorough look into the unsolicited market on the street of Dhanmondi could reveal darker parts of our society, but it is nonetheless in huge demand for the economy, whether black or white. After all, we do want to eat healthy and live longer.
Report and photo by: Morshed Ali Khan
Short URL: https://reportsbd.com/?p=311
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