Sahidul Islam Nirab

Once a source of livelihood for many families in Islampur upazila of Jamalpur, bamboo and cane craft is now on the verge of extinction.

In Jamalpur’s Bakshiganj upazila, a traditional cottage industry has been thriving for a century -- buffalo milk yogurt.

Once alive with children’s laughter and football matches, the lone playground of Chargolabari Government Primary School in Jorkhali union of Jamalpur’s Madarganj upazila now resembles a stagnant pool.

For more than five years, people from at least 25 villages in two Jamalpur upazilas have been suffering after a bridge over the Jhenai river in Sarishabari upazila collapsed during the 2020 floods.

A rickety bamboo bridge remains the only means of communication for around 50,000 people in several unions of Madarganj upazila in Jamalpur and Sariakandi upazila in Bogura, forcing locals to risk their lives every day.

In Jamalpur, food is not just nourishment -- it is memory, emotion, and identity. At the centre of this culinary tradition stands “Milli Bhat”, a rich, hearty dish that locals speak of with pride and nostalgia. Some call it Manda, others Pithali, but to most, it is simply “Milli” -- the taste of home.

There was a time when the Subarnakhali River flowed all year round. Boats carrying raw jute moved up and down the waterway, connecting distant char areas with the jute mills of Sarishabari. Locals even held a floating jute market on boats twice a week.

Shukkur Ali's life once revolved around hardship and uncertainty