Borders blur as neighbours meet at mela

HALDIBARI: Tension between India and Bangladesh over infiltration and terrorism charges took a back seat as residents of the two countries mingled freely at Hujour Saheber Mela.
This unique 59-year old village fair began at Haldibari at the Indo-Bangla border in Coochbehar from Tuesday. The people from the two sides of the border had much in common — they spoke the same language, looked similar and shared the same dreams.So strong was the bond that the gun-totting BSF and the BDR chose to look the other way. Hindus and Muslims crossed the border at will and lit candles at the Hujour Saheb’s dargah to prey for health, rain and a good harvest. The tradition began in 1943 — the year Sahi Sufi Khandekar Md.
Ekramul Haque or Hujour Saheb, as he was popularly known, passed away. The two-day long fair began at the sprawling ground around the mazhar-e-sharif, which is a blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture. Over 50,000 Hindu and Muslims come from Bangladesh every year and the security forces on both sides of the border do not look for papers, claim the locals. Anil Mohapatra, from the other side of the border, said he would sell various books including the Quran Sharif and the Bhagwat Gita. Md. Anisur Rahaman, who does not have any passport but comes here every year from Chilahati in the Nilphamari district of Bangladesh said, “Do you expect us to break our tradition just because the two governments have decided to fight each other? We enter mostly during the night, light candles in the morning, purchase food or other mementos and return.�
According to the Haldibari Block Development Officer, around 5,00,000 visitors generate trade of about Rs 3 crore through more than 3,500 stalls. The fair is an important contributor to the local economy. Traders from Gujarat, Bihar, Assam sell their wares here, from tractors to wooden horses. The main attraction of the fair, however, are the camels brought from Rajasthan — informed secretary of the fair committee, A. Quadir Sarkar.
BSF officials, however, claim that security, in fact, has been tighter compared to previous years. The police and BSF jawans are patrolling the fair ground in search of illegal entrants. The traders also feared reduction the number of pilgrims this time due to stricter vigil.