A Sisyphean cycle called Dadan

It is a system known as Dadan – a centuries-old practice that has been going on in some of the most remote places in Bandarban. There is no regulation, no overseer, no authority to prevent the exploitation of the poor and stop the perpetual Dadan system. Under desperate circumstances, hundreds from the indigenous communities are forced to rely on the services of Mahajans – or lenders – every year. Sometimes they borrow money to survive a bad crop season, or at other times all they need is some rice for sustenance. Borrowing one sack of rice means that one has to pay the loan back within a year with two rice sacks, or if failing to do so – pay it back with hard labour. The interest rate depends on how remote a place the borrower was living at. The Dadan system has been a part of life for the Jhum people of Bandarban for generations. Depending on how the weather treated their crops, between April and August each year the Jhum farmers head to Mahajans to loan different amounts of money or food. Although the system is based on exploitation of the poor, many of the victims advocate for the arrangement, saying Dadan becomes their saviour whenever they face a dire situation. During a recent visit to hard-to-reach areas in Thanchi upazila, the Dhaka Tribune learned about the hardships of the people there and how they were exploited by the system year in, year out.  'We would die without Dadan'Ren Chang Mro is a 27-year-old father of five who lives in the remote Loyakree Para of Remakree union. He cultivates rice on his jhum land and has to rely on the mercy of nature to put food on his family's plates. In the extreme state of poverty he lives in, education or healthcare is considered luxuries for the children. Highlanders of Bandarban measure rice in Hari – a unit that equals to somewhere around 4kg. On a good season, each Hari of seeds produce over 25 Hari of rice. Last year, Ren planted three Hari of rice seed but harvested a total of only 20 Hari in return, way below his expectations. With little left to feed his own family of seven and facing a bleak future, he turned to a Mahajan in Boro Madak Bazar for Dadan. “If we do not take Dadan, we cannot live. We will die from starvation,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “I will take Tk10,000 as Dadan for this year. I have to pay back Tk25,000 or its equivalent amount in rice. If I fail to pay it back in time, I would have to work hard to pay it back with interest. “Normally, if I fail, I have to cut bamboos in the deep jungle and sell it in the market,” Ren said. The family has little left to eat once all the debt is paid. By then, there is no other option than to return to the Mahajan to ask for another round of Dadan loan.  A five-month raceLooking up at the sky for signs of clouds, Aung Swe Ching Marma was working hard on his jhum crops. He has five months to come up with a good harvest so that he could pay off the Mahajan's debt. With a little bit of luck and good weather on his side, the father of two from Thanchi's Tindu union thinks he can pull off the task. Like many others, Aung said he had no other choice but to take Dadan to feed his family. “We do eat now, mostly once or twice a day. It is because we took Dadan from a businessman at Thanchi Bazar,” he said. He was well aware about the harsh downsides of the Dadan system, but there was no other viable option for people living in such remote areas. Now, Aung knows that he is in a five-month-long struggle to produce a good harvest. Failure would mean hard labour to pay back the existing debt while his family goes hungry again.  A thumbprint contractJhum cultivators gather in Thanchi Bazar, Tindu Bazar, Remakree Bazar and Boro Madak Bazar to find Dadan lenders. The Mahajans are usually the shop owners. All it requires is the borrower's thumbprint on a blank paper, and the Dadan contract is finalised. Locals said there are 50 to 60 Mahajans in Boro Madak Bazar alone. Most of these Mahajans themselves were extremely poor in the past, but they targeted other poor people to get ahead. The Mahajans buy rice sacks from Thanchi Bazar and hoard them until they can use it as Dadan during a food crisis. Using their own boats, the Mahajans carry the rice to Boro Madak from Thanchi. The 50kg rice sack that costs Tk1,020 at Thanchi becomes Tk1,700 per sack by the time it reaches Boro Madak. On condition of anonymity, a Mahajan told the Dhaka Tribune he was giving Dadan to 15 people this year. He, however, very well knows that without any alternative financial relief in sight, there would be hundred others who would continue to line up for Dadan every year.