The annual fishing festival has been going on at the ‘Nawab Bari Pukur’ in Islampur of Old Dhaka.
Every year the festival takes place only on five Fridays during the months of May and June at the same pond. Fishing lovers of the local areas and from other areas gather here with wheels for fishing.
The Nawab Bari pond, locally known as “Nawab Bari Pushkuni” is monitored and managed by the Moulavi Khwaja Abdullah Welfare Trust. However, the trust leases the pond to local people for maintenance and fish cultivation.
Sayed Saber Hossain, a member of the group that has taken lease of the pond, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We arrange the fishing festival only on five Fridays in May-June every year. Local people and few other outsiders come here to catch fish. Most of the people come here as fishing is their hobby.”
This year, a total of 36 stools were set up around the pond with ticket prices of each stool for one day set at Tk5,000 for the locals and Tk13,000 for the outsiders, he added.
“We have taken the lease eight years ago and cultivate different fishes like Rui, Katal and Mrigel. The trust takes one fourth of the earning from the pond and rest of the amount is distributed among us.”