We are moving beyond the hustle and bustle of urban life. I was very stressed at work in the office on Thursday so fatigue surrounded me. About seven o'clock our car stopped at Ujanbhati. I got off the bus and had coffee. After the break, our pilot drove the car at a hurricane speed. I closed my eyes and took refuge in the sleeping goddess.
We went to Sayedabad around 11:30 pm and stopped for some time. After entering the mechanical city, the car did not want to move for some time. About three in the morning we got on the ferry. Our luck was good there was no jam on the ferry. Everyone was scared to realize the ferry was four to five hours late. After crossing Faridpur, Magura, our pilot brought us to Jessore bus stand at around 6 o'clock. At seven in the morning I went to the sea to pick us up.
We went to the window of the sea house. I took a break there and left. Sagar repeatedly talked about going out for breakfast but was anxious to see the new destination. The market ends again at eight in the morning. We took another bus from Khadki to Gadkhali Bazar. The road has gone through the Jhikargachha market. After crossing the market, there is a very old bridge. The Kopotaksh river, which is associated with the memory of Madhusudan Dutt, flows through the bottom of it. However, this river is now confined to water hyacinth.
On the way I asked Sagar what the name Gadkhali was and he said that once the Portuguese bandit Sardar Roderick had set up a base in the area and deprived people of sleep. One day he raided the house of the local Kamles. There he met his beautiful daughter Madalsa.
Madalsa is fascinated by beauty. Dedicates love rather than forgiveness. By betting, you will no longer rob. At one point, Roderick took refuge next to Madalsad's house. He also fights with the tiger to get Madalsa. After this incident, Madalsa accepted Roderick in the name of mother Kali.
Later both of them took sannyasabrata. A temple was built. The name of this temple is 'Godkali' temple with 'God' of Roderick and 'Kali' of Madalsa. Based on that name, the place was later named Gadkhali. We reached Gadkhali market in twenty minutes. The people are still surrounded by fog. We got out of the car and took the van to look around. Leaving the Jessore-Benapole road on the right, along the way to the villages of Bayar, you will see a pair of flower fields on the horizon. A wide sheet of red, blue, yellow, purple and white is spread all over the place. The farmers here cultivate flowers on the land. Not a fancy flower garden around the house. Flower fields across the field after field. Flowers are the crop here. Many people call Gadkhali the capital of flowers.
Not only us, we also met some tourists like us. They have appeared to take pictures with flowers. I met Melissa and Jigaldin, tourists from Switzerland. I started taking pictures one by one. Fields of roses, tuberose, gladiolus, marigolds, and gerberas bloom on both sides of the path. Nightshade, gladiolus, rose and marigold are cultivated here. Wherever you go, you will see the busyness of the farmers. Someone is cutting flowers and taking them to the market in a bullock cart, from there they are being shipped in bundles to different cities of the country including Dhaka. Besides men, women and children are also working in the flower fields. Someone is cutting flowers, someone is weeding. Someone is sowing flower seeds again.
Standing in front of the sweet scent of flowers in the air, the buzz of bees, the glitter of butterfly wings and the endless scent of color, I don't want to believe that the place is a piece of earth full of our blood, clad and noise.
The largest supply of flowers in our country comes from Gadkhali. About 80 percent of the total production comes from here. This is the largest flower wholesale market in Bangladesh. For 15 long years, the farmers here have been fighting to change their destiny by cultivating flowers. A gentleman from the flower garden gave us flowers. We came to the market and ate curry and luchi made from fresh vegetables. Great taste, no formalin. Then we went to Sagar’s workplace bee school. After spending some time there with the kids we ran to our next destination.
How to go
There are direct buses from Dhaka to Jessore from Gabtali, and from Kadamtali in Sylhet to Jessore. Get off the Jessore bus stand and take a rickshaw to the local bus stand. From there you can get a bus to Gadkhali. You can go to Gadkhali and take a van to see the field. Van rent will be 100-150 rupees. As you walk along the village road, you will see flower fields on both sides of the road. The country's largest flower wholesale market sits in the morning next to the bus stand road.
