Memories of Cox Bazar Recollected

Prof. M Zahidul Haque

Prof M Zahidul Haque

Establishment of Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar Rail-link is a dream come true. Together with many other people I was also interested for introduction of direct railway-service from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar.

On 11 November 2023, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar rail-link through inauguration of the much-awaited 102-kilometre Chittagong-Cox's Bazar railway line. No doubt that this railway service will boost productivity of our tourism industry and attract foreign tourists to visit the world’s longest unbroken sea-beach in Cox’s Bazar. 

So, now one can go to Cox’s Bazar direct by train! As I was witnessing this historic event, the memories of Cox’s Bazar in late seventies flashed across my mind. I was then a student at Bangladesh Agricultural Institute (now Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University), Dhaka. As part of our study tour I went to Cox’s Bazar together with my classmates. Our tour guide was Nurul Islam sir, (Professor Dr. Md. Nurul Islam, of Dept. of Soil Science).

Sometime around 1;30 pm we reached to Cox’s Bazar from Chittagong by then on service, superior coach. Yes, we had pre-arranged our accommodation at Hotel Sayeman. In those days Hotel Sayeman used to be the best hotel in Cox’s Bazar. Soon our rooms were allocated—twin bed, each bed shared by2. In our room, we are four—Me, Khorshed, Abul and Shafi. We got settled and started planning to go to the sea beach.

Well, there was a mishappening! A powerful storm had swept over Cox’s Bazar on the previous night. There was no electricity, no water supply. It was a summer night and was much difficult on our part to go for sleep without a ceiling fan; there was no electrical light; the hotel had supplied some candles to us.

In those days, I used to write stories for the ‘Young Observer’ of ‘The Bangladesh Observer. I was thinking to collect a copy of the Bangladesh Observer, but it was really difficult to find one. Most of my friends used to read my stories. When they learned about my wish to get a copy to see if any of my stories was published, they got active. We were told that newspapers from Dhaka usually reach Cox’s Bazar in the evening.

We decided to go to the city for buying a newspaper. There was only a narrow road covered with big trees to reach to the small city with some Burmese shops.

Anyway we took rickshaws and succeeded in locating a newspaper shop. Very luckily, we could buy a copy of The Bangladesh Observer. Yes, a story of mine was publish—“And Quiet Flows the Padma”. It was a story concerning a village girl and their family’s struggle; they used to live by the river Padma.

After returning from the city of course in a happy mood, we started thinking, how to spend the night without sleeping because we cannot sleep in so much hot and humid environment. Something is better than nothing—we discovered to our surprise a ‘Jattra Dal’ taking preparation to start their show late in the night.

We decided to see the Jattra. None could say the time when the Jattra would start. The Jattra group was also having problems to stage their show in Hejak lamp. Anyway we strolled around but there was no sign of starting the Jattra. At around 3 am, we decided to go back to the hotel as we were too tired. Straight we went to the bed and could not notice when we got asleep!

I have many other interesting memories to share but will again come to tell the rest sometime in the future. One thing is to be admitted that today’s Cox’s Bazar is modern and highly developed than the yesterday’s old Cox’s Bazar.

Cox’s Bazar has now become an ideal tourist destination with a lot of attractions!

Of course, I remember with deep sadness that one of our prominent friends of our study tour group—Javed Iqbal is no more with us, may God bless his soul rest in peace!

Appreciating the aforesaid sad incident, I would like to request the competent authority to arrange an exclusive train-trip for the children of Cox’s Bazar in order to fulfilling their hearty wish and inquisitiveness.

(Prof. M Zahidul Haque retired as Professor and was also a former Dean of Faculty of Agriculture at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka.)