‘Bhagalu-Dawal’, who used to work as farmhands during harvesting paddy at the Haor regions of Tahirpur in Sunamganj as well as other haors in the districts, are no longer seen now-a-days in the region.
Once upon a time, those Bhagalu-Dawal were seen to arrive in groups at the Haor regions during the Bangla month of Chaitra and Boishakh to reap paddy but now there are not seen in the region rather local labourers were being engaged to reap paddy of the Haors.
According to sources, during the 70's decade, hundreds of farmhands from Faridpur, Madaripur, Pabna and Narsingdi districts rushed to various Haors including Shani Haor, Matian Haor, Hali Hoar and Mohalia Haor of Tahirpur upazila during harvesting season of paddy.
Those farmhands not only reap paddy but thresh and process those and even carry the paddy to the houses of the owners of the land. They were not paid in cash for their job rather they received a share of Paddy as their wages. For this arrangement of wages through a share of Paddy, those farmhands might be called Bhagalu (Sharer) or Dawal.
It is learnt, those Bhagalu-Dawal farmhands used to arrive at the Haor regions with large boats during the month of Boishak and they anchored their boats beside the haors. Till the decade of '90, those farmhands used to visit regularly the regions. Later on, the Haor regions suddenly turned empty of the Bhagalu and Dawal.
Haor people opined, due to the creation of job opportunities locally, those farmhands have lost their interest to visit the Haor regions to reap Paddy further.
Moreover, due to the checking of river erosion in Madaripur and Faridpur areas and turning the fields of the region from producing one crop a year to three-crop a year, people of those regions engaged themselves in work round the year.
Yet, some labourers from Dhobaura of Mymensingh district and Durgapur, Kamlakanda upazila of Netrokona district used to visit the regions during the paddy reaping season.
But, after 2010, those labourers also stopped to visit the regions. As a result, landowners of the Haor regions were employing local farmhands or labourers to reap paddy and process that as against the cash payment.
Mukhles and Kalon, two farmhands who were reaping paddy at Dighirpar village under Badaghat union informed, they were working as against the cash payment of their daily wages. They further said, no one now reaps and processes paddy under paddy sharing basis.
Shafiqur Rahman, a land-owner of Tahirpur village informed, even in the decade of '80, farmhands from Faridpur and Madaripur districts used to rush to the Haor villages to reap paddy under Paddy sharing arrangement but now they are no longer seen to arrive in the regions.