Zakir Azad, Cumilla

Water lily (Shapla) is our national flower. In Cumilla even ten to fifteen years ago, a large number of bees of various colors were to be seen. But now you can't see Shapla flower like before. As a result of the change of times in the villages, the beautiful national flowers of our country are disappearing.

There are 5 types of water lily common in the climate of Bangladesh.The beads are white, red, purple, yellow and blue. Among them, the white lily is the national flower of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a riverine country. Therefore, the rivers, canals, canals and lakes, especially in the water bodies without currents, are covered with flowers.

Common people used to eat the vine of water lily cultivated in the water of the bill as a vegetable and the fruit known as Shaluk was collected and eaten by burning or boiling. Nowadays, Shaluk is sold in many upazilas. There is a lot of demand for it. However, due to negligence and carelessness and excessive use of pesticides and chemicals in agricultural land, the national flower is almost on the verge of disappearing in various Haor river channels of Cumilla.

In different areas including different upazilas of Cumilla , white, red, type of Shapla is no longer seen. But Purple and Blue water lily are almost disappearing day by day. Shapla flowers naturally bloom where water accumulates. Shapla is very popular with small children. Children picked water lily flowers and made garlands of Shapla flowers and put them around their necks. Dag is the favorite food of children and the people of village prepared different kinds of delicious food including Moa by frying Khai with Dap. Shapla is also very popular as a vegetable among the people of rural Bengal. Many people used to make a living by picking and selling betel leaves in the market.

Water lily (Shapla) also has many medicinal properties. Buds bloom during the day and are directly attached to the stem and root. Leaf size 20-23 cm. These flowers have 4 to 5 stamens and 13 to 15 petals. Shapla flowers are seen blooming all year round. However, the last season of this plant is during monsoon and autumn season.

If you want to talk about this, 70-year-old Kalaquzzaman of Sidlai Union Pomkara village of Brahmanpara upazila said that even a decade ago, water lily flowers were seen in abundance in various villages of the upazila. Back then, the ponds, canals and water bodies were transformed into a scene of nature due to the blooming of red, white, pink, purple, blue and rare species of yellow lily of the valley, but today white lily of the valley can be seen in various places, but the blue, purple and pink lily of the valley are not seen. He said there are various reasons behind the disappearance of these water lily flowers.

In this regard, the principal of Brahmanpara traditional Mosharf Hossain Khan Chowdhury University College Md. Altaf Hossain said the houses are built on agricultural land by filling canals and reservoirs. Again, due to the use of pesticides in cropland and climate change, the national flower of our country is losing its flower. Once upon a time, people's eyes were filled with the spring of various colored shapla flowers in the Bile-Jhile pond during the monsoon season. Now Bahari village is no longer seen in Bengal. Our national flower water lily (Shapla) is disappearing with the evolution of time.

In this regard, Deputy Director (DD) of Cumilla Agriculture Extension Department, Ayub Mahmud Said it is not true that the national flower is disappearing, but it is not noticeable as there are few water bodies and water bodies in Cumilla. Shapla is abundant in the reservoir area and we have also thought of cultivating new Shapla in our pond at Cumilla.