Ramgarh : A promising town on edge of mountains
Md. Masud Rana, Ramgarh (Khagrachhari)
When one moves towards the hills beyond the city or the roadside hamlets of Ramgarh Upazila of Khagrachari, one has to face a different life. Here, the light of politics, development or civilization is very dim. Wooden houses along the roadside, bamboo-roofed kitchens and paths through mud and dirt.
The three hill tribes of Chakma, Tripura and Marma live scattered in the interior of Ramgarh. Their lives revolve around subsistence farming, family cooperation, folk festivals and a way of life based on nature. As soon as the sun rises in the morning, families head out to the hills. Most of them are involved in subsistence farming, where multiple crops are cultivated by cutting down hills to create land, especially paddy, ginger, turmeric, kachu, rice, pumpkin, chilli and raw fruits.
Jhum cultivation is not just a means of agriculture, it is also a culture. At the beginning of jhum cultivation, special religious prayers are held, and festivals are celebrated to please the gods of the mountains. Women work equally with men in this cultivation. Hill women go out in the morning with a basket on their shoulders, returning with sweat and dust on their bodies, but with satisfied faces. It is in this labor life that their strength, confidence, and identity are developed.
However, this beautiful life is accompanied by the reality of deep deprivation. Due to the remoteness of the area, government primary schools or health centers are often inaccessible. In the schools that do exist, there are no teachers, and teaching is not regular. Many children drop out of school midway. The same is true in the case of medical treatment - one has to walk for hours to reach Ramgarh Sadar for primary treatment. Many times, lives are lost in emergency treatment, which has to be accepted as fate.
The language, religion and dress of the hill people are also distinctive. The Chakmas are generally Buddhists, and their language and script are different. The Tripuras celebrate the Goriya festival, the Marmas celebrate Visakha Purnima in Buddhist tradition. The hill women have their own looms—they weave their own clothes, wear traditional colorful clothes. These are not just cultural elements, but an integral part of life.
The hilly region is still marginal. Development is mainly on paper, government services do not reach on time, and local administration is often absent in remote areas. Due to lack of supervision, misunderstandings and confusion sometimes arise between hill Bengalis. There is no shortage of potential in this township—there is immense potential in climate, soil, labor force, culture, and tourism.
The mountainous depths of Ramgarh are therefore roots on one side, and seeds of potential on the other. Life here is not easy, but it is vibrant. Self-respect here is unwavering. Here lies the inner picture of a humane Bangladesh.
