Historical Neel Kuthi in Maheshpur in need of preservation

JHENIDAH, Dec 9: The historical 'Neel Kuthi' (Indigo-house) built in 1847 at Hat Khlishpur under Maheshpur upazila in Jhenidah, at the same vicinity of the birth place of Birshreshtha Hamidur Rahman, is on the verge of extinct.

The British ruled us for nearly two hundred years until 1947, and still we find some marks of their tyranny at different places in our country. The Neel Kuthi at Hat Khalishpur is such a place, which gives testimony of the repression of the usurpers on our innocent civilians.

Forced cultivation of indigo by our farmers was a part of the tyrannical attitudes of the British here.

The house was a stronghold of the English indigo planters who used to force the peasants of the East Bengal to grow indigo and in case of failure; the wretched farmers had to undergo untold torture.

This building which was used as the CO office during 1956-'57 and 1983-'84 and as Union Tafsil office from 1984 to 2000 has now turned a safe heaven for drug addicts developing a big worry among the local inhabitants in and around the village.

The place is about 150 yards off Birshreshtah Hamidur College and the museum bearing his memory.

Locals said some youths gather in the deserted building and sometimes bad stinks come out of the house.

Some guardians of the village said they were worried over the future of their yards studying in schools and colleges as drugs were alluring them.

Some local people said that though the once indigo-house reminds them of the unbearable sufferings of the farming community here during British period, the structure is a part of our history.

They demanded that the historical site be developed into a tourist spot.

While contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Jhenidah Md. Shafiqul Islam expressed his hope that the Department of Archeology would take necessary measures in this regard.

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