The Cricket Bats of Bina

Episode 6

Shariq Ali
Valueversity

A small cart was set up under a thatched roof shop for displaying products. The pile of green coconuts stacked atop one another resembled a crowd at a political rally. Choose a coconut based on your preference or intuition and hand it to the vendor. Some simple-hearted folks picked based on its appearance, while the experts shook the coconut close to their ears to gauge the amount of water inside. Then, the innocent-looking man, dressed in a dhoti, wielding a dangerously sharp, long machete, would decapitate the coconut with one or two ruthless strokes and poke a hole to insert a straw, handing it over to the customer.

I took a couple of sips from the coconut mutually selected by Professor Salik and the vendor. A wave of refreshment surged through my body. I nodded approvingly while looking at them, and said a few words of praise, which pleased them. It was then I learned that the most delicious and nutritious water is found in young coconuts aged five to seven months. Later, this water solidifies to form edible coconut flesh.

Ruth, showing great bravery, postponed her lunch plans that were scheduled for two hours later and picked up two coconuts. She was on a mission to lose weight. According to her, despite being low in fats and calories, this water curbs hunger, making it easy to skip lunch. Muneera Rahman not only drank her coconut but also packed a bottle of coconut water in her bag. She believed that regular use of coconut water keeps the skin fresh and wrinkle-free.

With my coconut in hand, I wandered through the trees and approached a group of children playing cricket on a nearby field. The wicketkeeper had his lungi tightly fastened. He was shirtless, drenched in sweat. It is said that after religious devotion, the second most revered passion that rules the hearts of people in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh is cricket. This small, dusty field in an unknown village in Bangladesh, along with the children playing there, was a living testament to that devotion. The broken bat, the bamboo wickets, the tennis ball, and the uneven, dusty pitch were no match for the enthusiasm of these kids. They possessed the youthful passion that even Lord’s rarely witnesses.

At the other end was a fast bowler, dressed in an orange T-shirt and a pair of cut-off jeans turned into shorts. Before starting his over, he handed his shirt to the umpire and began bowling barefoot with remarkable speed. The batsman, who besides his lungi, had wrapped his head with a Lawrence of Arabia-style turban, was displaying his batting skills. The enthusiastic Bengali shouts of the fielders created an atmosphere of a close contest. Perhaps it’s this same energy and enthusiasm that has helped Bangladesh make its mark in international cricket in recent years.

Just as the city of Sialkot in Pakistan has gained global fame for making footballs, several towns in Bangladesh are unrivaled in the production of high-quality cricket bats. A small village named Bina in the Upa district has now become renowned worldwide for this very reason. The village is situated along a river that is home to forests of some of the world’s finest willow trees. When bats made from the wood of these willows pass through the expert craftsmanship of Bina’s artisans, they deliver magical strokes. Today, the cricketing world is captivated by this Bengali magic… To be continued.