Neelgiri, the blue hill, I left a dream atop

On 14 December 2014, we along with my family members, Nasrin apu (Nasrin Sultana from Dhaka), my Karuna Chakma buhji  (elder brother's wife), Niti Chakma and her daughter Nuomi Chakma paid visit to Neelgiri, now a tourist resort run and managed by the Bangladesh army in Bandarban. This was my first visit to Neelgiri. Although I wished to visit it for several times, but I could not make it due to busyness. Thanks to Nasrin apu, this time we could make it to this place. 

No doubt Neelgiri can be considered one of the best tourist spots in Bangladesh. Many would love to come to this place. Tourists both from home and abroad would love to spend their holidays in hilltops like Neelgiri. They would love to enjoy the natural beauty of the hills in and around Neelgiri. 

On the way to Neelgiri, I came across many vehicles including private cars, local pick-ups, and buses were plying on the road. Definitely the majority of these tourists were from outside Bandarban district.  

Needless to mention that this Neelgiri was an ancestral place of the Mro people, who used to practise jum cultivation in this hill. Now this Neelgiri has been occupied, and turned into a tourists spot. I don't know what the local  Mro people call this Neelgiri hilltop. Definitely Neelgiri cannot be a Mro word; they might have a  name for it. Thanks to this Neelgiri, one Mro word will be deleted from their vocabulary forever. 

After more than 2 hours journey from Bandarban town, we got to the Neelgiri resort. Nasrin apu paid the entrance fees including the parking fee. On the way to Neelgiri my son Akshor was feeling out of sort; it might be due to hangover of the journey for the last two days.

When we got the pass, we went up to the hill top by the car. Getting off the car, I was looking for water to clean my son's pant and shirt, because he vomited in the car. I saw the loo down there. I went there. The loo was nicely constructed. Traditional commodes and English commodes were there, but there was no water supply. So nice toilets were there, but no water! This fact can be related to the Bangla cliche, "baire fitfat, vitore sadar ghat" (outside tiptop, interior terribly a dud). 

 
At the entrance of the loo, I came across a poster plaque fixed on the wall (see the picture 1). The plague was full with many pictures of construction works such as of bridges, schools etc. A couple of pictures were showing that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was opening some of the works.  On the top right corner, and down the left corner a motto was inscribed, "unnoyone nirapotta, bivede noi" (security results from development, but not from division). The motto sounds very nice. But in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, these terms - 'unnoyon' (development) and 'nirapotta' (security) do have different connotations due to the lived experience of the past. Sometimes I tend to be critic. I ask myself, "what does development mean? for whom and by whom? Security! what does it mean? For whom and by whom?" 

Picture 1: Security results from development, but not from division

Coming from the toilet, I came back to the tourist's shed, where we took some snaps. Then we walked up to the hilltop, on which the resorts were constructed. By the roadside, I came cross a sign board (see picture 2). The signboard includes several instructions to follow by the tourists. The first instruction says, the Neelgiri Hill Resort is a military establishment. Hereby all have been asked to follow all existing rules and instructions during their stay in this place. Among others, it has also asked to refrain from wearing indecent dress, from making hue and cry, and from improper behaviour in the resort area. I took a couple of snaps of the signboard, while an army soldier was looking on. Perhaps, he was wondering - why I was taking a snap of this signboard instead of nice resort building, cottages, and surrounding beautiful scenery. 

Picture 2: a signboard put up in front of the Neelgiri Hill Resort

We walked up to the hilltop. Nasrin apu was taking snaps here and there. With my cell phone, I also took many snaps from different angels.  From the top of the hill, definitely anyone can have a nice view. It was winter, so the surrounding area was a bit foggy, yet anyone visiting there could enjoy the moments.

Picture 3: a view from the top

Many tourists were there. Many were taking photographs here and there. I heard, some were exclaiming, "bah! ki sundor jaiga (wow, what a nice place)". Definitely it is a nice place. Definitely this place was nicer before than it is today, as that time there was virgin forest cover, which we cannot find today.

We were walking around. I saw some Mro kallongs (basket) being used as litre bin (see the picture 4).  The Mro people use these kallongs (baskets) to carry forest products and agricultural produces etc. Now they are being used as bin in the resorts. In other words, the marketability of the Mro kallongs might have increased in the area!

Picture 4: A Mro basket being used as bin

We went up to the other side of the Neelgiri resort. I came across a few tents were put up. Many people were there. Many youths were there. With my smart phone, I took snaps of the tents. When I was looking up the pictures on my phone, I came across some young Mro girls were holding  sacks in their hands (see the picture 5). A question struck to my mind: what they were doing here with these sacks? Were they gleaning something? I mean, are they tokais in common Bangla?

Picture 5: Mro girls were gleaning something behind the tent

I did not look at my wrist watch for how long we spent in the resort area. When it was getting hot of the day, we got ready to go back to Bandarban town. We started walking along the road. After a while, some Mro girls were walking past by us. I looked back. I came across two Mro young men were standing under the shadow of a tree. They were picking up the bottles, which were thrown away the tourists.

When we got to the area nearby the entrance of the main Neelgiri Hill Resort, I saw the Mro young girls were walking down the road, and they got to the shadows of the trees next to a cottage (see the picture 6). A man in the veranda of the cottage (perhaps, he was a boarder of the cottage) with his camera was trying to capture the Mro girls, who were walking nonchalantly. The Mro girls already crossed him. Perhaps, he could not capture with his camera. He shouted to himself, "tut-tut! they have gone".

Picture 6: Mro girls were gleaning

 
My silent curiosity in them increased. I saw the Mro young girls were picking up the bottles, packets etc. which were thrown away by tourists. Perhaps, they used to do this job everyday. I didn't know if they were employed by the resort authority or not. I saw one army soldier was asking them, "go this way [pointing a finger]. Grab all...". Were these Mro girls picking the rubbish like tokais or the Neelgiri resort authority employed them to do this job?

Before leaving the Neelgiri Hill Resort area, I got to a shop to buy some drinks. The shop was extremely crowded. Many clients were waiting for their turns to buy something. I also had to wait for a while. After buying drinks, I was walking to our car. I saw - down the road - by the roadside some Mro villagers brought papaya and banana to sell. Tourists were crowding there (see the picture 7).  

Picture 7: Mro farmers selling produces

When I was leaving the Neelgiri Hill Resort, I got ambivalence. Does this sort of resort mean "development" to the Mro people? Mro people can sell out their produces in the resort. That means, the Neelgiri hill resort has created marketing opportunity for their produces. Such opportunity does mean "development" to the Mro people there? After the Neelgiri resort established there, can the Mro people do cultivate their jum without restriction? Do they have the right to juming? If YES, to what extent? If NO, then what are the job options available for them?  Can development of tourist resorts ensure the security - both physical and food security for the Mro people? I can pose so many questions.

Got in the car. It was running. On the way back to Bandarban town, I came across some children were walking along the road, and some were playing. After running for a while, I came across a Mro man was walking his kid along the road. The kid did not put on even a single piece of clothes on his body despite this winter. In plain language, completely naked.

By seeing the Mro kid, I had a different feeling, which could not be expressed in words. I asked to myself: what is the future of this Mro kid? I do not have a direct answer to this question. But I would like to resort to the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who said, "I have a dream...".

After visiting the Neelgiri resort, I had nothing to do, but left a dream atop the Neelgiri hill. That dream is: Neelgiri hill is an abode to the Mro people. In own abode, the Mro girls would not be tokais, Mro kids will grow up in harmony with the nature. One day they will run and manage the Neelgiri resort, but not the Bangladesh army. The Mro people will redefine development and security for themselves. The Mro youth one day will have a cup of tea together with the Bangladesh army general on an equal footing and dignity. The children of Bangladesh army general will play on the Mro flute together with the Mro children in the hilltop of Neelgiri.

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