No Ilish In This Year’s Durga Puja Platter? Up-Hilsa Struggle For Bengalis, Traders Amid Bangladesh Crisis

Amid the unfolding Bangladesh crisis, Bengalis in India may not get their favourite fish, hilsa or ilish, ahead of Durga Puja.

Also called Padma Hilsa as it is procured from the Padma River of Chandpur in Bangladesh, the fish has soft, oily texture and mouth-watering flavour. Ilish khichuri, bhapa (steamed) ilish, shorshe (Bengali fish curry with mustard) ilish, ilish paturi platter, ilish fry platter, ilish begun er jhol platter are among the must-haves for fish lovers.

The hilsa comes into West Bengal from Bangladesh through the Petrapole border via Bongaon. With tension brewing over the past month, there has been uncertainty among fish traders. The last few days saw export-import along the Indo-Bangladesh border come to a halt.

As of 2021, 86% of the world’s total hilsa supply came from Bangladesh, with the trade contributing 1.15% to the GDP in Bangladesh. Even though the Bangladesh government had stopped the export of its national fish in 2012 to meet the domestic demand, Sheikh Hasina, the former Bangladesh Prime Minister who fled the country amid the unrest, used to send consignments to India as a goodwill gesture.

“Every August, we write to the Bangladesh government for the Hilsa stock, just in time for the Durga Pujo in October,” Anwar Maksood, Secretary of Fish Importers’ Association, told News18. “Last time, they had promised to give us 3,000 metric tonnes of Hilsa, but sent only 900 metric tonnes. Now that the exports and imports have totally stopped, we are not sure whether we will be able to get the fish this year,” he added.

The fish is sold for Rs 2,200-2,400 a kg. Hilsa traders are worried, with losses amounting to lakhs since last month. “It will be a big loss,” say many.

ANDHRA TO BENGAL: POPULAR ACROSS INDIA

Andhra Pradesh has a saying that ‘pulasa/ilish is worth eating even if you have to sell your mangal sutra’. Ilish is known as pulas in Godavari districts.

Bengalis, on the other hand, buy a pair of ilish on auspicious days such as Saraswati and Lakshmi Puja. In Bengal, ilish is also given as gift during weddings.

It is also an important part of celebrations among the two football clubs of Kolkata, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. When East Bengal wins, an ilish (hilsha) dish is cooked, while when Bagan wins, a chingri (prawn) dish is prepared.

The fish, called Pallo Machi by Sindhis, is served as delicacy in their cuisine.

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