A dream come true

Jharna Chakma. PHOTO: STAR

Jharna who studied upto class eight won the National Youth Award 2003 for her success in cattle rearing.

"It was the proudest moment and memorable event for me when I received the award from Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at a function in Dhaka in December last year," she said. "I was the first indigenous woman who got the national level award," Jharna added.

"It was a challenge for me when I had started my struggle to show a family of four prosperity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) with two milk cows of Tk 16500," Jharna said. She bought the cows selling out her last resorts -- domestic goats, ducks, cocks and hens in early 2000. Besides, she added to it her small savings from selling vegetables she ploughed around her cottage at Sapchhari Chakmapara.

Jharna now earns Tk 12,000 to 15,000 a month from selling milk. She spends Tk 40 for each cow a day and earns about Tk 200. "I collect milk twice a day and sell it at Tk 18 per kg at wholesale rate", Jharna said. She is also using cow dung at the bio-gas plant that she set up beside her kitchen with the assistance of Upazila Livestock Office. "I'm getting multiple benefit from the cattle rearing," she said.

She is now confident enough of life as she leads a happy family along with teenage son Rocky, daughter Nilanjana and schoolteacher husband Bipin Bikash Chakma.

"I took care of cows like my child," proud Jharna said when this correspondent visited her farm-cum-house recently. The four cows she raised give some 50 kgs of milk a day.

It was a great lesson to her that three to four milk cows are enough to run a five-member family.

"Anyone can bring a change in his or her living by rearing three to four milk cows," Jharna said.

Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Abdullah Al Noman flew to her residence on August 7 to see for himself the cattle farm. Noman lauded Jharna for her success as an indigenous woman in raising cattle.

"I was inspired by an elderly man whom I met at DC's office in Rangamati town as a female member of Shapchhari Union Parishad. He advised me to raise cattle and start with goats preliminary, Jharna said.

She is one of 30 women peasants from across the country who visited Nepal in 2002 as 'ideal kishanee'.

She has also planted many species of fruit trees at the courtyard of her house and earned a handsome from selling fruits a year.

"Two of my dreams are yet to be fulfilled -- one is building a big farm of milk cows and the other is higher education for my daughter," Jharna said.

Her husband Bipin Bikash Chakma said "though she is my wife, actually she is my guardian. I take her advice when I need like other villagers."