Khaleelur Rahman, a 70-year-old farmer from the Tiarabunia Union in Sharishabari, Shariatpur, spent one lakh taka to fulfill his passion for gardening. He created a garden named Kamalabagan (Lotus Garden), which is now fetching him lakhs in return.
Khaleelur Rahman’s house is located in the Malakandi village of the Tiarabunia Union. Three years ago, he transformed an abandoned piece of land near his house into Kamalabagan. He planted 150 lotus plants on this 40% sandy land. Last year, he earned one lakh taka by selling lotuses from these plants. This year, he expects to start selling lotuses in the last week of the current month, aiming for sales exceeding two lakhs.
Recently, people from the Malakandi village visited Khaleelur Rahman to hear the story of how he developed his garden. Khaleelur Rahman has four sons, three of whom are in Saudi Arabia. The inspiration for his lotus garden came from a video sent by one of his expatriate sons engaged in lotus cultivation abroad. Despite the lack of suitable land, he managed to find a 40% sandy plot near his home, filled it with soil, and brought 150 lotus seedlings from a nursery in Chuadanga. With the guidance from the agriculture department, he applied organic fertilizers to the soil. The total cost of his efforts amounted to approximately three lakhs.
Khaleelur Rahman, proud of his agricultural endeavors, follows a routine of daily care for his garden, though he occasionally seeks assistance from his son or other villagers due to physical limitations. With proper care, last year, he harvested 110 lotuses from the 150 plants, earning him one lakh taka from sales. Now, in June, the lotus flowers on each plant are blooming with vibrant colors.
Khaleelur Rahman states, “We are farmers. The joy of seeing the yield at home is immense. Creating a lotus garden on sandy land in our area was once an unimaginable dream. Now, I see the possibility of expanding the garden throughout the village.”
Many people visit Khaleelur Rahman’s garden daily, and some wish to buy lotuses. However, he won’t be selling any until the last week of November. Last Saturday, Sohag Mridha from the Ramvadrapur area of the sub-district came with his family to see the garden. He expressed, “I have seen lotus gardens in movies and dramas. Now I have the opportunity to see it in reality. I never thought that there would be a lotus garden in the sandy area near our house.”
