Key Points
The disruption in Hilsa diplomacy will affect and perhaps unite the usually combative Ghotis, who trace their origins to West Bengal, and Banglas, who are originally from East Bengal...
There is a running joke in the eastern part of the country that when parents get upset about their daughters choosing a husband who is not from West Bengal or any of the neighbouring states, like Assam and Odisha, they serve their son-in-law hilsa..
The ban is all the more devastating because hilsa is a seasonal fish, and people wait through the year for the best-tasting variety..
The people of not just Bengal, but Assam and Tripura, wait for the arrival of Padma Hilsa, just like they wait for goddess Durga...
We cannot allow ilish to be exported while our own people cannot buy them, said Farida Akhter, the advisor to the Bangladesh Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock to Dhaka Tribune..
