Of resilience and strength

Milon Miah is probably the only shopkeeper at the now devastated Gulshan DNCC market, who could get himself to bring new supplies for his poultry shop and open the store yesterday.

Most traders appeared to be assessing their losses or trying to sell partially damaged goods at whatever prices anyone was offering.

“I have no other way to survive,” said the 62-year-old man as he opened the shutters.

Women buying partially damaged kitchen utensils at throwaway prices. Photo: Amran Hossain

There is tough competition market and I have regular customers, he said. “If I fail to supply once, the next order may go to someone else.”

He added that he had been in the business for 40 years. “I have four employees. There's my family. I had to open it taking loans from my relatives.”

The man also remembered that he had to suffer a huge loss in the fire that razed the market in 2017 because he didn't open his shops immediately after the fire.

A total of 248 shops of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) kitchen market were gutted early Saturday for the second time in two years.

A man waits for customers in front of his shop. Photo: Amran Hossain

Many traders were seen yesterday in front of the ruins of the market selling metal utensils and ceramic goods.

“We are selling off our products at a fifth of the price,” Masud Rana, a utensils trader, told The Daily Star.

“These utensils aren't damaged, but they have some burn marks from the fire. So, they won't fetch the same amount.”

He added that he lost around Tk 10 lakh in the fire.

Saiful Islam, a resident of Mohakhali area, came to the market with his wife and bought a set of six stainless-steel forks at just Tk 100.

“We came to know from our neighbours yesterday morning that things are being sold here at a low price, so we came,” Saiful told The Daily Star at the market.