M Rahman Ranju, Kurigram: Although the state is divided, there is no division. During the British rule (about 200 years ago) a mosque was built by the Eastern men in the remote areas of what was then India. The British ruler is gone and India-Bangladesh is divided. The border is surrounded by barbed wire. Yet recently the bond could no longer be shared. The citizens of Bangladesh and India have formed a bond around a mosque.

Anyone who hears the sound of this Azan will think that it is an ordinary Azan of a mosque. But in fact this call to prayer is from a mosque built on 15 acres of land on the Bangladesh-India border. This Jhakuatari Jame Mosque was built about 200 years ago. At present, this mosque on the border has created a bond between the people of the two countries. The country was divided in 1947 after the end of British rule. Then, in 1971, when an independent territory called Bangladesh was born, barbed wire fences were erected across the Indian border. Although the two countries have different citizens, they have a long history of social relations and kinship. Although there were almost unpleasant incidents on the Bangladesh-India border, no untoward incidents have taken place in this area even today. The two Bengal mosques are located next to sub-pillar 9S of International Main Pillar No. 978 on the Bangladesh-India border. Surrounding this mosque on the north is the village of Garaljhara in Sahebganj police station in Kochbihar district of West Bengal, India. In the south, Banshjani Jhakuatari village of Pathardubi union in Bhurungamari upazila of Kurigram district of Bangladesh. The Indian part goes beyond the barbed wire fence. Although the village was divided by international border pillars, their society was not divided. Although they are citizens of the country, they live like neighbors. However, there are some differences in behavior, culture and language. In West Bengal`s own style, Indians speak Bengali and are accustomed to that culture. He speaks the regional language of Rangpur in Bangladesh. Although they have different cultures and different countries, they are residents of the same society, worshipers of the same mosque. The village of Banshjani Jhakuatari in Bangladesh is home to more than 300 people from 45 families and the village of Garaljhara in India is home to about 250 people from 45 families. They did not go inside the barbed wire because they had land and houses. There was never any quarrel or complication between them.

Bangladeshi citizens said that although the country was divided, the society and the mosque were not divided. The legal complexities of the two countries were not affected. Visitors from different parts of Bangladesh and India also come to see this traditional border mosque. They mentioned that many people are praying in this mosque and witnessing the future.

According to Indians, the border mosque is about 200 years old but has not undergone any infrastructural development. This is not possible due to international legal complications in building infrastructure at the border. The people of the two Bengals jointly build and repair temporary infrastructure with financial support. The path shown by the former men is also developing among the children. Children of the two countries have been playing together effortlessly.

In this regard, Muazzin Nazrul Islam of Jhakuatari Jame Mosque said that the worshipers of two Bengals came to offer prayers at the sound of Azan. Pray together. Loving each other becomes one. The people of the two Bengals came out of the mosque and hugged. They exchanged greetings. The mosque on the border became more vibrant on the day of Friday prayers. The Musulli of Bangladesh and India brought Tabarak with buckets full of pots and pans. They exchange sorrows and joys at the border. He also said that they ran into each other`s dangers as they belonged to the same society.

In this regard, Bhurungamari Upazila Parishad Chairman Nurnnabi Chowdhury said, the mosque has been standing since the British period as a symbol of recent times. A project will be taken to develop this mosque and communication system to highlight the poverty stricken district Kurigram through this historic mosque.