He is 22 and has loved plants since childhood. He has now turned that hobby into a source of income by building a nursery, which earns him Tk 40,000 to 50,000 a month. With the money he pays for his own studies and his younger sister's, and even contributes to the family. He is Mafizul Hasan Masum, son of Shafiqul Islam of Uttar Atkaria village in Sonatala, Bogura. He is a first-year student in the Islamic history department at Sonatala Government Nazir Akhtar College.

His love of plants goes back to childhood. The idea of a nursery came during the coronavirus period, when he was a higher secondary student. He set up a small nursery on his father's fallow land in Uttar Atkaria village. It made some sales, but he dreamt of making it bigger. Following that dream, he came to the Bangabandhu Chattar at the heart of Sonatala upazila, where he rented an empty plot on a monthly agreement. There his dream began to grow: he built a larger nursery and named it "Green Leaves".

Besides plants grown at his own nursery, he brings in various species of foreign flowers, fruit and ornamental plants for Green Leaves. The nursery now has more than about 250 species of plants, including cacti, succulents, bonsai and various indoor and outdoor plants. Along with plants, he has brought in various species of fancy foreign aquarium fish, and also keeps various birds and pets. In short, he has tried to keep everything people love as hobbies under one roof.

Speaking about his future plans, Masum said: "I want to finish my studies and then run the garden properly. I don't want a job; I want to be an entrepreneur. So in future I will invest more in Green Leaves, and I will try to create jobs here for one or two people."

Nipun Anwar Kajal, councillor for ward 1 of Sonatala municipality, said: "Masum is a very artistic young man. Only a few days ago this place was dirty. He rented it and decorated it beautifully, and it has also become a source of income for him. The place has added to the beauty of Sonatala's Bangabandhu Chattar."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.