Hamida Akter, 29, is a farmer in Tangail. For almost ten years she lovingly raised a black-and-white bull like her own child. She named the bull, which weighs about 56 maunds, "Manik". She hoped to sell it at the right price last Eid, and one man offered Tk 15 lakh, but he never came back, so the bull was not sold that year.

So, with great difficulty and by borrowing, she raised Manik for another year, planning to sell him this Eid. Again, one person agreed on a price of Tk 18 lakh and left. But as Eid drew near, that buyer did not return either. Her beloved Manik became the biggest "thorn in the throat" of Hamida's life.

Inquiries found that many people made videos of the giant animal, went viral on social media, collected likes and views and earned money. But no one showed the slightest humanity in understanding the tears and hard times of the helpless Hamida behind the camera, or in standing by her.

In the end, Alauddin Ahmed, a resident of Kumarkhali in Kushtia, stood by Hamida. The foundation he established, the Alauddin Ahmed Foundation, bought the bull, bringing a smile to her face.

Hamida is the daughter of Abdul Hamid of Bhengula village in Delduar upazila, Tangail. Manik is now being carefully kept at the Alauddin Ahmed Foundation's farm in Alauddin Nagar, Nandalalpur union, Kumarkhali, Kushtia. On the third day of the coming Eid, the bull will be slaughtered and distributed among orphans, the destitute and the helpless.

A visit on the morning of Wednesday 27 May found the black-and-white Manik kept in a tin-roofed brick shed, with a fan spinning overhead. Some curious people had come to see him.

Rehena Begum, an employee of the farm, said: "The giant Manik was brought from Tangail on Monday (25 May). He is being cared for with quality feed. After Eid he will be cooked and fed to orphans."

Hamida Akter told Jago News: "My only gain is that I can pay off some debts. Still, Alhamdulillah. I always wanted to sell Manik to a good person if I found one, even if I lost or gained a little. But I would never sell Manik to a trader or a butcher. I am very happy to have sold him to a good person."

During a conversation of about 13 minutes, she said: "Two years ago he weighed 2,080 kg. I don't know his current weight. Last year one person offered Tk 15 lakh and this year one offered Tk 18 lakh, and they left and never came back. I wanted to sell the bull for Tk 20 lakh. But at the last moment there is no one to buy big cattle, and I don't have the money to raise him another year. So I sold him for Tk 11.2 lakh to a good person. I am happy with that."

On profit and loss, she told Jago News: "I have been raising him for 10 years. From the feed I gave him, not even half the cost has come back, never mind the hardship, hard work and sleepless nights. Every day he eats 10 hali of seeded bananas and four kg of chickpeas, as much bran as he can, and rice cooked from one kg of atap rice. I had borrowed a lot of money, so I sold him and paid off debts. I still owe Tk 4.8 lakh."

Hamida's mother died in 2024, while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. Her family now consists of a younger sister and an elderly father. She is currently studying for a master's degree and, besides running a bKash shop, looks after the farm at home.

"My wish is to build a farm and use the profit to stand by helpless people," Hamida Akter said. "I wanted Tk 15 lakh, but as I would not find a buyer, I sold him at this price (Tk 11.2 lakh). Still, Alhamdulillah. Please pray for me. There are 10 more cows on the farm. May they bring a good profit."

Morshed Alam, manager of the Alauddin Ahmed Foundation, said: "When the plight of the woman entrepreneur Hamida came to light online, the philanthropist Alauddin Ahmed came forward to fulfil her dream. On the third day of Eid the bull will be cooked and served to bring a little smile of satisfaction to those faces that have not had a piece of good food on their plates for years."

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