Md. Osman Gani , Upazila Correspondent, Chandina || While Badarpur village in Chandina, Cumilla, maintains a calm and serene atmosphere during other times of the day, a unique hustle and bustle begins well before the first rays of dawn. Breaking the surrounding silence, a traditional market wakes up. This is no ordinary kitchen market or daily essentials bazaar; it is a market of silver dreams—a massive gathering for selling fish fry (fingerlings). Every morning, crowds of buyers and sellers flock to this market, where millions of takas worth of fish fry are traded in the blink of an eye.Chandina and its adjacent areas are predominantly known as fish-farming-dominated regions. The thousands of ponds and dighis (large water bodies) scattered across the vast fields here serve as the main engine of the local economy. Consequently, the demand for fish fry in this region remains sky-high. Centering around this demand, this daily fish fry market has developed in Badarpur Bazaar. Every day at dawn, while people from far and wide are still fast asleep, fish fry traders arrive at this market. They bring various types of fish fry in massive clay pots, drums, and modern containers. From Rui, Katla, Mrigel, Pangas, Silver Carp, and Grass Carp to various kinds of native and exotic fish fry, a diverse collection gathers in this small market. Seen from a distance, it appears as if a silver-colored fair has been set up across the entire market.Currently, it is the Bengali month of Jaistha. In the words of fish farmers, this is one of the most suitable times for releasing fish fry. Kawsar and Jakir Hossain, regular fish fry sellers at the market, shared their insights. They explained that fish farming follows a specific cycle. Generally, every year during the months of Chaitra and Baishakh, farmers sell off the large fish from their ponds. Afterward, the ponds are drained, treated with lime and fertilizer, and the water is freshly prepared. As soon as the month of Jaistha arrives, the festival of releasing new fish fry begins. Keeping this immense demand of the farmers in mind, sellers rush to Badarpur Bazaar every day with high-quality fish fry collected from hatcheries and large ponds of different regions. Even on hot Jaistha days, the entire area buzzes with the shouts and haggling of buyers and sellers in the gentle morning breeze.The greatest feature of this market is its geographical location and accessibility. Since Badarpur Bazaar is located in a rural setting, there is no hassle of extra tolls (khajna) or additional expenses like in urban areas. As a result, both buyers and sellers can trade fish fry at highly affordable prices and minimal costs. Alongside wholesalers coming from distant places, local small-scale farmers also gather here.Tajul Islam, an experienced fish farmer who came to buy fish fry, mentioned that the biggest advantage of this market is that it sits every single morning, 365 days a year. Consequently, farmers do not have to wait for a specific day of the week to purchase fry. As soon as their ponds are ready, they can head straight here. Moreover, because the market is in a rural environment, transportation costs are significantly lower. After purchasing from the market, it is possible to transport the fry to the ponds in the shortest possible time and at a nominal cost. Due to the reduced transit time, the mortality rate of the fish fry remains nearly zero percent, which is a matter of immense relief for the farmers.The fish fry market of Badarpur is not just a commercial hub; it is the primary source of livelihood for thousands of local people. Fry producers, intermediaries, transport workers, and local small traders are all weaving their dreams of survival centered around this market. This silver revolution in Chandina is not only keeping the rural economy vibrant but is also playing an invaluable role in meeting the protein demands of the country. This daily morning hustle is not merely about selling fish fry; rather, it is an endless festival of sowing the seeds of prosperity anew in every single pond.