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Pleasure-thirsty people in their multitudes converged on the Padma riverbank site at Satbaria in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna district to celebrate Pahela Boishakh, the first day of the Bengali New Year, on Monday (April 15).
It is said when one stands on the seashore, one feels very small in the vastness of the sea. If one wants to enjoy the breathtaking beauty and vastness of the sea, and if it is not possible to go to the seashore, one can visit the Padma riverside in Pabna's Sujanagar and will be able to cater to the taste for aesthetic natural beauty of the same kind.
Satbaria has a waterway communication between Pabna's Sujanagar upazila and Rajbari district.
Hundreds of people travel to these areas by boats every day. Besides, visitors come here on various festive occasions, especially Pahela Boishakh.
During the Bengali New Year celebration, the Padma riverside at Satbaria brimmed with countless pleasure-loving men, women and children. The Padma riverbank site here has already made a name as 'Mini Cox's Bazar' for drawing large crowds of visitors with the bewitching beauty of its picturesque scenery and eye-soothing natural setting.
People from Sujanagar and the surrounding areas visit Satbaria with their families, relatives and friends on the weekends and holidays to enjoy the immense beauty of the river.
They take boat or speedboat rides on the river. Many also come here on a picnic.
According to locals, if it is possible to develop this place as a tourist attraction with government initiatives, it could bring the state a substantial amount of revenue income.
Some local youths have already established a small park named Padma Park on the bank of the river. Gradually, its importance is increasing day by day.
However, tourists are more attracted to the beauty of the Padma than the park.
Especially on Friday and Saturday, hundreds of men and women from Sujanagar and neighbouring upazilas flock to the Padma riverbank.
Khalilur Rahman, a resident of Naruhati village on the Padma riverbank and a former UP member, told The Financial Express that every day, more or less tourists come to the Satbaria Padma riverside for pleasure.
On Friday and Saturday, from 4:00 pm onwards, hundreds of male and female visitors come to the riverbank for pleasure riding various types of vehicles including microbuses, CNG-rung three-wheelers and motorcycles.
Rafiqul Islam, associate professor of Pabna Government Edward College, and Abul Kalam Azad professor of Pabna Degree College, who came to the bank of the Padma for a pleasure trip, told the FE that a commercial tourism centre can be developed here because of the large number of visitors.
Mir Rasheduzzaman Rashed, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Sujanagar upazila, told The Financial Express that there is immense tourism potential for the bank of the Padma River at Satbaria.
However, it is a matter of time for the government to develop the site into a tourist spot.
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