A Grand Gathering of Domestic and Exotic Fruits on the Rooftop Garden of Chandina Sub-Registry Jame Mosque

Surpassing the mosque's minaret, a fleet of green leaves is spreading its wings into the sky. Illuminating the surroundings, clusters of fruits and various types of flowers are hanging beautifully. Some are familiar, while others are completely unknown, exotic varieties. This is not a rural orchard or the courtyard of an amateur fruit grower; it is an eye-catching view of the rooftop garden of the Chandina Sub-Registry Jame Mosque in Cumilla. Moving beyond the conventional responsibilities of the mosque's Khatib or committee, and driven entirely by personal urge, the mosque's Khadem (caretaker), Mr. Nasir Uddin Dulal Hossain, has brought about a unique green revolution. Under his touch, the mosque's rooftop has transformed today into a grand gathering of domestic and exotic fruits, which simultaneously brings serenity and immense satisfaction to the worshippers.The story of this unique initiative began in 2018. Out of a deep love for trees and nature, Khadem Dulal Hossain decided to utilize the empty rooftop of the mosque. No sooner said than done. However, the path was not very smooth. Setting up the appropriate infrastructure for a rooftop garden, arranging soil, and collecting saplings required a significant amount of money. Without looking for any government grants or funding from the mosque's funds, he spent around 200,000 to 250,000 BDT from his own hard-earned savings. He built this dream garden bit by bit with his self-financing. Today, after nearly eight years, the fruits of his labor and dedication stand tall on the mosque's roof.Currently, this rooftop garden houses around 300 trees of various species. Along with local fruits, there is a dazzling array of exotic varieties. The biggest attraction of this garden is the highly valuable and rare variety of Japanese 'Miyazaki' mango trees, numbering about 20. In addition, there are American Palmer mangoes, Japanese white blackberries (Jam), Thailand's red wood-apples, and the medicinal Miracle fruit. The garden has been made unique with 20 to 30 types of fruit and flower trees, including familiar pomegranates, sapodillas (Sofeda), carandases (Koramcha), figs (Anar), lychees, elephant apples (Kodbel), pomelos (Jambura), olives, cardamoms, cloves, and tissue bananas. Season after season, when the trees are laden with fruits, the entire rooftop takes on a celestial appearance.The most beautiful aspect of this garden is its non-commercial nature. In the present era, where financial profit is sought behind every action, Dulal Hossain has set an exceptional example. During every fruit season, when the trees bear an abundance of fruit, he does not sell a single one in the market. He distributes these delicious and nutritious fruits, grown with ultimate care, among the worshippers of the mosque. When the worshippers taste these chemical-free fresh fruits after prayers, the smile of satisfaction that lights up their faces is Dulal Hossain's greatest reward.The local worshippers of the mosque have spoken highly in praise of this initiative. Many of them mentioned that Dulal Hossain is not just a Khadem; he is the soul of this mosque. Apart from the rooftop garden, he performs all development and cleanliness work of the mosque with great dedication. Although locals support him as much as possible, the entire credit for this garden belongs to him alone. Many worshippers emotionally expressed that there are some rare exotic fruits in this garden that they had never seen in their lives, let alone tasted. Thanks to Dulal Hossain, they can now see and savor those fruits, which gives a supreme peace to their souls.This rooftop garden of the Chandina Sub-Registry Jame Mosque is not just a beautiful sight; it is a symbol of deep responsibility towards society and nature. In the midst of the city's concrete jungle, Dulal Hossain has practically demonstrated how the rooftop of a religious institution can be used for eco-friendly and public welfare purposes. His selfless initiative and love for nature are undoubtedly a great inspiration for everyone else in society.