DHAKA, March 8, 2025 (BSS) - One makeshift kitchen market operated by women named 'Bou Bazar' has changed the fate of distressed women in the Kushtapur area under the Mymensingh City Corporation.
 
Some women of two colonies named Malancha and Adarsha in the Kushtapur area started the Bou Bazar around 30 years ago after discussing themselves to create an earning source.
 
All traders of the Bow Bazar are women. Most of the residents of these two colonies are rickshaw pullers and day labourers. Now women are contributing alongside their male partners to maintain their livelihood and also become self-reliant.
 
In the beginning, there were five-six shops in the Bou Bazar. Now the number is 130. As the makeshift kitchen market operated by the small women entrepreneurs, it is called as Bow Bazar.
 
Sexagenarian Jahan Begum runs a fish shop at the Bow Bazar. When she started the shop at the open ground, she had three small children. They couldn't maintain their livelihood by only the earnings of her husband. In the beginning, Jahan Begum had a vegetable shop as she had little
capital.
 
Later, this self-dependent woman started a fish business as she had already made a handsome profit from the vegetable business. Currently, the old-age lady sells fish worth more than Taka 6,000 daily. Her grandchildren also work with her.
 
Small woman entrepreneur Halima Akter has been running a shop of dry fish at Bou Bazaar for 10 years. She started the business with only Taka 300. She had to fight against her husband's decision not to run a business at the beginning. However, Halima didn't pay heed to this obstruction and challenged her husband Joynal Mia that she would earn enough to maintain
the family.
 
Now the firmly committed woman is a successful businessperson at the Bow Bazar. Her husband, who once barred Halima, helps her now. Joynal collects the dry fish from the wholesale market and Halima sells those.
 
Residents of the Malancha and Adarsha colonies and low-income people of adjacent areas are the main customers of the Bow Bazar. Low-income people can buy daily essentials from this market at the cheapest rate.
 
New trader Mukta Akter runs a grocery shop in Bow Bazar. She started the business one year ago.
 
Many residents of the colonies became inspired to see the women traders of the Bow Bazar.
 
Mukta is one of them. Mukta, who is a resident of the Malancha colony, started her shop with Taka 20,000 capital. Now she sells Taka 6000-7000 daily and earns a good profit after expenditure.
 
Day labour Kawser Mia can't work as he becomes paralyzed. He, along with his wife and three children, was suffering the most to maintain livelihood two years ago. Kawser's wife Khodeza Begum had taken the helm of the family at that time. She had no capital but started a fish
business at the Bow Bazar with an empty hand.
 
 Khodaza started bringing fish by taking credit from the local lender. After selling the fish, she returns the money. Now the entrepreneur and her family are very happy with the earnings of their fish shop.
 
The 30-year-old Bow Bazar has changed the life of many women. They have become self-reliant by running small businesses in this market. Rashida Begum is one of them. Her husband passed away eight years ago.
 
Rashida started a kitchen business at the Bow Bazar. She is well-off now. Her son studies at Mymensingh Commerce College. "I am a happy person now," Rashida said.