ABSTRACT
The focus of Chapter 6 is the inhabitants of Ratargul, who live next to the Sylhet Cantonment of the Bangladesh Army. Since 1977, villagers have been confronted with the gradual alienation from their land due to the construction of the cantonment adjoining the settlement. This alienation will soon reach full completion through the new extension plans of the military base. Villagers anticipate this expansion with fear and express anger at the gradual impoverishment caused by land appropriation. Yet, in their accounts, dukkho (grief) overshadows their anxiety and anger, suggesting that dukkho is not simply an expression of grief over material loss but also an expression of pain over the disappearance of previous forms of life.
