Chuadanga, Khulna
One of the oldest industrial works in Bangladesh: a sugar mill and distillery at the border town of Darshana, running since the 1930s amid old buildings and trees.
Carew & Co. set up its works at Darshana in the late 1930s, when the area was part of British Bengal, to make sugar from the region’s cane and spirits from the molasses. After 1947 the company stayed on the eastern side of the border, and today it is a state-owned enterprise.
The complex is a small world of its own: the mill and distillery, old offices and staff bungalows, wide lawns and large trees. For many in the region, Carew is simply part of Darshana’s identity.
It is a working industrial site rather than a museum, so access depends on permission. Even from outside, it is worth a look on a trip to Darshana and its border railway.
Take a morning bus, CNG or local train from Chuadanga.
See the old mill buildings and grounds, going inside only if permitted.
Walk round the bazaar and the station, and stop for tea.
On the way back, stop at the Aat Kobor memorial in Damurhuda.
November to March; the cane-crushing season usually runs through the winter months
Darshana is south-west of Chuadanga town, about 30–45 minutes by bus, CNG or local train. The Carew complex is close to the town and station; ask locally.
