My Sundarbans Sojourn

Visiting Sundarbans was our long hidden travel dream. The Sundarban National Park, a part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta, and adjacent to the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh, is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve in West Bengal, India which is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is home to a variety of birds and reptile species besides being one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger!

It was at 4:15 evening when we reached Canning. Light tiffin was taken near Railway station. Then we booked a jeep to reach Gosaba and it took 1 ½ hours approximately. Our launch and Ramen, our fellow traveler were there to welcome us. We boarded on it and started for Hotel Ariyan at Pakhiralaya. Luggage was carried by the people of boat owner. It was evening time, the cold and gentle wind, the blowing river water, the silence of both sides jungle, the brightening moon all were marvelous. We all 14 guys sat on the top of the boat and just felt the thrill. The feeling was awesome!

After two hours journey, we reached Pakhiralaya and Hotel Manager Dev was waiting at the Ghat. He is very friendly, cordial, humble and cooperative. His people carried our luggage to the hotel which is one minute from there. This newly developed hotel is very beautiful and also has large compound. After getting fresh, hot tea with biscuits was served which was very essential in that cold weather. We were then busy in gossiping, chatting and roaming inside the hotel compound. The hotel has a pond which Rohan said that it would be a swimming pool within few days. The hotel was surrounded by a fake plastic net and Rohan descried that this was for preventing the tiger! Sometimes “his-highness” reaches this locality for inadequate food in the jungle. It was quite late when we got the dinner (Desi Murgi, Roti/Rice, Dal and sabji and salad). Food was very good and we enjoyed it with our own music.

Next morning we woke up. Very cold wind was blowing. Most of us were gathering at the compound. Suddenly a man arrived with so-called “Khejur Rosh” of Sundarbans. It was very tasty and everyone took 2 or 3 glasses. Rohan described how it is collected from date tree. On that day we had a program of whole day tour by boat. After sometimes we were transferred to our boat. At first we went to a fish market at Tiger Ghat. We purchased two kinds of fish according to our choice as Rohan suggested us. At the market we met a person who was heavily wounded by a tiger attacked in the last year. We listened the thrilling story from him with our wide open mouth how he survived that attack!

Then we went to Sajnekhali for our permission. There were too many monkeys watching us and disturbing for food. Be careful with children. There was an artificial park with ponds with little tortoises, a Bonodebi Temple and Mangrove Interpretation Centre. The place is beautiful. We left that place after 1 hour for our next destination Do Banki. On the way, we saw crocodiles. They were taking sun-bath on sandy bank of the river. There was a watch tower and the whole place is surrounded by high net to protect the tourist from tiger attack. The walking bridge is over the trees and tourists can watch the jungle and animals from the bridge. We took some pictures and videos from there. Then we visited Sudhyankhali and watch tower there. But tiger was invisible till then.

At 10 morning tiffin was served on the boat with hot cup of tea. On the beginning of tour Rohan had promised us that we would surely watch the tiger. Now when we asked Rohan about the same, we got a tricky reply from him. At Jharkhali two wounded tigers were kept for treatment and he talked about those tigers. Something is better than nothing. We started for Jharkhali. On the way again we saw an open-mouth crocodile. Then we entered the “Khari” area (a narrow water way) where Rahul told us to be careful as tiger may jump on the boat from the jungle! Thankfully nothing had happened.

After reaching spot there was a hue and cry among us to see the tiger. Entry fee of the park is Rs. 30 and at last we saw the tiger after walking about 2 kilometers. The park was beautiful with many amusements for children. On the way while returning on boat, we saw some unknown big seed of a fruit and they told that it was ground nut. Lunch was served on the boat. The food was not very good in comparison with the last night’s dinner but the heartiest behavior of Rohan overwhelmed us. Hot coffee was served after that.

Sun set was as unusually beautiful and we took some memories. We reached our hotel about evening 7. We arranged for “Jhumur Nach” which was most beautiful part of our tour. It is an ancient traditional dance by tribals of Sundarbans. Rohan made a camp fire there. We enjoyed the dance a lot. All of our members participated with them and danced till we got tired. The program was so delightful that the other tourists of the hotel were compelled to join us. I must suggest the Sundarbans visitors to make an arrangement for this dance program. Chiken pakora was served by Rohan during the dance. Rice/Roti with crab/chicken was served in dinner. Food was good. Then we were transferred to our launch. We had a program to stay one night on the launch. There were beautiful separate beds for every family inside the boat with warm weather. Before sleeping we were gossiping, chatting on deck on that full moon night. Cold blowing breeze made us shiver. The feeling was awesome and indescribable.

Next morning we went to Tiger ghat again for purchasing fish. Cake, banana, sweet and tea were served in tiffin on the launch. We were then returning to Gosaba Ghat and watching the side views of jungle, local houses, Anukul Chandra’s mandir, fully packed boat crossing the river, river-ambulance, daily routine life of Sundarbans people etc. Weather was very charming. After sometime lunch (Rice/ Dal/Sabji/Fish fry and Chicken) was served.

We took a jeep again from Gosaba to reach canning, and arrived Sealdah at about 3:30 afternoon, with a sad thought of how a beautiful world heritage site is getting destroyed gradually day by day by erosion. We heard from Rohan that Aila, Sider (the storms) pushed back the development of Saundarbans 10 years back! Unfortunately for foreigners there's no nearby airport and the nearest one s in Kolkata which caters hundreds of domestic as well as International Flights daily. You can clearly visualize and compare Sundarbans with a gorgeous lady who is old now, but her majestic allure is still persisting. Oh what a grand trip it was!

Revisiting the Jungle Book many years later as an adult!

I loved “Mowgli”, when I was a kid. I was damn engrossed in Jungle book cartoon series which was coming on DD national Chanel on Sunday morning. I fell in love with every character of the Jungle book and never missed a single episode. Jungle Book meant Mowgli to me and I was not aware that there are other stories too. I hadn’t realized until now that The Jungle Book is actually a number of short stories and songs or verses. When I was a child, I expected the whole book to be about Mowgli. But when I read now surprisingly I found myself not disappointed because I knew its not only about Mowgli. I enjoyed other stories as mush as I enjoyed Mowgli’s story. Its a children’s book yet it is not only meant for Children! There are stories of white seal, Mongoose, Elephants and other animals. What I liked the most is there is a good concept behind every stories.

The Jungle Book finds the perfect balance between two universes too often dissociated, humans and animals. The Jungle Book transcends the antagonism to a more psychological level, through the story of a little boy, virtually made an animal from his raising by a family of wolves and his tutoring by a black panther named Baghera, who must return back to the men's village to escape from the terrifying Shere Khan, the tiger who made every man a personal enemy, a hatred rooted in his irrational fear of fire: the element that interestingly differentiates humans and animals, fire as synonym of weapon, the same that killed Bambi's mom, or the same fire that almost destroyed the forest when men were hunting. Although Mowgli never learned how to make a fire, because he's still an animal, he carries his own race's dangerous heritage, his life is threatened because of his 'human nature', which makes the assimilation of 'animal culture' totally pointless. The irony is that the 'animal culture' is very similar to humans: elephants constituted an army, monkeys a kingdom, so the line between the two worlds becomes very uncertain. But The Jungle Book insists on making these two worlds totally incompatible through various episodes starting with Mowgli trying to adapt, becoming an elephant, dancing and partying with the monkeys, even standing up to Shere Khan but ultimately, his weakness as a human prevents him from being accepted. This is the point, Mowgli can become stronger only with a human entourage, it's not about differences as weaknesses, but as potential strengths. And Mowgli's coming-of-age can only be achieved when he'll understand the foolishness of wanting to be what we are not, a lesson that should also learn the zany King Louie who wants to know the secret of fire from Mowgli, to be 'just like humans'. Mowgli's dilemma is to accept his own condition and do what nature commands is undermined by an emotional conflict: Baloo vs. Baghera.

During the first act, Mowgli is lead by Bagherra whose mission is to conduct Mowgli to the village. Baghera is a serious and no-nonsense character with an admirable sense of responsibility. But Mowgli chose Baloo as a fatherly figure because Baloo is simply a big kid who takes life just the way it comes. Baloo and Baghera are the perfect yin and yang for the story. My two favorite moments, although not the most 'impacting' occur when Mowgli finally meets Shere Khan, and is given ten seconds to run away, Mowgli confidently gets himself ready to fight where Shere Khan suddenly jumps roaring at Mowgli's terrified face, in one second before Baloo's providential interaction, Mowgli as a vulnerable little child. My last favorite moment is when Baghera starts singing at the end after Mowgli chose to go by himself. It was a nice twist from a very serious character, adding the same level of three-dimensionality than when even the cool and good-natured Baloo decided to take Mowgli to the village. And speaking of the ending, although it's not a canon of adaptation from Rudyard Kipling book, it's morally faithful to the spirit of the film that commands to each creature to be among its own, and Mowgli didn't need to be pushed by Baghera or kept by Baloo, he made his decision alone, after being hypnotized not by a more pleasing form of Kaa-like creatures.

The Jungle Book is a cheerful and dazzling celebration of child literature, talking animals, coming-of-age story, music, dance, thrills and chills and for every laugh, a little tear, but not so much tear in a very feel-good story, except one for the great Kipling who couldn't have a greater epitaph honoring his extraordinary contribution on the field of fiction writing.


I’m blogging about #MyMowgliMemory at BlogAdda.

Make this Valentine's Day Special for you!

Make this V'day a grand one, make this February 2016 special for you by proposing your crush, assuming you have a special someone. Proposing your crush is one of the most exciting as well as nervous moments. But we have to do at some point of time or the other. Without taking chances in life nothing can be gained. Proposing one's crush is such a nerve wrecking moment that one may feel he is going to get the world under his belt in the next minute or the world is going to slip away from below his feet in the next! Only people who has tried the act would know what I meant. Well which can be a better date than the Valentine's Day, i.e. 14th February for proposing your crush, in case you have one. I'll be narrating here things I would do in your place if I have to propose my crush on this Valentine's Day. I would choose a Jadise Red Leather Handbag from Jabong as her V'day gift. Look how awesome does it look:

First things first. If you look filthy nothing can save you from a woman's negative scoring against your name. So, I will ensure that I meet her in proper outfit, decent haircut and a well shaved clean face. I do not care much on branded clothes and shoes but my emphasis would be the cleanliness, lack of wrinkles on clothes and shining polish of my leather shoes. After all being a gentleman does not hurt anyone's interest. I'll use light fragrance and some mild styling gel on my hair to keep it set and pure black. Bathing and brushing are always important whether you're going to meet your crush or your client, so, I'm not mentioning them separately.

Second thing is the venue. Valentine's day already invites a lot of couples in popular entertainment spots of the city. So, finding a private space free of unwanted noise would be a challenging task. After all when it comes to proposing crush you can't certainly invite her in a hotel room. You need to do a lot of research work to find an optimum venue. I love cricket and I have a club membership of Eden Garden stadium which would allow me to take my crush inside the relatively noise-free ground. I think it would be quite a romantic venue for the proposal!

Third thing is the added effects to create a magically romantic ambiance. I'll hire few club musicians to play at the background some soft melody, like they show in movies. I feel music and romance have parallel connection. I'll select tunes from Beethoven’s symphony. Just hope it works out for the moment!

Final thing would be my words. I am no poet or a singer. So, I'll search in internet best pickup lines and romantic proposals, memorize them, practice before the mirror at home and then deliver flawlessly on the special moment. Do you think my ways of proposing would fit you too? All the best! Make this special day grand and Happy Valentine's Day in advance.