Sunderbans – The Land of the Tiger

With my aunt always a staunch fan of football, books and Kolkata not necessarily in that order, the simple assignment that I had got from my college to assess the wetlands in West Bengal set her in a tizzy.

“Oh so you are going to Sunderbans? SUNDERBANS!!! “She exclaimed in absolute happiness and joy unfounded. “I am also coming along.” I knew I was defeated when she made up her mind and   it was a better thing to convince my friends that she would be part of our group.

So when we left Ahmedabad and reached Kolkata by train, we were received by her warmly and we  had a delicious lunch at her house and made plans to go to Sunderbans.

The next morning we hired a car and set forth to the destination. Soon we were at Sonakhali a place which was around two hours drive from Kolkata. Here there was a boat. We saw the Indian tricolor flying in the boat. All the boats here have the Indian flag to be recognized and also not to stray out of the border. And we enjoyed the ride on the boat to a place called Bali. Here is where the college had told us to take an accommodation. As we approached the island the feeling that we were in the wetlands of West Bengal gave us a thrill which was difficult to fathom and unbelievably true.

With my aunt ranting away nineteen to the dozen our group of five college mates, made our way through to the place. Sunderbans actually is a region which has 102 islands, where the people lived in 54 islands. The rest of the islands were inhabited by wild life. Sunderbans is like Venice. Boats are the only modes of transportation. As we went in the boat, we saw a lot of Border Security Boats which passed us. The swishing of the waters of the river and the serene atmosphere rendered us calm and we never realized how the two hour water ride to Bali got over.

WE reached a cottage. This was rural to the point of absolute. There was only a single booth to make phone calls. There were no computers or network. The whole island was dependent on a single antenna. Electricity was bleak and weak here. The only form of electricity was the solar cells. The alternate source was the lanterns.

We had set out from Kolkata early morning and we reached Bali at around noon. We had lunch at Bali. It comprised of boiled rice and potatoes. After this we proceeded to a place called Sanjehkhali. This is the area where we could take permission to reach Sunderbans. Here we saw a watchtower which we could never figure why. It was a complete dead construction with just 3 storeys. WE wanted to spot some birds first. So we climbed to the top of the watchtower and tried to catch hold of as many birds as possible. I am good at birds and I had to initially train my aunt a lot to keep shut so as not to disturb them. The place wass seeming with tourists and I was a trifle disappointed as birds normally shun crowd. But we went further up and reached a comparatively calm place. Here we heard a lot of birds twittering. We could spot the Common Kingfisher. I was only focused on getting a good photograph. I did and decided to upload it on my latest photo blog. Sudhanshu, my friend said he wanted to see a crocodile. Coming to Sunderbans and not seeing a crocodile is a waste he felt. So all of us started towards the crocodile search. This could be the worst that could happen to someone. To search for a crocodile. I remember once we went to Ooty in search of a waterfall and all we saw was a trickle of water! My aunt was teasing me that it should be the same with the crocodile. We would see a small reptile. Not one to give up, Sudanshu went ahead. We had a guide with us as we didn’t know our way around obviously. He told that crocodiles are more seen during high tide. It was low tide so all we got to see was a small crocodile. We also saw some Eastern Curlews and Indian Cormorants. The boat swished past and we got what we wanted to see. There in front of us, curled up lay the biggest crocodile I would have seen. It was maybe around 10 feet.

It grew darker and it was almost evening. WE were provided with lanterns to find our way through. So it wasn’t much of a hassle. But the experience with the lanterns was unique. With the limited area of light that we could see we found it exciting. WE could see that the road that we were on was actually a dam which was built around Bali. Sunderbans, I knew is an area, which completely gets flooded every year. So these kind of dams made of mud prevent incessant flooding of the adjoining areas. The lack of electricity didn’t deter us and we were listening to tales that my aunt was telling about how there used to be 15 – 16 hours of power cut when she was college student and she had studied in the light of the lantern.

It was very funny going to bed so early at a time when actually back in the hostel we would be starting our day! Anyway we had a good sleep, the power cut notwithstanding, the mosquitoes notwithstanding and the sound of the crickets notwithstanding. The travel and the walk up had tired us.

Next morning, there was a local small shed where we had a delicious breakfast in rustic surroundings. Then we went to the Hiron Point. This was a beautiful spot for getting to see tigers. But we weren’t as lucky and we could see only Cheetal and Wild Boars.

Then we went to the Tin Kona Island which was yet another spot for seeing wildlife. This island is so called because of its three corners. Here we were totally enchanted by the wild beauty of the place. The forest land and the estuaries that flowed here was a perfect scenic spot. We really wanted to see the tiger and the tourist guide told us that we can if we wait. WE waited for a long time and just when we were giving up right in the far distance we saw the golden beauty with the stripes. The tiger! What a beauty. We didn’t make any noise but were immediately distracted by a deer on the other side. Both disappeared as quickly as they came.

From here we went to a place called Katka. Here we went on a safari. This gave us a chance to see more tigers and we also did a lot of bird watching. The experience was beyond description and the sighting of tigers was a unique experience. This time we saw the Chestnut Headed Bee Eater and the jungle myna. The Oriental Magpie Robin and Drongo were easy to spot. My aunt showed two birds that she spotted. She didn’t know their names. . “The Spotted dove, and that is the Indian Pond Heron.” Said Nishikant licking his lips after eating the amazingly delicious khichdi given by Mashima. We came back to where we had camped and spent the night there.

The night passed without a whimper as all of us were completely exhausted. Again the next morning we went through the land and reached a place called Dublar Char Island. Here we all had fun, fishing for some prize catch. WE didn’t get any fish, but enjoyed the sport. From here we went to where we should have gone earlier – The Sudhanyakali Watch Tower. This is a tower from where most of the tigers are spotted. WE got up to the top and through the binoculars we tried to see. And sure enough far in the distance we could see a couple of tigers roaming. What a beautiful sight and what an amazing creation of God.

Then we went towards the Dobanki Watch Tower. This was a construction which existed here for a long time and the sheer magnificence of the structure enthralled us. Debjoyti took a lot of photos and I was busy with the video.

WE then visited the Netidhopani temple. This temple with its ancient construction dated back to some 4 centuries back. It was nice to see such constructions and the surroundings of Sunderbans authenticated its ancientness.

WE came back and we had to get going for my assignment. WE bid goodbye to aunt who went back to Kolkata and I wrote this blog on my way to the hostel.

Parting thought – Wetlands Wildlife head for Sunderbans.