Just imagine a slow motor boat moving through a river with dense jungle on both the sides, sun setting in the horizon, there is a perpetual nagging fear of the unknown both from the Jungle and the river. Amidst this, freshly brewed tea has been served and sitting on top of the cabin’s roof our left-leaning aunt, with her Sari’s pallu floating in the air, singing those soul stirring classical and Rabindra Sangeets. It is a situation which can not be recreated by money anywhere else is the world. For this one suddenly arranged trip I remain indebted to my father, who treated us to many other unforgettable trips as well.
Winter is the best time to visit the largest mangrove forest in the world. After reaching Basanti from Kolkata, we were quite excited to see our private launch waiting for us. For next four-days this launch would be also our home providing food and sleeping accommodation. Soon on our way to the Kalas Island we entered an ecosystem that has few parallel in the world. As we moved ahead we faced a maze of islands surrounded by endless stretches of water. Rich tidal creeks that provide diverse habitat such as channel sands, inter tidal mudflats, mangrove forests. As it was winter days, we could enjoy a beautiful scene of migratory Siberian cranes flying over sail boats fully loaded with many items like timber, fuel wood, honey, fish and shell adding to the serene natural attractiveness of the Sunderbans. As the night fell we moored our launch off a small Island.
On day break we disembarked at the Kalas Island and saw two boars with fairly large tusks. But what had thrilled us the most were pugmarks on soft ground and with that the hope of spotting a Royal Bengal Tiger. But the local fishermen and our guide, apprehending that the pugmarks were fresh, advised us to return to the safety of the launch.
Now we sailed to the Haliday Island. The Haliday Island is the winter nesting and egg laying spot for the Olive Riddley turtles. Reaching there, we were again disappointed. We did not find any turtle. But the rare beauty of the mangrove delta, the glow of perpetual green when the sun falls on them and tranquility of the remote island was fascinating.
As we sailed towards Netadhopani, we were among the densest part of the mangrove forest. Birds were playing on the sand heads. Colourful kingfishers dived in and out of the water. At Netadhopani we spent an hour on protected watchtower with forest guards. Some deer and a couple of wild boars visited the waterhole but there was no tiger. Back in the water, we were looking for estuarine crocodiles, when we heard excited voice of the motorman. We looked ahead and saw the sight that is the dream of all wildlife lovers. A tiger was crossing the river. It was swift and beautiful. It vanished into the forest of the Dakshinrai River in flash. But we were so over excited that all forgot to catch the moment in their camera.
We disembarked at Netadhopani and went to the watchtower through a passage protected by steel netting from tiger attack. We spent an hour on watchtower with forest guards. Some deer and a couple of wild bore visited the waterhole but again tiger eluded us. We met Gagan Majhi. Muktar told us that tiger mauled him while he was fishing. He still carried deep scar on his back. Gagan did not take his shirt off. After he was mauled, he had become an exhibit for the visitors. Being fed up, now he does not show his wounds.
And here the unthinkable happened. While from the tower we could not see any tiger and returned to our boat. We did not notice that my youngest brother was still inside the fenced shore. And, then suddenly we saw him running towards us and then a confusion and the most frieightening sight of the tiger running after him, though fortunately form the outside of the fence. For a few seconds both ran parellely one inside and the other outside the fence, when the boatman, who was left inside first closed the entry gate from inside and then he started wilding his stick while uttering peculiar sound from his mouth. We, at the boat stood frozen, and prayed that the boat moves to mid-river to avoid the charge of the tiger, though that would mean abandoning my brother and the boatman. However, soon the situation improved when the tiger diecided to abandon his city-bred pray, and with the quickest and most precariuous run over the wooden plank, my brother returned to the safety of the boat followed by the boatman.
For the night, we anchored at Dobanki. Here we saw young boys, girls and ladies standing in knee-deep water and catching shrimps. Muktar told us that poverty had driven them for such risky job. Risky as every creek and river is the habitat of estuarine crocodiles and these giant reptiles attacked all things living including human. Now it was clear to us why did we see so many people, young and old without limbs in the Sundarban.
On our way to Sudhanyakhali, when we sailed along deep mangrove forests, we realized that civilization as we know it comes to end in this forbidden terrain and we enter the well known tigerland. The watchtower of Sudhanyakhali Reserved Forest was also protected by steel net. Dense mangrove forest and local trees like Sundari, Hetal, Garan and Garjan was the home of tiger but we again failed to see tiger from the tower. But as we left the reserve forest we saw some wild crocodiles. One was floating by with two nostrils just above the water level. As the river turned right, we saw a fearfully huge estuarine crocodile sunning on a sand head.
On our last day we visited Sajnekhali, a favourite tourist spot. We visited Mangrove Interpretation Centre and crocodile and turtle pond. In the afternoon, we went to Pakhiralaya, the bird sanctuary. It was full of migratory birds from Europe and Central Asia. Ducks of many colour, storks, and so many other species were visible. We also saw a large iguana or Gosap as these are called locally.
We slowly understood why such a terrain in is in the list of UNESCO as a world Heritage Site. The Sunderbans is mystical and mysterious. There is an awe inspiring beauty that is difficult to define. In the morning it is bright and understandable. But when the settings sun turns it into faintly glowing green pristine land where time has stand still, one is charmed and mesmerized. During the night the eerie and mysterious stillness of this riverine forest give goose pimples, when the silence is interrupted by buzzing of insects and growling of animals that one mostly hears, but hardly ever sees.
The whole natural ensemble is so fascinating that even missing a tiger sighting becomes bearable. But, when one actually sees the rarest of rare fishing cat for a fleeting moment in this wilderness, it becomes one of the ultimate adventure trips in the world. And, we return with the clear understanding how human beings have to live and survive in harmony and in animosity with the jungle and its animals, who are equally fighting a harsh battle for its own survival.
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