Tourism

A trip to Sunderbans is all about traveling all through the day through large and small rivulets, waiting for the low tide when the animal sighting chances are higher and admiring high tide when trees and land get covered with water.
However if you are willing to invest time then please do not go during the peak tourist season for our people are barbarians who have no idea how to behave themselves. Let me give you an example. Sunderbans in spite of having 278 tigers (2004 census) has very low sighting simply because tourists move on boats in the river while the tiger resides in the thick jungles where entry is prohibited, risky and very very dense. It is for this reason that watchtowers have been created in the sanctuary, and tracts of jungle cleared and fresh water sources created (even though the river water is salty, the RBT drinks it and in fact even eats fishes and crabs) so that tourists can watch if any animal crosses those areas. The least that people can do is sit quietly, wait and watch. However our tourists bred on a daily dose of instant gratification, mindless soaps misbehave just as they do in the zoos. They scream, shout, hoot, talk incessantly among each other (sometimes even on the phone- Yes, BSNL covers most of Sunderbans) and sometimes even sing. It took a lot of self restraint to not slap a few of them but just in sharp whispers to tell them to shut up or get lost. I sometimes wonder when, if ever will we learn to behave ourselves as a race.

Tiger

The Royal Bengal Tiger, seldom sighted by tourists is almost always present in the minds of the local people. Hundreds of people have lost their lives in these rivulets to the might of the tiger, every local has encountered this beautiful savage beast numerous times in his life and every one knows someone who has been attacked by the tiger. These are very poor people whose livelihood revolves around the forest (shrimp and crab farming, honey collection, wood cutting etc.) and they have no choice but to expose themselves to this daily risk. The government on its part has tried to defend the villages by setting up nylon nets all around to slow down, tangle and discourage the tiger from coming into human contact. Numerous legends abound in these parts, and the local deity is Bono Bibi (Goddess of the Forest) who protected the local boy Dukhi (Sorrow- representation of the local people) from death in the hands of Dokhin Rai (Lord of the tigers). Even in the deepest jungles temples can be found as people pray before entering into the small rivulets where they are defenseless and vulnerable. In fact the local folk never mention the word ‘bagh’ (tiger) as they believe it will be like calling out to the beast. This is similar to the story of Count Vlad, where Dracula cannot enter a human household unless he is called in as God resides in every human house.
It is not only the tiger that is of danger to the local folk but also crocodiles which abound in these waters, and people have mostly been maimed by losing a limb if not outright death like in the jaws of the tiger. The Irrawady dolphins again made famous by the Amitava Ghosh’s book are present near the Mohans (where the river meets the sea) and hence sighting again becomes difficult. There is a life on the land and in the water but just that the impatient human used to instant entertainment is not deserving of being witness to it.

Tide

The Sunderbans are a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest mangrove forest and one of the largest estuarine deltas of the world. A little over half of it lies in Bangladesh and the rest in the South 24 parganas of West Bengal. Needless to say it is uniquely beautiful and one of the most different landscapes you can ever see. It’s a picture of about a hundred plus islands with rivers snaking through them. The most unique feature and what gives it its pseudonym of ‘Tide Country’ and the famous Amitav Ghosh book ‘The Hungry Tide’ is the havoc that the tides play in the life of this place. On an average the water level difference between high tide and ebb tide is over 10 feet. During this amazing daily natural event land masses are created and submerged, trees get half submerged in water and roots grow upwards instead of down for breathing creating what we call mangrove forests. You witness all of this in front of you as you go along the river banks on your boat, the movement of which is also governed by the tide.

Land of Tide, Tiger and Tourists

If you go to Sunderbans thinking the sightings will be as glorious as the African Savannah or the orchestrated tiger shows of Kanha, you will return highly disappointed. I saw two kingfishers, three deers, two boars, half a crocodile and week old tiger pug marks. This post is not about sightings of wild animals, but if you believe travel can be about a lot more only then read on.
This trip was actually of my dad’s friend circle during his bachelor days along with the families. While it’s great to go with such a large group, the problem is most people have different priorities in life, each of which very justified. For some it was more important to spend time drinking with old friends, for some getting up at 5 AM on a holiday was blasphemy, while for some like my mother and me sitting in the resort was unbearable and we used to want to be out on the boat any time every time.
However let me not tell a story here but just describe a few things and you can try and put the rest together in your mind.

Land of Tide, Tiger and Tourists

If you go to Sunderbans thinking the sightings will be as glorious as the African Savannah or the orchestrated tiger shows of Kanha, you will return highly disappointed. I saw two kingfishers, three deers, two boars, half a crocodile and week old tiger pug marks. This post is not about sightings of wild animals, but if you believe travel can be about a lot more only then read on.
This trip was actually of my dad’s friend circle during his bachelor days along with the families. While it’s great to go with such a large group, the problem is most people have different priorities in life, each of which very justified. For some it was more important to spend time drinking with old friends, for some getting up at 5 AM on a holiday was blasphemy, while for some like my mother and me sitting in the resort was unbearable and we used to want to be out on the boat any time every time.
However let me not tell a story here but just describe a few things and you can try and put the rest together in your mind.