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.