SUNDERBANS……….THE MAGICAL AND BEAUTIFUL, YET DAUNTING, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE BIOME
It was last year in November when I was on a serious photography trip to Sunderbans and we were just six of us, all mellowed in age and all of us were serious about nature and its beauty and challenges. This is when the Sunderbans came to me as a magical land just like the story of Alice in wonderland. I was overwhelmed with the beauty, its challenges, and the megacosm.
What we commonly call Sunderbans is actually a large delta spread across 40,000 sq. km between India and Bangladesh! Just to give you an idea of how vast it really is, consider this. It stretches from River Hooghly in West Bengal, India, all the way to River Baleswar in Bangladesh. In this UNESCO World Heritage Site (it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987), the mangrove trees stand lazily on the mudflats, which are visible during low tides, and submerged in height tide. The Sundarbans delta is formed by the coming together of three rivers, Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna. The delta opens in the vast Bay Of Bengal.
The magic of this magnificent forest starts as soon as one enters the boat at Gadkhali from where the sunderban journey starts . I would not call it a Safari, rather it’s a journey, a journey of discovery, a journey to the magical beauty of the forests, and a personal journey of appreciating nature and its intricacies and its grandeur and beauty. The boat has two decks. The bottom deck has four sleeping beds, with small windows with window shades. It has one washroom and the kitchen. The upper deck is the observation deck with the bridge in the center and table and chairs laid down for the meals that are served on the boat. It's basic but very clean.
In the Bengali language “Shundor” means beautiful and “Bon” means forest. So in Bengali, “Shundorbon” means “beautiful forests” in the local language. In English, it is known as Sunderban, and it is not hard to figure out why. Another reasons are the Sundari trees, which are dominant in this mangrove area. Their uniqueness lies in their roots which shoot upwards for respiration, particularly during waterlogging at high tides and the monsoon. These roots are called the Pneumatophores.
The boat traverses the channels of water with the mangrove forests on both sides and life that unfolds right in front of you. At low tide and when the sun has just risen the temperature is right enough for the saltwater estuarine crocodile to sunbathe on one of the island mudflats. The breathing roots juts out like spears through the soft alluvial mud and under the shade of the mangrove trees one can see the spotted dears chilling and grazing, stepping nimbly on the wet mud, avoiding the roots. Their lackadaisical attitude is a sure sign that the Tiger is not nearby.
Suddenly the macaque monkeys raise an alarm and the dears just instinctively become alert and again go about grazing on leaves. As the day progresses and we meander along the channels we spot a giant water monitor lizard that is very similar to the Komodo Dragon. Genetically these water monitor lizards are close relative to the komodo dragon and yes, their bite is poisonous.
Suddenly the macaque monkeys raise an alarm and the dears just instinctively become alert and again go about grazing on leaves. As the day progresses and we meander along the channels we spot a giant water monitor lizard that is very similar to the Komodo Dragon. Genetically these water monitor lizards are close relative to the Komodo dragon and yes, their bite is poisonous
West Bengal Forest department uses powered motorboats to patrol this humongous forest and if you are in luck you may encounter them on a patrol and they might pass on information about the elusive but omnipresent Royal Bengal Tiger.
Among other things, it is the unique geography of Sunderbans which endears it to the tourists. It is a part of the world’s largest delta and home to the largest mangrove forests. In its brackish waters, mudflats and trees, reside an incredible variety of flora and fauna. It is these, along with the vegetation, that make this place what it is, a mystery that unfolds itself with every single visit. The vast Sunderbans also houses within it rivers, islands, and villages.
One of the unique experiences that one may have and that one would like to capture is the Sunrise and the Sunset in these estuarine waters. At sunrise, just before the sun rises the sky assumes a pinkish hue and that is a sight to behold. Nature can be so colorful, just like the canvas of a painter. During the Sunset the entire hue changes and everything in nature just signify getting back home. The other fantastic sight is that of the many channels which open to the vast Bay of Bengal.
: Wildlife tourism is a major factor behind tourists visiting Sunderbans, and rightly so. After all, you’ve heard that it is home to a rich variety of wildlife, with the Royal Bengal Tigers enjoying a large presence. Nothing makes the tourists more excited than a tiger sighting. While that majestic cat certainly deserves all the attention and spotlight, there are other kinds of birds and wildlife animals who call these mangrove forests their home.
Apart from the Royal Bengal Tiger, other animals found in these areas are fishing cats, macaques, leopard cats, Indian grey mongoose, wild boar, flying fox, pangolin, and Indian grey mongoose. The chital deer and rhesus monkey are common sightings.
Sunderbans is termed in plural because of the numerous forest islands and numerous channels. There are about 104 islands of mangrove forests. Very few of the islands are inhabited. There is a small village in Gosaba where the entire population is that of the widows. The men folks have all been killed, mauled, and consumed by the Man-Eaters. The local economy depends on fishing and honey collection and this very activity attracts the Tigers to target the humans. There are 96 Tigers for an area of 3500 sq/km.
The life of the locals there is not an easy one. Sometimes they have to fetch potable water from as far as 2 kms from a freshwater well. Yet they do it with a smile on their faces.
The distant lights are where we are headed at the end of this exhilarating exploratory expedition tour to Sunderbans.
Sunderbans actually makes you realize that Nature is the ultimate artist, Nature is loving caring and yet nature is so very daunting. Do you want to achieve a thoughtless state of mind? Come to Sunderbans.
Anyone interested to visit Sunderbans may call me or mail me. My number is +91 9892964286 and my email is amlanroychowdhury@gmail.com