Completing the triangle

Lets start with rewriting about Kolkata.

Everybody loves their own native city. So if being a bengali I offer my adoration for Kolkata, shouldn’t sound much different. Yet. My city was once reffered to as the great City of Joy. That was by Dominique Lapierre back in 1985, that was even before I entered in this world. And the book mainly had to do with Mother Teresa. Whatever.

I am missing the city. People with tummy everywhere. Ha ha. Really. Tummy people. They won’t even fit well in the congested crowd of local trains but somehow they will make space for themselves and their tummy. Another person could easily fit in had the tummy of the first person disappeared. Surprising thing is no one would complain about the hush push of that kind.

Same was in Durga Puja. Just keep walking with the crowd. That was one thing told to me by Shubhojit I think, I don’t remember his name exactly. He had accompanied Gopal da. Actually he always accompanies Gopal da during Durga Puja time. Last year too he was seen wearing the same kurta punjabi he had worn this year. He would accompany Gopal da basically for drink sessions. Last year Durga Puja I had spent in Hindustan Bar at Esplanade. This year I had made strict to them that I would go to dj pub specifically and not in some bar. Nightlife in Kolkata is not as good as Delhi.

So this time we had gone to Privy in Elgin Road. I had visited the place once earlier with Bhavya Sirohi sir. Unfortunately this time we entered the lounge at 4 pm and the dj was supposed to start at 9 pm. The drinks didn’t hit me at all. Then we ordered hookah, which gave me nasal congestion for a week. Bad.

We walked out of the lounge at 7 pm. I decided to visit some Durga pandals after that. And Gopal da helped me do that. Surely we went from Elgin road straight to Maddox square. As always Maddox square would exhibit one stage show, some live concert. And people would be seen sitting on the grass. Aman ali had come there a day before. The earlier evening I had accompanied my Kaku kakima. They took me to the Naktala pandal, that was where I got to evidence the Kolkata Durga puja crowd for the first time. He scenario was the same at every famous pandal. Suruchi Sangha, Ekdalia, Tridhara, Chetla, College square. I had visited Shobhabajar Rajbari and Mohammad ali park next day noon time, so was lucky not to meet that crazy crowd rush. Deshapriya park had been shut down on Panchami by police citing the uncontrolled crowd rush. Country’s tallest Durga idol was erected at there. Shashti evening I was with Kaku kakima. Saptami evening I was with Gopal da. That midnight I had got lost at Gariahat mor I think. We weren’t finding any transportation to Behala. I was just standing and glancing the crowd at 12 am. People were no where sleepy or tired. Finally I decided to take bus to Hiland park and bade Gopal da goodbye.

I had woken up Kaku at 1 am, saying I wanted to spent the night at his place. He welcomed me. Next day morning, Ashtami, I woke up to leave Kaku’s apartment to rush to Shobhajar rajbari to see the morning aarti there, but couldn’t. I will hold my shoes responsible for that. My new pair Woodland were killing my ankle joint. Usually the new pairs do so. The metro trains had started that early at 8 am. So was left stranded at Garia deciding to watch The Martian at South City. The Martian was good but not as good as Interstellar for sure. Surely the humor was true that Matt Damon had won the most convincing person for homecoming after Saving Pvt Ryan, Interstellar and Martian.

I had decided to leave for Sundarbanns next day. On bike. Dad didn’t permit me to go by bike so had an arguement with him. Parents told me not to take Jojo with me, but next day I drove straight to Pishi’s home to pick up Jojo. Jojo, good name Oishik, my Bodo Pishi’s son.

The day had started with me waking up at 5 am. Parents would always wake up up early. Mom did notice that I had woken up. Soon mom called me downstairs. She asked if I was gonna leave for Sundarbanns. I said yes. She tried to give a panicking expression. I cared the least. Dad wouldn’t talk to me. They finally told me to leave after they return from morning walk sesson. I again didn’t reply. Soon they left I put one litre milk for heating, then prepared a choclate cornflakes milk with bananas. Awesome it was. Two spoons in mouth I was running to prepare my saddle bag on my bike. Left the music players playing Love Me Like You Do of Ellie Goulding at full volume. Time was 5:30 am. God knows what had crept into my head to blast that song at 5:30 am when the day was Navami, the Puja pandals were heard playing nice Puja hymns. By the time my parents returned I was prepared to leave. Dad had just interrupted saying that Sundarbanns required prior booking. I showed least care again. I just replied that I knew what to do and stepped out.

Filled up up the tank. Withdrew some money. Thought it would be enough for a safari. I had no idea what Sundarbann was. Picked up Jojo. Recited the whole affair I had with my parents about the trip to my Pishi. They just laughed. And me and Jojo set out. Took the Diamond Harbour road to Amtala to Baruipur to Canning to Godkhali. I had thought that my bike would be able to go upto Gosaba but Gosaba was an island. The bike had to be parked at Godkhali only. The route to Godkhali from nowhere appeared to be a way to a National Park. Villages at every two kilometers. People running over the streets like the street is their home. I really couldn’t speed up much. What amused me was before entering Godkhali the banana trees, coconuts, dat palms, and the green fields with water bodies in between them, huts made of hay, people paddling the cycle van carrying coconuts and vegetables. That was a bit of Gram Bangla. I used to love it. Greenness everywhere.

After reaching Godkhali I was looking forward to drive ahead. Didn’t know that I had reached the dead end of the roadways. The waters were just few meters ahead. Hazrat intercepted us then. The next three days he was the one who entertained us. He showed me where to park my bike. Then he showed us the way to his boat. I slipped on the plastic track they had spread for connecting their boats with the land. This plastic track would keep floating with the waters in high and low tides. We were the unbooked people. A four membered family had joind us on the boat. And then, started a really novel stay on the Sundarbann waters.

40% of the Sundarbanns is in India, rest is in Bangladesh. They used to say the proper maintenance has been done in the Indian parts only. During our three days tour, we could cover only one sixth of the forty percent Indian part of Sundarbann. I wasn’t expecting a tiger sighting for sure. The archipelago was extensive. The islands were vast enough to provide a green homeland for the animals to reside peacefully inside them. So the chances for the animals to come on the shore areas was rare. And the engine noise of the boats would drive them away for sure. We had spotted some red dotted deers. And a monitor lizard. One crocodile. Lots of monkeys. Lots of birds. Lots of crabs and mudskippers. That was common. The Royal Bengal Tiger was seen at the zoo. They had entrapped one at Jhorkhali for the frustated tourists who came such a long way to spot a Royal Bengal Tiger only.

Through out the whole trip, Jojo kept suggesting me to read The Hungry Tides. Well that would have been quite difficult for me. The last novel I had attempted to read was Mario Puzo Godfather. That session also ended with two thirds of the novel. I really have lost the ability to finish any novel. prefer it in the form of a movie. Really. Watch those Nicholas Sparks, Twilight, Harry Potter, Dan Brown stuffs transformed into movies. In just two hours you get to not only know the entire story but also a worthy direction, hero heroine, music. People used to say that reading any novel is a better experience than watching it in form of a movie. The last time I experienced that was while watching Fifty Shades of Grey. I hadn’t finished that novel either eventhough that I had desired to.

While finishing the Sundarbann trip, I made the bike trip to enter Kolkata by different route, via Science City. Had gone via Amtala. We took a different turn at Canning. The only thing Jojo complained about me after returning was that I am a rash driver. Come on dude. I maintained my utmost composure while driving with Jojo on the pillon seat. Surely I enjoy riding alone more.

The only comfortable seat is the driver’s seat. The pillon rider seat surely looks better with a back support, but in reality the front man enjoys the show. The only time I had sat on the pillon seat was from Bharsar to Pauri while I let Thejus drive. The pillon rider is supposed to be the gadget inspector, with the dslr and mobile in his hands. Something Jojo felt impossible to work up with. 

The best experience about the whole trip of Sundarbann is the staying tenure on the boat. The boats would keep cradling with the modest waves. Absolute serenity. Just you and the Sundarbann. The island side mangroves would keep getting dipped in the high tides and again rise back in low tides. The narrow cannals would twist their ways into the islands. The point named Panchmukhi was a vast expanse of water. There were many spots like that too in Sundarbann. At evening time the boats would come up in the middle of the waters and stay right there till the morning. All the boats would keep dancing in the centre waters. You could easily spot tourists on other boats having their dinners. The anchors would make the boats twist around the rope axis. The dawn break would alarm up everyone on the boats. That was a beautiful experience in itself. With that watch the sun rising with the waters all turned red wth the boats floating over them. The breeze kept the hold night calm and serene. The morning rays would flash over the waters in between the boats like a sword. And I always loved to take morning baths at the front part of the boat. Overall it was beautiful. The food on the boat was delicious. Chicken fish all the time. I always slept on the top floor of the boat.

After returning from Sundarbann, I wanted to watch atleast one Isl match at Salt Lake stadium. Supratim was missing from Kolkata, so couldn’t. This is another guy who loves to roam around like hell. This time he was at Munshiyari. I visited mmy Mashi instead at Bagula. The place has changed a lot now. Last time I was there was fourteen years ago. I went searching for the paddy fields but sadly couldn’t find them. Those paddy field areas also got inhabited. Hay cottages and huts everywhere. What has man done.

Return from Bagula, and I had declared that I am gonna return to Wardha to pick up a new rural centre. Parents were very particular that I was not make to Wardha via bike. And I was hell bent for another bike ride. And I did do that. Just the execution of the plan went too well, until I got caught during my stay at Bilaspur.

Had told everyone in my family that I had booked the train tickets and that I had booked the parceling of the bike too. A big lie for sure. Had kept the bike at Gopal da’s residence for one day. Next day packed up bags to leave for Howrah station by bus. Problem turned up was that one of my neighbour got frenzy to drop me at Howrah station by his car. Come on. My bike was waiting for me at Behala only and this guy was gonna drop and make catch a train which I hadn’t even booked tickets of. Funny situation I had got into. Somehow I persuaded this neighbour of mine to drop me at nearby bus stand. And their my father got hell bent on getting my a taxi. What the hell. They finally made me ride a taxi which I turned back to Sarsuna. I had to pay him 100 rs extra for doing that. Met Gopal da, received my bike, tied the stuffs onto it. And another bike ride.

Honestly, this trip, from Kolkata to Wardha, I hadn’t done my map work properly before setting out. A rough calibration was to make a stop at Kendujhar by night fall, next at Bilaspur, then Wardha. The thing that went wrong was the late start from Kolkata.

The road leading to the outskirts of Kolkata, upto and beyond Kharagpur was too good. Problem started after that. I will never forgive those roads. Actually the road was even existing there. Looked exactly as if I was dirt biking with heavy loads tied on my pillon seat. The damn trucks got me covered with dirt like anything. It went on till I touched Odisha. Really I was cursing the West Bengal govt for the hell condition of the highways. Odisha welcomed me with forests, which kept getting denser with hills as the night few in. I was determined to make stop at Kendujhar, where I reached by 8 pm. Next day early I started again. That ride was a beautiful one. It was cold morning. Green thick forests spiraling around the hills. My eyes kept noting the distance to be covered for reaching Bilapsur. Touched Sambhalpur around 11 am. Visited the Hirakud Dam. Then made my way around Raigarh to Champa Akaltara to Bilaspur.

Better quote Pranay .. “bilaspur has spread like a splash of water.” While making my way through the sides of Chouksey engineering college, I couldn’t even realize when Bilaspur had actually started. The roads have become far dustier, more crowded. First thing I did after entering Bilaspur was paying visit at my old Hemunagar. Surely no one recognized me there. Met Panu sir and to my utter surprise I don’t know how he recognized me shouting “arnab aya re.” It would be like after ten years I was meeting him. After that I made my way to Vinobanagar where Pranay’s mom was waiting. She didn’t know that I was coming by bike. Grabbed some sweets from Mahesh sweets. Finally rested at Pranay’s house. Next day kept roaming whole day in the city. Bharat mata school, the bridge over arpa river, the Kali temple, the rly football ground, lunch at Panu sir’s home, meeting people at my old locality. Finally back to resting for the night at Pranay’s home.

Next day early morning I left for finishing my journey. Bilaspur to raipur to bhilai durg rajnangaon to gondia, maharashtra started. Nagpur to wardha. The whole way I made it over bypasses. The road was fantastic throughout. So many butterflies this time. So many got squashed on my visor and jacket. I had hit one big goat on the highway around bhilai I remember. The herd goats got released on the highway my the shepherd without noticing my bike speed. It was no way possible to halt the bike as it was zooming at 120 kmph. Yet I slowed it as much as possible, hit the goat by my bike leg guard and kept watching it my rear view mirror. It seemed the goat just got hit, rolled, and got back on its feet. I told myself thank God the goat survived.

Vinamra tiwari welcomed me Sevagram Jnbh. I touched Sevagram by 3 pm.

And so.. thats how I finished the triangle. From wardha to uttarakhand to kolkata and back to wardha. Really its difficult to write so much after a great bike trip.