When we hear the name “Sundarbans” (the world’s largest mangrove forest in the Ganges delta), the first thing that comes to our mind is tourism and wildlife. Little do we think about the rural life in that place and the daily challenges that the people face living over there, which is quite contrary to its literal meaning, which is “beautiful forest.”
Earlier, the Sundarbans symbolised a tourist spot for me too, but that description changed when I had to live there for a couple of years for my previous job. I saw the hardships of the people in the coastal areas–the necessary use of water transport, the danger of tigers, crocodiles and snakes, the problems of loadshedding, lack of emergency medical facilities, the scarcity of many essential items, dearth of colleges and universities and above all, the impending storms and imminent threat of torrential rainfall that jeopardise the normalcy over there.
It was quite an ordeal for me to live on an island known as Chotomollakhali in the Sundarban coastal area, far from home, and my situation was further aggravated by the natural calamities that reigned supreme there. I had experienced the menacing effect of the ‘Bulbul’ cyclone in November 2019. It started with a power cut, heavy rainfall, and strong winds throughout the day and night, which kept banging against the doors and windows, giving me the impression they’d be knocked down at any moment. I shall never forget the next day when I had to cross over the trunks of huge trees that had fallen to the ground as the dregs of the storm, and there was no other way to proceed forward except by surpassing them.
Heavy rainfall was another obstacle there, affecting the flow of daily life. Being a coastal area, mud used to get washed from the river embankments on the road, making it impossible to walk, with the feet getting stuck into the ground and reaching the workplace was no less than crossing a small pond or pool of water, holding others’ hands for support lest I fall, as I was not accustomed to the life over there.
Had I not lived there and only visited Sundarbans as a tourist, this untold story behind the ‘beauty’ of this place would have remained a mystery to me forever. I’d only have enjoyed not getting a chance to delve deep into the reality that exists there. I have also witnessed the victims of the natural disasters queue up at certain centres to receive the relief measures from the government, and the fear in their eyes and plans to safeguard themselves before such a calamity as mostly mud houses prevail over there.
However, despite all these, I also saw something admirable–the confidence and energy of the hardworking people of Sundarban who love to live independently and know well how to battle the adversities and rise smiling after overcoming them successfully.
Diptarupa Mallick Dasgupta
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