On the way to Tagore’s Sribhumi

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Nature cheers everyone up. Forgetting all the fatigue and struggle of daily lives, we went to Sylhet. Sri Chaitanya, Mahaprabhu and Hazrat Shahjalal, the green land of Shahparan, Sylhet, a land full of amazing natural beauty. This ancient town is located in the northeast of Bangladesh. Sylhet is rich in forest, mineral, fishery resources and adorned with natural beauty. Apart from its natural beauty, Sylhet has a famous history. Different tribals living in Sylhet have different languages and cultures. Tea Gardens, Jaflong, Ratargul Jalaban, Hakaluki Haor, Lalakhal, Bholaganj, Bichnakandi, Tamabil, hills, springs, Sylhet is one of the most diverse tourist city in the country. In Sylhet, you will get a different feeling all together.

Today we are going to talk about our travel destination Sribhumi Sylhet. Poet Rabindranath Tagore came to Sylhet in 1919. He also stayed in Sylhet for three days. Impressed by the beauty of Sylhet, he wrote “Sundari Sribhumi”. Today we are on the way to that beautiful Sribhumi. We were waiting for the bus in Dhaka. We are sitting at the Rajarbagh counter of Greenline Transport. The bus left just in time. Leaving behind the golden sun of the afternoon, we are moving towards Sylhet. We did not get the infamous traffic jam in Dhaka today. Soumen began to sleep in the in the air-conditioned bus. Of course, no matter where Soumen goes, he falls asleep as soon as he gets on the bus whether it is a 30 minute journey or five hours. The bus was moving according to its pace. My eyes were getting heavy too. The bus stopped for a little break. We got off and ate some light food. Again in twenty minutes the journey began. I could feel the stillness of the night after the end of the evening. It was a winter night, on the way to Sylhet, I saw one small town after another wrapped in a fog. At half past ten the bus finally stopped at Kadamtali bus stand in Sylhet. We had already booked the hotel. We were associated with a local travel company. As soon as I got off the bus, I saw the warm welcome of the travel company. They brought us to the hotel by car. We were extremely tired and fatigued. So we quickly checked into the hotel and came to the room. First we had our dinner at the hotel and then I started planning for the next day. I decided to get up very early in the morning and go to Bichanakandi. I slept pretty well at night. In the night, Sylhet looked like a big magical city. Baul Shah Abdul Karim, Hasan Raja, Vaishnava devotee Radharman Dutt and many others are the children of this Sylhet.

We were woken up in the morning. We already knew about the things around us. So Nairta is a southwestern food lover so he already knew about the famous Panchbhai, Pansi restaurant in Sylhet. I thought of having breakfast at Panchbhai. The driver of the traveling company also spoke of the five brothers and praised them for their quality of food. So we went to the Panchbhai restaurant. I was quite the morning then. The place however was overcrowded, It seemed that most of the people at the Restaurant have come to visit Sylhet. I was a very diverse environment with a combination of different languages being spoken. Soumen and Nairtai ordered Chicken grill and naan. Oh! What a taste. After eating quickly, we set off for Bichanakandi. At the beginning I saw a great Shaheed Minar in Chauhatta of the city. It seemed that the Shaheed Minar was standing in the hill. We crossed Chauhatta and entered the tea garden on the way to Bichanakandi. On the way, I was fascinated by the beauty of nature. Sleepy head Soumen could not sleep amid of all the beauty. We got off at Malnichhara tea garden. The garden was created by the British in the British period. Tea workers were making tea with artistic skills. What an art!. We wanted to take pictures but they were not interested in taking pictures as they were very busy. I saw some people busy eatinf their Tiffin in the morning. They were eating Naan. Our food lover Nairtai started looking for the bharta. The Bharta was filled with, potatoes, raw nuts, dried peppers and onions. We all tasted a little. We took pictures. On the way, I had to stop the car when I heard the birds chirping. The driver said it was a Salutikar bird garden. Quite close to the airport. Hundreds of birds were sitting there in peace. The green trees have turned completely white with the bird. I went to the bird garden house and saw a deer with a monkey. The owner of the garden was indeed doing a good job in petting all the animals.
The further I went, the more I was fascinated by the beauty of this place. We crossed the Ankabaka path and reached Handar Par. I found out that we had to go a little further and get on the boat. You have to rent a boat to reach Bichanakandi. The driver fixed us a boat. We saw a lot of tourists there. I was a little scared when we got on the boat as I have always feared water of water. However, I set out to overcome this fear. I was way too fascinated by the beauty. Nairta was taking pictures. Unimaginable beauty took away the fatigue away. Those little moments made the whole trip all the more memorable. We Meghalaya hills covered with clouds on both sides a little far away which seemed to welcome us. Surprised to see the form of Bichanakandi, we proceeded towards the main spot. After we reached the main spot the boat stopped. Soumen and Nairta could not contain their excitement.

There were innumerable stones in Bichanakandi. There were a lot of rocks scattered around, it looked as if the whole area was a bed of rocks. If you go, you have to walk carefully among the innumerable rocks of the Piain River. Accidents can happen at any time as a result of a little carelessness. Even if the depth of the river is very low, your journey through the rocks will be thrilling. A few consecutive warnings from members of the security forces will make it all the more exciting. Don’t forget to click pictures in the middle of the natural beauty of the waterfall. It seemed as if the blue sky above had just fallen into the water. The water has turned blue. We are surrounded by all sides with the high hills of Meghalaya.

With white clouds leaning on the hills and occasional showers, the beauty of that place could not be expressed in words. I could only see rocks and mountains till my sight could go up to. After lying on the water bed for a long time and taking a bath, it was time to head back. We were also starving by then. There were some food shops in that place. Soumen and Nairta began to eat as soon as the food arrived on the table. I was so hungry that everything tasted delicious.The quality of the food was neither quite good nor bad. After eating, I did some shopping to pick up some souvenirs .I also took some tea leaves along with me. The breathtaking nature here will not disappoint anyone.

This time we left for Ratargul. On the way, I came to know that Ratargul is the only swamp forest in Bangladesh. It is located in Gowainghat upazila, about 26 km from Sylhet district town. The Ratargul forest covers an area of about 30,325 acres. This vast area consists of 504 acres of forest and the rest is filled with small and large water bodies. However, in the rainy season, the whole area looks the same. Ratargul is known as the ‘Sundarbans of Sylhet’. This place is submerged under water for four to five months of the year. At that time, tourists from all over Bangladesh come to see the submerged forest trees. Many tourists also call Ratargul as the Amazon of Bangladesh. In the rainy season, various species of birds are seen on the branches of trees and then some wild animals also take shelter in the branches of trees. The best time to visit Ratargul is usually from July to October (late monsoon). In 1983, the Bangladesh Forest Department declared 504 acres of Ratargul forest as a wildlife sanctuary.

Ratargul is a natural forest, the local forest department planted several trees here including Hijal, Varun, Karach. There are also about 25 species of water tolerant plants including Kadam, Jalibet, Arjun. The Bangladesh Forest Department declared 504 acres of this forest as a sanctuary for wildlife in 1983. There are various species of birds here. Notable among these are: Masranga, various species of deer, pigeons, finches, ducks, pankauri, etc. Wildlife includes monkeys, otters, woodpeckers, fish tigers, etc. This forest is also a sanctuary for various species of snakes.

We got out of the car and walked for three minutes to reach the wharf. You have to go to the main place by boat again. The boat was already booked. There are many tourists here too. Slowly we continued to enter the forest. The more we entered, the more we were overwhelmed by the beauty of nature. The deeper we went, the denser the tree grew. In many places sunlight does not even reach. If it doesn’t rain for a day or two, the water becomes so clear that the green reflection of the forest looks like another forest below the forest. I came to know that at the beginning of winter, the guest birds start coming. The ‘diving game’ of the birds goes to the lake flowing through the forest. Various species of wild animals roam in the forest.

On the south side of the beautiful forest is surrounded by Haor and Rivers, there is a green canopy net and sculpted cane garden. Behind it, there are rows and rows of Jarul-Hijal-Karach with their heads held high. The lakes flowing through the forest have given a different beauty to the water forest. This water kingdom is very strange. Trees are submerged up to its knees in water. Those that are a little smaller, they are half submerged in water again. Fishermen were busy getting fishing net. Occasionally tree stalks will block the path. The path has to be made by removing them by using our own hands. You must proceed very carefully as Ratargul is literally the den of snakes. In the rainy season, snakes hide in trees. The forests are visible under the clear water of the Haor, many tourists gather here during the rainy season. This forest is different in winter season. As soon as the water receded, the forest emerges again that beauty is different again! Forests are submerged in that way for four to seven months in a year. There are small canals inside the forest will turn into footpaths to walk on.

You can walk that path effortlessly. So make a plan to visit Ratargul now. As a bonus you will find a wonderful way to go to Ratargul through the Goan River, especially in the rainy season. With the view around the river, you can see all the high mountains of India in a near distance. I went up to the Watch Tower in the forest to see the whole forest. You have to be a little careful. The sun was about to set in thirty minutes. So we left. I heard the call to prayer as soon as I came to the dock. All of us were very tired and hungry, we were on our way to the Hotel.

How to get there –
From Dhaka to Sylhet you can easily go by train, bus or plane. The train leaves Dhaka four times a day. Parabat leaves very early in the morning followed by Jayantika at noon, Kalni in the afternoon and Upban at night. It takes about 7 hours by train to reach Sylhet. But it is better to go by night train. The maximum train fare in different categories including air-conditioned is 1200 to 1500 Bangladeshi rupees. Besides, Bangladesh Biman, US Bangla and Novo Air are operating two daily flights. Cost is between 2500-3500. And from Dhaka you can get home in Sylhet for about fifteen minutes in a row. Both AC and non-AC buses are available. AC buses are available on Greenline, ENA and London Express buses. The fare of AC bus is 1200-1500 rupees. It will take 6-7 hours to reach Sylhet. Besides, non-AC buses will be rented for 500-650 rupees. We, of course, went to Sylhet by Greenline AC.

From Sylhet to Bichanakandi, you can rent a microbus to go to Ratar Gul comfortably which we did will keep the maximum fare from 3500 to 4000 rupees. Besides, you can also go by CNG. The rent will be between 1000 to 1500 rupees.

Where to stay, where to eat
Sylhet has many hotels to stay. Each hotel is of different quality. If Moreover, every hotel has a restaurant. We were at Hotel Golden City in Zindabazar. In the heart of the city. The hotel has its own restaurant. Nearby are the famous PanchBhai of Sylhet, Pansi, Bhojan Bari Restaurant. Sylhet is also full of various hotel restaurants. However a variety of food at a very low cost at Panchbhai, Pansi and Bhojanbari

– Sukant Gupta –

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