Posted on by Aranyascope · 2 Comments

Engine #913

By the time I reached the station gate, I saw the train leaving the platform. It’s a small station of a village where only passenger trains stop and the frequency is very low. I looked at my watch, it showed a little over 5 pm and the next train to Kolkata (Calcutta) is now expected around 8 pm, I have to kill 3 hours in this deserted place, its not only painful but boring as well with no one to talk and nothing to see except the open field across the platform with sparse vegetation. I had come on official work at the Panchayat Office of the cluster of villages few kilometres away. I would have reached on time but the Panchayat Head insisted on having lunch at his home and then the only transport of the village, a cycle rickshaw had a tyre puncture forcing me to walk the distance to the station. I was feeling a bit exhausted from the brisk walk and frustrated at missing the train.

I entered the platform, it’s small with a room/ office of the Station Master and a ticket counter on one side and the other side a large shade for the luggage/ parcels, in the centre of the platform are two benches for the waiting passengers to rest. I sat down on one of the benches and stared across the platform through the open field. I don’t know when and how long I had been dozing but was awakened by the voice, “Where do you want to go?” I looked up to find a middle-aged person in black coat and white trousers looking at me inquisitively, must be the Station Master and may have got interested looking at my urban dressing style. “Kolkata” I replied. “Oh, you missed the train, now the next one is expected at 8 pm” he spoke with concern. “You seem to be a city dweller, where did you visit?” he continued with his query. “I came to visit the Panchayat Office for a meeting with the Panchayat Head, Akhil Babu and he insisted on having lunch with him which delayed me otherwise I would have caught the train” I replied. “He is my maternal cousin, please come to office, we can talk and relax till your train comes. We are village people, hardly ever leave the station, and let alone visiting a city like Kolkata, please tell me about the city” the Station Master said with enthusiasm.

I followed him to his office; it was filled with old furniture and files and had a smell of dust all around. He pushed a chair towards me to sit, there was a bench near the wall for the visitors to sit. The Station Master, Binod Babu, sat on his chair which had seen better days, now it was missing one arm, but Binod Babu seemed comfortable. He took out a packet of Bidi, a indigenous smoking stick of tobacco rolled in tendu or temburni leaf and tied with a string or adhesive, and offered me. I declined as I am a non-smoker. “You, city dwellers prefer cigarette over the local bidi” Binod Babu observed. “No, no, I don’t smoke at all” I protested.

Binod Babu lit his Bidi and took a long puff releasing several rings of smoke and said, “I first had my Bidi while in school and father caught me…what a thrashing he gave me!! But, the habit continues till date. Oh, I almost forgot there’s some urgent work I have to attend. You relax here, I will join you soon.” I sat there and looked around, I couldn’t see any electricity connection in the room and it was getting darker as the evening progressed. After some time, Binod Babu came back with another person and apologised “Sorry, I kept you waiting for long”. Before I could respond, the person accompanying him spoke up, “I heard, you live in Kolkata… I had once gone there, some 20 years ago… had no road or location sense… wanted to visit Kalighat but ended up at Kolaghat.”

“Stop your Kolkata story, Abani. You have told us this story at least twenty times” Binod Babu snapped at the newcomer, Abani Babu.

“Please continue” I tried to put Abani Babu at ease but he gave a quick glance towards Binod Babu and said “Forget about me, let us hear about you and Kolkata”.  

As we were talking, a peon came in with a lantern and placed it on the table then asked, “Shall I get you some hot tea”?

“Yes, and also get some snacks as well” replied Binod Babu.

As the peon turned to go, another gentleman showed up at the door. “Please come in Narayan Babu” Binod Babu called enthusiastically. “Shall I get the snacks for 4 person then”? queried the peon.

“Isn’t that obvious” roared Binod Babu.

The person named Narayan Babu entered the room… he must be over sixty, slim and tall with darkish complexion. He looked at me and exclaimed, “I don’t think we have met before”. Before I could respond, Binod Babu introduced me and explained my predicament.

“So, you are from Kolkata, must be knowing the card game TwentyNine… there are four of us, perfect for the game. I have heard that people in Kolkata plays card game even while walking” Narayan Babu laughed heartily as others joined too.

Meanwhile, the peon came back with three cups of tea and four packets of Jhal Muri with Tele Bhaja (puffed rice preparation with pakoda) and placed the tray on the table. Narayan Babu picked up one packet of snacks while Binod Babu offered the tea to Abani Babu and me taking the third cup for himself. I felt little awkward and asked, “What about tea for Narayan Babu”?

Binod Babu and Abani Babu spoke together, “He won’t have tea. He’s scared of ghosts.”

“That’s strange… he won’t drink tea for fear of ghost”? I asked.

Abani Babu said, “That’s a funny story”.

“It’s not a story but true incident” Narayan Babu said with all seriousness.

“If you have no objections, please tell us about it… there’s still enough time before my train arrives”, I requested.

Abani Babu also joined in, “Don’t be angry Narayan, I was just joking… please tell us what happened”.

Narayan Babu relaxed a bit and relented…he looked out of the window in the darkness and began…

I am the witness to the incident that I am going to tell you, it happened many years ago during the British Raj/ Colonial Rule.

I have just started my job at the railways as an assistant in the engine room. It was a tough job of putting coal in the steam engine… sometimes we had to work continuously for 2-3 days at a stretch. We had to cook our own food, tea and sleep within the limited space inside the steam engine.

It was winter days when we were bringing a goods train full of tea leaves from Siliguri to Kolkata, the entire load was meant for Great Britain. There were four of us inside the engine room, the driver Maqbul Mian, a hefty six footer with matching body and strength, his co-driver, Ramratan Misra, almost reaching his retirement age and two coal feeder Poran Mondal and myself.

Narayan Babu helped himself with a mouthful of Jhal Muri and continued…

It was extremely cold night; we were shivering even with layers of warm clothes and the heat from the engine fire… I shivering uncontrollably, feeling sick, even sitting next to the engine furnace did not help. Maqbul saw that and said, “Why don’t you sleep for a while. I will manage the feeding. In fact, Ramratan Ji should also take a break”.

We found a corner to lie down and soon the vibration coupled with the noise of the engine helped us to get into a deep slumber. We woke up with a jolt as the train came to a stop. Maqbul confirmed that the signal is down indicating no passage. It was pitch dark outside and bone-chilling cold but nothing could be done, we were stranded in the middle of nowhere. In the pitch darkness the only lights came from the fireflies but the cold was making me sick again, probably a cup of tea can warm me up a bit. “Brother Poran, can you make some tea for us?” I requested.

Poran Mondal, probably just out of teenage, is jolly fellow and always ready to do any chores with a smile. He went to the pantry to boil the water and make tea. After a while declared that there’s no tea in the container, we have consumed the entire lot during the journey from Siliguri.

“We are carrying tea leaves in the wagons next to the engine” I spoke aloud.

“Right, you are” said Ramratan Ji “I will go and get some for us, I have seen one box is broken at the corner”.

 As Ramratan started to climb down, Poran joined him. Maqbul was uncomfortable with the whole idea and said, “I am worried about the inspector traveling in the guard room. He is not a good man and very vindictive. If he catches them, the situation can become very ugly”.

“But we are not stealing for money, only taking a little for our own consumption and that too from the spillage” I tried to reason with Maqbul.

“I know that but I am concerned about the train inspector, he is a devil incarnate,,, he won’t empathize” Maqbul replied still worried.

“He must be in deep sleep in the guard room” I tried to assure Maqbul as well as myself. Even I became a little worried about Ramratan Ji and Poran.

We went to the door to check but couldn’t see anything or anyone in the pitch darkness, maybe they are inside one the wagons. The fire in engine had dimmed so I fed coal into the furnace and sat near it to soak in some warmth of the engine heat.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside and a loud voice, “Who is there? Identify yourself.” The voice no doubt belongs to the train inspector, the devil. He must be hiding somewhere nearby… and caught Ramratan and Poran as soon as they came out from the wagon.

Maqbul tried to intervene but the three of them came inside the engine room, the inspector holding Ramratan Ji by the collar. “This man of yours was stealing tea from the wagon” he barked at Maqbul.

“I did not steal, only took a little quantity from the spillage on the floor” protested Ramratan Ji.

“Yes, we did not steal, Ramratan Ji is telling the truth.” Poran echoed.

“Ramratan Ji is telling the truth. He had only gone to take a little portion of the tea for our own use… it is very cold here and we had run out of our stock. Please let him go, next week his daughter is getting married and it would create many problems if you arrest him for this minor issue” Maqbul tried to reason with the inspector.

“Lie, you were stealing the tea” the inspector was adamant. We were scared, Ramratan Ji was shivering in panic and had lost colour.

Maqbul looked straight in the eyes of the inspector and said, “If someone wants to steal, will he take only a handful or the full box? You are unnecessarily suspecting us.”

“Taking a handful of tea or a wagon full of tea, makes no difference, both are act of stealing only. I will file the report as soon as we reach the next station” the inspector shouted back at Maqbul.

“I won’t ever go anywhere near the wagon, please pardon me this time” Ramratan Ji cried out.

“You should have thought about it before stealing, now let’s go” saying this the inspector pushed Ramratan Ji towards the door.

If the inspector really files the complaint, Ramratan Ji will not only lose his job but even get jailed as well. I pleaded with the inspector, “Let it go Sir, please have mercy on him… next week his daughter is getting married, it will be scandalous if you arrest him now”.

The inspector looked at me with a devilish smile and said, “He did not think about it while stealing, now he will have to pay for his sin. Let’s go, the guard has given signal to move”.

Ramratan Ji cried again and grabbed the leg of the inspector, “You are my lord, please forgive me, I will never do such thing again”.

We knew the inspector was trying to take Ramratan Ji to his room for handing him over to the police at the next station. We felt helpless in front of the satanic inspector. Meanwhile, the guard blew the whistle indicating the line is clear to move forward. Ramratan Ji looked at Maqbul and pleaded, “Please help me Maqbul bhai”.

In that moment, Maqbul’s eyes suddenly turned bright and he swiftly moved between the inspector and Ramratan Ji and spoke in a grave voice, “Let him go inspector, don’t ruin his life for a handful of tea leaves”.

The inspector was taken aback by the demeanor of Maqbul and took a step back letting go of Ramratan Ji. “If I let go of him it will affect my career, I had caught two thieves earlier and this case will ensure my promotion” the inspector blurted out.

“Scoundrel, just for the promotion, you are trying to ruin the life of an innocent person?” Maqbul shouted at the inspector.

Maqbul was shivering from excitement and rage but the inspector had regained his composer and said menacingly, “Move out from my way, I will have you all arrested for theft and obstructing a police officer”.

Maqbul’s face distorted with anger and he looked very different person at that time. I have heard that his ancestors were dreaded dacoits once upon a time but he had chosen a civilized way of life. But now, the old blood somehow had entered his bloodstream, he moved forward catching the inspector by his arms and lifted him up, “You want your promotion, I will give you the promotion”, he hissed into the face of the inspector.

Maqbul no more a human, he had turned into a demon now, we were scared and completely stunned into inaction. Maqbul dragged the inspector towards the furnace, the inspector was scared too and pleaded with Maqbul, “Okay, I won’t arrest him, let me go…I don’t want any promotion”.

“What are you doing, Maqbul?” cried Ramratan Ji.

“I am promoting the inspector to the next level” Maqbul hissed.

Before any of us could react, Maqbul lifted up the inspector like a toy and threw him in the furnace. All we heard was the deafening cry of the inspector followed by the urgent whistle of the guard asking us to start the engine. Maqbul simply fed more coal in the furnace to energize and pulled the lever to begin the journey as if nothing has happened. The swiftness of the event and the nonchalant demeanor of Maqbul had turned us into stone sculpture.

The rest of the journey is completely blurred from my memory… I don’t remember how I reached home the following day but by evening I had very high fever which lasted for a week. When I went to work after ten days, there was complete chaos at the station. No one is willing to take charge of the engine no. 913. I shuddered, this is the same engine we operated that fateful night. The driver named Gomes was standing nearby and I went to him to find about the issue, “What’s the problem, Gomes?”

He looked at me strangely and said, “There’s a ghost in that engine”.

“What are you saying? Have you seen it yourself?”

“The night before yesterday I drove it and two days before that Gopal was driving it back and he told me. I thought he consumes Ganja so may have hallucinated”.

“There must have been other people in the engine no. 913, did they see or hear anything?”

“Yes, they too heard.”

“What did you hear when you were driving it?”

Gomes looked at me blankly, evidently there was fear in his eyes. He pulled me, “Let’s go and sit there. I will tell you, my experience.”

We sat down on a bench next to the parcel room, Gomes lit up a cigarette, took a few puffs to calm his nerve and said, “I don’t believe in the existence of ghosts. I did not believe what Gopal told me either. That night we picked up the load and left Siliguri on time. As the evening progressed, the darkness enveloped, the atmosphere inside the engine room became heavy, I could find no reason for it but we all felt some discomfort. It was not just the chill but something more as if something is trying to strangle us, we were feeling breathless. Suddenly, the engine coughed and gave jerks, I thought there must be something on the track, so I applied the break but the engine did not stop, it kept going at the same speed”.

“What happened next?”

“As the engine accelerated, we could feel putrid smell of burning flesh coming from the furnace. It was suffocating, I started sweating even in that chilly night, I thought I will faint. The fire in the furnace was low so I fed coal in it, the furnace lit up instantly and there was a deafening cry of someone coming from the furnace. I couldn’t make out what the crying voice was saying but Ratul, my assistant heard someone saying ‘leave me please, I don’t want any promotion’. Fear of unknown was gripping me, making me turn into a statue unable to move an inch. Then suddenly something pushed me with a strong force and I fell to the floor. Ratul, my assistant too was lying next to me, his face drained of blood. The engine continued to run as if nothing has happened”.

Gomes took few more puffs and continued, “Somehow, we managed to bring the train here and narrated our experience but no one believed us. Yesterday, a new team took out the engine no.913, this morning they came back with two of their member in a critical health. Now, no one is ready to drive the engine no.913.”

“My mouth had become dry, unable to offer any words to Gomes, I left him there and came back home. Next day I resigned from my job at the railways and also gave up on tea.” Narain Babu concluded with a sigh.

There was a complete silence in the room for some time, then Binod Babu looked at his watch and said to me, “Let’s go, it’s time for your train to Kolkata”.

Posted on by Aranyascope · 3 Comments

The Ruby Ring

There was a time when I was into field sales operation and had to do extensive travelling across the north and eastern part of the country. When doing upcountry areas, I used to utilise the nights for travel as the airconditioned train berths were more comfortable than the local hotel rooms. This is the story narrated by a total stranger I met at the station while waiting for my train.

I was at the Sambalpur station waiting for my overnight train to Kolkata (then Calcutta), the sun has set in the west and it was getting darker around with few light bulbs flickering on the platform. Most people have left the station for their respective homes. The Station Master informed that there has been a damage on the train tracks which is getting repaired and the down train for Kolkata is delayed at least for an hour. It is difficult to pass time in such gloomy place waiting indefinitely for the train. I bought a cup of tea and a packet of biscuit, sat on a bench, took out the day’s newspaper and tried to read the unread news items.

“Are you Bengali?”

I was startled by the voice and looked up. A very slim darkish old man in dhoti-kurta with a couple of days stubble was looking expectantly at me. Before I could respond, he sat down next to me. I asked, “How did you figure out that I am a Bengali?”

He smiled and pointed to my newspaper and said, “In these parts of the country, newspaper is a rarity and who other than a Bengali would be reading a Bengali newspaper in Odisha?”

The demeanour of the old man seemed amiable and welcome in this otherwise deserted gloomy place. “So, where are you going?” I asked.

“I am going to Bolangir. And you?” he replied.

“I am headed to Kolkata. Came here for official work, in fact this is my first visit to this place. Do you live around this place?” I replied with a counter question hoping to extend the conversation.

The gentleman made himself comfortable on the bench lighting a cigarette he said, “You can say so… it has been almost 50 years I have living in these areas. I came here taking up a job at the wood mill at Sambalpur. I was the manager for sourcing the wooden logs from the jungles.”

I sensed a possibility of exciting stories of the jungle and probed further, “Working in the forest, you must be having many fascinating experiences, tell me some.”

He smiled at me and looked up at the sky probably trying to recall some incidents from the vast repertoire of experience. After a while, he lighted another cigarette taking a long puff and releasing a series of smoke rings, he said, “My life experience is like the epic Mahabharata, won’t finish before your train comes, but I will tell you one particular incident that happened many years ago when I was probably your age.”

It has become quite dark by now, one can hear the cacophony of birds chirping, probably sharing their day’s experience with each other, a goods train with coal loaded is waiting for the go ahead to chug along on its way to some industrial hub. The gentleman began his story…

The incident happened at the Dak Bungalow of Phulbani about 3-3.5 hours from here (Sambalpur). The river Mahanadi flows through Sambalpur which is named after the Goddess Shyamlai, in the middle of the city is the Raja Hills on the summit of which is the famous Mahadev Temple that attracts pilgrims from across the state. Our factory and warehouse was very close to the railway station, the logs were cut into different shapes as per requirement and delivered through the railways. I was the overall in-charge of the operation, a general manager… he-he-he…

One day, the owner of the mill, Mr. Ghosh called me urgently to his home in Chakradharpur. He has been bedridden with acute rheumatism and unable to move around. I took the early morning train and reached his palatial bungalow around noon. After freshening up from the tedious journey we sat down for lunch. Mr. Ghosh without any preamble said, “You have to immediately go to Bolangir and meet the Raja Sahib. He is leasing out a jungle in Bolangir and before anyone else approach him, you give him the earnest money and book it for our company. I will personally meet him and deliver the rest of the money once I recover from this pain.”

Next day, I left Chakradharpur with a briefcase full of cash for Sambalpur hoping to catch the train to Bolangir in the afternoon. I still had time in hand for the train to Bolangir so went home to take bath and change into a fresh clothing. The train to Bolangir was on time and I sat down in the first-class compartment which was very scarcely occupied. The train left the station soon and as it picked up the speed, cruising through the newly constructed bridge on the river Mahanadi, I realised that in the hurry I have left my tiffin box on the bed. Now, I will have to eat whatever trash the railway station eateries have to offer, I felt irritated. The picturesque surroundings failed to uplift my mood and I became very hungry as well. At the next station, the train has a stoppage time of 10 minutes, I decided to get down and look for something to eat. The porter informed that there is a food outlet just outside the station.

There were few shanty shops just outside the station and one of them run by a middle-aged lady selling puffed rice with pakora, most of her customers were of labour class… looking at my attire, she gave me preference over others. I picked up a bagful of puffed rice with pakoras and rushed to my train. I was late, the train left me stranded on the platform. It was a terrifying moment for me, being stranded at an unknown place with a briefcase full of money. I went to the office of the station master hoping to find a way out.

Huffing and puffing I blurted out, “You need to help me, Sir. I just missed my train and don’t know this place at all.”

“Where are you going?” the station master looked at me and asked.

“Bolangir” I replied.

“Shivram Ji, you are also going to Bolangir, aren’t you?” the station master asked the middle-aged stocky person sitting across him.

“Yes.” The person named Shivram replied and then looking at me said, “You can come along with me, but we must hurry otherwise it will get dark on the way.”

The station-master smiled and said, “You are lucky because Shivram Ji happened to be here on work otherwise there are no more trains before tomorrow morning.”

I thanked Shivram Ji for accommodating me and followed him to the jeep parked outside the station.  The road was devoid of traffic and Shivram Ji being a seasoned driver cruised along at a decent speed. The constant buzzing noise of the engine and the cool air made me sleepy. I tried to keep awake enjoying the serene surroundings of forested landscape but soon started dozing. I woke up with a start as the vehicle swerved on its side and came to a halt. Shivram Ji got down and cursed, “Tyre puncture” he announced. Then took out the spare tyre and went on to work. It took almost half hour to change the tyre. I looked at the sun setting at the distance and wondered how long it would take to reach Bolangir.

By the time we started our journey again, the sun has set for the day, it was getting darker by the minute. The was nothing to see any more except the darkness and the road ahead in the feint light of the jeep headlights. We had probably driven about 20 km when there was a loud noise from the back of the jeep, Shivram Ji braked hard and the jeep came to a stop, he got down to check with a torch in hand. It was another tyre puncture or rather burst. Usually, there is only one spare tyre in a vehicle and we had already used that… we are now stuck in the middle of nowhere. I started shivering in fear, all around was darkness, the wilderness created an eerie atmosphere.

Shivram Ji focussed his torch towards me and said, “Come with me, there’s Dak Bungalow nearby, where you can spend the night. It is safe and I know the caretaker of the place.”

“What about the vehicle?” I asked feebly.

“Oh, it’s safe, no one will take it.” Shivram Ji assured me.

Even if he was  confident of his vehicle not getting stolen, I was concerned about the huge amount of money in my briefcase. I picked up my overnight bag and the briefcase and followed Shivram Ji. It was difficult to keep pace with him on the rough patch of road and with the luggage in both hands but the fear of unknown made me walk briskly. After walking for about half hour, we saw a white single-story house with lawns around the house. Shivram Ji opened the gate and walked in, I followed suit. Reaching the porch, he called out, “Raghunath, Raghunath.” A little while later, a man came out from the rear side of the building holding a lantern.

“Namaste Babuji, how are you?” Raghunath addressed Shivram Ji with respect.

“Good, my car broke down on the road. My friend will stay overnight here, hope you can arrange a room for him.” Shivram Ji told him.

“Yes Sir, the Dak Bungalow is completely vacant, I will arrange a room for Sahib immediately.” Raghunath responded with sincerity.

Shivram Ji put his hand on my shoulder with assurance and said, “You go and relax, I know Raghunath for a long time, he will take good care of you.”

“What about you? Are you not staying here?” I asked, a little worried.

“I have to return to Sambalpur to new tyres, I will hitch hike a truck and should be back in the morning. You don’t worry, I will take you to Bolangir tomorrow.” He assured me.

“Come Sahib, I will show you the room. What will you like to eat for dinner?” Raghunath asked.

“Whatever, you are having, I will have that only.” I assured him.

The light from the lantern made the surrounding even more eerie and the darkness seemed darker. I could make out that there are a series of rooms along the balcony and we stopped in front of one of them. Raghunath opened the door and ushered me in keeping the lantern on a table. The room was big with a double bed in the centre of the room and a cupboard and study table with a chair at the other end. There was a reclining chair on the other side near the window.

I put my bag and the briefcase inside the cupboard. Raghunath went out in the darkness to prepare for the dinner. A little while later I heard some noise outside, from the window I saw Raghunath taking out water from the well in the lawn. And soon he came into the room and said, “I have brought water for your bath, you freshen up while I arrange for your dinner.”

The water was cold and relaxing, the day’s exhaustion and a simple but tasty food soon made me sleepy, I retired for the night. I don’t know, how long I was sleeping but I suddenly woke up by a sound of Payal coming from the distance. I was a bit groggy waking up suddenly and tried to focus and figure out where I am, slowly remembered that I am at a Dak Bungalow. The noise was getting closer now and I can now make out a female voice seeking help. Soon, there was a knock on my door followed by an appeal, “Please open the door. Those people, chasing, will kill me.” Initially, I thought it was ruse to rob me and decided not to open, come what may. But the voice has started crying now and also there was the sound of mob rushing in, I opened the door. A young girl barged in and closed the door immediately.

“Hey, who are you? Who is following you and why?” I asked and increased the flame of the lantern.

The girl was in her early twenties, decked in extensive gold jewellery as if a Princess is coming from a wedding ceremony. She put her finger on the mouth and whispered, “Don’t speak, they will hear you and come here. I will spend the night here and go away in the morning.”

“Okay, you sleep on the bed, I will rest on this recliner.” I replied.

 I was still sleepy and soon slumbered in deep sleep on the recliner. The constant knocking and calling by Raghunath and Shivram Ji woke me up. The sun was shining bright outside. I got up and looked at the bed, it was empty, the girl was gone. But how, the door is still locked from inside!! I checked the cupboard, my bag and briefcase is still there… I haven’t been robbed.

I opened the door for Shivram Ji, it was clear from his face that he had little sleep at the night. “Come, let’s go, the jeep is all set to roll.” He spoke.

As I was clearing out, I noticed a ring lying on the bed, a red ruby ring… I am certain it was not there when I checked in the room. Did she leave it for me as gratitude for sheltering her last night? I looked at Raghunath and asked, “Did someone else came last night, a young girl?”

“Except you, no one else came last night. I sleep on the veranda Sahib, if anyone had come, I would know” Raghunath replied with sincerity.

“It’s new place for you, probably you had a dream”, chuckled Shivram Ji.

Who was the girl? Why did she leave the ring? How did she go out of the room? The questions kept haunting me throughout the journey.

We reached Bolangir in the morning where I met the Raja Sahib and handed over the money to him. After lunch, sitting in the lounge I noticed life sized portraits hung on the walls all around. I got up to see them up close… a particularly striking image of a young girl caught my attention. “Who is she?” I asked the Estate Manager who had been asked to look after my wellbeing.  

“She is youngest daughter of Raja Saheb, the Pricess Padma. She had gone to a wedding ceremony, while returning, her car broke down on the road near the Dak Bungalow. Some goons saw her and tried to molest her. She ran towards the Dak Bungalow and knocked on the doors for help but no one opened the door, to save her honour she jumped into the well and committed suicide.

Everything became clear to me now, the girl seeking refuge last night was none other than the Princess Padma and the ring… I searched the ring in bag and took it out. “Do you know, who this belongs to?” I asked.

One look at the ring and he shouted, “Where did you get it? This ring belongs to Princess Padma. Look at the back, her name is engraved on it.” He was shivering in excitement and repeated, “Where did you get this ring?”

“Oh, that’s an amazing story…” I replied before leaving for the station.

Posted on by Aranyascope · 3 Comments

My Jibhi Travelogue by Topshe

My dear friend, Tapas Dey aka Topshe is an ardent traveler and has a fascination towards the hills which is understandable as living in Delhi, the closest getaways are always the hills of Himachal or Uttarakhand. Indro and I have been coaxing him to write his experience about the travels and the destination but he was evading us, that is till now. Somehow, he finally gathered the courage to write about his recent trip to Jibhi, in Himachal Pradesh. Since, he doesn’t as yet have a blogsite, I am only facilitating him to reach out to a larger audience. Please read on Topshe’s adventure.

In the month of July, my daughter, Tulika aka Rakhi and daughter-in-law ILA aka Ruby at Dinner time directly placed a matter to be discussed there and then, “Baba, are we going somewhere this August 15th?” For the last consecutive two years we went out for some family excursion trip combining Saturday-Sunday and holiday for 15th August (Independence Day).

In the year 2022, we toured to Kaushani-Binsar 3-day trip for Uttarakhand. That time the group was a little bigger one as my brother-in-law along with family and my old friend Amal da and his wife, Nupur joined us. In all, we were 11 persons travelling in two cars. Then in the year 2023, I had to skip the tour due to sudden work in office, but 4 of my family went to Udaipur-Chittorgarh. This time, I have to choose the destination and plan for it, no escape for me!!!

This year 15th Aug was on Thursday, so I asked my family members whether they could manage for 2 days leave on Friday and Saturday, that way we will have 4 days holidays together. Everybody assured me that they will try to manage it, even if, they have to make some other adjustments. Now, the most ticklish thing is selection of destination. My first option was Chopta, which is in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand. I even searched the hotel/Tent house for our stay, zeroed on one “Meadows Camp Resort” and talked to the person there for booking. However, due to incessant rain in the last week of July, there were news of landslides at Chamoli district and its adjoining areas. I have a friend staying near there, after retirement, I called him up to enquire about the conditions of road etc. He summarily rejected my plan citing the unpredictable nature of the region.

Then I switched over my option to “Jibhi”, which is 60 km away from Mandi, in Banjhar valley, falls in Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. Jibhi is a small village, surrounded by lush greenery, and is a tranquil, unexplored hamlet in the Banjar Valley of Himachal Pradesh. It is ideal for travellers seeking solace in the lap of nature, this quaint town provides breath-taking views perfect for outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, bird watching and more. After juggling quite a number of options, in the first week of August we zeroed down to one homestay “Majestic View WanderHouse” for 3 nights (15th, 16th and 17th August) and booked it, giving some advance payment. However, within next 2-3 days, news of cloud burst in the valleys of Kullu and adjoining areas came and Himachal Government started issuing advisories to avoid journey to those places. Now our situation has become like ‘Trishanku’, as we all have managed our leave sanctioned but our venue is still doubtful and only a week more left to start our journey. So, I proposed Plan-C, for a trip to Jaisalmer to my son and daughter. My son, Soubhik quickly surfed in Google and showed me two very good hotels for our stay, first night in Jodhpur and next two nights at Jaisalmer. Meanwhile my daughter enquired from the owner of Jibhi homestay about the condition of roads etc and adjoining areas. The owner assured us that their place is still safe and not to worry about the roads. So finally, we decided to stick to our plan to go to Jibhi as timing to reach that place was consistently showing the same in Google Map for the last 2 weeks.

DAY-1 (Thursday, 15th August)

This time my usual co-passengers Manojit and Amalda had declined the offer to accompany us due to their preoccupation. So, on 15th Aug sharp at 6.00 AM we started our journey in our Nexon SUV to Jibhi, Himachal Pradesh which is about 483 KM from our home and as per Google it showed that we will reach there at around 4:10 pm. Soubhik is on the wheel. By 8:20 AM covering about 140 KM, we reached our first designated halt at Zhilmil Dhaba to have our favorite Aloo-parantha breakfast and also to stretch our legs along with the use of washroom.

The break took 40 odd minutes to finish the breakfast and freshen up. After paying tips to the parking assistant, we all occupied our seat for continuing the journey. But here my son, who was still on the driver seat shockingly disclosed that the car engine is not starting… no response… it is dead!!! After his valiant unsuccessful efforts, I moved out of the car and checked the display screen on the dashboard where I found no light/indication of various essential features on the display screen. A doubt raised in my mind at this juncture that just a day before we started this tour, Soubhik has fixed a new rear brake display on the rear bonnet. I thus felt it might be due to some electrical error. I then asked the parking vendor whether he knows any car mechanics nearby who could rectify the fault. The fellow readily agreed to help me and called up someone on his mobile to come up. I asked the fellow, from where this fellow is coming. The guy replied, that it is about 20 KM away. I calculated in my mind that the guy may atleast take something about 30-40 minutes, if it is on the main Highway. After an hour a Sardar ji mechanic appeared on a bike with a very small bag carrying some spanners and a small car battery. Sardar ji, as a thorough professional checked the position of the car ignition key in the dashboard and opened the Bonnet of the car. Straightaway, he checked the power of the battery with a handheld electric current monitor he had brought with him. And not taking much time to check other parts, he declared that the Battery of the car is gone, completely dead and have to be changed outright. On being asked the cost, he enquired it from a dealer on phone and said that it may cost around Rs.7000/. Finding no other options, we agreed for whatever he has suggested. I gave him some advance cash and the old battery. As the Tata Nexon car is only 3 years old as such we never have imagined that this would happen; recently, I had replaced my other car battery after 5 years. Sardar ji came back after about 45 minutes with a new box containing battery for the car and informed that due to State holiday, he had to wait for the shop to be open. Within next ten minutes he fixed the battery and our car showed signs of life and that it is ready for the drive with roaring sound of the engine. It gave us immense happiness that we can again resume our journey although we lost some precious 2 hours that ultimately delayed our time to reach the final destination. We did not bargain much with the Sardar ji mechanic paying him the balance for the battery and his own professional charges and gave another Rs.50/- additional tip to the parking vendor who arranged this mechanic on a National Holiday.

It brought to my mind an incident that we faced in our last Tour of Kinnaur in Sept.2023 when a technical glitch in the car of my friend Aranjit, where his car heated up abnormally indicating NO COOLANT. After 4 liters of water and appropriate coolant, the problem was fixed by a helpful mechanic; that time we lost 2 precious hours as we were practically crawling for 40-50 KM searching for “red coolant” and a car mechanic.

During his last service of the car few months back Soubhik had asked the service engineer the reason for low level of sound of the horn, the mechanic after inspection told him that the battery is wearing out fast. But suggested to continue for few more months. It’s our bad luck that it happened on this tour on the Highway.

Then we felt, it’s also our luck that it happened at a place where we got an instant help like a gift of God who arranged a mechanic, who came on a national holiday at a time, the shops were yet to open. We thanked the almighty, that the problem we faced was sorted out there itself.

We resumed our journey, Soubhik desired to drive till the mountainous terrain comes. I also didn’t object to this, giving him more opportunity to have practice for long drive. In the Google Map which Soubhik scrupulously follows showed a shorter route to our destination via Rajpura (in Punjab) which goes straight to Amritsar after Ambala city diverting left from Ambala-Chandigarh Highway. After some distance on the Highway near Rajpura, the map shows to take right turn towards Kharar/Kiratpur Sahib road. However, there was a blockade on road ahead with a policeman directing us to take left U-turn to the road we came from. After about a KM going back, the direction in the Map still insisted to take the same route, means Google Map falls into a loop. At this juncture I suggested my son to return to Ambala Highway and take the other left turn from Lalru, a small sub-city on the Highway. Accordingly, after Lalru on the NH, Soubhik took left turn to Kharar/Mohali road. With all this mishap following the Google Map, it was 1.30 pm and we had covered only another 140 KM, so we decided to halt for lunch. After brief scanning of the area at Ajit Singh Nagar on Kharar-Kurali Road, a board of Sagar Ratna came with some other options of Starbucks and KFC etc on the same Food Court. Everybody expressed to have lunch from Sagar Ratna to taste ethnic South-Indian food. There we got a good designated parking lot. At Sagar Ratna, we decided to have different items for all to taste different type of food available there. Soubhik ordered for Thali, Ruby opted for Dahi-Vada, while Rakhi decided to have Rawa Masala Dosa & Dahi Vada Combo Meal, Sudipta ordered for Lemon Rice and I took Paneer Butter Masala Dosa with Fresh Lime Soda for all. The taste of food was nice with good ambience.

Taking a break of 40 odd minutes, we again resumed our journey. After taking right turn on the ridge at Kiratpur Sahib we topped up our tank form a Jio Petrol Pump so that we won’t have to think about refilling till we return back to Mandi on our return journey. I am on the wheel now. Roads are quite smooth here. So to control the speed of the vehicle, authorities here at Bilaspur put around 15 electronic speed check point on the road to monitor the speed limit of the vehicle. After Sundernagar-Bilaspur, we got 4 tunnels rapidly, till we reached Aut Tunnel crossing Mandi in between. Due to these 4 tunnels, our journey was quite smooth and faster, though it had started getting dark. Now we started facing the potholes on the narrow Aut-Banjar-Ani-Sainj road. Our speed drastically came down to 15-20 kmph. Roads were mostly empty except near Banjhar market, where we faced problem when a Bolero Mini-truck coming from opposite side blocked our road. As there was less space available to pass, the front left tyre was almost went down into the deep trench used for passing waste water. After much maneuvering the steering wheel, I managed to get my car back on the road. Meanwhile, we got several calls from the Homestay to get the updates of our ETA. Finally, we reached our destination at sharp 8:00 pm, driving last half an hour in pitch dark in the narrow road with long trees on both the side of the road. Here the roads are a bit narrower than the road we found at Chhitkul. At some of the stretch it was little slippery due to mud. Till now we didn’t get any rain on our entire journey.

The Google Map in the Car showed that we have reached our destination, “The Majestic View X WanderHouse”, but surprisingly nothing was visible in our surroundings, not even the light of the homestay. We ranged up the Homestay who told us to stay there as he is sending someone to attend us and to take our luggage. Soon a person appeared from nowhere, who took our luggage and asked us to follow him. It was pitch dark, on a narrow hilly stretch moving steep upwards wide enough for only one person to climb at a time, the fellow who came for our luggage, moved up effortlessly with our luggage. After about 50-meters of steep upward climb we reached the gate of our homestay. Completing the usual formalities at the reception we were guided to our room. It was single room having king size double bed with a cupboard and two cushioned chairs and a center table with an attached bathroom and most interestingly a staircase to another double bed placed just above the double bed giving a feeling of duplex. It was pitch dark outside as such we were unable to see our surroundings from the balcony except sound of flowing water coming from some rivulet or drain. The person who came to drop our luggage requested us to join for the dinner at around 9.00 pm. One-by-one everyone of us freshened up after day long journey and stretched our legs trying to explore our surroundings in the pitch dark. All of us changed to our casual dress and met in the dining room downstairs to have our food. Food was included with our room charges that we forgot to mention here. In the buffet system they have arranged with options of Roti, Rice, Yellow Dal Tadka, Bondi Raita, Mix Sabji and Chicken Curry. We were hungry and the taste of the food was good… so we had a fill as per our hunger level. Thereafter, we all came to our room and got engrossed in our mobile to get the updates of the day and reply.

Day-2 (Friday, 16th August)

Sudipta, my wife, as usual got up early and I too woke up around 6.00 am. After freshening up, I went to the Balcony to witness the absolutely green surroundings. Dark blue sky, tall trees surrounding our homestay, cool weather, continuous sound of water flowing somewhere in the distance and chirping of the nameless birds. What a feeling!! We started exploring the length and breadth of the homestay from the balcony itself. We were informed to reach the dining room at 9.00 am by the chef for breakfast which consisted of a mix of Parathas with achaar, bread-butter toast/ sandwich, tea and coffee. At dining room, we came to know that there were 5 more persons staying in this homestay. Then 2 more boys and 3 girls came looking for accommodation. So it was a good crowd in that small dining room. The cook-cum-booking clerk-cum-caretaker was smart enough to handle everyone smilingly.

After breakfast, we left for our first destination, “The Jibhi Waterfall”, which was just 100 meters from our homestay. As it was little downhill, we decided to walk the distance. Reaching there, we realised that we had crossed the gate in the pitch dark last night when we came to the homestay. There was an Entry Gate, from where Rakhi purchased 5 tickets @ Rs.20/- each. I wondered why there’s a ticket for entering the park when it is not so popular to attract huge tourist inflow!! On entering we found that the place was nicely maintained by Forest Department of the local Government, without disturbing the natural beauty of the place. We found a very small stream flowing downwards near the entrance. We walked alongside it on upward direction for which a walk-way has also been made with small stones by the authority. After a little distance of about 200 meters, we reached the base of the waterfall. The height of the waterfall is about 50 ft., few other families are there taking snaps; we also got some for ourselves on different angle. It was lush green everywhere. After spending some time there, we decided to return. I went back to fetch our car which was at the base of our homestay.

After picking up my family from the gate of “Jibhi Waterfall”, we moved to our next destination, “the Kulhi Katandi”, popularly also known as “Mini Thailand”. On reaching there, we found that the Forest Department put up entry fee!! We found a small trail of walkway going downward; after about 400 meters of jig-jag walking downward and about 150 meters from the point where we parked our vehicle, a small rivulet came to our view. We leisurely walked along the stream enjoying every moment in the nature. After some time, we found the kaccha path have become narrower and we have to balance ourselves to cross the small difficult passage. After crossing this passage, we came to a point for which this place has been named “Mini Thailand”, where two huge rock forming as a triangle on one side of this rivulet. Very ideal for nature lovers who seeks solace in the lap of nature. Spending some half an hour there taking snaps etc., we walked towards the exit point. Midway we stopped at a Maggi-Momo point from where we had a plate of delicious Momo. Near the exit point, we found a small local dabha. As it was 1.30 pm, without wasting much time, we entered there to have our lunch. We ordered plain rice, roti, yellow dal, mixed sabji and one paneer delicacy. Food was really good.

After finishing our lunch, we decided to go for Jalori Pass which is about 20 KM by car, going steadily uphill at an altitude of 10814 feet (or say 3300 Meter). Our homestay at Jibhi is about 1600 Meter is just half the height. The road towards Jalori Pass is narrower and at some stretch it was muddy as well as slippery due to recent rains. We parked our car on the road side where many other cars and tempo travelers were parked as well. From here on, one has to trek to the Point Zero for the view… we too started to walk to reach the zero point of Jalori Pass which was about 4 KM of trekking through the jungle terrain. We started our trek at around 4.30 PM, but slowly the dark cloud started forming in the corner of the sky. Walking around a KM or so, we found it is impossible to reach to the top point at this speed and then return safely to our parking before rain started. So we aborted the idea and slowly came down to our starting point taking snaps for memory sake. Our return to homestay was eventless.

We reached our homestay around 7.00 pm. We asked the cook for tea with some pakoras but he said that he can provide tea only as he’s already late for the dinner arrangements. We had the tea with some dry snacks brought from Delhi and changed into more comfortable attire and patiently waited for the call for dinner. While we were enjoying the hot cup of tea with snacks, the rain started with full intensity. We thanked the god that the weather was kind, the whole day for us. Now that we were under a safe roof, enjoyed the downpour sitting on the balcony. Dinner was as usual good with chilly chicken as a non-veg item besides the dal-sabji-rice on the plate. It was drizzling when we came to the dining hall but now it had intensified again making it difficult to go back to our room from the dinning space. With the help of some umbrella, we reached our room taking our quota of drinking water for the day. Surfing the messages in the WhatsApp we retreated for the day.

Day-3 (Saturday, 17th August)

It was bright sunshine outside in the morning when I came to the balcony to assess the condition of the sky. Today we had planned to see the “Chhoyei” waterfall at Tirthan valley which is about 16 KM from our homestay spending the morning there till lunch. We also planned to have our lunch there at Khem Bharti homestay where we stayed during our previous visit. But at breakfast table, the cook gave us a very scary news that the road near “Jibhi Waterfall”, just 20 Meter downward from where our car was parked, has washed away in the last night’s heavy rain. He also informed that it is the only motorable road connecting other parts of the world. The message was too scary for all of us as none of our children was carrying Laptop with them. And if we are unable to return by Sunday, everybody has to skip their office. Except me and Sudipta, taking extra leave was difficult for the rest of the members. After breakfast, with heavy heart we slowly walked down to assess the extent of damages to the road and tried to find any possibility to reach the other side of the landslide. We found that there was a small cemented pipe underneath the road linking our homestay and rest of the valley for passing of rain water which was blocked by mud and big boulders in overnight rain. As a result, the water flowed over the road to the other side downhill sweeping away about 150-meter road completely.

We moved further juggling over the big boulders to the other side of the damaged road as we have no other things left to do for the day. Since morning we noticed that there was very little movement of vehicle on the road. News came that due to rain, at many places such roads were damaged for vehicular traffic. It was otherwise good sunshine and weather was also nice, so we leisurely walked down about 2 km to nearby village on the Jibhi-Banjar Road state highway under the shed of long trail of trees to explore the beauty of rural Indian village. It was 1.00 pm, so we looked out for a good dhaba/restaurant on the stretch. Soon Rakhi found one who was sitting idle and said that they served multi-cuisine food. However, the cook informed us that we have to wait for 15-20 minutes as he will prepare food in accordance to the order we placed.

We selected a table in the open balcony on the rivulet side to enjoy the view of small stream just beneath the dhaba. Looking at the worried face of Ruby, I suggested Soubhik to book a cab tomorrow from here to Mandi or Chandigarh and from there take a Volvo Bus to Delhi to reach Home on Sunday night itself as it is quite uncertain when the motorable road will be ready to take out our car from that landslide point. About half an hour later the food was served, hot and delicious. After paying the bill, we leisurely walked back to our homestay to take rest. As vehicles were quite less on the road due to blockages at several other places it was a bit risky to venture out further. Reaching our hotel, Soubhik informed that Ruby has talked to her contacts, who has offered to send a cab tomorrow morning to pick them up and drop them at Chandigarh Bus stop. Rakhi also insisted to accompany them. I decided to stay back with Sudipta till the road is repaired for our car to move out.

The evening was spent sitting in the balcony leisurely watching movement of vehicles on the other side of the rivulet. Dinner was served a little late. The other occupant in the homestay shared their excursion story how they spent the day without access of any vehicle. After dinner we left for our room to check on the messages and news of the day.

Day-4 (Sunday, 18th August)

With the chirping sound of birds in the midst of rumbling sound of waterflow, we all wake up early in the morning. Ruby, Rakhi and Soubhik were all set to leave for Chandigarh although with a heavy heart. Around 8 AM, Ruby got a call from the cab driver who was coming to pick them up. He asked her to share the location. Nearly an hour later, the driver informed that he has reached up to the point where the vehicle could reach after landslide. We took out the luggage and slowly traversed down the damaged road. Ruby’s contact has sent a good vehicle, a Mahindra KUV300. The Driver was in pure white dress, very soft spoken bearing a pleasant personality. Sharp at 9:30 AM, their vehicle started off slowly for Chandigarh.

Within a few minutes of their departure, we saw a JCB reaching the damaged spot to repair. It gave us immense joy that at last we can also move out from this patch of bad road. Meanwhile we packed our bags and settled our dues in the homestay. Around 12 noon, the driver of the other occupant came rushing to inform us that the road has been mended and opened for the traffic. Without waiting much for the other vehicles to come and jam the newly repaired road from all directions, Sudipta and myself taking not a moment more, got into our vehicle which happened to be the third one out from the repaired road. Meanwhile Sudipta ranged up Soubhik to know how far they have reached and also to inform them that we have started for the Home. Soubhik informed that very soon they will reach Mandi. So I instructed him to get down there at Mandi Bus stop from where we will pick them up in one and a half hour. They may have their breakfast by the time we reach there. We reached Mandi Bus Stop before the ETA of Google Map. As the expected time to reach Delhi showed 11:30 PM, not wasting much time there we continued for our return journey and I continued to be on the driver seat. In another 2 hours covering 120 km we reach a place called Gharauli which is in Punjab just before Kiratpur Sahib where we found a good Restaurant named “Manjeet’s”. Here we decided to have our lunch and stretch our legs and use the washrooms. This restaurant had good ambience. We had some quick lunch there as we had some food with ourselves that we consumed in the car. After half an hour break, we again started for our destination, targeting to reach home before 12 midnight. Now, Soubhik has took the charge of wheel. Till now we moved as per our plan but now Google Map showed the quickest route which is from Rajpura. Accordingly, we took the route map suggested. However, at Rajpura (Shambhu Border), we again found the road is closed for vehicular traffic. After rerouting about 4 Km we again reached the place where the road shows closed sign. I moved out of our car to enquire from a police man standing nearby who confirmed that according to Google map, many people were wrongly been getting diverted daily, whereas the road has been blocked at Sambhu Border by Kishan Morcha since long. At this juncture, I told Soubhik to return back to Bhanur and reroute his map to reach Ambala through Zirakpur travelling about 30 Km in this process we lost considerable time. Once we reached Chandigarh-Delhi NH Road, we found the road were not so crowded as otherwise expected being a long combination of holidays.

After about 100 km run on the GT Road, we decided to have our dinner somewhere near Karnal as it was 9.30 PM already. So, we stopped at Karnal Haveli where we had earlier experienced good food. This was actually a food court with many other food joints operating within same compound. Everybody went to washroom to relieve themselves and I went to the entrance of Karnal Haveli restaurant, where one fellow was distributing coupons with latest priority number. Very rational, well-maintained system I found. I got a ticket with 114 written on it. But in the door of the restaurant a digital display board shows the last coupon gone inside was 70. The fellow standing there told me to wait half an hour for our turn to come. Meanwhile others also joined me. Came to know the waiting status, we searched the other available outlet. There we found Delhi’s famous Karim’s also have an outlet which is relatively less crowded at that time. So we decided to have our dinner there… needless to say the food was also quite good. After finishing our dinner, we came out and checked the time which was showing 10:20 PM. Soubhik was feeling quite tired after driving the strenuous road from the point we took our lunch at around 3 PM. So I took the wheel now for the rest of our journey. Google was showing we would reach our home not before 1:30 AM. However, finally we reached our home at 1:00 AM sharp.

That is not the end of our journey. Very next day Soubhik went to take his car from the parking. There he found the rear right tyre is completely flat. To this we recalled that one bang sound came when we were near Bhalaswa Dairy in Delhi. I came out from the car to checkup. But did not notice any damage and we continued. Without any inkling I drove the remaining 30 KM distance to our home on a flat tire only to know the debacle the next day.

That’s the end of our eventful journey.

Posted on by Aranyascope · 2 Comments

Call of the Wild

Sunil was walking through the jungle track. He had checked in the small hotel almost adjacent to the jungle of Sariska, Rajasthan. Once upon a time this used to be a thick sprawling jungle full of flora n fauna but now humans have taken upon the jungle land for agriculture and residential and commercial use pushing the animals back into the deeper part of the jungle.

He was looking for the ancient temple of Bhairav, the manager at the hotel had given him the direction which he followed to reach at the temple but found it in ruins and abandoned. He was told that the place is serene and has a calming effect on those who visit. He looked around the place which was much greener than the rest of the jungle that he had come through, he could hear the sound of flowing water at a distance, other than that there was pin-drop silence. He liked it. He thought, I will come again in the morning and explore further, maybe go and check the water source as well. Sunil is city bred, grown up and living in the busy Karol Bagh of Delhi where it is always noisy and full of people, he liked the jungle for the lack of those very thing. He really enjoyed the serenity of the place. “What a beautiful place, wonder who built this temple in the middle of the jungle?” he spoke to himself.

“Yes, indeed this is a beautiful place”. Someone spoke from his behind startling Sunil. He turned back to find his long-lost friend Vikas… “Is that you, Vikas?” he shouted in excitement.

The guy named Vikas is of the same age as Sunil but exceptionally slim and had a serious demeanour, he spoke slowly, “Yes, I am the forest officer here.”

“Where did you vanish after the college? I kept looking for you and got know that your family has moved away from Karol Bagh without any forwarding address.” Sunil asked.

“Well, my father, the only earning member, passed away suddenly, my maternal uncle took us to his home in Burdwan. He sent me to Guwahati, Assam to work at the company of his friend. The pay was very low, so I sat for the exams to get into a govt job and was selected to be the forest officer here.” Vikas told him again in a slow monotonous voice.

“So, how long are you here?” enquired Sunil.

“A little over a year now…” before Vikas could continue there were sounds of people approaching, probably a group of students in excursion or trek. Vikas became little agitated with the approaching noise, “I will go now, but come tomorrow, I will meet you here again. I have something to share with you” saying this Vikas walked into the thick foliage and vanished. Sunil waited for some time to see the group of teenagers walk by talking animatedly. Sunil thought, Vikas was his best friend in the college, quite upright, always standing up against any kind of atrocity, helping the weak in their fight for justice. He used to be quite sturdy, muscled and strong. What happened to him, he looks like skeleton now, maybe the life in the jungle has taken a toll on his health. Sunil followed the path taken by the teenagers to reach back to his hotel.

Just as he was entering his hotel, he saw there was a forest office on the opposite side. He hesitated a bit before approaching it. There were two forest officials sitting in the office, he asked one of them, “Do you know where I can find Vikas, about 30 years old, I believe he is a forest office here. I met him in the jungle few minutes back but he was in a hurry and left before I could take down his address.” The officers looked at each other and then at Sunil, anxiety mixed with fear was writ on their faces, the other officer in a cracked voice asked, “What name you said?”

“Vikas Dutta.” Sunil told him.

“Look, it’s a vast jungle with many forest offices and numerous officers and staff, it is not possible to know every individual. You may check at other camp offices.” The officer replied as a matter fact.

Sunil could sense, something was amiss, the officers were hiding information from him, but why? He couldn’t figure out but decided not to peruse further. He decided to go back to the temple and check if Vikas is still around there.

Sunil had a nap after lunch and woke up around 4 pm, got ready and left for the Bhairav temple. As he entered the jungle path leading to the temple, the weather changed, the air became still and heavy, there was absolute silence all around. Sunil was in a trance as he rapidly walked towards the temple. He reached the temple and shouted, “Vikas, Vikas, where are you”? there was no response, he walked up the broken steps of the temple, the door was closed. It has been closed for many years now with mud accumulating at the base making it difficult to open. He tried to push but failed.

Sunil wondered if Vikas would still be around in this part of the jungle? He was questioning himself, why did he come here in this darkening evening. Surely, Vikas have to be present at other locations of the jungle as well and he wouldn’t be waiting for him here. He decided to return to the hotel.

As he turned from the temple, he was surprised to see Vikas standing at a distance from him wearing the same uniform of the forest officer that he was wearing in the morning, though his hair was in disarray. “Where did you vanish in the morning and why? I went to enquire about you at the forest office but they couldn’t tell me anything about you”. Sunil spoke with mild irritation in his voice.

“I knew you will come; I was waiting for you since morning” Vikas spoke, again slowly in the same monotonous voice.

“But did you run away? Why are you scared of the people?” Sunil asked angrily.

He could sense visible fear on his friend’s face, he looked terrified of some unknown fear. Vikas looked around and then spoke, almost whispering, “They are looking for me, if they catch me…” before he could finish, a voice came through, “Hey, hey, hey…” a shepherd boy trying to control his flock of sheep and making the sound. Sunil watched them go past and turned towards Vikas only to find that he has vanished again.

“Hey, Vikas, where are you?” he shouted. “I need to talk to you, come out.”

Vikas came out from behind the temple. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you hide as soon as other people appear? What are you afraid of? I am a journalist with ANI, I can surely help, you just have to ask…I know lot of senior officers in the govt and police department, I can talk to them” Sunil said.

The eyes of Vikas lighted up for a moment, then he said, “Forget about me, it’s getting dark in the jungle, you better leave now. The jungle is not a safe place after dark.”

“Okay fine, but you walk with me to my hotel, we can talk there… let’s have dinner together. We are meeting after such a…” Sunil couldn’t finish, sound of a motorcycle approaching could be heard. He looked at Vikas but he was nowhere to be seen. Sunil jumped on the temple parapet and hid behind a pillar. The motorcycle came into view, two forest officers with rifles were riding, they stopped at the temple and one of them went to the temple door to check. He shouted back, “All is okay.” Then they rode on to the forest path. Sunil came out in the open, so did Vikas. “Come here in the morning, I will tell you my story” saying this Vikas walked into the dense forest and vanished.

Sunil couldn’t sleep well throughout the night and kept thinking about Vikas… what he’s afraid of and what story he wants to tell me… he finally slept in the wee hours of the morning.

He had a quick breakfast and left for the Bhairav Temple. He has only this morning to find out the mystery of Vikas, tomorrow, he must join office .  

He reached the temple premises half expecting to find Vikas but there was no one in the vicinity, the air is still and kind of heavy. He decided to wait for some time, since he has come, no point turning back without knowing the story of Vikas. He waited for almost half hour and still no signs of Vikas, he thought, probably, Vikas has nothing to say, I am wasting time…

“I am here” hearing the faint voice of Vikas, he turned around.

Vikas was standing near the temple door, he hand signaled Sunil to come close. Vikas pushed the door and it opened with crackling noise. He went inside and asked Sunil to follow.

Sunil stopped on his track, as a rotten, putrid smell emanated from inside the temple. He took out his handkerchief to mask his nose from the foul smell before entering the temple.

The idol inside temple looked terrifying with vermillion pasted on the upper portion of the face, the temple was dark except the light coming through the open door. Sunil switched on his phone light. The idol was broken at many places looking even more grotesque. Vikas was at the back of the idol and asked Sunil to come there.

Vikas pointed at the corner of the platform of the idol. Sunil could make out that the brick there is loose as if it was taken out and placed again. “Look under it.” Vikas whispered.

Sunil lifted the brick to find a packet in the hollow under the brick. “What’s inside the packet?” he asked but there was no response. He looked where Vikas was standing but an emptiness looked back to him. Suddenly, he started shivering, he called out, “Vikas, where are you?” only his voice echoed back. He was perspiring now; with great effort he came out running and did not stop till he reached the safety of his hotel room.

Once he had calmed down, he opened the packet. A pen-drive fell out of it; also, a notebook and an unsealed envelope addressed to Vikas’s mother. Against his principles, he decided to read the letter…

“Dear Maa,

I am in grave danger here in the forest camp. There are three forest officers in connivance with a poacher is doing great harm to the forest. They are killing the animals for their skin and other body parts and selling them at high prices. I have photographed them in action and recorded them in the pen-drive. These people have come to know that I know about their illegal operation. They came to my home few days back but fortunately I wasn’t at home then. Since then, I am hiding from them…don’t know how long I can evade these people…they are many… a gang. They have been threatening me to hand over the pictures or else they will kill me. I am not scared to die but I am going to expose these evil people. Don’t worry for me.

Your loving son,

Vikas”

Sunil sat with the letter for some time thinking about next course of action. The letter was dated four months ago and the envelope had an address. He wondered with whom he had been interacting in the jungle! He made up his mind. He packed up, paid the hotel bill and drove back to Delhi.

Sunil remained busy with office work all through the week but on the weekend drove down to Noida at the address mentioned on the envelope. Vikas’s mother told him that about three months back, the forest department informed her that Vikas is missing after he went for the evening round of the forest and they fear that he may have become a victim of tiger attack deep inside the jungle.

Sunil could figure out the entire story, his friend has been murdered in cold blood. He set up a meeting with the Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) with all the evidence which Vikas had documented in the pen-drive. He also showed his last letter to his mother and photographs taken by Vikas before his brutal murder.

Next, he published the complete story as a syndicated news which was carried by all the leading news publishing houses. The news channels on television picked up the story and flashed it on their prime time. The social media carried it further to create a pressure on the administration to act on it. The police arrested the culprits who admitted to the killing; the skeleton of Vikas was dug out from behind the temple, his mother identified it through the gold ring still hanging on his finger.

Sunil attended the cremation of Vikas and carried his ashes to Haridwar to immerse in the Ganges.   

Posted on by Aranyascope · 3 Comments

A Quicky to Ranchi

I was in full concentration writing the second chapter of my ambitious project, a thriller spanning three continents when Deepika announced that she is going to Ranchi for a day to address the students of SAIL Management Institute. I instantly said, “Okay, I will come along and spend the day with Indrobodon. He recently had a cataract surgery; I will boost his morale.”

“But there will be others going with me, wouldn’t it look odd if you pile on?” Deepika protested.

“I am only taking the flight with you, that too separately, just tell me which flights you are taking, I will book accordingly,” I said calming her.

I informed Indro about my plan and asked him to book me a single occupancy room at the Royal Retreat Hotel, just a walking distance from his home. He protested and said, “Why don’t you stay with us, it’s a matter of one night only?”

“That’s the problem, my dear, it is the night that I am worried about because of the medical issues. In any case, I will be spending the whole evening and the morning with you guys. In fact, you will get tired of my relentless badgering.” I countered and prevailed upon him. I told him that I will share the flight details once booked and he will pick me up from the airport.

The Indigo flight took off after a 40 minutes delay but managed to cover up 20 minutes and landed at Birsa Munda Airport around 8:30 pm. The runway being short, the pilot had to apply a hard break to bring the aircraft to stop at the precise point of disembarkation. I had only cabin baggage and so did Deepika and her colleagues, we came out in double quick time. There was an uniformed chauffeur standing with a placard for Deepika & party, I too saw Indro and Tania at a distance, so we bade goodbyes and moved on for our respective destinations. Indro due to his cataract surgery was not driving and Judha, his son was at the hospital attending to patients, so Tania was driving. She drove quite well, even though she’s just learnt driving and still to get her permanent license. I asked them to drop me at the hotel to freshen up promising to join them at their home ASAP.

I reached almost simultaneously as Judha and we took the elevator to their home on the 8th floor. The Roychoudhury’s had made elaborate arrangements to entertain me, Jagrata had made Taal er Bora (Palm Fritters) and Prawn Balls as snacks with the drinks. I had, once told Indro that in my home, the food preparation is always “fusion food” or an amalgamation of Bong-Panju cuisine making it a cosmopolitan affair. Therefore, I sometimes crave for typical Bengali cuisine, he had conveyed this info to Jagrata, who took it upon herself to feed me with Bong dishes.

The dinner was served as Thaali, with many items in bowls resting on it… the ones I recognised immediately are Shukto (some people call it Sukhtoni), a mildly bitter mixed veggie curry, Kumro Chhechki, fried pumpkin, Sona Muger Dal, Aloo-Kopir Dalna, Sorshe-Posto Chingri, Katla Maachher Kaliya. The last item though looked delicious; I declined as I am not a fish eater. There was plain basmati rice to go with these as also Tomato-Date Chutney to end the feast. Unfortunately, we got so enticed by the culinary display that none of thought of taking a single picture of the spread!!!

After dinner, we sat in the balcony taking in the night view of the city horizon and seeping Oolong Tea. The pet turtle of RoyChoudhury family has grown big, from about 4 inches in 2021 to about 7 inches now and quite agile… They have added two more little turtles in the family I offered it some cabbage leaf which it consumed quickly looking for more…

Later, Indro and Judha walked me back to the hotel but before that Jagrata told me not fill my tummy with hotel food and have breakfast with them at their home. She had soaked the dal and prepared other ingredients for Dhuska with Aloo+Chana in the morning.

The Manager at the Royal Retreat recognised me, having stayed there in 2021 for couple of days when I had come for Judha’s engagement ceremony. He insisted that I must try their breakfast platter consisting of the flavour of Jharkhand, interestingly, they too had Dhuska with Aloo-Chana sabji besides Lithi-Chokha. Out of curiosity, I tried both in small quantities, must admit, both were quite tasty enticing me to grab more but I resisted as the home-cooked Dhuska is waiting for me. I checked out of the hotel and proceeded for Indro’s residence.

The home-cooked Dhuska with Aloo-Chana is any day far superior to the restaurant variety and I ended filling up right upto my neck.

I wanted to see the famed Patratu Valley, especially driving on the serpentine road leading to the valley and dam. The distance is less than 50 km and takes just over an hour to reach. Judha suggested we take his Bullet 500 motorcycle and asked me, “Uncle, can you drive the motorcycle?” I used to drive a Yamaha RX100 long ago, in fact I haven’t driven a 2-wheeler for more than 2 decades, I told him so… “You try it out and get acclimatized with the machine within the complex, if are comfortable, then you must ride it to Patratu Valley, it’s an altogether different experience”, Judha insisted. So, we went down to check out the bike, these days, most of the bikes come with button start instead of kick start, a great thing for old people like me. After a bit of hesitation, getting used to the gear shift and breaking distance, I drove the bike inside the complex easily.

Patratu Valley offers a picturesque escape for travellers seeking off-the-beaten-path experiences. Just 40 kilometres from the bustling capital of Ranchi, this once-forested area has transformed into a popular tourist destination. Our half-day excursion from Ranchi to Patratu was a scenic delight. The drive along the ghat roads was exhilarating, with stunning S-curves, hairpin bends, and panoramic views of the Pithoria-Patratu valley. We couldn’t resist stopping at a viewpoint to enjoy the breathtaking scenery and indulge in local golgappas. Indro had told me that we would be crossing the Tropic of Cancer on our way to Patratu Valley, on reaching the spot, we stopped to see the scenic surroundings and took a snap as well.

The Patratu Lake Resort, developed by the Jharkhand government, is a major attraction in the area. Located near the Patratu dam, the resort offers a range of water sports, including jet skiing, motorboating, parasailing, and thrilling adventure activities like wall climbing and bungee jumping. While we explored the resort’s facilities, the lake’s serene beauty captivated us.The thrill of driving up the valley through the winding roads and the desire to experience authentic Adivasi cuisine led us back to Ranchi, leaving us eager to return to Patratu for a more extended stay.

Indro introduced me to Ajam Emba, an authentic Oraon tribal-food eatery tucked away in Ranchi. The name, meaning “great taste and healthy food” in Kurukh, is a testament to the restaurant’s commitment to preserving indigenous culinary traditions.

Stepping into Ajam Emba felt like entering another world. The rustic decor and murals depicting local life created an authentic atmosphere. The menu, rooted in Oraon traditions and the biodiversity of Jharkhand, featured dishes cooked in earthen pots and served on Sal leaves.

Indro expertly guided me through the menu, recommending Marua Chilka (finger millet crepe), Sanai Phool (Jute flowers), Bodi Sandhana, a curry made from bamboo shoots. and Beng Saag chutney. Each dish was a revelation, showcasing the unique flavours and ingredients of the region. Indro explained that Beng Saag is a versatile medicinal plant whose name is inspired by baeng (the Bengali word for frog), for the chorus of frogs announcing the rains coincides with the appearance of this saag. Our lunch ended with stewed desi chicken, sourced from rural markets.

After our culinary adventure, we headed to Tagore Hill, an iconic landmark in Ranchi. Named after Jyotirindranath Tagore, the hill is a treasure trove of history and culture. We explored Shantidham, his former residence, and admired the intricate reliefs on the boundary walls.

Brahma Sthal, a serene spot on the hill, offered a moment of peace and reflection. We watched the sunset from the hilltop, taking in the breathtaking views.

Returning home, we enjoyed a delicious barbecue prepared by Judha. We enjoyed whiskey with lovely juicy grilled chicken pieces while the Bengali feast was prepared by Jagrata and Tania. The early dinner was simple and light as per my desire. I had posto bata, mochar kalia and Pabda machher jhol. And then Indro and Judha dropped me at the airport where I joined Deepika and together we came back to Delhi and home. It was a whirlwind trip to Ranchi simply on a whim but thoroughly enjoyable.

Deepika and I decided to explore the natural scenic beauty of the Jharkhand at a more leisurely and opportune time in the near future, maybe I will be able to persuade few more Langotias to join.

Posted on by Aranyascope · 3 Comments

The FoodAdventure-2

Topshe: Hello, what are you doing?

Me: Answering your phone call, what else.

Both of us had a hearty laugh and then on a more serious note he said, “Tomorrow is Saturday, how about meeting for lunch?” The idea suited me as Deepika will be out attending some conference at Taj Palace Hotel. “Let’s add the other two as well and decide the venue.” I told him though I knew the response of Gora and Pulki, both are most adjustable souls and would agree to whatever is decided.

Anyways, both came online and much deliberations, we decided to meet at the gate number 2 of Malviya Nagar Metro Station and visit 6, Ballygaunge Place, a newly opened fine dining restaurant specialising in Bengali cuisine.

Once I got the confirmation from Gora that all three of them are together and their metro just crossed AIIMS, I called up the restaurant and booked a table for four. It was a Saturday lunch time, knowing the appetite of Delhiites, it would be full, I guessed and I was right.

I walked down the 1.2 km stretch from my home to the metro station and joined the other three and went to the next door Eldeco Centre, a business hub with a variety of restaurants at the ground floor level viz. Indy, The Piano Man, The Mission Bay besides 6 Ballygaunge Place.

There was a sizeable crowd waiting to be seated, having booked our table, we were ushered in and offered a table that could sit six but did not complain. The ambiance is quite relaxing with décor of vintage Bengal. The spacing of the table is sufficient to make you relax and talk to your fellow diners without any bother. The menu was quite exhaustive, the main course is divided in sections as per the main ingredient such as Prawns, Ilish, Bhetki, Chitol, Chicken, Mangsho, Rice Prep. It also had Starter, Sweets and Beverages. From the starter section, we ordered one portion each of Prawn cutlet, Hansher Dimer Devil and Chhana Motorshutir Chop. We also asked for Fresh Lime Soda which the restaurant has named as Noti Binodini, after the famous actress of the Bengali theatre of the 19th/ early 20th century. As we were waiting for our food and beverage, a gentleman in casual clothing approached us and introduced himself as Angshuman Dutta, helping out his friend (the Chef) with PR/ Marketing for the restaurant. He further stated that he is from Delhi but now settled in Kolkata and his school happened to be our Alma Mater, Raisina Bengali School, Mandir Marg, New Delhi. He is a 1990 batch, a clear ten years junior to us. He was delighted to have 4 of his seniors in the restaurant and we were immediately marked for special treatment… the beverages were made complimentary, a thousand bucks discount on the bill !!

The starters arrived in one go and was served by the steward… we dived into our plates as all of us were hungry and the aroma from the food was too enticing. The prawn cutlets, the devil and chhanar chop, all were crisp on the outside but soft inside and melted in the mouth. They had the hint of spices but not sharp, easily digestible.

We asked for the menu to decide on the main course… this section was quite large divided into sub-sections based on the main ingredients. We placed order for Posto-Narkel Bora, Chholar Dal and Dhokar Dalna, with Loochi, all vegetarian dishes because Bengali vegetarian dishes are as exquisite as are the no-veg items. Then we asked for Bhetki & Ilish Paturi, Chitol Machher Muitha and Dhakai Kalo Bhuna Mangsho with Basanti Pulao and Chingri Pulao.

My cosmopolitan palate (taste), found the curried items a bit on the sweeter side but overall very tasty and the quantities were sufficient to fill our tummy. Amongst the main course we ordered, I was particularly interested in the Chitol Machher Muitha having heard about it so much from my friends and relatives living in Kolkata. The preparation of this item is quite tedious and only a seasoned chef can bring out the flavours correctly. The one we had was excellent and calls for another visit to relish it again. I had opted for the Bhetki Paturi even though the Ilish Paturi was boneless as well but smelly for my liking. I had it with Chingri Pulao but it would have tasted better with plain boiled rice. The Dhakai Kalo Bhuna Mangsho is quite similar to the Bhuna Mutton with more caramelisation of the meat making it almost black but it tasted awesome with Basanti Pulao.

We were done with food having filled ourselves upto the neck when the steward brought 4 portions of the Nolen Gurer Ice Cream and said that it was complementary from the management. Who are we to protest such generosity, in no time, the ice cream was gone… in our tummy.

The bill came along with a bowl of Kolkata Dry Paan.  As per our norm, Gora paid the bill and we transferred our individual share to him through Google Pay once we were out.

I hung the carrot of TwentyNine (a card game) in front of the three which they could not refuse and we all walked back to my home. Topshe and Gora became partners while Pulki joined me as partner. We played for about 2 hours with neither side winning conclusively.

They left after I had served them Kashmiri Kahwa Tea that I had bought from Palampur Tea Estate, with Cake Rusk from Defence Bakery, Delhi.

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Chandraketugarh

Chandraketugarh, located in the Ganges Delta, are a cluster of villages in the 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, about 35 kilometres north-east of Kolkata. The name Chandraketugarh comes from a local legend of a medieval king of this name. This civilization can perhaps be identified with the Gangaridai of Graeco-Roman accounts. In early historic times, Chandraketugarh was connected to the Ganga by the Bidyadhari River and must have been an important centre of trade and possibly also a political centre.

The Asutosh Museum of Indian Art conducted an excavation between 1957 and 1968, which revealed relics of several historical periods, although the chronological classification of the relics remains incomplete. Many of the Chandraketugarh items and terracottas are now in collections of museums in India and abroad; many of them are a part of private collections.

Chandraketugarh is thought to be a part of the ancient kingdom Gangaridai that was first described by Ptolemy in his famous work Geographica (150 CE). A recent archaeological study being conducted by a team from IIT Kharagpur, believes that King Sandrocottus (mentioned by Greek explorer Megasthenes) was Chandraketu, whose fort Megasthenes visited in the third century BCE, after Alexander’s invasion of India, and gives a detailed account of what he saw in Indica. He mentions King Sandrocottus as one of the most powerful kings of Gangaridai, the Gangetic delta that spread over the five mouths of the river and was a continuum of a landmass comprising Anga, Banga and Kalinga. The history of Chandraketugarh dates back to almost the 3rd century BCE, during the pre-Mauryan era. Artifacts suggest that the site was continuously inhabited and flourished through the Shunga-Kushana period, onwards through the Gupta period and finally into the Pala-Sena period. Archaeological studies suggest that Chandraketugarh was an important town and a port city. It had a high encircling wall complete with a rampart and moat. The residents were involved in various crafts and mercantile activities. Although the religious inclinations of the people are unclear, hints of the beginning of some future cults can be seen in the artefacts. Some of the potteries carry inscriptions in Kharoshthi and Brahmi scripts.

I came across Chandraketugarh courtesy of my friend Indrajit’s blog and it immediately aroused my curiosity. I checked with him if he had already visited this place to which he said, “No, but would like to visit especially as it is in the backyard of Kolkata where I have been to numerous times.” Well, that was enough for me to plan a tour. I checked with few likeminded souls and all agreed. I had a long chat with Topshe aka Tapas who is perhaps more reliable than google!! He checked the ticket price and availability of both flight as well as train while talking to me, the latter was not available on the dates that suited us while the airfare was too high prompting us to become adventurer and commit to a road trip!!! Contrary to my expectations, my co-travellers were thrilled when I told them that after my discussions with Topshe, it has been decided to take the road.

The four of us, Topshe, Gora, Pulki and I decided to travel lean taking absolute basic minimum luggage that can easily be fitted into the boot of Jeep Compass. The route we took is Delhi-Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata. A total of 10days +/-2 days tour. Ranchi was added to pick-up Indro to complete the gang.

DAY ONE

I picked up the three of them, Topshe, Gora and Pulki from the Mahamaya Flyover around 5:45 am, when the horizon showed glimpse of the rising Sun. Gora and Pulki stayed overnight at Topshe’s place and they were dropped by Soubhik, Topshe’s son. We started our long journey as Google indicated 9 hours 50 minutes to the destination. We estimated about 10-12 hours with breaks. Gora had used his contacts to book us two rooms at the Annapurna Hotel, Godowlia with parking facility. We decided to drive in shifts between myself, Topshe and Pulki while Gora said he is out of touch with 4-wheeler driving but would give it try if the roads are clear of traffic.

We stopped at the “truck/ bus lay-by” for breakfast just before hitting the Agra Outer Ring Road and devoured the Aloo Paratha made by Deepika early in the morning along with Puri-Aloo made by Sudipta (Topshe’s better half) and downed it with Coke Zero. From there on, Pulki took the wheels and I retreated to the back seat to take nap and get refreshed for lunch. It was decided to refill the tank as soon as it reaches the 25% mark to avoid last drop panic. I woke up as Pulki pulled-up at the Indian Oil station just before Lucknow. We had decided that I will take care of the petrol bills, while Gora will manage the hotel and food bills… at the end of the day, the accounting will be done for that day.

Topshe took the wheel once we had filled up the tank and now would drive till the destination unless he’s fatigued…Gora moved to the passenger seat and Pulki joined me at the back. We were quite tempted to enter Lucknow and have Rahim’s Nihari-Kulcha & Biriyani for lunch but resisted as that would have delayed us massively. Instead, we took the Lucknow Outer Ring Road (By-pass) and stopped at Gangotri Dhaba on the Saidpur-Khajirhat Road, the Purvanchal Expressway starting point. The food was vegetarian affair… Yellow Dal tarka, Aloo-Matar Sabji with Tandoori Roti splashed with butter to make it soft. They had Malai Lassi but we avoided the indulgence as lassi is a great sleep inducer and we needed to stay awake for the final leg of this journey.

Topshe really enjoyed driving the Jeep and speeded up on the thinly populated Purvanchal Expressway and we were soon we exited the expressway to take the NH330 towards Sultanpur. The Sultanpur Bypass took us to NH731 towards Varanasi bypassing Badlapur and Jaunpur and we reached the vicinity of Varanasi. Topshe stopped on the side near a dhaba and we had tea-samosa while stretching our legs. Topshe told me to take the wheels thereon, his logic was simple…soon we will be negotiating city traffic and narrow crowded roads and he wasn’t comfortable driving a not-so-familiar vehicle through those areas. It suited me because I was getting a bit restless sitting at the back. We left for Varanasi after finishing our tea and Gora having his urge for a smoke satiated. We did not encounter much traffic on the way except when we left the Lucknow-Varanasi highway and entered the Teliabagh Road and Lahurabir Road leading us to our destination. We reached Hotel Annapurna around 5:45 pm courtesy the no-holds-bar driving of Topshe, majority of the distance… Pulki and I have been driving very conservatively keeping within the speed limit.

We checked into the Hotel Annapurna whose owner is a Probasi Bengali living in Varanasi for over 3 generations; Shri Pralaynath Banerjee lived in another house in the vicinity with his family… this was his ancestral house which he had converted into a boutique hotel. The hotel had a large courtyard which is being used as a car parking, a large hall as you enter, a small part duly partitioned functions as reception area while the larger section has become dining area with relaxing furniture. In the ground floor they had 4 rooms with attached bathroom and on the first floor there were 6 rooms with attached bath and a dormitory with 8 single beds. We were allotted 2 rooms on the first floor from which one could get a glimpse of the Ganges during daytime… the rooms were quite large with high ceilings and comfortable beds, clean bathrooms with geysers and modern amenities. Topshe and Gora took one room while Pulki and I took the other.

We quickly freshened up and left to explore the nearby places on foot, taking the car out was ruled out because of the crowded roads/ lanes and parking woes. The receptionist, Ms. Shailaja suggested we go to Pagal Sardar Milk Shop, popular snacks shop nearby towards the Dasaswamedh Ghat. We took the advice and headed there soaking in the evening flavours of Kashi, perhaps the oldest continuously lived-in city of the world.

There was a sizeable crowd waiting to be served when we reached but the service was quite prompt and nobody has to wait for more than 5-7 minutes. We ordered 2 portions each of Dahi-Bhalla and Aloo-Tikki-Chaat along with 4 glasses of Malai-Lassi. While devouring the items we realised why the place is full of customers… the portions are quite generous and the taste is out-of-this-world… non of the dishes were spicy but full of authentic flavours and the lassi was delightful. Our tummies were full and bursting…we needed to digest fast because Pralaynath Babu had promised us authentic Bengali non-veg Thali for dinner!! We headed towards the ghat to take look at the Maa Ganga. I must say that Varanasi has had a 360 degree makeover in the last 10 years, it has become quite clean with dedicated walkways leading to the ghats and even the ghat area is quite clean where one can sit for hours together and enjoy the soft music of the waves of the Ganga colliding at the banks while enjoying cool breeze wafting over the river. We walked along the river taking-in the mystic charm of the different ghats where people were busy with ritualistic fervours.

We returned to the hotel around 10 pm ready to dig into the offerings of Pralaynath Babu and his Chef. We were the only ones at the dining hall as other residents had already taken their dinner and gone. The authentic Bengali Thali had at least 10-15 items and many of them are first time for me; notable among them are bhetki-paturi, dab-chingri, shorshe-ilish, dakbunglow-chicken and kosha-mangsho. I passed my portion of shorshe-ilish to Pulki as I can’t have ilish due to its strong smell and numerable bones. The banquette was truly memorable and, in the process, we over ate but the Chef Ajay had a surprise concoction for us made of Gondhoraj Lebu and some secrete spices…he promised that everything will be digested within an hour and we would be hungry again!!!

DAY TWO

We were ready for the darshan of Mahadev by 6 am, Pralaynath Babu had assigned a person to take us through a “VIP Enclosure” for serene moment with the Mahakal-Neelkanth-Vishwanth, you call him in any name but at the end it is ONE, the Maha Vishnu, Madhav who exist in many manifestations. We had a peaceful darshan and offered unadulterated milk and sweets besides flower on the lingam receiving His blessings through the Purohit. On the way back we visited the Gyanvapi Mandir as well as Annapurna Mandir. It is believed that Shiv and Parvati came to Kashi to live a domesticated life as Mahadev/ Vishwanath and Annapurna providing domestic bliss to the humans on earth.

Religious activities were done by 8 am and we headed to the famed Kashi Chaat Bhandar. We ordered for their hot selling Tamatar Chaat, Aloo-Tikki Chaat and Hara-Matar Chaat with Masal Chai. It was one of the most satisfying breakfasts I had in many days.

Coming back to the hotel, we packed up and settled our dues with Pralaynath Babu with a promise to visit again. Since we already had our breakfast, he packed us some sandwiches and boiled eggs and fruits for the road. We headed for Ranchi to meet and pick-up Indro on way to Chandraketugarh.

The route was pretty much straight using the NH19 (AH1), approx. 400km taking 8 hours non-stop. Topshe drove the first three hours then we stopped for the restroom at a petrol station, filled up the tank as well and the Pulki took the wheel for next two hours and stopped by a Line Hotel (Dhaba) where we had tea and finished the sandwiches and eggs. Then I drove the rest of the distance, on a newly laid beautiful road prompting me to exceed the speed limit. We reached the outskirts of Ranchi around 4:30 pm and guessed that in another hour we will reach Indro’s home. Gora called him up and informed accordingly. He had booked us at the Royal Retreat Hotel, very close to his home at Global Lavanya Residential Complex. We stopped at the Brother’s Bakery to pick-up some pastries and cookies for the kids, Judha and Tania, who’s engagement ceremony I had attended but could not join the wedding festivities due to covid infection just before I was to take the flight for Ranchi.

We reached Indro’s home on the dot of 5:30 pm, he had instructed the security at the gate, so, we had unencumbered entry inside the complex and parked at the visitor’s parking. Indro along with Jagrata and Tania gave us a tumultuous welcome as if we are coming after winning a war!!

After we had washed up our grimes, we were offered tea and specially made Dhushka with Aloo-Chana Sabji… I had requested Indro to arrange this as one meal… I had fallen in love with Dhuska since the time I first tasted it during my first visit. After chitchatting for some time, we took out our nightwear and toiletries bag to check-in at the hotel… 2-minute walk down the lane. We purposely left the car at his complex and he asked the chowkidar to arrange for it to be washed and cleaned.

Dr. Judhajit, a very able doctor, came home around 9 pm and enquired about our health and wellbeing. Both, Gora and I had consulted him over phone and his diagnosis had always been accurate. I simply adore him for his amiable nature. Indro opened a bottle of Single Malt from his collection and poured for everyone, I declined as I was still on my self-imposed alcohol ban. Instead, I joined the toast with Lemon Ice-Tea. The dinner was simple Bengali fare yet fulfilling… Shukto, Chholar Dal, Aloo Bhaja, Beguni, Pabda Jhaal and Chicken Curry with Rice followed by Raw Papaya Chaatni and Papad. There were Mishti Doi and Nolen Gurer Sandesh which I couldn’t resist despite being a diabetic… the expensive medicines will have to work harder, I told myself. We spent some more at Indro’s home before retiring for the day. We agreed to start our journey towards Kolkata around 8/8:30 am… we needed a good sleep to get ourselves rejuvenated.

DAY THREE

We left for our last leg of the journey after having sumptuous breakfast of stuffed paratha with creamy dahi and soft rosogolla sharp at 8:30 am. Additionally, I had a fluffy masala omelette prepared by Tania… Indro knew about my weakness of eggs so he asked her to make it for all but except Indro and I, others declined. Indro, sat with me at the front, others nicely fitted in the rear seat.

There are three routes to Kolkata from Ranchi, the shortest one is via Jamshedpur – Dalma wildlife sanctuary, a very scenic route mostly through green patches. We were tempted to stop by at Dalma wildlife sanctuary but decided against it and simply soaking in the nature with zero pollution. We stopped at the Garden Inn Restaurant, Kharagpur, situated on the highway for lunch thereby avoiding getting into the city. We opted for vegetarian dishes and kept it light. Since we were ahead of time, having made it 4.5 hours instead of 5.5 hours, we relaxed in the adjoining garden where we had lemon tea and cookies before departing to complete our journey.

Topshe took the wheels and I moved to his seat. The drive was mostly uneventful except that this route being the oldest amongst the three, the roads are not wide, mostly 4 lane and at some places becomes 2-lane without the divider. In such stretch, the speed, sometimes becomes rolling and then near any town or village, a sizeable road space is occupied by the hawkers and rickshaws creating unnecessary road jams. Anyways, Topshe, expertly navigated such irritants and soon we were cruising towards Howrah crossing the Kolaghat, famous for its thermal power station. Once, we reached Howrah, our driving got restricted to the speed of the traffic ahead. Moreover, here the highway has bursting population on either side, both residential and commercial with rampant encroachment of the road space. It was still early evening, so the crowd was not very high but we lost the earlier advantage of beating the google timeline, it now was showing 6 pm to our final destination… Nizam Palace on Acharya JC Bose Road, only consolation being a Saturday evening, the traffic inside central Kolkata might be lighter than usual with most offices either on holiday or getting over when we reach.

Nizam Palace is a CPWD Guesthouse for the government officials, both serving as well as retired, the tariff is very reasonable…rather cheap compared to the private accommodations with decent clean room, nothing fancy though. Topshe, Gora and Pulki, all retired Central Govt officials, used their channels to book 3 double-bed rooms on the first floor of B-Block. The best part of the place is that it is very centrally located with numerous options for eating out as well as sightseeing. The online reviews of the place suggested to visit the dining hall instead of room service as it is very lax and at times the food/ tea is cold by the time it reaches your room. So, after freshening up, we went to the dining hall to have tea and snacks… surprisingly, they had options of Darjeeling tea which Indro & I opted for and ordered a large pot while others asked for Masala Chai along with assorted pakoras including Devilled Egg, we were hungry but wanted keep space for the dinner at Peter Cat, Park Street where we have booked a table for five at 9:30 pm.   

All of us wanted a quick n short nap, especially after the snacks which were excellent, crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth and the Darjeeling tea was very well brewed. Setting the alarm for 8 pm, I hit the pillow and dozed off immediately. Mine and Pulki’s alarm buzzed simultaneously stirring us up forcefully. We got ready, so were the others and we booked Uber cab to take to the Park Street which is notorious for parking woes. The cab dropped us right in front of the restaurant. Indro and Gora wanted to have a smoke, so we strolled along the road which was getting crowded by minute with hungry diners, it was a prudent call to book our table in advance.

If you are in Peter Cat, you must try their famous Chello Kebab served on a bed of buttered rice with tandoori kebabs and topped with fried egg. We had the prawn cocktail as starter followed by chello kebab, also ordered virgin mojito to go with the food. Though, the restaurant is quite old, they have maintained the quality and taste but their service needs much improvement. The restaurant was full to capacity with customers waiting outside; in such a scenario, the restaurants, typically in the north and south of the country, speeds up their service so that the customers can finish their food quickly and allow others to enjoy the fare as well. But, here in Kolkata, there was no hurry and food arrived at its own pace. By the time we finished, it was almost 11 pm and getting a cab was a task in itself. I tried to book through Uber but it was showing minimum 15-20 minutes waiting due to heavy rush. I checked the distance to our hotel; it was just over 2 km and walk through the Camac Street would take similar time (22 minutes) as waiting for the cab. I convinced others to walk as would help us digest the Chello Kebab as well besides experiencing the night life of Kolkata.

With the guidance of google maps, we reached Nizam Palace in half an hour, completely exhausted and decided to call it a day. Tomorrow we shall venture out to see Chandraketugarh.

DAY FOUR

We were ready to go to Chandraketugarh by 8:30 am after having a South Indian breakfast of dosa-idli-vada at the dining hall itself. Its about 50 km from our place, driving time two hours passing by the New Town, Salt Lake City towards Barasat on the Kolkata-Bashirhat Road. Indro’s ancestral home is in Bashirhat where some of his relatives still lives but he said he has no intentions of visiting them in this trip… in fact none of us have told any of our relatives or friends about this trip, we wanted to keep it within this small group only. It took us two hours to reach Berchanpa after checking with the locals we reached the archaeological site.

What is most intriguing about Chandraketugarh is that very little has been excavated and what lies beneath the ground is best left to guesswork.

The region of Bengal where it meets the bay is an active delta which due to silt and sedimentation, geographically changes its character. The delta is one hand slowly increasing in length while global warming now has done the reverse with increasing sea level. The location of Chandraketugarh has a deep historical presence and was once set to be the capital of Bengal Gangetic plains that had active trade links with Europe especially with the Greeks. The Greeks referred to this region as “Gangaridai” and have been mentioned in several Graeco-Roman texts.

Bidyadhari River, now extinct, was then much bigger and greater in size and was easily accessible to trading ships coming in from the Bay of Bengal.

The mounds were first located around 1905 – 1906 by a local doctor named Taraknath Ghosh and this information was passed on to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). A.H. Longhurst from ASI – Eastern Circle visited this site for inspection which led to the discovery of ancient pots and bricks.

It is also to be noted that eminent archaeologist Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay had also visited this site around 1909. However, nothing much happened till as recently as 1955 that a small level of excavation work was carried on by the Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art.

The excavation resulted in the discovery of pottery, beads from the various era which can be classified as:

Period-1         which might be pre-Mauryan and can be characterized by Red Ware typical of this era

Period-2         which might be the Maurya-Sunga era was marked by Northern Black Polished Ware

Period-3         is post-Sunga with redware, stone beads, cast copper coins, etc.

Period-4         which is the Kushan era with terracotta figurines

Period-5         Gupta era with burnt bricks and other relics

The further detailed excavation was planned but never executed till date, the excavated mounds were covered up and waiting to be dug again.

As the name suggests “Chandraketugarh” can be roughly translated as the region ruled by a person named Chandraketu. Very less is known about him and some references put him as one of the greatest rulers of the Gangetic delta region. It is strongly believed that Sandrocottus mentioned by the famous Greek explorer Megasthenes is in reference to King Chandraketu, the most powerful king of Gangaridai, the people of the Gangetic plains of Bengal as referred to by the Greeks. It is believed that Alexander met Chandraketu putting his tenure to be in the 5-4 century BCE.

Khana-Mihirer Dhipi – This is well marked and the excavations are still visible. The excavated sections have been cleaned up and various structures can be easily made out. The excavation carried out in 1957on a mound revealed temple-like structures which are of multiple dynasties, likely because of rebuilding over existing temple sites over and over again. The majority of the excavated pottery belonged to the Sunga-Kushana style.

During the excavation of this section various pottery, terracotta plaques, etc. were also excavated. The nature of pottery clearly shows the attributes from various periods of rules in this part of the world.

Various objects that were excavated from this site included terracotta figures, cooking pots, coins, beads, long neck jars, etc. Some interesting find around this excavation site were terracotta plaques of human, animal, and bird markings.

After entering our names in the register, we took the well-marked walking path to explore site. You are not allowed to climb on top of the excavated structures and need to walk only on the designated pathway. Visually what you get to see are huge foundation sections of various sections within the excavated area which only comprises terracotta bricks. No visual figures are present, the ones excavated from this site have been shifted to the nearby Chandraketugarh Museum.

Chandraketugarh Museum, is a new museum under the state government which was built to store the excavated artifacts from site. Previously these were stored at the house of two local enthusiasts while some were kept at the local school museum. Photography is not allowed inside the museum. It is highly recommended to visit the museum because it’s only here one gets to see the vast artifacts that were excavated from this region of Bengal. However, more detailed and beautiful figurines excavated in the early 20th century have gone out of the country, mostly illegally through smuggling.

We spent over three hours exploring all sites including the museum grasping a part of Indian history that has never found it’s way into the school text books.

EPILOGUE

We spent another three days in Kolkata on a Foodie Delight Tour, besides meeting our local friends and having camaraderie but that’s another story to told at some other time.

Indro decided to stay back for Jagrata along with Judha and Tania to join him for medical check-up and also spend some time with their relatives. The four of us left for home after a very satisfying and fulfilling road trip.

Posted on by Aranyascope · 3 Comments

The FoodAdventure

We have a WhatsApp group of 20+ classmates from Batch of 1980 RBS who meet up for a G2G (get-together) but unfortunately this happens only “once in a while”. Every time we meet, we make promises to meet every month but somehow that never happens. Basically, there’s a inertia that works which prevents us to take quick call on a proposal to meet on a certain date at a certain venue. Therefore, most of the time it is only less than half the strength showing up for the G2G. So, I decided to call up only those, who I knew would be willing to join at the shortest notice for a FoodAventure (food adventure)… going to a eatery at random for its signature item.

Last Saturday, 31st August ’24, the four of us (Pulak, Tapas, Manojit and I) decided to meet at such a place called INDIE BBQ located at Noida Sector 75 (as per the Google). The decision fructified on Friday late evening and it was decided that I will pick up Tapas on the way and the others will reach on their own. We reached the address given in the web-page only to find it locked and the condition suggested that it has been locked for quite some time. There hung a banner with a mobile number. I just took a chance and called that number…

“Hello, is this Indie BBQ?” I enquired.

“Yes, Sir.” Came the reply.

“Well, I have come a long way from Delhi to taste your Grilled Pomfret and you have closed down.”

“Sorry Sir, actually we have relocated to Greater Noida West, I am sending you the location right away.” The owner responded.

True to his words, he sent the location detail with complete address and landmark, it was about 9 km from the original location (32 km from my home).

It was a food-court of a local shopping centre adjacent to a housing complex. The seating is on the open courtyard with each outlet having their own specified arrangements unlike a food-court in the malls. Officially the outlet is open for business from 1400 hours till about midnight but in reality their business starts more towards the evening (winter months may see a reversal of this trend).

We were clear about our first course, grilled pomfret and added the crispy fried octopus on the recommendation of the server. Also ordered fresh lime soda to quench the thirst. We were having street food experience sitting on the extended pavement, it reminded me of the days in Karol Bagh when we could only afford the street food at the Gaffar Market eatery. I must mention that, the place is quite clean and the staff very polite and eager to serve you to the best of their ability.

The size of the pomfret wasn’t too big, just about 6 inches but it was quite fresh and grilled to near perfection, well cooked and the spices were tempered well unlike the usual spicy fare of the street food. The crispy fried octopus was truly crispy on the outside and juicy inside. I feared that it would be rubbery if not cooked well but the chef showed his skill in making it highly palatable.

We wanted to sample the dum ki biriyani but it wasn’t readily available, so we ordered Champaran Mutton Curry with butter naan, and it turned out to be a wise call, just good enough quantity and excellent in taste. Tapas and Manojit got Mutton dum biriyani (Kolkata style) packed for home and I believe, the kids enjoyed it thoroughly.

The four of us have, thus decided to do this FoodAdventure, every month on a Saturday, convenient to all at a very short notice. We have also decided to welcome any of our likeminded batchmates to join us at such short notices at such odd places and enjoy not just the food but the camaraderie as well. You are welcome to tell us about such places that serve mouthwatering dishes. We have identified one at the Sarvapriya Vihar Market serving non-veg cuisine from the north Indian states for our future meet.    

Address of Indie BBQ:

Aastha Green Food Court, Greater Noida West, Sector-4, Opposite Eco Village-2 and SUPERTECH market. Feel free to call at 9958359295 for further assistance.

Posted on by Aranyascope · 1 Comment

The Avengers

Chapter One: The Massacre

Nikunj Niyogi sat on the cot inside the dilapidated home of Begum Hasina Wahid and wondered how long he will survive. He knew the aggressors are closing in and will barge through the door soon. He checked his gun; fully loaded Heckler & Koch with an extra magazine… he knew it is not a deterrent but would hold them back for a while…he might take few of them down especially in a closed space combat. But it did not matter if he lived or become a martyred for Maa Bharati… having established the coordinates of the terrorist camp he felt relieved. Begum Hasina Wahid, the septuagenarian had taken the small chit to the Army camp some 20 km east of her modest village with express instruction to hand over the same to Col. Debabrat Das. Nikunj and Debabrat were batchmates at the NDA, Khadagvasla, while Debabrat continued with regular army, Nikunj was recruited by the army intelligence and special ops. Both were of the rank of Colonel but in case of Nikunj, the title is seldom used. 

The kaleidoscope of his life played on as Nikunj waited for the inevitable. He had to kill those two lowly terrorists because they had seen him and sounded alarm through their satellite phones. Nikunj belonged to a large family, he was the youngest of nine children and there was a gap of seven years between him and his immediate elder brother. In the younger days in school and academy, he used to joke that he was a perfect example of an accident. His father owned a small grocery shop in the congested locality of Paharganj, New Delhi. The residence, if one can call it such, was the 2.5 rooms atop the shop. His father would open the shop around 8 am and close at 9 pm, every single day as even one day closure meant less food on the plates of eleven hungry souls besides loss in the business. When Nikunj joined Raisina Bengali School in Class-I along with a bunch of bubbling kids, his eldest brother cleared Civil Services exam and was poised to join the Foreign Service while his second brother completed his Master’s program and hoped to join his elder sibling into the civil services the next year.

Nikunj liked his school, it allowed him abundant space to run around and make friends and learn new things every day. He became particularly pally with a kid named Rudro Prashad Chatterjee aka Rudro. They became inseparable as the years passed, sharing the same bench at the back of the class. Rudro belonged to a well-to-do illustrious Bengali family, his uncle was a famous character actor in both Bengali and Hindi film industry, but he was very down to earth person and took care of Nikunj, bringing extra lunch everyday to feed him knowing the economic conditions of Niyogi family.

One day, when Nikunj was in the 8th grade, he got a call from the principal’s office, visibly shaken, he went there to find his second brother Bikash Niyogi, who was now an IPS officer, sitting with the principal discussing something somberly. The principal, instead of admonishing him, put his hand on Nikunj’s head in a manner of blessings and told him to gather his school bag and go home with his brother. Later he got to know that his father while managing the shop had a massive cardiac stroke and succumbed before any medical help could reach him. During the 10-day mourning period, Rudro would drop in every day after school bringing food for the entire family. Nikunj found an anchor in Rudro to overcome the irreversible loss of father.

Graduating from school, Rudro joined St. Stephen’s College where he met Aniket Mathur while Nikunj was selected for National Defence Academy where he met Debabrat Das… both found new best friend but Rudro and Nikunj remained in touch through regular communication. In time both sets of friends graduated with flying colors. Rudro went on to become an IPS Officer while Aniket continued with his master’s program followed by a PhD in Economics & Current Affairs. Debabrat showed all round prowess both academic as well as on field, particularly as a marksman. Nikunj, though was not as perfect as Debabrat on field activities, he was far ahead in academics especially in mathematics and coding. Another god gifted talent of Nikunj was his ability to grasp languages, he was already fluent in Punjabi, Urdu, all 4 south Indian languages besides English, Hindi and his mother tongue Bengali. He had picked up the southern languages from his fellow cadets, Punjabi and Urdu from the streets of Paharganj becoming a multilingual at a very young age.

After the graduation from NDA, Nikunj was asked to report at the Army HQ in New Delhi and seek out certain Colonel Diwakar Pandey. The Army HQ was huge with hundreds of people working in the building, both uniformed and in civilian dress. It took some effort to locate Col. Pandey but one look at him and you can’t miss the “fauji” written on his face with a handlebar moustache adorning the large face and it matched his booming voice as well.

Col. Pandey asked Nikunj to follow him and they ended up in a room or rather a hall full of electronic gadgets and computers, the temperature of the room was closed to freezing point, at least that’s what Nikunj felt entering it. Col took him to a console and asked him to sit before moving on to another person at the corner. Nikunj was startled as the computer screen came alive and a south Indian gentleman started asking him questions about him. After a bit of initial hesitation, Nikunj spoke fluently in Malayalam first and as the interviewer changed languages he followed him with Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. After almost 45 minutes, the person on the screen seemed satisfied and bade him goodbye. The process wasn’t over, a Sardarji came on the screen and spoke to him Punjabi followed by a Maulvi in Urdu. Both seemed satisfied with his prowess of the languages.

Meanwhile, Col. Pandey has been observing the facial reactions of Nikunj on a large screen along with psychiatrist Dr. Geetika Sharma and both were very impressed with Nikunj who showed no discomfort while rapidly switching languages as if they were his mother tongue.

The next day, Nikunj joined a special school of languages to learn Arabic including all variations spoken through the middle-east followed by Russian, French and German. At the end of the year, he was fluent in all four and expressed his desire to learn Mandarin as well. His request was neither turned down nor accepted but he was put through a fast-track course in Spanish. At the end of the language school, Col. Diwakar Pandey reappeared and told Nikunj that he has earned a well-deserved furlough of three days to meet his family but he must report at Col’s home at Delhi Cantt. at 6 am the following Monday for a visit to the countryside.

Sharp at 6 am, Colonel, Nikunj and Sergent Bakshi set out for the countryside trip. After driving for almost 3.5 hours through the villages and mufassil towns of Haryana, Colonel stopped his Maruti Gypsy in front of an abandoned warehouse near the Punjab border. He honked thrice and couple of sepoys opened the huge gate of the warehouse and saluted… he drove inside the compound. The place had a spooky feeling with abandoned rusted machineries, delivery trucks in dilapidated conditions lying on the foreground. They went inside the building which could collapse any time, but the Col moved confidently ahead followed by his Sergent and Nikunj. He stopped in front of a sliding door and scanned a card which resembled an ATM card, in fact it worked as an ATM card as well. The doors slid open to reveal an elevator on the other side… it took them down to the basement, Nikunj had a quick look at the buttons when they illuminated as Colonel used his card to scan and press the button, it showed 4 floors below the ground level. As the elevator door opened, they were greeted by a person who looked like twin brother of Colonel Diwakar Pandey. In fact, Colonel Sudhakar Pandey was the twin brother of Colonel Diwakar Pandey but excelled in a rarified field of counter intelligence. After the pleasantries, Col. Diwakar formally handed over Lieutenant Nikunj Niyogi to his brother to train him in counter intelligence. It would take at least a year for him to master the craft, the brothers assumed. They were mistaken, in three months’ time, Nikunj could easily dodge and escape his tails and one occasion caught an agent unaware. By the end of the month six, he had become a pro and an excellent marksman. Colonel Sudhakar Pandey or EssPee as he was affectionately called, was very happy and informed his brother that their asset is ready for commissioning.

Nikunj was brought back to reality with gunshot sounds, he readied himself for the inevitable. He looked through the tiny hole of the window and selected his prey.   

It took Begum Hasina almost the whole day to walk through the valley and hillocks avoiding the main serpentine road to reach the army camp. It took a long chat with the sentry at the gate with her broken Pashtu-Urdu mixed Hindi to explain her urgent need to meet the colonel. Unfortunately, Col. Das had gone to meet the Lt. General at the local HQ and is expected to reach by sundown. The sentry allowed Hasina Begum to sit inside the hutment and offered water and biscuits.

The Colonel came back to the camp just before the sunset and was informed of the old lady waiting for him. He immediately sent for her and ushered her inside his office. He called a soldier who knew Pashtu to interpret her narration. Col. Debabrat Das asked Major Ramprasad and Lt. Joginder to form a small troupe of 4 soldiers each and go with the lady to the village while he consulted with the Lt. General to plan out the strike at the terror camp as per the coordinates sent by Nikunj Niyogi.

The team of Major Ramprasad and Lt. Joginder along with Hasina Begum reached the hamlet in about an hour’s time when the dusk was settling in the hills… in the faint light, they witnessed a horrifying scene. The entire hamlet was completely flattened and bodies were strewn all over the small clearing. On closer look, there were at least six bodies which were clearly that of the terrorists still holding their AK-47 guns and a headless body. Hasina begum was inconsolable but still identified the bodies of the villagers and from the attire of the headless body she identified it to be of Nikunj Niyogi. The body did not have any identity papers except a bundle of cash and firmly held Heckler & Koch handgun. There were bullet marks on the body which indicated he must have died before the ghastly beheading happened.

Major Ramprasad called the camp through radio and was instructed to stay put at the hamlet and be vigilant as the extremists are likely to return to retrieve the bodies of their fallen brethren’s. The Colonel assured that reinforcement will reach early in the morning.

The next day, two things happened; first the dead bodies were buried with full religious customs and Begum Hasina Wahid was taken to a safe house in the city under the care of the army. She had no relatives…her only son had died in the Kargil War. The second instance happened after sundown; a squadron of Sukhoi flew in and flattened the extremist training camp hidden in the jungles. A squadron of highly trained commandos took care of the fleeing terrorists. No prisoners were taken in because that was their instructions.

Later intelligence report confirmed over 100 dead terrorists but their leader Mukhtar Abbas Pathan had escaped the camp along with few of his close aids long before the commando operation started.  

Posted on by Aranyascope · 4 Comments

Sixth Mass Extinction

Recently I watched a short video clip on environment by a Bangladeshi scholar who echoed my thoughts and more… And at that moment (around 1:30 am) I decided to pen down my take on the subject.

WE ARE CURRENTLY WITNESSING SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION ON EARTH AND ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING TO STOP OR REVERSE IT. VERY SOON IT WILL BE OUR TURN!!!

The approx. age of Mother Earth is 4.5 billion years and, in this period, it has already witnessed mass extinction of living beings 5 times. Mass Extinction happens when 75% of the living beings are wiped out from the face of the earth. The last mass extinction happened some 65-66 million when dinosaurs, mammoth and few thousand other living organism went extinct, apparently due to asteroid collision.

According to many scientists in the field, we are experiencing 6th mass extinction. It is quite natural that few species would vanish from the face of earth due to atmospheric reason but right now, in the last 30-50 years, the process of extinction of species is happening at an exaggerated pace of 100x or 1000x times. Why and how?

Let me explain… if you think that the mother earth belongs to the humans alone, then you are fundamentally wrong. The earth belongs to all right from the micro organisms at the bottom of ocean to the whales, dolphins, millions of fishes to the land animals, birds and insects besides humans. Even the green plants in your house pots to the big trees in the jungle, all have equal share of mother earth. However, we humans have cornered almost 70% of land and potable water for our own use leaving the 30% for the rest of the creatures. This started sometime in the Seventies and has continued unabated… as per research and studies, based on the available natural resources on the earth, approx. 3.5 billion humans can be comfortably accommodated without disbalancing the equilibrium of the nature. In the early 70’s, the earth had recorded human population to be around 3.5 billion or the threshold level. In 1968, Prof. Paul Aldrich of Stanford University published a book called Population Bomb wherein he predicted few dooms day events in case the human population exceed beyond 3.5 billion… few of those have come true and we circumvented the others. Coming back to the point, with the unprecedented increase in human numbers, unhindered growth of the cultivated land, massive scale of urbanization, industrial growth, vehicular traffic etc. have robbed the other species of their rightful existence. Some hundred years ago, we were close to the nature, living in villages with accommodation sufficient to our needs and not wants, cohabiting with birds, animals and insects, and surviving together, but somehow the need got replaced with the wants and we the humans started expanding our living quarters exponentially throwing out the rest of the species.

Today, in circa 2024, the world human population exceeds 8 billion and still growing while the other species are shrinking. The human population has more than doubled in the last 50 years, which is much faster than the growth over the previous thousands of years put together. We have pushed the other species to the brink of extinction silently… the animals in the jungle or the living beings in the ocean can’t speak and doesn’t know how to protest but we humans can but we have chosen to maintain silence on the issue. Why? Because it is convenient for us, humans… more the numbers… more business opportunities and profits. We are the greediest species on the earth. We think we are the smartest and therefore the earth belongs to us… to expand we have done massive deforestation, created and used weapons of mass destructions without thinking about the future. What have we achieved? Nothing really, all superficial… we have ensured drastic change in the weather patterns due to global warming… the glaciers that used to be the lifeline for all the living things on earth have shrunk greatly and it is a matter of few hundred years that they will be gone completely ensuring the hastening of the 6th Mass Extinction on the earth. It has not sunk in yet, that with our so-called super intelligence, without potable water and clean breathable air, we will meet the same fate as the other species, we too shall perish, gone forever.

I am particularly worried about my country, India… we have become the most populous country in the world. I do not find it to be a proud achievement… as a matter of fact, we have limited land, potable water and other resources which probably is good for 0.8 billion people and just sufficient for 1 billion people but we have grown to 1.44 billion as of 2024 and still growing. In the last 10 years we have grown at 11% and 35% since the beginning of this century. There’s an urgent need to address this population explosion cutting across the politics, religion, caste lines.

I am in the last cycle of life, my generation or the generation next have not taken significant steps to reverse or stop this mayhem but I have hope in the youngsters around the world to listen to the screams of the less fortunate species and extend their hands to help them. I also have immense faith in MOTHER NATURE and her sense of fairness in maintaining equilibrium.

QUICKER WE REALISE, THE BETTER, THAT WE HAVE ONLY THIS PLANET EARTH TO CALL HOME NOT JUST OURS BUT THAT OF MILLIONS OF OTHER LIVING THINGS… WE MUST LEARN TO COHABIT PEACEFULLY. BEING A SUPERIOR SPECIE, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILTY TO STOP THE DESTRUCTION.