Kuakata, July 2008

Kuakata: A Changing Landscape

25-26 July 2008

If the journey was my only concern, I would’ve forgotten visiting Kuakata again. But this place holds such captivating power that I just can’t keep myself from returning there. Kuakata fills my thirst, and it’s almost grown into a passion to pay a visit there every year. At least, I’ve been doing this for three years in a row now. As I’ve already said, the journey is sort of a concern for me whenever visiting Kuakata. It’s a long tired journey that brings one to and from Kuakata. But the end result is always worth it for me. It’s this end result which made me plan for a third trip. And there was no doubt about the time of the visit; it had to be the rainy season. The only doubt I had in mind was the exact date. Didn’t quite plan a specific date; which is always my ‘plan’. Just take the decision whenever the opportunity is, and go!

Boarded the Sakura bus at 10:40PM from Mirpur, but the actual marathon journey started from Gabtoli at around 11:00PM. It took us less than two-and-a-half hours to reach Paturia ferry ghat. And fortunately for us, the ferry ghat didn’t delay us by much. We were on the Daulatdia end by around 2:00AM. At five in the morning, the journey reminded me that Bangladesh is a country of rivers. It was Dapdapia ferry ghat. And there was Lebukhali ferry ghat, which we crossed at around 5:45AM. Then came the three small ferries one by one: Khepupara, Hajipur and Mohipur. All these ferries, except the Paturia one, are quite small. All of them take no more than 10 minutes to cross, but the traffic at each end determines the total time taken to cross the rivers. These ferry-crossings increase the total time of the journey and add to the fatigue of the traveller. We were especially unlucky to find some mechanical trouble in the bus too. That cost us another half-an-hour.

Anyway, by around 8:30AM, I was finally at Kuakata. Even though I was fatigued, I decided to take my first tour right after breakfast. The sea beckoned me. Its Kuakata that I left a year ago. Its never a boring sight. My fatigue washed away. I found that same Mosharraf, who guided me throughout my visit in 2006. He was omnipresent with his motorbike and was beaming. I had the plan of visiting the place called Gangamatir Char in the morning hours on the second day. Gangamatir Char is the place I missed during both of my previous visits. Its on the east; so, I had big plans for sunrise. But Mosharraf broke through my plan. He persuaded me to ride east right at that hour. He told me that it was the best time to ride on the beach because of low tide. I bought his idea. And what else did I have to do during that hour of the day? We started at around 10:05AM. Mosharraf told me that the whole journey would take around one hour’s riding.


The wrath of sea monster Sidr........




Once a forest.......




Forest, or whats left of it..........

Before long, I was witnessing the effects of the single most changing factor in Kuakata during the last one year: Cyclone Sidr. There was evidence of devastation all around, even though it was clear that things have been cleaned up during the last eight months or so. I could hardly find the coconut trees that once formed the core of Kuakata’s attraction. From my last two visits I could predict the destruction of the coconut trees in the hands of the sea, even if there wasn’t any cyclone coming in. So, it was more of a painful finding than a surprise. Other trees were standing there on their bent or broken back or simply kneeling to announce the visit of Sidr. Most of the destroyed trees were uprooted; others were broken in two from the bases of their stems. That just leaves us wondering about the power of the wind force that just hit these trees. A whole area of the beach was cleared of the trees. The only things remained were the roots, reaching deep. In absence of the trees, the sea even washed away the soil that formed the base underneath the beach sand. It was the devastating signature of Sidr.


Only left to rot........


All hope isn't lost........

But all wasn’t lost though. There was still hope. I could see fresh leaves coming out of destroyed tree trunks. Some new plants were also being planted. People here lost a lot; lives, property; but they never lost the word called hope. They were at it once again. I didn’t see any change in the lifestyle of the fishermen I saw in 2006 and in 2007. Just like the olden times the boats were on display on the beach; staring into the heavens; waiting to take the plunge when the tide is just about right.


The mangrove trees of Gangamatir Char........


Gangamati Canal.........


Residents of Gangamati........






Mangrove roots.........

All throughout the journey to Gangamatir Char, we could see the scratches and wounds left by Sidr and the high tide apart from Sidr. Sea erosion was evident in its most vicious of forms. Throughout vast areas of the beach, remains of once existing forests popped up from the saline water just like mangrove roots. But as we approached Gangamati Canal, I was in for a surprise. The place is just like a mangrove forest. The beach is more like a flood-plain, going under water during each tide. But its not muddy. The sandy nature of this area makes it a nice and easy place to visit. The Gangamati Canal wasn’t too wide, in fact. There were small fishing boats roaming there, with some very young fishermen. The whole place was filled with exotic mangrove species and various interesting and colourful crab species. I took some time shooting some of the tiny crabs that didn’t hate posing in front of the camera. These crabs were busy creating their own arts on sand, which were all unique and different from one another.


Sand artists of Gangamatir Char.......




This is genuine art.......


Smartest of them all..... the elusive red crabs of Kauar Char......


They also live alongside the red ones.......

We decided to cross the canal and go beyond it. A small boat helped us cross along with the motorcycle. The other end of the canal wasn’t too different from this end of the canal. We were off once again. The destination this time is Kauar Char (Crow’s Island) that is famous for its red crabs. It wasn’t too long before we were seeing a red tide of crabs crossing our path! Some of them were confused and almost got trampled under the wheels. They were roaming in hundreds, if not in thousands. We could see the distant landscape beyond the Agunmoha River. This river meets the sea at great width, said to be in excess of 10km. But we were clearly able to see the other end of the river even though we were not even close to the shore of that river. With the river seeming a little distant, I decided to drop anchor. I had tried to capture the red crabs before with little success. This time I got determined. The crabs are fast and very, very shy. They dug some pronounced holes in the sad and made sure that they were not caught in the open when people with photo gears were chasing them! They have a great ability to detect motion. So, I sat down with my camera right outside a hole, which I knew wasn’t empty. I waited and waited. I became more egotistic and decided to jump in a test of patience. My God! These creatures have more patience than human beings! It knew that I was approaching its hole, so, it took cover. But it wasn’t too sure whether I left the hole or not, which is why it waited for eternity even though it brethren were already coming out. All of a sudden it came out of the hole, and scoop! Into the hole again! I had an extremely brief time to capture a couple of shots. But boy! These are some smart creatures. I decided to wait once more. But believe me, it came out and had shown half its body for a millisecond no less than 3 times in more than 10 minutes! I gave up! That’s how smart these small creatures are. They beat me alright! By this time, Mosharraf was busy catching some them live. He was catching them live and putting one into another one’s hole, trying to induce a fight. I got interested, if one of them comes out. But to no avail! They’re smart like anything!

I decided to go back once I lost the crab wars and raised the white flag of piece. Mosharraf’s idea was to go back in a different route. It was almost 12:00 noon and the tide was now high. The beach has gone under water. But alas! Mosharraf lost track and he got me wading through wet paddy-fields until we reached a ‘bridge’ that wasn’t there! There was a dike and it was cut by the local people couple of days back after incessant rain caused water-logging. The breach was covered by a couple of long makeshift bamboo bridges, which demanded some precarious travel over them. Mosharraf sent me over the bridge so that he could manage a boat to take his motorcycle across. After a while, he came back to the other side and told me about a new plan. There was no boat available. But there was a way open for us. That way was by crossing the Gangamati Canal once again. There would be water on the beaches at Gangamati, but we could just reach the straighter road over the embankment beyond the beach, which could take us home.


Salt water washing the feet of mangrove trees........


Mangrove roots under water.....


Whats left of the mangrove trees of Gangamati........

It was a long ride. And it wasn’t before 1:45PM when I was finally able to reach my hotel at Kuakata. It was one tiresome journey. There was scorching sun overhear during the whole of the return journey. The return journey was circuitous, time-consuming and uncertain, which made me tired. But luck bestowed me with some more experiences at Gangamati. The mangrove trees had their feet wet when we reached there. The nature too a completely different kind of look. It wasn’t the right time to visit Gangamati; so, perhaps I wouldn’t have had the chance to see these trees under water. Anyway, it was now time take some rest. Also began to plan for the late afternoon.


Fishermen waiting for their turn to take the plunge.......


Its time to go..........

By around 5:00PM, I was up once more. Went to the beach and decided to do the thing that I did during the previous visits. I just sat there on the beach enjoying what Kuakata has to offer. The fishermen were leaving for their afternoon adventure by around 5:30PM. The tide was perfect for them. And the tide was also not noticeably high that day; so, it wasn’t too adventurous to be honest. Had a long conversation with some local people on the beach. An elderly fisherman was very helpful as he gave something of a geographical history of the place. He told me that around 30 years back, the waterfront was almost 3 miles away from the position it is in now. The sea has devoured all these lands over the years. There were some massive sand dunes on the beaches where we were sitting. People literally had to climb those dunes to see anything in the sea. And the surrounding areas were all full of forests. There were orchards of many types on the beach. Coconut trees were some of them that I had the opportunity to see. Other trees had mostly been claimed by the sea. He also described the night Cyclone Sidr hit Kuakata in great detail.


The first day sunset..........




Fishermen returning at sunset........


Children playing in the fading lights........

The sunset approached and had a great time shooting the fading lights. The colours were in abundance and Kuakata never holds anything back, at least that’s what I’ve witnessed over the years. I continued shooting well into the evening, upto around 7:00PM. It was again around 8:30PM when I came to the beach once more. The sky was filled with stars and I could see their reflections on the wet sand! The tide was low, so the sea had retreated some distance. I could still see some lights flashing from the fishing trawlers near the shore. By around 9:15PM, I was again back to hotel and began to wait for some well-earned rest. Its been a hectic day.


Sunrise at Kuakata.........


Fishermen get up early..........




For them, life starts early.......


Wheels waiting for the boats to come back........

It was my plan to wake up early in the morning to see the sunrise. Both in 2006 and in 2007 I had fain in my face. This time it was scorching heat. So, I expected to see the sun. Kuakata is one place where one has the opportunity to see the sunset and sunrise from basically the same beach. This is of course, more so during the winter months when the sun tilts a little towards the south. The summer months don’t allow the sun to rise and set on the same places. But they would still be visible from the same beach more or less. With that hope, I woke up at around 5:30AM and found the golden colours outside my window. I was horrified! I was late! I got myself ready in a hurry and reached the beach fully equipped by 5:50AM. Thanks God that there was enough cloud in the sky to prevent the sun from popping up in one go! The fishermen woke up early and were going for the early morning fishing trip. The tide wasn’t too high or too low. The sky held enough colours for me to make my day, I guess. I continued to shoot until the sun was high enough. Didn’t have the plan to go further east; in the direction of Gangamatir Char. I took my time on the beach watching the beauty of the morning.


Mud-made weights resting on the beach..........


Wrath of the sea..... whats left of a fishing trawler at sunrise.......


Kuakata children struggle with the sea, and they get their strength from such smiles..........


An idle morning..........

There was still one surprise waiting for me on the beach. I saw a fishing trawler running aground last evening. The fishermen were quarrelling with one another, blaming one another. But not in my wildest dreams did I think that I would see that boat in this shape this morning. It was an absolute wreck! Only parts of the hull were buried in sand like some a broken ribcage! The rest was gone! There’s no stone on the beaches of Kuakata. That reminded me of the strength of the sea. What power could cause this much damage in one night? This was beyond my imagination! If someone doubted the power of the tide, this should serve a lesson for him.


A peaceful sleep.........

I came back from the beach by around 8:00AM and took my breakfast. I didn’t have any plan for morning hours as I had already had some experience from the previous day. I was more inclined towards some rest, as I had very little sleep for consecutive nights. I decided to go out by around noon, so that I could come back before lunch by around 2:00/3:00PM. I went to the beach taking one camera with me. Didn’t have any extensive plans to travel to any direction, which is why I went there light. There are plenty of motorcycle riders cum guides who would come around and do their marketing. Some already saw me with Mosharraf, but still they continued their persuasion. One such guy, Abdur Rahim, came by and had enough persuasion in his words to force me to ride with him. We rode west this time. It was around 12:45PM. The evening hours would have high tide, which might not allow me to travel there over the beach. That was the single most persuading factor. I was not fully prepared, yet decided to go. Our destination was the meeting place of the River Andharmanik with the Bay of Bengal. Its around 20 minutes’ ride from the main beach of Kuakata. I went there in 2006, but missed it in 2007 because of bad weather. I simply didn’t want to miss that place.


Whats left of a coconut orchard.......


The struggle with sea goes on with sand bags.......

On the way I could again see the destruction left by Cyclone Sidr and high tide. The beautiful coconut orchard is now almost gone! The sea devoured them over the last several years. And there was more struggles going on with the sea. The embankment that saved many of the Kuakata families during Sidr’s attack was under threat. Portions of it has already been eaten away by the sea. A bit of effort was going on with sand-bags. But I, along with the locals, was not convinced how long this makeshift protection would last. Still the effort was there and the locals thing it may last this year.


The battered mangrove trees of Lebu Bagan........


This is where the Andharmanik River meets the Bay of Bengal.......


Once a forest.........

As we proceed towards the Andharmanik, we came to a place called Lebu Bagan, the last stop in front of the river. Last time I couldn’t reach this place because of a wide canal, which is now gone! This is a changing landscape, and everything should be expected here. Lebu Bagan has mangrove trees covering the beach. Quite a few trees were lying on the beach like the sacrificed heads on an altar. But the one thing that caught my attention most was the surf. I saw some white waves moving over great distances right where the Andharmanik meets the sea. I asked Abdur Rahim if those were speedboats. He laughed and answered that those are the surf! It was an amazing sight for someone who has never seen a surf! I was amazed by the distance the surfs were travelling over water and also, the height they were reaching. The surfs were visible right against the distant forests on the other bank of the Andharmanik. They were also visible against the horizons in the sea. Fishing trawlers were moving in every now and then and going into the Andharmanik River, going for Mohipur/Alipur Fishing Ports. Even these trawlers were dwarfed by the mighty surfs! I was ruining my decision not to bring my other photo equipment, which would’ve allowed me to take some snaps of those waves more easily.


Separating the fish fries is a painstaking process.........




Another profession.... collecting oyster shells.......


Most secured location.......


Kuakata children learn to live with the sea from a very early age.......

We couldn't risk staying there for too long as the tide was gradually rising and inundating the beach. On the way back I stopped at places to see the lifestyle of the hard-working people of Kuakata. A group was collecting small oyster shells in bulk. They were there with their family. Even the children took their time to be with their parents and learn the trade at a very early age. They represented the faces of the sea. They are born watching the wrath of the sea, but they live trying to tame it. Some others were collecting fish fries. These fries are collected with fine nets from the shore and then separated from the water manually through a painstaking process.


The embankment under threat........

We took the road over the embankment as the beach was already mostly under water. We were back to Kuakata by about 1:45PM and decided to enjoy the beach a little before I would want to go to lunch. There were quite a few tourists enjoying themselves on the beach. I was more subdued and simply sat there for a while. I went back to complete my lunch by around 2:20PM. But I wasn’t as tired as I was the day before.


Boats itching to get on with it.......


Repairing the fishing nets.......


Fisherment get ready to take the plunge........




Here we go........


The waves were really big that day.........



I came back to the beach by around 3:45PM when yet another Abdur Rahim came up and started to persuade me to take on another ride. This is a much younger Abdur Rahim and this time I had a specific plan. I decided to go to the Andharmanik River after 5:00PM so that I could catch the sun going down. But the young Abdur Rahim was too persistent and forced me once again to go there an hour earlier than I had wanted. There would be high tide and I was prepared. I planned to use the road over the embankment as long as possible. This should allow us to reach the Andharmanik with ease. We started off by around 4:20PM.


The Andharmanik River in late afternoon........


The giant surf of the Andharmanik.......


The Andharmanik meets the sea...........


Crab of Lebu Bagan........


Once a forest....... mangroves of Lebu Bagan......

As said, we took the same road and reached Lebu Bagan on the Andharmanik by around 4:40PM. The sun was still way too high. But the surf was still there. I could see a distinct fall in the ferocity of those surfs. This time I was able to capture those surfs in my camera at least to some extent. The number and height of those waves fell noticeably and were dropping further gradually. Abdur Rahim smiled and justified his early move: “You would’ve missed the waves if you came later.” We could clearly see clouds forming above us. In the earlier visit here I was constantly looking towards the heavens; concerned about chances of rain. But this time we could see rain washing the forests on the other bank of the Andharmanik. Andharmanik is on the west of our position, whereas, for the first time during this tour I could feel the easterly wind. I know how powerful they are, as I realised in 2006. The easterly brings a lot of rain along with it. And I could see rain falling over the sea in the east. We thought it was time to leave. I was especially concerned about the road, which was dusty when we came here. The horrific experiences of mine during my 2006 tour when I went to the Buddhist Temple reminded me how mud in this place can look like. My eyes popped up and we rode. It was around 5:35PM. A bit of rain came along and spent a brief time under the umbrella before the clouds passed away.


The hidden lake of Kuakata..... Lake View........

Thanks to God the road above the embankment was practically dry. Perhaps rain hasn’t got the time to touch it just yet. Got lucky this time. Abdur Rahman convinced me that there was a lake near Kuakata which isn’t too far away from our current location. I consented and didn’t repent. We reached the lake by around 6:00PM. This place, called Lake View, has a nice lake actually. There’s opportunity to take a ride in the lake. People do come in here for picnics during the busy tourist season. The lake is said to be something around 5-8km long. But its pretty narrow on the other hand, may be not more than 50-60ft. The lake shore also contains a nice museum of sea creatures that I saw at Kuakata beach in 2006. The location is also quite convenient; right on the highway to Kuakata. We actually came back to Kuakata by that road. I didn’t spend much time there. Perhaps this can be part of my future tours here.


Mirrors on the sand........


Children playing at sunset.........

I came back to Kuakata beach by around 6:20PM. I still had another sunset to catch before I boarded the bus. And this time too, the colours of the sunset didn’t disappoint me. I shot until I realised that I had to move. My by leaves Kuakata at 7:00PM. When I reached the bus, it began to drizzle. And when the bus started, heavens came down! It rained like anything. I was just wondering how I was able to avoid this rain all throughout my journey. Yes, there was scorching sun all throughout, but there were beautiful white clouds in the sky all day long, giving occasional cover.

This tour to Kuakata was an exceptionally rewarding tour to me. I’ve seen a lot and learned a lot. It was hard journeying there and moving around all the seemingly inaccessible places. But the things that I saw and captured in my memory and in my camera were precious. This is a constantly changing landscape. I saw it quite different in 2006 during my first visit there. It changed somewhat in 2007. And now, in 2008, the landscape has changed quite a bit. I’m sure that there would be time when the landscape of Kuakata would be unrecognisable from the times of now. Just like the old fisherman of Kuakata, I may be able to say some wise words about the olden times. Whatever I see at Kuakata becomes history in 1-2 years’ time, except life in the fishing villages, which didn’t seem to have changed that much. Life, as it seems, goes on.