SUNDARBANS – MANGROVE COUNTRY The Indian state of Bengal, to which I belong, is home to the largest mangrove forests in the world called the Sundarbans shared with her neighbouring country, Bangladesh. On a map it hangs like a chandelier of islands at the southern tip of the Ganges delta. It is an area riddled with waterways or ‘khals’ (in the local tongue). These waterways form innumerable islands some of which are populated by fisherfolk, crocodiles, deer and perhaps the largest concentration of the Royal Bengal tiger, one of the fiercest animals still living on this planet.
The Sundarbans are subjected to two cycles of high and low tides (jowar, bhatta) each day. During high tide, the sea rushes in through the khals and inundates many islands. Only the treetops of the mangrove forests are then visible. During low tides, the clayey banks are exposed.
The people of this area are in constant danger of attacks from tigers, some very large and weighing as much as 350 kgs. These majestic animals can leap across great stretches of land and swim across the khals, often to a distance of 13 kms. I was unable to sight any of them though. Fishing boats are a common feature here as fishing is the main livelihood in this area. Honey collectors are another group extremely vulnerable to frequent tiger attacks. This area is also infested with sea pirates who attack lonely fishing boats at will. It is the custom, therefore, for many boats to anchor close together at one spot for the night to repulse any such attacks from these pirates.
All the photographs in this series I have clicked from the ferry boat that I voyaged in through these waterways.
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{K:14261} 12/1/2004