Life in Sundarbans, West Bengal

Life at the Bends of Sundarbans' Rivers

The Schooling: I thought of a number of titles for this photo. It reminded me of Gorky’s My Universities. But after all, The Schooling sounded more local in my ears. I took this photo during a socio-economic study in Sundarbans. A small girl was on her way to the school, and she was also helping her father in his work. This is the general scenario of Sundarbans, where the schooling is the hardship and toil.	This is a world without the cruel clasp of technological advance. The joy is still very real, and not digital :D	The Earth Seed : The Kalindi River has eroded all their agricultural lands. The monstrous river has come up to their homestead and waiting like a hungry beast to erode away the last of their existence. Father and grandfather of the child has left to a distant city to find work. The bygone age is protecting and looking at the growing age. Where am I going to keep you the apple of my eye?
	Somber Touch of Our Civilization : Brick fields, uncountable number of brick fields are eating away the soil of already climatically vulnerable islands, and at the same time puffing out the putrid dust into the atmosphere.
River Life		Motor Boat of Sundarbans
Increasing salinity, high scale erosion, climate change; all are claiming away the life from this land.	Desolation : Lack of irrigation, lack of agricultural labour force, lack of market; all resulted into hectors and hectors of crop fields lying uncultivated and vacant. A symbol of overwhelming desolation.
	At the Brink of Existance
Boats moored on River Bank
Wild Beauty : I don't know the name of this flower. It bloomed in a joyful way.	A Fisherman is standing on the embankment of the magnificent Saptamukhi River.	The Ride
A Beautiful Village near Saptamukhi River.	Little Princes : Their family has lost all their agricultural lands. River Kalindi is advancing every year towards their homestead. Her father and grandfather has left the village and went to a distant city to find work. She is living in her soon to be disappear home with her mother and an aged grandmother. A princes in her little world which is on the brink of extinction.	Two rivers, Durga Doani and Saptamukhi has meet here.
	All the young males have left the villages. Husbands, sons, brothers, all has left home and went to distant cities for work. Villages are desolated, roads are deserted, homes are empty because of the absence of the beloved. When they return, they come by the river on motor boat. Timing of the motor boats are not very regular. When the family woman of the family gets the news of her beloved's coming back home, she runs to the river ghat and wait patiently with a restless heart for him.	Swarms of jelly fishes swiming through the Durgadoani river.
	Stories : Village women gathered on the high embankment and sharing their day to day stories with one another. They are isolated from other part of Bengal by large rivers.
She Smile Back : She is visiting her parental house with her baby daughter. They are travelling in a ferry boat. It will take several hours to reach the island. The heat is intense but her heart is joyful for the reunion with her parental family soon.	The Fishergirl
The girl has returned from school. And now she is helping her mother to catch fished from the nearby canal. This catch is for their family consumption. Food is scarce, price is high, and family income is very low. Collecting food materials from the surrounding area is the main source for the people. But climate change has reduced the availability of the resources.		The Thin Line Between Light and Dark : Poverty is intense in Sundarbans villages. Affluence is not there; but the gap between the sustenance and scarcity is almost invisible.
Waiting for the Boat : Sundarbans are islands. Boat is the only means to visit the relatives who are living at another village, which is often on another island. To meet the dear ones on another island is a patient wait for the boat which will ferry them to their beloved.	Play World : Due to its remoteness, Sundarbans is mostly spared from the grasp of technological advances. World is still full of light and joy for the children.	This fish use to walk on the muddy river bank when it is exposed during ebb. Local people call this fish "Gang mola".
Ferry Boy : He is in his teen. He is attending his High School study and working as a ferry boy after school hours.	The Walker on a Canvas	"Where but to think is to be full of sorrow"

		Fishing in a Sundarbans River