16, Oct 2021 | Mohammed Ripon Sheikh

The beauty of the countryside fascinates everyone, especially those who live in the city. Many crave to refresh their mind and bodies with a visit to the village, even if for a day or two. Even the drive to the countryside is refreshing, as you pass through unpolluted areas where the green flora comes in multiple shades, and the fauna add their own version of music in the air.

The enchanted scenery of the village gives a lot of peace of mind. I grew up in a rural area, but most places in Bengal are still unfamiliar to me. To learn more about my state and culture I too often travel to the countryside to escape the city life I now lead. I also travel to meet new people, and to enjoy the beauty of nature along the way. My tired, and emotionally overworked brain seems to recover fast when I spend some time in greenery.

CJP’s Grassroots Fellowship Program is a unique initiative aiming to give voice and agency to the young, from among the communities with whom we work closely. These presently include migrant workers, Dalits, Adivasis and forest workers. CJP Fellows report on issues closest to their hearts and home, and are making impactful change every day. We hope to expand this to include far reaching ethnicities, diverse genders, Muslim artisans, sanitation workers and manual scavengers. Our raison d’etre is to dot India’s vast landscape with the committed human rights workers who carry in their hearts Constitutional values, to transform India into what our nation’s founders dreamt it to be. Please Donate Now to increase the band of CJP Grassroot Fellows.

This week, my destination was Mukutmanipur in Bankura district. It was difficult to get there by bus, or train, and i had to travel a distance of 350 kms from home. Even though I faced problems on the way, all my fatigue vanished when I reached my destination. It was breathtaking.

Bankura district is full of amazing beauty. Dense jungles are topped by a deep blue sky, and river channels run parallel on both sides of the road. It seems like a welcome carpet has been laid out by nature. What a change from the brick-and-stone city huts we call home. Here the imperfection of nature is perfect, the crooked path of the flowing rivers and canals, the lush green fields that seem like a dense carpet are inviting, even though they may hide bugs! You can see the flocks of swans or ducks having a feast for sure. And they are loud!

Here are a few breathtaking visuals from my visit. Take a look at the traditional artifacts:

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The place I went to, had the hills on one side and the Kangsavati river on the other. One wondered why so little had been written about this scenic and unique spot so far. Mukutmanipur in Bankura district of West Bengal was once a popular destination for many locals though. It is only 284 km from Kolkata. But despite the amazing beauty of nature, there are hardly any visitors now. And the people of Mukutmanipur in Bankura are living in anxiety.

Yes, the Covid19 pandemic appears to have cursed the region, it has continued to challenge the survival and livelihood of many here. The tourism industry is still closed even after the Lockdown has been lifted. For the first time in a festive season, now no one wants to set foot outside the house to take a holiday trip. Mukutmanipur is ‘tourist-free’ at the moment, the ‘Queen of Bankura’ is full of sadness. Shops are closed, boating has been discontinued. That is why the thousands of local tourists who once came to Bankura due to its waters, jungle and natural beauty, have all kept away. Once, recall the locals, “There was no place to keep a sesame seed in Mukutmanipur during the holidays” as it was the favorite destination of Bengalis. However, that is a mere memory now.

Ravi Mandal, who is associated with the Bankura district tourist center, said income is down to zero, since everything was closed in the lockdown. As a result, many marginalised people of the area are in extreme financial trouble. The situation is the same with hoteliers, even shops that were centered on the tourism industry. Now the lives of the people who depend on the tourism industry of Mukutmanipur are in peril. All they can do is wait for the situation to improve, and for the first tourist to arrive, before it is too late to resurrect the once popular holiday destination.

This report is part of CJP’s Grassroots Fellowship Program, and has been written by researcher Ripon Sheikh, who is travelling around rural Bengal, tracking and documenting social and cultural movements of indigenous people.

Meet CJP Grassroot Fellow Mohammed Ripon Sheikh

This young man, who has graduated with a B.Sc degree from Burdwan University, loves trivia. Sheikh’s passion to research and seek “unknown information about World History” has earned him many medals and trophies at various University and state-level Quiz championships, and youth festivals. Sheikh is a born orator and a natural community leader. He has the potential to represent his community, state and country at a global level one day. His immediate goal, however, is to find a job so he can support his parents.

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