Following the Footsteps of Tigers

Sundarban is Bangladesh’s must-see place, it is the most pristine and abundant wilderness in the country.

Moonlight evenings spent stargazing from a boat deck amidst the simultaneous pulsating glow of fireflies are among the most memorable you can have in Bangladesh. Letting the calm serenity of the jungle replenish your Dhaka battered nerves makes Sundarban actually feel like an escape. Finally, it’s fascinating to ponder the notion that tigers stalk people amongst these dense jungles, and that this is the last remaining stronghold for the Royal Bengal tiger in the entire world.

We arrived in Mongla after traveling cross country from Barisal in a mini bus, the calm water was a blessing to see after the bumpy roads we had to come across to get here, Mongla is a port city, it provides a service to Bangladesh and the outside world for importing and exporting cargo, as we walked down a small pathway to the river carrying our bags on our warn out back we sat on a small wooden country boat, the boat was slightly bobbing up and down on the water; sunset was upon us, the sky had turned to pink and there was a cool breeze that came up the river which was refreshing after the hot day of the sun blaring down on us.

After me and my colleagues all sat on the boat the spluttering sound of the engine started, we made our way past many small and big boats trying to find the ship which our company owns, the breeze was now strong as the small boat got faster; we could see our ship in the distance, it was a large grey ship which had a picture of the Bengal Tours logo which was a tiger, the guy who was steering the small little boat cut the engine and parked the boat right next to the ship, there was a door open waiting for us to arrive, the name of the ship was M.V.Dinghi.

Hands came out of the door to grab on to ours, as we were pulled onboard we were welcomed with a drink of lemon juice by the crew, it was refreshing to finally have something cool to drink rather than the warm bottle of water I have been carrying around all afternoon.

I made my way to the room, which was towards the front of the ship, it was very basic but after the day I had anything would do, the room consisted of a bunk bed, a fan and a mirror, a loud noise came from the front of the ship, it was the sound of chains being dragged through a hole, the noise was the anchor as the ship was ready to make its passage towards the Sundarban, I stood there at the front gazing across the open river to the vast amount of trees in the distance, with the lights of Mongla behind us we headed in the direction of the trees, we had now left civilization behind and swapped it for wilderness.

By the time we got to the Sundarban it was pitch black, the only light that was available was the moon and the dim lights of the ship, I stood there on top deck taking in a deep breath of fresh air, I looked at the tree line on either side of us and could only hear the loud sounds of the forest that was awake at night; birds, insects and monkeys could be heard, it was the sound of the wild.

After dinner which was mostly rice and meat I decided to put my head down early, ready for the big adventure that was to come, as I laid there in silence I could still hear the sound of the forest, it was a pleasant change to the noise of Dhaka which I could hear from my bed at home.

It was 4am, everyone else on the ship was still asleep apart from the crew, the morning was a little cold when I left my room topless to make my way down to the washroom to get myself ready for the day; I stood at the front of the ship feeling fresh whilst watching the tree line once again, the sound of the forest had died down a bit since last night, the air was still fresh which was nice to breath in whilst stretching, it was truly a magical moment for myself to have some time on my own; whilst I was doing my morning exercise I looked to the left of me after hearing a large splash in the water, it was three monkeys sitting in a small palm tree, they were chucking rocks and wood into the water making noise, two of them decided to help each other out by picking the small little bugs out of each other’s back, it was nice to watch the monkeys in their natural habitat rather than on a documentary off Animal Planet.

The sun had risen a little more, the light of the sun suddenly shot its way up the canals of the forest, the slight sounds of movement occurred, that must have been my colleagues waking up for the day.

After breakfast which was mostly fruit, tea and biscuits we made our way onto our small country boat that was being towed behind us, we slowly rowed our way through the many canals of the forest trying to avoid making too much noise; the banks of the Sundarban looked nearly impossible to walk on, if you were to step off the boat onto the land you would surely sink into the grey mud, the gentle sound of the water was soothing, I looked deep into the trees to see if I could see any animals such as the Bengal Tiger which is known to prowl through the forest, but there was nothing only birds that have migrated from lands far away from Bangladesh, we noticed some track on the muddy bank, it was as if the animal had slid into the water, upon further inspection it looked like the sliding track of a crocodile which are also known to be lurking at the depth of the rivers in this great forest.

As we were making our way back to the ship we passed a large collection of country boats sitting neatly in the middle of the large river, they were fishermen from the local villages that dotted the outskirts of the forest as there was no known settlement within the forest; we pulled up alongside of them, they greeted us like we were already friends; we asked the fishermen many questions about their lifestyle, they would spend a few days in the Sundarban and then return the fish and the profit to their villages, they would never work with a friend, only with families, I asked why and the answer was heartwarming, it was because if anything was to happen, you’re more likely to stand by a relatives side rather than a friend for example in a pirate attack, also it was only men who would work this risky job; this one guy had a fascinating story about him being kidnapped a few months ago.

The Fisherman story:

He was out fishing one day when the pirates appeared, you could hear them coming as they are not the most discrete of people, but by the time you do notice them it is normally too late to retreat, they looted his boat of fish and decided to take him as well for ransom; at the pirate settlement he was held captive, being beaten constantly and left starving with only little food to eat, the family of the fisherman had to sell their land just to make up enough money to pay the ransom to release him, when the family did pay he was free to go back home. What I find good about this story is the fact that he is still fishing a few months later, knowing that he

could easily be taken hostage again at any moment.

I heard that the pirates that lurk through the rivers of the Sundarban are also responsible for the human trafficking of people to South East Asia where they work as slaves; the head of the pirates is known to be a woman who lives in India.

After returning to the safety of the ship avoiding the pirates we got ourselves ready for a trek through the boggy

mangrove forest, of course you couldn’t wear your normal shoes that you would wear for your day to day routine because you would almost certainly loose it to the mud, so the ship has in storage special equipped boots for such environments, they came with a camouflage design and tight laces.

We sat on the country boat once again, making our way to the bank of the river, there were boats ready parked which we used as steps to get to the land, we follow a bricked path over towards the dense trees, passing buildings which I believe house people who are sent in to look after the forest, since we started our trip in the Sundarban we were guided by two gunmen to protect us from pirates and tigers, of course the law states that

they are not allowed to shoot the tigers but to use the gun to scare the tigers away as they are a protected animal; the forest was getting denser, it was nearly impossible to walk as the mud would grab onto your shoes to keep you there, there were some points where you would sink up to your shins.

The whole forest floor was covered in mangrove roots, which would point vertically up towards the sky, the grey mud was also riddled with grey crabs which you would try avoid stepping on as they raised their pinchers up towards you, what made walking through the Sundarban so difficult was the fact that you had to keep an eye on the environment around you as the tigers are known to stalk people in these forests, they would see you first before you would have the chance to see them.

As we were zig zagging are way through the thick trees we came to a small river which had a steep slope, it was our only crossing to get to the other side, one by one we made our way into the river which would go right up to your chest, it was eventually my turn, I made the mistake of stopping whilst in the river which causes your body to sink into the mud below, whilst this panic was happening of myself trying to release my leg from the tight grip of the mud, I had one stiff mangrove root poking its way up my bottom which was a very unpleasant experience, I managed to get out of the water, grabbed onto the hand of my colleague and wriggled my way up the slope,

the sound of suction followed as I was released.

Safely on the other side we found a path that was being constructed to help people safely move around the forest, but because it was high up we had to climb, I watched as some of my colleagues were making their way up a tree and onto the path, it was now my turn, I went to put my foot on the branch of the tree which was when I realised that the mud at the bottom of my boots caused them to slip, when I did managed to get both feet up onto the branch to walk across hands were drawn to help pull me up onto the bridge as it was impossible to do it yourself, if anyone was to fall from the tree onto the ground below you would defiantly be impaled by the many mangrove roots that pointed upwards, we followed the concrete path back towards the river where we made our way into the open, it was only then that you could realise how muddy it was in the forest, from chest to feet I was covered in mud which just goes to show the hardness for taking a walk in this difficult environment.

We sailed westwards, down one of the smaller rivers towards the edge of the forest, here you would find small Hindu villages dotted along the river, you could really notice the fact that on one side of the river was the thick dense forest whilst on the other side was flat agricultural land, in the night the people of some of these villages would lock themselves into their houses and wouldn’t dare go out at night as the tigers are known to swim across these rivers and prowl through the villages on the hunt for food.

We caught the country boat to the bank of the river and decided to walk over to the village of Khejuria along a small dusty road; the sun was beating down at us which made my arms go red, there was little shade here apart from using an umbrella which I find strange because in Wales we only use unbrella's for when it rains, Khejuria was very small, we sat in the shade of one wooden building which was also a small shop, children and adults would come up to me and stare, I remember seeing one adult take a photo of me using his cheap mobile phone, I must admit I did feel a little like a celebrity, everyone in the villages would just come and stare and follow me around with their cameras, I tried saying hello to one little girl but she was way too shy, she hid behind her brother's legs, I walked around the building to find a smaller building, within this small building was a shrine to the Bonbibi, it’s easy to forget that these are Hindu villages in a Muslim dominated country, so the people of these villages believe in different Gods compared to Islam which believes in just one, I had read when I was back in Dhaka that the Bonbibi is strongly believe in these parts as the God for the Sundarban.

The story of Bonbibi

Bonbibi lives within the forest of the Sundarbans, she is known to live and protect the forest from harm; Bonbibi is among the few deities to be worshipped by Muslims (only in this area) and Hindus which I find strange considering Muslims elsewhere believe in only one God. Bonbibi is everything in the forest from the high trees, the tigers, the cheeky monkeys or even the scurrying crabs.

Believers of Bonbibi worship her before going into the forest, many of the locals use the forest as a form of income wherever it is to look for honey or to go fishing, they pray for protection.

There is one story that is said to have happened in the Sundarban long ago which includes a boy.

Once, there were two Moule (honey collector) brothers, Dhona and Mona (or Dhanai and Manai) in a village named, Barijhati. Dhona planned to go for an expedition with a fleet of seven boats to collect honey in a mahal (dense forest) of the country of the eighteen tides but his brother Mona opposed it.

He took a poor shepherd boy, Dukhe along with him. Before leaving, Dukhe's mother told him to remember Bonbibi in case of any serious trouble. When the fleet reached the Kendokhali char, which was a part of the kingdom of Dakkhin Rai a Hindu God, Dhona forgot to give an offering to Dakkhin Rai. As a result, he was not able to collect any honey or wax for three days.

On the third night, Dakkhin Rai appeared in dreams of Dhona and asked for the human sacrifice. After some arguments with Dakkhin Rai, greedy Dhona agreed to sacrifice Dukhe in exchange of honey and wax. So, after collecting enough wax and honey, he left Dukhe there and returned to the village. When Dukhe was about to be killed by Dakkhin Rai in the disguise of a tiger, he started chanting prayers invoking Bonbibi. On hearing his chant, Bonbibi came along with her brother Shah Jangali, another Hindu God. Shah Jangali defeated Dakkhin Rai.

After defeat, Dakkhin Rai took refuge with Bara Khan Ghazi who was another God. They followed Dakkhin Rai there. Finally, Bara Khan Ghazi was able to convince Bonbibi not to harm Dakkhin Rai. In return, Ghazi gave Dukhe seven cartfuls of precious items, while Rai gave him sufficient amount of wax and honey. Bonbibi ordered her pet crocodile, Seko to drop him to his village. After returning to the village, Dukhe popularised the worship of Bonbibi in the neighbourhood. Later, Dhona married his daughter Champa with Dukhe and he became the Chaudhury (chief) of the village.

After walking a bit further up the small dusty road we came to a small farm, it held an allotment as well as some chickens, we had all decided to have a BBQ that evening on the ship so we bought one of the chickens off the farmers, as you can tell they were very pleased with the profit they had just made, we made our way back to the boat after a nice walk around the village talking to the locals; the walk to the boat was long and hot, the sound of crickets echoed the open area, the sun was still strong beating down upon our heads causing everyone to be running with sweat.

When we finally made it back to the ship we handed the chicken over to the crew who prepared the chicken for the evening dinner, deep down I was hoping they wouldn’t spoil it for me and put a ridiculous amount of spice on the chicken, we made our way a bit further down the river to the village of Laudop, out of the two this had to be my favorite village.

There were two bamboo sticks and a bamboo rail to represent the village dock, we walked up the wooden dock to a bricked path that took us to the centre of the village, this village was a little bigger than the other one, it came complete with a few well built houses and a market, the sun had already started to set by the time we made it to the village, swarms of people were now starting to stare in my direction, many of them following me closely behind, the village sold fresh vegetables and fruit as well as other small items, three men sitting on a motorcycle were making their way through the village whilst saying something in Bangla through a microphone, I didn’t quite catch what they were saying though; Laudop reminded me more of a small bustling town rather than a village.

As we started walking back on ourselves we noticed some children playing this Bengali game on a wooden board, I don’t remember what it is called or how you play it, I couldn’t actually concentrate on how you play the game because I had the local children sitting next to me asking a thousand questions at a time; so I tried finding out a little more about being a child in this area of Bangladesh by asking them questions such as “so have you seen a tiger?” whilst putting my hands by my head in the form of ears whilst making quiet roaring sounds, they all laughed and replied with “Gee” which translates to yes, I made a few trips back to the village and there are two little boys from that group who always tried to see me again which I thought was very nice.

On our way back to the boat we were invited to a cultural event that a small group is practicing for, they were going to show us a private show before they were going to perform on stage in a few days, before we went to see the show we went back to the ship for our tasty evening meal, thankfully they didn’t put spice on the chicken, I cleanly took every single bit of meat off the bone, it had to be one of the most delicious and fresh chickens I have had in my life, I mixed the bit of meat with the rice and vegetables which was presented before us, for the first time since traveling to the Sundarban my belly was full after eating a smaller amount of spicy food before.

The night was upon us in the forest, I sat on the country boat alone waiting for others to make their way to the boat, I looked across the open river to the black tree line which had the light of the moon bouncing off the water, the sky was a dark blue with thousands a small stars that dotted the night sky.

We made our way to the show, we sat down in a semi circle on some chairs that were brought out from the nearby homes, the show was performed by young and old, they were telling the story of the Sundarban through song, dance and acting; my favorite part was when they told the story of the dangers of working in the forest where they reacted the shocking moment of death by a tiger attack. It was such a pleasure to be able to see this performance; it really lets you know how much the protection of this forest means to them.

Sundarban is Bangladesh’s must-see place, it is the most pristine and abundant wilderness in the country.Moonlight evenings spent stargazing from a boat deck amidst the simultaneous pulsating glow of fireflies are among the most memorable you can have in Bangladesh. Letting the calm serenity of the jungle replenish your Dhaka battered nerves makes Sundarban actually feel like an escape. Finally, it’s fascinating to ponder the notion that tigers stalk people amongst these dense jungles, and that this is the last remaining stronghold for the Royal Bengal tiger in the entire world.

We arrived in Mongla after traveling cross country from Barisal in a mini bus, the calm water was a blessing to see after the bumpy roads we had to come across to get here, Mongla is a port city, it provides a service to Bangladesh and the outside world for importing and exporting cargo, as we walked down a small pathway to the river carrying our bags on our warn out back we sat on a small wooden country boat, the boat was slightly bobbing up and down on the water; sunset was upon us, the sky had turned to pink and there was a cool breeze that came up the river which was refreshing after the hot day of the sun blaring down on us.

After me and my colleagues all sat on the boat the spluttering sound of the engine started, we made our way past many small and big boats trying to find the ship which our company owns, the breeze was now strong as the small boat got faster; we could see our ship in the distance, it was a large grey ship which had a picture of the Bengal Tours logo which was a tiger, the guy who was steering the small little boat cut the engine and parked the boat right next to the ship, there was a door open waiting for us to arrive, the name of the ship was M.V.Dinghi.

Hands came out of the door to grab on to ours, as we were pulled onboard we were welcomed with a drink of lemon juice by the crew, it was refreshing to finally have something cool to drink rather than the warm bottle of water I have been carrying around all afternoon.

I made my way to the room, which was towards the front of the ship, it was very basic but after the day I had anything would do, the room consisted of a bunk bed, a fan and a mirror, a loud noise came from the front of the ship, it was the sound of chains being dragged through a hole, the noise was the anchor as the ship was ready to make its passage towards the Sundarban, I stood there at the front gazing across the open river to the vast amount of trees in the distance, with the lights of Mongla behind us we headed in the direction of the trees, we had now left civilization behind and swapped it for wilderness.

By the time we got to the Sundarban it was pitch black, the only light that was available was the moon and the dim lights of the ship, I stood there on top deck taking in a deep breath of fresh air, I looked at the tree line on either side of us and could only hear the loud sounds of the forest that was awake at night; birds, insects and monkeys could be heard, it was the sound of the wild.

After dinner which was mostly rice and meat I decided to put my head down early, ready for the big adventure that was to come, as I laid there in silence I could still hear the sound of the forest, it was a pleasant change to the noise of Dhaka which I could hear from my bed at home.

It was 4am, everyone else on the ship was still asleep apart from the crew, the morning was a little cold when I left my room topless to make my way down to the washroom to get myself ready for the day; I stood at the front of the ship feeling fresh whilst watching the tree line once again, the sound of the forest had died down a bit since last night, the air was still fresh which was nice to breath in whilst stretching, it was truly a magical moment for myself to have some time on my own; whilst I was doing my morning exercise I looked to the left of me after hearing a large splash in the water, it was three monkeys sitting in a small palm tree, they were chucking rocks and wood into the water making noise, two of them decided to help each other out by picking the small little bugs out of each other’s back, it was nice to watch the monkeys in their natural habitat rather than on a documentary off Animal Planet.

The sun had risen a little more, the light of the sun suddenly shot its way up the canals of the forest, the slight sounds of movement occurred, that must have been my colleagues waking up for the day.

After breakfast which was mostly fruit, tea and biscuits we made our way onto our small country boat that was being towed behind us, we slowly rowed our way through the many canals of the forest trying to avoid making too much noise; the banks of the Sundarban looked nearly impossible to walk on, if you were to step off the boat onto the land you would surely sink into the grey mud, the gentle sound of the water was soothing, I looked deep into the trees to see if I could see any animals such as the Bengal Tiger which is known to prowl through the forest, but there was nothing only birds that have migrated from lands far away from Bangladesh, we noticed some track on the muddy bank, it was as if the animal had slid into the water, upon further inspection it looked like the sliding track of a crocodile which are also known to be lurking at the depth of the rivers in this great forest.

As we were making our way back to the ship we passed a large collection of country boats sitting neatly in the middle of the large river, they were fishermen from the local villages that dotted the outskirts of the forest as there was no known settlement within the forest; we pulled up alongside of them, they greeted us like we were already friends; we asked the fishermen many questions about their lifestyle, they would spend a few days in the Sundarban and then return the fish and the profit to their villages, they would never work with a friend, only with families, I asked why and the answer was heartwarming, it was because if anything was to happen, you’re more likely to stand by a relatives side rather than a friend for example in a pirate attack, also it was only men who would work this risky job; this one guy had a fascinating story about him being kidnapped a few months ago.

The Fisherman story:

He was out fishing one day when the pirates appeared, you could hear them coming as they are not the most discrete of people, but by the time you do notice them it is normally too late to retreat, they looted his boat of fish and decided to take him as well for ransom; at the pirate settlement he was held captive, being beaten constantly and left starving with only little food to eat, the family of the fisherman had to sell their land just to make up enough money to pay the ransom to release him, when the family did pay he was free to go back home. What I find good about this story is the fact that he is still fishing a few months later, knowing that he could easily be taken hostage again at any moment.

I heard that the pirates that lurk through the rivers of the Sundarban are also responsible for the human trafficking of people to South East Asia where they work as slaves; the head of the pirates is known to be a woman who lives in India.

After returning to the safety of the ship avoiding the pirates we got ourselves ready for a trek through the boggy mangrove forest, of course you couldn’t wear your normal shoes that you would wear for your day to day routine because you would almost certainly loose it to the mud, so the ship has in storage special equipped boots for such environments, they came with a camouflage design and tight laces.

We sat on the country boat once again, making our way to the bank of the river, there were boats ready parked which we used as steps to get to the land, we follow a bricked path over towards the dense trees, passing buildings which I believe house people who are sent in to look after the forest, since we started our trip in the Sundarban we were guided by two gunmen to protect us from pirates and tigers, of course the law states that they are not allowed to shoot the tigers but to use the gun to scare the tigers away as they are a protected animal; the forest was getting denser, it was nearly impossible to walk as the mud would grab onto your shoes to keep you there, there were some points where you would sink up to your shins.

The whole forest floor was covered in mangrove roots, which would point vertically up towards the sky, the grey mud was also riddled with grey crabs which you would try avoid stepping on as they raised their pinchers up towards you, what made walking through the Sundarban so difficult was the fact that you had to keep an eye on the environment around you as the tigers are known to stalk people in these forests, they would see you first before you would have the chance to see them.

As we were zig zagging are way through the thick trees we came to a small river which had a steep slope, it was our only crossing to get to the other side, one by one we made our way into the river which would go right up to your chest, it was eventually my turn, I made the mistake of stopping whilst in the river which causes your body to sink into the mud below, whilst this panic was happening of myself trying to release my leg from the tight grip of the mud, I had one stiff mangrove root poking its way up my bottom which was a very unpleasant experience, I managed to get out of the water, grabbed onto the hand of my colleague and wriggled my way up the slope, the sound of suction followed as I was released.

Safely on the other side we found a path that was being constructed to help people safely move around the forest, but because it was high up we had to climb, I watched as some of my colleagues were making their way up a tree and onto the path, it was now my turn, I went to put my foot on the branch of the tree which was when I realised that the mud at the bottom of my boots caused them to slip, when I did managed to get both feet up onto the branch to walk across hands were drawn to help pull me up onto the bridge as it was impossible to do it yourself, if anyone was to fall from the tree onto the ground below you would defiantly be impaled by the many mangrove roots that pointed upwards, we followed the concrete path back towards the river where we made our way into the open, it was only then that you could realise how muddy it was in the forest, from chest to feet I was covered in mud which just goes to show the hardness for taking a walk in this difficult environment.

We sailed westwards, down one of the smaller rivers towards the edge of the forest, here you would find small Hindu villages dotted along the river, you could really notice the fact that on one side of the river was the thick dense forest whilst on the other side was flat agricultural land, in the night the people of some of these villages would lock themselves into their houses and wouldn’t dare go out at night as the tigers are known to swim across these rivers and prowl through the villages on the hunt for food.

We caught the country boat to the bank of the river and decided to walk over to the village of Khejuria along a small dusty road; the sun was beating down at us which made my arms go red, there was little shade here apart from using an umbrella which I find strange because in Wales we only use unbrella's for when it rains, Khejuria was very small, we sat in the shade of one wooden building which was also a small shop, children and adults would come up to me and stare, I remember seeing one adult take a photo of me using his cheap mobile phone, I must admit I did feel a little like a celebrity, everyone in the villages would just come and stare and follow me around with their cameras, I tried saying hello to one little girl but she was way too shy, she hid behind her brother's legs, I walked around the building to find a smaller building, within this small building was a shrine to the Bonbibi, it’s easy to forget that these are Hindu villages in a Muslim dominated country, so the people of these villages believe in different Gods compared to Islam which believes in just one, I had read when I was back in Dhaka that the Bonbibi is strongly believe in these parts as the God for the Sundarban.

The story of Bonbibi

Bonbibi lives within the forest of the Sundarbans, she is known to live and protect the forest from harm; Bonbibi is among the few deities to be worshipped by Muslims (only in this area) and Hindus which I find strange considering Muslims elsewhere believe in only one God. Bonbibi is everything in the forest from the high trees, the tigers, the cheeky monkeys or even the scurrying crabs.

Believers of Bonbibi worship her before going into the forest, many of the locals use the forest as a form of income wherever it is to look for honey or to go fishing, they pray for protection.

There is one story that is said to have happened in the Sundarban long ago which includes a boy.

Once, there were two Moule (honey collector) brothers, Dhona and Mona (or Dhanai and Manai) in a village named, Barijhati. Dhona planned to go for an expedition with a fleet of seven boats to collect honey in a mahal (dense forest) of the country of the eighteen tides but his brother Mona opposed it.

He took a poor shepherd boy, Dukhe along with him. Before leaving, Dukhe's mother told him to remember Bonbibi in case of any serious trouble. When the fleet reached the Kendokhali char, which was a part of the kingdom of Dakkhin Rai a Hindu God, Dhona forgot to give an offering to Dakkhin Rai. As a result, he was not able to collect any honey or wax for three days.

On the third night, Dakkhin Rai appeared in dreams of Dhona and asked for the human sacrifice. After some arguments with Dakkhin Rai, greedy Dhona agreed to sacrifice Dukhe in exchange of honey and wax. So, after collecting enough wax and honey, he left Dukhe there and returned to the village. When Dukhe was about to be killed by Dakkhin Rai in the disguise of a tiger, he started chanting prayers invoking Bonbibi. On hearing his chant, Bonbibi came along with her brother Shah Jangali, another Hindu God. Shah Jangali defeated Dakkhin Rai.

After defeat, Dakkhin Rai took refuge with Bara Khan Ghazi who was another God. They followed Dakkhin Rai there. Finally, Bara Khan Ghazi was able to convince Bonbibi not to harm Dakkhin Rai. In return, Ghazi gave Dukhe seven cartfuls of precious items, while Rai gave him sufficient amount of wax and honey. Bonbibi ordered her pet crocodile, Seko to drop him to his village. After returning to the village, Dukhe popularised the worship of Bonbibi in the neighbourhood. Later, Dhona married his daughter Champa with Dukhe and he became the Chaudhury (chief) of the village.

After walking a bit further up the small dusty road we came to a small farm, it held an allotment as well as some chickens, we had all decided to have a BBQ that evening on the ship so we bought one of the chickens off the farmers, as you can tell they were very pleased with the profit they had just made, we made our way back to the boat after a nice walk around the village talking to the locals; the walk to the boat was long and hot, the sound of crickets echoed the open area, the sun was still strong beating down upon our heads causing everyone to be running with sweat.

When we finally made it back to the ship we handed the chicken over to the crew who prepared the chicken for the evening dinner, deep down I was hoping they wouldn’t spoil it for me and put a ridiculous amount of spice on the chicken, we made our way a bit further down the river to the village of Laudop, out of the two this had to be my favorite village.

There were two bamboo sticks and a bamboo rail to represent the village dock, we walked up the wooden dock to a bricked path that took us to the centre of the village, this village was a little bigger than the other one, it came complete with a few well built houses and a market, the sun had already started to set by the time we made it to the village, swarms of people were now starting to stare in my direction, many of them following me closely behind, the village sold fresh vegetables and fruit as well as other small items, three men sitting on a motorcycle were making their way through the village whilst saying something in Bangla through a microphone, I didn’t quite catch what they were saying though; Laudop reminded me more of a small bustling town rather than a village.

As we started walking back on ourselves we noticed some children playing this Bengali game on a wooden board, I don’t remember what it is called or how you play it, I couldn’t actually concentrate on how you play the game because I had the local children sitting next to me asking a thousand questions at a time; so I tried finding out a little more about being a child in this area of Bangladesh by asking them questions such as “so have you seen a tiger?” whilst putting my hands by my head in the form of ears whilst making quiet roaring sounds, they all laughed and replied with “Gee” which translates to yes, I made a few trips back to the village and there are two little boys from that group who always tried to see me again which I thought was very nice.

On our way back to the boat we were invited to a cultural event that a small group is practicing for, they were going to show us a private show before they were going to perform on stage in a few days, before we went to see the show we went back to the ship for our tasty evening meal, thankfully they didn’t put spice on the chicken, I cleanly took every single bit of meat off the bone, it had to be one of the most delicious and fresh chickens I have had in my life, I mixed the bit of meat with the rice and vegetables which was presented before us, for the first time since traveling to the Sundarban my belly was full after eating a smaller amount of spicy food before.

The night was upon us in the forest, I sat on the country boat alone waiting for others to make their way to the boat, I looked across the open river to the black tree line which had the light of the moon bouncing off the water, the sky was a dark blue with thousands a small stars that dotted the night sky.

We made our way to the show, we sat down in a semi circle on some chairs that were brought out from the nearby homes, the show was performed by young and old, they were telling the story of the Sundarban through song, dance and acting; my favorite part was when they told the story of the dangers of working in the forest where they reacted the shocking moment of death by a tiger attack. It was such a pleasure to be able to see this performance; it really lets you know how much the protection of this forest means to them.

Sundarban Cultural Performance

Video by Noushad my friend and colleague.

The night was silent in my room, I reflected over what I had done this past day, the performance, the forest trek, the fishermen, everything was in an overload in my mind but I loved every single moment of it, to end the evening I sat amongst a pile of rope that was placed in front of the ship and watched the forest come alive as the night got later.

The next morning we made our way back to Laudop village we had another small performance played for us next to a lake which the local people would bathe in, a little girl would play a piano like instrument whilst an older man would beat his hands on a drum, the two little cheeky boys from the day before saw me again and couldn’t resist to sit next to me and watch the show, I am glad that I had made a good impression for them and

that I helped these two boys who were interested in where I came from and my culture, I always think it is important to teach children about other cultures when they are young to help sustain peace on this earth.

Later that day we did another canal cruise up the river for some bird watching, I tried my first attempt at bird photography but completely failed, I was to slow to catch the birds, but I did manage to see many birds with my eyes such as White Egrets, Eagles and Kingfishers.

We slowly made our way back to Mongla where we were once again back on dry land heading home for Dhaka, this had to be one of the most exciting times in Bangladesh for myself, I couldn’t believe how important the forest was to the local people and the environment, it is defiantly worth a visit, who knows you might be lucky enough to see a tiger walk amongst the mangroves.

Me crossing a bridge into a village - Noushad's video

Listening to a small performance set up for us in a Hindu village next to the Sundarban - Noushad's video