“Where should we go?”
Everyone is staring at us. They cannot be blamed. We looked like two life sized rucksacks, four cameras, two tripods, bags, lights. We stood aimlessly at Dhakuria Station (Kolkata) staring cluelessly at the fare-board hanging above the ticket counter. My friend seemed to feel uneasy.
“Let’s just board the train”. He said. “Then we will see…”
“Which train?” I asked.
He became silent.
It was eight o’clock. We are running out of time.
I approached the man at the ticket counter. It was the last resort.
“Can you name a place which will be good for shooting? We want somewhere peaceful…….. Somewhere you may find a river….. a village beside a river…maybe !!!!”
The man looked perplexed.
“There are many places like that. Where do you want to go?”
After 5 minutes, we decided on the name Nischintapur. Needless to say, it reminded us of Nischintipur, Apu’s village in Pather Panchali….
We boarded Namkhana Local around ten. The distance was around 80kms. A two and a half our journey later, we stood in the desolate platform of Nischintapur. It was smaller than I thought it to be. We didn’t know anything about the place. So, a motor van will do. We were told that to board the van, we need to walk down to the bazaar.
The place was famous for its Haat- the market place. People from surrounding villages come to buy their everyday goods from the Haat. The Haat was a splendid sight. An amalgamation of colours. Procrastinating Kolkatans, ho! Go out and see it! Nearly anything you need for everyday use can be availed there. And he price, surprisingly less.
To have a tour around the village, It’s wise to rent a rickshaw for the day. A disadvantage is the lack of good eateries. There are small Bhaater Hotels there, and you will have to manage with one of those.
Before dusk, we reached the riverside. I was simply awestruck by its sheer size. The massiveness of the river Ganges flowing by this little village seemed a majestic sight. We perceived a vague outline of a city on the other side. Locals said it was Haldia. The locals call this river Ganganadi. We know this as the Haldi. My mind could not believe it. A couple of hours before, I was standing by a busy road in Kolkata, and now, here I was, standing by a massive river flowing by a small village. Life never ends to surprise you.
You won’t get hotels in Nischintapur. It’s best as a weekend escapade.
Fellow traveler, if thou be tired,
Visit Nischintapur.
If thou be happy,
Visit it twice.
(The images are stills from the short film “Tales of Nischintapur” by Deep Sourav Ray and Shreejit Guha).
Tags: Kolkata NISCHINTAPUR Weekend Tour west bengal
