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| At Dibrugarh bus stand Venki. Jeni, Me and Deva. |
Finally we, Sukanta, Jeni, Venki and Deva boarded the bus 'Rudranee' of Assam State Transport Corporation at around 8.00 O' clock that evening. It was a long debate and confusion among more than ten research scholars whether to go to Kaziranga or not. Finally we decided that some can go Kaziranga and others will tour around nearby places. Rimpy had spent a full day with me seeking a safe and comfortable transport to Kaziranga National Park. We must have gave her immense depression but she didn't show any irritation. That is the nobility of an Assamee.
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| The National Space Science Symposium venue @DU |
During the days of symposium at Dibrugarh University, we had experienced the warmth of politeness of the University staff and students. But it was equally worrying that Assam is a land of revolutionaries too. Every day we heard about encounters, cross-fires and killings. The morning we reached Tinsukia, a place in Assam one hour before reaching Dibrugarh, we saw military posts. We knew there is chaos in the state. The day we landed in Dibrugarh railway station, we heard the news of a cross fire in which an Inspector General was killed along with others. Next day we heard some North Indian was killed. Another day we heard of a killing in the Arunachal boarder. Another day there was a news from Delhi in which one north-east student was killed by North Indians, we thought that a long travel through Assam would be as if risking your life. But of course there is immense charm in taking some risks too!
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| Truck to Kaziranga |
National Space Science Symposium got over. Our return train to Mumbai was booked for after three more days. We were determined to go and needed to save as much money as possible. No train was available. With great help from Rimpy, my friend and research scholar at Dibrugarh, we managed to book five tickets to Nagaon in the Guwahati bus.
The bus was spacious with only three seats in a row as against four and five in Kerala state buses. All other passengers were Assamese and they stared at us politely. We felt comfortable with them. All the worries and discomfort vanished at the end of the journey. North-East of India have one of the best people of the nation and our media is wrongly projecting them as bad.
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| When day light appeared! |
I had another experience with a local, once I missed the van to my hotel from the symposium venue. I waited there for several hours and the organizers arranged one vehicle and they left me in the middle of the city thinking that I am staying in some hotel there. Actually they confused with the names of the hotels. They showed one road and told me the hotel is that way! But they were wrong, my hotel was not inside the city, it was 4-5 kilo meter away from where they dropped me. By the time I could realize that, their vehicle had left me! I started walking alone carrying my bag through the streets, shops were closed already. Only some stray dogs were there barking and shouting.Fear started filling my mind slowly and I started singing some Hindi songs, immediately I remembered the incidence of killing of a north Indian, then I started singing a Malayalam song. I thought they will not do anything to a South Indian, as a lot of Assamese work in my state. Suddenly one young man on a bicycle stopped in front of me and asked where I am going I told the name of my hotel and he asked me to sit on the carrier of the cycle. I looked at his cycle, only the most essential parts were there: two tyres - back tyre didn't have sufficient air in it, handle was there but no bell nor brake, he used his legs to stop the bicycle! I thanked the young man and told to leave me and that I will walk. "No, the hotel is very far you cannot walk alone that distance in this late night" - he told me. Finally I hopped onto the carrier and he started pedaling the old cycle through the damaged road. On the way he asked about me, he was surprised that I am from Kerala. he told our people go to Kerala why are you coming here?! I explained him why I was there. The cycle stopped in front of hotel Keteke. We talked standing there for some more time. He left me and pedaled back to where his home is. I looked at that young man with great gratefulness and prayed for him. I think I should acknowledge that young man who work all through the day and until late in the night for a living. Some where in the suburbs he may be living with his own peace of mind and worries.
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| Deva and Sukanta half in the frame! |
By the way, the bus stopped in front of a highway dhabha. We all got down and had tea and snacks. Had one and two done and relaxed for some time. It was so chilling cool in Assam in that January. At around 3.00am the bus reached Nagaon bus stand. It was against what Rimpy had told us, she had suggested to get down either at Bokakhat or at Kohara and the rides were actually available at Kohara. But we asked the bus crew again about how to go to Kaziranga. They told us to get down at Nagaon which was more than 100 km away from the Kaziranga National Park. Problem of planning a journey suddenly! There were a lot of people in the Nagaon bus stand at that time! We did not know Kaziranga is still several hours away from there. We had already left behind Bokakhat and Kohora several hours before itself! Actually there are many places to get down in Kaziranga national park. Also somebody suggested not to get down at Kohora or Bokakhat at such an early morning because they are small towns and we may face some difficulty as we are new there! At Nagaon we tried to get some vehicles for dropping us at Kaziranga. at that time one small goods carrier came. It was a newspaper vehicle. Apart from news papers, there were some local people going to villages, there were some paint boxes and some baggages too. We got into the carrier of the mini lorry and tried to settle down. But it was difficult, as it is meant to carry goods not people. Two men were sleeping on the paint boxes. It was terribly cool too! We were already wrapped ourselves with what ever clothes we had with us. Still it was so cool, I have never been to such cool difficulty before!
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| The route map, thanks to Google |
The TATA-407 started with a mild rough sound and started running. We already had our price fixed for the trip: hundred rupees per head. The locals were smoking
beedi continuously inside until they got down at different places in between. Now we are the only remaining passengers in the vehicle, the driver sped up the vehicle. We desperately wanted to sleep. Me and Deva found a nice bedding on the paint barrels, even though we were thrown up and down frequently! There were few more stops for delivering the newspaper bunches and short tea breaks. We were hopping up and down inside the vehicle as it ran over gutters and humps indiscriminately. The vehicle had entered the forest already. At around 7.00 am, just before we reached the destination, the driver stopped his warhorse and showed us the most awaited Rhino far away in the Kazhiranga forest. And in half an hour, we were at the Elephant ride centre in the Kaziranga national park.
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| It is the journey that nourishes the heart, not the destination. |
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| When the TATA - 407 left us at the Kaziranga |
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| An elephant ride through the Kaziranga National Park. The photo of Rhino was nicely captured by Sukanta. |
Later in the afternoon we got a bus to Guwahati and joined our friends in the Dibrugarh - New Delhi Rajadhani Express.
The first Indian to set his foot on Antarctic continent was Lieutenant Ram Charan, a meteorologist in the Indian Navy, who joined an Australian expedition in 1960. Indian interests in Antarctic research goes back to 1970's. As a result of some Indo - Russian agreement Indian scientists could join Russian team to Antarctica during those period. The research activities of India's polar studies got momentum when the first Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1981 was conducted under the leadership of Prof. Syed Zahoor Qasim.
The team landed in Antarctica on 9th January 1982 and hoisted Indian flag on the icy continent. India's first station at Antarctica, Dakshin Gangotri, was set up after two years of the first expedition. Later the station got buried under ice. It was restored and is being protected as a historic site. Another name in the history of Antarctic program of India, as a student, is Dr. Dinabandhu Sahoo. He was the first Indian student to reach Antarctica, who joined the seventh of Indian Antarctic expedition. India's third station Bharati is at a distance of 3000 kilo meter from the second station, Maitri! People who want to go to Bharati from Maitri sail to Cape town in South Africa and then to Bharati (if not in a helicopter or air craft)! How vast is Antarctica!
