City Of Joy

Calls For Petrichor

Like the  first kiss when the first rain of the monsoon season touches the mother earth it rejuvenates its soul with a new freshness after the long scorching heat of the summer days.Its been a long time since my last blog and this monsoon season with its freshness dragged me to write a blog on this season and how the city gets drenched with each drop of rain and reliefs the nature and helps to beat the heat of the long lasting summer of Bengal.Previously I wrote blogs about places I visited but this blog is about the place where I live, where my roots belong ,the place that never fails to bring a smile and commonly known as THE CITY OF JOY,KOLKATA.

With the first seasonal raindrop the City sighs a cue of relief ,the dark grey water filled clouds covers the city bringing a smile to every citizen. The smell of the rain soaked earth, the green leaves with its freshness gets drenched with each raindrop of the season. Monsoon season plays a vital role for the farmers who eagerly wait for the heavy rain which is one of the major necessity for yielding of crops. The Monsoon rain brings memories of blissful childhood days , getting drenched in the rain to running along the edges of the slushy paddy fields , playing football amidst the water filled fields to making paperboats out of school notes , having a cup of hot tea and staring at the endless sky , one can never bring back the joy we used to find in those silly things.As we grow old in number the happiness that we used to find in these silly things might disappear but the memories of the childhood days are everlasting.

Monsoon is also known as the "Green Season" as it turns the entire dry land with beautiful picturesque landscape. Every river that looses its life in the summer season with no trace of water finds its course again with the rain.The scarcity of ground water found in parts of the city and in major parts of India is a matter to worry among the scientists so various project works have already been initiated to store this monsoon rain water to meet the adequate demands of the people and helping them to overcome the water loss and to restore the ground water back to its normal level.

                                                                      Besides, the necessity of the Monsoon Season heavy downpours may lead to water logged conditions in the city.Sometimes heavy rainfall may lead to breakage of river basins leading to flood conditions and the people dwelling in the villages are the worst suffers leading them to even homeless conditions.The animals and birds in heavy downpours and in lack of shelter looses their life .Again Rainy Season is one of the precursor for many harmful diseases leading to serious health issues like typhoid, cholera etc.Cough and cold are common among the children due to fluctuating temperatures .                                                                                                                                                                   Therefore we can conclude that besides its harmful effects it is one of the most pleasant season bringing a mood of freshness in every peoples life and adequate amount of rainfall is a much needed necessity for the growing need of the country and to face the scarcity of water found in many regions as there is no life without water.                                                                                                            

RUINS OF GARH PANCHKOT.

"HISTORY IS WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE ARE THE WAY WE ARE"- David McCullough.
                        

GARH PANCHKOT is a ruined fort located in the eastern part of India at the foothills of Panchet Hill in the district of Purulia,West Bengal.The ruins of the Panchkot Palace are a silent testimony to the Bargi attack during the 18th centuary.

                   The place holds a tragic historic background and the ruins of the fort signifies the injustice from the then Maratha people.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE: From a historical perspective Alivardi Khan had become the Nawab of Bengal in April 1740, having defeated and killed Sarfiraz Khan. Rustam Jung, Sarfiraz's brother-in law,challenged Alivardi Khan but failed in his endeavours which prompted him to seek the help of the Maratha Rulers of Nagpur, Raghoji Bhosle who entered Bengal through Panchet and started looting along the countryside.These Maratha men came to be known as the" Bargis".For about 10 years they looted and plundered Bengal. It ended in the year 1751 after settlement was reached between the Nawab of Bengal and the Maratha King.

                             During one of these encounters GARH PANCHKOT Was attacked by the "BARGI" and having defeated the Kings guards, they destroyed it after looting and plundering the Palace.It is believed that all  the 17 wives of the king committed suicide in a nearby well during such brutal attack. Garh Panchkot laid in ruin ever since.

                                          

                                                        

The tragic story that lay hidden behind the ruins of the place is a perfect example of "where story meets History". To reach GARH PANCHKOT  it takes almost 1 hour 30 mins from Purulia Railway Station .The average distance between the two place is about 72 kms. On a visit to Panchkot it will help you to depict about the deadly attacks that plundered Bengal in the past and called for its ruins.Here you can take a walk to visit the ruins of the fort , with a nostalgic feeling like every ruined part will whisper a different part of the story of such a brutal attack.The uncanny smell of the jungle,the calmness of the place will definitely trigger your mind to recall about such a deadly attack that dragged the fort and its civilians to ruins.

RURAL EDGES

RAMBHA,ODISHA.

   

One of the flourishing tourist destination located on the vicinity of Lake Chilka is Rambha,a small town and a notified area in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha. Rambha with its minimum population potrays a perfect landscape along with the Chilka Lake surrounded by islands of different elevation. 

               Lake Chilka encircling the town Rambha is a brackish water lagoon covering Puri,Khurda and the Ganjam districts of Odisha on the east coast of India.It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest coastal lagoon in the world.The river is the largest wintering ground for the migratory birds and a home to a number of threatened species of floras and faunas.The river ecosystem with its magnificant fishery resources is a major earning media for the folks from the villages situated adjacent to the river areas. 

               The major tourist destination in Rambha includes

• BREAKFAST ISLAND:

It is a small structure made in between the Chilka Lake (from the Rambha side) at approximately 5-10 minuites of travel distance by speedboat. No breakfast is eventually served here only the name is as such after British Governor visited the place before breakfast. But people visiting there can take there packed breakfast and lunch and have it in the middle of the water.

• BIRDS ISLAND: This is a must watch place amidst the river specially during the winter season when the island becomes a paradise for migratory birds : Grey herons , Egrets, Storks,Spoonbills, white ibis, Pochards, Asiatic Dowitchers, Marsh harriers, Brahminy Kites and many more. 
• SANAKUDA ISLAND: It is a man made island situated at a distance of 7km form Rambha , travelling through boat takes   1 hour and one will find here some wild buffaloes and migratory birds.                                                                                                                                                        Personally I would suggest Rambha to be one of the emerging tourist destination from Odisha .One can cherish the sunrise and sunset amidst the lake by taking boats that will help you to feel the calmness and eternity of the place.  The best time to visit the place will be in the winter months as the place is  enriched with various migratory species visible during the months of winter or early spring.

Away From Modernity

1.KHAIRABERA DAM.

A unique gateway nestled in the lap of nature,for the traveler who wants to have a break from the hustle and bustle of the city life.  Khairabera is situated about 67KM from the Purulia Town,West Bengal.Special well marked paths have been created for trekking enthusiasts through the forest region along with the visual beauty of the Ayodhya Hills.

  Khairabera Sunset.

According, to me the sunset at Khairabera Dam is one of the major attractions that will mesmerize you at the end of the day along with the calmness of the place in the lap of nature.I would suggest that the best time to visit the place is during the rainy season when the dam is filled with water and will also help you to escape from the scorching heat of the summer .For a short day trip to Khairabera Dam will definately give you a perfect weekend.

WHY BEYOND WIFI.....

 WHY BEYOND WIFI??.....Probably apart from my daily schedule as a student I always wanted to find an escape route to start a journey cause I believe that "the only impossible journey is the one which never began"- Ajay K Pandey. So here I am in search of something new,adventurous,something that touches the soul.According to me TRAVELLING is something that enlightens your mind , refreshes your soul and helps to interact with crazy new minds.So here I am with my first post as a BLOGGER and I hope from my further posts you people will find something interesting that will trigger your urge for travelling in search of new places.