Friends,
My
good friend Kaushik Nandi had suggested that I leave for Bakkhali later than
the 3 am I had in mind, considering the fog. I was glad I heeded his
suggestion. Gopal Mohanty had arranged his driver to pilot me to a location
from where I would be able to easily find my way to Diamond Harbor. The pilot
vehicle helped and the fog only cleared enough to slightly improve visibility.
The foggy drive lasted right up to Namkhana. I reached Namkhana at 8.15 am –
3.5 hours after leaving Garden Reach. I encountered a long queue of heavy
vehicles and was told by a shop keeper that they were all waiting for the
Ferry! I was waiting helplessly in the car when a person came by and asked me
to drive past the queue using the path on the right. I did not hesitate and the
waiting trucks did not seem to either notice or mind the queue jumping. I drove
nearly a km when the road took a right turn to the ferry mouth. There was a cut
in the queue and a vendor asked me to turn left at the cut and drive to the
ferry! I took the suggestion once again and reached the head of the queue for
the ferry. I saw the ferry unloading, directed by a tall, hefty person. I
parked the car and walked up to him and asked how I could get on to the next
ferry. Without hesitation he gesticulated to another who came to me and asked
me to pay toll charges. As soon as I paid I was waved on to the ferry – the
first vehicle to drive in. I was so excited I could barely speak. I was close
to my destination. Just another 20 odd kms.
The
two experiences of queue jumping at Namkhana and the help of the ferry
supervisor at the jetty made me ask once again: “Who placed them there to guide
me?” The ferry charge was a steep Rs. 300 one way and is possibly the shortest
ferry crossing in the country. But it was very efficiently managed. I was
ashore on the Bakkhali side in less than 10 minutes and I rushed past
Fraserganj and reached the “0” point at 8.45 am. The delight and satisfaction
cannot be explained. Just opposite the “0” point was a house where a young
person was supervising some work. I requested him for a few snaps and he
obliged. Documentation was complete. The drive, the Coastal Expedition, had
lasted 6996 kms – nearly 300 kms more than estimated – and spanned 196 hours
and 15 minutes – 4 hours and 15 minutes more than internally targeted. I had
forecast 216 hours in my proposal to Limca Book of Records. It was exhilarating
to become the first person to complete the Coastal Expedition alone. It took a
lot of determination, guts and stamina besides prayers and good wishes from
those near and dear. It was a tough drive and I felt an unparalleled sense of
achievement.
From
the “0” point I drove to the lands’ end – the Bakkhali beach. At the entrance
to the beach I found many small eateries. No sooner had I seen them than I was
overcome by hunger that made me feel as if I was starving all these days. I
parked the car and got into the first shop beside it. Six large pooris and
potato curry helped temporarily douse the hunger. I settled down to call up
friends and family and inform them of the successful completion of the first
leg of Mission Fast Track. During the course of doing this I sipped on two cups
of tea and captured an interesting video of a person making a local paratta,
which I discovered later, was sold by weight!
The
Bakkhali beach hosted an enthusiastic limited overs cricket match, which I
watched for a while. The fog added
mystery to the bowling and running between wickets on the sand was a challenge.
I walked on the beach for some time and observed interesting designs made by
crabs and starfish on the sand. I was approached by an amateur photographer who
promised to get me a print in 10 minutes. A horse and its handler were not too
far away from where I was. I asked the photographer to click me on the horse.
As it turned out, he was friends with the handler of the horse and three others
who made a living inducing visitors to take photographs and horse rides. One of
them was quite conversant with technology and gadgets. He explained the use and
functions of my Samsung Tab to his friends. When I climbed atop the horse for a
photo the handler did not complain when the horse shifted, possibly resisting the
100plus kilos that had ascended on its back!
It
was now time to head back. Kaushik Nandi had told me to visit Sagar Island, if
time permitted. Time certainly permitted but my eye lids became heavy and I
drove lazily back to Garden Reach. First I had to cross the Namkhana ferry. I
thanked the ferry supervisor and the ferry operator. By the time I got back to
my room in the ORH in Garden Reach it was 4 pm. I hit the bed and promptly
passed out. Gopal arranged dinner in the ORH and we spent a couple of glorious
hours reminiscing about the past and weighing alternative plans for the next
two days. What I admire about Gopal the most is his patience to deal with
people and the time he invests to nurture a relationship. It is an incredible
capacity in this wonderful human being. Besides, he is possibly one of the best
‘keepers’ of the history of South Eastern Railway. Facts and tidbits just roll
of his tongue as if they were placed there just then. How he collates such
information and uses them contextually have amazed me over the years. It was
getting on to midnight by the time we dispersed.
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