Diamond Harbour and Bakkhali

Last Thursday the 21st I drove to Kolkata with Swarnava and my mother in tow, dropped ma off at her brother's place, picked up Pupu and Pratyush and went on to Diamond Harbour, followed by a trip to Bakkhali the next day, back to DH on Saturday, then back via Kolkata, dropping off Pupu and Pratyush, picking up ma, and home to Durgapur on Sunday. 600-plus km in all. 

The highway to Kolkata is being massively reconstructed, with umpteen new flyovers coming up: it will be a very smooth and fast ride once more soon, but for now it was rather slow and difficult going; the passage through Kolkata was interminable as usual because of the dense crawling traffic, and we couldn't go too fast along Diamond Harbour Road either, it being narrow and choc a bloc - though in excellent condition - so the trip took at least an hour and a half longer than it could have. But it was well worth it. At DH the Tourist Lodge called Sagorika was a dream haven, as we had found it twice before, in 2011 and 2017, what with its beautiful panoramic view of the river, its swank rooms, the delectable food and the very friendly and obliging staff. The gusty wind, though warm and damp, and squalls of rain now and then were a bonus. The drive to Bakkhali was short and nice (now that they have built a bridge at Namkhana), and the Tourist Lodge (Balutot) was lovely. We lunched at a very homely streetside bangali eatery where the ambience, along with the owner-cum-waiter clad in a gamchha, his torso bare, reminded me strongly of Bibhutibhushan's Adorsho Hindu Hotel. The Lodge staff there, however, was very cold and uninviting, and we couldn't get rooms for another day, so it was back to Sagorika, where I got a suite which was, in one word, luxurious: all of us spent most of the day and half the night lounging in it. During the drive back to Durgapur, we were caught in very heavy rain for a bit, but spent that time lunching. No mishaps, except that I caught a bad cold. Firoz got a room to himself each night, and Swarnava was thrilled that he didn't have to put up with that awful snoring. Yes, it was a splurge, but these days I live for this sort of thing, and only wish I had the time and wherewithal to take along a much larger group of intimates, which would greatly multiply the fun.

Much of my fun came from quietly looking at, and listening to, the children's chatter. (I call them children, though they are in their twenties, and they spent a considerable amount of time attending to scholarly and professional work - but they grew up before my eyes, and I had a hand in the way they have grown up, so the pleasure is beyond words, mixed with wonder. Besides, they also relentlessly pulled one another's legs, guffawed over silly jokes and built a sand castle on the beach...). We sat on the sand in wet clothes watching the waves until the sun went down and the wind began to make our teeth chatter. I sang a succession of songs to myself, and communed with my Maker, giving up thanks for the myriad blessings I have been granted. For young Pratyush, it was the first overnight trip with us: I hope he will have lasting and fond memories. That, above all, is what I have tried to give to all whom I have loved.

Three-quarters of the year is over already! Now Durga pujo is coming. I hope I can run away somewhere outside Bengal - unless Pupu comes over to stay with me.

A few photos can be seen here. More on Google if you just type "Tourist Lodge" Diamond Harbour or Bakkhali.