An Outing to Chupi Char in Purbasthali

The tangerine hue of sunset paints the canvas both above and below the horizon. Gentle waves in the water sway the rickety boat. Silhouettes of odd poles, used for fishing and anchoring boats, jut out of the lake bed. I’m in Chupi Char, an ox bow lake formed by the water of river Ganga in Purbasthali village of Purba Bardhaman district in West Bengal.

Where exactly is Chupi Char?

By road Chupi Char is around 128 kilometres north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal in India. Purbasthali is the nearest railway station on the Bandel-Katwa line. Battery rickshaws, known as “totos” in this part of the world, take passengers directly from the railway station to the coast of the lake.

Why should you visit Chupi Char?

The lake Chupi Char is a bird watcher’s paradise, known for the diversity of migratory birds. The main activity to do here is to float in the lake on a boat and observe birds, vegetation, and village life on the shore. One can also take a boat from here and reach the heritage city of Nabadwip, the birth place of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is a long journey though.

When to visit Chupi Char

Early mornings and evenings are the best times of the day to watch birds. Taking this into account, Chupi Char is the most pleasant during winter. In summer, temperatures soar and boat ride would be very uncomfortable. During the monsoon the lake would be flooded, so there wouldn’t be many birds or vegetation on the water.

However, winter weekends are probably terrible. It would be crowded with picnic parties. Irresponsible groups might also ruin the atmosphere and drive the birds away by playing loud music.

Our experience

We arrive in the afternoon of a weekday in winter so tourist/daytripper rush is almost zero. Adjacent to the lake is a collection of cottages with a park, garden, and a mango orchard. We have booked a room there. In their gazebo shaped dining-room, we have lunch—a simple Bengali thali meal consisting of rice, daal, vegetable fritters, vegetable and fish curry, sweet chutney and papad.

Post lunch we hang around the mango orchard by the coast of the lake. Since it is winter, there are no fruits. I imagine the scene would be different in summer with the sweet fragrance of ripened mangoes hanging in the air.

The evening boat ride

During winters, sunsets happen around 5PM here. At around 4PM we hop on a boat. Giving a toothless smile our aged boatsman says, “call me Chingri kaka”. Chingri kaka, as we later find out, is quite a legend in the village. In an instant he invites us to cruise on his boat in summer as well. “I will get ripe mangoes for you. You can enjoy mangoes while boating,” he says.

Over the water, a thousand dragonflies flutter. Chingri kaka has a hawk’s eye. He spots the birds and rows the boat in strategic points from where we could get good photos. We see egrets, pochards, sandpipers and many more whose names we do not know.

Chingri kaka navigates his boat through semi submerged rice plantations. It feels surreal. This part of the lake is shallow—suitable for rice cultivation when the water level would go down in a few months. A while later he takes us to the deeper part. There is no floating vegetation here. We observe village homes and families going about doing chores.

As the sun dips towards the horizon, the birds become mere shadows. Chingri kaka stops rowing. The boat remains still in the lake. The tangerine gives way to purple and finally, one by one, stars twinkle in the sky. Darkness has increased the cold manifold. We finally call it a day.

The noise pollution

Bass music is such a nuisance. It has ruined peace in cities, towns, villages, forests, lakesides and everywhere else on Earth. Throughout our boat journey, we hear bass thumping somewhere. Chingri kaka informs that it is coming from some nearby village celebrations. To our horror that thing blares on even as we retire for the night.

At night, away from the light pollution of the premises of the accommodation, it is pitch dark. With mango orchards and the vast expanse of the lake, it seems like fertile grounds for a thriller, adventure, or horror story! For the very courageous, the scene could even be that of ultimate peace. Unfortunately, we are unable to vibe as the oomphing bass noise ruins the mood.

The morning boatride

We get up in the morning and decide if we want to take the 4-5 hours long to and fro boat ride to Nabadwip. The water route involves narrow creeks among long reed grasses. Even though this sounds interesting, we drop the plan—I am feeling extremely tired to pull this off.

We go on the usual morning boat ride with the same old Chingri kaka. In the sunny morning, we see the lake in bright colours. Birds fly around. We notice an island with many green foliage in the middle of the lake.

“Can we go there, what is that?” I ask

“Yes you can but your legs would become wet. It is a submerged land used for rice cultivation,” Chingri kaka replies.

The tiny fleck of land is used exclusively for farming. Birds huddle on the island. In the sunlight, the greens of the lake radiate a fluorescent colour. Along the river bank we notice piles of dried jute. Only a couple of more boats ply in the lake—photographers capturing birdlife. The thumping bass of last night has stopped. Tranquillity has been restored. The Sun climbing high on the sky is our cue—it is time to conclude the trip.

Hello readers, have you been to Chupi Char or Purbasthali? Do you have anything to add that might enrich the piece? Feel free to comment below!

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