Returning to Chauddachuli

Last week I managed to escape again to Chauudachuli. The 2 days I spent this weekend was sheer bliss. My dear Nebu'da has managed to clean up the place a bit and things looked a lot better. I have created some before-after pictures, to give a better sense of how things have progressed.

The quadrangle inside has been cleaned up. All the shrubs are gone, but the red-ants roam around with a sense of vengeance. I kept the mahua tree and the mango tree - could not bear to get rid of them.
The compund wall is fixed - rebuilt completely. The toilet has been raised in height so I don't have to crawl in anymore. The cycle stands parked by the Mahua tree.

The two pictures above are for the two small 'dobas' which now stand transformed into a kind of jheel. The fresh water is mixed with some salt water from the creek nearby, and made suitable for cultivation of prawns and a wide variety of fresh water fish. Right now the fish is very small, and we need to feed them once daily.  
Arjun-tala has had a dramatic makeover and now filled with around 600 fishes. They have grown fast and are fed twice daily. In the video that follows in the post below, you can actually see nebu'da feeding them and how the fish play.
The pona-pukur has also been made up - the boundaries reinforced, the water cleaned up. All that is now needed is a Pukur-Ghat - a proper one!

Pukurer Paare

As you have seen above, the ponds have been cleaned up and we have released a lot of new fish (young ones are called pona). They need to be fed everyday. Notice closely in some of the shots and you can see how they come up to the water and play. In our native lingo we say 'maach ghai maarche' - and the expert is easily able to make a qualitative judgment on the state of their health.

Chicken on a Chulli

This is how we cooked some yummy chicken on a chulli, navigating the handi under a torchlight with whisky and soda to give us company.

Road to oblivion

For those of you familiar with the roads of West Bengal, here goes the directions to Chauddachuli. From Kolkata take NH6 all the way to Kolaghat (en route to Kharagpur) and turn into NH41 heading towards Haldia. Just past Tamluk, you brand off at High Road, heading towards Contai and Digha. Take a left at Heria, en route to Khejuri. Take a right at Kalagechia, and then follow the trail into the Chauddachuli. You need to be on map-view but when the road disappear, switch to satellite view. Enjoy the discovery.

View Chauddachuli in a larger map