Toshali Sands

Chilka - Dream Destination
An Expedition in the land of The Nature’s Beauty Queen

In a chilled winter Sunday morning of last January 1 along with an Italian Group, started Chilika from Gopal pur-on-sea at 6 a.m. There were 15 Italian guests including the group leader Patrzia. We arrived at about 8.30 o’clock at Barkul. The guests got down from the coach. I led them to the rear verandah of Barkul Panthnivas facing to Chilka. I ordered for breakfast, mean the time I arranged a boat. After finished our breakfast we went to the Jetty. There our cook Raghu was ready with all the baggage and kitchen provisions loaded on the boat. We boarded the boat with our respective packed lunch & snacks. Leaving us there, our coach drives to Satapada. All occupied their seats on their own convenience. The boatman started the boat leading towards the Goddess Kalijai temple.

Slowly our boat moving in a faster speed on the bluish water in Chikla. The beauty of Chilka fired the fired the imagination of many post and thinkers. Many poets have lost their hearts to the vast exotic and panoramic lake. Its beauty charmed all, who have cared it to visit once. Their poetic heart filled with excitement that it hypnotize them to compose poetry on its praise. The famous poem of Gopabandhu Das came to my mind. The poem was written by him in the pre-in-dependence period while he was in the fail for freedom struggle and transferred from Cuttack to Berhampur jail in the train passing by Chilka. “hey, Steam cart please stop for a moment, I will see the panoramic and picturesque beauty of Chilka”. Poet Radhanath Ray in his famous Chilka Poetry mentioned. “hey Bluish Chilks, you are the prettiest thing of Orissa and you are the finest ornaments of the Orissan beauty. Really the guests were enjoying natural beauty of Chilka. Our Boat was coming closure to the Kalijai Island. We got down from the boat and paid a visit to the Goddess Kalijai, the abode of the presiding deity of the lake and spent some moments on the table rocks there.

Again we boarded the boat and it started sailing on the direction of Nalabana (The reed forest). It is on the center of the lake. Where a large congregation of migratory and domestic birds takes place in November to February. Silently all the group people were enjoying nature. The boat was running fast.

The common scene of catching fish by the fisherman, the boat-carrying tourist, some bird’s floating on the water or flying in the sky was passing by. All were curious to see the guests of Chilka camping at Nalabana (the bird sanctuary).

The boatman stop the boat for the forest official check 7 I paid the bird sanctuary. From there we could see the entire area covered with birds. Some were floating on the water. After all the formalities over we entered into the Bird sanctuary. The boatman takes the boat a rowing up to the watchtower. The entire area was full of different kinds of migratory and indigenous it was looking like a colonies of birds. Its really superb for the ornithologist of watch so many kinds of birds at a time. Mr. Paula an ornithologist who was in our group became really mad. It’s unbelievable . It’s paradise for me I can spend hours here. He was telling like this. But when he saw some dead birds and their fathers it really made him more concern about the safety of these invaluable guests of Chilk. I was observing him constantly.

Still Paula was silent. But he could not held it longer. Because one big Dolphin along with a small one were seen just nearby to our boat. First the boatman informed about it. Some of the guests tried to take the photo of them. But every time it’s so short that just before click on the camera they drowned them selves in the water.

How these cruel human hunting these innocent? Sadly your government is not doing any thing to those people. It really hurt me. His mood for off. He became very slow.

I could imagine his feelings his face. I don’t have the right answer for his concern. Because everyday it is out in the newspaper. How much our government is concerned on it, we could imagine from the incident of poaching of Elephants in different forests of our state, Oliveridley sea turtles in the sea coast of Orissa and the migratory birds in Chilka.

Only I extended my gratitude my gratitude for his concern for the brutal acts. The boatman indicated me to come back to the boat. I told the group to back to the boat. Slowly all boarded that boat. The boat headed to Satapada.

Still Paula was silent. But he could not held it longer. Because one big Dolphin along with a small one were seen just nearby to our boat. First the boatman informed about it. Some of the guests tried to take the photo of them. But every time it’s so short that just before click on the camera they drowned them selves in the water. But Paula did not forget to held the scene in his handy cam. Their after I observed a smile on his face. It makes me more de lighted. Really they kept the guests engaged. They followed us more than two kilometers. That was the most exciting part of our expedition.

We were very close to Satapada during the lunch hour.

The boatman took us in a different way. That was a place where we saw many Dolphins. We were simply enjoying their fun. Then we went to Satpada Panthasala. There we all had some tea and coffee. There after we return back to go to Rajahans island. We all occupied our seats in the boat again and it started for Rajahjans.

Rajhans is an island having virgin beach, touching Bay of Bengal in one side and Chilka lake on the other side. It is a fantastic place for the nature lover.

On the way we saw some Dolphin playing on our side, which gave us immense pleasure. It took 45 minutes to Rajhans. We all get down with our baggage’s. Raghu with the help of a local boy carried the kitchen utensils to the bungalow. First we all put our baggages in the Bungalow. Then all the guests went to the beach. The really amazed with such a nice environment. As if they got mad to have some fun in the sea. I went to Paula to know his feeling. He was sitting silently on the beach, from his expression it was clearly distinct about his satisfaction.

“I never expect such a beach over here.
Really it is marvelous
Simply superb it is
I could not express my self
It’s a wonderland
Here you could not find even yourself in the nature.”

Really Paula was forget himself. All his disatisfaction of the morning was not more in him. He was quite satisfied.

I told the tour leader that before dark we should have to pitch our in the beach. So please instruct all the guests to pitch their respective tents. As she indicated, the guests pitched their tends and arranged their bed s in the tents. Only Teres and John were adjusted in the forest bunglow for their olderness. Again they went to the seawater. I went with Raghu to the kitchen.

He was busy in the preparation of the dinner. I helped him in his work in some extent . Then I asked the watchman to arrange some wood for a beach fire during the dinner time. With his help we carried the casurians woods to the beach and he arranged it for the fire. All the guests came over there and sat around the first. Raghu served the dinner. That was 3rd day of the bright fortnight. So the moon was on the sky. After dinner I briefed the group about next day programme and wished them good night. I went to my tent. Still the guests were enjoying the beach themselves in the moonlight.

Next day early in the morning I wake up and finished my daily work. I gave a wake up call to Raghu and told him prepare the breakfast.

I went to the beach to seek the sunrise. I constantly gaze to the east. Slowly the horizon and the sea look purple red. At once as if the Sun jumped from the sea to the sky. It unbelievable. I got astonished. Then I walk around and tried to catch some little red crabs. But could not. I saw a crab admixture of yellow and red colour. When I got closure to it, it went into the sand, but I tried to my very best to the group. Some group people were waked up. I took it to Raghu and the guests. All were very please to see it. Then I left it in the sea. Some of the group member were enjoying themselves in the beach and some were busy in sunbath. At about 8.30 we all took breakfast. Then set for the new mouth of Chilka.

It is like Rajahans Island, very nice, a really unspoiled beach. There the group people enjoyed a lot in the beach with fun. Raghu prepared the lunch on the boat. We all came to the boat and took our lunch. I was memorizing famous lines of Kalijai poem. Oh! Chilkla, really your are the gem of the natural beauty. Nothing can be compare with you. Thanks God, so kind to bestowed large favour such an invaluable natural gift. We were arrived at Satapada. Our coach was waited for us there. We boarded the coach 7 drive for Puri. That was obviously a nice expedition in the land nature’s beauty queen of course Chilka.