Day-2

We visited the farthest point on our itinerary, Dobanki, on the second day. Before reaching the Dobanki Watch Tower (last tiger was seen here on 5th March'08), we passed the Panchamohana (where five rivers meet, namely Vidya, Vidyadhari, Dobanki, Gajikhali and Herobhanga). This place, we were told, is about 6 kms from the Bay of Bengal. The vastness of the river (I’m using the singular form as the five rivers couldn’t be identified separately) enthralled me.

The Dobanki Watch Tower could be reached after walking a stretch of pathway, fenced on both sides, offering an uninterrupted view of the forest. However, the tower doesn’t has any shade (unlike the other two namely at Sajnekhali and Sudhanyakhali). As the sun shone at its best, it was scorching and we quickly came back to the boat.

The evening was kept for a village visit. We visited a village of Dayapur, Block No.3, seeing the lifestyle of the locals from close quarters. The village has a school where classes till Madhyamik are conducted at present. However, it has already got the permission of extending the classes till 12 and the same would be made effective very soon. The village, its houses, ponds…all were very neat. The market place was selling everything of daily need and we even spotted CDs being sold in a shop. On our return, the sun was setting and the lush green field in the foreground presented a view that would stay etched in my mind for a long time to come.