The 5th trip: in pictures and videos

Visuals are sequenced in chronological order:

1) Journey to Satjelia-Chargheri:

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765359990764562 A typical sight at Sonakhali: materials being loaded for transportation across / along the river

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrJr_uw_UJ0
Video: This is a mid-river view of the dyke repair work going on near Sonakhali.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlNCPmnXxZo
Video: Kochu (Arum) was also included for distribution on 5th trip. It is a low cost food item, with no side effects envisaged.

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765400903491234 Snapshot of 'kochu' sacks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lbKDomS7s4
Video: As usual, we took 54 bags of rice, totalling to 2700 kg (to be distributed with 200 kg stock remaining at Chargheri from previous distribution)

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765479445006578 Young Sharafat's arkwork on his papa's boat

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765620644867394 Another illustration on the same boat (surely not by Sharafat)....

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseV#5368066036532608194 On the route, we went past villages where some women were busy catching fish & prawns on the riverside

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgNWOVIiNyY
Video: A patch with such dense cover of vegetation in deep water is a rare sight even in the Sunderbans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nPiY1GkAQ4
Video: The team making the 5th visit (putting faces to names)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyFP4cS9y48
Video: We kept dropping time along the way today, and arrived at Chargheri close to 3pm - more than an hour later than last time. Combined with shifting diurnal tide change time, this meant water had already receded significantly by the time we came.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNqU_auz9YE
Video: We explore the tidal entry route, and then go back into the river for an entry from the low tide muddy route. This meant significant time delay in transporting goods to distribution point
[For a contrast, view the video link of tidal entry for 4th trip Chargheri arrival at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8mpRdEENds]

2) The distribution at Chargheri

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseV#5368066315688151474 Arrival at Chargheri: A nice shot courtesy Debajyoti da. You can see the boat in the distance - it stayed there for unloading for another hour and consequently got stuck as water receded further. While returning back after distribution, we reached the boat at 7-15pm and waited on it till 8-30pm (with no ray of light except 2 battery torches) so that the tide returned and boat could float again....The far side of the river is starting point of the wilderness ruled by the Bengal Tiger

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765762180314594 Avijit feeling his way through the mud on his second visit
[video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDYm9WyWpWk]

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseV#5368066358767559314 Transporting the stuff to the distribution point is a tough affair in low tide. It was unloaded from our larger motor boat into this Purbasha boat. Then this boat had to be physically pushed through the mud to the bank.....

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseV#5368066390712696098
....and only then could the stuff get unloaded for distribution. High tide is preferable any day.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseV#5368066411330359666 http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765829391073778 Felicitation: It was a little embarassing for us that they insisted in felicitating us under a shed in front of the multitude waiting under the sun for hours to collect their rightful share of bare minimum food. But in any case the materials were taking a long time to be carried from our boat to distribution point due to the low tide, and we thought the schedule of distribution could not get any further delayed by accepting the sentimental requests from the local people (mainly Purbasha) to felicitate us with garlands and sweets. It was a brief affair in any case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPu-OIYv7Ns
Video: The 2 distribution points at either end of the temporary distrubution shed. As highlighted earlier, 2 points of distribution are necessary for quicker disposal of material to the waiting people

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765998229130066 Another view of the 2 queues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5wEt_eTDrg
Video: Dipankar arranged for some microphones to communicate essentials of the distribution (2 queues, materials getting distributed, next distribution after 2 weeks etc) to the people in queue

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseV#5368066666369542226 Card based distribution for Lahiripur, Bidhan colony, Santigachi and Porosmoni

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765958943282498 This is the other point of distribution, where Santanu, Debajyoti da, Angshuman (myself) and Mahender were distributing....[note: I did not remove the garland presented to me at the felicitation by a little kid hardly a couple of years older than my daughter]

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseV#5368066747266766658 Dipankar distributing essential medicines, assisted by Debajyoti da

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseV#5368066530961034162 Ticking off the cards after handing over requisite quota of material

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765870942328242 Distribution was finally over at dusk

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765911022372226 http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765930890800322 Our turn to play rice sacks: The Chargheri volunteers load us on a boat and push us through the mud into the river where our boat is stuck on the river bed

http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip5PixCellcam#5368765934413460946 Purbasha volunteers and the boatmen ask to get snapped as we board back into our boat for return journey to Gadkhali