Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
SEVENTH TRIP COMPLETED
A landmark trip for us. We could finally start our rehabilitation initiatives. The initiative was kicked off with the training program on alternative crop production by the trainers from the NGO SWANIRBHAR, and the inaugural program was scheduled with our visit. This was practically the main reason for which we decided to proceed to Chargheri on 5th, despite heavy shower and cyclone warnings and met the cyclone on the way.
Two trainers (Mr Narayan Bachar and Mrs Anjana Mandal) from SWANIRBHAR, accompanied us for the first phase of training. With help from Purbasha volunteers we could identify 50 trainees beforehand. Many of the farmers from far away villages and could not come due to the abominable condition of paths (if we can call them even paths) connecting villages during heavily rainy days like it was on 5th September but attendance is expected to increase in the following 2 days. The trainers met them in the primary school building of Chargheri and started the first phase of training program for 5th to 7th. They will discuss in detail the available practical options on growing vegetables in lands “poisoned” by saline water and guide the farmers to implement those options.
It is doubtful if the other part of the training, the practical hands-on training in fields, will be possible in this phase due to inclement weather. The condition of fields after these 2 days of rain may not help either. However following the initial interactions and positive responses from the local farmers, the trainers are confident that they can still be given enough training in the first phase for them to make a start and for them to spread the word around in their respective villages on the techniques to be adopted and crops to be selected.
Food Distribution
The food distribution was not easy this time. We have to take a smaller team (six only) to accommodate the trainers. Purnendu, a friend of Debajyoti-da joined us for the first time. The river was full of waves and from the mid river (where the boat anchored), the PAKT team has a tough time to move to the distribution point on land. The volunteers of Purbasha also had a much harder task in downloading and taking the rice and arum (kachu) sacks from our boat over the sticky and slippery mud. Braving sudden spells of torrential rains, almost 2100 persons came to the distribution point. With great help from Mahendra (he drives our car almost every time and join us for Chargheri instead of waiting in the car) and Purnendu, we could distribute almost 2100 kg of rice along with kachu and soya nuggets very quickly. We continued in dark till the last person in the line is served. The only source of light for verifying the cards was the torch lights held patiently by the volunteers of Purbasha. What is left (around 700 kgs of rice) will be distributed in the next few days by volunteers of Pusbasha.
Rehabilitation Program
At the starting of the distribution, like the earlier weeks we again informed the people that the relief stage involving food distribution will be over by 19th September and we will move into next stage – rehabilitation. Biswajit-da, our seniormost team member from Khelaghar, has already arranged for unskilled jobs for five local youths in the hotel industry. With not many opportunities available for alternative occupation in the village, it will be a good opening for them. Biswajit-da is trying hard to place another 10-15 people in similar jobs. With the agricultural training started, we hope to provide some restoration of the agricultural livelihood. As advised by Nilangshu, the key person from SWANIRBHAR, who responded to our request for arranging the training; the seeds will be distributed to the farmers by mid October. PAKT has already committed to bear all expenses for training and distribution of seeds.
PAKT Banner
So far we have not used any banner of PAKT. We did not feel it is necessary. But since our last visit we found that quite a few members of our extended team (everyone who supports the initiative), who could not accompany us, is getting confused that all things are distributed with a banner of PURBASHA in the background. So to clear the confusion, we just put up a simple banner during this trip.
Problems
Our main concerns still remain
i) Getting water out from the low lying agricultural lands. We know we cannot do it, but some initiative from irrigation department will be very helpful and we can motivate the villagers to carry forward any good suggestion in this regard. In the very least the backflow of salined water from these main rain water harvesting canals to the farmlands & ponds needs to be immediately arrested. If we can achieve at least that miraculously in the coming few weeks, the farmers have an outside chance of emptying their ponds and holding some water from any October rain to bring up their crop in the coming winter. The emptying of main canals can then be carried out in coming months.
ii) Proper restoration of the embankment. On our way to Chrgheri this time we observed that in some locations, the newly formed embankment showed signs of breach. Chargheri is still surviving, but not sure how long it can hold on
iii) Mobilising the government fund for restoration of houses. This is also something we could not help directly, but believe something needs to be done
We appeal to the people of extended PAKT Team and our well wishers to help these cause
Two trainers (Mr Narayan Bachar and Mrs Anjana Mandal) from SWANIRBHAR, accompanied us for the first phase of training. With help from Purbasha volunteers we could identify 50 trainees beforehand. Many of the farmers from far away villages and could not come due to the abominable condition of paths (if we can call them even paths) connecting villages during heavily rainy days like it was on 5th September but attendance is expected to increase in the following 2 days. The trainers met them in the primary school building of Chargheri and started the first phase of training program for 5th to 7th. They will discuss in detail the available practical options on growing vegetables in lands “poisoned” by saline water and guide the farmers to implement those options.
It is doubtful if the other part of the training, the practical hands-on training in fields, will be possible in this phase due to inclement weather. The condition of fields after these 2 days of rain may not help either. However following the initial interactions and positive responses from the local farmers, the trainers are confident that they can still be given enough training in the first phase for them to make a start and for them to spread the word around in their respective villages on the techniques to be adopted and crops to be selected.
Food Distribution
The food distribution was not easy this time. We have to take a smaller team (six only) to accommodate the trainers. Purnendu, a friend of Debajyoti-da joined us for the first time. The river was full of waves and from the mid river (where the boat anchored), the PAKT team has a tough time to move to the distribution point on land. The volunteers of Purbasha also had a much harder task in downloading and taking the rice and arum (kachu) sacks from our boat over the sticky and slippery mud. Braving sudden spells of torrential rains, almost 2100 persons came to the distribution point. With great help from Mahendra (he drives our car almost every time and join us for Chargheri instead of waiting in the car) and Purnendu, we could distribute almost 2100 kg of rice along with kachu and soya nuggets very quickly. We continued in dark till the last person in the line is served. The only source of light for verifying the cards was the torch lights held patiently by the volunteers of Purbasha. What is left (around 700 kgs of rice) will be distributed in the next few days by volunteers of Pusbasha.
Rehabilitation Program
At the starting of the distribution, like the earlier weeks we again informed the people that the relief stage involving food distribution will be over by 19th September and we will move into next stage – rehabilitation. Biswajit-da, our seniormost team member from Khelaghar, has already arranged for unskilled jobs for five local youths in the hotel industry. With not many opportunities available for alternative occupation in the village, it will be a good opening for them. Biswajit-da is trying hard to place another 10-15 people in similar jobs. With the agricultural training started, we hope to provide some restoration of the agricultural livelihood. As advised by Nilangshu, the key person from SWANIRBHAR, who responded to our request for arranging the training; the seeds will be distributed to the farmers by mid October. PAKT has already committed to bear all expenses for training and distribution of seeds.
PAKT Banner
So far we have not used any banner of PAKT. We did not feel it is necessary. But since our last visit we found that quite a few members of our extended team (everyone who supports the initiative), who could not accompany us, is getting confused that all things are distributed with a banner of PURBASHA in the background. So to clear the confusion, we just put up a simple banner during this trip.
Problems
Our main concerns still remain
i) Getting water out from the low lying agricultural lands. We know we cannot do it, but some initiative from irrigation department will be very helpful and we can motivate the villagers to carry forward any good suggestion in this regard. In the very least the backflow of salined water from these main rain water harvesting canals to the farmlands & ponds needs to be immediately arrested. If we can achieve at least that miraculously in the coming few weeks, the farmers have an outside chance of emptying their ponds and holding some water from any October rain to bring up their crop in the coming winter. The emptying of main canals can then be carried out in coming months.
ii) Proper restoration of the embankment. On our way to Chrgheri this time we observed that in some locations, the newly formed embankment showed signs of breach. Chargheri is still surviving, but not sure how long it can hold on
iii) Mobilising the government fund for restoration of houses. This is also something we could not help directly, but believe something needs to be done
We appeal to the people of extended PAKT Team and our well wishers to help these cause
Thursday, September 3, 2009
PAKT banner
We have been asked a common question by some of the readers of these blogposts: "Is it you or Purbasha doing this relief work?" Some of the queries are from contributors to PAKT effort. When we tried to look for the reasons behind this common query, we found that most of the people in our video interviews referred to 'Purbasha' the eco-tourism group as the organisation that distributes relief to them. They do not seem to be well aware of PAKT's contribution to the relief they get, perhaps because they 'see' only Purbasha at the distribution point. Even the pictures we share show banners of Purbasha.
Till date we (PAKT) have not put up any banner during our activities at Chargheri. Purbasha is a local eco-tourism group that was already known to the locals before Aila happened. Now in this post-Aila phase, Purbasha are not only playing a 'visible' role in the final step of distributing the relief after our boat reaches Chargheri, they also put up their banner at each of the distributions. As a result the general impression that comes out to commoners is that 'a group of people from Kolkata' are coming regularly and Purbasha is doing this with their support. The name PAKT is not known to many people.
Why have PAKT not put up their own banner? The answer is simple. We never had any intention to put up photos of our banner and let people see those. Trying to publicise the PAKT name is something that we never intended to do. We are not 'regular's or NGO's. PAKT was formed only to carry out this effort. Yes, we do try to publicise this relief & rehabilitation work going on at Chargheri through the net and email communications. But it is done solely to bring in more help for the people we are supporting. Publicising the name under which this work is being done is the last thing on our minds.
The principal reason for sharing the pictures and videos was to update our contributors about our activities. We owe it to them that they learn in detail where there money is going. Another purpose of bringing the videos & snaps up on the net is to demonstrate the need to support people in the area we have chosen. The PAKT group at Kolkata felt that presence or absence of PAKT's banner did not have much to add or take away from the purpose of PAKT.
PAKT had no objections to Purbasha putting up their banner and publicising their participation in this welfare activity. They were our local facilitators and were also contributing to the effort. They too are providing the support to their village folk as a welfare job. Besides mobilising their own people at Chargheri to handle huge foodstocks on every visit, Purbasha's contribution also includes meeting us at Kolkata in between visits to chalk out way ahead, distribution of cards, passing important information to locals and such other supporting work. If they wanted to put a banner up for that participation, we did not see much harm in that.
However the 'invisibility' of PAKT at distribution activities, essentially our unwillingness to announce ourselves, has resulted in a lack of awareness of people about the name 'PAKT'. PAKT's contribution is well known amongst people though. We can assure you that the people there know each one of us in PAKT very well. It is just that they are not particularly aware that our collective name is PAKT. They visualise us as "the Kolkata guys that bring in the stuff for Purbasha". We really did not care about it as long as the job is getting done.
Now we know that this invisibility of PAKT is a reason of concern and query for our contributors and supporters. We will take full heed of that concern. We will strive to make more people aware of the critical role of PAKT in the activities being taken up. This will start right away from the coming visit to Chargheri on 5th September. Purbasha have also offered to spread the word on the leading role played by PAKT in the welfare activities that are reaching them.
A banner is expected to help spread the name of PAKT amongst the people we are supporting. Hence we shall have a banner pretty soon!
Update: Here's the banner. It was displayed in the distribution venue durng seventh visit. This snap is clicked there. The role of PAKT was also announced to the people who collect assistance from us.
Till date we (PAKT) have not put up any banner during our activities at Chargheri. Purbasha is a local eco-tourism group that was already known to the locals before Aila happened. Now in this post-Aila phase, Purbasha are not only playing a 'visible' role in the final step of distributing the relief after our boat reaches Chargheri, they also put up their banner at each of the distributions. As a result the general impression that comes out to commoners is that 'a group of people from Kolkata' are coming regularly and Purbasha is doing this with their support. The name PAKT is not known to many people.
Why have PAKT not put up their own banner? The answer is simple. We never had any intention to put up photos of our banner and let people see those. Trying to publicise the PAKT name is something that we never intended to do. We are not 'regular's or NGO's. PAKT was formed only to carry out this effort. Yes, we do try to publicise this relief & rehabilitation work going on at Chargheri through the net and email communications. But it is done solely to bring in more help for the people we are supporting. Publicising the name under which this work is being done is the last thing on our minds.
The principal reason for sharing the pictures and videos was to update our contributors about our activities. We owe it to them that they learn in detail where there money is going. Another purpose of bringing the videos & snaps up on the net is to demonstrate the need to support people in the area we have chosen. The PAKT group at Kolkata felt that presence or absence of PAKT's banner did not have much to add or take away from the purpose of PAKT.
PAKT had no objections to Purbasha putting up their banner and publicising their participation in this welfare activity. They were our local facilitators and were also contributing to the effort. They too are providing the support to their village folk as a welfare job. Besides mobilising their own people at Chargheri to handle huge foodstocks on every visit, Purbasha's contribution also includes meeting us at Kolkata in between visits to chalk out way ahead, distribution of cards, passing important information to locals and such other supporting work. If they wanted to put a banner up for that participation, we did not see much harm in that.
However the 'invisibility' of PAKT at distribution activities, essentially our unwillingness to announce ourselves, has resulted in a lack of awareness of people about the name 'PAKT'. PAKT's contribution is well known amongst people though. We can assure you that the people there know each one of us in PAKT very well. It is just that they are not particularly aware that our collective name is PAKT. They visualise us as "the Kolkata guys that bring in the stuff for Purbasha". We really did not care about it as long as the job is getting done.
Now we know that this invisibility of PAKT is a reason of concern and query for our contributors and supporters. We will take full heed of that concern. We will strive to make more people aware of the critical role of PAKT in the activities being taken up. This will start right away from the coming visit to Chargheri on 5th September. Purbasha have also offered to spread the word on the leading role played by PAKT in the welfare activities that are reaching them.
A banner is expected to help spread the name of PAKT amongst the people we are supporting. Hence we shall have a banner pretty soon!
Update: Here's the banner. It was displayed in the distribution venue durng seventh visit. This snap is clicked there. The role of PAKT was also announced to the people who collect assistance from us.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Exploring Chargheri and Bidhan Colony
In most of our earlier visits we barely found time to distribute the food and rush back for the return journey. This time Debajyoti da and myself snatched ourselves out of the distribution and tried to carry out a survey to assess some of the ground realities as on date.
This exercise took us to some new localities in Chargheri and Bidhan Colony. Sharing with you some snaps and videos of these places (links in red):
People working on earthwork for the bund
These people are cutting earth from the spoiled agricultural lands to build up / repair the bunds. I hope that is advisable to be done on agricultural land, and does not damage long term prospects of the productivity of this .
Hopefully we will see them cultivating alternative crops on these fields this coming winter after due training. Certainly the normal crop, rice, is set to return within 2 years. Now does this earth cutting from surface of these fields hurt any or both of those prospects? I wish I knew...
A shot of Chargheri on our way to Kakmari Bazar
[not much to add to that snap - we have earlier published a number of pix like that one]
House damaged by Aila but saved from collapse due to presence of 'konchi' (bamboo) reinforcement in mud walls
We found only two "pucca" buildings on the route from distribution point to Kakmari bazar which was close to 2 km away from distribution point (We made this journey via an unpaved and undulating dyke where walking barefoot can cause foot pain to unaccustomed feet - ask me!). None of these were residential houses. We saw evidence that water had reached above window top level in many of the intact houses. The houses that had bamboo stick (‘konchi’) reinforcement in walls managed to keep standing (even after mud was washed away) via support from the bamboo sticks. This house (in above pic) with ‘reinforced walls’ told the story clearly: in the picture we can see that the ‘konchi’s are showing up to man height with no mud around them – and ABOVE it the konchi’s are disappearing into mud still left intact.
Some of the standing houses have been repaired back with thatched roof and applying mud back on the walls. The houses that had walls of pure mud are all erased.
"Aise ujde aashiyaane tinke ud gaye"
This is how some of the occupants of those erased houses are living now.
They are literally living on the road....
The boundary point of Chargheri and Bidhan Colony
[hope that fishing net used as a fence is not the administration's brainchild while marking the boundary...]
The primary school located OUTSIDE the old bund
The old bund near this school was seriously damaged but the school would have been inundated in Aila even if the bund were intact. This primary school in Bidhan Colony is strangely outside of the main bund / dyke and it is at quite a low level as well. In other words, it was always exposed to forces of nature and tidal variations as the bund does NOT protect it.
This omission of a government primary school outside bund premise may look like a surprising flaw in layout of the bund, but we need to remember that pieces of land keep surfacing in these areas every year due to silting. It is quite possible that this school is located in a land area that surfaced AFTER construction of bund. It can (un)safely be expected that there are many such areas across these region. Hopefully the new 'Ring bund', currently under construction, will bring these buildings within the ambit of safety.
The new "Ring Bund" under construction
[This picture is taken facing the river and the old bund is behind the photographer Debu da when this picture was taken. We can see the primary school being covered by this new ring bund.
This video, shot from atop the old bund, shows the above photograph being taken and also indicates the topography near the school]
Bund damage near Kakmari bazar southside approach
[The above video, along with this snap by Debu da, bears testimony of the magnitude of nature's fury faced by these bunds on 25th May 2009. Even after nearly 3 months of restoration work the bund still looks like having been hit by a disaster in very recent past. ]
Kakmari bazar
PAKT discussing with people at Kakmari bazar
Kakmari bazar video 1
Kakmari bazar video 2
On the return journey from Kakmari to distribution point, we met Shri Girindranath Paik and Shri Ajit Kumar Biswas. Both are from Chargheri.
Girindranath Paik is a familiar face at relief distribution (he generally has something to say or some request to make). We met him on the way back and he dragged me to his house. Apparently the water logged lands seen behind the hutments in this snap are land belong to him.
Ajit Kumar Biswas' story is a little intriguing. Ajit is apparently a graduate who has not managed to get a coveted government job. He has a small piece of land and used to cultivate it before Aila. But the returns from his small piece of land were insufficent to support his young . He used to supplement his income by giving tuitions. Even Rabindranath Gayen, the respected primary school teacher of Bidhan Colony that we met during survey at Kakmari bazar, used to be his student. He is apparently well liked by people (certainly by Girindranath Paik) and also does some book keeping for shops. He wished to opt out of the area if he gets a job outside, as both his vocations have stopped now. He stays in a makeshift hutment reconstructed from his damaged mudhut. Like many other families, both he and his wife do menial labour on earthwork related to bund repair these days in order to sustain themselves.
Ajit brought me up to the fact that the dewatering of fields has taken place only at specific areasm lostly near the periphery of the island (we used to see it happen at our distribution point) but many fields in the interiors are still flooded with brackish water. The small sluice gate does not help at all as it prevents effective flushing out of the brackish water in a heavy rainfall.
Critical concern: We have requested assistance from PRISM in order to arrange for alternative crop training in fields damaged by brackish water with an aim to have some vegetables grown on these fields by this winter. We are driving to expedite this training. But the least that is required for some of these farmers we are trying to help is the stagnated brackish water to be removed from their fields. We are talking to people related to administration but we still do not know how to solve that critical first part (i.e. dewatering agricultural lands that are still under water) in our attempt to get these people back on fields.
This exercise took us to some new localities in Chargheri and Bidhan Colony. Sharing with you some snaps and videos of these places (links in red):
People working on earthwork for the bund
These people are cutting earth from the spoiled agricultural lands to build up / repair the bunds. I hope that is advisable to be done on agricultural land, and does not damage long term prospects of the productivity of this .
Hopefully we will see them cultivating alternative crops on these fields this coming winter after due training. Certainly the normal crop, rice, is set to return within 2 years. Now does this earth cutting from surface of these fields hurt any or both of those prospects? I wish I knew...
A shot of Chargheri on our way to Kakmari Bazar
[not much to add to that snap - we have earlier published a number of pix like that one]
House damaged by Aila but saved from collapse due to presence of 'konchi' (bamboo) reinforcement in mud walls
We found only two "pucca" buildings on the route from distribution point to Kakmari bazar which was close to 2 km away from distribution point (We made this journey via an unpaved and undulating dyke where walking barefoot can cause foot pain to unaccustomed feet - ask me!). None of these were residential houses. We saw evidence that water had reached above window top level in many of the intact houses. The houses that had bamboo stick (‘konchi’) reinforcement in walls managed to keep standing (even after mud was washed away) via support from the bamboo sticks. This house (in above pic) with ‘reinforced walls’ told the story clearly: in the picture we can see that the ‘konchi’s are showing up to man height with no mud around them – and ABOVE it the konchi’s are disappearing into mud still left intact.
Some of the standing houses have been repaired back with thatched roof and applying mud back on the walls. The houses that had walls of pure mud are all erased.
"Aise ujde aashiyaane tinke ud gaye"
This is how some of the occupants of those erased houses are living now.
They are literally living on the road....
The boundary point of Chargheri and Bidhan Colony
[hope that fishing net used as a fence is not the administration's brainchild while marking the boundary...]
The primary school located OUTSIDE the old bund
The old bund near this school was seriously damaged but the school would have been inundated in Aila even if the bund were intact. This primary school in Bidhan Colony is strangely outside of the main bund / dyke and it is at quite a low level as well. In other words, it was always exposed to forces of nature and tidal variations as the bund does NOT protect it.
This omission of a government primary school outside bund premise may look like a surprising flaw in layout of the bund, but we need to remember that pieces of land keep surfacing in these areas every year due to silting. It is quite possible that this school is located in a land area that surfaced AFTER construction of bund. It can (un)safely be expected that there are many such areas across these region. Hopefully the new 'Ring bund', currently under construction, will bring these buildings within the ambit of safety.
The new "Ring Bund" under construction
[This picture is taken facing the river and the old bund is behind the photographer Debu da when this picture was taken. We can see the primary school being covered by this new ring bund.
This video, shot from atop the old bund, shows the above photograph being taken and also indicates the topography near the school]
Bund damage near Kakmari bazar southside approach
[The above video, along with this snap by Debu da, bears testimony of the magnitude of nature's fury faced by these bunds on 25th May 2009. Even after nearly 3 months of restoration work the bund still looks like having been hit by a disaster in very recent past. ]
Kakmari bazar
PAKT discussing with people at Kakmari bazar
Kakmari bazar video 1
Kakmari bazar video 2
On the return journey from Kakmari to distribution point, we met Shri Girindranath Paik and Shri Ajit Kumar Biswas. Both are from Chargheri.
Girindranath Paik is a familiar face at relief distribution (he generally has something to say or some request to make). We met him on the way back and he dragged me to his house. Apparently the water logged lands seen behind the hutments in this snap are land belong to him.
Ajit Kumar Biswas' story is a little intriguing. Ajit is apparently a graduate who has not managed to get a coveted government job. He has a small piece of land and used to cultivate it before Aila. But the returns from his small piece of land were insufficent to support his young . He used to supplement his income by giving tuitions. Even Rabindranath Gayen, the respected primary school teacher of Bidhan Colony that we met during survey at Kakmari bazar, used to be his student. He is apparently well liked by people (certainly by Girindranath Paik) and also does some book keeping for shops. He wished to opt out of the area if he gets a job outside, as both his vocations have stopped now. He stays in a makeshift hutment reconstructed from his damaged mudhut. Like many other families, both he and his wife do menial labour on earthwork related to bund repair these days in order to sustain themselves.
Ajit brought me up to the fact that the dewatering of fields has taken place only at specific areasm lostly near the periphery of the island (we used to see it happen at our distribution point) but many fields in the interiors are still flooded with brackish water. The small sluice gate does not help at all as it prevents effective flushing out of the brackish water in a heavy rainfall.
Critical concern: We have requested assistance from PRISM in order to arrange for alternative crop training in fields damaged by brackish water with an aim to have some vegetables grown on these fields by this winter. We are driving to expedite this training. But the least that is required for some of these farmers we are trying to help is the stagnated brackish water to be removed from their fields. We are talking to people related to administration but we still do not know how to solve that critical first part (i.e. dewatering agricultural lands that are still under water) in our attempt to get these people back on fields.
6th Trip to Chargheri: In pictures and videos
Links to pictures and videos are provided in chronological order:
http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip6PixCellcam#5375446011467016354
[A tentative route sketch of our journey from Sonakhali to Chargheri, also indicating the major landmarks along the route - satellite pic courtesy google maps]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpzl9mLQfyA
[Video: A view of the dyke at Sonakhali 'ghat', and approach to the 'ghat']
http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip6PixCellcam#5375446011467016354
[A tentative route sketch of our journey from Sonakhali to Chargheri, also indicating the major landmarks along the route - satellite pic courtesy google maps]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpzl9mLQfyA
[Video: A view of the dyke at Sonakhali 'ghat', and approach to the 'ghat']
http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip6PixCellcam#5374731255912742002
[Stillpic: Our boat is seen here leaving the Sonakhali ghat after getting loaded with 480 kg of 'kochu' (arum) and 2800 kg rice. We had also taken 150 packets containing 100 gms of soyabean each, meant for each family with a child less than six years. Kaustuv and I stay back at Sonakhali to guide Bappa, the new Sumo driver of this trip, to Gadkhali where the Sumo will be parked.]
Anecdote: Qutub, the boatman, left his assistants to take care the boat and took the trip to Gadkhali with us in the car. I found him closely watching Bappa operating the gears of our Tata Sumo. When I enquired if he (Qutub) wished to learn driving a car by visual inspection, Kaustuv observed that operating a boat had criticalities like knowing exactly about the size of the whole thing and where the tail was going, especially while bringing to the shore. This was enough to open up Qutub, who declared that he could learn driving a car in 2 weeks. We nodded, politely noting that the hard part was to do it at places like Kolkata's Esplanade or Lalbazar at 11 am on a weekday.
Well versed though Qutub might be in operating a much bigger piece of mobile equipment in croc infested waters on the outskirts of tiger territory, he still does not get overtaken in narrow stretches by speeding boats simultaneously on both sides with a few millimeters as clearances....and get a few glares from the left side overtaker for not 'giving way'! Nor is Qutub used to seeing a guy suddenly put a hand up towards him (meaning "please halt"....make it "halt") and nonchalantly cross his path assuming the driver will be able to halt irrespective of speed.
Bappa did not respond to Qutub's comment, but all along the boat trip to Chargheri he too kept watching the operational aspects of Qutub's boat right up to Chargheri. Perhaps he too was finding out a way to learn boating in 15 days...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alyuKWRaSpg
[Video: Approach to the Gadkhali ferry ghat, and a glimpse of the high tide water level]
http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip6PixCellcam#5374731285262063410
[Stillpic: hightide at Gadkhali]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5uQ5gKtu1c
[Video: Boat reaches Gadkhali to pick up Kaustuv and myself. It takes 20-25 minutes from Sonakhali to Gadkhali by road but the boat takes close to an hour]
http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseVI#5373605670229477010
[Stillpic: Dr. Susanta Bhattacharya, also called Santo da, seen here at the top deck of the boat near the sacks of arum]
http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseVI#5373605733636553906
[Stillpic: 2800 kg of rice loaded in our boat.
Disclaimer: the stamp of 'Pather Katha - ATMA - Khelaghar' was included in the soft file - the sack really did not have that stamp, but it is a nice illusion!!]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppmq-5As-W4
[Video: Captain Qutub gets off the boat, letting his assistants complete the balance 85% of the trip!]
http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip6PixCellcam#5374731347832181714 [Stillpic: Purbasha carrying out the rice unloading operation, as is the usual practice on every visit]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZiwIo5Z2-k
[Video: Sanyasi Mandal was one of the trainees to receive Unicef training on ORT solution at Dhamakhali on the 16th of August. He describes the training as 'fruitful' here. Unfortunately the supply of solution from Unicef is yet to materialise.]
http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseVI#5373605807814162738
[Stillpic: This time we noticed that people arriving early had reserved their position in the queue with bags!
http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip6PixCellcam#537544137897241339
[Stillpic: Rice stacked at distribution point ahead of start of distribution]
http://picasaweb.google.com/angshu2909/ChargheriTrip6PixCellcam#5374731414299539314
[Stillpic: Distribution starts, and the cards are out]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUwzkl4qV0U
[Video: Doctor (Santo da) moving to the boat in order to take stock of medicines and to flag off the medical camp]
Annoucement 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRoLTS-n01w
Annoucement 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpOC5QE2I20
Annoucement 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQBGD7Bjn7o
[Video: Kaustuv made 3 sets of annoucement with the megaphone, for which we have added links above.
Announcement 1: Kaustuv shared with the people in the queue the plans of PAKT in the coming weeks - essentially that relief will be stopped after a month;s time, and that each village needs to offer volunteers to carry forward our attempts to rehabilitate them by facilitating various trainings (e,g, training on alternative crops on saline soil, training on other alternative employent options like handicraft.)
Announcement 2: Kaustuv announces that PAKT, mainly through efforts of partner Khelaghar, will look to rehabilitate some families by placing some villagers in hotel jobs across the state.
Announcement 3: The distribution is done at 2 ends of the distribution camp. Some villages are lined up at the North end and some others at the South end. On all previous occasions we found a few cases where people had waited an hour or more at the wrong queue. Kaustuv declares the names of villages that will be covered by each queue.]
http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseVI#5373606290281699698
[Stillpic: Biswajit da and Kausik (my Foster Wheeler colleague who joined the team this week) carry out card checks for the 1st point of distribution]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joDVHeoe3Gk
[Video: Distribution being carried out at 1st point of distribution through card system]
http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseVI#5373606358093988210
[Stillpic: Kaustuv and Saptarshi (not in picture) carry out card checks for the 2nd point of distribution]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItNvl1T9MYQ
[Video: Distribution being carried out at 2nd point of distribution through card system]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkJNMIZhJ9s
[Video: Bappa sets his boating skill development aside and spontaneously joins in to help the distribution]
http://picasaweb.google.com/kaustuvlive/SunderbanAilaReliefWorkPhaseVI#5373606450658531298
[Stillpic: Santo da running the medical camp on Purbasha boat. His marathon sitting would go on till past 6-30 pm]
[Pics and videos related to survey carried out on 6th visit are appended to the earlier post listing subjects attempted to be covered in that survey]
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