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At first glance, Sonajhuri looks like a giant geological jigsaw puzzle waiting for a few more pieces to be properly put in place. The next minute it metamorphoses into the thin line where three diametrically different worlds ? a fecund forest, a land worked by wind and water and Santhali settlements ? embrace each other.
The Sonajhuri tree, that grows in profusion in the jungle, has given the place the sobriquet, which otherwise is popularly known as Ballabhpur, famous for its deer park.
It takes around 10 minutes from Bolpur station by private car on hire or auto and 30 minutes by rickshaw to get there. Past Pratichi, Amartya Sen?s house, the road forks right and right again to Ballabhpur Sanctuary, home to 200 ?friendly? deer and numerous birds.
It?s a pleasant place to be and the fact that these woods are off-limits to carnivores, proof of which can be found in the gleefully multiplying deer, makes it safe by forest standards.
Egrets, pintails and teals make a lake within the park premises their home each winter. The lake also has several freshwater turtles that can be seen tanning themselves on the banks during the colder months.
A watch tower, to view the feathered guests without disturbing them, and thoughtfully-made seats in the deepest recesses of the forest allow the explorers on the trail of the not-so-elusive deer to take it easy.
Just beyond the barbed wire fence that keeps the deer from straying runs a deep canal marking the end of the world of profusion.
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A few metres beyond the canal, the trees give way to harsh landscape dominated by ravines and intricate networks of gullies, clawed into existence by wind and water. The few trees that have managed to withstand the painful changes inflicted upon this land hang on precariously. Their protruding finger-like roots curl into the soil in a desperate bid to cling to the precious bits of earth spared by the forces of nature.
A walk through this seemingly bewitched land is enchanting, as the dots on the horizon magically transform themselves into clusters of tribal hutments.
Impeccably maintained mud houses, their outer walls painted in the gaudiest of colours and adorned with sights that might have existed at a time much before the assault of wind and water, they exude an inviting warmth.
The residents, too, are equally friendly, ready to share stories and a meal, any time of day. It only takes such a place and such people to help one rediscover the joys of living.
How to go?.
Santiniketan Express, Intercity Express or Ganadevata Express or Viswabharati Fast Passenger to Bolpur. Car, auto or rickshaw from there.
Where to stay...
Park Guest House (Ph 03463-262866) A single-bed room costs Rs 250, double deluxe Rs 350, while an airconditioned double-bed room costs Rs 600. Air-conditioned suite comes for Rs 850.
