Plan a Visit to Henry's Island

chillibreeze writer — Saumitra Dattagupta

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It was another summer day in the late nineteenth century. Andrew Frazer, the Lt. General of Bengal was a man dejected. On his maiden hunting trip to the Sunderbans, he failed even to sight the elusive Royal Bengal Tiger. Instead, it was the heat and grime of the forest that made him tired. Longing for a whiff of cool air, he came upon the coastal village of Narayanitala where he watched a spectacular sunset by the sea.

Standing on the flat and hard silvery sand beach, he was mesmerised by the green casuarinas forming a picturesque backdrop to the turquoise blue waters. A romantic, the beauty flowered within him a vision to create. Andrew Frazer returned to build and Narayanitala was rechristened Frazerganj. Today, only the name and the ruins of his mansion remain, a legacy to the colonial past and of a dream short lived.

This locale is part of the vast Ganges-Brahmaputra delta with its maze of waterways and conglomeration of islands. With diverse landscapes and vegetation, the area supports one of the largest mangrove forests in the world. With 50 varieties of mangroves and a unique tiger habitat, the Sunderbans region has also been identified as a World Heritage Site by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Hugging the western boundary of the greater Sunderbans region, and dotting a south-end corner of the ‘Mouths of the Ganges’, is this little known paradise called Henry’s Island. Some 2 kilometres by beach-walk or 5 kilometres over good roads from Frazerganj, the island belonged to Andrew Frazer. He is believed to have built a hunting lodge in the middle of a forest. Interestingly however, the island took its name from another Englishman, one Mr. Henry who possibly worked as a surveyor.

In the mid-eighties, the Government Fisheries Department took over and turned Henry’s Island into a successful eco-tourism project. This established a strong bondage between man and nature, by which the natural environment is protected by the very people who live by it. As a result, this huge area with restricted access remains safe for tourists and makes the beach ideal for sunbathers.

Bernard Road is a kilometre of narrow lane connecting Henry’s Island with the highway to Kolkata. Cross a creek and step into the 600 hectare Henry’s Island where small gardens fronting the budget lodge ‘Mangrove Retreat’ greets visitors. The brick-paved lane gets narrower, as it weaves around fish culture pools, small clusters of forests and a simple yet picturesque landscape. It is the birds and pristine nature that welcome visitors to the Sundari Tourist Complex and beyond.

Simply breathtaking is the panorama, when seen from the ‘view tower’ of Sundari Tourist Complex. Standing at an elevation of fifty feet, the viewing pavilion provides an opportunity to feast on a riot of colours from a rising sun or the magnitude of a setting sky.

A track runs south towards the sea. On the east are mostly water bodies, and then the forests take over.

The west is a green, as evergreen as it could be. So dense is the forest that the canopy looks like a carpet with only a serpentine creek emptying itself at the bay.

Down below and on ground, the road south narrows down as it cuts through a composition of ‘tidal’ forest and ‘beach’ forest. The pathway leads to a primitive but safe foot bridge fashioned out of bamboos. Across the creek comes a change in vegetation. On both sides are low lying marshy lands with a variety of algae, fungi and phytoplankton that become visible when tidal waters recede.

A little ahead stands a wall of beach forest hugging low sand dunes. It is at a small clearing that the pathway ends. In front are emptiness and the wide blue sea. And a beach that is wide and flat, adorned with silvery sands.

‘Kiran Sea Beach’ is some 500 metres from Sundari Tourist Complex, and more than 2 Kilometres from where ‘Mangrove Retreat’ welcomes a visitor to Henry’s Island. The beach can boast to be truly exclusive. It is difficult to find a body in sight, whether of a man, a machine, or any other mammal. The solitude of this remote expanse has a unique soporific quality, cajoling one to remain alone with nature.

The beach in particular, and Henry’s Island as a whole, is generally safe for visitors. Around 100 hectares are taken up by 40 fish culture pools which require constant guarding. Additionally, because of successful implementation of ‘eco-tourism’ the villagers co-operate to keep the area safe. And there is no admission without permission.

However, one must carry a powerful torch. These are wild areas and adequate caution must be exercised. No tigers though, varieties of fishing cats, wild boar, spotted deer and rhesus monkey are found in the jungles, along with lizards, turtles and snakes. Water birds like the stork, ibis, greater adjutant and the kingfisher flock to fish culture pools. Marsh birds like egrets and herons are found near the flats. Fishing eagles, ospreys and peregrine falcons prefer forests and creeks as their stalking grounds.

Take consent from the manager of Sundari Tourist Complex and spend a ‘full moon’ evening on the beach. Arrange for a mattress and request him to serve piping hot tea with fresh prawn fritters. Gaze at the night sky in wonder. Let the child within recite ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star’. There is no one to pry other than the red fiddler crabs dotting the shore. Pack up before high tide. ‘Diurnal tidal flow’ is a distinctive feature of these deltaic coastal lands, and the average rise and fall of tidal waters can exceed 2 metres.

This tidal phenomenon dries up a creek completely during low tide, making them navigable at high tide. Henry’s Island fortunately retains a large forest cover of tropical mangroves along with many creeks, where visitors can have a feel of the Sunderbans, sans the fear of a tiger. Unlike the neighbouring Sunderbans, boat trips in these forests are permitted. A country boat trip to the ‘mohona’- a place where river meets the sea, takes 2 hours and just Rupees Four Hundred. Two locals make up the crew. The one in front handles a tiller, as the boatman astern pulls the oar.

The slow movement of the boat enables one to seek, and see the rich marine and birdlife. These innocuous creeks are spawning ground for 90 species of fish, 48 species of crabs, and a large variety of molluscs. And there are a variety of mangrove trees, on creeks so narrow, that the foliage has to be removed with bare hands to make way.

For more adventure, motorised launches are available on hire for Bhagabatpur Crocodile Sanctuary, or the densely forested Jambudwip which is nearer. Then there is the sea resort of ‘Bakkhali’, which draws budget tourists all year round. In fact, Frazerganj and Bakkhali have developed like twin towns naturally forming into one continuous locality.

Only 130 Kilometres from Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, and the best season to visit Henry’s Island is between November and March. It is preferable to hire a car for the tedious journey. It takes more than 4 hours, with an early morning or a mid-afternoon drive helping to avoid the crowd at market places.

At Henry’s Island entry point, the rustic ‘Mangrove Retreat’ provides simple accommodation. Most suitable is the spacious single room air-conditioned bungalow, with an over-hanging balcony that fronts a large pond. At Rs.1500 per night it is a steal. Nearer to the shore, adjoining the mangrove forests and fish culture pools, the un-imaginative but comfortable ‘Sundari Tourist Complex’ should be a preferred place of stay. It provides 2 air-conditioned rooms @ Rs.800, and 6 normal rooms at Rs.600.

Freshly procured food, like fresh flowers has a charm of their own. They stimulate a gourmet’s sensory delights. These ‘fresh from the garden’ vegetables, with prawns and fishes netted from the surrounding ponds, radically better the taste of all preparations. A vegetarian meal costs Rs.30, a plate of chicken is priced at Rs.30, and prawn curries are available for Rs.50. Mustard oil is the favourite cooking medium.

Add-ons are my hospitable countrymen, unknown and unsung, working relentlessly to make India an incredible destination.

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Saumitra writes for chillibreeze.

Plan a Visit to Henry's Island

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