‘This is very special'

"Some journeys are more emotional. This is very special."

This is what West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had tweeted before she got on a plane for Dhaka yesterday.

And when she reached Dhaka last night, there was another tweet; a line from a Bangla song describing how famous poets saw this beautiful country.

"Bishwa Kabir Sonar Bangla, Nazrul er Bangladesh, Jibanand er Ruposhi Bangla, Ruper Je Tar Neiko Shesh", she recited.

She said she was looking forward to meeting Hasina and that she had not been to Bangladesh in 17 years.

Mamata is on a three-day visit to Dhaka which raised hope that the Teesta water sharing deal and the Land Boundary Agreement would be settled.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam and Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pankaj Saran received Mamata at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 8:50pm.

Mamata greeted all at the airport saying "Joy Bangla" and mentioned that she felt like she was in her own home. She loves Bangladesh, the chief minister said.

Bangladesh invited Mamata to attend the International Mother Language Day programmes, which commemorate the Language Movement of 1952.

Diplomatic sources in New Delhi and Dhaka said Mamata came to Bangladesh with a "compromise formula" to get a breakthrough in the Teesta river pact.

In her meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina tomorrow, Mamata might suggest the formula to work out the amount of Teesta water to be shared.

If Bangladesh accepted Mamata's proposal, the path for formalisation of the agreements and their implementation would be cleared before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dhaka.

Modi's visit could be in March, diplomatic sources said.

Raising hopes for Teesta deal, Trinamool Congress lawmaker Prof Sugata Bose, in Kolkata said, "Even though, I do not want to prejudge things, but from my understanding, it seems that the Teesta water sharing issue would be discussed between the chief minister and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"We are expecting a positive development in this regard. Noted river expert Kalyan Rudra is now looking after the technicalities of the water sharing."

Prior to departing Kolkata, Mamata, however, declined to comment on the contentious Teesta river pact but was optimistic of a solution to the land boundary accord issue.

"The relation between the two countries is cordial. I will try to act as a bridge in bettering the relation," she said.

Mamata said she would have a one-to-one meeting with Hasina besides calling on Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid (at 4:00pm today).

Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj telephoned Mamata yesterday and expressed good wishes before her visit.

Mamata had earlier opposed the Teesta deal and in September 2011 she backed out of the entourage of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh.

She is accompanied by 39 people, mostly from the state's cultural fraternity. Actor and Ghatal MP Deepak Adhikari Dev, filmmaker Arindam Sil, singer Nachiketa, singer-politician Indranil Sen, actress Moon Moon Sen MP, and poet Subodh Sarkar were with her.

Mamata will visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. She will also attend a reception to be hosted by the high commissioner of India.