The sounds of silence
Raana Haider captures pristine beauty in silent nature
"The deep silence of this immense forest is what first strikes the unwary visitor who comes prepared to be intimidated by the world's largest natural mangrove forest tract. Instead one is mesmerized by its unbelievable tranquility" are the opening words in the moveable feast that is Enayetullah Khan's book, The Bangladesh Sundarbans. Elsewhere, he writes in lyrical language: "In the sheer elemental wilderness characteristic of the Sundarbans, it is not difficult to imagine that there is something mystical in the deep and ancient silence that encompasses the land. The silence resides like a great echo that haunts every rustle of a leaf and every snap of a twig under the unwary tourist's foot. Whether forager, tourist, or hunter armed with rifles, intruders in the forest experience a humbling awe in this silence that punctuates the dangers of the forest." Deeply imprinted in my memory of the Sundarbans is the powerful presence of silence. I heard the sounds of silence and experienced splendid isolation and all the while reminding myself - that this too is Bangladesh! The seemingly never-ending expanse of water and forests is a sight to behold. The nothingness of terrain - for the next tract of land beyond the Bay of Bengal and beyond the Indian Ocean is the Antarctic continent a sobering thought indeed. Within these boundaries of silence, the words of the Swiss philosopher Max Picard posed a century ago came to mind: 'Nothing has changed the nature of man so much as the loss of silence.' And just when one becomes placid, the volatile nature of Nature springs a surprise. Khan observes: "The rainy season is the noisiest time of the year for the Sundarbans, for this is when the tranquility of the forest is broken by the sound of millions of tiny splashes that chorus through the land, as the rain beats down on the waters and thick green foliage of the mangroves…Thunder and lightning rend the air, coming in quick successions as if each were trying to outdo the other in an ancient ritualistic dance through the skies the dance more ritualistic than the forest itself…In the aftermath of the storm, a long frog dares to croak and a few lonely crickets signal the perseverance of life in the Sundarbans; then as the clouds recede, the blood-red setting sun appears and silence dominates once more." It is not only the language of words that speaks of the surrounding silence. A double page visual spread (pgs. 28-29) by Gertrud & Helmut Denzau speaks of lush greenery, a blue sky and white puffs of clouds reflected in the translucent river - all blending into the lost horizon. The label to this ethereal photograph is 'Where silence becomes a beauty of the Sundarbans.' The entire book is replete with photographs whose magnificent visuals form the sensual canvas that so enhances the creatively crafted book. As one reads The Bangladesh Sundarbans, slowly an accompanying thrill sets in while turning the page - which photograph will now prompt the 'wow' response? The unforgettable beauty of the Sundarbans is captured by the Denzaus on pg. 144 in an aerial view of the silvery waterways contrasting with the thick dark green covered forest. As for the aerial pictorial book cover shot, it is one of mesmerizing 'unreal' reality the Sundarbans forest so dense in the sunlight that it appears as a carpet of moss through which meanders an s-shaped river. Such photographs belie the naked eye. Kudos is due to the many photographers whose frames adorn the book. Md.Abdul Aziz of the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB) has (pg. 25) captured the calm creek, sunlit overhanging branches a picture of serenity yet juxtaposed it with pneumatophores (needle-like roots that spike out of the muddy flats) and constitute the lungs of the mangrove plants. The photograph speaks of the Sundarbans serenity that is punctuated with elements of harshness. Animals and birds are frozen in time for our delight. Monirul Khan's shot of the Spotted Deer (pg. 10) captures six of them in pose. The Brown-winged Kingfisher' (pg. 39) by Sayam U. Chowdhury is a full-page master portrait. And I could go on. Most of us have never caught a glimpse of the 'stripes in the grass.' A consolation prize is the powerful portrait by Gertrud and Helmut Denzau (pg. 3) of the regal and fearless king of the Sundarbans. Framed in a backdrop maze of twigs, branches and leaves is a hauntingly magnificent visual of the Royal Bengal Tiger, "the top predator and …the umbrella species for the Sundarbans Reserve Forest." The conservation guidelines 'The Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan (BTAP) (2009-2017) outlines the structured approach to long-term conservation of tigers in Bangladesh. The tiger and its principal prey the spotted deer are threatened by poachers, smugglers and natural resource collectors which include fishermen, wood collectors, honey collectors and golpata (palm leaf) collectors. In the delicate eco-system balance, Man and Beast battle for survival. According to BTAP reports, "up to three tigers are killed each year by human-tiger conflicts. On the other hand, an average of 20 to 30 people are killed each year…This human-tiger conflict creates negative attitudes in local communities towards, tigers, making conservation of tigers and SRF difficult." I need to dispel any notion that The Bangladesh Sundarbans is some romanticized visual documentation. Hard facts and figures feature throughout as do maps and graphs. A Foreword by Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2006, graces the book. The counter page is a unique water colour by Bangladesh master painter Qamrul Hassan (1921-1988) of the Bengal Tiger (1977). Accorded recognition as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, the Sundarbans Forest Reserve with its huge national biodiversity is a natural ecological barrier against cyclonic impact and tidal surges. "During the last century, 17 disastrous cyclones struck the area along the Sundarbans. But due to the vast expanse of the Sundarbans forest, those storms could not cause much damage to the coastal habitations." Its deep reach is evident from the information that "The northern periphery of the Sundarbans is about 50-60 km. away from the sea face of the Bay of Bengal." A reference to Sundarbans was made by Walter Hamilton in his pioneering work a geographical dictionary which appeared in the East India Gazetteer in 1815. In the late eighteenth century, the Sundarbans included areas of present-day Kolkata. Noteworthy is the fact that "The Sundarbans mangrove forest occupies 4.2 percent of the total area of Bangladesh and takes up a staggering 44 percent of the total forest cover in the country…Often described as 'rainforests by the sea', the mangroves are estimated to cover an area of 22 million hectares." Imbalances within the natural habitat have contributed to the shrinking of the "population of the forest and a consequent thinning of the forest." On its topography, we are told: "The Sundarbans is a deltaic swamp formed by …millions of metric tons of sediments by the river systems weaving the Sundarbans Reserve Forest…the Sundarbans comprises an extensive flat, coastal and deltaic land formed by the confluence of three mighty rivers: the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna…Nearly 450 rivers of various sizes occupy about 30 percent of the Sundarbans…The freshwater flow in these rivers decreases during the dry season when there is a massive incursion of saline water…The soil is a deep alluvium silt of clay loam, rich in nutrients, but unsuitable for cultivation and human settlement.." Yet "about four million people who live nearby derive part of their subsistence extracting resources…Forest officials claim that some 50,000 people from around the neighbouring localities and districts enter the forest everyday for their livelihood." Over-harvesting of fishery resources has reached dangerous levels. "40,000-70,000 fishing boats operating in the SRGF for fishing…huge quantity of non-target aquatic species is being destructed by both permitted and non-permitted extraction of fishery resources in the waters of Sundarbans…About 80 percent of the shrimp fry sold in the country is collected from the rivers of the Sundarbans and the adjacent sea." While a moored fishing boat depicts a picture of serenity, the fisherman ekes out a living in precarious conditions. Sundarbans dwellers have faith in Banbibi, other deities and spirits that offer protection from the harsh elements and predators. For things created by God For the Sundarbans God created the Royal Bengal Tiger Whose eye Keeps the world in awe. For the singer God created Her voice. For the poet His words. For Bangladesh The Sundarbans. What happens to the singer Who loses her voice? What happens to the poet who loses his words? Bangladesh take care Of the Sundarbans. The British poet laureate Ted Hughes wrote the poem during his visit to the Sundarbans on 22 November, 1989. It appears in Enayetullah Khan's book - a heartfelt homage to the Sundarbans. It would be wise to heed the clarion call.
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