I was going through my newsfeed on Monday, October 30, 2023. Plenty of breathtaking images of Kanchenjunga appeared on my screen. Situated in the Himalayas, Kangchenjunga is regarded as one of the world’s top 5 picks. It is located near the Indian and Nepali borders. From Bangladesh, the Kangchenjungha’s pick is visible in the late winter (probably about February) and early winter (last weeks of October to first weeks of November). However, to do this, you must be extremely fortunate and physically present on Tetulia, Ponchogor.
I sent a few of my friends the post. Tanvir Ahmed from IUT, EEE’19, was the only one from them to express interest in going to Ponchogor on Friday. Even though I wasn’t prepared for this last-minute trip, for some reason, I ordered the train tickets for Ponchogor on Friday, November 3rd, without giving it any thought. Subsequently, Abdullah and Abu Noman made the decision to accompany us. There were only five seats available when I bought my tickets, so I advised them to buy as soon as possible.
The day came. That day was “ESONANCE 2023,” and I was preoccupied with the events. The IUT department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering hosts a technological festival called “ESONANCE.” As Deputy Treasurer, I had a lot of work to complete that day. The programme concluded at approximately 8:00 p.m. However, I did my share and left the university at 7:30 p.m. since I had to catch the train from Joydebpur, Gazipur. Abu Noman decided at the last minute not to accompany us on the impromptu excursion. That made three of us in all. Abdullah, Tanvir, and me.
Our train from Joydebpur was scheduled to depart at 9:05 p.m. To get from IUT to Joydebpur station, we rented an auto. We spent about thirty minutes on it. All three of us paid 40/-tk for it. I packed up some breads, eggs, and bananas to eat on the way out of IUT since I hadn’t eaten dinner. The train reached the station belatedly. It was running over 20 minutes behind schedule. As soon as the train arrived at the station, we locate our seats and settle in. There were many people within the compartment. We discovered that several passengers were sitting in other people’s seats while travelling without tickets. As the train gradually picked up speed, we began to travel in the direction of our objective.
The train wasn’t as quick as the ones that run from Dhaka to Chittagong, as I had anticipated. Nearly every station was experiencing stops. The longest pause was around one hour before entering Jamuna Bridge. Vendors, known as hawkers, were peddling food to the passengers inside the compartment. There, Abdullah and I tasted some Chanacur and Jhalmuri. The train crossed the Jamuna Bridge at a very modest speed. I understood why it was crossing the bridge slowly. While travelling across a bridge, the train exerts periodic force. If the vibration frequency approaches the bridge’s inherent frequency, resonance results and the bridge begins to vibrate with a significant amplitude. It might lead to the bridge breaking.
We had an extra spot because Abu Noman was not joining us, and we intended to sell that ticket. We sold the ticket to a woman who came to us looking for it. I was attempting to sleep on the train because the previous few days had been quite busy with work for ESONANCE 2023. I nod off multiple times. We had arrived at Thakurgoan when I finally awoke from the longest slumber of the trip—nearly five in the morning.
I noticed that the train was passing past verdant rice paddies. The fields were filled with golden crops. It was a little chilly outside with a dew fog. Bangladesh’s northeastern region experiences winter first. I rose from my chair and peered out the door. I suddenly remembered my experiences in SSC and HSC. We used to read passages or easy reads from Chowdhury and Hossain’s books on “A Winter Morning” and “A Journey by Train.” A combination of “A Journey by Train on a Winter Morning” caught my attention. The verdant crops were receiving the sun’s golden rays. They had drops of dew on them, and the sun’s rays were bouncing off of them. At that moment, as the train was moving, we snapped a few pictures and movies.
At Thakurgoan station, the train then came to a stop. I took a few pictures from the station. The train then proceeded to Ponchogor Station, the northernmost railway station in Bangladesh. We exited the train with our luggage. We attempted to rent a reserve auto after leaving the station in order to ensure a smooth journey to Ponchogor. Unexpectedly, Sowrav, a stranger from Narayangong, appeared and asked if he might join us. He was one of our two batch seniors. We granted his request and hired an auto for 1200/- tk.
The driver of the car told us that Kangchenjunga was visible from the Mohanonda River bank three times this week, and if we were lucky, we might be able to see it today, albeit it would depend on the weather in both Bangladesh and India. Once more, I nod off in the car. To go have breakfast, Abdullah woke me up in front of a store. The breakfast was not very tasty. The driver of the car performed some repairs to his vehicle from a nearby auto shop while we were eating breakfast. We resumed, and I once more go off to sleep.
When I awoke the following morning, I saw a tea garden on both sides of the street. However, it was in the border on the left, and the Indians owned that tea garden. When the car came to a stop, we got out to discover a border patrol stationed there. The vista was fantastic. By the side of the piller, we shot a few pictures. There were a few drops of dew on the tea leaves, but Kangchenjunga was still hidden from view. We could see a BSF camp from where we were, so our driver warned us not to venture too far into the garden as we would get into problems if we ventured onto their property. Then, we set out for our next target, which was the bank of the Mohanada River, which the Google Map indicates is the viewpoint of Kangchenjunga. We travelled through Tetulia Bazar to reach this location.
We encountered certain local areas as we travelled to the Mohananda River bank. The two most prevalent items in the area were rice paddies and tea gardens. One thing I should note is that Tetulia has fewer drug users than any other place in Bangladesh out of all the areas I visited. Upon my return, I discovered one. Be aware that, as it is a border location, drug smuggling may take place there.
We arrived at the Mohanada bank at around half past twelve. There isn’t much water flow on the river, which is already dead. A group of stone collectors was gathering stones in the river, as we discovered. The locals told me that while the river was remapped in 1971, India now owns it. The river was once owned by Bangladesh. However, the BSF is not preventing the Bangladeshis from gathering stones. From this side of the river, there was a glimpse of a BSF camp shelter. The only BGB camp we could find was near Tetulia’s Banglabandha border. The Indian side had tea gardens. In addition, we saw that a bridge was located quite a distance away from us. The locals refer to it as “Shiliguri Bridge,” even though it’s not. We visited that palace for a while and consumed some of its fruits. We were all filled with hopelessness when there was no trace of Kangchenhunga at that location. We departed and headed for “Tetulia Bak Banglow.”
There was a little park in front of the Dak Banglow, and it also had a Kangchenjunga viewpoint. I could not recall the name of the travel photographer who was using the space for a solo exhibit. There were tourists at the exhibition. I discovered three or four images of Kangchenjunga in that display. We made our way inside the park. There was a two-story building with a view and several children’s play areas. After spending some time there, we left in search of Tetulia Zero Point.
At the Tetulia Zero point, where three routes converge, a large “ZERO” symbol is positioned. We took several photographs there. I didn’t neglect to take photographs, just as Farhan Jovan did in his renowned Banglalink commercial. After that, we made our way to the Banglabandha/Fulbari Land Port. In contrast to Jessore’s Benapole Land Port, this one is less congested. This port is primarily traversed by trucks carrying stones, and anyone wishing to cross the boundary through it must indicate clearance through this port on their visa application. We traversed the Bangladesh frontier after passing through the BGB checkpoint and entered no man’s land. It has come to my attention that while every Indian air and land port features a sizable Indian flag stand, the location in Bangladesh is comparatively smaller. A prominent signboard displayed the distances to Sikkim, Darjeeling, Shiliguri, Nepal, and Bhutan from that location. We also discovered a road sign that indicated the distance between this port and Teknaf, the opposite extremity of Bangladesh.
India’s more picturesque landscapes made me feel a little enraged in comparison to Bangladesh. These regions encompassed verdant mountains and Himalayas. In my opinion, there will be no limitations on the movement of a traveler to any region of the globe. A border should not exist to accommodate trurists. During this time, my companions were engaged in photographic activities alongside the BSF security. While the BSF employee did not lodge a formal complaint, he did request that the content not be shared on social media. Kolkata-born, he was. I counted no more than five or ten individuals traversing this port in the course of an hour. Tourists were transported from the Bangladesh immigration port to the Indian immigration port in a shared automobile, and surprisingly, we did not observe any passengers on the Indian side. It appears that the governing body prohibited their proximity to the boundary.
Our voyage in our auto was nearing its conclusion. We were dropped off at the bus station by the driver, and we subsequently returned to Tetulia Bazar for lunch. Ten minutes were required to arrive at the Bazar. We stayed at a decent hotel, although its food was not particularly impressive. While having lunch, we made the decision to purchase return bus tickets to Dhaka. At that time, the political climate in Bangladesh was less than ideal, so we were somewhat apprehensive. We proceeded to the bus station, where we purchased our tickets. We then dispersed; a man named Sowrav boarded his bus from that location. With our bus scheduled for 6.30 pm, we still possessed a considerable amount of time. After speaking with the station counter manager, he advised us to consider the vicinity of the Tetulia Dak Banglow, where we might be able to locate some delectable desserts.
We hired a van and traveled to Dak Banglow in the expectation that Kangchenjunga might grant us a glimpse. It was, however, the same as before. Despite this, the solo photographer’s exhibition continued. There were more visitors than on our last visit to this location. At that juncture, Tanvir proposed that we visit the Bank of Mohananda in order to witness the setting sun. We re-boarded the identical van and adhered to Tanvir’s recommendation.
We discovered more visitors and a better view of the setting sun than we had in the morning. A woman was observed to be continuing to accumulate stones from the river. An elderly local approached us and began regaling us with anecdotes regarding this palace, including its state prior to the liberation war, the Indian occupation of the entire river on their map, and the most opportune moment to visit the Kangchenjunga, as he perceived it. On certain days, he continued, the Kangchenjunga peaks are visible from Ponchogor for the duration of the day. However, this is contingent on the air quality and climatic conditions in both India and Bangladesh. When I inquired about the rate of border killings in that region, he provided the following account while pointing to a BSF guard stationed on the opposite bank of the river: “They employ instantaneous gunfire, even in the event that a canine or bovine attempts to traverse the border.” However, once, when I was your age, they were on the verge of apprehending me, but I managed to escape.”
As night fell, we revisited Tetulia Bazar and sampled some of the city’s renowned confections once more. We proceeded to the bus counter, where I changed my clothing before boarding the bus. I began gathering the snacks I had purchased prior to boarding the bus while putting on my earbuds. I lost track of time while I slept, but upon awakening, I noticed that the bus was pausing near Rangpur. There, I dined alongside Abdullah. Boarded the shuttle once more. Go to slumber. Traffic obstructed the vehicle as it traversed Jamuna Bridge. It arrived slightly belatedly than scheduled. Some young lads in the vicinity of Mirzapur attempted to damage the bus’s glass by throwing bricks at it. However, the bus driver failed to halt. Every single passenger on the bus was slightly frightened. As soon as we disembarked the bus at IUT, I returned to my room, showered, and then proceeded to take an extended siesta.
Despite the fact that my attempt to see the Kangchenjunga from above was unsuccessful, I will succeed one day. It could be approaching from the border of Bangladesh or from close to Kangchenjunga in India.
ENDS HERE.
asif-ur-rahman@iut-dhaka.edu
zabintazrin@iut-dhaka.edu