First got the news from Rabi’s tea stall at Ramnagar Bazar in my village, Kachukhali.  Everyone is saying, "A very contagious disease of China called 'Corona' has spread to America. Many people in that country have lost their lives.” The disease has spread in this country from the people coming from there. The older ones are dying in bed by getting a little cold, cough, or fever. In our country, this disease has spread everywhere in Delhi, Mumbai and Tamil Nadu. Many people in and around Kolkata have contracted this disease. Lockdown is declared in many places on that side. There is also a chance of lockdown on this side. Cars and carriages, ferry, auto, van - all modes of transport will be restricted. People on this side will not be able to visit that side. People from that side will be unable to come here too. The shopkeeper's words made me feel very scared. On this side, every year the flood breaks the embankment and the saltwater makes widespread damage to paddy crops. After this, if the pandemic enters Badaban, then there will be no limit to that disaster.
All the old memories are coming to my mind. Father, uncle, and grandfather lost the land of East Bengal, and moving to the other side of the Raimangal, they cut the forest of Parghumti and took this land. Then, at the time of cultivation of the islands next to Mr. Hamilton’s area, we moved to the village of Kachukhali which is on the west bank of the Raimangal. Father and uncle cut the Layek forest and took the land of Kachukhali. Besides, in the early days of this cultivation, paddy could not be reaped by plowing for the deep roots. For this reason, the land had to be cultivated after uprooting the roots of the trees by digging holes with spades and shovels. Therefore, my father and uncle became zamindar's ‘root lifter’ tenants. At that time, the steward and deputy agents of the zamindar were supervising the cultivable lands and fields in the zamindar's area. In every area, beldar and tenants were in charge of supervising the embankments. During the high tide of the new moon and full moon, everyone pays attention to prevent the breakage of river embankment. When the Zamindari system was abolished, the West Bengal Government took the charge of the canals and embankments. The government contractors were not concerned about strengthening the embankment construction work for more profit. For this reason, in the high tide of the month of Bhadra-Ashwin, the saltwater encroachment makes a lot of damage to paddy fields by breaking the embankments. In many areas of our village, river- alluviums were washed away by the heavy embankment breakage. To prevent soil erosion, ring-embankments were built by taking the Ryotland. Sometimes, cages and pilings are utilized to mitigate this erosion. In cultivable areas, the condition of the Ryats is not good. Only one crop is cultivated yearly in this land. If paddy is cultivated in one year, for the saltwater no cultivation is noticed in the following year. I heard from my father that during the famine of 1943, no one was able to harvest paddy in Sundarban. Father and uncles went together to East Bengal with a boat to harvest paddy. At that time, there was a high production of paddy in Barishal, Khulna district. The boat sank in the Raimangal river while returning with paddy. Father and uncles swam to the shore and saved their lives. Then, they had to save the family members by feeding them the roots and grains of waterlilies. Father and uncles are eight brothers. It was a large family. Due to extreme scarcity, coming to this Kachukhali village, we had to produce salt to run the family. I heard from my mother that saltwater and salt dust used to be stored in a large salt house. Then, the condensed salt water was boiled in a large pan for salt preparation. There was plenty of wood in the then Badaban. These logs of woods were used as fuels for salt preparation. My father used to sell the Goran wood charcoal to buy rice and pulses. In this way, in the countries of trees and woods, our lives were going through ups and downs. There was no school in the village. I went to a ‘pathshala’. Then, crossing the embankment, I went to Taranagar School in Molla Khali. I had to study through considerable hardship by pushing the beds' tenacious mud on the bar of the embankments. In rural areas, the ‘hat’ (Bazar) sits on only one day a week. So, we had to cross the river embankments to visit Saheb Lat’s hut in Molla Khali. There was no way for cycling in this village. For that, there was no bicycle. We had to travel to the main business areas of the village like Gosaba, Molla Khali, Beltali, Basanti by foot or boat. Gosaba is seven miles away my house. We used to go out in the morning and come back home on foot by one o'clock at noon. In this village, everyone has mud houses made of Goran's pole, bamboo canopies, and thatched fences. When there was a violent storm, the river embankments would be submerged in saltwater and the wall of the mud houses would be collapsed. What a terrible danger! I can still remember the terrible tropical cyclone of the night of 1978. It seemed like the houses would collapse in the severe storm. I was running towards the river embankment. The embankment collapsed and water was encroaching the house with a high speed. Coming to the riverside, I noticed water of the high tide had overflowed by breaking the embankments in some places. There was a very chaotic situation all around.
In the morning, the news came that the embankment of the Suez gate, that used to drain the river water from the area, was broken and the canals, billabongs, and fields were all submerged. Saltwater rises in the paddy fields during the high tide. At low tide, it goes down again. A week later, the cement roads and embankments were repaired by embedding the soil. At that time, all the paddy crops were damaged in the field. We had to save our lives by eating ration flour and grains. Then again, the strong cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in 1986 and the tidal wave caused a lot of damage to my cultivable island. Cultivation was stopped in this village for saltwater. Some villagers went to work in Tamil Nadu, Andaman, and Andhra Pradesh due to poverty. They had to go out like this to survive between the conditions and disputes. The damage caused by the cyclone Aila of 2009 in the Sundarbans was much higher. Due to strong flow tide and the rise of sea level, the river embankments broke and saltwater encroached upon the paddy field. Most of the mud houses in the village were collapsed. Flood victims had to take shelter in river embankment areas. During this time, the construction of a concrete embankment was planned with the assurance of the Central Government. Various non-governmental organizations in the village extended a helping hand with food items to the starving people affected by the storm. In collaboration with the government, doctors visited the flood-hit areas to examine the patients and distributed medicines. Earlier, chili, watermelon, and sunflower were cultivated in the Sundarbans areas after harvesting in winter. After the Aila, these crops are no longer growing as the salinity of the soil has increased due to saltwater intrusion into the land.
Unemployed boys in this village have nothing to do. Some fishermen, honey collectors, crab catchers enter Badaban to collect fish, honey, and crab. However, the legal permission to enter the forest has to be bought at a higher price from the B.Sc. fish storekeeper. Because the government passes are no longer issued at this time, all old passes are stored to these storekeepers. Besides, these fishermen, honey hunters, and crab catchers will not get insurance or any government compensation if they enter the forest without legal permission and lose their lives by tiger attacks. Sundarbans’ crabs are exported abroad. That is why the price of the crab is so high. However, tiger attack is most prominent when it comes to catching crabs in Badaban. Thus, the unemployed boys of the village have moved to work in Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman without involving in the dangerous forest work. My uncle's grandson also moved to the Andaman to work as his cousin’s land share was reduced. All the servants Hari, Panchu, and Supod who worked in my house have gone to Andamans. My maternal uncle’s daughter and son-in-law work in a T-Shirt factory in Tamil Nadu. In my village, all those who used to work on the fields and farms have moved to work abroad. The others, who could not leave their families and are unable to work outside, do small jobs inside the village. At this time, in the fisheries of these areas of Sarberia, Chital, and Nazat, there is a great demand for shrimps and small carps. The sons and daughters-in-law of this village take nylon mosquito nets and catch the small shrimps and crabs during the high tide at the canals. But, in this way, the danger of the river gradually increases. The piled-up sand on the bank is being washed away for the regular movement of the people while collecting the shrimps. As a result, the tendency of soil erosion is gradually increasing. On the other hand, silt is also accumulating in the river. Due to the decrease in the water holding capacity of the river, salt water is entering the paddy fields by breaking the embankment at the high tide. Shrimp catching cannot be stopped if these needy fishermen of the village are not provided with an alternative way of income.
By the spread of the deadly coronavirus in March 2020, we, the people of the Sundarbans were horrified. There is no hospital near the village. These rural hospitals of Gosaba, Molla Khali are unable to provide general disease services. We have to rush to the sub-divisional hospitals in the areas of Canning, Basirhat to get services for major diseases. If such a deadly virus like corona spread out in such a marginal village, how will we survive! – This thought is ingrained in everyone’s mind. News is coming from all around that this pandemic is spreading all over India. The people, who went to work in different provinces of the country from Sundarbans, are saying that their factories are closed. They are not allowed to stay in the houses as they are unable to pay the rent. Lockdown has been announced all around. Train and bus services are restricted. Along with other migrant workers from various areas, our village boys, who moved to work abroad, have been forced to walk a long way. Many of the villagers went to work with their wives and sons. In this way, they have also taken this path after enduring indescribable hardship. Many (of them) had to walk on the streets carrying their small children on shoulders, laps, or on wheeled bags. These migrant workers had been walking along the rail tracks. This time, many workers are crushed to death by the sudden arrival of a fast-moving goods train. The government, elected by the people, is not concerned about these workers. And the neglected Dalit people in the Sundarbans are deprived of governmental facilities and opportunities. Here, the electric machine is used for the construction of the river embankment. They are not allowed to participate in various construction works of the village roads. Flood centers have been set up in every panchayat area in the village. Kolkata’s renowned contractors with other outsiders have built huge constructions. The ferry crossing the village was also restricted due to the sudden COVID-19 lockdown. Migrant workers from the Sundarbans, who were working outside, have returned to the village after enduring hardship. However, according to the norms they had to stay in quarantine at the village school for fourteen days due to prevent virus infection in the village. Even though they were able to return home, they did not have any money because the factory was closed for this COVID. The savings was already finished on the way to returning home. In the meantime, the bad news came that lockdown had been declared in Gosaba market. A few corona cases have been found here. From different parts of the Sundarbans, bad news has started coming. In the business areas of Hingalganj block, Sahebkhali, Dulduli, Sandeshkhali block, Dhamakhali, Tushkhali and Nazat, the corona has spread. In Molla Khali, one had died in this pandemic. Lockdown has also been announced in Molla Khali market. Workers, who returned home, are being forced to go to the forest due to extreme scarcity. Along with two other villagers, Tapan, Haren (name changed) of Molla Khali had entered the forest near the embankment area to catch crabs without any pass. At this time, Haren was suddenly attacked by a tiger. When the tiger took him into the deep forest, his companions could not rescue his body. Later, the villagers went and recovered the headless body from the main forest and brought it home. Haren and his companions went to Badaban without any pass. If the forest department comes to know about the fact, they will be jailed and fined. That is why Haren’s body was cremated in the banana forest. The needy people in the areas of Satjelia, Kakamari, Lahiripur, Kumirmari lost their lives due to a tiger attack while collecting honey and catching crabs. Bapi Mondal of Kalidaspur, a village near the forest, told me “Dada, tiger infestation has increased in Badaban during this lockdown. When the boat enters the river canal, the tiger approaches and jumps over it. While searching for the body in the main forest, they have to bring the dead without the head”. In every month of the 2020 COVID lockdown, three to four crab-catchers and fishermen in the Sundarbans were attacked by tigers. Tourists have stopped coming to Sundarbans during this lockdown. That is why the local boys and girls who provide services to tourists have become unemployed. In the midst of this deadly contagious disease, the tropical cyclone Amphan has appeared. In the month of April, due to strong storms and tidal surges, the river embankment was damaged and saltwater entered many areas of the Sundarbans. Three areas in my village were flooded due to this damaged embankment. Relief suppliers were distributed to the affected areas with the help of government and non-government organizations. Due to the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, Durga Puja had to be organized with minimum splendour in the Sundarbans area. In February, March of 2021, the covid cases decreased. At this time, the procedures for COVID-19 vaccinations have been made in Sundarbans areas. In April, May, the second wave of COVID hit the country hard. Migrant workers were able to return to the country as the train was running. Then when the large-scale outbreak of the pandemic happened, the lockdown was announced and all the train and bus services have stopped. Then another danger approached in Sundarbans. The Meteorological Department has announced that a severe cyclone Yaas will hit the Sundarbans in the month of May. Every village is warned beforehand by the government administrative department. Every family of the mud houses was taken to the nearest flood center. Due to low pressure, the landfall of the tropical cyclone causes devastating damage in the areas of Digha, Sagar Island, Mousuni Island, Kakdwip, Namkhana, Gosaba, Kumirmari, Molla Khali, Kachukhali, Hingalganj block and Sandeshkhali block. It was very risky to give out relief supplies to the areas due to the pandemic and lockdown. However, through the government and non-government initiatives, the relief supplies were delivered to the affected people. In the meantime, the news came that in Satjelia, the husband and wife had entered the forest of Pirkhali with two boats to catch crabs and the unfortunate wife was attacked by a tiger. After being hit by her husband’s stick, the tiger left without his hunt. However, his wife could not be saved. In the midst of severe damage due to the storm when the tiger-attacked body was brought to the village, a sympathetic atmosphere was created. The neighbours collectively expressed their sympathy.  On the following day, it was heart-breaking to notice the picture of this incident in the newspaper. In the sixties and seventies, fishermen, honey-hunters, woodcutters, and crab catchers used to enter Badaban in a group. The tiger was afraid to come near these fishermen and crab catchers for having more people in a group. That is why the number of tiger-attack at that time was less than now. In the present decade, fishermen and honey hunters enter the forest with a few people for more profit and carry out their activities without maintaining the rules of the forest. That is why the tiger attacks are increasing. I got to know this information from experienced honey-hunters and crab-catchers.
Due to global warming, the level of seawater is rising and cyclones are occurring in the Bay of Bengal every year. These terrible storms are hitting the Sundarbans areas. In Sundarbans, the mangroves Goma, Goran, Bain, Gorjon have the power to prevent violent storms and tidal surges. However, due to political reasons, river-side mangroves are destroyed for making space for fisheries and fishing banks. For this, river embankments are being damaged by tidal surges. Besides, the rivers of the Sundarbans require floodplains to expand the tidal waters. People are living around the bank areas of the cultivable island in the Sundarbans. Gherpara of my village is such a colony enclosing bank area. As a result, silt brought by the high tide cannot gather in the floodplain of the river but is restored in the heart of the river. As a result, some areas are flooded by the tidal wave due to the shallowness of the river. And, thus the navigability of the river is decreasing due to the accumulation of silt in the core of the river. Silt is raised in the mid of the river. The area on the other side of the river is being damaged by heavy erosion. Therefore, the concrete embankment, planned during the Aila, in the Sundarbans area is not the permanent solution to the problem. The floodplain of the river will have to be increased by acquiring the island and pushing back the embankment. Again, to the marginalized people of Sundarbans, the corona pandemic has caused great damage to the socio-economic condition of the area. The old folk festivals and folk culture of the fishermen and honey hunters of the Sundarbans areas are on the verge of extinction. All of these local cultures have been strongly affected by the pandemic. Earlier, while entering Badaban to collect fish, crab, honey,the fishermen, crab catchers, and honey hunters used to start their journey by offering puja at Bonbibi and Dakshin Rai’s place. Now, they do not follow these rules. Earlier, shamans and sorcerers used to perform 'fire', 'khilen', 'tara' to get rid of tiger and crocodile attacks in Badaban. And if these animals would attack in the forest everyone would jump in to extend their hands and bring the companion back from the tiger's mouth. Now, these mantras are not used before entering the forest. Now, a few people enter Badaban for more profit and fall in danger. Today’s young fishermen and honey hunters do not believe in these old tiger-chasing mantras. But, the tiger attack on the people, who have entered the forest, has not decreased. Rather, it has increased rapidly. And now on the first day of Magha, the worship of the folk goddess of the area Bonbibi and Dakshin Rai, is not performed as pompously as before. The splendour of the festivals in Sundarbans on Chaitra such as Balagan, Gajon, Doul has diminished.
The socio-economic condition of the marginalized people in the Sundarbans has been miserable due to these two waves of the pandemic and the devastating impact of Amphan, Bulbul, and Yaas. People, who have lost their jobs in this miserable environment of Corona are rapidly moving to the city. While the third wave of the pandemic will hit the Sundarbans again, there is considerable doubt on how the current inadequate medical infrastructure will manage to cure this deadly disease.