Kamarpukur as I see it…

Kamarpukur as I see it…

This quaint town in Hooghly district of rural Bengal is frequented by followers and admirers of the Ramakrishna Vivekananda movement from all over the world round the year. Sri Ramakrishna, the great saint was born here as Gadhadhar Chattopadhyay in the 19^th Century. His birthplace, a husking pedal shed has been turned into a beautiful temple designed by the famous artist Sri Nandalal Bose. I fail to exactly recount the number of times I have visited holy Kamarpukur until now since I was a child. The personal emotions attached to such visits have been extremely beautiful and has seemingly intensified with age.

A walking tour across the village reminiscing the divine life of beloved Thakur has given me an immense pleasure always. However for anyone else apart from those who find interest in Sri Ramakrishna, this beautiful country side has a lot to offer as well.  First and foremost is the simple yet beautiful lifestyle still prevalent here. The locals are hospitable and warm in general. Lily ponds, quacking ducks and ducklings will welcome you as you intend to walk and explore the area. If you wish to take a dip in the famous Haldar Pukur, the fishes there would gleefully greet you with a free of charge fish spa! You can take your time to visit the village Anur at a little distance from Kamarpukur and stand amidst the green paddy fields glancing towards the sky contemplating how little Gadai (Sri Ramakrishna’s childhood name) was divinely awestruck as he came across a flock of white birds, probably egrets, that flew across the backdrop of a dark overcast sky during one of his visits to a local temple there. As you happen to reach the Bishalakshi Temple in the village, you will find locals sitting under the shades of a Banyan trees adjacent to a recently built temple of an age old pilgrimage. Small terracotta horses, a tradition by local women who visit this place from surrounding villages and offer such horses to the presiding deity, is to be found in plenty there. A water lily pond just beside the temple brimming with beautiful lilies makes for a wonderful landscape. Evenings at the Laha Bajar Bust stop will be unfulfilled if you fail to try the fried snack Aloor Chop from the joint nearby. The Pynes are ancient residents of Kamarpukur from the times of Sri Ramakrishna’s childhood days and their simple yet beautiful two storeyed mud house makes for a great experience if you happen to drop down on one fine afternoon. Also a must visit is a traditional basic school of the earlier times locally known as the Paathshala that an unwilling Gadai used to attend as a child. A tinned roof top with several supporting wooden pillars beneath the structure makes for a unique example of how a country school used to be. I suppose it was a thatched roof earlier which was later changed to tin. There is a temple compound of the Lahas who were a well to do family of the area, behind this Paathshala. An age old Durga Puja is still performed there every year in the Bengali month of Ashwin.  The cremation ground Bhutir Khal no longer preserves the forested look that it once happened to be. While you return, do not forget to carry along with you, some local sweets particularly the whitish "Bondey" that is found there. Ox Carts carrying hay pass by while you leave this town behind and head home.