JHARGRAM: One can easily miss the small blue board giving direction to 'Khandarani' off the Jhargram-Purulia State Highway 5. A red unpaved road winding through clearings of forest lead us to Khandarani village, a non-descriptive tribal village in Jangalmahal area in West Bengal that has been proactive in protecting its seasonal 'guests' since the last 15 years.
However, it does not want any limelight fearing that would attract more tourists, who have no regards for the sentiments of the villagers.
Though the largely illiterate Munda tribal residents of Khandarani village in Binpur near the West Bengal-Jharkhand border do not know where its seasonal guests -- migratory birds -- come from, the overwhelming responsibility to conserve the 'winter guests' has enabled the village elders to impose a complete ban on hunting the birds. "We only know that the birds come from the northeast direction and are not found anywhere near. However, as they are our guests for the winter months, it is our duty to protect them. Hence, no villager hunts any migratory bird," said Choto Munda, a resident of Khandarani village. "Since, we constructed the check dam in our village some 15 years ago, the birds come every year. There are many varities of birds with huge wings and big beaks but they are very shy. A few weeks later more birds will come. The entire reservoir and the surrounding hillocks will be full of these birds," he added.
The attraction of bird-watching in the pristine natural setting also brings several tourists from bigger towns and cities such as Jhargram, Kharagpur and even Kolkata. Though the West Bengal government is attempting to make the area a tourist spot, residents are not at all happy. "The tourists come in big cars and buses on Borodin (Christmas) and New Year, dirty our village and return. Neither do they have anything to buy from us nor do we have anything to sell to them. Some even throw stones at the birds. That is not acceptable in our village," Chunibala Munda said.
"One good thing the government has done is constructing two toilets under Nirmal Bangla Mission (West Bengal subsidiary project of Swacch Bharat Mission). Otherwise after the festive period, the entire area would be pockmarked with human faeces left by our visitors," said Ragunath Munda.
Ornithologist Shankar Ghosh says most of the migratory birds are from Siberian plains in Russia, where frozen climate during winter force the birds to migrate south. "The migratory birds not only go to fixed destinations, they even scout for newer ones. Khandarani reservoir and surrounding hills was apt to for the Siberian birds' winter home. Most come out to bask in the sun from 11 pm to 2 pm. That is the peak time for bird-watching," he said. "The villagers have have taken the key initiative to protect the migratory birds.They don't hurt the birds not let anyone hurt them. It's an amazing bond," he added.
