A risky river journey near East Pakistan

The steamer had a restaurant and comfortable arrangements for the convenience of passengers.

Calcutta-bound trains leaving the northeast would, in the early sixties, run up to a station called Khejuriaghat on the northern bank of the Ganges, from where passengers would cross the river by the railway steamer and reach the other station on the opposite bank. The steamer had a restaurant and comfortable arrangements for the convenience of passengers. It would not leave the river bank until the last passenger alighting the train boarded it. After it reached the opposite bank, passengers would disembark and catch their connecting trains to Calcutta. 

One day, after reaching Khejuriaghat by train from Siliguri, I decided to cross the Ganges by a small boat instead of by the steamer since I had not reserved a seat in the link-train to Calcutta. A handful of other passengers from Khejuriaghat also joined me in ferrying by boat to the opposite bank. Once packed to its full capacity, the boat gathered way towards the opposite bank of the brimming river. After crossing a little over a quarter of the distance across the river the boat annoyingly slowed down. Midstream, it began rocking from stern to keel, possibly due to the rapids of the river. 

Each passing moment was touch and go for every one of us on the boat. With the clock ticking towards a possible overturn of the vessel, we had our heart in our mouth looking upward praying to the almighty. In short order, two sturdy youths from among us sprang up and picked up a couple of oars lying at the bottom of the boat. They started rowing the vessel hard to assist the ferryman in his struggle. As if by providence, the canoe started moving forward and every one of us heaved an alto-relievo sigh. We all silently thanked God for saving us from what otherwise would have turned into a watery grave for the whole caboodle, with our corpses either drowning to the bed of the river or drifting to the then-East Pakistan along with the flow of the Ganges. 

Sailing obliquely due to the undercurrents of the river, the boat reached the opposite bank away from the right location, compelling us to run to the platform from where our train was about to chug off.  Managing somehow to enter an unreserved compartment, I travelled to Howrah. The appalling experience taught me not to resort to unthinking or unfamiliar shortcuts. 

H Narayanan

Email:  nanan2105@gmail.com

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