It was the time when the darkness of the night makes way for the morning light to set in when I rolled out my Hercules Roadeo and headed towards the Janata Bhawan cricket ground at Dispur. My friend Aklantika Saikia and I had planned to start our bicycle tour at sharp 6 am on 23-January (Saturday) from there and we were to join by fellow riders Nitin Das at Zoo Road Tiniali and Azam Siddiqui at Hatigarh respectively.
The ride route was Dispur, Ganeshguri, Zoo Road tiniali, Hatigarh, Geeta Mandir, Mathgaria, Narengi. The Chandrapur Road/ SH 3 starts from the Narengi traffic intersection and connects Bonda, Panikhaiti, Hatisila, Chandrapur, Gabardhan, Burha Mayang with Pobitora in Morigaon district. SH-3 forks out into two of which Road 3B leads to Pobitora WS- our destination.
It was still cold and somewhat misty while we crossed the morning vehicular traffic near the refinery but beyond Narengi-Bonda the air was fresher and the trees and the hills painted our route green. The signboard of Amchang WS zoomed past us as we pedaled our way.
At Panikhaiti we saw the rich silt river bank deposits with the mighty River Brahmaputra at a distance veiled by thick mist. The terrain though plain for most part along this route also has a few climbs uphill. Even though all four of us had mountain bikes, we pushed ourselves and our bikes and huffed and puffed as we clambered uphill. Every tough climb uphill has an easy and a smooth ride downhill, something we discovered as gravity did its work as we cascaded downhill at almost bullet train speed.
We took a short tea break ((including photo shot and one for loo too) at Ratan Hotel in Chandrapur which is 20 kms from Pobitora WS, as declared by the roadside signboard. The sight of a signboard which read as Maa Santoshi Cycle Repair shop in Chandrapur was a great relief for me even though none of the 4 cycles caused the slightest problem along this road. There are 2-3 cycle repair shops enroute to re-fuel cycles while cozy looking, warm and inviting roadside eateries and restos with thatched slanting roofs and equally fancy names like C-15 Restaurant. Dolphin/ Dalphin (sic) Restaurant, Di Chang Restaurant etc. dot the route for travelers and tourists and rides like us to re-fuel our belly. After a few kms ride we reached Gobardhan Bridge across river Kapili, a tributary of River Brahmaputra. The confluence of river Kapili and Brahmaputra on one side of the bridge while distant green hills on the other side, is a sight not only to be captured by selfie but also by the lens of our senses permanently. The draft of the cool air didn’t drain us of our energy and kept perspiration at bay. In fact, the sun was up only a few minutes before we reached our destination. Paddy fields, farmers with their bulls and traditional farming equipments, shops selling wicker baskets, a fish market after Panikhaiti railway station, 2-3 picnic parties, a marriage pandal with Nepali or Bengali music at full blast in Gobardhan, children playing seven stones and cricket, camera-shy sheep grazing on the grass silently, bovines standing on the middle of the road, rhesus macaques all cuddled up for warmth in pairs on naked tree tops, various migratory birds all with colourful plumage in the paddy field and beels was more than any nature lover can ask for. We also spotted a spring trickling water from beneath the bare rocky boulder of earth and a reserve forest with the sylvan cover of sal trees (mono-culture ‘afforestation’ under Social forestry). The signboard placed by Archeological Department of Assam declares the presence of rock inscription in Burha Mayang. At first the rock’s surface looked just like a huge normal bare rock but on closer look it revealed the not-so-distinct inscription. Banks with ATMs, though a rare sight, are located at Chandrapur (UCO Bank) and at Pobitora (SBI).
A herd of cattle, ranging from calves to old ones, blocked our way for a few minutes as we waited for the holy Gai Matas to cross, with me tring-tringing the cycle bell every now and then.
A herd of cattle, ranging from calves to old ones, blocked our way for a few minutes as we waited for the holy Gai Matas to cross, with me tring-tringing the cycle bell every now and then.
Before reaching Burha Mayong, my friend Imtiaz, whose role in this trip was to provide us with rescue and relief, in case of need, appeared in his black Scorpio Getaway with another friend Juri. The duos presence uplifted our spirits immediately. Later on reaching Pobitora when we halted at Prashanti Guest House I was not surprised to see thick ‘rescue’ ropes used for pulling motorized vehicles and a huge bottle of water kept at the rear carrier.
They reached us at the right place and at the right time as Imtiaz on a quick exploration of the place, probably while attending to nature’s call, saw or heard the tricking of water. He declared his discovery of the spring as we all dashed to the water-point for some photo shots. Next we crossed a reserve forest in Burha Mayong. This area also had bare boulders of rocks hidden by tree trunks and green canopy and occasionally exposed to view.
Finally the arched gate erected by the Forest Department, Govt. of Assam, welcomed us to Pobitora WS. We halted for a brief time near the tourist info centre for another round of selfie and called our rescue service who were stationed at Prashanti Tourist GH nearby. As we entered the compound of the GH our happiness on completing one leg of the journey knew no bounds. Black tea flavoured with ginger followed by rotis and scrambled eggs, omelette and alu bhaji was served to us on order while we also devoured and gulped down whatever we had got from home- chocolates, boiled eggs, cashew nuts, biscuits, kaju-butterscotch milkshake, Glucon-D, water to refill our lost energy.
They reached us at the right place and at the right time as Imtiaz on a quick exploration of the place, probably while attending to nature’s call, saw or heard the tricking of water. He declared his discovery of the spring as we all dashed to the water-point for some photo shots. Next we crossed a reserve forest in Burha Mayong. This area also had bare boulders of rocks hidden by tree trunks and green canopy and occasionally exposed to view.
Finally the arched gate erected by the Forest Department, Govt. of Assam, welcomed us to Pobitora WS. We halted for a brief time near the tourist info centre for another round of selfie and called our rescue service who were stationed at Prashanti Tourist GH nearby. As we entered the compound of the GH our happiness on completing one leg of the journey knew no bounds. Black tea flavoured with ginger followed by rotis and scrambled eggs, omelette and alu bhaji was served to us on order while we also devoured and gulped down whatever we had got from home- chocolates, boiled eggs, cashew nuts, biscuits, kaju-butterscotch milkshake, Glucon-D, water to refill our lost energy.
We explored the vicinity of the sanctuary and crossed the Hadug Hanging Bridge halfway but didn’t explore the inside of the wildlife sanctuary as we wanted to reach home before dusk. Hence, this was a trip without sighting any one-horned rhinoceros which Assam is famous for.
Our emergency rescue and relief service was not required fortunately but were available on call as they dashed off towards Jonbeel Mela- the famous fair where barter system is still practiced till date and later went for a game of cricket in the Khanapara ground.
Our emergency rescue and relief service was not required fortunately but were available on call as they dashed off towards Jonbeel Mela- the famous fair where barter system is still practiced till date and later went for a game of cricket in the Khanapara ground.
The journey back home was shorter as we didn’t stop frequently except once or twice for the tea-break and to munch on chocolates, biscuits and dry fruits on the roadside. However, I ensured that the basket of food which I carried in my carrier became lighter by chomping to the last bite of all that remained in the basket.
I wonder why mountain bike designers always keep the seat so small which doesn’t fit our bums as we realized this bitter truth in our trip. The yesteryear Hero cycle’s big seat is the standard size for us. In fact, in the single tea-break which we took in the same tea-stall while returning, one from the group suggested that s/he wanted to fix the chair s/he was sitting on the cycle itself for the comfort of our aching bums.
On the return back home, while Aklantika and I pedaled in proximity as Azam and Nitin pedaled much ahead of us, young boys zoomed past us on motorbikes singing and crooning the tunes of the popular Axomiya song “Cycle mari mari”, perhaps to lift up the diminishing spirits of the not-so-young-‘ladies’-rider.
Aklantika and I decided to take a de-tour, the shortest route from Narengi intersection- the VIP Road which directly connects Panjabari and south-eastern Guwahati. Azam waits for us at Narengi tiniali while Nitin, not aware of the change in our plan, moves further ahead and later calls from Hatigarh to bid good-bye to both of us telephonically. At Narengi tiniali I realized that something was wrong with my cycle gear as I couldn’t change it beyond the second gear. Our legs were numb by then and every square inch of our body ached. Aklantika and I resumed pedaling along VIP Road slowly as trucks, cars and motorcycles overtook us. We once again halted for garam-garam chai midway along this road. We crossed Hengrabari-Bagheswari Mandir in no time and then crossed the busy GS Road on foot before lights were lit at homes in the evening. At Super Market both of us exchange goodbyes with a promise to meet again in the near future for similar rides. As I open the gate of my home, my wrist-watch reads 5 past some minutes.
This trip flooded my memories of Deota (RIP) who had served as the D.C. of Morigaon district in the early 90s when I was a student of class VIII but I never visited Pobitora WS, when Morigaon town was still a sleepy town then, even though I got the chance to see the length and breadth of Assam with him. Perhaps I developed a taste for the outdoors from such trips and I owe much of my non-academic understanding and learning about places from a person who was a ‘living dictionary’ for me and my siblings.
This bike tour covered in a single day in less than 12 hours was a rejuvenating experience for the riders. We wish more pedal yatris will join us in our rides in the future so that it decongests our city roads from the already terribly clogged vehicular traffic, to keep Guwahatians directly healthy (and indirectly wealthy), to reduce the commonest problem in today’s world called pollution, to promote cycling as a popular mode of travel for at least short distances, to explore and enjoy nature at its best while still pedaling and the last but not the least to protect this earth which is every living souls ‘home.’
Riders: Aklantika Saikia, Azam Siddiqui, Nitin Das and Karobi Gogoi along with emergency rescue and relief support provided by Imtiaz Rehman Saikia and Juri Nath.
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