River Dreaming By The Shore Of Ganges

The blue sky above me, lush green banks below me, vista of vast water ahead of me and the hypnotic sound of "Lap ,Lap, Lap"....where water laps the shore,I continue to dream. 

The surreal settings by the side of river Ganges(basically Hooghly river)

The vista of vast expanse of the river near  "Diamond Harbor" will sooth your senses

It's only one and half hours from our home (Kolkata), but it does not matter how far it is, it matters how close to heart it is. My first break in monsoon through the country side of beautiful 'Bengal’, shower waded, renewed and lively - 'Diamond Harbour' by the shore of river Hooghly(though we used to call it as Ganges)The river is very widespread at this point, on its way to meet the ocean, accomplishing a voyage from Himalaya to Bay of Bengal. Large Ocean going ships sailing through the vast expanse of the waterway, rolling the high tidal waves.Far away we found small creeks and a fisherman with his fishing boat, getting ready to sail through the huge waterway and to catch the 'silver crop' of the water, the famous 'Hilsha' fish in rainy season and many more spices throughout the year. ‘DiamondHarbour' is also famous fishing harbour, supplies huge quantity of  fish to the local market of Kolkata.

Monsoon sky painted by the golden ray of setting sun,near Diamonharbour

The climate is changing its mood frequently. It’s raining with fine drops of water; it’s cloudy and sometimes shining with bright sunshine. The weather for me is compelling enough to be careless, to be dreamy, and to be gloomy. In the late afternoon, I sat on the small benches on the banks of the river for how long I don't know and my mind was wandering with the fluttering of butterflies in rain-washed grasslands; my eyes were grazing far away on the horizon where blue water touches the low hanging clouds. Winds gently kiss the water, forming ripples, so as my face, cheeks, hairs and refreshing enough to mop up all my fatigue. Soon the half eaten moon came out of the foliage and the moonlit water of the river embraces the shore and "Lap,Lap,Lap"..I continue to dream.

An evening and river dreaming by the shore of the Ganges

To relax by the side of Ganges there are many options for the well-heeled couples and families like 'Raddison Ffort,Raichak','Ganga Kutir',but Hotel Punyalakshmi bridges the gap between very high end and budget category resorts. It is pocket friendly for all, yet awesome by the river side settings. This hotel positions itself as a place to rest and unfold by the side of the river bank, and it lives up to this promise handsomely. Once you take left turn from the main gate, the first thing will catch your eyes ,the rolling grass lawn decorated with ornamental flowers, the full-bloomed lilly pond,small sitting arrangements by the side of river bank and the flowing river Ganges, a surreal setting. Honestly the beauty of 'Diamond Harbour' can only be adored if you stay at Punyalakshmi.Personally I feel there is many scope of improvement on food, service and cleanliness, but for the location I will give it 100 out of 100.

Once I retraced back through the riverside path of Diamond Harbour,I feel the urge to present  the allure of this small harbor,lying  calmly at the last edge of Bengal where river going to join sea.

Picture Courtesy:Mr Gourab Mukherjee and rights reserved to this blog.