In East Midnapore near Kolkata in West Bengal, on the banks of River Bagda, is a hut on stilts that took us into bucolic bliss, where time stopped to rest with us awhile, says PS Bhavana
Handling a three-year-old kid saps me out and charges me up at the same time, quite paradoxically. The bottom line: I needed a break. Not from my child, but with him. This is where Mon Chasha (more or less ‘cultivation of the mind’ in Bengali), a “sustainable eco-friendly resort” with a homestay spirit, came in like a blessing. Owned by husband-wife duo Nilajan and Debjani Basu, it was built in 2011 by a local “production team” of artisans and skilled workers who advised them on architectural nitty-gritty. It is secretly hidden along River Bagda that snakes through Paushi, a village near Contai in Purba Medinipur (West Bengal).
This district was probably the ‘Tamralipta’ (‘full of copper’ in Sanskrit) mentioned in ancient Hindu Puranas and the epic Mahabharata. It was a river port which exported the metal to South Asia and Far East. Since then it has been a piece of Tagore’s picturesque Bengal — fish-filled tributaries, wooden boats, lotus-dotted ponds, sun-baked mud huts, quaint temples, throbbing weekly markets, disconcerting yet thrilling man-pulled rickshaws, and latently-curious but pleasant people. Ironically, it also witnessed industry-land acquisition clash at Nandigram in 2007. Nevertheless, its pastoral charm stayed untouched.
Our 130-kilometre, three-hour drive from Kolkata to this little-known spot stretched into a five-hour-long ordeal thanks to an unexpected pile-up of cargo trucks on the Dankuni-Kharagpur tollway (NH-6). We braved it with a squealing toddler in tow. After meandering through muddy roads, six kilometres off the highway, we entered the without-a-boundary wall, one-acre plot of Mon Chasha. Our car glided down the pebbled pathway and found a neat parking spot. A man-made pond, with rickety wooden steps leading to dreamy pink and white water lilies, soothed our frazzled nerves. Then popped up the cottages. Yes, dreamy and pretty ones.
Ours was the first of the four, which were stilted thatched-roof huts made of local ‘jhau’ (casurina), ‘bans’ (bamboo), ‘hogla’ (water-resistant and heat insulating wild water leaf) and ‘khor’ (straw). They were huddled up rather closely, each flaunting a set of green (biodegradable) and red (non-biodegradable) bamboo trash bins right at their entrances. Inside, two sets of bamboo beds with pristine-white sheets and floral mosquito nets beckoned us invitingly. We had to flee before they overpowered us. So our first pit stop was the bathroom with decently modern amenities (helped us wash the urban stress and grime away), and then was the suspended balcony overlooking the placid river with a view of the verdant farmlands with dancing paddy beyond. Birds and dragonflies merrily fluttered in the profuse foliage. At a distance, we could see the bumpy and dusty road we were on a while (or era?) ago.
Piping-hot Darjeeling tea and biscuits served on the bamboo bench outside the hut broke our reverie. It was time to inform kitchen staff about breakfast, lunch and dinner preferences. We were informed that Mon Chasha’s scrumptious range of home-style Bengali dishes like ‘luchi-aloo dum’ or ‘kochuri-cholar dal’ (deep-fried, flour flatbread with spicy potato curry or sweet lentils), ‘shukto’ (bitter mixed vegetables), ‘aloo-posto’ (potatoes stir-fried with poppy seeds), ‘sorshe-maach’ (fish in mustard sauce), ‘chingri-malaikari’ (prawns in coconut gravy), ‘kosha mangsho’ (mutton curry), ‘chicken kosha’ (slow-cooked chicken curry), and milk-based desserts are more than delectable. Every morning, fresh ingredients are sourced from the local bazaar. And when these are metamorphosed and served in exclusively-monogrammed, old-fashioned copper tableware and spread out on handcrafted mud-cum-straw tables, their rural charm doubles.
The quaint ambience – three-side-open common dining area, right across the huts, with primitive musical instruments and fishing nets as visual treats (they worked wonders as playthings for our little boy) — added to the food’s gastronomic magic. This eating space is a cultural centre (‘sahajiya’) of sorts, where traditional music, dance and puppet shows, pottery workshops and Patachitra painting sessions are organised on demand. One of its corners housed ‘nabya nakshi’, which, according to Debjani, was a hub for village artisans to sell their handmade creations. She, with Nilanjan, zoomed around to supervise staff during our three-day stay, and then joined us one evening to share small bites (puffed rice with peanuts served in local cane baskets) and stimulating tête-à-tête.
After all, we needed her advice on what to choose from an exhaustive list of rural discoveries — ambling around the pond; diving in for an earthy swim, admiring the eco-space’s efforts (rainwater harvesting in age-old water pits, fish breeding and angling, which is a must-do if you have time, and waste management with vermin-compost using earthworms); retail therapy at the weekly ‘haat’ (Thursday and Sunday), which sells everything handy; and finally, hopping on to a hoodless van rickshaw (INR 300 for half a day/four people) to experience the ever-pulsating village. But for those who prefer to curl up and romance books or do off-beat stuff instead of or besides exploring and sauntering, here is news: Hammocks here cast irreversible spells, children at the adjoining orphanage rouse philanthropic feelings, and the art of clay sculpturing, coconut and straw handicrafts take your breath away.
To maximise our stay while keeping our little travel partner in mind, we opted for the walk, market visit and rickshaw ride. Draped in traditional Bengal silk saris, with Magnolias tucked into our carelessly-wrapped buns, a colossal umbrella covering our heads, and our feet dangling happily, we sat on the rickshaw’s flat back. We visited ‘Sarpai Sarbamangala mandir’ (temple), strolled in a butterfly-ridden manicured park, and shopped for trinkets at the marketplace.
Our day ended with scrumptious dinner, card game, gossip and nighttime stroll. Finally, we lost the battle with the beds and snuggled in. Moreover, limited-use electricity and a solar-powered lamp had already dimmed our urban owl-esque spirit. But we (including my son) did not complain. Mon Chasha had managed to compel us to leave our concrete-ised souls behind. They are still waiting to be fetched.
Easy Trip: Mon Chasha
FACTSHEET
Tariff
Cottage (non-AC) `3,500; stay free for children below the age of 10; extra person `500; food (all meals) `657/per head; driver’s cost `400/`657 (for guest food); pet allowance `500/per day. For more information, browse monchasha.khorlo.com or call +91 9831095234.
Getting there
Closest metro: Kolkata (approximately 140 km) is four hours by road. Cars can be hired from Kolkata (`4,000 onwards) to village Paushi (near Contai, East Midnapore). Stretches of bad roads and traffic bottlenecks caused by cargo trucks may slow you down. Carry drinking water for these delays.
Closest railway station: Contai (approximately 23 km). Trains (Tamralipta Express and Kandari Express; `250 onwards for chair car) run from Howrah Station (Kolkata). Mon Chasha charges `650 for car pick-up from Contai station.
Closest bus stop: Kalianagar (approximately 6 km). AC and Non-AC buses (`350 and `100 onwards) from Kolkata to Digha stop at Kalianagar. Buses’ start at Golpark, Esplanade and Garia, Kolkata. Mon Chasha charges `300-650 (depending on vehicle) for pick-up from Kalianagar bus stop. Trekker service from Contai and Kalinagar to village Paushi is irregular.
Good to know
Dress modestly to avoid standing out.
Use GPS while driving. Do not hesitate to ask for directions (when needed).
Pack special medication and food (if any) and first-aid kit.
Trekking shoes, socks, sunscreen, hat, cap or scarf, sun glasses, and umbrella are must-haves.
Mosquito nets, smoke coils and lamps are provided, but carrying your own insect repellent cream and torch is useful.
For special performances or sessions, inform Mon Chasha in advance. Artisans may not be available.
Basic baby food and a few child-friendly edibles can be made on request.
The adjoining orphanage welcomes donations. Check at the reception for details.