Weekend Getaway: Nimpith and Kaikhali

Kaikhali in Sunderbans

Our plan to Nimpith and Kaikhali was totally an unexpected one. One of my dear friends who stays abroad for studies came home during the Christmas vacation and he loves travelling as much as I do. So we decided to travel to some remote place for a welcome change. My younger brother who is also a travel enthusiast and never miss an opportunity to travel joined us in the trip though he had other office-related priorities to tackle with, still he managed time.

According to the plan we left for Kaikhali on 3rd January 2020. Unfortunately on the day of our journey, the weather turned for the worst. It was raining cats and dogs. We had initially planned to leave in the early hours of 3rd January but we had to delay our journey for obvious reasons. Finally, when we reached the Jaynagar Mojilpur railway station which is the nearest railway station to Nimpith, it was already 11 A.M. Although there was a break in the rain for a while then, the weather changed and it started raining again. Finally, we reached the Ramakrishna Mission, Nimpith at around 12 Noon. The Maharaj who was in charge of the ashram requested us to have our lunch in the ashram. He enquired whether we had any staying plans. We nodded and he gave us the directions to the Kaikhali lodge. The Maharaj in fact, called the caretaker of the tourist lodge to intimate him of our arrival. After having our lunch we left for Kaikhali amidst the rain. Our destination was Kaikhali Tourist Lodge. The lodge is situated on the banks of the river Matla and the only lodge in the vicinity, so prior booking is a must.

  
We reached Kaikhali at around 3.30 PM. After completion of the check-in formalities, we went for a stroll. Here I would like to mention one thing that Kaikhali Tourist Lodge is the only in the area and all its bookings are done from Nimpith Ramakrishna Mission. We went to a tea shop and met a few local elderly people who shared their experiences and hardships living in Kaikhali. The livelihood of most of the people there is fishing.

On returning from the walk, we were served with hot tea and pakoras.  We were so exhausted from the day-long exertion that we went for a short power nap until dinner was served.

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page..."

Few pictures from Kaikhali...

A temple at Kaikhali...

The next morning we were welcomed with a bright sunny day. My friend Sandipan was suffering from jetlag and had been awake all night. He was in a deep slumber. I and my brother went for a morning walk to the nearby village and the experience was wonderful.

"The further I travel, the closer I am to myself..."

"People forget years but remember moments..."

After roaming around for about an hour we had to rush back to our lodge as the checkout time was approaching. After checking out, lunch was served and it was a simple yet delicious one. We had rice, dal, one curry, chicken curry, and chatni. We left the place at around 12.30 PM in our previously booked auto with an enriched heart and charged up in spirit.

Our team to Kaikhali and Nimpit...

My personal feeling after visiting the place is that it's a great place for a one time visit. Also in order to find solace and feel the beauty of the place, one has to match our frequency of thinking as the place has only the bare minimum. It cannot promise you with the greatest of comfort but the greatest of peace, for sure. It has a friendly atmosphere but the attire of luxury has not yet reached the place. However, retracing our way back to the bare minimum is sometimes the order of the day.

Panoramic view of the Lodge...

Until next time... 

(Picture Courtesy: Piangshuk Mukherjee and Sandipan Mandol.)