A Journey by Boat

Saint Augustine said that the world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page. In Bangladesh, a crisscross of rivers, it is a great pleasure to have a journey by boat during a suitable season and so did I. 

            Last month I paid a visit to my native home, Sylhet, along with some of my intimate friends. They were marveled at the scenic beauty of the holy land. But there were yet to see, yet to be marvelled at. I told them that if they missed the sight of the Surma River, their journey would be incomplete. At once they agreed to my proposal.

   We decided to start from Kanaighat. Our destination was Goainghat. I took a DSLR camera as photography is my passion. One of my friends took an art pad to sketch the river beauty. Another took a pad with a pen as he loves to write poems. After making all required arrangements, we hired a beautiful country boat. The sky was a bit cloudy. We set out on the journey just at half past one.

            The boatman began to row the boat. The boat was moving smoothly. A gentle humid air was blowing and small waves were beating against the boat. The ripple of the waves made a sweet murmuring sound. We were enjoying the beautiful glances of the nature. In the meantime, I had started capturing snap shots of the river, riverside and the hide-and-seek of the clouds and the sun. The green trees and the golden crops gave an unforgettable view. We saw a few fishermen catching fishes and realized that it is not an easy task at all. We also witnessed teen girls and boys like us swimming and taking bath in the river with so much fun. Suddenly I felt envious of them!

            All on a sudden, the boatman started to sing a Baul song, a song by the famous folk composer and singer, Baul Samrat Shah Abdul Karim. We got slightly emotional with the melancholic music of the song.

            We also saw some boats big and small sailing up and down the river and all the boats nearby were tossed violently. My friend began to draw the beauties. The other one started to write poems. And I continued to frame the heavenly landscapes.

            Soon evening came down. Then waves danced and sparkled under the crimson rays of the setting sun. This time the river looked the loveliest. At six, we reached Goainghat. We had some snacks in a riverside restaurant.

            After sitting there for a while, we began to come back. Then the sky was quite clear. Moreover it was a moonlit night. The beam of the moon flooded the river. Out of joy, we began to sing a song. I wondered how beautiful my native home is!

            As the night advanced, we all fell asleep. When the first light of the sun fell upon our eyes, we woke up and saw that we had come back. Still I can remember the lovely moments of the journey and get thrilled remembering them!