Do you know what is the national animal of India? Yes. It is the Royal Bengal Tiger. And where is their habitat? Oh! It's in the Sundarbans. But is Sundarbans only about tigers? No. From heartbreaking folklore to warriors surviving in extreme conditions, from river ways to a thick dense mangrove blanket, from stories of bravery to tragic deaths, from beautiful islands to the hidden dangers, from a secluded forest to a UNESCO recognised tourist destination. Welcome to the Sundarbans.

Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest to exist in the whole world. It is home to animals and reptiles of different kinds including deers, wild boars, huge variety of birds, the Gangetic dolphins, Irrawaddy dolphins, and the infamous Bengal tiger. This delta was formed where the rivers Padma, Brahmaputra, and Meghna meet the Bay of Bengal. The beauty of this place is no less than heaven on earth but the stories within this delta are sometimes petrifying. The Sundarbans is spread over a huge piece of land, some part of which lies in Bangladesh. The mode of travel here is boats or small ferries. Humankind is limited to only a certain part of the entire delta and the rest comes under the mangrove forest. The name Sundarban comes from a specific tree which is the mangrove tree known as the 'Sundari' (Heritiera fomes). Here, the wild animals are allowed to live and flourish according to their own. If a person is lucky enough then he can get a sight of the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) just chilling on the banks of the river. Various watch towers have been installed for the visitors at places which are frequently visited by the tigers. A canopy walk has also been constructed where the tourists remain inside of a cage and the wild animals roam freely. There is another place known as Jharkhali where the injured, old, or malnourished tigers are brought, kept into rehabilitation, being taken care of, and are released back into the wilderness. In April of 1973, the Bengal tiger was recognised as the National Animal of India. This was the beginning of Project Tiger, protection of tigers in India. There was a time when the tiger population was on the verge of extinction but in recent times it is said that the population of tigers is increasing. In November of 2001, UNESCO under the category of Man and Biosphere (MAB) project recognised the Sundarbans. Another best thing about the Sundarbans that attracts the 'foodie' tourists is their food which includes meat and various kinds of local fishes.

This was the part of the Sundarbans about which everyone talks. But Sundarbans is something much more than these. Each and every stream that divides the islands have their own tales of sorrow, adventure, tragedy, and even bravery. Almost 85% of the population residing in the Sundarbans are dependent on the forest. Fishing, crab collecting, honey collecting etcetera are some of the basic modes of income. These are the people who put their lives in extreme danger and enter the forest where death awaits them at every corner for some money to feed their families. The story of Laxman Biswas can give a visualising scenario of the actual incidents. Laxman Biswas is a fisherman who along with his two other partners and his boat visits the forest keeping their own lives at stake. According to him, "We spend approximately eight months deep into the forest, almost seven days at a stretch. Our journey starts from May or June and we need to get permits from the Forest officials. The permit fees may range from fifty thousand to sixty thousand only. Our boat is our only ray of hope. The only source of light during the nights is our lantern. Sometimes, we see our death crossing the stream right in front of our eyes. I lost many of my friends in these attacks. Sometimes we manage to retrieve the dead bodies but in some other cases, only the news of the tragedy reaches the deceased's family. While traveling you can see pieces of clothes tied to branches of some trees. Those are tied in memory of those who met tragic ends at that exact same spot. We fishermen are still somewhat on the safer side while people who go honey collecting are at higher risk. Our lives are very uncertain but we are used to it."

Stories of people dying, people fighting till the end to save their loved ones are some stories that are spread out to the visitors in the form of music and dance. Among all the folklores of Sundarbans, some depict the pain of losing someone, some describe the happiness of a family when their beloved sons or husbands return from the forest safe and sound, and some even let others know about those long waiting periods. Sundarbans is also known for the Baul songs and singers. According to a local Baul singer, more than half of the Baul songs of Sundarban are about sorrow and pain. According to him, the women of Sundarbans follow a particular ritual; they stop oiling their hairs and wearing sindoor (vermilion) from the day their men begin their journey to the forest till the day they return. This shows how much they are mentally prepared even for the worst situation to happen. Once upon a time in Sundarbans, there was believed to be a locality, an estate by the name of Bidhoba Para (Widow's estate). The name was assigned as there resided those unfortunate tiger widows of Sundarbans. Some continued to visit the forest after the demise of their husbands while others chose to stay on the safer side and became house helps for the other residents. Gradually some of them even left the forest behind forever and moved out to a better civilization. There is evidence from all over the country about widows not getting socially accepted. Well, Sundarban is no different. These women, who already lost their husbands at the hands of some tragic turn of events, are still getting ignored by the local parties and the government itself. These widows just leave their fates in the hands of Bon Bibi (Goddess of the forest) and continue to face the forest.

Recently a campaign under the name of 'Save Sundarban' is going on. Due to the increase of human civilization and human-forest interaction, one by one islands are being captured and the forests are being cleared to build houses, hotels, and resorts. Many have heard 'Save Sundarban' slogans but has anyone thought, 'The Sundarbans need protection from whom or what?' Well the answer to this particular question is very clear. The Sundarbans need protection from people, including all those tourists, inhabitants, and even the government. As per studies, over a span of 200 years, Sundarbans have shrunk from 16,700 square kilometres to 9630 square kilometres. The more people will get settled in these islands, the more people will become dependent on the forest, and more tiger attack incidents will make it to the headlines. It will form an unbreakable cycle of events. Hence, Sundarbans need protection from its human inhabitants. Welcoming the tourists turned out to be a mixture of good and bad decisions. On one hand welcoming tourists can open a variety of income sources with very less risks for the inhabitants. On the other hand, some city people forget to behave even when they are very close to Mother Nature. Throwing plastic cups, food packets in the rivers, tourist spots; bargaining with the locals over the price of some products like honey and handicrafts etcetera. The tourism department of the Sundarbans try very hard to provide the tourists a nice stay and a homely feeling. The local Adivasi women gather in groups of six to seven members and perform in front of each tourist group which can range from 40 to around 60 people. No matter how cold it is, no matter what time in the evening it is; they will fulfill their duty and go home late. Sometimes the young Adivasi mothers bring their kids along. They sing beautiful local songs and also encourage the tourists to come forward and join them. And then comes the tourists who are either judgemental or are least bothered about all these. As a bad habit of city life, they start judging and passing comments. The local Baul singers showcase their talents with mesmerizing songs but some tourists need speakers to dance on modern songs. Here, pure talent is being crushed over by some crazy jazz music and a ton of autotune. It is not only disrespectful but also utterly insulting for the poor artist who is just asking for some encouragement from the tourists. Hence, Sundarbans need protection from the visitors. Recently, due to the increase in the number of cases of tigers crossing the river and entering the locality, the government has decided to fence the forest area to save the "inhabitants". For decades, before civilization took place, the whole area was the land of tigers, rhinos and other animals. Now, fencing the area means putting a limit to the freedom of those majestic animals. Moreover, many cases came forward where those who survived the tiger attack got nothing of what was promised by the government. Lack of proper hospitals, connectivity issues, risky lifestyles etcetera is what the people of Sundarbans get. In literal terms, they are quite secluded from the test of the state. Hence, Sundarbans need protection from the government.

Wrapping up, it can be said that in Sundarbans, people are living with a constant fear and anxiety within them. On one side they deal with the wild while on the other side they deal with an unsupportive government. Instead of fencing the core forest area, the government should limit the number of islands inhabited by people. The government should also provide different job options for the inhabitants. For example, they should provide one or two tourist guides per tourist boat, apart from the rest of the crew members. This will give secured jobs to people and their death won't be one claw away. People at Sundarbans should understand that they are actually the one to invade the tigers' area and should act accordingly. There should also be an increase in the number of patrolling boats. No one, not even the fishermen should be allowed to stay at the river late at night. The tourists should also learn to be a little bit compassionate towards the locals. The tribal dance and the Baul songs are a beautiful form of art and people should respect it. People should be more appreciative towards the efforts of the people rather than just bargaining or judging them.

Sundarbans is not only the pride of West Bengal but also the pride of the whole nation. People from all over the country and the world come to see the beauty of the mangrove blanket. It is the duty of every citizen to take care of it. Lastly, people should understand that Sundarbans doesn't need protection from the animals. Rather it needs protection from the people themselves.

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