Remaking India. Plans were good. Implementation was challenging!

India Today published a special issue titled Remaking India, a compilation of  articles from 1975 to 2025. This special issue inspired me go back to the earlier period from 1947, the first year of Indian independence, until 1975. 

A very challenging period for India immediately after getting independence. 

Among the many challenges the new government faced, one of the most serious was the shortage of food grains! India under the British had already experienced a famine in Bengal in the year 1943. It was not the first! 

The new government retained the wartime controls introduced by the British, a network of fair price shops, to manage severe food deficits. 

I remember the rice offered at the ration shop was awful. Quality of wheat was a little better! Though wheat was no substitute for rice, for us the South Indians! One could buy a better quality rice in the black market. It was not an option for many! My father was against buying rice in the black market on principle! 

I also had heard that the ration shops switched the good quality rice, supplied by the government, with low quality cheap rice and made money! The system of Ration shops still exist! It is fascinating to read about it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Distribution_System_(India)

Pandit Nehru government also sought to solve the problem through land reforms. The government gave ownership to those farmers who actually worked on the field! Hopefully the move succeeded in increasing the production of grains! 

Implementing the land reforms was a complex contentious process. It was contested in the courts by the Zamindars. It lead to an amendment of the constitution and then supreme court supported the governments action. Nehru was successful in pushing through socialism! 

In addition dams were built to irrigate lands. These efforts took time and meanwhile we became heavily dependent on food aid, particularly the US PL-480 program. It was indeed a precarious existence.

The states had the freedom to adopt the land reform laws independently to suit local conditions. When it was implemented in the Mysore state, quite a few known to us were affected. My Brother-in-law, who had inherited a few acres of fertile land asked me if I wanted to try agriculture and take care of  his land. I was not too keen! I had not even stayed in a village! 

I guess most of us understand that implementation is never fully what is intended and claimed. However, Laws are put in place.

 Frankly,  our countrymen need to come out of their feudal mentality. The resourceful landlords try and manage to control, possibly with the help of a few pliant bureaucrats and such! We, who believe in Karma, accept it!

https://time.com/archive/6886994/india-end-of-the-zammdars/

More importantly, our scientists stepped in and developed High-Yielding Variety seeds, especially for wheat and rice.

The Green revolution and the government subsidy. The intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, lead to food self-sufficiency by the early 1970s, eliminating the threat of famine. The states of Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh did well. Remarkable recovery!

……….

However my focus as a mechanical engineer is on the Manufacturing Industry! While the broader picture is very impressive we need to study how well it was implemented!

Between 1947 and 1975, India’s manufacturing industry was defined by state-led import-substitution, industrialization and the mixed economy model. The government prioritized heavy, capital-intensive industries (like steel, machinery, and machine tools) through Public Sector Units (PSUs), while imposing strict regulatory controls on private enterprise and foreign investment.

The evolution of the sector was guided by several legislative and economic milestones.

• The Industrial Policy Resolutions (1948 & 1956)
•  a socialistic pattern of society,... industries owned by the state,... progressively state-owned, and the private sector. 
• The Industries (Development and Regulation) Act (1951): Created an elaborate "License Raj." Private companies required government permits to start production, expand capacity, or change what they manufacture!

The verdict on these policies and its  correction was much later in the year 2002. Sadly too late for me. 

It was a disaster for me personally. I still remember the day I met my boss after I returned from  a trip to USA and UK.

 I was sent to USA by my company in 1969

 to learn about the manufacture of a textile machine. My job was to get the machine made in our Poona factory. (Now Pune).

 It was a one-time project. The execution of an order received from Egypt by a sister company in Calcutta (Kolkotta now)  was getting delayed due to labor problems. It was transferred to Poona. (Glad to say it went well)

In addition, I visited another factory in USA making Earth Moving equipment. The intention was to get into a JV with them to make new it in our Poona factory. The products manufactured presently were going slow and we needed new products. 

Earth Moving equipment's addition  was highly suitable for the machinery we had in our factory! I had very encouraging discussions!

The other was a  visit to our collaborators in UK. We wanted to add products in addition to the ones we were licenced to make in India. They were open to the idea and proposed a few products. My job was to look at the process and choose the ones that would fit. We could discuss further details later. 

I was feeling good as I went meet my Boss  with the folders I had prepared to present it to him! I went in and he looked up at me! I said 'Here are the reports sir! Both companies are interested!' He replied very casually 'Just leave it here!' And added 'You haven't heard about MRTP?' I had not! 

It meant an end to my dreams as our company, considered a monopoly, would not get permission to add new products. 

I moved on looking for better challenges. It was the time for import-substitution and I was busy with this most of my career. It was okay as long as we were not importing parts. 

I remember in a company I had joined, part of an MNC, we developed a cancer treatment machine. It worked well and much cheaper to the imported ones. However the patient handling table needed improvements. It moved up and down making noise and scared the patient who was ill. We needed a ball screw which was still not made in India at that time. Our application for imports, did not move. 

I did try to meet an officer in DGTD to plead for a licence. The place was a like a fortress! I had the help of an executive employed only to deal with the 'government servants'! (Anything but that!). 

The officer spoke well and heard me out and said he would take it up in their next committee meeting. (The executive who took me to DGTD, on our way back remarked, 'kuch nahi hoga' - nothing will happen!)

In the meanwhile the separate company created by MNC* to deal with sales and marketing, which sold the imported version, killed the project. It was easier to import and the salesperson earned a better commission. (*It was separated due to some financial reasons!) 

Anyway, it was a no win situation for the factory! We did try to get licenses for more products for manufacture!  Did not succeed as the government wanted  100 percent local production and the collaborators suggested gradual reduction of imported parts!

There would be many stories, some good and some bad. Perhaps it was my luck to join companies which needed to take corrective steps, but were not allowed at that time. 

I need to end this with a 'what if"!

A few years ago I attended a special function in MEI, a factory where I had begun my career. The workers of the factory installed a statue of the founder of the company! Very Laudable! Especially as the factory was no longer run by the earlier managent.

 The factory  was taken over by the government many years ago! The old  management  was constrained to handover the factory due financial constraints.Those were the days when banks were very conservative and did not extend credit required. 

I am sure that the factory would have done much better if the government had supported him instead taking over. The founder was a brilliant engineer! 

My earlier blogs 

3.

https://nidhiramblers.blogspot.com/2026/06/independent-india-period-1947-to-1975.html?m=1

2.

https://nidhiramblers.blogspot.com/2026/06/remaking-india-first-10-years.html?m=1

1.

https://nidhiramblers.blogspot.com/2026/06/remaking-of-india-first-ten-years-few.html?m=1

About the famine. 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bengal-famine-of-1943

About MEI 

Founders and Visionaries

• The Architect (Sri N. G. Iyengar): MEI was founded on February 13, 1945, by an influential engineer and entrepreneur, Sri N. G. Iyengar (Ayyangar). [1, 2]
• The Lineage: N. G. Iyengar belonged to a prominent family of builders in the region. His father, Dewan Bahadur N. N. Ayyangar, served as the Chief Engineer and Secretary to the Government of Mysore from 1934 to 1939 under the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. [1]
• The Core Motive: Recognizing that post-WWII India would experience an explosion in electrical demand, Iyengar set up the company to locally manufacture heavy industrial switchgears, which previously had to be imported exclusively from Europe.

The 1978 Takeover by the Government

• Private to Public Shift: MEI operated highly successfully as a private joint-stock corporation for over three decades. However, to secure its financial future, align its manufacturing directly with national grid development, and protect thousands of jobs, the Government of Karnataka officially took over the enterprise in 1978. [1]
• PSU Transition: Post-1978, the company shifted its governance, transitioning into a State Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Department of Energy. [1, 2]

Remaking of India. First ten years were tough for India and my euphoria vanished!

At the interview in the Engineering college, the chairman of the committee said 'We could have considered, but he is a Brahmin!'  

Reality struck! I was 19 years old. We knew admission to the Engineering college was hard. It was a strange  feeling that l was punished for what a rishi or rishis had done ages ago! 

The government we lovingly chose applied an arbitratary rule  in a hurry. Affirmative action for one by denying another. Luckily there were avenues for the rejected students. 

Institution of Engineers (India): The AMIE (Associate Member of the Institution of Engineers) is a highly specific qualification recognized in India as equivalent to a bachelor's degree in engineering for individuals who pass the institution's examination. 

Not entirely as Railways wouldn't hire. Anyway, I joined an institute which coached aspirants . It was known as "C R Iyengar's"  institute. It was housed in a few sheds within the factory of Mysore Electrical Industries. 

The institute admitted an aspiring student not just Brahmins.  I passed exams sections A and B, and was ready for the job market. I was twenty-two years old. A bit late, but better late than never. 

I am not sure if this reservation rule was only in the state of Mysore. Anyway the rules of  reservation of seats was somewhat amended when a few Bhramins went to court. It took  four years get a judgment. Super fast considering the pace at which courts work! It did help others!

The country faced many challenges and coped! The daunting task of resettling the refugees was the first. The exchange of people is said to be one of the largest in human history! A phenomenal challenge for the newly born India. 

A family from Sindh moved into a house near our home.  They looked fairly well off! They had read the situation well and had moved out on time! The Sindh community has generally settled well in Bangalore!

It surely was very different and difficult for those who had to leave their homes overnight. Their life both in Punjab and Bengal had suddenly changed and the victims were totally traumatized. 

Kushwant Singh's ' Train from Pakistan' a novel based on history was shocking as it was meant to do. People, affected by partition,  became brutal, callus and inhuman. It is a very cynical view of us the humans, rather homo-sapiens!

The author could also be mocking the political leaders who were largely unprepared! Anyway it was about coping and trying do their best in a very unpredictable situation.

Reading Priya Hajela's recently published novel 'Ladies Tailor'  which focused on the story of a survivor during the partition feels better! It focuses on one individual family out of the many millions who survived and struggled. In fact, Priya's family  migrated from Punjab which had become Pakistan! Inspired by the stories she had heard from her grandfather, she chose to write about it. Worth reading to learn about how people survived 

Partition was expected to be an amicable split. However, the atrocities show how the  wrong kind come out of the woodwork, and exploit the situation! It seems unavoidable. Most of the migrants did well, mainly because of their ability to cope!

It was surprising to see what AI gemini had come up with: "For decades after 1947, there was a major lack of formal memorials to commemorate the estimated 200,000 to 2 million people who died during the communal violence. However, several institutions and national observances have recently been established to break this silence.

Eventually two 'Partition Museums' were built, one in Amritsar and the other in Delhi. India now has a Remembrance Day. 

Officially observed every year on August 14th since its declaration in 2021. Known as Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas, this day institutionalizes national memory to honor those who lost their lives, families, or homes to the mindless violence and hatred.

A day of mourning 

It was a bolt from the blue! Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated soon after getting our independence. Shocking and very saddening for all.  He was a grandfatherly figure for us kids. 

Our neighbor's son Nagendra, much older to us, said he had seen Godse at the recent RSS shaka he had attended at Nagpur. He didn't say much, immersed in his own thoughts.

The country mourned while preoccupied with innumerable problems. I wish they had added a memorial for the 'victims of partition' in Raj Ghat next to the Mahatma's memorial. I am sure he would have appreciated it. 

Naming it 'Raj Ghat' I feel was inappropriate! I think Mahatma would have preferred it named as "Bapuji Memorial" or such.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raj_Ghat_and_associated_memorials.

A  Memorial for PM's and other notables in the same area could have been called 'Raj Ghat' with a separate entrance.

We now are faced with other types too. Assassins, terrorists and suicide bombers, who indiscriminately kill innocent people!

Good to know that in spite of the innumerable problems many landmark  and far reaching decisions were taken and implemented!

Birth of the Republic (1950): On January 26, Reorganization of States (1956): redrawing internal borders along linguistic and ethnic lines to prevent cultural unrest.

Remarkable that the Princely States were integrated into the Indian union mostly through negotiations. Those who predicted or expected utter chaos were proved wrong.

Very sadly a few young men lost their lives in the ongoing protests  just before the Maharaja of Mysore finally agreed to integrate fully with Indian union! 

I was part of Rastriya Selva Dal as it was very close to our house. The activities were conducted by an INA returnee. A nice person. 

As Maharaja of Mysore was not willing to merge totally, a protest march was planned. Our Dal leader wanted us to be at the grounds early in the morning.  We were a motely crowd of teenagers and us urchins. We walked towards the main road and were stopped by the police. They ordered the teenagers to get on an open lorry. We urchins were gruffly asked to go home. 

We later learnt that the police took the older chaps to the end of the town, dropped them there and drove off. While we were jealous about their lorry ride, were also relieved that we escaped the long walk back.

For those interested  can check these out:

Digital and Art Memorials:

The 1947 Partition Archive: Because geographic and political tensions make physical travel difficult between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, The 1947 Partition Archive serves as a digital memorial. It crowd-sources and preserves thousands of video and audio oral histories from survivors worldwide. 

The Partition Memorial Project: Created by artist Pritika Chowdhry, this is a series of traveling art installations or "anti-memorials" (such as Memory Leaks and Cracking India) that specifically hold space for mourning the thousands of women and hidden victims of Partition violence. 

Remaking India! The first 10 years!

Nice to read the comments made on my earlier blog. 

https://nidhiramblers.blogspot.com/2026/06/independent-india-period-1947-to-1975.html 

N N Sachitanand's comment, tells us that people did not know how "British" India was being divided by the Brits. 

NNS was six years old! Amazing he remembers that his father moved out of West Gujarat based on rumours and gut feeling. Good to know the maharaja of  Jaipur was kind to the refugees from Sindh. He was proactive and took steps to control the situation created by the division. 

"We were in Patan in Western Gujarat at that time. News of the Partition riots had already trickled in. Fearing that Western Gujarat may go to Pakistan , my parents made a hasty exit by train to Jaipur. I was 6 then.

In Jaipur I still recall the Hindu refugees from Sindh who were given accomodation in a camp put up by the Maharaja's government. The fear on their faces was palpable.

The Jaipur maharaja, Man Singh, did an excellent job of getting the state forces to parade the city and quell any incipient riots".

A pleasant surprise was that Srikanth (S K Ramaswamy) called me to talk about my blog. We did have a long chat. He responded to my request to share his comments. We have the Pune connection and importantly it is our Bangkok connection!

"Hi Uncle, nice talking to you. A quick chat with Gemini, gave me the below input which we spoke about.....I recall this in my readings of Indian history but the right words matters!

While I did share the context, here are the exact words of Dr. BR Ambedkar. Will be in touch..... SKR

In his historic final address to the Constituent Assembly on **November 25, 1949**—often referred to as the "Grammar of Anarchy" speech—Dr. B.R. Ambedkar spoke directly about the immense responsibility that came with independence.

He explicitly warned the nation that Indians could no longer point fingers at colonial rulers to excuse their own internal shortcomings. His exact words on this specific point were:

"Independence is no doubt a matter of joy. But let us not forget that this independence has thrown on us great responsibilities. 

*By independence, we have lost the excuse of blaming the British for anything going wrong. If hereafter things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame except ourselves.*

# The Broader Context of His Warning

Dr. Ambedkar used this premise to deliver three vital warnings to safeguard India’s newborn democracy, emphasizing that a Constitution is only as good as the people running it:

 **Abandon "The Grammar of Anarchy":** He argued that while unconstitutional methods like civil disobedience, non-cooperation, and *satyagraha* were justified under British rule when constitutional paths were blocked, they no longer had a place in a free democracy. Keeping them alive, he warned, is nothing but the "grammar of anarchy."

 ***Beware of Hero-Worship (*Bhakti*):** Citing the philosopher John Stuart Mill, he cautioned Indians not to lay their liberties at the feet of even the greatest leaders. He noted that while *Bhakti* (devotion) might be a path to salvation in religion, in politics, it is a "sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship."

 * **Establish Social Democracy:** He stressed that political democracy (the right to vote) means nothing if India fails to achieve social democracy—which he defined as a way of life recognizing liberty, equality, and fraternity. He famously noted that on January 26, 1950, India was entering a "life of contradictions," possessing equality in politics but deep inequality in social and economic life.

Incase you have seen 'Freedom at Midnight' it brings forth all that happened pre-Independence very well.....the entire Bengal tragedy is there.

I read the book about 20 years or so back and as I recall the series on Sony Liv has captured the book very well. If you have not seen it, please do lookup on Sony Liv.

Cheers, SKR"

A good time to remind us about the need for a deep introspection! Especially for those who are straying from the right path! Selfish motives have a way of pushing the country into a chaos. 

Raghunath has said my blog is a true rambler. Let me go back to my memories!

Post independance day celebrations, my life was all about schools. Completed my Lower Secondary in Kannada Medium. Joined an English Medium high school. The main criteria was to join a school closest to home. I preferred to walk, rarely used my bicycle! 

English was still popular as the medium of instruction. It opened better opportunities and was a must for getting into professional colleges! English as a language has somehow stayed with us! You can hate what the brits did! Why hate their language?  It does apply to other languages too!

I remember that when I joined the high school, I had chosen art as the elective subject! No clue why! May be I had heard from seniors that the maths teacher was a pain!

 On the first day of school, I was asked to meet the head master! When I walked in, he came to the point straight away! He said in kannada, 'I see you have chosen arts. You are the only student to do that. We can't afford to run a separate class only for you! Why don't you try another school?' 

It was no brainer as a few of my friends had joined the school with me.  I replied that I would switch to science!

Fast forward to the day  I had an interview at the Government Engineering college. I had often been told that it was important to study hard as the number of seats availalble in professional colleges were limited. I understood why it was tough to get into professional colleges. There were not many colleges those days. I also had a shock of a different kind. 

 The principal knew our family well, I do not know if my father had spoken to him. I was however surprised to hear him request the interviewing commitee to kindly select me! While I was not a topper, I had hoped to just make it. 

Then I heard the chairman of the committee  'We could have considered, but he is a Brahmin!' 

I did not know that as a Brahmin only 4% of us were eligible for a seat! 

Independent India, period 1947 to 1975. First few years.

The India Today has brought out a special edition, "Remaking India - Fifty years of India Today" The period covered is from 1975 to 2025. It is very timely! Browsing through, it took me further  back in time! 

We appear to be at a cross-road. Perhaps we are there all the time and we need to take a look at ourselves as countrymen. 

I was nine years old when India got its independence, year 1947. The memory of its celebration has stayed with me! I remember my father getting all excited about the coming independence day on the 15th of August. Especially keen to hear Pandit Nehru's midnight/early morning braodcast. Tryst with destiny of the new nation, on its 'first' day of Independence. He purchased a Radio, and when he tried it out, the reception wasn't that good. It was a small radio and the tuning was not precise. He rushed back to the shop, exchanged it for a better model.

I did not hear Pandit Nehru speak. I and my sister Srilatha were in Madras on that day. Our neighbors Vasudeva Rao and Lalithamma took us along with them to Madras. Very nice of them, considering I was nine and Srilatha was six years old! We stayed with my father's cousin.

Everything was new for us. I do remember the illumination on the ships docked on the port celebrating the day.  We played on the smooth sands of Marina beach. But the sight of small fish struggling in a basket was disrurbing!

Our uncle was friendly! However, we did not enjoy being teased by his son, my cousin! We were about the same age. He constantly made fun of our Kannada mixed Tamil. Srilatha, spoke up when uncle Vasudeva Rao dropped in after a couple of days. A courtsey call! She went to him immediately and said, 'I want to stay with you!' Vasudeva Rao then spoke to my uncle softly in fluent Tamil. After a while, we were  told to pick up our small bags and we went along with him to his relatives home. We had a good time at their place. 

It does prove 'Language' can and does become an issue! 

Back in Bangalore, I walked around our area with a friend. He had heard and we did see that many Muslim homes were empty in our area. Curious we peeped into the closeby Mosque. An elderly person came out asked us in kannada ' why are you here'. When we said we just wanted to see, he said very gently it was not the right time and better if we didn't visit! Another older friend explained that many had opted to go to Pakistan. He added, it was created by the British before they left India! I do not remember any mention of violence! 

We had just visited Sundarbans and had seen a village close to Bangladesh border. I wondered  how it was for them on that momentous day. I did not ask, but googled to check!

Yes, immense violence occurred on the day of Indian independence due to the concurrent Partition of India.

While the broader movement utilized largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience, the actual transition of power on August 15, 1947, triggered catastrophic communal riots.It was shocking that people who had lived in the same place together attacked and killed those who were suddenly declared as a minority. Doesn't speak much about our human values.

Possibly leaders just let it go believing other options would make it worse.  A system was set up to deal with the  refugee influx. It appears most just blanked it out from their memories and tried to cope with the immediate challenges they faced.  The communal problems were there and still persists! We have seen it can be stoked up whenever it gets into someone's head and the person has the influence! So 'Tryst' with our destiny continues. 

The British had thoughtfully left their dwellings as it is, which our leaders occupied. The Armed forces, though divided was still intact. The well trained beaureaucrats were there too. The transition could have been  smooth. But, alas it was not to be.

The Brits gave us their language, taught us whatever they felt could be useful to them. It is claimed they even taught us corruption! They stole a lot from us, obviously! However they gifted us an 'excuse'! We could always blame them for anything that went wrong!

 It is no brainer that the idea of 'non-cooperation' was the best gift. We bestowed ourselves with it! We can take recourse to it, whenever we are unable to debate  reasonably! 

While we became free, the country was poor! Not all our countrymen were poor! 

Anyway I had my own challenges, I was in middle school, studying in Kannada medium. In High school I would be studying in an English medium. The British were gone, but English remained. Nothing wrong with it! 

We were not sensible, anyway it was complicated! Just imagine, the barristers and others who knew English,  chosen to steer the country, took some arbitratary decisions! If they could learn English from the British, and even draft a constitution. Where was the need for a common Indian language, based on Majority?? 

We could have taught all Indians to read English! Our literacy was 18.3 just percent at the time of independence.  

Even after our idedpendence, the well healed learnt English and others were left behind. It is debatable, I wish the debate had taken place in the early years! So we have language problem. Think how smartly Singapore solved it. 

We have indeed taken the right steps ! Need to find how many actually use the facility in Parliament and Assembly !

• Scheduled Languages: Parliament allows members to speak in any of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule 
• prescribed the regional languages, Hindi, and English as the languages to be generally used in the State Legislature. 

We have other issues too!

A Tranquil boat ride along the mangrove forests of Sundarbans

While we hoped to see the Bengal tiger looking out from the mangrove forest, even swim along with us, our  main intention was to see the world famous UNESCO approved wonder of nature. I had seen a very well made documentary on Sundarbans, hence was doubly curious. 

 We headed towards a pier about 100 km away from Kolkata after checking out from our hotel.We had memorable stay at Kolkata! 

It was a smooth drive of two and a half hours on a well made and maintained two lane road. The traffic was not heavy and it was disciplined. I guess the mayhem in Bengal is only in in its politics. There were many modified tuk-tuks. Our driver drove well except he loved to honk but he was not aggressive. 

We reached a pier and the driver coordinated with the boat people and  we were on board after a small wait. I needed help to get on to the boat. Soon we were on our way!

A view from our boat. The boatsmen had stopped to shop for grocery.
 Our lunch would be cooked on the boat!

As we  practically glided on the river, we were given some gyan about life on these islands. As I had chosen not to wear my hearing aids, missed to grasp it fully. Hope others who heard will fill in! 

A boat is their life line! 

The boat ride was very tranquil. I would have dozed off to sleep if there was a sofa on the boat and wished they had at least spread a gymkana on the floor. Others kept busy chatting with one of the boatsmen.

 The pilot of our boat was around 72 years old, his son helped and his granddaughter was also there. Not clear about her role. Perhaps helped her father in the galley. I did not go down to have a look. 

Only excitement happened, we moved slow, was when another larger boat came parallel to ours. Our boat swayed a lot and the drinking water bottle turned upside down as it had no real support. 

He put back the bottle up and salvaged precious water!

The lunch was very delicious and just right. It was vegetarian.
However fish is veg for Bengalis. Tara and I stuck to total veg food. 

In about two hours we stopped near these concrete steps.
I needed more help to negotiate these steps.
Back to my childhood as I held on, actually grabbed the helping hand!

Very thoughtful, especially if the Bengali tiger had a smart phone!

A driver with a buggy picked us up, and soon were at the hotel. As it was off-season we didn't see too many tourists at the resort. 

 Gayathri later told me that Sanjay, her cousin and family, had visited Sundarbans years ago when there were no resorts. They stayed at ramshackle place, but saw a tiger!

I noticed that our nice resort was well protected by a high compound wall!

We rested for a while and were back on the boat. It was tougher for me to climb down, so held on to two people. It reminded me of the picture of Mahatma Gandhi supported by two girls as he walked. In my case it was only to negotiate some very difficult steps.

The ride was smooth, and I was still hoping for a glimpse of a tiger. Actually we were on the boat just to view the sunset. I have no clue if a tiger was watching us. No burning bright eyes seen as it got darker. 

Wish I had the guts to take a  ride with the boys!

Sunset from a different spot!

We had an excellent dinner served by a very pleasant person taking care of our table. A 30 ml Ballantine with it made it perfect! 

The Iran war was not discussed. I had suggested to Tara not to talk politics with the locals. She said okay, but was not very pleased though!

We were up early next morning, the sun is in a bit of a hurry here in Bengal. Idli and Uthappa including my usual omelette for breakfast. After checking out, we were dropped at the same spot. 

It was a different scene. 

The staircase I was dreading to climbdown was missing.  I learnt that the high tide is about  five meters higher than the low tide. A  big relief! I still needed help to get on to the boat, but it was not scary!

The plan was to take a quick trip to the tiger reserve forest situated on an island. We had our return flight to catch the same evening!

 We were still hoping to get a glimpse of the wild life. We had a guide with us on the boat and our keen team had a long chat while I had my eyes peeled looking out!

A welcoming tiger!

A baby turtle. It could live for another 300 years!

Aslo a brave tiger, sitting next to a tigress?

Notice the large nest!

The fruits are edible!

It's cousin visits me on our terrace. No crows following us!!

Notice the protective net in front. It is atleast twenty feet high during low tide. 

Forest during low tide. 

This is how islands are protected from the river.

Many idle boats

Back to reality and our journey back began!

Tara adds:

60% of the Sundarbans is in Bangladesh and 40% in India.

Villagers have been protected from the Bengal tiger with nets bordering the shore line..

 Tigers, we were told can swim 8 to 9 km at one time.

It was amazing to see the 'Aerial roots' above the grounds and the luxurious foliage thriving in salty back waters. We saw the

Sundari tree, which is salt water tolerant, giving the forest its name as Sundarbans. 

Those interested can read more by googling 'Sundarbans Mangrove Forest'!

A tigress chooses to hide her cubs under Sunadari trees as their entangled roots protect the cubs from the male tigers!

Bengal Tigers living on islands do not have many animals to hunt. They have been forced to become man eaters! Villages on the banks of rivers and in islands  protect themselves and their animals by putting nets across possible accesses to their village. 

I remember that the documentary movie, about thirty years old, ended with a question to a villager. 

His son was taken away by a tiger! The question was "Do you hate the tigers?" 

His reply was, "It was my bad luck to lose my son. I do not hate them. They too have a right to live".