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Down Memory Lane Traveller's Diary

Rifle shooting to hunting

Our member Mr. M.K.Rakshit had the privilege of learning rifle shooting. He shares with us his initial days of practicing shooting and the excitement of hunting.

Years ago, when I was still a teenager, my paternal uncle (kaku) was at that time working in the military. They were strict disciplinarians and were very brave and daring. As I was the next generation elder son in the family, my kaku wanted to make me courageous and valiant. Moreover, his interest was to enroll me into the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. People who passed from the Defense Academy usually achieved a higher post in the Military, that was basically what my uncle had in mind. To be a part of this prestigious Academy, my uncle pushed me to learn rifle shooting.

After I learnt rifle shooting, I had to practice that. It was then that my kaku started taking me for hunting. It developed my focus and improved my hunting skills. I hunted only small animals which were swift and would keep running around. That developed my target practice and shooting ability.

Near Santragachi there was a forest which wasn’t very dense but trees of medium height and shrubs were found in plenty. Berry trees were found in the Nal ban. In the long grassy areas, there used to be rabbits. There were many kinds of small animals but we used to shoot only what was required not others unnecessarily.

Pankouri or little cormorant and many other migratory birds as well as the Siberian birds used to come to Mayurakshi river. Till then the Tilpara barrage had not been constructed there. We used to cross the river to go for hunting. Wild cats also were visible there. They were really wild, but just because we carried rifles, they didn’t bother us. There were smaller ponds – Nalli pukur water body, beyond which Hyenas and Wolves were present. They were ferocious and killed any creature that came within their vicinity. All small children were warned against crossing the pool. We had even seen blood in that water many a times. We never used to shoot these animals, because if attacked, they used to become more violent and dangerous in nature.

I grew up in Suri or Siuri, the headquarters of the Birbhum district. It is 220 km from Kolkata but quite near to Bolpur – Shantiniketan. I was in love with the place for the opportunities I received for sports. It had a lot of empty spaces around. I was extremely good in sports and at no cost was I willing to leave that place. I was a district champion in cycling 400m, 800m, 1000m, 10000m. No body could beat me in sports. My Principal and the Belur Math Guruji used to admire me a lot for my sportsman spirit. I never liked studies but was remarkable in sports. I had taken up night college so I could spend the entire day participating in various sports. Those days we didn’t have gym, but we used to regularly exercise, for body building and fitness.

I had passed the exam of the Defense Academy but never joined it, in fear of leaving Suri. Being the elder son in the family everyone loved and pampered me a lot. No one objected to my decision of not joining the Military Academy. But the practice of rifle shooting continued amidst hunting.
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Down Memory Lane Traveller's Diary United States

A visit to the United States of America

Our member Mr. K. Roy used to visit his daughter, staying at Atlanta, USA, every year till 2018. He reminisces some fabulous moments and a few wonderful places that he had come across while staying there.

When last time we visited USA, we could witness the Independence Day celebration of US. They had organised an air show to celebrate that day. It was a marvellous celebration. A red carpet was spread out till the sea beach. It was really a sight to watch people of different communities walking in harmony, peacefully to the beach. People of all ages, caste and creed were present. Even the Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Indians walked together without any bitterness. There were Africans and Chinese too apart from the natives. It was a fantastic sight.

As people gathered, at the appointed time, the former air force personnel began the airshow. Unfortunately, during the performance one of the pilots had suffered a heart-attack during the show and died. Nonetheless it was a great show.

Apart from this experience, we were fortunate to have visited various other places, such as the Niagara Falls, Alaska, Chicago etc. Niagara Falls, a group of three waterfalls, is one of the best, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The cascade of water plunging deep into the gorge, was really an unforgettable experience. I noticed the presence of a lot of South Indians there.

Alaska on the other hand is an extreme north west state of America which has many National Parks and museums to visit. One gets to see grizzly bears, wolves, reindeers, and elks in the Denali National Park along with ice capped mountains which heightens the experience. The Kenai Fjords National Park offers some of the best sightseeing. The water around, with the ice capped mountains in the background, is a sight to behold.

The Museum of Alaska University is a house of millions of artifacts and specimens, which represent millions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions.

Yellowstone National Park is a wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot in USA. It is situated mostly in Wyoming, the park spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho too. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers. It’s also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope.

Our experience of Chicago was quite different from the others. This is one of the largest cities of US, and has a skyline punctuated by skyscrapers. This city also has numerous fantastic museums.

Apart from visiting these splendid places my general observation was that there were many Indians staying in Atlanta. Many are Gujaratis and influential people who have set up their business there. There is another place called Jackson’s Hide which is also called ‘Mini Bangladesh’. A lot of Bangladeshis have settled down over there and have built their own community.

It really feels good to see the Indian subcontinent residing over there. Overall, spending some time amidst those pleasing places, itself had made me feel delightful.