The Rupnarayan is the defining natural feature of the Deulti-Samta landscape. The river rises in the Chhota Nagpur plateau as the Dhaleswari, passes through Bankura district as the Dwarakeswar and assumes the name Rupnarayan as it approaches the coastal plains of Howrah and East Midnapore. It joins the Hooghly at the three-river confluence near Gadiara, approximately 30km south and its waters eventually reach the Bay of Bengal.
The Rupnarayan at Deulti is still a substantial and beautiful river, though its current course has moved some distance from the villages that bear the closest historical relationship to it. The 10-15 minute walk from the Kuthi to the current riverbank traverses village paddy fields. This is the path Chattopadhyay frequently took and it offers visitors insight into the layout of the agricultural landscape between his home and the river during his time.
The Hilsa Fish of the Rupnarayan
No discussion of the Rupnarayan would be complete without the hilsa (ilish in Bengali), widely regarded as the finest freshwater-saltwater fish in India. The hilsa is a migratory fish that ascends the rivers of the Gangetic delta from the Bay of Bengal during the monsoon (June-September), running upriver to spawn in freshwater. The hilsa of the Rupnarayan, which feed in the rich estuarine waters of the Hooghly before ascending, are considered among the finest in South Bengal: firm, oily and deeply flavoured. Kolaghat, just 4km from Deulti, is one of the great hilsa markets of the district.
The Riverbank as Picnic Ground
The Rupnarayan bank near Deulti has been a favourite picnic ground for Kolkata families since the early 20th century. December and January see the bank most heavily used, with groups arriving by train and bus for a day of cooking, eating, cricket and long sitting by the water. Christmas and New Year bring particularly large numbers. The bank is broad and grassy in winter, the water at its most serene and the views downstream toward Kolaghat and the widening river are genuinely beautiful.
Comments