Old Fashioned Taldingi

This edition features the unique charm of Sundarbans and some of its extinct attractions from the past. Perhaps it is this region’s detachment from the mainstream that makes it even more enchanting. There isn’t a single Bengali literary figure who hasn’t written a few lines about this mysterious, magical forest. The terrifying and harsh conditions of the Sundarbans of the past seem to have been organized under an engineering principle and practice.

Over time, new developments have occurred, but in this newness, we seem to have forgotten history. Society, its science, trees, animals, rivers, and the wind all seem to be yearning to return to their previous, simpler, natural, and transparent state. As a conscious citizen and protector of the environment, it is our moral duty to bring forth those old stories in the context of today’s world. With this sense of discovery and a mindset for innovation and change, we reached Purva Sridharpur Island, a small island in the middle of the Sundarbans.

We stumbled upon a rare and lost treasure right at the open riverbank in front of Muktangan. At dusk, surrounded by the sound of conch shells and the mysterious mangrove forest, we found something native—a rare boat with a noble history, passed down through generations, carrying with it a legacy and tradition. This boat, known as ‘TalDingi,’ looks like a coppery vessel.

The digital generation of today might not even be aware of such a thing, and how could they be? The seed of its existence hasn’t been sown on Google, and because it hasn’t, our culture, refinement, and heritage have become trivialized. Globalization, in its effort to bring the world together, has made us forget ourselves; everyone seems engrossed in their own self-importance.

As the evening set in at the riverbank, the rare lines of poet Kalidas Roy seemed to resonate in my mind:

“In village paths, fields, riverbanks, in the sugarcane fields, fishermen’s TalDingi goes, O voice! Your voice echoes from village to village.”

Time, in its unknown play, often distances essential necessities by glossing over reality with the veneer of wealth, luxury, and indulgence, just as it sometimes brings those necessities closer in certain circumstances. Indeed, today’s future is far removed from such needs. The time has come to bridge that distance; otherwise, the lack of knowledge about the Sundarbans will confine this mysterious international heritage to YouTube’s Hilsa festivals.

Without Mukti, this introduction to such a unique attraction might not have been possible today. In the future, perhaps someone from a far-off place will loudly ask, “What is TalDingi?” And each time, that story of the Sundarbans will emerge—the creation of a boat by hollowing out the trunk of a palm tree. The creativity and inventiveness of the past remind today’s scientifically-minded society:

“Rowing the TalDingi in the countryside,

I caught Magur and Singi fish.”

The main objective of this special edition by Mukti is to rediscover these rare, lost treasures and establish a creative connection between the past and the present, rekindling the curiosity of today’s minds. This will pave the way to liberation for the next generation…

-Dipayan Mukherjee

(Mukti Program Manager)