A true Scouter of West Bengal, India

I mate Dr Robin Chatterjee who was Scouter and In charge of Disaster Training Institute of Indian Red Cross Society (West Bengal). This Institute was located at central Kolkata. Dr Robin Chatterjee at Face Book

I had planned to visit Amarnath Cave,in 1970,  Jammu & Kashmir, in Indian Himalayas.Trekking route to Amarnath cave

Dr Chatterjee took interest for making this venture a success, we had a plan to trek from Batal, it was not a normal trekking route.The special permission were required that time. We were seven members, but who will sponsor our venture ? Dr Chatterjee took initiative and The Bharat Scouts & Guides, Eastern Railway, Sealdha Division sponsored this venture. Indian Mountaineering Foundation of New Delhi approved this venture.We faced hardship due to bad weather, before our venture there were lots of casualties of human and animal lives.

It was in 1982 mountaineers and trekkers meet was planned at The  Bharat Scouts & Guides (West Bengal) Campsite for the mountaineers and trekkers of the state of West Bengal of India. Apart from Himalayan Club the oldest civil mountaineering club is located at Kolkata, India. The Bharat Scouts & Guides (West Bengal) a Rover Crew was active in mountain adventure activities. Even then the State Secretary was very much interested in mountain adventure activities.

Rock climbing, trekking, and mountaineering expeditions were organised by them. An effort of making a confederation was initiated since 1980 and a meet was called at The  Bharat Scouts & Guides (West Bengal) Campsite. The various representatives of mountaineering & trekking organisations and individuals joined this meet. It was decided to form a confederation for the state of West Bengal for the development of mountaineering and trekking activities.

The name of this organisation is West Bengal Mountaineers & Trekkers Confederation. 

World wide communication through ICT by the Scouts, Guides of the World community

The word Jamboree means physical assembling in a particular place. It is important event of scouting and guiding. Another way of Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) it is an annual event of World Scots & Guides. It starts from mid night of Friday and continue till Sunday midnight, a total of 48 hours event.

Scots & Guides of the world they contact each other through amatur wireless operator stations. They greet each other, exchange information,idea,sing song and play games on air.. 

The camp site of Bharat Scouts & Guides (West Bengal) is having a camp site at Ganga Nagar, next to Kolkata Air Port.

 The first time a JOTA station was established there by a team of young operators and leader of this team was Ananda gopal Mazumder,  vu2agj,he was then resident of this state. He was very expert amateur wireless operator.. The contributor was also in this team, he is an amateur wireless operator, call sign is VU3SKD, he got his amatur wireless licence received in 1991.

IN the state of West Bengal 'Durga Puja' is a big event for about 5 days. and JOTA was just after puja event. The voltage of the power supply was too low. It was difficult to opearte during day time. The voltage was reasonable to operate during the night. 

The Scout & Guides were visited this station from various parts of the state, even Eastern Railway Scots & Guides joined in this event. I do remember the Guides from Howrha Division were very expert to translate the meaning of Bengali songs into English.

The Yong Explorers' Institute for Social Service Scout Group was very new the scout activities, some cub members joined this event, they are now grown up persons.

Fort William Kolkata

I got the opportunity to visit a fort which is located in my city, this is a scoop type fort on the western part of Kolkata city just next to Ganga. It was built in 1696. I got the opportunity to start visiting this fort when I was a school student and at the same time, I was a cadet of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Junior Division, Army Wing. Our weekly training was at the Brigade Parade Ground. The NCC office is located at this Fort. I was a less regular visitor of the Fort after our NCC training. I have the opportunity to fire the first .22 bore rifle at the short firing range at his fort. This firing range is not functional now.

It was seeing an army family who was living in this fort I thought  I should join the Indian Army. My friends Salil Chakraborty and Sabyasachi Mazumder were all NCC cadets of the 2nd Bengal Battalion NCC and we were students of Taltala High School which is located at central Kolkata. The NCC troop of our school was quite active in this training. We were sincere about the turnout and used to feel proud to be a cadet. The wet canteen of Army units where we could get some snacks 'pakora' was a tasty favorite item.

The NCC training and camp was very attractive for me that continues even in my college life as a senior division cadet. I got the scope to attain the attachment with Regular Army, it was with the 20th Maratha Light Infantry, the duration was about a month, the location was in North Bengal and we had a tough time during the rain, our kitchen was dug in where rainwater was a problem to drain out the same we had to face the bite of leach. I was selected for Republic Camp at New Delhi in 1970. I got the Basic and Advance Mountaineering training from Mountaineering Institute and Allied Sports, Manali and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Darjeeling respectively.

As a Senior Division NCC Cadet, I joined two camps which were in Fort William. There is a Holiday Home and Army Officers Institute.


In May 1984 an Army Exhibition was held during the month of May. I was then recommissioned in the Territorial Army. I was posted to 107 Infantry Stallion (TA) as a Company Commander,it was part-time soldiering. In civil was working with the State Bank of India, posted at Kolkata. I was associated with this exhibition.  Two stalls were given to HQ Territorial Army Group Eastern Command. and there was a) Bengal Contribution for India's freedom struggle & b) Bengal contribution to Indian Armed Forces.

We had collected some photographs from  Netaji Research Bureau, Kolkata The Indian National Army songs were available in audio cassettes. These songs were played during this program.

Fort William Kolkata is active where the Head Quarter of Eastern Command is located. The residence of General Officer Commanding of the Bengal Area is there.  The Kendriya Vidyalaya, library stadium, swimming pool, gymnasium, golf course,  cinema hall, banking, Indian Post facilities are there. I still visit this fort, it is now 55 years I am visiting this fort.


Eastern Command at face Book 

My experience in projecting Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and Indian National Army at the Army Exhibition held in 1984 at Fort William Kolkata

I was an Officer of Territorial Army posted to 107 Infantry Battalion at Lebong, West Bengal.. I was  associated with Army Exhibition which  was held at Fort William South Eastern Side, it was called Ellenbora Ground (opposite to Race Course). As a NCC Cadet I have done Camp there in the past.

It was in  May  1984 this exhibition was held. The Territorial Group HQ was given the responsibility to arrange stalls on Bengal Contribution to India's Independence, Bengal Contribution to Indian Armed Forces. On inquiry we had come to know that Government of West Bengal is having a stall on  our freedom movement, they were requested and they participated in this exhibition.

I got a reference book in Encyclopedia of War Heroes of India, published from New Delhi, it was great help to  project the theme stall. i went to New Delhi, Ministry of Defence Photo Division to select visuals for our exhibition. It was collected from them

The Staff Officer  of TA Group HQ and my self were not happy, so far we could not displayed Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and Indian National Army. The approach was made to Netaji Research Bureau, they supplied the photos and exhibits. Those were suitably displayed. We could collect the audio cassettes  on Netaji speech from various broadcasting stations and INA Songs, the Films Divisions films were available to project.

We were happy that we could projected Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and INA in a proper manner.

Scope of enhancement Mountain Adventure activities in Himalayan Countries

Scope of enhancement Mountain Adventure activities  in Himalayan Countries

India, Nepal & Sikkim all these countries are having a common heritage of The Himalayas which is east to west. The Himalayas regions are  great natural, cultural for which   the travelers, explorers are coming again and again to explore the region. A good numbers of publications in print and electronic is available for adventure-loving people, film producers, artisans, writers,  research scholars and so on. The Himalayan scenes are important shots of films.

For mountaineering activities In India the apex body is Indian Mountaineering Foundation IMF (IMF). In Nepal, it is Nepal Tourism. In India, good numbers of foreign tourists visit India Himalayas for trekking, skiing, mountaineering, white water rafting, and skydiving. In the past IMF had organised programs for seminars, climbing for both the Indian and foreign climbers. These camps in nature have a great impact on understanding each other in a natural environment.

Our North-East states have the great potentiality for enhancing mountain tourism in a big way. Our neighboring states have joined the training programs, mainly the adventure course conducted by the mountaineering institutes located in our country.

In the past to promote such activities the individual and civil society efforts were undertaken in the past. In 1977, Thimpu &  Paro  of Bhutan, 1997 and 1997 to Bangladesh an Indian citizen went to Bangladesh Scouts and took part in their Radio programs to disseminate the information of the scope of adventure activities available in India  at Dacca and Sylhet. A continuous effort is on through internet postings.

Even at the city base activities like a wall, climbing may be interesting with very little experience, time and resources. The existing facilities may be used for income-generating for the youths maybe during the better season. It may be ideal if such a thing can be started initially for the students who are studying in our universities across the countries. The civil society may be interested to initiate, conduct and review the same for the betterment of such activities.

Buddhist practioners, in India in the last century as observed by an Indian

Buddhist practioners, in India in the last century as observed  by an Indian

Recently there was an International seminar on Asian connectivity, it was held at New Delhi. Another connectivity of Buddhism in Asia was organised by Maulana Abul Kaklm Azad Institute of Asian Studies of Kolkata

I was thinking my personal experiences of Buddhist personnel with whom I have mate, worked in different situations and observation I have noticed as an individual.

I had friends who were originally from Chittagaon, Bangladesh. They were school students of Taltala High School and Rani Rashmoni High School of central Kolkata. few of them played  for Subrato Cup Trophy and also won that for Rani Rashmoni High School in ‘60s . They were simple souls and hard working friends.

During my service with the Indian Army I have the pleasure to play  football with Buddhist soldiers and won the championship, it gave me to know the soldiers better.  Another game they like is Boxing.

It was  in June 1972, we went to climb two peaks in Lahul & Spiti of Bara Sigri glacier of Himachal Praedesh.We were 12 members from Kolkata there were 3 High Altitude Porters (HAPs) and leader was Ring Zing, he had a fair knowledge about the area. The Central (20,620 fts) & Lion (20100 fts) were climbed by a British team, they had published a book titled Four miles high by Joshpehen Scar.We had to cross a ravine called’BarsiNullah’ for which we had halted at Batal and attempted to cross the Nullah early in the morning when there will be less water in the nullah. Two ropes were taken by Lama,  one of the HAP at the other side of the nullah. I was the first volunteer to cross the nullah.I did some physical exercise to warm up the body temperature. I massaged the bare feet with cold  cream. The water was coming from snow it was freezing cold.  was loaded including a 8mm movie camera. I had just moved 10 fts with holding the rope on both the sides. Certainly a huge boulder on which I was standing moved away with the current of the water. I lost the balance and floating on the nullah.

Jonbo, a tall HAP came to rescue me from the water, he first took out my rucksack and then pulled me back. It took some time to bring back my body temperature for which I did good physical exercise. Our Medical Officer (MO) came and checked me and gave me some tablet. I recovered, we crossed the nullah from upper region where the ice bridge was there.

We went to Advance Base Camp after establishing our Base Camp at an height of 12,500 fts, we were 4 members and 3 HAPS. Asit Moitra,our Deputy Leader ate egg item at Base Camp, this eggs were taken from Kolkata, Moitra had a loose motion and vomiting  after reaching Advance Base Camp. He had a good record of climbing, his body temperature was loosing, inside the artic tent,  our MO was at Base camp and we had no communication system to contact him. He was inside a sleeping bag, another sleeping bag was used and the loose portion of the sleeping bag was hold tight by us. His body temperature was rising and he was requesting water which was not allowed to give. Slowly  he went to sleep and early morning he was taken down by HAPs and on the way the MO was mate and he took the charged of him within 2 days, he was fit to climb and ascent the Central Peak (20620 fts) with 2 climbers and HAPs.

In both the incidents the HAPs played very important role to save the climbers at that altitude, climatic and terrain conditions. There contribution for the mountain adventure is recognised by all. In a changing world scenario there materialistic demand has increased but there attitude towards life to be understand.

Da Namgyal, a Sherpa who went to summit camp of Everest with Edmund Hillary & Tenjing Norgey in 1953, due to shortage of oxygen cylinder one has to come down the Da Namgyal was the volunteer, Is it unthinkable of present situation. I mate him last time in 1980 when Sir Edmund Hillary, Tenjing Norgay and other members of Indian expeditions to Mount Everest were there.It was the occasion of Silver Jubilee celebration of HMI. Indira Gandhi was present there to inaugurate this event,it was her last visit to Darjeeling in 1980. I found Da Namgyal at Mal of Darjeeling, he was selling woollen items there. he was then retired from HMI as an Instructor.

I had the opportunity to serve with the soldiers who are Buddhist by faith, they are simple hard working, sincere to their work even in odd situation like their performance in the desert. The Gun Position Officer (GPO) of Indian Artillery after reconcile the  area and planting flag for guns in a running and tense condition, he was thirsty, a glass of water is great to get from them and a cup of tea in odd times. Those are some good memories which will not be forgotten in the life time. It is difficult to realize by civilians of such good things in the life. This simple souls left for  home during his leave with Indian currencies for their family members, few of them were cheated  by some fellow passengers by offering drink. It may be  they could  not think negative aspect of life and love for drink which  is their way of life.

During my service with the biggest Bank of our country, one Bank Guard was lost his life in a road accident at Kolkata, he was lovable man for all. After the death it was possible to keep his body in a mortuary for few days, to bring his family members to Kolkata. His wife has been offered job in the said bank.

It is well known about their attitude towards their life, they are simple living and adopt  to overcome all odds of environment challenges and very god fearing people. This they have learned from Buddhism and nature.