Saturday, 13 January 2018

Taki a Weekend Get way from Kolkata

(year 2017 )Unless you are looking for a breakaway place near Kolkata or in picnic mood, do not have great expectations from this place. Enjoy the 02Km Iccha Mati river front where some Ghat & boating  facilities have been created by the local Municipality . This 08/10 feet wide road running parallel to the river is full with walking people and local 04 wheel Totos and  local Food Joints & Souvenir stalls cramping the 02 Km river front. There are some nearby spots generated just to give some variance or novelty but have nothing in great  to offer. except tranquillity and Eco-Setup . 
Taki is a cosy and quiet retreat, just a two-hour drive from the Kolkata city approx 73 km northeast  in North 24-Parganas, on the IcchaMati river front with the opposite side being Bangladesh border / riverline visible. It is also the gateway to the Sunderbans.
One may study the local Municipality site for local information and staying places at  http://www.takimunicipality.in/
All important spots as mentioned below are close by and can be covered in less than one day by using of a Battery Operated Toto  Rickshaw. Pay not more than Rs 200/- for 06 hrs trip and negotiate correctly to avoid harassment or cheating.
You may contact Mr Nabakumar Das cell-8944820380  , a Toto owner cum driver (speaks only  Bengali) for any local help /bookings.
GOING
Adjacent to the  Science City culvert (Kolkata EM By-pass )  get into the side lane to get on the  Basanti Road going towards Bantala. This is a fairly good double road for the first 60 Km journey.  On the way cross the Bantala Leather Complex at approx 18 Km. The landscape starts changing from Urban to Semi-urban and finally to rural. Villages with paddy fields and fish ponds appeared on either side of the road, replacing buildings.
The road will be busy with vehicles carrying fish and other products from the hinterland of   Bhangor, Bhojerhat, Ghatakpukur, Basanti and Malancha , which is more or less gateway to  Taki. From Malancha the road become narrow / One and half lane till Taki.
Beware of commercial drivers from their extreme rash driving.
Alternatively take a bus from Esplanade or a train from Sealdah. The local train “ Hasnabad local” leaving Sealdah station at Kolkata goes via Taki Road station.
From Taki Road station, Jetty Ghat takes 15 minutes by Toto rickshaw or shared van- rickshaw at Rs 30/- per head. River cruise boats can be hired at Jetty /Ghat in shared mode and a full boat booking is possible too .

STAYING      Book in advance for hotels on Week-ends. There are no 3-Star or equivalent stay and fooding arrangement here as of now (2017) but some star properties are under construction now. Almost all the stay arrangements are on the river front.
Pure Govt
1-      Public Health Guest House on the river front road generally used by higher Govt officials to be booked only at Kolkata , New Secretariat Building , 07th Floor, IKS  Roy Road, Kolkata 700-001 , Ph-03-22624792 , Email      phed_bungalow@wbphed.gov.in
Local Municipality controlled and for public
2-      Eco Tourism Guest House is basically known as Eco Park approx 03Km away from the river front into village settings away from any locality where some residential facilities have been created. Ph-  Office: 03217 233 324 / 234 481 ; Bidhan Saikat-II: +91 96357 06066 ;  Email: cmoftm@gmail.com ;
Guest House: 03217 233 328  or call  +91   8016326455 , 9635079347 ,  70477 45599 , Mr Souvik  .AC Cottages 08  approx Rs 800/- and normal room Rs 600/-

3-      Municipal Tourism GH is on the river front  with its Govt name Nripendra Athithisala. Ph- Municipal Telephone No Office: 03217 233 324 / 234 481 ; Bidhan Saikat-II: +91 96357 06066 ;  Email: cmoftm@gmail.com ;

Public Hotels / GH   all properties are on river front or nearby :- 
4-      Suhasini Guest House   http://www.suhasiniguesthouse.in/contact-us/  Mobile : +91 9330826779 ; 8016065309 (Tapas Chatterji); 03217-234 108/ 322 212.; +91-9330826779 - Address Taki Uttar Bari, P.O.-Taki, 24-Parganas(North) - Email-  info@suhasiniguesthouse ;For  Kolkata Booking: North: +91 9339375915 ; South: +91 9331026585  and also by  Gouranga Travel Agencies: Ph: 033 2463 4030 / 0463 1230 ; Mobile: +91 9433702096 , Address – Golpark , T57B, Purnadas Road, Kolkata-700029
5-       BISRAM BAGAN BARI -The property is  in sodhpur village very nearby with 5 min walking distance from the place. The property has pond and Shiv Mandir inside the Bagan Bari. If you want to spend a quite day in taki with your family and friends stay here. It is located near SAIDPUR BSF BOP. Rooms/food are good. Pond view rooms less than Rs1000/-,. Kolkata Booking Address : 20/1/1C, Ballygunge Station Road,1st Floor,Kolkata-700019 ; Contact : 9007012271 / 4/5 , 9007788056 ; E-mail : bisrambaganbari@gmail.com ; Website : www.bisrambaganbari.com.

6-      Rupasi Bangla Lodge  Ph- 7602754115 ; 7797690591 . It is a new hotel inaugurated in Jan 2018 with approx tariff below Rs 1000/-
7-      Amrapali Guest House,  Puraton Baza  http://www.amrapaliguesthouse.com/indexdetail.php  Ph-03217-234471
8-      Nandan Guest House in Taki, North 24 Parganas, Guest House (Rs 501 To Rs 1000) - Taki Trimohini,Taki Ghat Road,Taki-743429 Ph-03217-233142.
9-      Shantiniketan GH Ph- 8016043744 (Rec) , 9474128317 , 9851265134  - It is a new hotel inaugurated in Jan 2018 with approx tariff below Rs 1000/-
10-   Taki Tourist Bungalow,  Taki Goash Babupara Taki ;  03217-234647  http://www.holidayiq.com/Taki-Tourist-Bungalow-West-Bengal-hotel-9263.html

Places of Interest
·         As the notional International Boundary runs in the middle of the river, boats with respective flags can be seen plying in the river. The local people look forward to the annual reunion on Dashami (last day of Durga Puja rituals generally in Oct each year ). On that day, people from both sides of the border hoisting their national flags on boats carrying idols and meet in between the Ichhamati. The man-made boundary vanishes for the day.

·         The paved riverfront near Jetty Ghat wears a festive look in the evenings with roadside eateries and shops selling toys and trinkets. Taki municipality, established on 01 April 1869, maintains these facilities.

·         The Ramakrishna Mission school housing an inside temple has its  own evening prayer and Aarati .

·         200 yrs old “Kuler Kali Bari” are within walking distance from the riverfront.. The name “Kuler Kali Bari” suggests the existence of another river flowing near the temple.

·         The strip of land between the two rivers, locally called tack, might have given rise to the name Taki.

·         The old deity of Nandalal Jiu at Jalalpur is also an local attraction here.

·         Municipality has built a raised walkway towards the river front with both sides full of Mangroves trees giving a feeling of little Suderbans. A tree with a round fruit very attractive is found on this stretch called as GolpataBon. The river here is a narrow ribbon and we could clearly see the people in the Sreepur village of Bangladesh. Rs 5/- per head municipal ticked is charged here.
 


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·         Visit the ancestral house of the former chief of the Indian army, General Shankar Roychoudhury, in Saidpur village. Our boatman recounted how the Indian army had destroyed Pakistani gunboats on the Ichhamati during the 1971 war, where our soldiers ferried tanks and ammunition and captured Satkhira in East Pakistan territory.
·         The Village dilapidated garden house used in Bengali movie Bishorjan is nearby the Bisram Bagan Bari.

·         BSF Main Camp is also nearby .

·         6) Mohona: It is about 2 km from the main spot. It is near Eco Park cum Guest House

·         Boating in Ichamati river is arranged by municipality from the main river front cum Bazar. They charge Rs. 30 for 40 min boat trip Rs30/40 per head. You can enjoy a very close  view of Bangladesh, Mohona tri-junction , and river side view of Taki spot. Boat ride is closed by 5 pm..


·         Enjoy the spectacular view of Sunrise and Sunset near Mohana.
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Taki Blogs ...Gobindaroy's Blog   https://gobindaroy.wordpress.com/tag/taki-picnic-spot/  

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