Representative image of mangroves
Credit; iStock Photo
Kolkata: On Sunday as siblings across West Bengal celebrated 'Bhaiphota', the women of Sundarbans coastal communities honoured a different kind of brother — the resilient mangroves that shielded them from nature's fury during cyclone Dana.
Gathered at the banks of the Sundarika River in Haripur village, Namkhana in South 24 Parganas district, the local women performed a unique 'Bhaiphota' ritual the 'Mangrovephota'.
Instead of applying the ceremonial tilak on the forehead of a brother during 'Bhaiphota' celebrations, they decorated the trunks of mangrove trees with sandalwood paste, sacred grass, vermilion, and traditional lamps. The mangroves, they believe, stood as their protectors, buffering them from recent cyclone Dana's intense winds that reached over 100 km/hour as it raced through Odisha and Bengal's coastlines.
Carrying lamps and chanting in unison, they moved in a procession to the riverside mangrove forest. Accompanied by the sounds of conch shells and traditional ululation, they recited self-composed poems, pledging to protect these life-saving trees.
Their action sent a powerful message on Bhaiphota: just as brothers protect their sisters, they, too, must protect the mangroves, their "green brothers," from harm.
"Mangroves protect our entire coastline like a brother, taking on the force of strong cyclones. Without these 'brothers', we would have been wiped out. This is our mark of respect on this auspicious day of Bhaiphota," said housewife Dipa Hazra, draped in a new colourful saree.
A similar ritual was performed by the women of Sandeshkhali, who gathered on Saturday to honour these natural defenders along the banks of the Raimangal and Chhoto Kalagachi rivers.
The women, many of whom have seen firsthand the devastation cyclones can bring, say the Sundarban mangroves are their only safeguard against such threats. They expressed deep concern over the gradual deforestation of these critical forests, which they fear could leave their communities exposed to even greater risks from natural disasters.
Sundarbans is known as the world's largest mangrove forest.