FOREST OF TIDES

The Gosaba river stretched towards the horizon...tiny lights on either side of it. The baandh or embankment was lined with mangroves; the foliage so thick that it was impossible to fathom that if anything lay beyond. It gave the impression of travelling through darkness to enter into a forest of tides. 'Perhaps the most enigmatic of India's landscapes the Sundarbans is a land where dense mangrove forests a sprawling delta and rare wildlife come together to form one of the most bio-diverse regions on earth. Yet it remains one of the most difficult terrains in the world to live in. The people of the area lead precarious lives battling not only nature - in the form of constant floods and predators who lurk in the forests - but also an indifferent government that provides little infrastructure or funds to better their condition. Manisha Sobhrajani spent a few years of her life in this fascinating terrain supervising the construction of a charitable hospital. In Forest of Tides she recounts her experience of living and working in the region - from adjusting to a life without basic amenities to building a permanent structure with fishnets and plastic bottles while navigating the pitfalls of local politics. Interwoven with stories about the people she encounters - honey-gatherers wood-collectors forest officials even a former poacher - this deeply personal account of the Sundarbans paints a richly nuanced picture of a challenging yet extraordinary land.]>