Ghatsila – Musabani tour – 30.10.2023

On our tour of east India we took our 16 years old Maruti Suzuki Swift to Jamshedpur covering 275 Kilometers through dense jungle and Dalma hill range. That journey was spectacular. We continued our journey to Ghatsila-Mosabani area which is some 80 kilometers from Jamshedpur. I lived there from 1970 to 1974 and always feel a great nostalgic. Gone those days when my cousins were there and my childhood friend Sati who used to live in Mosabani mines area. I used to visit those 16 kilometers in the evening and returning sometimes in dark moon night and in rainy season crossing Subarnarekha by cycle. This year I visited with my wife, elder brother and sister in law to venture to the down memory lane 50 years ago. 

While seeing the British era causeway bridge I got Goosebumps. Saw those Dongas in dilapidated condition. Came down to the bridge and turned right to see a small waterfalls ‘Raat Mohana’.

 The ridiculous bamboo structures are still there to trap fishes. There was a time when we used to buy the fishes from the fishermen at rock bottom price and bring them to Mosabani to my friend’s house. 

A visit to Mosabani mines was turned out to be pathetic. Long gone those days when vibrant and cheerful people used to work and live there. Now this mining township looks like a dead town. The sprawling bungalow where Sati, Dilipda, Pompa and Tumpa used to live is now a nursery school. Across the road another bungalow has become a ruin that had seen better days some five decades back. My eyes automatically became moist. Time has taken its toll but this way? I never imagined that I will see this part of India in such state. 

I remembered when we were small kids we use to come to river in our summer holidays when water flow was not that great. We (me and my elder brother) were mostly led by our cousin, a big sister. What were those days. Climbing on a mango tree me and my brother used to pickup tree ripened mangoes and used to eat them sitting on the branches.

Three kilometer drive from the south bank river to the tri road junction at Surda mines was full of dense forest. Daring to cross the road which was nothing but a gravel sweep type was very much adventurous. (Once I saw a leopard jumped before my eyes when I was riding a bicycle)