On the China-Clay Hill

We reached Birisiri at noon on June 2, 2004. Birisiri may be called a village-town. We will stay in the village-town and will visit the surroundings.

The tribes Garo, Hajong, and Sangma reside in the locality. The river Someswari is flowing by the Birisiri Bazar . Susang Durgapur Upazila is on the other side of this river . There is a Tribal Cultural Institute in Birisiri. But it is a restricted (!) area. Entrance with a camera is strictly prohibited here. We board in the YMCA guesthouse.

Later, we sat on the bank of Someswari. We enjoyed the evening. A breeze was coming from the flowing river. We became calm and quiet.

The next morning, we visited the Kamala Ranir Deeghi (the lake dug by queen Kamala). Then we joined up with a stone collector group. They collect stones from the Someswari River. These stones come naturally from the hills of India. We started with them by boat. After an hour, we reached an alluvial land. It was raining cats and dogs. We got thoroughly wet by the rain.

On the land we painted, we sang, we danced. Then, after a half an hour walk, we reached Ranikhong. Garos live here. There is a primary school, a high school, and a church here. It is a very silent place. Meghalaya, a province of India, is on the other side of the river.

From Ranikhong, we started for the china-clay hill at Bipingonj. On the way, we visited the Rashimoni Singh’s Monument at Boheratola. Bipingonj is a mile walk from here. At noon, we reached at the China-Clay hill. It is now a nude and hurt hill. The greedy businessmen have looted all its wealth. The hill made us sad. We ascended a green hill near the China Clay hill and saw the surroundings full of green high hills.

After an hour, we started on the way back. Crossing the Someswari and the Atrakali River, we reached Durgapur Bazar.

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In Birisiri, you can stay in the Tribal Cultural Institute Guesthouse or the YMCA Rest House. Academy Guesthouses is, to some, hard to take, but the YMCA rest house is easy. There is one three-person room and two two-person rooms in the YMCA Rest House. Rent for a three-person room is 150 Bangladeshi Taka (BDT), and rent for each two-person room is BDT 100. Now, one U.S. dollar is equal to 60 BDT.

Hotel Joba, Gulshan, Nirala, and Hotel Susang are on the other side of the river Someswari in Susang Durgapur Bazar. Single-, double-,and three-person rooms are available in these hotels. Rent range is BDT 50 to 200. One should know that there is no a/c in this area. Fans are available.