A Journey by Boat

Journey is a popular form of entertainment. It is a notable source of acquiring knowledge too. There is a wise saying that "Home keeping people have always homely wits." It means that, the man who passes his life confined in one place, he possesses a very narrow outlook.

Any type of journey can give us both pleasure and knowledge. Among all types of journey, I prefer to a journey by boat. It is most exciting journey for me. If I get any chance to go to a distant place, I feel comfortable to visit by boat.  

Sometimes my friends ask me why I like a journey by boat most. I tell them that a journey by boat is a very usual event for the village people of our country. But a journey by boat is not a usual event for us those who live in the city. I feel extremely annoyed at the horns of different types of cars on the busy road. Hence, journey by boat is very much enjoyable to me. Beside this matter, I have born in Dhaka and I have no relative outside Dhaka. Hence, I had hardly any chance to go to village and enjoy a journey by boat. So if I get a chance to go to a journey by boat, I never miss the opportunity.  

Recently I have experienced a pleasant journey by boat along with my friends. One of my friends invited me to their native village in Ashulia. It is 11 kilometres away from Dhaka. We were three in number. We hired a nice awning boat.

It was the month of Ashar. The rainy season has just set in. The sky was almost cloudless. The river was calm and full to the brim. There were little waves on the river. The boat began to dance with the waves in a harmonious way. I sat in front of the boat and enjoying the sceneries of the river. I saw many other colourful boats, launches and steamers plying on the rivers.

After half an hour, we overcame the hue and cry of the city life. We were fascinated by the green fields on both sides of the rivers. People were bathing and little boys and girls were wading and swimming. Fishermen were catching fish with rapt attention. Women were going back home with jars filled with water. The swinging of the sweet wind over the golden field of paddy charmed us much. We requested our boatman to sing a song. He sang a melodious vatiali song. 

I had a camera with me. I took some photos of the setting sun. In the meantime, we took some light foods that we had taken with us. Gradually, the dusk came with all its beauty. After sometime we discovered the unique beauty of floating moon in the sky. The shadow of full and bright moon on the calm river water made our mind indifferent. One of my friends recited a poem. 

About 8 p.m. we reached our friend’s house. The journey lasted only for a few hours. But it is an evocative event of my life. At times, I recall the journey and my heart leaps up with joy. It will be ever imprinted on my mind and will remain ever fresh in my heart.