By Bilkis Nahar Mitu

After a month of exams we were all drained. Suddenly my friend Anika said, "Let's go somewhere." I badly wanted an outing too, though practicals were still hanging over us. When we heard there would be no more classes, we started planning. We settled on Gilatala Jahanabad Cantonment, 15 km north along the Khulna–Jashore highway.

The next morning Brishti, Anika, Sumi and I met at Akankha Tower. Sumi was our guide. We had all cooked food at home and brought it along. From Daulatpur we set off for Gilatala Jahanabad Cantonment; the fare was Tk 30 and we got there within 20 minutes.

Tickets cost Tk 50 each, so Sumi went to buy them. At the counter a parrot was calling "Mithu, Mithu". Just inside was a lovely bicycle decorated entirely with colourful flowers, and everyone was taking photos beside it. Around it were many shops selling everything from cosmetics onwards. Ahead stood a huge giraffe-and-elephant gate with "Bonbilas Zoo" written on top. Past the gate is a small canal with a wooden bridge, which you cross to enter the zoo.

Inside we all got busy taking photos and videos. My eye fell on a beautiful bird called the eastern rosella. Bougainvillea and wild jasmine were in bloom all around. On the other side of the zoo were cages full of monkeys; I saw a loving mother monkey holding her baby and feeding it guava. Next to the monkeys was a fishing cat, which looked just like a tiger cub, taking big pieces of meat in its mouth. We also saw porcupines, rabbits, ostriches, emus, guinea pigs, adjutant storks, hornbills, mongooses, a civet, a bear and a flock of pigeons.

Then we saw peacocks; Sumi kept asking why the peacock would not spread its tail. Sumi then took us to see the snakes. Poor Anika is afraid of snakes and did not want to go, but we made her look anyway. In the middle of the grounds, the eggs of three bird species are kept in a big glass jar. I told myself they had not found a dinosaur egg, or they would have kept that too. We then saw some grey parrots in a cage, one of which looked very glum.

We were delighted to see a herd of deer running about. How could we come to a zoo and not see the tiger? We went, and found the tiger asleep. We had never seen such a big tiger in our lives, and it gave us goosebumps, though we had to struggle to see it and only managed through a gap in a window.

The scent of mango blossom drifted all around. Our zoo tour was over. As we left the gate, some budgerigars were chirping, resting their heads on one another's shoulders. It was such a gentle sight.

We went on to the fish museum on the other side of the zoo, where tickets are Tk 20 each. There is a lovely fountain and many kinds of preserved fish. The biggest is a shark weighing over 420 kg. There are also a few species of snake. In one snake's cage I saw a live quail that the snake would eat, a scene I somehow could not accept.

Outside, horse-drawn carriages were clattering along, beside stalls of toys and food. There are several kinds of merry-go-round, a sight to please anyone.

From there we went to the Baganbilas picnic spot, where families, office workers and schools come for picnics. Some people were saying their prayers. Silk cotton flowers were everywhere. The four of us sat down on the grass and ate Anika's tasty khichuri, Brishti's delicious meat and my own roti, which we nicknamed "polythene".

We were so happy we wanted to lie down right there. Since Sumi had no cooking arrangement at home, she said, "I've brought tissues for you to wipe your hands," and we burst out laughing. After chatting there a long while, the four of us ate ice creams on the way back to Daulatpur. It was a wonderful day.

Jahanabad is a truly charming place, because here you get to see a bit of everything. People from any part of the country can come. Gilatala Jahanabad Cantonment is a place that wins everyone's heart.

The writer is a student of the Department of Geography and Environment, Government BL College, Khulna.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.