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Guwahati, Jan 7: Assam is a northeastern state in India known for its greenery, hills, historic temples, one-horned rhinos and the mighty Brahmaputra. The region is often left unexplored by the foreign tourists.
German Ambassador to India and Bhutan, Philipp Ackermann, in a newspaper article, urged the European tourists to plan a trip to the “banks of the Brahmaputra and to the hills and parks of the State.”
Having spent a week in Assam, Ackermann narrated the time he took a boat ride in the mighty Brahmaputra River. He said, “I spent two days on a beautiful wooden boat on the river, slowly moving up and down. The water seems to run slowly and peacefully, but un-channelised as it is, it changes its course regularly. New sand bank appears; others disappear. Quite a challenge for the boatmen on the river, we learned, as they have to manoeuvre their boats through the difficult current. During our boat ride, dolphins showed their noses every now and then, birds flew over the river and boats with fishermen crossed our way. From our boat, we could observe them catching their fish. The slow and majestic moving of the water had an impact on everybody – we became more and more relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful scenery. Chilling on deck! A dinner served ashore on a sandbank during sunset made the river trip certainly a high point of my stay in Assam.”
He also shared his experience of witnessing the one-horned rhinoceros in the famous Kaziranga National Park saying, “the animal look like it wears a knight’s armour.”
Ackermann recalled a woodcut depicting the rhinoceros by German artist Albrecht Dürer in 1515 saying, “He had never seen one but read a description of it by a traveler. Against this background, one has to say: it is pretty accurate.”
He further wrote about the ‘second big animal in Kaziranga’. While working for half a day through the hills, he had to suddenly freeze at the command of the rangers as 50 meters ahead a big herd of elephants crossed their way. “I watched, fascinated- and I realised only later that the rangers were pretty nervous because of the closeness of the herd. Later, in the car, our naturalist again made us wait near a wetland with high reeds. He suspected elephants in the reeds (how on earth could he have spotted them I thought) and right he was. After a while, elephants came out and crossed the dirt road, amongst them two very young calves. A fabulous view,” he wrote.
Mentioning about the tea plantation, Ahom Dynasty, Hindu temples, Assamese cuisine, Ackermann recommended everyone to plan a visit to the northeastern state.
Ackermann wrote, “Assam is in a way a typical Indian state: a confluence of peoples, languages, religions, traditions and – at the same time – very distinct: With its own language, its own history and its own crafts and skills it is a unique part of the subcontinent, a wonderful travel destination full of surprises. I loved my stay and would strongly recommend going there.”
After reading the article on Assam, the chief minister of the state, Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday expressed his pleasure. He said, "I found great pleasure in reading H.E. Ambassador Philipp Ackermann's article detailing his travels across our state. His profound observations on Assam's natural beauty, history, and promising future have deeply touched and inspired us."