German Ambassador to Bharat Philipp Ackermann is in awe of Assam’s scenic beauty, numerous world famous tourist spots and the mighty Brahmaputra River snaking across the whole State.
While describing about the first hand mesmerising experience he gathered during his tour to Assam in a newspaper article, Ackermann suggested the tourists from European countries to include this Northeastern State in their must visit list.
Bharat’s rich tapestry of destinations has always put Ackermann in hard situation in “choosing a favourite spot”. However, Assam stood out as “one of the most scenic and enchanting regions” for him among his numerous travels in the previous year.
In Assam, the envoy enjoyed a boat ride in the Brahmaputra and toured the world famous Kaziranga National Park, popular for one-horned rhino, and tea plantations.
Brahmaputra’s sheer size, width, and untamed character truly stunned Ackermann during his two-day boat journey as his team and boatmen “faced challenges” owing to constant changes in the course with sandbanks appearing and disappearing.
He felt “profound impact” of “the slow and majestic flow of the water”, which created a sense of relaxation and appreciation for the serene ambience.
Ackermann described the dinner served on a sandbank during sunset as the particular highlight that elevated the river trip to a memorable experience.
Touring Kaziranga National Park, he felt it is “full of wildlife and captivating landscapes” and the impressive appearance of the Indian rhinoceros, with its striking thick grey flaps of skin akin to knight’s armour, became a focal point of admiration for the ambassador.
“To watch these animals grazing from a close proximity is literally jaw dropping… I kept thinking of German artist Albrecht Dürer, who carved a wood piece into the Indian rhino in 1515. The artist had never seen one but read a description of it by a traveller. One has to accept: It is pretty accurate, against this background,” wrote the German envoy.
The National Park in focus is home to over 2,000 rhinos, which is half of the total number of this endangered species across the world.
He was also fascinated by a “fabulous view” of big herd of elephants, cows and calves and young bulls just 50 meters away when they were walking for half a day through the hills inside the Kaziranga.
“I realised, because of the closeness of the herd, rangers were pretty nervous. Our naturalist, later in the car, again urged us to wait near a wetland with high reeds. He guessed elephants in the reeds (how on earth could he have spotted them I thought) and right he was…” wrote Ackermann.
As tour of tea gardens followed next, Ackermann encountered a group of rare hoolock gibbons jumping in the trees right across the plantation. Their long arms and white eyebrows was great sight, he noted.
He saw Assam tea comes from a different tea plant variety which is indigenous to Bharat, unlike the one found in Darjeeling or in many other places of the country.
Ackermann, delving deep into Assam’s rich history, recounted his extensive talk on the Ahom kingdom’s 600-year regime, wars against Bengali and Mughal sultanates with his naturalist guide.
Discussions included intricacies of historical development, different layers and Assam’s considerable Muslim populace as well.
He admired the “beautiful Hindu temples” and relished “fabulous Assamese food” which was “not overly spicy but very hot, full of chillies”.
Assam has two contrasting features. It is a typical Indian State with “a confluence of people, languages, religions, traditions” and it is “very distinct” with its own language, history, crafts and skills at the same time, mentioned Ackermann.
The State is a unique portion of the subcontinent, a wonderful travel spot full of surprises. “I loved my stay and would strongly recommend going there,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister “found great pleasure in reading” the envoy’s detailed narration and profound observations on natural beauty and history of Assam.
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