A Book Born from the River
This book belongs, before anyone else, to the people of the Teesta.
The Story Behind the Book
Teesta Bathan is not simply a book about the Teesta River. It is the outcome of years spent walking its shifting sandbars, living among its people, listening to their stories, and documenting a way of life that is rapidly disappearing.
The book grew from long-term field research and close relationships with the Maishal community, fishermen, farmers, and river dwellers whose everyday lives are shaped by the Teesta. Every chapter carries memories gathered through shared journeys, conversations, nights spent inside the river, and countless hours of observation. Much of the manuscript was written while I was living in Porobas, the small hut built for me by the people of Premganj Char in the middle of the Teesta. The book is therefore not simply about the river-it emerged from life lived within it.
A memorable visit to the Bathan and Parobas with my publisher, Sumita Samanta of La Strada, who had long wished to meet the Maishal whose life inspired Teesta Bathan. Accompanied by my close friend Krishnendu Das, we spent time with Sania Murmu and Amir Hossain, sharing stories and experiences in the landscape that shaped the book.
The Launch
The formal launch of Teesta Bathan was held beside the Teesta River, in the peaceful surroundings of a beautiful bay leaf garden. From the very beginning, I knew that the book should not be unveiled by celebrities or public figures. It had to be unveiled by the people whose lives had inspired every page.
For this reason, Amirda and Saniyada were invited as the Chief Guests of the ceremony. They were brought to the venue with the respect and dignity they truly deserved. Saniyada had spent nearly sixty years living inside the Teesta as a Maishal. Together with Amirda, he represented generations of knowledge that could never be found in books alone.
When they unveiled Teesta Bathan, it was far more than the launch of a publication. It became a tribute to an entire river culture.
A Celebration of the River
Every part of the ceremony reflected the landscape from which the book had emerged. Guests were welcomed not with conventional floral bouquets, but with handcrafted arrangements made from hogla leaves, kans grass, and wild flowers collected from the Teesta chars. The river itself became part of the ceremony.
One of the most memorable moments came when Amirda and Saniyada shared stories from their lives inside the Teesta. They spoke about the changing river, the Bathans, buffaloes, floods, disappearing chars, and the hardships and joys of living with the river. They also sang traditional Maishali songs that had travelled across the Teesta for generations.
For a brief moment, the ceremony became something far beyond a book launch. It became a celebration of memory, tradition, and the people who continue to keep the river’s cultural heritage alive.
When the Book Returned Home
After its publication, I carried copies of Teesta Bathan back to the river. The first destination was not a bookstore. It was the Bathan.
Many of the people who inspired the book could not read the written text. Yet they slowly turned every page, recognising themselves, their buffaloes, their homes, their families, and their everyday lives through the photographs. Watching them hold the book remains one of the most meaningful moments of my journey. The stories had returned to the people who had first given them life.
Some families carefully placed the book inside their huts, keeping it beside their everyday belongings as something worthy of respect. For me, there could have been no greater honour.
In Memory
Today, both Amirda and Saniyada are no longer with us. The Teesta has also reclaimed much of the char where they once lived. The Bathans have disappeared. The landscape has changed. Yet their stories continue to live on.
Whenever I open the pages of Teesta Bathan, I hear their voices again. I remember their songs, their laughter, their generosity, and the countless evenings we spent together beside the river. Without their trust, this book would never have been written. Without their friendship, neither Porobas nor much of my understanding of the Teesta would ever have existed.
Today, the book stands not only as a record of a disappearing river culture, but also as a tribute to two remarkable river people whose knowledge, kindness, and humanity continue to guide my work.
A Continuing Journey
Although Teesta Bathan has been published, its journey is far from over. The Teesta continues to change. Its people continue to create new stories. My fieldwork continues.
This website carries that journey forward through research, documentary filmmaking, photography, field notes, and the growing Teesta Archive. The book was never meant to be the end of the story. It was only the beginning.
Some rivers are remembered through maps. The Teesta is remembered through the lives of the people who lived with it. Teesta Bathan is dedicated to them.
© 2026 Nilanjan Mistry. All rights reserved.
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