What have you heard about the Sundarbans? I've heard all kinds of things. Most of the tigers are man-eaters.People who step out hope not to see a tiger because if they do, they probably won't come back.Like any other water safari, you don't really see animals because you're in the water, and why would animals come out of the woods to see you?Most of what I knew was like that. A rudimentary search told me nothing about how to get to the Sundarbans. Following my school text book, I even wrote it Sunderbans because I didn't know that it got its name from the sundari tree. What are the safari timings? Where does one stay? How does one get there? Is the forest closed in the monsoon? Zilch.Thanks to a friend who's been there, though, we contacted a guide and got a little more clarity--eventually. We learned that the forest was open, and so, off we went to figure out how things work. … [Read more...]
Pench 2025
Pench is magical. I've been there five times now, and each time, I come back refreshed because the forest is so breathtakingly beautiful.There's Venuban (Bamboo Forest), a canopy of bamboos, full of secrets. That's where we saw paradise flycatchers in the past, and Malabar Pied Hornbills this time.There's Jannat Point, where we saw our first jackal.Totladoh, an erstwhile village, close to which we saw the tiniest crocodile I've ever seen. And of course, there's all the rest that I love--the garadi forest, the teak trees that are different in different seasons, the Indian ghost tree, the crocodile bark tree ... Joy! Peacocks One of the highlights of this visit to Pench was certainly the dancing peacocks. We saw a dozen or more! The one here was probably the most magnificent, trying hard to attract a peahen that seemed, for the most part, quite … [Read more...]
Beginning 2022 On a High
And there, having looked back at the year that went by, I can't have asked for a better way to begin 2022. In December 2021, I travelled after nearly two years. The forest had been calling me for months, but I knew I had to bide my time. We went back to Pench, the place where we brought in the year 2019, and there, we brought in the year 2022.And on the morning of the 1st of January, this beauty greeted us. It was one of those dream sightings, where we, rather than the guide or the driver spotted the tiger. There was just one other jeep, no whispered shouts, no revving and roaring of engines, nothing. She walked by us on our right, looked at us, and then bounded across the road behind us, striding through the jungle for a few moments before disappearing. Picture by @karannagupta If you've been reading my blog for a while, … [Read more...]
Jannat Point, Pench Tiger Reserve
It's been over three weeks since the year started, and they have been incredible. I have much to write about--my heart and mind are full of stories.I wrote about bringing the new year in with the sight of a leopard at Pench Tiger Reserve, but anyone who loves the jungle knows that a "sighting" is not the only exciting thing about a safari. There's much more. The very sight of the gate makes my heart beat faster--unexplored, unpredictable worlds lie beyond!Pench, particularly, is teeming with wildlife. I would not be exaggerating if I said that we saw over a hundred peacocks during our four safaris there.We saw the young ones of nilgai, sambhar and chital, and I love fawns! They are an adorable combination of curiosity and fear. They gaze at us, as if to ask, What is this new beast? Who are these people? I wonder what they want! And then, suddenly, primal instinct takes … [Read more...]
The Forest Calls
It was New Year's Day. We sat in the gypsy, shivering with cold and excitement. There were fewer people in the jungle probably because many had stayed up to bring the new year in, and could not wake up in time for a safari on the 1st of Jan.For us, the whole point of being at Pench Tiger Reserve on New Year's Eve was that we would end one year with a safari and begin the next one with the thrill of another. As we turned into one of the forest lanes, we saw a tiger conservationist whom we'd met earlier that day standing in his jeep. He raised two fingers. "Two cubs," he whispered. He was still peering into the green.Aaah! said a voice inside me. Again!We didn't see the cubs, but that's hardly surprising. The tigers at Pench are famously shy. Even if they were right there, watching us, they would not emerge until we had gone away.But that day, the forest was full of calls. … [Read more...]
Taman Negara – Part I
I don’t know how people decide what they want to visit in a new country. India, I would think, is particularly difficult, if only because it is so large. Does one do history-things, or nature-things, or things other people have talked about? Or does one simply go visit people one knows?In Malaysia, we had no idea where to go. It was not a country we’d always longed to visit; it was just accessible from Singapore. But where were we to go?Minimal research drew us to Taman Negara. We love forests, and Taman Negara is the world’s oldest rainforest, said to be over a hundred million years old.I just threw that number in there, so take a minute to process that.We’re in the year 2018. That’s a little over 2,000 years.Look back at history. How far can you go? Maybe back to the 16th century BCE? Okay, so add 1600 to the 2000 years of the Common Era.Be generous. Add 3,000 … [Read more...]
Burrapahar, Kaziranga
You know how in the buffer zone, they keep telling you that anything can happen? You know how all guides have stories about sightings of big animals on the main road?It never happens to me. I keep hoping, but no. Nothing on the main road.Until Kaziranga.All around us, like a wispy cushion on the tea estates, was the early morning fog. Shivering in the open jeep, we had our first sighting of the day - a rhino visible clearly from the main road. Bakul didn't even stop to look at it. He clarified later, "From the main road, you can see anything! The real experience is seeing it in the forest." I didn't argue.Further on, we saw a whole troop of monkeys, playing in wet agricultural land, right next to us. [Aside: I just looked up the range of collective nouns used for monkeys. It's charming!] We stopped this time and watched the macaques, running around, washing their faces, eating … [Read more...]
Agaratoli, Kaziranga
The eastern zone of Kaziranga is much more forested, not primarily grassland. It was joyous being in there, looking at the crazy trees and ferns. Some trees look like they've set up hanging gardens of their own, with leaves of different kinds growing out of their trunks. I couldn't stop marvelling at them.Bright green leaves glistened, almost as if they had been polished. My father chuckled. "It looks like Pati gave them a good clean to make them shine!" My Pati loved to make things shine. Her brass never had a dull moment.In Kaziranga, many tourists are accompanied by a gunman for security reasons. In Agartoli, we had with us Pranab, a gunman who'd been with the Forest Department for five years. Everything was good; we were roaming around cheerfully ... Until an elephant crossed our path.Pranab tapped on Bakul's shoulder. We stopped, maintaining a respectful distance. We … [Read more...]
Bagori, Kaziranga
Pelicans! The safari in Mihimukh showed me not just the Lesser Adjutant Stork and the Woolly Necked Stork, but also the Open-Billed Stork, Bar-Headed Geese -- and pelicans!When Bakul first pointed them out, I didn't quite believe him. Then I saw those incredible pouchy beaks. I stared, filling my eyes with them. I found myself thinking, "Oh, so pelicans do belong in the world outside cartoons ..."At the end of each day in the forest, I close my eyes and let all the images of the forest dance in my head. On our first day, I could see the beautiful forest all around me. I could see the elephant grass with birds flying above it. I could see the sudden pools around the corner, pools that kept taking me by surprise. I could see a magnificent wild buffalo wallowing in the mud.Central and western zones got mixed up in my head. I could see our first rhino. I could see all the elephants … [Read more...]
Turtles, Ducks and Elephants, Kaziranga
Bakul identified the turtles for us. I did not understand at all, not even enough to figure out for myself later. Himalayan Box Turtle? Perhaps. That was a name I discovered. But I know nothing about turtles. Can anyone help?Ducks - we saw hundreds of them. A beautiful orangish red duck was everywhere."Radisson duck," said Bakul. Or at least, it sounded like it. I came home and looked it up. 'Radisson duck' sounded believable enough. A Google search threw up images of Radisson ducks, though. Click there and you'll find out what I found out. The ducks we saw weren't Radisson ducks. That was certain.I looked at the larger picture, breathing deeply. I blinked. Everyone else was still looking at the turtles. I peered again, just to be sure. "Haathi!" I said, incredulous. "Haathi!"Those who have seen only captive elephants have no idea of the magic of wild elephants.And I could … [Read more...]