As we
travelled from North West to North the temperature lowered with every passing
station.At around 7.30 in the morning, train reached a small station named
Ramngar in Nainital district, Uttarakhand. It was mid-December and it was
shivering cold. We somehow grabbed the bogie sidebar and stepped down. The Sun
was trying to show its presence but unable to protect us from the December chills.
It wasn’t crowded at
all.. With a few Dutch tourists smoking outside station and porters looking out
for customers, it was overall a typical station scenario. We threw our
haversacks on our backs and moved on.
We were in
that part of the country from where a desert & Snow-capped Mountains are
less than 80 kilometres away. The best part was we were marching towards jungle
which is just 15 minutes away by road from the station. We later boarded a
smooth petrol gypsi and headed towards the India's oldest and unarguably
largest forest – The Jim Corbett.
Small curvy roads, tall
trees on the both sides of the roads, Rāmgangā river racing parallaly
throughout the journey, horizon full of mountains and the roofless gypsies..
All the tiredness was vanished by the cold breeze and the signs of dense forest
seen on each and every turn. The Sun blazed with all the might but the mercury
level was unmoved.
After a while, we
reached at the huge gate of Dhikala zone. Two gypsies were waiting for us.
After some formalities, the gate was opened for us and we entered.
That was the first
step inside the jungle.
Fairly away from the main
road and a bit into the jungle, as the gypsy driver waited for completing a few
more Forest Department Formalities, We stepped out of the vehicle. Midst of the
leaf-drop silence and the birds’ sing song at peak, we saw the statue of
Corbett mounted with the history and information written below.
Driver returned smiling. We adjusted the lenses and
finally began the dreamy ride ahead.
Dense
moist deciduous forest mainly consists of Sal. The one side is huge sturdy rock And the other one was deep valleys. One could catch the
glimpses of the river Rāmgangā every now and then. The winter migrant’s birds
were so active that in spite of green density, that the movements couldn’t be
missed. Our Cameras were equally active.
Each frame captured underlined the difference between central Indian forests
like Kanha, Bandhavgad and evergreen south Indian forests like Kabini, Bandipur
and North Indian sal .
We were on a slightly hilly region and Valleys were
covered by the green Canopies. Wherever the canopies disappeared, Rāmgangā was
showcasing her beauty. As we gradually moved downwards, there was a huge
Ranganga basin which was dry enough to cross. White marbles were scattered all
over the place. It was almost 10 am. Sun was shining as bright as he can. The
sunlight that reflected from those white marbles forced us to keep our eyes
half-shut. Traveling through the basin of that river in the middle of that
forest was a lifetime experience. It was a perfect landscape that made us pull
our cameras out. Though bright, the light was pleasant. Tiny brooklets were rolling over marbles. The
sound of water hitting those round stones was extremely soothing. Small blue king
fishers were exhibiting their charm by posing on cobbles. Fishing with
accuracy and holding the fish in bark was so classy that we were stunned in
that shade less basin for long time. Fickle minded kingfisher then left inside
the bush and we moved on appreciating his beauty and checking our photographs.
Again we
entered into the woods. We could see the giant pugmarks ahead of us; they were
of a cub and tigress . We followed those marks for few minutes but then they
disappeared. It was indeed heartbreak but again you can’t guarantee of a king
every time. A long sigh and we moved
forward.
Grassland birds were
hanging over grass blades. The blades were swinging so much that a question
'Why the hell have they chosen such a weak place to sit on'? flashed through my
mind. But it was their routine. Countless babblers, bulbuls, mainas creating a
ripple on the smooth grasslands. Again we entered the shelter of canopies of
huge sal forest. Sunlight was hardly able to touch the ground. We waited there
for some time to observe the movements of mammals. Random straggled dear were
observing us and then disappeared in the woods. Plenty of langoors were
elegantly changing the branches. Stags are that kind of animal who always make
an eye contact with us. Sharp senses never allow him to skip the vehicle on
route. Watching the deer family crossing the road was totally joyous
experience. Almost everyone jumped over road and crossed. Perfect example of
flexibility and shyness was on display.
It was
past one and hunger pangs were striking.
We checked into forest
rest house. It’s into the core jungle area; having no electricity, simple
fencing, a good structure. We dumped our luggage in the room, got refreshed,
had lunch and returned to jungle with the camera.
Second session began with
a different terrain than the one in the morning. We were moving towards huge
water body. It’s an open grass land. Almost eight feet grass on roadside and a
straight road was bisecting that grassland. Plenty of leafless perches were
standing tall on that open grassland. Eagles and other raptors were enjoying
their watchtower views from those perches. The silence of jungle helped us
witness the sharp calls of eagles from distances. Vultures, Shikras were
gliding through crystal clear skies. Scattered bunches of Sambar deers were
grazing in the adjacent grass field to lake. The colours of sky, water, grass
and deers were making the perfect landscape shot. The lone gypsy rolling from
other end of that lake was icing on the cake. Huge perches were stuck into the
water and were creating the perfect ramp for birds to display their beauty. The
camera was too busy to apply the lenses lid.
It was past 5 pm in
the north Indian forest and Sun was dropping towards west. Sunrays were getting
tangent to gypsy. As the light was dropping, images were turning into
Silhouette. Mammal’s activity almost
stopped and so did birding. The sky started wearing the twilight. Sun painted
himself with Red. Cool breeze started waving. The terminology 'Sunset
photography' is too main stream to digest but every time when I come across
this red balloon I could not resist capturing it.
Now we were heading
towards rest house. It was getting freezing cold with hardly any light. Once at
the destination, we managed to freshen up with shivering cold water. Apart from
a small lantern and fireflies there was not a single light source to guide.
Mysterious sound of flowing Rāmgangā river was making the dark jungle more
darker. The distance from our room to dining area was just a minute away.
Walking on that pathway was most outstanding experience to have. Stars were
scattered throughout the sky. Alarm calls from sambars were so crisp and clear
that with every step, stories of Jim corbet were flashing through my mind.
Post dinner those
solar lanterns also surrendered. The jungle entered into midnight zone so did
we. On the next day, morning was cooler than that of night. Reluctantly finished
the morning chores, repacked the sacks and jumped into the gypsy. It was time
to leave the jungle. It is never pleasant to return from nature into man made
world. But being a guest of nature we were finding our way out.
Jungle was showcasing the same wild morning, golden
sunrise, dew drops on grasslands, chirping of early morning birds, fresh sign
of tiger’s movements, and activities of mammals and so on. We left the largest
forest land behind.
Hosts were
signing off when the guests were leaving with the memories.
- Hrishikesh Pandkar
24.12.2015
"I Had Spent Many Nights In The Jungle Looking For
Game, But This Was The First Time I Had Ever Spent A Night Looking For A
Man-eater.”
- Jim Corbett
