'C' for Corbett !

        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