In the Jungle

The beautiful Dandeli landscape  “The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton Beautifully put. A foray into unknown lands is always special; however, for me, a foray into the deep wilderness of those unknown lands is what makes it truly worthwhile. An impromptu plan with decisions made as quickly as three phone calls and five e-mails (on the same day mind you; for someone as indecisive as me that is quite an achievement!) we headed into the deliciously dense jungles of Karnataka.  With limited knowledge of the flora and fauna of these havens of Southern India, all we knew was that these forests housed one of the most elusive of beasts, the shadow of the forest, the phantom of the teak plantations, the magnificent Bagheera, the Indian Black Panther. Our first stop was Dandeli, a forest full of Teak, Red Sanders, Rosewood, Jamun, Nandi etc. It fully lives up to its reputation of being a magnificent fores...

Goa is Swaying palms, white sands and sparkling waters, this is not how I describe it, and is possibly a stereotype, but this is how Lonely Planet describes it and probably so do all the people who visit this beautiful state, and to prove this, I recall a conversation I had with a lady who was waiting to board the bus to Goa with me. Me: So are you going to Goa, Lady: yes Me: For a holiday? Lady: why else would one go to Goa? Me: for work Lady: yeah, ok (with an air of complete disbelief) So yes, little does one associate with Goa except maybe to un wind and they can’t really be blamed for before I was associated with the Wild Otters project, I myself thought of Goa as the description given above.   But fortunately for me, my association with the project has introduced me to the other side, the wild side, the otter side of this Western Ghats landscape. This then, is one such trip down the “otter side”– It had been one hell of an arduous journey. The bus had already t...

Pic 1: the tiger’s revival has been possible owing solely to the dedication of the Forest Department “When you live for a strong purpose, then hard work isn’t an option, it’s a necessity”-Steve Pavlina I couldn’t agree more with Steve Pavlina. And though, many would agree with the above mentioned quote, the true value of it, is understood, not only by all those present at Panna but is played out by them every minute, of every day too. Panna Tiger Reserve was declared officially “tiger less” in the year 2009. The world went into shock with the disappearance of one of the most charismatic cats from an important tiger reserve, with articles, reports, headlines and even dinner table conversations revolving around Panna’s debacle. As the news spread, everyone raised questions of “Why?” “How?” and “When.” but the only question being raised and addressed by the most important component of this story – the Forest Department of this reserve was – “How? not how it happen...