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 forest and a b

It was a morning well spent at the gorgeous Sanjay Gandhi National Park with the Puff Throated Babblers issuing their piercingly violent warning of 'I will beat you', the Magpie Robins continuing their run of being at the top of the 'songster' of the year list, the Coucals calling across the hills in their deep hooping call, and the Barbets coppersmithing their morning away. In other words, a full orchestra! However there was a sharp dip in our happiness and excitement as we approached the forest river, which could be heard gurgling and gushing and welcoming us from afar during our previous visits; only, this time it was eerily quiet and on reaching the river all we saw were a few puddles of water, a river which was a mere shadow of itself. No gurgling music this time. Is this because of us ? Have we done this? Is this what climate change looks like ? I don't know, but whatever it was, it sure didn't look okay. The river, it didn't look well.

I wish we could be as equal as nature for she makes sure when light hits, even the dullest colour glimmers like a freshly fallen raindrop. However to be equal there has to be light in our heart, uhh for a start. Hummingbirds for me stand out as nature's equality for when our nectar seekers are busily probing that un suspecting hibiscus and the sun hits, every colour in it looks equally beautiful. Illustration :me

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 taken

A short story I had written on Makar Sankarnti and the effect it has on birds  Uttrayan! get up Raju! Everybody has already started flying the kites, the sky appears red and yellow instead of blue, it’s a kitescape out there !   shouted Viju, Raju’s elder brother jumping up and down in excitement. “ To me it’s just   a holiday grumbled Raju , let me sleep." Just then Raju’s mother walked in, “Get up Raju,   you   have to go to the temple with Baa too remember? “Ok, ok I give up, I am up" so saying, Raju jumped out of bed to see Viju and his other cousins excitedly discussing strategies to bag the most number of kites. “This year we won’t lose said Hitesh, Raju’s cousin. All the kites in Ahmedabad will be ours!”   “How may I ask are you so sure of your kite flying skills this year?" asked Raju, amused by their confidence. “We have the perfect ingredient this year, the – “ dori."  “dori?” but don’t you use that every year? Hasn’t seemed to have helped y

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