Tigers have always fascinated humankind and I’m no different. They are majestic, magnificent, royal, regal…one can go on adding adjectives about them but still not have enough. Their aura is hard to describe. Lord of the jungle! Period. Naturally, I was excited when I headed for Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. I had heard many stories about the big animal and was curious to see them in its own habitat. Planning well, I had booked a rest house accommodation for two nights.
This, I felt would allow me to be within a jungle and enhance my probability of sighting a tiger. I was proved lucky. As soon as I entered the forest zone, many legends surrounding the tiger start surfacing. The car driver, the chai shop owner, on the way, all narrated stories…that this is the time to sight a tiger. Some locals opined that tigers are better sighted at other ranges with the Corbett national park than at the range I was booked. There was trepidation, excitement quotient building up. Once on the jeep for the safari, the guide showed me pug marks on the dirt roads, followed by baby pug marks, indicating presence of cubs.
The excitement grew further. Though I saw spotted and barking deer, langoor, monkeys, jackels and elephants, my eyes were constantly on the lookout for the big cats. The guide followed the call of the barking deer, who announce the presence of tiger(s) at certain points. I was informed that out of the parcel, one of them, by turn, is always on duty to spot the tiger. We heard the deer calling out for the tiger, waited at the spot but without luck. We kept roaming the forest. On the first evening, I could see the tiger but very deep inside the jungle. My binoculars came to my rescue.
The second morning, I missed the golden opportunity of watching two tigers, one male and another female, as I was unwell. My family was lucky. I was proved lucky the following day. Early in the morning, after hearing a deer call, we waited in the jeep, our hearts pounding. Our wait grew longer. I wondered if I would go empty handed. Suddenly, there He was! Walking out of the bushes. Unannounced, in pin dropping silence. At our end, all hell broke loose. I could no longer contain my excitement. Seeing the Lord of the jungle in front of us, so close, was beyond words.
The driver-cum-guide drove the open-hooded Gypsy ahead as the big cat started walking ahead. We followed the Master. As our vehicle moved further ahead, the tiger stopped, stared at us. As if, telling us silently to maintain distance. We obeyed. We didn’t complain, how could we? We had the God in front of us. We just wanted to be up close. A little later, the tiger crossed the road, went to a water hole and after having is full, sat behind another bush.
HornbillÊs nest: I had booked for a tiger safari but what I had not bargained for was a chance encounter with another magnificent bird, the Great Indian Hornbill. The loud noise of the bird’s flight caused such a flutter that I looked around. The forceful flapping of their large, heavy wings causes air to rush through them, creating a distinct “whoof-whoof” sound, which is hard to miss. My guide took me under a large tree and showed me it’s nest. What is unique about the species is that the female seals herself inside a tree cavity with mud, droppings, and fruit pulp, leaving only a small slit for the male to feed her and the chicks. I could spot the female inside the tree hollow.
The guide told me that the male is around and would soon visit its nest. We waited at a distance in absolute silence. Viola! The huge bird was there. It announced its presence with its loud noise as it flew over us. Perched at a tree branch nearby it peeled the bark with its razor-sharp beak. I was told it was looking for some raisin. And then after making a pit stop near its nest and giving us to click pictures, it flew away. Its whoof sound and the huge wing span, leaving me absolutely mesmerized. Rest House stay.
I had decided to stay inside the forest, at the forest guest house at Dhela range for two nights. This was after much research and deliberations with the guides at the range. This meant paying much higher room rent (I could have chosen to stay outside). This, for two reasons– to get the feel of the jungle and experience the Raj era by living in the 100-plus years old rest house. Two banyan trees, more than 200 years old, adjacent to the rest house added to the charm.
An own and owlet made me feel at home. The sunrise inside the forest, call of different birds and the whiff of the thick vegetation was the perfect antidote to the city life. At night, the silence was so soothing to the mind. In the end of my stay at the forest rest house, I was counting on the Nature’s blessings — sighting a tiger, being one with the animals and the learning to respect the fauna.