In touch with the wild side

Being a travel agent, new destinations and places have always lured me but nothing tempts me more than the wilderness. The wild jungle calls out to me like a fog horn draws tired ships to the shores. Every affair with the jungle, every encounter and every rendezvous with the beasts big and small remains entrenched in my memory and gives me enormous pleasure in quiet times.

In the wild, you are not the one calling the shots, the jungle rules. It is the master and makes one realise how insignificant and incapable humans are when compared with nature.

While India has some amazing wildlife in its 47 recognised tiger reserves, it is also a haven for many endemic and endangered birds and reptiles. Besides tiger, wildlife enthusiasts can visit India for lion tailed macaque, great Indian bustard, Niligiri tahr, wild ass, Asiatic lion and many such endemic species of flora and fauna.

The state of Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India alone is home to five rich national parks.

I took some time to literally stop and smell the flowers. The sweet intoxicating smell of the Mahua is a pleasure to the senses when it is flowering. Equally intoxicating is the local wine, the ultimate nectar as the locals describe it. Entire family can be seen picking up the Mahua fruit systematically and quietly. Many a times, one can spot upto three generations of a family picking the fruit.

Flame of the forest with its red flowers is another tree that adds colour to the skyline here and is one of my favourite trees!

Kanha, the largest Park in central India encompasses 2000 sq km of grasslands. It came into being in 1955 and forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created in 1974 under Project Tiger.

The Park’s landmark achievement is the preservation of the rare hardground Swamp Deer (Barasingha), saving it from near extinction. A jungle in true sense, it is as good as it gets. Thick, dense and full of adventure, the park has waterholes, which are good spots to patiently wait for good sighting of mammals.

Accessed by two entry points, Mukki and Kisli, Kanha has a variety of accommodation of international class as well as local camps, providing a rustic and comfortable Experience.

While visiting the park Bamni Dadar, popularly known as Sunset Point is a must watch. It offers the most awe-inspiring backdrop of the sunset against grazing sambhars and gaurs, magnifying the natural splendour of the area.

Aside from its diverse wildlife and bird population, the frequent sightings of tigers roaming in the wild at Kanha Wildlife Sanctuary remain the most popular draw.

The main wildlife attractions in the park are tiger, bison, gaur, sambhar, chital, barasingha, barking deer, black deer, black buck, chousingha, nilgai, mouse deer, sloth bear, jackal fox, porcupine, hyena, jungle cat, python, pea fowl, hare, monkey, mongoose, tiger and leopard.

The bird species in the park include storks, teals, pintails, pond herons, egrets, peacock, pea fowl, jungle fowl, spur fowl,partridges, quails, ring doves, spotted parakeets, green pigeons, rock pigeons, cuckoos, papihas, rollers, bee-eater, hoopoes, drongos, warblers, kingfishers, woodpeckers, finches, orioles, owls and fly catchers.

More than the wildlife, it were the trees in Central India that caught my attention this time. For all of you who have a copy of ‘Trees of Delhi’ by Pradip Kishan, do look out for his next one, which will be on Trees of Central India.