Kaziranga - A Tryst with the Unicorn

Tryst: A meeting is when people get together for any reason. But when they are sneaking to meet, notably as secret lovers, it's called a tryst.

The current Pandemic situation has put paid to many a livelihood, not to mention numerous plans to travel! When the family was getting completely restless, we tried doing local trips within the city. However access to the favourite location was cutoff due to a dispute between the Forest Department and the Municipal Body.

Come 2021, we were hoping for an improvement in the situation and they did. Trains and Planes started to operate and places were begining to open up to visitors. The inherent fear of the situation still created enough uncertainities that a couple of travel plans had to be dropped.

Finally a chance conversation with Kesava and Santhosh of Birdwing https://www.birdwing.in threw up the opportunity for a trip to the NorthEastern part of India, more specifically - Kaziranga.

TRIP TIP:With no clear information available on the Covid protocols across states, we decided to get ourselves tested at home and carry the test results with us during the travel. The test report proved to be a huge bonus, with us breezing through the exit process at Guwahati Airport, while those who did not have the report had to go through a series of sessions, including filling out a form, having themselves examined before they could go out of the Airport - A process that took upwards of 30 minutes in most cases.

With the cabs being pre-arranged, we settled in for the ride to Kaziranga. With a quick stop for lunch, we reached well in time to go on the afternoon Safari ride; our first of the trip. The cabs went away after dropping off the luggage at the resort, while we were inside the Park.

An Introduction to Kaziranga: The park is spread across three districts in the Indian state of Assam—the Kaliabor subdivision of Nagaon district, Bokajan sub division of Karbi Anglong and the Bokakhat subdivision of Golaghat district. The park is approximately 40 km (25 mi) in length from east to west, and 13 km (8 mi) in breadth from north to south. Kaziranga covers an area of 378 km2 (146 sq mi), with approximately 51.14 km2 (20 sq mi) lost to erosion. A total addition of 429 km2 (166 sq mi) along the present boundary of the park has been made and designated with separate national park status to provide extended habitat for increasing the population of wildlife or, as a corridor for safe movement of animals to Karbi Anglong Hills. Elevation ranges from 40 m (131 ft) to 80 m (262 ft). The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries, and the Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.

Four main types of vegetation exist in this park; alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests. Approximate coverage by vegetation is: tall grasses 41%, short grasses 11%, open jungle 29%, swamps 4%, rivers and water bodies 8%, and sand 6%.

There is a difference in altitude between the eastern and western areas of the park, with the western side being at a lower altitude. The western reaches of the park are dominated by grasslands. Tall elephant grass is found on higher ground, while short grasses cover the lower grounds surrounding the beels or flood-created ponds. Annual flooding, grazing by herbivores, and controlled burning maintain and fertilize the grasslands and reeds. Common tall grasses are sugarcanes, spear grass, elephant grass, and the common reed. Amidst the grasses, providing cover and shade are scattered trees—dominant species including kumbhi, Indian gooseberry, the cotton tree (in savanna woodlands), and elephant apple (in inundated grasslands).

Kaziranga contains significant breeding populations of 35 mammalian species. The park has the distinction of being home to the world's largest population of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros , wild Asiatic water buffalo and eastern swamp deer. Significant populations of large herbivores include indian elephants, gaur and sambar. Small herbivores include the Indian muntjac, wild boar, and hog deer. The One-Horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo and swamp deer are collectively known as 'Big Five' of Kaziranga.

Safaris at Kaziranga do not have the element of mad rush (at least this trip had none!!) No racing across the park in search of a tiger! All the vehicles in the park were running at a sedate pace and this in itself was remarkable. So all you tiger fanatics, it would do you good to keep this in mind. 

In any case if you do get a tiger sighting, consider yourself extremely lucky!! With the grass still green this year, the usual practice of burning the undergrowth did not happen and as a result despite having close quarter alarm calls, we did not even get a glimpse of a predator.

Having said this, the Park is by no means a dull affair. Every turn, every corner seem to have some activity or the other, whether it is a Gray Headed Fishing Eagle on its kill or running into a Tusker at a Watch Tower or a Monitor Lizard crossing the road. Take a look at the pics and enjoy a glimpse of what we experienced over a 4 day period at a piece of heaven called Kaziranga National Park.

Like all vacations, this one did have its own downsides as well. This time it was the resort. Blame it on the Pandemic if you will, but the resort although old and quaint was poorly maintained. 

Absence of proper staff meant that food; although tasty, was a homely affair and rarely on time. However for the serious wildlifers, this should not be a hurdle at all. Afterall we only look for a safe and relatively clean place to rest while we ponder over the just completed trip and anticipate next one into the Park.

All in all, a wonderful time spent with some new and some old pals with hilarious anecdotes over cups  of the local brew.

When its time to return back to your routine, do remember to pack some of the local Chai patti (Tea Leaves). I did and I'm enjoying a cuppa while I write this blog. Signing off until the next time!! 

Ciao!! Stay safe and stay healthy!! Keeping a safe distance from fellow humans and wild critters will ensure that Safety element. Do remember to wear your mask even if you see no one else wearing it. It is for your own safety.

Thanks for your time!! God Bless!! 

Be back soon with the next episode!!

A Journey back in Time

Indian Railways; as a part of gauge unification programme is on a drive to convert all the Meter Gauge Lines to Broad Gauge. While this move may make sense to some; it is actually a cardinal sin for Train Lovers like me; especially all of those who just love the way the meter gauge trains sway and dance down the tracks.
My earliest tryst with a meter gauge train happened when I was very young and this experience served to be the start of a romance that has lasted to this day; to a point where colleagues and friends find it hard to believe that a middle aged bozo like me can find the metal serpents fascinating.

This is an account of my last journey on a meter gauge train; which actually happened a few years ago. This journey can no longer be repeated as the Railways have shut down the line for gauge conversion.




This was a trip to my birth place; Cheranmahadevi, down deep south in Nellai (Tirunelveli to the old timers) district. We boarded the 6723 Chennai  - Tiruvananthapuram Ananthapuri Express at Chennai Egmore and we were off. Led by Ernakulam WDM 2 16877 we raced towards Tirunelveli Town.

The scenery enroute was excellent especially the sunrise which was magical. Think the pictures will tell their own story much better.





We reached the next morning at 06:55 and then headed towards Cheranmahadevi by road. Spent the day at my place of birth (infact the house where I was born) and we were scheduled to travel to a place called Tenkasi. After some begging, cajoling and potent arguments it was decided that we will travel by rail.This my friends was heaven. Here at last was an opportunity to travel by meter gauge.

So we reached the quaint little Cheranmahadevi Railway Station. My
previous memories of this journey are travelling by Bullock Cart to the station, rest assured that I would get bumped on the head atleast twice on the journey :).   The station appears the same as it did decades ago; almost like it is a timeless monument.

The advent of broad-gauge though may change all that. The old world charm, the serenity and the peace would give way to business like bustle and emotionless efficiency. We bought tickets for Tenkasi (Computerization had arrived, so there were no card tickets!!) After a short wait; the Tirunelveli - Kollam - Shencotta passenger pulled up behind the diminutive YDM4,  6314 from the Golden Rock Shed.  For a train line on its last legs, the train itself was well kept and the coaches extremely clean.

   

We sat down on the wooden benches and after being accustomed to the foam and cushion, the benches actually seemed more more comfortable. (Ofcourse it could always be that I was dreaming 'cause it was potentially my last meter gauge train journey). The journey to Tenkasi is approximately two hours and the train made it with brisk efficiency, ofcourse with the trademark sways and sounds.

I was almost hoping that the journey would not end, but then the sight of the meter gauge and broad gauge lines converging heralded the arrival of Tenkasi Junction and it was time for us to get off.


It was also perhaps symbolic that the sun was setting signifying the end of a glorious era of meter gauge lines. Soon the trademark metal sleepers, the girder bridges and YDM 4s would make way for the WDMs, possibly WDPs and WAP who knows!! But till then, this short journey remains fresh in my memory over all those journeys undertaken on the broad gauge expresses over the years. But for a rail fan in the end all that
matters is the Train Journey itself. All other things are incidental. Sometimes
its not even the journey but the sheer pleasure of the metal monsters whizzing past as we Rail fans stand by the tracks; cameras in hand and a trainload of people wondering who these fools are standing in the middle of nowhere. Trust me; it takes a railfan to understand that feeling.

Thanks for reading.

SUNDARBANS – AN ENRICHING EXPERIENCE

INTRODUCTION: (Courtesy – Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundarbans)
The Sundarbans (Bengali: সুন্দরবন Shundorbôn) is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The name Sundarban can be literally translated as "beautiful jungle" or "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language (Sundar, "beautiful" and ban, "forest" or "jungle"). The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name is a corruption of Samudraban (Bengali: সমুদ্রবন Shomudrobôn "Sea Forest") or Chandra-bandhe (name of a primitive tribe). But the generally accepted view is the one associated with Sundari trees.
The forest lies at the feet of the Ganges and is spread across areas of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, forming the seaward fringe of the delta. The seasonally-flooded
Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie inland from the mangrove forests. The forest covers 10,000 square km of which about 6,000 are in Bangladesh. It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997, but while the Bangladeshi and Indian portions constitute the same continuous ecotype, these are separately listed in the UNESCO world heritage list as the Sundarbans and Sundarbans National Park, respectively. The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests. The area is known for the eponymous Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), as well as numerous fauna including species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes.

The Trip of a Lifetime:
It was an event that almost did not happen. I was in the middle of an extremely busy phase at work and even thinking about taking time off was impossible. However the family persevered and much to their delight and mine; won. Persistent canvassing by my wife, daughter and other family members meant that I finally ventured out to ask my boss for permission and to my great delight, it was granted.

With the question of time-off from work out of the way, one of the next steps was to look for tickets. Four days off meant train-travel was ruled out and hence we settled on flying to Kolkata. We flew into Kolkata on 25th December 2009 (Christmas Day).

The first few days at Kolkata were spent enjoying the hospitality of my in-laws who were doing everything possible to make us comfortable. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of an extremely busy Kolkata whose citizens were out in force on the streets as it was holiday season.

Then came the 29th December 2009 and we were all up early in the morning all packed and dressed up to go. The clock struck 07:00. Then 07:30. 08:00. 08.30. No sign of the car that was to take us. Finally the vehicle did come at 09:00 and we were off immediately. The late start meant that the driver was in a tearing hurry to reach the Sonakhali jetty, from where we were to transfer to a boat. Unfortunately it happened to be rush hour so there we were, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the By-Pass road. We managed to squeeze out of the traffic at 09:45 and then it was one mad dash, the driver with his accelerator floored and the hand jammed down on the horn. Not surprising because every vehicle in Kolkata would grind to a halt if a driver does not honk continuously. Turkish drivers would be put to shame by these Kolkata maniacs. To top this off, all of this actually happens in relative slow motion because you can rarely move faster than 25-30kmph.

We reached the Sonakhali jetty at 12:15 PM, and wouldn’t you believe it. we were stuck in a traffic jam on the river. There were 4 other boats waiting to take on passengers and we were unable to sail till two of them made way.

Finally we set sail at 12:30 PM and headed straight to Gosaba for permits. This village is also the place where Rabindranath Tagore had a house and often stayed there near the river banks. This quaint little house on stilts stands out like a palace among the small huts of the locals!!

We left Gosaba with the permits at 13:50 after suffering another traffic jam. Now we are really on, the last vestiges of human habitation disappeared after about another hour. Here on it is water, mangroves, the occasional wildlife and us. Occassionally, we met other passing boats, otherwise it was just the constant thump of our boat’s diesel engine, water lapping gently against the sides and the breeze, wafting up through the trees and water, bringing with it the uniquely lush smells of the forests.

One cannot help noticing that the coast is fenced off - presumably to try and keep tigers from coming into the villages. (Personally I think it would have been far easier to build a huge fence around the villages and more practical too!!!)

The first signs of wild life were apparent almost immediately!! Soon we were at the Sajnekhali Tiger Reserve Observation post and that was where we spotted the Brown Winged Kingfisher. Here it was getting dark pretty fast and in the fading light we spotted wild life. With the twilight rapidly descending around us, we had to find our way back to our lodge, just like the Greater egret flying home to their nests at the end of their day.

We planned an early morning start the next day to try and glimpse a Royal Bengal Tiger in the morning mist. With the hope in our hearts, of coming face to face with a Stripey, we made our way to the Lodge. There was a small cultural event performed by the “Victims” of Aila which kept the family entertained for a while, and naturally was followed by the Collection Box at the end of the program.

The following day, we were all up at 04:00, wide-eyed and eager to run. But the boatmen were nowhere to be seen. The boat itself seemed to be anchored mid river. Several frantic phone calls and an hour later, the boat was tied up at the resort jetty and we boarded. The time spent waiting was put to use taking some pictures of the river.

Then dropped the first surprise of the morning from the boatmen - we had to wait for a guide to be provided and this was expected to happen only at 07:00 hrs. So much for our plans to meet Mister Stripes. When we tied up at Sajnekhali jetty to wait for the guide, the second and more eventful surprise dropped - WE HAD MISSED OUT ON SEEING TWO TIGERS AT A KILL THE PREVIOUS NIGHT JUST BELOW THE SAJNEKHALI OBSERVATION TOWER around 20:00 hrs. How sad!!!!

The boat stopped off at a local market point to pick up supplies and it was a god sent opportunity to snap up the rising sun!

It was low tide and the difference in the water level was an awesome 10 feet at a minimum. The morning mist gave the whole place an ethereal, dreamy look which defies description - it is a sight to be seen and experienced to be truly appreciated!!

Reached the Sudhanyakhali Observation post where we spent close to an hour. The peace and quiet was regularly being shattered by humans shrieking at the top of their voices and the place seemed more like a cage full of monkeys gone crazy. At one time I had my camera and tripod knocked off the observation tower….only swift reactions and the camera strap saved me a whole lot of anguish of loss of the camera and the precious shots.

The final stop point of the tour was the Dobanki camp. Dobanki has an elevated walkway which runs through a part of the jungle onto an observation post. It is said to be a very promising location for sighting tigers and most sightings reportedly occur around this area.It was here that we finally saw Tiger Footprints…..we must have missed the sight of a lifetime by less than a couple of hours. This one had just swum across a channel.

We then anchored off the coast where five rivers — Dobakhi, Khona Khali, Pir Khali, Gomti and Betda converge and had a quiet lunch….disappointed that no tiger was spotted so far. Post lunch we set sail back towards Gosaba. On the way we saw some signs of Water erosion… It seems that the Mangroves are losing the battle to keep the soil firm and the trees themselves are falling into the river. Is this a warning sign or is it the norm!!!!

We sailed into Gosaba and as we stopped enroute to drop off the guide…we saw our first tiger of the trip!!!!! A majestic specimen sitting on another boat….yes…it was on another boat!!!! Now now!!! Before you jump to any conclusions…. It was a stuffed toy…..

The setting sun created some lovely vistas as we reach Sonakhali and so that’s the end of an exhilarating journey into the Sundarbans.

Footnote:
Most folks come into Sunderbans expecting to be taken on a guided tour and shown everything as if it were an exhibit. One has to keep in mind that Sunderbans is a living eco system where things change by the hour. We saw a lot of wildlife although we did miss the big cat. But a trip to Sunderbans is not just about seeing a tiger, it is about experiencing the wilderness as it is, about putting oneself into the environment of creatures unseen by us and feel a thousand eyes upon you from all around.

Experience the chill run up your spine when you see fresh pug marks of a tiger or a Sea Eagle swooping down to catch a fish. Take pleasure getting close to birds and savour the trust they place in you. By all means Sunderbans is a place to go to - if you really like being close to nature and look out for the birds and the animals. If it is a boat ride that you are looking for…go elsewhere. Most of the pictures that we were able to capture were due to the fact that we moved away from the other boats and tried to keep as much distance as possible to avoid the noise.

At Rs.3000/- ($64 US…approx) per head which includes transportation from Kolkata, the boat ride, overnight accommodation and food onboard the boat, the trip is a steal!!!! But go there with an open mind and you may just get the most unexpected pleasure!!!!

On a Serious note: (This is a personal opinion and is not endorsed in any way by any agency or the Government of India)
274 tigers according to 2004 census….the debate is on….. but looking at the experiences shared by most people, it is more likely that the actual number of tigers is less than 100… a lot less than 100 which although disappointing is close to the truth. (Look up this link for more details…. http://www.indianjungles.com/250109.htm)