40. SHIVA TEMPLE, BHOJPUR (MP) INDIA

(This is third of the five blog series covering our Bhopal trip)

Shiva Temple, Bhojpur (MP), India

On a short visit to Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, I suggested that we visit Bhojpur Shiva Temple. Though I had been there earlier for a short trip but wanted Shiv, my husband to see this unique engineering marvel located on the banks of river Betwa in District Raisen at a distance of about 30 km from Bhopal.

His negative reaction was spontaneous, “No mandir-shandir! They are all the same… ritualistic, dirty and filthy…. money making factories. Let’s not waste time.”

Shiva Linga in the sanctum sanctorum of Bhojpur Shiv Temple is 21' high
and is made of one solid single rock

“Look, this is not a usual pooja-wala temple. It is different. It’s carved out of solid sandstone rocks available locally around that area and is an engineering marvel. Imagine, it has the biggest Shiva Linga in the country which is about 21 feet tall and made of a single rock. And do you know that it was built about 1000 years ago and is still incomplete?” I rattled off in a single breath.

“It is known by many names, Bhoj Temple, Bhojeshwar Temple or Bhojaswamin Temple because Shiva was perhaps the main deity of Raja Bhoj.”

“Is this the same Raja Bhoj about whom we…..?”

Reading his mind instantaneously, I interrupted, “Yes, yes the same…... Aadhe mein Raja Bhoj aur aadhe mein Gangoo Teli ka poora pariwar.” We both burst out laughing and decision-making became easier. So here we go!

The entrance is decorated with statues of Kuber, Ganga and Yamuna

We drove down to this “wow” place built during the time of Raja Bhoj of Parmar dynasty who ruled central India from 1000 to 1055 AD. Reaching there, the first thing that I noticed about the temple, even from a distance, was that its structure was unique. It did not look like any of our usual Hindu Temples dotting across the length and breadth of the country. I thought it looked more like those Greek structures. Am I imagining things?

Reaching closer, I saw that it was under the protection of Archaeological Survey of India. A board displayed there stated that this structure was never completed. Why is it lying unfinished even after 1000 years, we wondered. Raja Bhoj ruled this area for over 50 years and was known to be a great patron of art and culture. Why then could he not get it completed? Was it lack of resources or loss of expertise?

There are a number of folklores about the incomplete status of the temple. According to one such folklore that did not sound too convincing, the temple was to be built in one night. As the night got over, the plan had to be abandoned. Makes no sense whatsoever! 

These local rocks have been used in the temple

Another legend says that the King suffered from some skin ailment, leprosy to be precise, and started concentrating on getting lakes and dams made where water from different sources could be collected for his treatment. Yet another one says that Mohammed Ghori had attacked Somnath Temple and all the resources were diverted in that direction. Another story says that the King became unwell and the project had to be given up. Also, perhaps the King had to move towards Malwa to tackle some threats there. They compelled me to think, but I could not reach any conclusion. To my creative mind, it was the loss of expertise. Otherwise, nobody would leave a well-planned beautiful project like this midway.

All devotees do worship here only not inside the temple.

The temple is on a little higher rocky area and is built on three levels. 

Big wide steps, again more Greek than Indian in design, lead to a higher level where there is a place of worship outside the temple. The main temple is on the next plane. 

All devotees do their worshipping rituals outside the main temple only.

Usually, in all Hindu temples the sanctum sanctorum is quite small and the hall around is large. However, in this temple, the Shiva Linga takes almost three fourth of the space with hardly any area left for the devotees.  May be it was only the garbha-griha (sanctum-sanctorum) and the main temple was still to be built around it. The access to the Lingam is also by way of steps which have since been closed.

Prima facie, this temple appeared to be an engineering marvel. Made of huge single piece sandstones, one wonders how these huge stones were lifted to that height without the facility of cranes those days.  There is a slope at the backside of the temple that was perhaps used as a ramp for rolling the stones towards the construction site. But the stones are massive. How many men would it have taken to roll even one stone? Well, I am confused now.

The drawings for the structure have been etched on the stones on the floor and are visible even now. According to these, there was a big plan for a huge building. I wondered who had prepared these rock drawings? To my creative mind, was there a special team from some other country that might have left the project due to some reasons leaving the work mid-way?

I also noticed that on stones fixed on the wall of the temple, there are different markings which were perhaps made by different artisans. Why did they do that? Obviously, to clearly demarcate the job done by each person? Was the system of performance linked wages prevalent then?

Incomplete statues & decoratives are all over the place.
Why were they left like this abruptly?

There are a number of half-carved statues and decorative designs lying all around the place half done as if somebody had to leave everything abruptly. 

There is also a stone-grinding type of broken equipment lying there even today. 

  

The dam on River Betwa destroyed by Hoshang Shah in the 15th Century

We saw everything with a lot of inquisitiveness, walked over sandstone rocks and reached Betwa, (known as River Vetravati in ancient times), looked at the unique dam created on the bridge, which was said to be destroyed by Hoshang Shah of Malwa in the 15^th century when one of his soldiers died while crossing this river. Another legend says that he got it destroyed because bandits used to hide here and attack the caravans of local merchants passing through this area.

The place was quiet and serene and made us feel very much at peace with ourselves. But it was time to go back and we left this place much against our wishes cherishing the peaceful surroundings, mesmerising building and a mind full of thoughts and ideas of what must have happened in this place some 1000 years ago, everything shrouded in mystery.

39. BHOJ TAAL, BHOPAL (MP), IINDIA

(This is second in the five blog series covering our Bhopal trip)

Bhoj Taal, the Pride of Bhopal

Bhopal the capital of Madhya Pradesh and erstwhile Malwa Region has the distinction of having seven lakes in the area but two of them are really large, locally known as the 'big lake' and the 'small lake'. 

The evening was free and we had a couple of hours at our disposal. So we decided to make the best of it by visiting the Big Lake, popularly known as the Bada Talao in Bhopal. We were told that a couple of years ago, it was rechristened by the State Govt. as Bhoj Taal after King Bhoj.

Different type of surroundings on different sides

Going by the folklore, Bhoj Taal is one of the largest man-made lakes in India. It is said that it was built by King Bhoj of Parmar dynasty who ruled this area then called Malwa, almost 1000 years ago, from 1005 to 1055 AD. It is believed that King Bhoj suffered from some skin ailment called Kushtha Rog (Leprosy) and was advised by his physicians to mix water from various sources before taking his bath. He, therefore, got this huge lake built where water from a number of rivers was aggregated. It is also believed that his skin disease got cured by bathing in this water. Later, the city of Bhojpal, now known as Bhopal, grew around it.

As we got down from the car, we heard an announcement soliciting tourists to come for a ride in the last cruise which was sailing off in another 10 minutes. We promptly bought the tickets of Rs 50 each and were comfortably seated on the upper deck which we preferred for a better view as compared to the lower deck which was enclosed with glass walls.

The friendly ducks

Before the cruise started, I noticed the ancient steam engine they have parked on the lake-front. I also noticed that the area was quite neat and clean unlike many other such places in India. There were lovely ducks going around fearlessly. 

Biodiversity Park ...the colours remind me of Fall in US

There are hills on one side to accommodate a bio-diversity park, giving shelter to a variety of birds which flock to this area and there is the city on the other side. Surrounded by hillocks, greenery and the city, the lake has extremely picturesque surroundings and is rightly termed as the Pride of Bhopal.

There is an island in the middle of the lake.
Don't miss the speedboat.

The cruise had started now and we were going around the lake spread over 31 square km. The loud peppy music was playing and the small kid sitting ahead of us was constantly tapping her feet. I prompted her and she started dancing to the beats constantly gazing at me for acknowledgement and approval. I had a great time connecting with her and admiring simultaneously the crystal clear water of the lake.

The setting sun, after losing its dazzle feels more friendly

The cruise lasted for an hour and we watched a beautiful sunset. The rays of the setting sun playing with the blue-green water of the lake made a heady cocktail and I am still high on it. Needless to add, we were the last ones to alight from the cruise.

The sun rays playing with the lake water made a heady cocktail.

*****

38. DELHI TO BHOPAL BY TRAIN

(This is first of the five blog series covering our Bhopal trip)

As I logged on to the Facebook, the chat box popped up.

“Hi Aunty!”

“Hey! Howdy?”

“Gd news 2 share J”

“Tell me fast.”

“Gtng married on 8^th Feb in Bhopal n u hav gotta come.”

“Gr8! Of course! We’ll b there.”

Train journey always fascinates me.

I have a great weakness  for train travel and have loved it right from my childhood. The train started beckoning me and I logged onto http://www.irctc.co.in without any delay and booked our tickets to Bhopal... 50% discount on my ticket and 30% on hubby’s. Wow!!! Benefits of being senior citizens of this country!

The day before the journey, I was ready with everything. Printout of tickets was taken although it is not required anymore. Indian Railways do accept the SMS on mobile as the proof of your on-line ticket. Stay arrangements made, transport arrangements in Bhopal made and a Radio Taxi booked from Easicab for local transportation. Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi leaves at 6 am from New Delhi Railway Station. But from which platform? Another SMS reading “PLAT 12002 011” was quickly sent to 139 and pat came the reply by SMS “Platform No 01”.  Wow! It works. Indian Railway is progressing. 

Incidentally, Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi is one of the fastest trains of Indian Railways covering a distance of 701 kms in 7hrs 45 minutes with very brief stop-overs at Mathura, Agra, Jhansi and Gwalior on way.

On the day of the departure, we got up at 4 am as we were planning to leave at 5am sharp. We got ready and realised that it was already 4.40am, but there was no trace of the cab. I frantically tried dialling their toll-free number, but the voice on the other end kept repeating the pre-recorded menu. And then, there was this most disturbing SMS, “Dear Customer, due to non-availability of the cabs in your area, we cannot process your booking. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.” 

We panicked. What do we do now? I immediately scrolled down the contacts in my mobile and there was this Himachal Taxi Service in the vicinity. A call to them was responded by a sleepy voice but a very encouraging response. “Yes. Taxi is available. Please give your address. The cab will be there in 2 minutes,” and sure enough, even before we locked up the house, the cab had reached. Don’t they say the old is gold?

As the cabbie was speeding away, I asked him, “How will you get a passenger on the return from New Delhi Railway station? What is the system there? Do you wait in a queue or what?”

His reply astonished me, “No Ma’am. We do not ever take any passengers from the railway station or for that matter even from the roadside.”

“But why?” I was curious.

“See I am driving the taxi and wearing a seat-belt and can't move. If I happen to pick up a baddy, he may kill me from behind and run away with the taxi. We always pick up passengers from their residences for our own safety.”

I was amazed. We almost always feel insecure in a cab thinking the driver may turn out to be a criminal and here was a cabbie who was actually scared of passengers without credentials!

Service on the train was excellent.

Anyway, we reached the railway station well in time and boarded the train. Then on, it was a feast on wheels. First came mineral water bottles followed by a number of free newspapers. Soon we were served the first round of tea complete with Tata Tetley teabags, Marie Biscuits, Chocolates etc.

The sumptuous breakfast.

Tea over, it was time for breakfast which consisted of fruit juice followed by a tray load of goodies, corn flakes, with choice of hot or cold milk, eggs with choices, omelette or boiled, cutlets, idly, sambar, upma and bananas. One could also opt for aloo parathas. Oh, my my…were we spoilt for choices!

The ravines of Bhind & Muraina as seen from the train

By noon, we were hungry again and before we could even express our need for lunch, there came mixed vegetable soup with breadsticks and butter. This was again followed by a big tray of lunch comprising 2 hot parathas, chicken curry, dal, veggies, rice, curd, pickles, salad. At the end of it all, I felt guilty that I had to leave half the food. Next was the good old Butterscotch ice cream as dessert to which I said, “Noooo…no more. Enough is enough!”

The rocks stand like walls as we near Bhopal

Chair reclined to invite a lovely post-lunch snooze and we reached Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh (MP) which is said to have been established as "Bhojapal" by King Bhoj in the 11^th century, bringing our highly enjoyable 8 hour train journey to an end.

The wires are the birds' night shelters..as seen on our return journey.

*****

37. KURSURA SUB-MARINE MUSEUM, VISHAKHAPATNAM (AP), INDIA

Isn't Kursura a majestic beauty?

From a distance, I saw an elegant sub-marine standing tall at Rama Krishna Beach in Vizag (Vishakhapatnam) and was instantly attracted to her. Reaching there, I realised that it was actually Kursura Submarine Museum where majestic INS Kursura was parked for the public to touch her, visit her and feel her. Wow! Soon, I was there to get a feel of how life inside a submarine would be, of course after buying a ticket for self and the camera.

At the entrance itself, a lot of information about INS Kursura was displayed and I took my time to read it to have some understanding of her ways and systems before getting introduced to her. The information was useful and prepared me to meet her.

I learnt that a submarine has two steel hulls, the pressure hull and the outer hull. All the people, equipment, weapon and stores are kept in the pressure hull which is water-tight and can withstand pressure undersea. Obviously, the space available to the crew is very limited.

Once dived, there is no air to run the engine. So the submarine is powered by 448 batteries each weighing a solid 652 kg. When the batteries are discharged, the submarine comes up just below the water and sticks out her snort-mast to get the air just like a scuba driver. She draws fresh air from the atmosphere, runs her diesel engines and recharges the batteries. The process is called “snorting.” Hmmm.... sounds interesting!

A submarine can remain submerged up to 48 hours continuously up to 60 days at a stretch and she has no windows. When under water, her sonars are her eyes and ears which guide her in navigating as well as in detecting an enemy ship and torpedoing it. INS Kursura carried 22 torpedoes each having the hundreds of kilograms of explosives. 

A torpedo in the sub-marine

A submarine can also lay mines outside enemy harbours to destroy their warships. She can also watch the enemy activities through a periscope and can also carry and drop marine commandos in enemy territory to attack their installations. Very impressive!

INS Kursura is one of the Soviet Foxtrot class submarine. She was commissioned on the 18^th December, 1969 in USSR and decommissioned on the 27th February 2001 in India. She served our nation for 31 years and also played a significant role in 1971 during Indo-Pak war. After decommissioning, she was converted into a Museum at RK Beach. With all her weaponry and mechanisms intact, the “Grand Old Lady of Indian Navy,” as she is fondly called, walked to the RK Beach, to be opened to public on the 24^th August 2002. She is maintained by VUDA (Vishakhapatnam Urban Development Authority) and has emerged as a very important tourist destination of Andhra Pradesh as this museum is first of its kind in our country.

In the Communication Room

The vital statistics of INS Kursura are quite impressive. She has seven compartments and weighs 1945 tonnes on the surface.  She is 11.92 metres tall, 91.3 metres long and 8 metres wide. She carries 10 ballast tanks and 3 diesel engines each of 2000 HP capacity. She has 3 propellers and 3 main motors with fuel capacity of 439 tonnes at her service. Its anchor weighs 1000 kg and the anchor chain is 176 metres long. And the depth of its Periscope is 9m. It can move at a speed of 15.5 knots on the surface. And 1 knot (1 nautical mile) being equal to 1.852 km, the speed should be an app. 28.706 km in layman's terms, I calculated. Similarly, underwater speed is only 9 knots which is equal to 16.668 km only.

This area has been cleared for visitors after removing
ammunition, torpedos and missiles

Although an entry into a submarine is from the top through a long cylindrical passage, they had improvised proper stairs for the visitors to climb up. The visitors were segregated on the basis of language they understood and entry was regulated ensuring that the visitors do not overcrowd the place. There were two guides inside who were explaining everything.

A Mariner resting in his narrow bunk bed

The fresh water capacity being only 36.6 tonnes, availability of drinking water required for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and washing one’s face is naturally limited. So no bath for 60 days so long as one is in the submarine! There are only two toilets for about 75 crew members on INS Kursura. Must be tough for the poor mariners! There are 54 high-pressure air bottles each having 200kg CM2 air. Is there a limit on breathing too, I wondered. 

 Dining Table convertible into an Operation Table

A small kitchen called the “Galley” caters to everybody’s requirements. The cook must be very efficient, I must say. The space for sleeping also was very congested with up to 4 narrow bunk beds in each compartment.  The small Dining Room could be converted into an Operation Theatre with Dining Table doubling up as an Operation Table, we were told. Kya baat hai!!!  

The life inside must be tough, I had already realised. Hats off to our mariners in the Indian Navy that our waters are safe and we can breathe easy sitting in our houses without any fear of foreign attacks.


Now that you have read so much about INS Kursura, you may like to listen to this old favourite JAMAICA FAREWELL ...and feel the pain of a sailor.

*****

36. KAILASAGIRI, VISHAKHAPATNAM (ANDHRA PRADESH), INDIA

A beautiful building on Kailasagiri hill top

Today was my last day at Vishakhapatnam and my host suggested that Kailasagiri is one place I must not miss while in Vizag. It was already evening and he suggested that I could still make it as the place is open till 7pm. I had the option to reach there either by rope-way or drive down.  I preferred the road route as darkness was already descending on the city.

Reaching the base of the hillock, one has to pay an entry fee for the car. The climb onwards is steep and Shankar, my driver switched off the car AC as the engine probably could not take the load. The road was clean and soon we were on top of the hillock.

The view of the sea coast from Titanic Point

Coming out of the car, we saw a lot of people moving in a particular direction. My new-found friend and I also followed them and reached what is called the Titanic Point. It is a point built in the shape of a ship presumably like the famous Titanic, overlooking Vizag city and providing a lovely view of the sea below. I guess it must be breathtaking during day time. 

As it was already quite dark, the only thing, I could see, was innumerable blinking lights on the sea coast. My friend Amrutha told me that this was the view of Rishikonda Beach which has very slippery sand and is, therefore, very dangerous leading to accidents.

The beautiful entry to Kailasagiri  the abode of  Shiva & Parvati

Turning back, we moved towards the entrance to Kailasagiri. Though made of fibreglass, the entry gate was quite unique with baby monkeys hanging around. Incidentally, this place has been developed by VUDA (Vishakhapatnam Urban Development Authority) into a tourist spot and is quite a popular picnic spot for the locals as well as the tourist.

Lord Shiva & his consort Parvati who like living on the hill top

As this is the highest point in Vizag, it has been rightly named Kailasagiri, the abode of Lord Shiva who likes to reside on hill-top. The mountain top has beautiful white statues of Shiva and his consort Parvati. Well designed and neat and clean, the place provided an excellent opportunity for taking photos and everybody was clicking away their cameras. The statues were surrounded by beautiful flower beds all around and presented a majestic view.

It was already dark and I was not able to appreciate its true scenic beauty but I noticed that the place was quiet and serene despite the presence of many tourists. There is also the facility of horse riding for children. The toy train, which goes around the hillock, had come and was ready for its last round. We decided to buy tickets and take a round or shall I say parikrama of Kailasagiri. This way I will be able to admire the view of the city, my friend suggested.

May a billion lights brighten your future, young Andhraites!

In that circular ride, in the millions of blinking lights, I saw the future of Vishakhapatnam. Yes, I mean it. Vizag is a very progressive city, where every second person of the Gen Next is turning into a techie. It was amazing to see so many young people struggling hard to break their shackles and turning into Computer Engineers despite their miserably weak economic backgrounds. 

The future of Andhra Pradesh appears bright, just like those blinking lights I saw from the Kailasagiri mountain top. Good luck, Andhra!!!

*****

35. RK BEACH, VISHAKHAPATNAM (ANDHRA PRADESH), INDIA

The sea was rough and waves quite high on RK Beach

Recently, I happened to be in Vizag, the nickname for Vishakhapatnam. 
As the evening set in, the idea of sitting in the hotel room did not appeal much. So I put on my walking shoes and stepped out for a brisk walk. Coming out of the hotel, I decided to walk down rather than walk up. Isn’t the path of the least resistance always preferred? Before I realised, I was at the Beach Road and there was a sprawling beach ahead of me. Later, I got to know that this was called RK Beach or Rama Krishna Beach named after Rama Krishna Mission which is located in the same area. It is also considered the most popular beach for the people of Vizag, locals and tourists alike. 

Going ahead, I found that there was a regular beach market with the sea-shell and beach-wear type of stalls. I quickly turned my face away from them and walked straight. "Don't buy any more souvenirs. Your house is overflowing with these items," I told myself. 

I suddenly remembered from school days, "She sells sea shells on the sea shore."  I tried repeating it as we used to do it then. She sells sea shells on the sea shore.... Sea shells she sells on she shore....Oops, do it again slowly. Try speaking it at a fast pace and you are bound to make mistakes. 

People enjoying the sea shore

The sand on the beach was very soft and walking on it was a little difficult. But the area, where the roaring sea was hitting the shore, was quite rocky. Hordes of people, some single, a few couples and many groups were enjoying the sound of waves. The beach was full of hawkers selling ice-cream, cold drinks, bhutta (grilled corn-cob), American corn, fruit-chat and what not littering the place in the process. The entire place had a carnival like spirit, full of people and full of activity. Only if we could keep the place clean.

I stood there for some time and suddenly missed my camera. I really wanted to capture the roaring sea waves as the real memento from here. By this time, it had become quite dark but I could not help clicking a few snaps on my mobile phone, for whatever worth it was.

Mermaids on the Beach Road, Vishakhapatnam

Oh my God! The street lights went off and it became quite dark. People continued to sit there. It was perhaps normal for them. But I decided to return to the hotel with a resolve to come back early in the morning the next day. On way, I came across these Sea Mermaids.

Can somebody tell me which temple is this?

I also spotted a big modern architecture temple on the Beach Road. It was perhaps Kali Temple, going by the number of Bengali Shonduris (beautiful women) making a beeline for it. I am not a great one for temples and religious places. So I did not make any effort to go near the crowds which had thronged there as the evening Aarti was being performed. Ding ...dong ...ding ...dong ... the temple bell went on.  Yeah, I am sure, it must be a Kali Temple because there were many Dharamshalas with hoardings in Bangla, presumably meant for the stay of Bengali Bhadralok. 

I kept walking with a firm decision to come back to the beach the next day morning. Alas! the next day never came as the lazy-bones preferred the morning sleep over a morning walk! 
I guess it is okay to break a promise if you make it to yourself? After all, it was not a New Year resolution!

*****

34. JIM CORBETT PARK (UTTARAKHAND), INDIA

This is the last of the five blogs covering this enjoyable trip

The thick Terai forest of Ram Nagar area

Driving down from Nainital, we reached Ram Nagar by noon. I had shared in my previous blog the pleasure of looking at the lush green forests on both sides of the winding hill road and the tall pine trees kissing the azure sky. What perhaps I did not share was the joy of taking off, one layer after the other of the woollens, that I was wearing when we started from Nainital in the morning. Finally, in a cotton T-shirt and Denims, I did feel like a human being as against the stuffed doll that I had become in the freezing cold of Nainital.

In front of the room where we stayed in the Country Inn

As soon as we reached the Country Inn Hotel, our first query was regarding visiting the Jim Corbett National Park, the famous Tiger Reserve named after Jim Corbett who killed a number of man-eaters in Almora, Kumaon and Pauri Garhwal hills and whose memoirs I first read when I was only 10 years old and which I still remember.

The Receptionist at the hotel informed that they could arrange for the Entry Permit required for entering the Park for the next day only. But who wanted to wait? Dumping our luggage at the hotel and having a quick grub, we headed off to the Govt. office where Entry Permits are issued. It did take some time, but we managed to get one, with the help of the owner of the Gypsy that we had hired. We could not take our car inside as only licensed olive green coloured Gypsies (a type of Jeep) are permitted to enter the park. Driving down a distance of about 15 km from the Govt. Office to the park at a high speed in an open vehicle forced us to put our coats back to use.

The thick  rugged forest in the Jim Corbett Park

At the Jim Corbett National Park, there were some more formalities to be completed at the gate, e.g., the name of the tourists, addresses, verification of identity cards etc.  Once the formalities were completed, we started off our journey in an open rickety Gypsy in a tiger reserve which is known to actually have tigers. 

Hum tum ek jungle se guzarein, aur sher aa jaye,
socho agar aisa ho to kya ho?

As we moved into the thick rugged forest, I was reminded of the song from yesteryear’s Rishi Kapoor & Dimple Khanna starrer “Bobby”, “Hum tum ek jungle se guzarein, aur sher aa jaye…socho agar aisa ho to kya ho…. socho agar aisa ho to kya ho?” I kept humming the song for some time but I could not keep quiet for too long and asked the Gypsy driver and the guide, who were nicely seated on the front seat as we were standing in the rear open part of the Gypsy, “What if a tiger actually appears and attacks us?”The guide responded, “No, no. The tiger will never do that.”
“But why will the tiger not do that if it gets an easy prey?” I asked.
“I know that, it will not attack human beings,” he emphasised.

“How can you be so sure?” I was persistent.

“Madam, after all, the tiger also knows that if it attacks a human being, it will be sent to the zoo.”

I wanted to burst out laughing but suppressed it with great difficulty and asked with a smug face, “Oh…really? But how would the tiger know that a place like zoo exists?”

“Tiger knows everything. They have been living here so long. They are intelligent animals and so they know that human beings will transfer them to a zoo if they attack them.”

A number of rivulets criss-cross the Jim Corbett Park

Listening to such great defence of the tiger’s intelligence, I decided to honourably concede the point. Nodding understandingly, I decided to admire the beauty of the thick forest and different sounds of the innumerable birds audible despite the engine’s loud irritating sound. 

Watching these colourful pebbles under water was a treat to the eye.
Can you see the water here?

There are no pucca roads here. They are all natural kutcha roads with round river stones strewn all around on a bumpy road. Many rivers including Ramganga quietly flow through the forest in their full glory during the rainy season but in their puny avatars in the month of December. The water in the rivulets was crystal clear and seeing the colourful pebbles through the flowing water was a treat to the eye.  

The tiger was elusive, but cheetals were plenty.

We drove through the forest entering the side roads and taking unexpected turns trying fervently to spot a tiger. We did see cheetals (a type of deer) at many places and I started wondering how they could survive with so many tigers around.  We also heard chirping of various birds as this area is known to shelter many migratory birds.

Everything was there, but the bright burning stripes of the tiger, which we wanted to see so desperately, were elusive. Tiger ... Tiger ...where are you? Saying this, I suddenly remembered this poem of William Blake:

“Tiger, Tiger burning bright
In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?”

                      (William Blake 1757-1827)

We were scanning the area with a fine toothcomb repeating the same routes again and again and failing. It looked like that ours was the only Gypsy in that area. Driving through the forest amidst tall and thick elephant grass, the Guide suddenly asked the Driver to stop the vehicle in the middle of nowhere. 
Getting down from the jeep, he turned to us, “Now both of you just stand here quietly and don’t move….” 

I was shocked. What was this guy up to? What does he mean by telling us not to move and stand still? I quickly slipped my hand into my right pocket and grabbed tightly the Zapper that I usually carry with me as a weapon of defence in suspicious circumstances.

“….Now you listen to the sound of the jungle,” he said.

Trying to listen to the sounds of the jungle when the Gypsy stopped 

I loosened my grip on the Zapper and tried to appreciate the rustling sound of tree leaves in the quiet forest. But being an overcautious Delhi bred person, where anything is possible, my eyes were at the Guide and the Driver. When I noticed them moving towards a side with arms on each other’s shoulder, I again became uncomfortable and called out to them, “Listen, we have heard the jungle sounds. Not interested anymore. Let’s go back from here now.”

As they turned, hubby got irritated, “What’s happened? Why do you want to leave? Let’s hear and enjoy the jungle sounds.”

“No. Let’s leave,” I sounded curt but did not know how to tell the unsuspecting hubby that the behaviour of these two guys aroused strong suspicion in my mind. So long as they were sitting in the vehicle and driving, I felt safe but not this way. I realised at that time the value of coming to such places in a group of friends and missed my Buddies. I don’t know whether I am over-suspicious or just practical ….. whatever! Mercifully, they both returned though hesitatingly and we resumed our drive much to my relief. 

As we moved, we reached a place where a number of Gypsy vans had already reached and were waiting. Tourists in at least one vehicle had seen the tiger and one of them was showing to everyone, a video clip of the tiger he had recorded. So many vehicles were moving in the forest and we had not come across any one of them. Such is the size of this Forest. I understand it is spread over an area of 521 sq km in Nainital and Pauri Districts of Uttarakhand.

Fresh pug marks of the tiger put us on its trail again

A fresh effort to locate the tiger began and all the Gypsies again started moving on the tiger trail. Suddenly, we saw the tiger’s fresh pug marks on the road-side and we started going up and down and back and forth but the tiger had become invisible. “It must be hiding in some bush,” our Guide said.

An unfulfilled dream

He also told us that the best time to see the tiger is in April because most trees are denuded by then and bushes become dry. With the forest being less dense, the tiger is more easily visible. Moreover, by April, the weather is a little warm and most rain-fed rivulets dry up. When a tiger comes out in search of water, it is easier to locate it.

As the sun was about to set and our permitted time was getting over, we had to drive out of the jungle.

The jeep dropped us at the Govt. Office from where we had taken it. After paying the amount, as soon as we got into our car, hubby asked for my explanation and I had to sheepishly share with him why I had asked those guys to get back to their seats and keep driving. It’s a different story that he did not agree with me. But then I still feel, better be safe than sorry.

Dining Cottage made of locally procured natural material

The relaxed evening was spent in admiring the hotel premises, its beautiful lawns, stone building, a circular Dining Cottage made exclusively of locally procured natural material, its beautiful trees, beds of colourful flowers, marigolds and chrysanthemums and quiet peaceful environs. There were many exclusive cottages too apart from the rooms.

Such colourful flowers were feast to our eyes

Students travelling standing on the bumper of a bus on a cold foggy morning

Next day was the time to drive back to Saddi Dilli. But what I saw on the road made my heart overflow with compassion and sympathy for our youth and anger at the apathy of the Govt. Young boys travelling from one town to another for attending college, hanging on the bumper of a bus on a foggy morning in the peak of winter made a painful sight. The fact that the Govt. has neither been able to open sufficient number of colleges in towns nor has provided enough buses to make inter-city commuting easy, made me feel very sad. How I wish I could do something for these boys who were precariously hanging on the bumper of the bus which we were following for a long time! If their number were small, I could have given them a lift in my car, I thought. However, despite this ordeal, they appeared to be enjoying the ride. Finally, when we overtook the bus, they all merrily waved out at us. 
Youth is after all youth!

“When the stars threw down their spears,

And watered heaven with their tears,

Did He smile His work to see?

Did He who made the lamb make thee?”

                                      (William Blake 1757-1827)

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