Meandering into Kipling’s Jungle Book (Part I)

Kanha National Park

Birth place of the legend of  Mogli

"NOW this is the law of the jungle,

 as old and as true as the sky,

And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper,

but the wolf that shall break it must die.

As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk,

the law runneth forward and back;

For the strength of the pack is the wolf,

and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”

Words of Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle book” rang in my ears as I glanced through the window of room, sipping on my early morning coffee. Infornt of me also an urban jungle unfolded, with sky scrapers aligning the horizon of Raipur city. I looked back at my bed, and found my wife asleep, lost deep in her dreams. And I wondered what thoughts put that pleasant smile on her face.  With a smile I shove it away as my own thoughts were overpowering me now. The “Jungle Book” had fantasized my childhood, and I always wondered how mesmerizing would be the land where “Mogli” roamed wild with his Wolf brothers, Bageera and Baloo. Now, it was time to find out and venture into the playground of Mogli and Kipling’s plot of the jungles of central India, Kanha National Park.

I put down my empty cup on my bedside table, woke my wife from her slumber and put on my clothes; our vehicle was to arrive in 30 minutes at the hotel.

Raipur to Kanha:

It was late in March, 2017 that I decided to revisit Kanha. The Déjà vu of my previous visit seduced me to journey again. It’s almost five hours journey from Raipur to Kanha.  After travelling for 45 minutes we made a halt at Dhamdha. The tea and “Khoa jalebi” is a speciality here and I never missed it. 34 kms from Dhamdha is Gandai, we took a sharp left from there followed by a right turn from Narmada Kund (a few Kms away). Beyond this the landscape kept changing like images flashing through a kaleidoscope. A few kilometers of hard rugged ground, and then suddenly crops fields spanning acres and acres would come into view; driving through hilly terrain as you move on you would find dense deciduous forest emerging out; milestone after milestone patches of dense forest and open grounds. Sitting on the passenger seat I scanned the sights that unfolded infront of my very eyes… My sunglass dancing on the dashboard and my camera loosely hanging on my shoulder I kept wondering how a place like this was lost in time. Much to the disagreement of my wife and family, at intervals I would get down from the vehicle and capture some snapshots of the stunning view of the landscape and wildlife. That’s where you come to understand that man and wife are opposite sides of the same coin.

The winding roads en-route Kanha National Park

Encounter with the Digambaras

Digambara monks walking with devotees

Three hours into our drive and we had just entered the small settlement of Damoh that we encountered what seemed like a rally. It took us some time to manoeuvre our vehicle through the crowd, but the sight that followed was something unique. What seemed like a procession was infact a convoy of a hundred naked Jain Digambara monks. These monks exhibit an extreme level of devotion. They abandon their life as a commoner, do not put on clothes, carry a “pichhi” (broom made up of fallen peacock feathers) in one hand and a “kamandalu” (water container) on the other. As they made their way through the small town, devotees lined up on either side paying them respect with folded hands. India is a country of diversity, and shades of all colours of life unite in the heart of this very land. Adding this amazing moment to our treasures of memory we drove on.

Night at the Resort

Club Mahindra Resort - Kanha

The sun was just swimming away on the tidal horizon of the crimson sky when we arrived at our resort, the Club Mahindra. A lavish family resort with all modern amenities nestled it is in the midst of the forest, just on the periphery of Mocha village. I could see the intricate tribal designs on the walls as we drove in but the lobby had a rustic look to it with colonial travel décor. We were escorted to   our room which was at the far end of the resort. Sounds of jungle filled the night with occasional alarm calls of the deer echoing from a distance. In the dim of the pavement lights I could see it was just a six feet chain link fence that kept us apart from the jungle. A feeling of ecstasy drove through my spine, “finally, I have come back to the land of Tigers, Kanha.”   

I changed into my shorts, picked up my camera and walked back to the lobby area. My wife had not yet recovered from her journey lag; she was to catch up with me in a while. Walking through the

Shades of the night forest

dimly lit resort ground I could feel the jungle caving in. The trees beneath which I walked were rustling with movement of monkeys. At intervals their howling with screeching sounds could be heard as the made space for the night halt among the trees. Unlike the silence of our distant rooms, the lobby was bustling with activity. There was an entertainment room beside the multi-cuisine restaurant. Brightly lit, kids and adults equally occupied the entertainment zones. An old grandfather was teaching his young grandson the game of pool, stretching his arms and holding them steady on a pool table as the sue stick moved back and forth between them. It was like a flashback of my past. I always missed these moments that I had with my grandfather. Just a few steps to the right was the information cell, a fine gentle man stepped out and wished me good evening. I shook his hand, and we had a good conversation about the resort and it’s ambience. I came to know it was Subham, Club Mahindra’s business executive. I wished him good night and went on to explore what else I could find. 

Meeting Abhiroop:

Just about the other side, a gleamy lighted sign board caught my attention. I strained my eyes and could make out what read like “The wilderness says HELLO”. My instinct drew me to it. Curious, I moved in … it was a souvenir shop. I had already been to one such at Tuli Tiger Resort on my previous visit. A tall handsome dude with charming bread greeted me in. Something in me made me very comfortable on our first meet itself. Felt like this guy and I had some strings attached. One glance at him and you could see, he wore his passion for wildlife on his sleeves. He introduced me to his passion for wildlife and the way he printed them on the canvas of apparel. Hung from the wall were framed T-shirts with magnificently captured images of wild animals. Every nook and corner of the shop was adorned with snapshots of wild animals, which seemed to be staring dead straight into your eyes. My glance stopped at one tiger’s picture and I called out “It’s Munna”. Abhiroop nodded. “Munna” is the legendary tiger of Kanha National Park with a prominent “CAT” marking on his forehead. This is the very tiger whose quest and stories dragged me back to Kanha. Pursuit of him will keep my spirit alive and my heart throbbing for tigers all across the country.

 

Abhiroop and Me - some pleasant moments

Abhiroop was a part of this team that promoted “Wolfpack”. But deep within, he was man driven by the unquenched ardour for wildlife. He had witnessed a lot of amazing moments and captured some unique events of wild animals’ life through his lense. He told me the story of a territorial feud between a leopard father and son on a high branch, in Kabini. The narrated the turn of events as it unfolded infront of his very eyes. His words were powerful and the images of the ordeal kept flashing on my mind.  Our conversation lasted for almost an hour, sharing stories and taming thoughts. By then my wife had already joined us. After just a few formal words we bade our adieus, leaving the conversation to follow the next day. That brief time between us had sealed a bond of brotherhood, held together by an obsession for wildlife.

Abhiroop Ghosh Dastidar

Dinner for the night

The night was getting dark and the jungle had fallen silent by now. It was time for the dinner followed by a much needed sleep. The next day we had two safaris planned…

With a mind with racing thoughts of uncertain tomorrow, holding hands me and my wife walked on to the dining area.

Hopes held high, fingers crossed… I prayed for a glimpse of the majestic one.

The Tiger – “Sher Khan”