The Wanderers Soul – Episode 1, 2011
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve
Day 1, Tuesday. 22nd Feb, 2011.
2:00pm, the cold February morning turned screeching hot and humid just like any other day at this given time of the bustling city; Mumbai. Five wanderer souls; Ritesh Kadam, Junaid Ali, Lakshmikant Patil, Gwendy Luicien and Vishal Gupta rendezvoused after their respective incessant shifts on the fifth floor of the dark gleaming brown glassed edifice of Paradigm-A located in Mindspace.
Junaid and I emerged out of the clatter amidst the social animals whilst in their materialistic transactions into the quietude of the reception kiosk. Ritesh, Lakshmikant and Gwendy appeared to be resting on the black satiny couches.
A bright smile illuminated on all our five faces.
Ritesh and I, the two of us being the only ones threaded in detachable three fourths seated down on the black satiny couch removing our thick solid trekking boots. We zipped the fabric around our knees letting it tumble down to our feet as staff and personnel’s strode across the reception kiosk, lifts and stairs staring at the five of us with our braggart orotund large back packs, cameras, equipment’s/gears whilst two grown men semi-bared their legs.
All of them wondering just one thought. Who the hell goes for an outing on a Tuesday?!
The five of us clothed in our t-shirts, cargos/three-fourths, glares and trekking boots mounted our backpacks on our backs and cameras across our necks and stepped into the silver platinum lit elevator cramping it with our bulk and enormous oblong luggage leaving no room for further accommodation to the ground floor.
Descending five storey’s down the brown glassed structure we broke into the cacophony of the buzzing and awaiting crowd whilst many of them puffed on nicotine under the piercing heat. After nearly ten minutes of pursuing the three wheeled carts we managed to acquire two rickshaws that were willing to escort us to Malad station.
Approximately after twenty minutes of being strangled and shuffling amidst the traffic we reached the compact and constricted station.
Half an hour later we found ourselves in Dadar with ample of time to spare at our disposal. Hence, we decided to have a light and quick breakfast.
Our luggage rested down on the moderately clamped grey somber platform. We awaited the train standing and sitting sipping at chilled bottled water to flush down the south Indian fast food masala. Indulging in causal talks and jokes, fluttering around mocking at the amusingly comical intonation of the female operator announcing the timings and trains.
An image of the blue Sevagram train finally beamed dilating on the horizon of the rail tracks. We got to our feet mounting our backpacks as the train taxied and halted on the platform.
Day 2, Wednesday. 23rd Feb, 2011.
5:00pm, the train had halted at Wardha station for nearly two hours now and would for another two hours to get the process of changing the engines.
I woke up to see Lakshmikant awake, the two of us stepped out the bogie onto the platform and beyond with our cameras sipping at hot sugary tea. Clicking away images of stray dogs, the shy moon, rails and various objects in the bluish-black light. Soon we were accompanied by a drowsy Junaid followed by Ritesh.
The sun appeared to be anticipating its rise. A dark orange tinge sprayed twinging the dark blue and black contrast. Junaid got his DSLR out to capture the rising sun in all its possible emitting shades.
10:30pm, the train screeched and taxied on its rails. Chandrapur had arrived.
We stepped out into the moderate morning warm temperature aware of the potential of the heat waves of this city jumping to the extremes.
A white van escorted us from the station to the inner city.
After a slow lazy south Indian meal in a Rajasthani restaurant we convoyed through the small underdeveloped city of Chadrapur. An array of small shops railed by behind in less ten minutes leaving the small local hub behind to encounter a few rope ways of yellow steel convoys transporting coal and fuel to the thermal power station. Two white giant flask like factory chimneys expectorated massive clouds of smoke polluting and severing the progressed afternoon blistering temperatures.
The black smoke and charcoal dust compelled us to slid and wheel the windows shut. Speeding through the pollution we halted the van abruptly at the sight of giant meteor shaped concave shells occupied and engaged in mining.
Taking in the panorama of the vivid expanse and indulging in brief photography we filled in the van again resuming our ride.
Passing by the thermal power station and coal mines we entered the Tadoba Andhari district security gates. Passing that we drove on for nearly thirty minutes on the parallel and momentarily curving elongated incessant grey tar dusty roads sandwiched by dense trees and bushes on both sides for kilometers.
A kilometer away from the Moharli village a pristine lucid water body emerged on the left hand side. Radiating the reflection of the sky and adjoining trees and hillock.
Speeding through the scenic images floating on top of the vibrant reflection of the lake we wedged into a small remote village, a line of shanty huts and shacks on both sides ending at a cross road where the routes for the game rides began.
Checking into our rooms at MTDC we placed our luggage and freshened up followed by tea and biscuits.
We were informed that about the 9:00 am a tiger had strolled across the white gates of the MTDC resort, how enthralling.
2:30pm, the green gypsy vehicle escorted us into the jungle on our first game ride. The sun mercilessly shone upon us grilling the exposed skin as the vehicle pressed in to the pure undisturbed unaltered forests.
Three domesticated elephants chained to a few trees gazed down as time stood still for them day after day.
We advanced into the jungles, sharply turning to the right and entering into a narrow passageway trail. Thin sharp stems and bushes vigorously scrambling in from both sides as the vehicle nailed deeper through the narrow constricting shaft of the forest.
Ushered by a small gang of langur’s laying around resting on dry khaki covered leaves and nearby branches, their elegant dark eyes and hands radiantly posing for our lenses as some of them hoped up coursing through the trees.
Braking at the sight of the pictorial wallpaper like ghost trees. The white skeleton trunks growing into multiple attributes with brown fluffy leaves.
Moving ahead a young sambar rested with its limbs folded under his torso on the dry leaf mud ground. A few meters ahead in the open expanse a male spotted dear with its antelope grazed in the dry yellow brown grass. Momentarily podding his head up at the sound of our taxing engine and then resuming to its graze.
Our lenses distracted by the brushing sound amongst the adjacent branches, the lenses in-focusing at the pack of langurs moving about in the trees.
After spending enough time with the sambar, spotted dear and the monkeys we drove past a machan halting in front of a small lake. A tree trunk curving into the water hosted a small adolescent crocodile resting on it. Further up the road an infantile barking deer strolled towards the vehicle crossing the road and hoping into the bushes, disappearing.
A green bird chirped poised high up on a thin branch against the background of the blue sky to the left; a parquet. To the right a small compact brown bird; a grey eyed buzzard gripped onto the thick brown branches against the dense green leaves and brown branches.
The vehicle climbed up the steep narrowing path bludgeoned by needle like stems, bushes and branches. The car screeched halting, whilst climbing. The driver and guided leaped out opening the bonnet, the engine broke down. Nearly ten minutes past by as the driver and guide tried to revive the green steeled beast. Another gypsy halted behind us carrying a group of foreigners. After nearly fifteen minutes of being stranded the convoy coughed back to life climbing up and out the slope on the leveled land and taxing down behind a group of three gypsy’s. We just missed a sleepy tiger that had just gotten to its feet and walked up the rock mound over to the other side. What luck!
5:50pm, The gypsy sped towards the gate in order to make it out within the closing time. Passing a small herd of spotted deer’s; young, male and females with their heads buried in the grass chewing at it the vehicle screeched further ahead at the image of three giant mammals grazing within the distant woods; the great Indian Gaurs.
The light getting dimmer and the clock edging to six compelled us to jerk ahead to the gate.
Our first day in the forest ended on the top a terrace of a dhaba. Munching on onion pakodas accompanied with green chilies and onions with sugary tea.
Abruptly waking up from our sleep to the scathing outcry of the alarm calls in the middle of the night.
Day 3, Thursday. 24th Feb, 2011.
5:30am, the five of us shivered out of the warmth of our rooms into the dark morning cold. After a quick sip at the sugary teas along with biscuits we hoped into the green gypsy with bottled water.
A tiger and two cubs had passed by the main entrance gate of the safari zone, we had missed by an hour.
Brushing through the cold misty tranquility of the forest for nearly one hour we halted at a lake. A small spot of water swirled far in sight in the midst of the platinum reflecting water. A snout sedately propelled in slow motion gradually submerging itself. A long array of hundreds of sparrow-dove like birds aligned themselves around the banks of the lake meditating in the freshness of the morning, motionless.
Riding on for another three hours we captured many monkeys through our lenses and halted at a vivid out the world like lake. Two sambars walked on hunching down to sip at the calcium water and passed on getting out of the water and across the road hopping into the bushes.
Just before the morning game drive came to an end we sighted an elegant eagle serpent posed on a rock facing the same lake where the crocodiles had decided to stay under water.
We had hot samosa’s, pakodas and tea at the same dhabba and proceeded to our rooms for an afternoon nap.
2:00pm, the vehicle rested at the gates waiting to be let in as three elephants strode out the gate with chains and cuffs around the legs.
We strode for about four hours through the jungles, taking in the purity of the lakes, woods and aroma stopping finally at a refulgent full ripe male samba. It’s horns balanced and affixed on its carved head.
After spending nearly twenty minutes up and close with the sambar we resumed our drive through the pristine expanse of the unfiltered jungle passing by spotted deer’s, barking deer’s and monkeys.
We resumed to our seats on the terrace of the dhabba. Capturing the various shades of the descending sun against the wide panorama of the lake and hillock. Indulging in sweet tea and somosa’s whilst engaging the photography and ending the night by feasting on bakha and zumca, the local delicacy of the rural areas across Maharashtra.
We retreated to our rooms with our heavy gaits off to much needed sleep.
Day 4, Friday. 25th Feb, 2011.
7:00am, the vehicle sped through the trail deeper into the Andhari section of the jungle. The most least trailed area. We indulged in comprehensive photography as the light penetrated through the branches and leaves simulating an eerie aura at the road ahead, streaks of light filtering through joining the mist foam.
Riding ahead a peafowl flew above across our heads into the dense forest, emitting a strange thrill of a Jurassic kind. Further ahead bunches of peafowl and peahens clattered around on the dry leaves and some flapped and flew ahead on the trail roads.
After spending nearly three hours in core area of the most secluded region in the forest we spiraled around heading out towards the lake. Stopping at spots to capture images of birds, from serpent eagle, kingfishers, stalks, cranes, ducks, sparrows and an array of the kind.
Rolling beside the lake we ordered the driver to press on the brakes as a crocodile floated exposing his large snout and head out of the gleaming water.
A few yards ahead a massive crocodile rested on the banks of the oppose to shore of the lake whilst the flocks of birds flew past and back the lake and machan.
11:00am, our escapade came to an end. We checked out of the MTDC hotel affixing our luggage on the white van’s room.
Motoring on for an hour through the long Tadoba Chandrapur road passing through the birds, lakes, mines and thermal power factories back to the underdeveloped array of stores and buildings. Stopping at a Rajasthani restaurant for a heavy authentic Indian meal.
6:00pm, we waited on the Chandrapur platform with our heads craned up and laughing out hysterically at the flat screen airing bollywood music videos from the 80’s as the local commuters gathered around processing the unusual crowd going bananas.
Day 5, Friday. 26th Feb, 2011
11:30am, we arrived at Dadar and stepped out of the train with heavy legs, the added weight and the tiredness of the prolonged compactness in the bogie.
We finished our first expedition with a delightful vegetarian meal at one of the nearby restaurants and then departed our ways at the local train station with loads of sweet and cherishable memories and most of all realizing our responsibilities towards mother nature.
Special Thanks to one of our regular team backpacker-Mr Vishal Gupta for taking out time of his busy schedule to compile this blog.
Special Thanks to one of our regular team backpacker-Mr Vishal Gupta for taking out time of his busy schedule to compile this blog.
