Travel Tales in Orissa

Chapter 2: Forests of Ghumsar- Where Tigers once used to prowl

2012-01-23T23:25:00.015+05:30

Continued from Chapter 1

The Day Begins

Before sun rose above the horizon, we had left for Kaliamba for a detailed bird study of the area. Bijaya bhaina was there with us for the last day of the trip. We wanted to reach pretty early so that maximum recordings could be done. I was so happy to see Gendu ready at the Guest house to guide us into the forest. A round of warm cup of tea and we were ready to venture into forest. Elephants had been there last evening also and didn’t deviate from their usual routine of creating havoc in the area. We needed to be extra careful as they had not gone that far and were having feast in the hill top just nearby the stream that Gendu had talked off the pervious morning regarding the bird watching.

Drive through the thick forests of Kaliamba

After walking nearly for 20 minutes we reached the dried stream with small pools of water here and there. I asked Tapan and Gendu to stay back so that noise could be avoided. A waiting of 10 minutes and I was gifted with a flock comprising White Rumped Shama, Black Naped Monarch Flycatcher and Great Tits. We climbed up for another 100 odd meters to try out our luck. Gendu was still apprehensive about the presence of the Elephants and a strong smell in the air was evidence of their presence nearby. He advised us that we take another road in a different direction and we obliged. On the way to a waterhole present well inside the forest, a pair of Scarlet Minivets led the way before they passed on the baton to a Red Throated Flycatcher. These forests are so rich in bird life and we had not even spend a day completely venturing in them. I can roughly estimate that at least 150-180 different type of bird species could be present in the forests of Ghumsar. Kao-kuk…Kao-kuk call of Jungle Owlet perched very high on the top of a tree attracted our attention. According to Gendu, the forests over here has a very good population of Owls or commonly known as Pecha in Odia.

A Common Iora

Female Scarlet Minivet

A Brainfever Bird

My First Recording of White Rumped Munia

We reached the waterhole deep inside the forest where Gendu had intended to take us. There were some hoof marks of a Mouse Deer near the waterhole. There are many such natural waterholes in the area which is apt for wild animals to thrive in. But because of presence of many villages in and around these forests, they are not to be seen during day time. Some times Gendu gets to see the Barking Deers and Spotted Deers near the guest house itself during the evenings. We walked in the forests for another half an hour to see if some Malabar Pied Hornbills could be recorded but they didn’t turn up. We made the exit through the Kaliamba village during the mid noon. My last avifauna recording in the area was that of a group of White Rumped Munias which normally inhabit in the grassy forest margins and nest in trees. It was also my first sighting of the particular bird species in Odisha. Since we had skipped breakfast in the morning, already we all were hungry and enquired with Gendu if something would be available in the village for eating. Gendu went to his uncle’s shop in village to fetch some mudhi ( puffed rice)and biscuits as we made our way back to the Rest House. Took some rest and made notes at the Rest House itself. Gendu was back after 15 minutes and everyone relished the Mudhi with Pickles. After getting some life back we decided to rest for couple of hours and then go to Bhanjanagar.

A Waterhole inside the forest that is frequented by Wild animals

Malabar Giant Squirrel

I climbed up the Tree House on the Banyan tree and had a look at the whole compound. There was absolute silence in the area except for occasional calls of the Indian Giant Squirrel hopping from one branch to other of the Giant Banyan Tree. The century old tree and the Rest House were reminiscent of the past glory of Ghumsar and stand equally strong with a hope that the forests and it's wildlife will be able to survive in future also. Sitting in the tree house , I could hear the Old Banyan Tree and the Forest Guest House talking to each other.

Old Banyan Tree (OBT) : I saw the elephants led by Mangu Sardar, the tusker come yesterday and try to barge into your boundary. I think you were hurt by their action.

Forest Rest House( FRH): Dear friend, I am not hurt. Mangu Sardar was angry because his group wanted to feast on the farmlands of the Kaliamba villagers and they hurled crackers at them. That is the reason he came here to feast on the coconut trees. He is basically a good guy. I have seen him grow up from a toddler to the giant tusker that he is now. But he has become erratic and tempered after his parents were killed by poachers who had come from some far off place. Hiding behind the bush and crying alone, he had seen the men take away his father’s tusks. He sees every human being as his enemy from that day.

OBT: Oh I didn’t know about his past. Poor fellow. Next time he comes in, I will try to make him understand. He is a good living being by nature and is also compassionate. Children love him so much and often are among the first drawings that they draw in their note books.

FRH: Today, I heard Gendu telling someone over phone that couple of forest officials will be coming in the afternoon for some work and they will be staying here.

OBT: Hmmm. But you know that they will not be staying in the night. There are some people in green uniform with guns and red flags in hand moving in the area trying to threaten all forest officials. Also, I heard that they killed some poor forest guard in a forest called Sunabeda in Western part of our state to show their strength.

FRH: You remember those days when Tourists and Nature lovers used to come and stay overnight. They used to have so much fun. I used to envy you because they used to go gaga over the Tree House that you have. I used to be alone in the evenings along with my caretaker and drivers who used to prepare dinner in my backyard over earthen choolah. I used to love the warmth of the fire that they used to cook food over. There was so much life around.

OBT: Oohhh. So nostalgic. I feel like crying my heart out. Visitors would climb up the tree house and play cards over a round of Scotch. Whole tree house used to look brighter with kerosene lanterns. Talks of Wild animals and forests of Ghumsar used to take place. They often would mention about a place called Similipal and its Tigers in their talks. But I used to get happy when our Forest sahebs would also talk about our Tigers, our very own Ghumsar Tigers.
Brother, do you recall about our very own Mahabala, the Royal Bengal tiger of Ragada area who used to roam in the night near the hill behind you. Couple of times, he had also entered your boundary when everybody used to get asleep. He was so good looking and so royal but could not father any baby tigers as there was not a single perfect match for the poor Tiger in the whole area. All female tigresses had vanished because forests had reduced and there was hardly any food left for the Tigers. Mahabala died of old age without passing on his royal genes to the next generations. The last Tiger in whole Ghumsar area, Mahabala’s cousin living in the Tarsingi area was pelted with stones for an hour before being shot dead. Poor fellow was defamed as a Man eater whereas truth is that he was hell afraid of them. He used to run away seeing human beings.

FRH: But I suppose this is not new. I have heard our sahebs discussing that all tigers in India are facing the same fate. But do you know my dear friend that we have survived for more than 100 years. There are some people like our Sahebs still left who are doing their bit to save harmless animals and forests. By God’s grace and by the efforts of some good hearted human beings, we will be able to survive and so will many dear friends like you who are there in our forests of Ghumsar. I hope one day another Mahabala returns here to bring back the happy days of Ghumsar. So don’t be sad and cheer up.

OBT: Your words have really given me hope and I am happy now. Thank you my dear FRH for being my companion for so many years.

The Tree House atop Giant Banyan Tree

Century Old Kaliamba Forest Rest House

Bijaya bhaina called me as it was already late and we were supposed to move back to Bhanjanagar. We thanked Gendu by bidding good bye and gave a last glance at the old Rest House. As we drove past the Giant Banyan Tree, I could imagine it smiling and waving to us in joy.

Chapter 1: Forests of Ghumsar- Where Tigers once used to prowl

2012-01-23T22:02:00.015+05:30

On a winter morning of 1985, two forest guards bicycle down a road in the Ragada forests of Ghumsar North Forest Division near Bhanjanagar in South Odisha. Suddenly one of the Forest Guards, Mohanty who was riding in front stops his bicycle and other guard bangs his cycle into Mohanty’s. Mohanty had frozen with terror embarked on his face. Winter breeze blowing through the Sal laden forests could not stop Mohanty and his fellow forest guard from sweating. A big male Royal Bengal Tiger was lying on the road unperturbed by the presence of the guards. A big yawn and a fearless stare was the only reaction of the Tiger after seeing the two men trembling with fear. Another minute of silence and the King of the Jungle made a lethargic move toward the bush nearby disapproving the presence of human beings. Five-Seven years later King had vanished from the forests of Ghumsar, the last bastion of Tigers in Southern Orissa. Last Royal Bengal Tiger actually sighted (not the pugmarks on Plaster of Paris Pads) in Ghumsar was in the early 1990s.

I along with one of my dear friends Tapan drove down from Bhubaneswar in the morning and reached Bhanjanagar around 6 in the evening. A small town alongside SH 7 has its own importance from Wildlife Point of view. On the northern side are the famous Kalinga Ghat and the forests of Phulbani. On the North eastern side lies the Forests of Gasma and further north lies the Daspalla Reserve Forests, Baisipalli Sanctuary and Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary. Down South are the Forests of Sorada and discontinued connectivity with Lakhari Valley Sanctuary. All Forest Department offices like DFO Ghumsar North, DFO Ghumsar South, Conservator of Forests, Range offices and the Forest Guest Houses dot the town. Most of these offices were built by British and are still intact.Conservation activities in Bhanjanagar area were initiated pre independence era. Ghumsar North comprises of 5 Ranges namely Mujagada, Central, Tarsingi, Galeri and Jagannathprasad. DFO of Ghumsar North, Mr Bipin Behera was more than helpful to arrange for our accommodation at the Forest Guest House in Bhanjanagar. We made plans for the subsequent 2 days to trace and record various hill Birds. I was very hopeful of photographing Hill Myna (Saree) this time after missing it in Similipal. Also, I had heard that hills near Kaliamba Guest House in Central Range houses some Malabar Pied Hornbills popularly known as Kochilakhai in Odisha. With exciting prospects looking in horizon, we retired to the bed after having a filling dinner. Temperature outside the Guest House was freezing around 5 degree Celsius and warmth provided by the thickness of two blankets was the only savior for us.

Pleasure drive through Forests of Ghumsar

We were woke up sharp at 6 am by the caretaker Braja and cup of tea in his hand was god’s weapon for us to fight the severe cold that the region was facing. Braja told that Saab was waiting for us at the Department’s Nursery about couple of kilometers away on the Highway. He informed that Bijaya Dash, department’s driver has been deputed to be with us for both days as he was the best man to guide us inside the forest area. I have a big fascination for people from Ganjam area, reason being their unique way of speaking language and addition of humor in each sentence. Bijaya bhaina has never gone out of Ganjam and in-fact he has served for 26 years in the same division and knew the forests of Ghumsar on tip of his fingers. Bijaya bhaina drove us to a place called Sriramnagar just ahead of Russelkonda Reservoir on the outskirts of Bhanjanagar. While walking to a hill top, he told that the place used to have lot of carnivores earlier. But there days lesser number of carnivores meant that number of Wild Boars, Cheetals and Sambar Deers have grown up despite occasional poaching by local tribes for the purpose of consumption as food. I was surprised to hear that the ranges of Mujagada , Central and Tarsingi also boast some sporadic populations of Neel Gais and Bisons. Couple of months back, four wild boars were smashed to death by a speeding Bus on the Highway near Russelkonda.

My First recording of Rosy Minivet

Walking along the fringe of a hill, I came across a surprise beauty flocking ahead on the road. My first recording of Rosy Minivet (Pericrocotus Roseus) which is a Winter Visitor to the place from Himalayan Region. I thanked my stars and gave a big smile to Bijaya bhaina. When your day is good make the maximum use of it. Within 45 minute of walk, 17 birds were sighted notable among them being Golden Fronted Chlropsis, White Browed Bulbul, Mountain Hawk Eagle and Large Cuckoo Shrike. Area around Bhanjanagar is inhabited by a lot of White browed Bulbuls, which I concluded from my numerous recordings of the particular specie from areas around Kaliamba, Tarsingi and Mujagada during my two days of stay in the area. We did then drove up to Mujagada after stopping briefly at Sora devi temple to offer our prayers. Drive through the SH 7 in the forests of Ghumsar is absolutely a pleasure. Complete greenery on both sides of the road devoid of any traffic. Warmth of Sun on a freezing winter morning and listening to the stories of forests , we reached Mujagarh, the range headquarters. Walking inside the forest, we followed the pug marks of a young male leopard to a rocky patch where it had discontinued. These forests were once the home of Royal Bengal Tigers which now have been taken over by the Leopards. Today we are left with those stories of the King which has vanished from the region and which is on the brink of extinction in other areas. Bijaya bhaina himself has been witness to many such incidents involving the king. On a summer midnight news came to the Headquarters in Bhanjanagar that a tiger has been sighted near a forest road in Mujagada range. Immediately forest department staff rushed to the spot along with their spotlights to see a fully grown RBT with its prized hunt of a fully grown Bison. According to Bijay those were the best days of the forests of Ghumsar where Tigers used to prowl. So many times Bus drivers driving on the Bhanjanagar – Daspalla road used to sight Tigers. One such time, Bijay and Mr Banerjee ( the then Range officer of Tarsingi had followed a RBT on the road for almost 15 minutes before it vanished into the nearby Sal Forests. According to Bijay, that has been his best sighting of a RBT till date.

White Browed Bulbul

A Indian Grey Hornbill

A Mountain Hawk Eagle

Black Headed Oriole

We came back to Mujagad to have breakfast. Staying in other states, I always miss the steaming ghuguni and udad dal wada , the integral part of any roadside breakfast counter in Odisha. Gulping down the breakfast in such a ramshackle place is what I always love doing. Within couple of hours I had developed a camaraderie with Bijay bhaina. He had so many stories to tell us and like a child I requested him to tell us all of them in the evening at the Guest House. After finishing the breakfast, we decided to drive down to Kaliamba area.

Kaliamba situated about 25 kms from Bhanjanagar has a century old forest guest house amidst a picturesque setting of tall Sal trees around and a banyan tree in-front which must be older than the guest house itself. Amidst the picture perfect setting, there was some disturbing flavor. Some Coconut trees in-front of the guest house had been uprooted and the newly constructed perch damaged at one corner. I was told by Gendu, the forest guard that it was the handy work of a group of errant jumbos that has been camping behind the guest house near a waterhole inside the forest for last couple of days. Every evening they descend down the small hillock and create havoc in the paddy fields nearby Kaliamba village. He got even much more excited and took us to a nearby field of Kandhamula (Sweet Potatoes) belonging to his father in law. Whole field was devoid of a single root. “Jumbos are really clever and they can smell where the Sweet Potato roots are present. They would strike at that point precisely with their foot and get the roots uprooted”, uttered Gendu with dismay. Villagers though have not resorted to any action by elephants frequenting the place but they are in state of horror. Forest department has formed JFMs( Joint Forest Management) groups in different villages mainly comprising the youngsters. DFO and other officials regularly hold interaction with them on collaborative forest management, forest protection, timber leasing, nabbing the poachers, preventing forest fires, handling situations such as elephant havoc on villages etc. In current case, the JFM at Kaliamba has been provided with crackers, powerful spotlights and funds to keep elephants at bay but every effort seems to be very small in-front of the group which has been enjoying the feast of fresh paddy harvest and Sweet Potato plantations daily evening.

A typical Jungle Trail

As we were taking a walk through the compound, my eye fell on surprise avifauna visitor to the area, a Ultramarine Flycatcher which flies down from North to escape from the severe snowfalls and dipping mercury. We asked Gendu about the presence of birds in and around the forests. He pointed out towards a flowing stream about half a kilometer from the guest house where there might be birds in morning time and if luck was there then of course sightings of Kochilakhai may happen. Gendu prepared some tea as we searched for the numerous Malabar Giant Squirrels that are present in the area. Many of them have in-fact made the old banyan tree their home. Kaliamba village has now been electrified which is good for human beings but a bad situation for Elephants. We have to draw a fine line between development and disaster. Human settlements need to be electrified but at the same time basic precautions needs to be taken. Utter care should be taken to draw underground cables to electrify the villages. If cost is a factor then at least following two measures should be taken without any minute deviation. Firstly we cannot have electric cables drawn at a lower height, so heighted poles have to erected. Secondly the base of the poles have to be well cemented. Or else the way Elephants are getting electrocuted in other parts of State, same would keep on happening in Ghumsar also. Reports suggest that on an average, 10-15 elephant deaths happen annually in the state because of electrocution.
We decided to head back to Bhanjanagar for afternoon lunch and come next day morning for bird watching near the stream as suggested by Gendu. On the way back came across a couple of Indian Jackals who were basking in the sun perhaps after a satisfying lunch.

Indian Jackal basking in Winter Sun

On the way back through the forest road, we noted the forest on both sides mainly comprised of Sal trees with very stunted growth. Bijaya bhaina told that actually the whole area was not that green and because of conservation efforts in last 10 years, it has again regained life. All the Sal shoots have actually regenerated in this period and in next 15 years if same conservation efforts continue then they would become a wonderful patch of forest. Sometimes Bisons have been seen crossing the particular road on which we were travelling. We came across a local villager in his mid sixties and instantly stopped to have a chat. I asked him if has seen a tiger ever in his life in the area. Looking at us with little shining eyes, he nodded his head and replied “right in the place where we were standing, Tigers once used to roam freely but no more they are to be seen. Only Leopards some time.”. Later on, I came to know from an unconfirmed source that a RBT was shot on its leg by a group of villagers in early 90s on the particular road. Tiger limped away with pain to one of the nearest hillocks and growled with agony for hours. Villagers followed it to the place where it confided behind a shrub. One shot on the head and the growling and roaring sound faded into the silence of forest. Skin sold to a trader in Sorada, lucky bone sent to somebody in Berhampur and Canines converted in to lockets made their way into markets of Calcutta. I heard about the “Lucky Bone” for the first time which is basically the bones of shoulder of the Tiger that it licks before making a run towards the prey. This is a misconception that Tiger traders have easily sold to the educated high end buyers of the cities who would pay thousands to buy a simple piece of bone at the cost of a beautiful animal struggling for its survival.

Inside the reserve forest

After having a late lunch we decided to go to the forests of Tarsingi in North Ghumsar region. Anupam Banerjee, the Ranger of Tarsingi was to accompany us for the trip. Banerjee in his late fifties is a gem of person and has huge field experience. He is in-fact known for his skills of sharp shooting and hence one of the few forest officers called on assignments of tranquilizing animals when needed. Banerjee babu was very happy to know that we had come down especially to do bird photography in the forests where very few people come. He like Bijaya has spend his whole life in Ghumsar Division and took pride in passing on this fact by saying- “ agyan ethikara gacha patra bhi amaku chini chanti” meaning leaves and trees of these forests also know us very well. I knew that drive to Tarsingi situated about 35 kms from Bhanjanagar on the way to Daspalla was going to be interesting. Again we were fortunate to have company of a man who had so many interesting stories to tell and more importantly who also talked of facts of forests accurately. As we approached a road side fig tree, Banerjee babu asked the driver to stop the vehicle. He pointed out to the top of the tree where some Indian Grey Hornbills were feasting on figs. I asked, “ are these Kochilakhai common in these parts ?”. He corrected me by saying, “these are not Kochilakhai birds, rather they are Katakhai birds. Malabar Pied hornbills are called Kochilakhai and Indian Grey Hornbills are called Katakhai/ Karakhai”. Another useful piece of information on birds learnt. After another half an hour drive, we took a left turn into the forests of Tarsingi. Absolute thick and rich forests of Sal ,Arjuna, Sissoo and Asan. I am amazed by the quality of forests this region has. Whole stretch from Tarsingi to Daspalla is a contiguous strip of highly wooded low altitude hills. Absolutely rich and dense patch which harbors wide array of Flora and Fauna. These have to be saved at any cost from Timber Mafias and which perhaps is being done in Tarsingi area. But it has its own challenges. Recent news of encroachment by local villagers and indirect support of Naxals who are present in a particular part of the forests is what is going to be a major challenge for the whole administration. If Tigers have to be saved on a longer run then we need to create forests connected to each other by thick corridors. Tarisingi and Gasma forests form such a thick corridor between forests of Baisipalli, Daspalla and with that of Ghumsar. Baisipalli are the last forests of Central Odisha where Tigers are there and if proper prey base is maintained (which is a huge challenge currently) and forests made devoid of villages, who knows we may have some Tigers back in the region. I know that this is a height of optimism but hope is what pushes us ahead.
We decided to leave the vehicle and walk on a forest road to see if some birds could be clicked and recorded in the fading light. We were hopeful of recording the Hill Myna which is quite common in these forests. The forest road inside the Tarsingi forest is known as Keskenda Road which is a locally refined version of “Cox Corner road” named after the British forest officer, Mr Cox who had developed the road during pre-independence era. As we were walking down the road, a soothing whistling sound of a bird, far perched on the tree top attracted us. Unmistakably it was the Hill Myna that we were looking for. I was told by Bijaya bhaina that Hilla Mynas are sometimes sold in local haats at the cost of four hundred rupees and Parakeet at the rate of two hundred. Many traders from Calcutta visit such haats to buy the birds. We strolled for another hour in the forests before leaving for Tarsingi Range Office which was established way back in 1912 by the British Forest Officials of Ghumsar. We sat over a cup of Tea for discussion with the staff amidst setting sun. The office itself looks like a heritage site with colonial touch reflecting everywhere. With a sharp drop in temperature, we could not avoid gulping down another cup of warm tea. The whole experience of sitting along with forest officials itself is a pleasure for me and understanding the local forest issues, listening to Tiger stories and knowing about the first hand experience of field staff is a thing that I miss while being in a city. For my companion of the trip, Tapan, a banker, it was even much more exciting. He had never expected that forests in Odisha could be so beautiful.
There are not that much Leopard sighting these days is what the staff had to tell although there is a good population of Sambar Deers and Wild Boars in the area. As per the census report published in 2004, Ghumsar North with a number of 49 had the maximum number of Leopards in Orissa after Similipal, though the numbers are always debatable because of the pugmark mode of census carried out. I pestered Bijaya bhaina to share some more tales from his rich treasure of Wildlife incidents. Bijay bhaina obliged this time with a story other than Tiger. Once while driving through the Tarsingi- Bhanjanagar road during the summer of 2008, he saw a big black shining log shaped creature crossing the road. It could not be mistaken. It was a huge King Cobra almost 13-14 feet in length crossing the road in broad day light. Bijay stopped his vehicle immediately and saw the amazing scene. From the opposite side a speeding biker unaware about the crossing snake came to the point only to be taken by surprise and hence a skid was inevitable. Terrorized by the size of the snake, he ran back. Bijay came back to the office to report the sighting. These sightings only confirm the importance of ecologically rich Ghumsar.

At Tarsingi Range Office- Tapan and Bijay Bhaina

We drove back to Bhanjanagar guest hosue by 7 in the evening after a satisfying day. At the guest house, after freshening up and making notes, we met Bipin babu to inform on the days proceedings. “Did you see something?” asked the DFO. Rosy Minivet & White Browed Bulbul were the catch of the day , I informed him and with another day to go, prospects were looking exciting. We informed him about our Kaliamba plans for the next day. He immediately summoned Bijay bhaina that he should accompany us for the next day trip also. After a quite dinner in the evening, we went in for a walk in the sleepy town of Bhanjanagar. Belghar and Daringbadi about 100 kms away were reporting unusual snowfall and it had its effect on Bhanjanagar also. Most of the shops had closed by that time and few street dogs on the road were trying to huddle together along the dying embers set by road side rickshaw pullers. We came back to the Guest House and retired to the warm cozy bed after a satisfying day of work.

Chapter 2

Similipal Diaries - 3

2011-11-11T00:04:00.017+05:30

Every good thing comes to an end and my destiny was no different. My lovely tryst with Similipal was going to end and I was little down in the morning when I woke up. Came out to the perch of the bunglow to have the refreshing look at the meadow in front only to find out a surprise visitor. I made my first recording of Brown Shrike, both male and female in Chahala. First I mistook it for Philippine Shrike, but when I referred to Bikram Grewal’s “Photographic Guide to Birds of India”, I got convinced that it was the Brown one. I sat on the perch and enjoyed the morning tea seeing the Shrikes playing around and fluttering from one branch to the other of a Sal tree. Wave of optimism crept in and I thought that I have one complete day in hand to do more fruitful work in Similipal. Similipal has so many things hidden in its treasure that one can spend his/her own life discovering them. From the meadows of Chahala and Devasthali to high rising peaks of Meghasani and Khariburu ; from Tigers & Tuskers to Centipedes & Crocodiles; from Maha Brukhya ( the tallest Sal Tree in Similipal) to numerous varieties of Orchids; from waterfalls of Barheipani and Joranda to the serpentine flowing rivers of Khairi, Deo, Budhabalanga & Bandhan; Similipal has numerous things on its pallet to offer to Wildlife Activists, Photographers, Researchers and Nature Lovers. And who can forget the variety of Birds that Similipal hides in. It is a paradise for Ornithologists. I was told god of Ornithology, Late Dr Salim Ali had also visited Similipal and had done a lot of recording of Avifauna life. I decided to make the best use of whatever time I had.

My first recording of Brown Shrike (Female)

Male Brown Shrike

Ever shining Bronze Drongo

By 8, we did leave for Joranda Waterfalls. Enroute, we stopped at a small ghat where Sun rays were still finding it difficult to pierce through the thick canopy of sky touching Sal Trees. A pair of Bronze Drongo were busy in building a nest. I decided to walk down through a forest path and asked Alok and Prema to follow me after 15 minutes. This way I ensured that the birds did not get disturbed by the sound of three people walking on dried leaves and twigs without compromising on my safety. I recall from one of the chapters of the book “Field Days” authored by famous wildlifer A J T John Singh wherein he says that the best way to make field observations and recordings is by walking alone in the forests. Because of fear, one would walk without creating any noise and the observing power in details enhances. Hence better recording of field data happens. After couple of minutes of walking, I came across a tin board which said “You are in the territory of Tiger No C5. Other Tigers- Male: 0, Female: 0, Cubs 2”. I had mixed emotion seeing this rusted board. This board is a reminiscent of the glorious past of the tiger land called Similipal. It’s not that Similipal is completely lost but one thing is for sure, current leadership team of Similipal now has a lot of catching up to do. It is not that only poachers, Maoists and timber mafias are the reasons for current state of Similipal. A lot of other factors combined with the mentioned three have been the reason for degradation of habitat in North Similipal. These all started from the early 90s. Examples of habitat management can be development of fire lines, digging of water holes and salt licks near beat houses so that poisoning of natural salt licks by poachers is minimised, creation of meadows with good type of forage for herbivores etc. I am not an authority on wildlife management but one thing I can say with conviction is that inviolate secured space with proper pray base is the only way RBTs which have dispersed to South Similipal will again come back to North side. And if that happens, then the rusted tin board hanging untouched since ages on the Sal tree will be re painted and new data filled in by a fortunate future wildlifer. Inshaallah, it will happen one day.

Past Glory of Similipal

I walked ahead and a wonderful friend was waiting for me and silently looking from a top of a stump. A Male Blue Headed Rock thrush in its complete glory was not camera shy at all. I was feeling exultant as before this I had never taken such a clear picture of this bird. This is unlike the White Throated race of Thrush (sighted on first day of the trip) which flies away with little of disturbance. For next 2 hours, the birds that I recorded were Copper Smith Barbet, White Cheeked Barbet, Black Headed Oriole, Small Minivets, Grey Wagtail, Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher and a group of Gold Fronted Chloropsis. Satisfied with my work, I sat along a forest stream and made the field notes. Alok and Prema caught off with me later and we made the move towards Joranda Waterfall.

A Blue Headed Rock Thrush

Moving towards Nawana(N) range where Joranda lies, we again crossed the Barheipani Anti poaching camp. We saw many villagers with Madala (musical drum) on their cycles moving on the kuttcha road. Prema told that all of them their actually heading towards the weekly haat where they would dance and have fun for hours under the influence handia, the fermented rice liquor and to the rhythmic beating of Madala. Some of them eagerly wait for the weekly haats where ganja ladhei(Cockfights) take place and lot of money is put on stake. Makdia, Khadia, Kolha and other ethnic tribes of Similipal are normally used to collection of mahu (honey),siali(creepers), jhuna(Sal resin),paluo( arrow root)and chatu (mushrooms). Some of them are into agriculture also. There is restriction on collection of NTFPs ( Non Timber Based Forest Products)but still they continue collecting them. But they are not completely to be blamed for entering into forest areas and collection of NTFPs. It has been in their blood since time immemorial and sudden restrictions put on them is not working. Until and unless we provide them with some sort of sustainable employment, this breaking of law would happen daily and there is no stopping. This case is very sensitive and needs to be handled very carefully. On one hand we have tribal populations who have been living in these areas since ages and on the other hand we know that animals and human beings cannot coexist. If we need to create inviolate spaces for animals, relocation of villages inside core area has to be carried at any cost and tribal population living around in the buffer zone needs to be provided with alternate source of employment. There has to be a strong motivating factor for them to move out of Similipal. Or else these poor tribals get lured by the poaching and timber mafias. With time, things have changed a lot. The age old tradition of Akhand Shikar(annual month long mass hunting ritual)which used to happen in the month of April is now a round the year ritual. Normally message is spread in the neighboring villages regarding the dates of Akhand Shikar and people join in to carry out bloody massacre inside the sanctuary killing virtually every moving thing that comes across. Some times 350-400 people enter the forest for Akhand Shikar. Just imagine which forest department in India faces this sort of situation. But staff of Similipal faces this. Until and unless we gather the political support, it is very difficult to stop the mass hunting ritual. I was told that as a year round profession not more than 8-10 poachers work in the area, but these few numbered poachers have been detrimental for the whole region. There are no strong records which suggest that Tiger poachers are quite active but slowly Similipal is getting notoriously famous for Elephant Killings. With understaffed force the department cannot function properly, hence greater support from the higher political rings can only help the cause of Similipal. If Indira Gandhi was pivotal in setting up of Project Tiger, today (barring to some extent Dr Jairam Ramesh) we find it very hard to site an example of a current day political leader who is really concerned about wildlife conservation. The importance of Wildlife in India can be guessed from the fact that Shri Jairam Ramesh was “promoted” to Ministry of Rural Development from Ministry of Environment and Wildlife for his good work. What an irony?
We crossed many small villages en-route to Joranda and reached at the site by 1 pm in the afternoon. Joranda waterfalls is of a height of 150m and is a single drop waterfall. The whole beauty of the waterfall is extrapolated with the view of the gorge at Joranda. Joranda is also in Core Area of the reserve but there is hardly any animal sightings that take place here except for erratic Elephant sightings some times. Many Odia movies have been shot here, notable among them being “Phoola Chandan” which was shot in mid-eighties. We came back to Nawana Range office after spending some time at Joranda. Nawana is also the gateway to Debasthali meadows, Jenabil & Upper Barahkamuda Range of South Similipal.

A Spotted Deer makes its way along a bush

The Grey Wagtail- One of the local migratory birds

Joranda Waterfalls falling from a height of 150m

Similipal- The land of magnificent gorges

With Tudu babu(extreme left) and Mallick Babu ( in the middle)

We reached back Chahala. After freshening up, every one gathered at the Lunch table for a wonderful meal. Mallick babu was supposed to accompany us to Jashipur in the evening as he had planned to go to Field Director’s office at Baripada for some official work. I wanted to spend some time in aloofness in front of the meadow with which I had fallen in love over past couple of days. I took a chair and sat under the warmth of winter sun gazing at the Sal tree laden hill in-front of Chahala Range office. These three days had been of so much learning for me. A wide range of flora and fauna I came across and also practical issues on ground. I got to see the life of people inside the forests. With every passing day, my wish list for Similipal went on elongating. Had situation in Similipal been this…had situation in Similipal been that. But bottom line is that we the “human beings” at the end of the day can only make a difference to Similipal; to the smallest of insects who seek a place to hide underneath the trunk of dead trees; to the Sal rich forests from which numerous rivers which form the lifeline of civilizations gets originated; to the tiniest of Birds; to the largest of Tuskers and of course to the king of jungle, the Tigers. During my stay at Similipal, I didn’t sight any Tiger neither came across any signs of Tiger like scat or pugmark but I know that Bagha Mamu (as we lovingly used to call Tiger when we used to be kids) is there in Similipal and one day my rendezvous with him will surely happen and that time is not far away. It is immaterial whether I saw him or not, but I know till the time he exists in these last patches of fine forests of Odisha, the forests and other animals will remain secured. Once it vanishes, everything will end. Similipal symbolizes the wilderness of Odisha and it has to be secured at any cost. Cohesiveness in working of Forest Department, NGOs, Academicians and Whistle Blowers is what is the order of the day. NGOs which work in the region have to spread on this message that every social developmental work that they are doing is also meant for securing the life of Tigers and Wildlife. The day Tigers vanish, development work may stop. Until and unless we spread this message we might not gather support of local villagers. Role of whistle blowers working towards the betterment of Similipal is well appreciated but my only request to them would be not to see Forest Department as their enemies and not set out to Similipal on fault finding missions only. There is so much additional work that they all can do to save Similipal. If they can write in press on the shortcomings of the forest department, they should also very well appreciate good works done by the department. Being understaffed, the forest department will have some limitation and let us accept that. If everyone demotivates these people who actually cover distances on foot and stay in remote beat houses then what will happen to their overall morale. Ego clash is no good for Similipal- the bottom line. Finally I would request to Forest Department that they are the “PRIME CUSTODIANS” of Similipal forests and its habitants. If we don’t save the forests today, we will not be able to face our future generations. It would be utter shameful for us to tell them that “we knew that Tigers were vanishing and still we could not do anything to save them”.
As dusk was setting in, we packed our things hurriedly and loaded in the Sumo. It was a special kind of bonding that I had developed with Tudu babu, Mallick Babu, Bhagirathi and Poorna and parting from them was bit emotional. We thanked them for the wonderful hospitality shown. These three days were very special to me and I knew that I was going back only to return very soon to the enchanting Similipal. I was leaving Chahala with a lot of hope and optimism that Similipal would survive all the wrath of human kind and our next generations would be able to see Tigers and Elephants roam freely in Similipal in their natural habitat without the fear of any one. That would not be a dream but reality.

As we left Brundban gate of Chahala core area, somewhere from behind I could hear this faint words……

parbata parbata,
parbata ra agana,
agana re kheluchi kuanri jharana,
ee mote hata thari karuchi mana…….na na..na ……..tu..jaa...na
na..na..na ……tu..jaa...na…………….

_________________________________________________________________________________

Go to Begining of Similipal Diaries...Page 1

Important Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_reserves_of_India
http://mayurbhanj.nic.in
http://www.similipal.org/
http://projecttiger.nic.in/similipal.htm
http://projecttiger.nic.in/whtsnew/Similipal_Appraisal_Report_FINAL[1].pdf
http://projecttiger.nic.in/whtsnew/Simlipal%20Report_June%202010_FINAL2.pdf
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/01/22/stories/2006012200090200.htm

Similipal Diaries - 2

2011-11-11T00:02:00.019+05:30

Chahala meadow on a winter morning

On day two, we woke up around 6 in the morning. I walked out of the room and glanced at the meadow. I was mesmerized by the whole canvas. Complete green carpet of grass glistening with dew drops; sun rays piercing through a thick blanket of fog and intoxicating fragrance of wildflowers blowing along with cool morning breeze. Morning of Similipal was so different from that of night. It brought in fresh wave of energy enough to keep you roaring throughout the whole day. Mallick babu was ready by then and I was not. Within 15 minutes I was out there standing alongside him and ready to disperse into forest. Prema and Alok stayed back as more people walking in the forest trails would have created enough noise to push away birds. I checked my Camera and made sure everything was carried as we were not to come back to Chahala for next couple of hours. Alok and Prema were supposed to carry the breakfast and come in vehicle to a particular point where we were to catch up with them. After having a cup of warm tea, Mallick babu and I took the path towards back side of the Bunglow. After little bit of climb, we touched a forest road covered with a layer of thick moss and grown up grass. It seemed no vehicle had gone on this road for last so many months. Actually that road is called Ring Road and runs on periphery of Chahala Range. These roads were built by SFDC (Similipal Forest Development Corporation) for transportation of Timber Logs by B B Barua Company of Calcutta. SFDC was dissolved after Similipal came under Project Tiger and Tree felling was completely stopped. Logs of wood used to be transported to a place called Talabandha on the boundary of Similipal and from there it used to be carried to Calcutta by Narrow Gauge Train.
We had walked for almost 15 minutes and birds were yet to be seen. We came across fresh dung cakes of Elephants which meant that in the night, Elephants had come to the salt lick. After some more stroll, we came across the first signs of a Leopard that has made the ring road area its territory. There were scratch marks on the road and also scats with some fur like substance present. Fur in the scat meant that those were remains of a carnivore. Tigers have dispersed towards South Similipal and are now mainly confined to the Upper Barahkamuda Range though occasional signs of Big Cats are also observed periodically in Kendumundi and Bisoi Ranges in buffer area. This can be mainly because of more human disturbance and prey base loss in North Similipal compared to that of South. This vacated zone has now been taken over by more adaptable Leopards. Though there has not been many news of cattle lifting in Buffer areas, but still presence of Scats, Pugmarks and scratch marks indicates the presence of Leopards in the area. There was an incident some time back when a Forest guard saw a fully grown mature Leopard in prime sitting on the perch of his beat house in the night. Same beat, Late Dr S R Choudhury used to visit when he used to come to Chahala. Legend says that he always used to stay in that Beat House in the night as it used to be frequented by RBTs in those days. But now Tigers have given way to Leopards. Today Tiger number as per last census carried out by WII suggests 21 which has been rejected by State Forest Department because of different reasons. On an average a Tiger kills a spotted deer sized prey every week. That makes it 48 to 50 Deers every year. And if it is a Tigress with cubs then she needs to make a kill every 3 to 4 days to sustain herself along with a couple of cubs. I am not sure and also I am not a field expert to comment on the health of Similipal when it comes to prey base. But one thing is certain, if Similipal needs to have a viable population of Tigers over a longer run then prey base has to be enhanced and protected. As I have written earlier, even if Tigers are not poached, Tigers will only survive if prey base is strong. Similipal has enough area to sustain at least 100 tigers if we go by the logic that a Male Tiger needs 30 to 40 sq km as its territory overlapping the area of 3 to 4 female Tiger territories who on an average require 10 to 15 sq km of area individually. This way a male tiger ensures that its gene is transferred to maximum of off springs. Over coming years if a proper plan is chalked out by state forest department in consultation with Top Tiger experts of the country, then we can create a vibrant pool of Tiger population. Similipal is a dubious case amongst all the Tiger sanctuaries where conservation efforts cannot be carried out by only Forest Department. It’s more of a political one. A lot of political will and interest shown by perhaps by someone as big as Chief Minister can only save it. I will tell you why. Unlike other sanctuaries of India (barring Nagarjuna Srisailam Tiger Reserve in AP) that has viable Tiger Population, Similipal faces the threat of Naxals. Taking the advantage of this situation many poachers and Timber Mafias pose themselves of being close to Naxals. As a result unarmed forest officials don’t have any option but to request them to leave the Forest without poaching or cutting trees whenever they come across such incidents on the spot. Even if they are arrested, our laws are very weak and people get bailed out easily. A strong Similipal Protection Force with proper arms and in proper numbers needs to be based out of Similipal. Secondly even if you have protection force, it is least effective if there is no support of local politicians who in turn are representatives of villages in and around Similipal. With the relocation of Jenabil village getting completed in 2010, around 3 villages are left in Similipal’s core area. The three villages left are Kabatghai, Bakua and Jamunagarh. These three villages need to be relocated and rehabilitated as soon as possible. Once we create such areas devoid of human interference, more meadows would be created and hence enhanced chances of rapid fold increase in herbivores. Jenabil for example has now turned into an excellent meadow which in future is sure to get back herbivores feeding on it. Apart from these villages of core area, it is those 65 villages in buffer area that have a major role to play in long term survival of Similipal as most of the poachers belong to these villages. Not to forget the immense number of cattle belonging to these villages who also depend for fodder on Similipal. Thirdly until and unless a solid Intelligence network is not build in these buffer villages, a check cannot be made on Poaching and Timber smuggling. In some villages Deer and Wild Boar meat is openly sold. We need to have people based out of these villages who can pass on this information to forest department who then with the help of local police can take some action. Fourthly patrolling inside the sanctuary area has to be systematic and periodic. Daily log books with proper and authentic entries are to be made. Fifthly, research work has to be reinitiated in Similipal. More field work means more field data and hence more “Similipal Specific” conservation efforts. Finally end of the day, it’s those field staff who can make hell lot of difference. If you have got a well-motivated ground force and who are well fed and well taken care off, then only Tigers will be saved. If human beings don’t have any value, then I don’t think animals can be really valued. Most of the field staff of Similipal live in remote camps/ beat houses far away from their families. Like forest staffs of other states they are also paid less but difficulties are more. Fear of Maoists and Malaria menace compounds their problems. I understand very well that these are easily said than done and also it is not that these activities are not being done. But until and unless every one starting from Forest officials to Politicians to NGOs to the local people don’t get involved, it would be difficult to sustain Similipal on a longer run.
Coming back to our walk on the ring road, I got first glimpse of a group of birds flocking around trees after almost covering 1 km on the ring road. White Rumped Shamas are in abundance in Similipal and my first good capture for the trip was also the same bird. I was able to record both immature and mature one. Soon Crested Bulbuls, a Verditer Flycatcher & Creepers like Velvet Fronted Nuthatch joined the party. We chose to sit beside a small ravine where a small stream was flowing by and waited for another party to come in. First to come in this leg was a Small Yellow Naped Woodpecker followed by Crested Bulbuls. Crested Bulbuls are very frequently seen in Similipal and adjoining Kuldiha Sanctuary. I was told by Mallick babu that Hornbills ( Oriya name -Kochilakhai)both Malabar Pied and Indian Grey type are mostly seen in the months of April- May in the sanctuary. But they are killed for their fat content by tribes because they believe that oil extracted out of Kochilakhai birds can cure many diseases. We waited patiently for some more bird sightings but only Tickell’s Flowerpeckers were making the chirping. While walking back towards the pre decided point where Prema and Alok were asked to wait I heard a familiar sounding metallic trooi trooi noise. A look around and my friend Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher was sitting on a branch of thick undergrowth. We got a good shot of the bird. They are normally not camera shy birds and often act as models for you.

A Colourful White Rumped Shama

A Tickell's Blue Flyctcher- Always ready to pose

Near a forest stream

A Barking Deer at the Brundaban Salt Lick

The Langurs were not far behind

We caught up with our waiting friends at a small culvert and had simple breakfast which was bread, jam and biscuits. Sitting amidst chirping birds and under thick canopy, we fully enjoyed the morning after almost 3 hours of walking. Mallick babu advised Prema to take us to Brundban Check gate to enquire about the Bison that often frequents the place. We reached their in 20 minutes and enquired with Salum, the guard. “Previous evening only Cheetals had come”, he said. When we went near the lick, there was a Barking Deer present. Unperturbed it went on fulfilling it’s mineral requirements. We drove back to the Bunglow for Lunch by 12:30 pm. After taking bath and lunch, we planned to have a look at the famous Barheipani Waterfalls.
Barheipani Waterfalls is on Budhabalanga river and is the tallest waterfall in Odisha and falls from a height of 399m. Situated around 20 odd kms from Chahala, it took us an hour to reach the spot. Barheipani is also one of the gram panchayats situated in the periphery of Similipal. There is also a post office at Barheipani which caters to the Barheipani Gram Panchayat and surrounding villages. As we moved towards the Waterfall, we could hear the gushing sound of water from almost half a km. The sight of this amazing waterfall just left me mesmerized. Budhabalanga River was falling down with complete force, fresh from monsoon reinforcements. Prema told us that the vigor of this waterfall remains same throughout the year. There used to be a Log House which was damaged during Maoist onslaught in 2009.We sat there for some time, gazing at the beauty of Barheipani and at the same time got disturbed by the sight of polythenes and gutka pouches which were lying here and there. This is one of the places which is a must in the itinerary of Tourists coming to Similipal and every year the place gets filled with filth with the onslaught of human beings. This is where I feel, drivers who bring in tourists can play an important role in keeping Similipal clean. Drivers act as guides and they should absolutely be strict with the Tourists when it comes to Polythenes and playing loud music inside the Sanctuary area. Also one of the things we can do to follow Park rules is allowing only registered Drivers of Jashipur, Karanjia, Rairangpur and Baripada region to enter the park. At least these Drivers if properly oriented can help Tourists follow rules as they would be having much more attachment with Similipal rather than a Driver coming from Bhubaneshwar , Jamshedpur or Kolkata. This also ensures more local employment. We returned back from Barheipani as sun was setting in. On the way back we did spend some time at the Barheipani Anti Poaching camp talking to forest staff. These days it is only Wild Boars that they come across and occasional Leopards. In fact last of Dholes (Balia Kukura in Odia) of Similipal was sighted in Barheipani itself in 1996. Many old staff who were initially recruited by Dr Choudhury in 1970s say that they used to see Dhole packs sometimes numbering up to 40 individuals. They were thriving so much that prey base of struggling Tigers was getting affected. As a result unconfirmed reports say that Late Dr Choudhury had ordered killing of Dholes in the sanctuary area. But he would have never imagined in wildest of his dreams that Dholes would make complete exit from Similipal surreptitiously one day. No one knows the exact reason for this localised extinction of Dholes and neither any research work has been carried out but hopefully one day Dholes make a comeback to Similipal.

Barheipani Post Office

Budhabalanga gushing at tallest watefall of Odisha: Barheipani

Female Small Minivet

My first sighting of Speckled Piculet

On the way back I had my first sighting of Speckled Piculet Woodpecker, the smallest of Woodpecker family. Speckled Piculet Woodpecker is little bit bigger than a Tickell’s Flowerpecker in size and normally stays in holes of thick stems made by it. Under dying lights we drove back to Brundaban gate where big surprise was in store for us. A Cow Elephant had come to the salt lick with its baby. This sighting of Elephant at Brundaban gate was after a gap of 15 days. So I felt I was lucky to see them. We stayed at watch tower for half an hour watching the baby elephant cuddled to its mother. Salum with lot of pride said “As I was lighting the incense sticks in front of Lord Ganesha in my beat house, Elephants came trumpeting to the salt lick. For me our Elephants are my God and God visits me when I want. Sir, I have shown you elephants and barking deer today. Next time you are in Similipal, hopefully we will see a Tiger”. I gave a big hug to Salum and left for Chahala Range office.
In the evening after freshening up I met Tudu Babu, the Range officer (Wildlife) and I informed him about the birds sighted for the day. He also shared his knowledge on Birds of Similipal. I came to know from him the way local tribes catch the Hill Mynahs and other birds. They put some sort of gum that is extracted from a tree and put it on sticks. These sticks are then tied on branches where birds normally sit or nearby nests. When they flap their wings, poor birds get stuck to the sticks coated with gum. There are many such localized knowledge that tribes possess and use for poaching. In the evening I did spend some time with Bhagirathi, the care taker of the Bunglow. He has spent 26 years in Similipal and knows a lot about the forests. He also talked of the Dholes that used to be present in Similipal and how once a spotted deer was eaten from its hind area by chasing dholes while on move. He thinks today’s new hires lack that zeal to save Similipal but quite optimistic that with time, they would also settle down to their new job, job of protecting Similipal and its denizens. Like many people associated with Similipal, he also remembers the remarkable work done by Late Dr S R Choudhury for Similipal. As a teen he had seen Khairi, the legendary Tigress roam around in Jashipur Project Tiger office with Nihar Devi and Late Dr Choudhury, the foster human parents of Khairi. Khairi had made Similipal famous. It was just an amusement for everyone that how a huge fully grown tigress could stay along with humans, play around and mingle so much. Khairi was found as an abandoned cub near river Khairi by some Khadia tribals. They informed the forest department about the abandoned cub and later on Dr Choudhury brought the two month abandoned Tigress cub to Project Tiger office at Jashipur and named her “Khairi” after the river’s name that flows through Jashipur. Life of Dr Choudhury and Nihar Devi changed after that. In a couple of months’ time Similipal became synonymous with the name Khairi. Documentaries were made on her and many journalists covered her story. A visit to Similipal was incomplete without having a glance of Khairi. But sad end to the legendary Tigress came when it died because of Rabies at six and half years. Khairi is not there today neither is Dr Choudhury, but legend of pet Tigress and her foster father still is talked off in Similipal. You get a feeling that Jashipur National Park office still buzzes with the growls of Khairi.
Our discussion came to a pause when loud trumpeting sound of an Elephant came echoing from the meadow. It was a herd of 7 Elephants that had come to the salt lick. “What a day it has been”, I murmured and looked at the heavens for being so much generous with me.

Khairi- The Legendry Tigress ( Source http://mayurbhanj.nic.in)

Poorna called us for the Dinner and he didn’t disappoint us. Rice, Dal, Brinjal fries and Cauliflower Curry. The whole aroma of curry was amazing and I asked Poorna about the secret of being such a good cook. Prema jumped in and said that “he has been preparing food for all the VIPs and all visitors to Chahala. Every one like you is a diehard fan of Poorna”. Poorna shared the secret of that strong aroma that was coming from the Cauliflower Curry. It was freshly plucked Bay Leaves and leaves of another plant which smells like Coriander that was giving the food such delightful smell. Another one I added in. The food prepared by fire of wood in a choolah is what we city dwellers always miss on and this is what adds to the taste of the food. More importantly the warmth and smile with which Poorna serves the food is what every cook cannot do.
Me and Alok took a walk in the compound. Prema had already retired to his cozy bed by then. Already it was quite cold outside and silence had crept in the compound except for the voice of news reader on AIR, Cuttack. Radio is the sole source of entertainment in the forest. Mobiles don’t work over here and nearest point where Mobile works is on a hill top about 5 kms from the Range Office. Some times in case of urgency, the staffs climb up to that point to give a call to their relatives. As we kept on walking, plans were made for next day. We were supposed to go to Joranda Waterfalls and Nawana (North) Range. There were frequent alarm calls of Cheetals that night. Perhaps the Leopard that lives around Chahala was on prowl. We came back to the bunglow and retired to the bed. Half asleep, those couple of lines uttered by Salum in the evening were echoing inside me. Thought of seeing a Tiger one day at Brundaban gate pushed me to a world of beautiful dream, a dream where Similipal is abundant in Tigers, Deers and Tusker’s. I had a peaceful night.

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Similipal Diaries - 1

2011-11-11T00:01:00.019+05:30

Similipal... Tiger Land of Odisha

“ ei je bana lata pahada ...........aha re dise kede sundara….
ethi dina sarena....ethi ratee sarena....”

Remember these famous lines of Akhaya Mohanty which was sung in the praise of beauty of Similipal-the sacred forests of Mayurbhanj district. Similipal is the land of meadows, waterfalls, gorges, thick canopies of Sal and most importantly the land of last viable population of Royal Bengal Tigers in Odisha. Many say that forests of Similipal have derived its name from Simili trees (red silk cotton trees) which when in full bloom are spectacularly vibrant. Spread over an area of 5569 sq km, Similipal Biosphere Reserve comprises of Similipal National Park, Similipal Tiger Reserve and Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary. Similipal Tiger Reserve specifically covers an area of 2750 sqkm which comprises a core area of 1195 sq km. The importance of Similipal can be estimated from the fact that it is one of the seven Biosphere Reserves to be included in World Network of Biosphere Reserves, based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.
Recently while working on a non-commercial Birding assignment for a Website, I got an opportunity to stay inside Similipal at Chahala. Making Chahala as the base, I did spend some wonderful days doing Wildlife Photography in Similipal. On an average 10-15 kms of walking daily on forest trails along with Foresters locating birds and then photographing; tracing the presence of Big Cats and other animals; sitting idle beside flowing streams; sipping cup of teas and watching trumpeting elephants come to the salt lick at Chahala meadow in the evening; gulping down rice and hot piping egg curry made by Poorna, our caretaker cum cook and gazing at the stars in clear winter nights were some of the best moments that I have spent in Wilderness of Odisha in recent days.
Before going on this assignment I wanted to make sure that everything was set right in terms of logistics as time permitted to do Bird Study inside Similipal was very limited and I wanted to make the best use of every minute that I was supposed to spend inside Similipal. So couple of days prior to our project start date, I along with my cousin Alok had gone to Jashipur to arrange for a vehicle and finish other formalities at the Forest office. We took the Anandpur- Satkosia- Thakurmunda, Kendumundi - Karanjia - Jashipur road. Driving along the western boundary of the Biosphere reserve, I was amazed by the magnanimity of Similipal. Just half an hour drive from Anandpur in Keonjhar district makes you touch the checkpost under Satkosia range and for next two and half hour’s brisk drive on the all-weather good road will land you at Jashipur, the endpoint of eastern boundary. This itself shows the mammoth size of Similipal. This south western boundary is continuous with forests of Kendujhar and hence forms an important Elephant corridor area. Though this corridor is now fragmented, still I feel that if properly managed and more importantly properly manned, we can save one of the most important aspects of habitat management for Elephants. Another reason why proper patrolling needs to be carried out in this region is because of Timber smuggling and poaching. Kendumundi, Thakurmunda and Satkosia range borders the South Similipal Area where these days Tigers of Similipal are pre dominantly confined to, reasons of which will be discussed in later parts of this write up. We stopped for some time at the Satkosia check post to have a chat with the forest guard posted over there. During conversation he said that fifteen years back there used to be frequent cattle kills in the region but these days not single news of cattle killing is heard of. According to him, this patch of forest is also frequently being used by Maoists for movement from inside Similipal to Keonjhar area.
We reached Jashipur Range office by 11 am. This was my first visit to Similipal but I was feeling as if I have always belonged to this place. Khairi Niwas situated in the same compound of Range office has been the witness to the past glory& hustle and bustle of the Range office when visitors used to line up to have a glimpse of Khairi, the pet tigress of legendry Late Dr Saroj Raj Chaudhury, the then first Field Director of Similipal. Similipal was one of the initial nine Protected Areas to come under Project Tiger in 1973.DrChoudhury was one of the pioneers in the field of Wildlife Management in India and people like H S Panwar and Late Fateh Singh Rathore have also been trained by him. In fact Pugmark Methodology for Tiger Census was developed by him. A lot of researchers along with a hoard of Journalists used to come then to have a glimpse of Khairi. Khairi had made Similipal famous, legends of which are even today told to kids by their grandparents.
The officials at the office were more than happy to help us arrange a vehicle and also guided us on place of stay inside the park. After completing all the formalities, we left for Tato, a small hamlet near Karanjia where our Driver for the planned trip was waiting. For me he was going to play a crucial role as he knew all the roads inside Similipal and had often worked for Forest Department on short term basis. We discussed about the Similipal plans with Prema, our Driver for the Trip. Prema was also excited about the trip but was equally apprehensive about the conditions of roads inside the park as it was just post monsoon and roads were in the process of getting repaired before tourist season starts in November. He enquired about the roads to Upper Barahkamuda (UBK) and told us that the condition of roads are really bad. So we decided to stay at Chahala during the trip. As we were discussing, i saw something very disturbing. 3-4 persons with big Iron Saws came out from the adjoining reserve forest and more importantly without any fear on face. I asked Prema about them and his answer was “Agyan..aau Similipal agabhalianahin” meaning “ Things are no more the same in Similipal”. I understood his concerns. We bid him good bye only to return back after three days.
On Day one of the assignment, after taking blessings from MaaTarini at Ghatagaon in the early morning, we reached Jashipur- Khairi Range office where Prema was waiting with his Sumo. We quickly went to the nearest grocery shop and packed the whole list of items starting from salt to eggs. Fresh vegetables was carried from the local haat. The food items were carried in sufficient quantity as for next three days there was nothing going to be available inside the park. Packaged drinking water also needs to be carried as Similipal is highly cerebral malaria prone zone and drinking from any other water source may not be that advisable. Also any meat based food item is not allowed inside the park. Since Prema has been many times inside the park, he was aware about all the limitations that is there in Similipal in terms of getting food items. In a way I felt good that I was going to get away from civilisation for couple of days where I could observe Birds and Animals in aloofness. Also another reason for being happy was for the fact that park had not opened to tourists by then and that would give me absolute undisturbed forest to work with. I am not against Tourism but sometimes overdose of Tourism has a negative impact on forests and its habitants. Remember those poor tigers surrounded by Jeeps in Kanha and Bandhavgarh. Luckily Similipal is devoid of any such overdose. But it has its own drawback also. Regulated and optimum number of tourists entering Similipal would help in keeping a check on poachers and timber mafias. They may not directly impact anti-poaching activities but more vigilant eyes means less chances of blatant tree felling and killing of animals.

As we enter Similipal through Tulsiboni gate near Jashipur

Since it was already afternoon by the time we finished shopping, we finished our lunch at a dhaba in Jashipur. Amazing Desi Chicken curry was enough to pump up towards our onward journey for Chahala Range office in Core Area of Similipal. We entered Similipal through Tulsiboni gate which is hardly 30 minutes’ drive from Jashipur. There is also another entry point at Pithabata from Baripada side on the eastern boundary. Normally tourists are allowed to enter from Jashipur side. Also recent unconfirmed news is that a Tourism development office setup is being planned at Jashipur. That would obviously boost tourism in Similipal, have better facilities for tourists and look into grievances. On the way to Tulsiboni gate, Prema told every year before the start of Tourism season in November, all the drivers from Jashipur area are given basic training on handling tourists some of whom are very rogue and only come for drinking and making merry inside the park with least interest and more importantly minimal respect for Wildlife and nature. Prema also told that a Bhubaneswar based NGO had also trained them for becoming knowledgeable guides on forest matters and professional way of behaving with tourists. We reached Tulsiboni gate and made our entry in the register. Driving uphill from there on the ghat we entered Similipal, the Forest in Odisha which I have always dreamt of coming. In past for some reason or the other, I have never been able to come to Similipal but this time luck was with me. Small machans on the paddy fields beside the forest road was an indication that fields are well frequented by Wild Boars and Elephants. We were driving briskly towards Brundaban Check gate, the entry point into the core area of Similipal Tiger Reserve. At one of the culverts, I asked Prema to slow down. Though it was mid noon but chirping of birds was clearly audible. In few minutes of stay, a group of birds comprising Brown Capped Pygmy Woodpecker, White Throated Thrush, a couple of White Rumped Shama, Crested Bulbul, Small Minivets and Common Ioras was flocking around the tall Sal Trees beside the road. A perfect beginning for the trip. One of the challenges of doing bird photography in Similipal is that vegetation is quite thick and Sal and its associated variety of Trees on an average are very tall. Camera would “Auto Focus” with difficulty and most of the times you have to depend on Manual mode. Luckily I had kept one extra battery fully charged since I was not sure whether power would be there at Chahala FRH to charge the cells.

A White Throated Thrush..one of the shy birds

On one of the forest roads towards Chahala

A Malabar Giant Squirrel near Brundaban Check Gate

Greater Yellow Nape...always on the move

After another 20 minutes of drive uphill we reached Brundaban Check gate. One forest guard came from the beat house with register for entry. We stopped over there for half an hour and had a brief chat with the guard. Salum was the sole person on duty that day as the other person had gone on leave because of Kali Puja. Amidst our talk, a Malabar Giant Squirrel busy in making its nest on the top of a Sal Tree made a high pitched call perhaps seeking our attention. Brundaban has a salt lick and is part of Chahala Range. Core Zone of Similipal has seven ranges under it namely Upper Barhakamuda (UBK), Chahala, Jenabil, Nawana(South), Nawana (North), Pithabata and National Park. Buffer Area is managed by 11 Range offices which are Bangriposi, Dukura, Udala, Kaptipada, Thakurmunda, Satkosia, Dudhiani, Kendumundi, Gurguria, Manada and Bisoi. Once upon a time, Brundaban salt lick used to have regular visitors like heard of Bisons, Elephants and Deers of all types.I was toldthat just 6-7 years back there was an incident in the salt lick where a Cheetal was ambushed by a hiding Tiger in broad day light. As per Salum, these days a sole Bison frequents the place every 10-15 days apart from another two group of Elephants and small herds of Axis Deers. Since Chahala is just 15 minutes-drive from Brundaban Gate, we requested him to send a Wireless message in case there are some wild visitors to the salt lick that evening. We made our move to Chahala Range office. A Mottled Wood Owl flew past us. Already an indication of what was in store for us in coming days. Prema told us that Owls are one of the priced captures of bird catchers and are supplied to touts in Kolkata who even sometimes send it to foreign markets. By 4 in the evening, we were there in Chahala Range office. A couple of Concrete structures with rising smoke from kitchens, surrounded by tall & silvery Eucalyptus Trees on one side and a meadow with a hill in the backdrop on the other side. The whole setup looked picturesque. We were greeted by Pravat Mallick, the Range officer (Habitat Management) at the Range office. Mr Mallick was very happy to know that we had come down to cover Similipal for the Birding assignment and was quick to express his interest in Birds too. Instant plans were made for the subsequent day within 15 minutes.

Meadow at Chahala...love at first sight for me

Chahala Range office amidst the Eucalyptus trees

Sipping down for a discussion over a cup of tea with Ranger, my eye fell on a broken concrete structure. I was told that the broken structure was actually the Chahala Range office that was blown up by Naxals on 28th March 2009. On that unfortunate day, Tourists were beaten up and robbed off their valuables, VHF Station and the Range office completely blown up. That whole period between 28th March 2009 to 15th April 2009 was the worst thing that could have happened to Similipal. Along with Chahala, Forest Rest Houses were blown off atJamuani, Jenabil, Joranda, Upper Barahkamuda; various Beat Houses and Staff Quarters were set on fire & Bridges were damaged. VHF Relay station at Meghasani was blasted off leading to complete breakdown off communication mechanism in the park. One piece of disturbing piece of news was that a captive elephant Mahendra was shot at Gurguria but luckily it survived. What followed this insane act of Maoists is really a pain to describe. Similipal was a free for all affair. Timber Mafias and Poachers literally kept Similipal at ransom. After the attacks for next 8-10 months, there was virtually no one inside to protect the animals. Everything was for loot. Similipal went back 15-20 years. Poachers were killing animals at their will. God knows how many Tigers got wiped out during that time, let alone Deers and Sambars. Even if by god’s grace if they would not have been able to kill the Tigers during that time, they certainly have done a greater damage by killing their prey base. Animals that use to flock the meadows of Chahala, Devasthali, Upper Barahkamuda are not to be seen again in the same numbers. I have read about those famous Similipal Tuskers in many articles but where are those pachyderms now? It would be a dream to see those gigantic creatures again but we can just hope for the best. The moral of forest officials staying inside Similipal which got dented is very difficult to be repaired. But let me tell you that despite whatever happened, some of the old staff on the verge of their retirement from service were the first of lot to return inside their posts and beats despite warnings from district police officials. That is the spirit and self-motivation that is very hard to find these days in young officials who by destiny have landed in these kind of jobs where aloofness and malaria are your best friends.

A Spotted Deer near the meadow

The Forest Bunglow at Chahala

As dusk was setting in we decided to take a stroll along the Chahala meadow and walk up to a waterhole situated about half a kilo meter inside the forest. We were supposed to stay in the 150 year old forest bunglow at Chahala which was the hunting camp of king of Baripada. A colonial style set up with Teak furnitures and big spacious halls. I had brought a Framed Bison Photograph which I gifted to Ranger. With a lot of pride I can now say that my photograph is hanging on the wall along with a photograph of RBT. Wish I can gift a photograph of a RBT of Similipal to the forest officials next time I visit Similipal. That day will be the day of Nirvana for me. Prema along with Alok made all the arrangements for dinner with Poorna, our caretaker and cook. Walking on a forest trail, we reached the waterhole. Hill Mynas near the waterhole were in their usual mood of whistling and creating a melodious echoing sound. Fulvous Breasted Woodpeckers were in full swing at work and were putting a last minute effort to pluck in insects from scaly barks of trees before sun would set in. After spending about 15 minutes, we returned back to the bunglow to have another round of Tea. As we sat in the Drawing Room of the Bunglow, dusk had already set in and twinkling eyes of Cheetals from the meadow in front was giving an impression of a far flung city being viewed from a hill top after dark. A thin layer of evening fog was the sign of winter spreading its wings over the Sal laden hills of Similipal. Mayurbhanj has always been famed for its splendid winters and by October end it was justifying its famedom. Temperature had dropped sharply and by 7 in the evening, I guess temperature must not have been more than 12-15 degree. Since I was warned of Cerebral Malaria, we did apply mosquito repellent creams and sat on the verandah enjoying the sight of the meadow in front. Smoke from the kitchen meant work was in full swing. There are around 15 forest staffs based at Chahala Range office and they run a common mess. Their life in the evening was limited to confiding around bon fires and chatting about the work done in the day. Of course now and then, the old hands would talk of the past glory of Similipal and numerous tiger tales that they have been associated with. Elephants were yet to arrive at the salt lick and I was waiting patiently for that. Suddenly a metal beating sound came from the Kitchen. Mallick babu told that it was Dinner call and everybody needed to gather at the kitchen for food. He bid us good bye and promised to join us for the morning bird photography assignment. We waited for our turn of Dinner which was being prepared separately. Meanwhile poor Prema was after Poorna for hurrying up on Dinner. Finally supper arrived. Hot steaming rice, dal and Cabbage bhaji. We ate our heart out under candle light as solar battery of the bunglow had got discharged by that time. After a filling dinner, we sat in the verandah enjoying the silence of night. A clear star studded sky was what I saw after a long time. Occasional rutting call of the deer from nearby hill would break the silence now and then. Dying embers in front of Sal Villa where foresters had hurdled before dinner was the signal that it was already time for sleep. Night settles down in the forests quite quickly and by ten everyone had gone to their beds except us. Silence of forests in the night can also be frightening sometimes and sends that occasional chill in your spine. I could have spent my whole life like this, sitting all alone in the thick forests of Similipal amidst wild animals. More Cheetals had conglomerated in the meadow by then. I enquired with Prema if he had ever seen a Tiger in Similipal. He looked at me with his big eyes and said “yes”. It was couple of years back when he was driving back on a summer evening from Devasthali meadow. Suddenly a huge Tiger came from behind a bush and stood in the middle of road hardly 10 meters from the vehicle. The Tiger snarled for a moment and gave stern look at the vehicle and royally moved down the slope of ghat road. Prema along with an accompanying Range Officer were dumb stuck and could not do anything except for shivering. That is the fear factor when you see a Tiger in real wild. That is the aura of a Royal Bengal Tiger. We sat there for another hour waiting for Elephants but they didn’t turn up. Instead of rutting calls, it was the snoring sound of Alok which reminded me that we were supposed to get up early next day for photo shoot. I don’t remember when I fell in deep sleep but what I remember is that before going for sleep in the cozy and warm bedroom of the bunglow, I thanked my stars and god for getting this opportunity of being in Similipal, the place to which perhaps I must have belonged to in one of my previous births...

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From Poachers to Protectors- Success story of Community based Conservation at Mangalajodi

2011-08-07T20:54:00.012+05:30

Recently a lot of articles are being written on importance of Community based conservation and importance of local communities as prime protectors of wildlife habitats and after visiting Managalajodi , the birding paradise of Odisha, I have started believing that this might be a successful strategy that can be implemented in select sanctuaries & wildlife habitats if not all. Situated on the western fringes of Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lake of Asia, Mangalajodi boasts of being one of the prime bird habitats for both migratory and residential birds.In some winters , it has clocked avian count of some where between 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh foreign visitors. Some of the common seen migratory varieties include varieties of Ducks to Sandpipers to Terns and Gulls.
After overnight stay in Bhubaneswar, Siddhu and myself were up early morning for Mangalajodi. Had a sumptuous breakfast at Khurda and reached Tangi in just an hour.At Tangi, take a left turn from highway and another 20 minutes drive will land you at the Birding Paradise of Orissa - Mangalajodi.
Couple of years back, there were more poachers than fisherman at Mangalajodi. Freshly slaughtered birds would be sent to Bureaucrat infested clubs in Bhubaneswar. Having grown up amongst birds and led a life along the coasts of Chilika, these poachers were living Encyclopedia of “ How to poach birds?”. Collecting eggs , poisoning and even shooting birds in day light was what they used to do rampantly in winters. And add to that the working of the dormant forest department. It required unselfish, brave and toiling effort and more importantly patience of some men to change the mind set of these poachers. One of them Mr Nanda Kishore Bhujabal , the governor of Tangi chapter of Wild Orissa ( a NGO working in the field of Wildlife Conservation in Odisha) was the face of this struggle and perseverance of transforming these cruel poachers to biggest protectors of birds.
We reached Mangalajodi and asked for the office of Sri Mahavir Pakshi Suraksha Samiti, the organisation formed by these modern day Valmikis who once used to be the greatest threat to the birds of Chilika.There we met Madhu Behera one of these poacher turned protector. Siddhu and Madhu Bhai instantly had their chemistry going on with extensive and deep interest of birds. And for the first time , I was seeing Siddhu getting a good competition from some one in knowledge of birds. As we walked along with Madhu Bhai on the embankment of the lake, he shared the success story of the community based conservation. Way back in late 90s, when poaching was rampant, Nanda Kishore Bhujabal came out pursuing these violent group of youngsters to leave this heinous crime of killing innocent birds. But it was easy money for these poachers. Tricks of hunting birds through poisoning had been passed on from one generation to other. And every now and then a new trick of the game would be added. Huge demand of bird meat in far off markets ensured that this racket flourished. Madhu along with another group of poachers from near by villages were minting money. Bhujabal babu would go on pursuing arduously these group to give up poaching but with less or no avail. Madhu and others had even threatened Bhujabal babu many times but he turned out to be a person with a tough mettle and with a strong determination .A decade of persuasion and in December of year 2000, Sri Mahavir Pakshi Suraksha Samiti was formed by these poachers. Poachers of birds had turned into their biggest protectors. And yes not to forget the parallel efforts of the Forest Department who by then had also played their part in supporting this movement. Over the years, this organisation has helped nab poachers, thanks to the excellent local knowledge of the members of Samiti. They carry out night patrolling during peak seasons of Winter when Mangalajodi is thronged by thousands of Foreign birds who come for roosting. And for living, they act as guides for Bird Lovers and take them on Boats.The income from Eco Tourism is equally shared between members. When asked about his income, Madhu had a smile on his face which expressed everything. During his poaching days, some times he would earn as high as 2500 per day. Today its well below that figure. But what was heartening to hear was this statement by Madhu Bhai- “ Ab jo hona hey ho jaye...bhale hi bhookhe rahein....lekin pakshiyon ko bachana hey.....marna nahin hey an unko...”. This was the statement being made by a person who has hardly seen the doors of a school, who does not watch or read National Geographic, who does not participate in Candle light processions of farcist metro dwellers ( I am also one of the participants of this kind of farcism) marching in support of environment and more importantly who has a family depending on him for a square meal. Me and Siddhu were amazed and delighted at seeing the passion of Madhu Bhai and for that matter all the members of the Mahavir Pakshi Surakhya Samilti of Mangalajodi. Hats off to the efforts of Nanda Kishore Bhujabal and Wild Orissa for this transformation brought in the poachers of Mangalajodi .

Making Way through Nala Bana(reed bushes)

Eurasian Spoonbill

Little Grebe

Rare Grey Headed Lapwing

A group of Spotted Billed Ducks

Black Winged Stilts

A nesting Pacific Golden Plover

We reached the watch tower and got on to a dinghy. Along with us, Madhu Bhai and his brother in law was there. These boats are not motorised and are excellent for seeing birds from close range and photographing. Within matter of minutes we came across a Grey Headed Lapwing which is very rare to sight. In next 30 minutes list just got longer with Pintails, Gadwals, Common Pochards, Shovellers,Wigeon ,Red-crested pochards. Mangalaojodi is basically a swamp spread over 10 sq km and has marshes of reed grass ( Nala in Oriya) all around. It acts as an excellent nesting place for Water Hens, Purple Moorhens, Bronze Winged Jacanas,Spot Billed Ducks and Lesser Whistling Teals.In January of 2006, as many as 5000 Cotton Teals were sighted at Mangalajodi. This is a sort of record till date and is also one of the reasons why Chilika is one of the important Ramsar Sites (List of Wetlands of International Importance) of the world. Chilika beats every other birding site of India in terms of volume of bird congregation. Last census of 2010 reported a staggering and herculean number of around 9 lakh birds. No other birding site of India has been able to match this figure. Birds from as far as Siberia , Mongolia and Caspian Sea travel thousands of kilometres to reach Chilika’s Nalabana Sanctuary and Mangalajodi area.

While we were wading through Nala bushes, we saw some domesticated Buffaloes grazing. This was one of the few lows of Mangalajodi trip. Grazing buffaloes pose a great threat to the nests of shoreline birds like Ducks and Waders. Separate enclosure for the grazing purpose may be developed so that Nala vegetation is intact for the usage by the birds. Eco Tourism at Mangalajodi can be promoted in a planned manner and some of the Tour Operators based out of Delhi, Mumbai , Kolkata and Bhubaneswar should be roped in for this purpose. I am not suggesting that Mangalajodi overnight becomes Bharatpur or Ranganathittu. But we should start thinking in that direction. There will be dual purpose that can be met if this becomes successful. Income of bird protectors would increase which will ensure that we will have many more Madhu Bhais in future protecting the avian life at Mangalajodi and Nalabana. And also it gives them a chance of sharing their success stories with outside world. The pride with which members of Pakhi Surakhya Samiti share their knowledge on birds with visitors can be imagined when one sees Madhu Bhai flipping the pages of “Birds of Indian Sub Continent by Grimmet and Inskipp” and telling the Ornithologists that he was correct in naming a particular bird when a debate arises. I have always supported the implementation of “CONTROLLED” Eco Tourism projects in protected areas. No point in having Sanctuaries where local people who get displaced or effected don’t get benefited. If that benefit does not come in, they see wild animals as their enemies and reason for their plight. In return they resort to hunting and illegal tree felling. You give them proper opportunity for earning livelihood through eco tourism and I am sure Wildlife protection would go forward in a longer run.

Large Egret

Purple Moorhen

Our Dhingy

Anti Poaching Camp at Mangalajodi

Over next 2 hours , we did spend a wonderful time listening to tales from Madhu Bhai. He jokingly shared about some of the lighter moments spent with Prof Balachandran of BNHS and Dr U N Deo, the renowned Ornithologist of Orissa during their various birding trips to Mangalajodi. One striking difference that I found while birding at Managaljodi is that I never got a feeling that some body was accompanying you as a guide because he has been paid fees for the same. It was Madhu Behera’s passion for birds and “ Athiti Devo Bhava” attitude that makes me write again and again on the feeling of hospitality experienced at Mangalajodi. We had a lunch of Sweet Bread and Banana on the boat which got more sweetened by sight of a Large Egret and a rare Goliath Heron flapping their huge span of wings. One has to inform prior to Surakhya Samiti Members about Lunch plans and they will prepare you fish curry and rice on boat. My advise to readers that don’t do impromptu planning like us and enjoy a full meal of local cuisine prepared by guides on boat amidst chirping of birds and blowing Nala grasses.

Bird watching on a cycle along with Madhu Bhai

After clicking some more pics we returned back to the office. Such a complete trip in terms of photography , general awareness on water birds and seeing a success story of community based conservation unfold . And guess what ...only 500 rupees for that 3 hour trip along with a knowledgeable guide in the birding paradise of India- Mangalajodi. I wish more people can come over here and see the vibrant bird world of Chilika. We hugged Madhu Bhai and assured him of a return trip this year again. Insha‘Allah, come October as soon as monsoons get over, I would be there again in Mangalajodi with my new lens, sitting alongside real life heroes fighting for Wildlife Conservation and gazing with wonder at Kingfishers, Ducks, Pochards, Sandpipers, Stilts.... ...list is endless.

Hadagarh Sanctuary- Reeling under pressure from Mines

2011-07-24T17:39:00.021+05:30

Kanhu Majhi(Ajit Das)the tribal guy from one of the remote villages of Mayurbhanj grows up amidst the wooded forests & waterfalls , wakes up to the calls of pea fowls, runs with his childhood sweet heart Dhaani( Jaya) in Mustard fields during day time, comes back home tired and straight into the warm lap of Guruma( Sujata Anand) and shares a bowl of Pakhala with Manua(Bijay Mohanty). He dreams of setting up his small home in the village along with Dhaani where his off springs would grow on to become farmers. Dasa ( Jairam Samal), the local one room grocery shop owner and Singha Pua ( Dukhiram Swain), the Bihari trader would gulp down country liquor with dried fish, sukhua in the evening and eye the innocent tribal girls. Kanhu Majhi goes on to study in city ( most probably Baripada which has not been mentioned in the movie and I am assuming the village where they live is to be inside Similipal ) leaving behind Dhaani and his village. Things change. Kanhua completes his graduation and goes on to become Hakim Babu(IAS). The ever greedy city dwellers and bureaucrats could not digest the peaceful and serene forests and the villages inside it. They could sense the presence of conspicuous wealth hidden under the green charming bed of Similipal in the form of Chromite and Iron Ore. Kanhua as lovingly called by villagers becomes Kanhu Majhi (I.A.S). He resists the change but circumstances force him to shed down the simplicity of being a Majhi and he marries the city grown and convent studied Barsha Samantray ( Dolly Jena). Dhaani, Manua and more importantly his Baa( Hemant Das) are left shattered and accept the fate that their Kanhua has changed along with time. Baa not able to bear the pain takes his last breath. Singha Pua and Dasa churn out money by winning bids for Forest Block and cutting trees rampantly. Singha Pua’s greediness forces him to go for Chromite Mine bid. Dasa is coaxed by Singha Pua that if he helps him relocate villagers then his one room thatched grocery shop would soon turn into a cemented shop with more business. Villagers resist. Kanhu Majhi also finally endorses the idea of relocating the village where he had spent his childhood days. Village is set ablaze in the middle of night by Singha Pua’s son. Poor villagers loose every thing. They leave back the village where their fore fathers had lived, they leave the fields where they had toiled day and night to make it fertile. Kanhu comes back to see people leaving amidst the setting sun. Soon the green forests would turn into ugly mining blocks. End result is what we are yet to see but it would not be less than a Catastrophe. While Hakim Babu released in 1985 was a movie but story is same across all the sanctuaries and forests of India. While on one hand we relocate villagers for demarcating boundaries, on the other hand we also allow mines to be set up very close to the forest cover, allow metalled roads to cut through the dense forests.

Entry Gate at Hadagarh

Thick Forests of Hadagarh

Anti Poaching Camp of Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve at Salandi Reservoir

Situated in the district of Kendujhar, Hadagarh sanctuary spans over an area of 191.6 sq km and is one of the most strategically located sanctuaries from wildlife conservation point of view which is described in later part of this write up. Hadagarh falls under the purview of Divisional Forest Officer, Anandpur and comprises of one Range office at Hadagarh. There are two entry points to the sanctuary. One at Hadagarh situated about 20 odd kilometres from Anandpur ( Andapur as spelled in Oriya) and the other at Kathakata in Hatadihi Block , around 26kms from the DFOs office.
Banti, my cousin advised me to enter the sanctuary through Hadagarh gate as it would be afternoon by the time we would reach the sanctuary and Hadagarh village is the only place in the whole area where we could expect something to eat. He had a word of caution though. Being June we should not expect something very great as it is only in winter that this place sees hoards of visitors who come for picnics. After reaching Hadagarh village we got to see a small eatery, a one room hotel which also acted as shop owner’s residence. Freshly caught Rohu fish from the Salandi Dam was to be served as our lunch. Fish Curry, Rice, one Bhaji and Dal for twenty rupees only.

Lunch at the Hadgarh Village

After having a filling lunch we sat with the stall owner for a round of chat along with cup of tea. He has never seen a Tiger in the region, but says that prior to the Dam construction, Tigers were to be seen in the area. After construction of the Dam they are not to be seen any more. Elephants migrate out of the sanctuary area and cause menace in the agricultural lands because there traditional paths of movement have now been blocked by villages and the Dam reservoir.
Hadagarh may not boast of numerous animals as some of the other sanctuaries of country do but it stands upright in terms of its own importance. If you glance at the map below, you will come to know that Orissa’s most important forest cover in terms of Tiger’s source population, Similipal lies north of Hadagarh and is connected to it by a thin patch of forests rich in Sal and its associated family of trees. On the east lies the Hadagarh dam and again a very thin line of corridor connecting with Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary. This means Hadagarh can act as a very vital path for seasonal migration of Elephants from Similipal to the Forests of Kuldiha and vice versa. In fact Hadagarh Sanctuary can act as a solid patch of forests for Tigers and Leopards of South Similipal which wander in search of new habitats in case there is spillage from south Similipal ( this statement does not have any value presently with Similipal reporting as less as 20 Tigers in the latest census published NTCA in 2011). But very less studies in this direction has happened and there has been no scientific data maintained or published in this regard as of now. The forest watcher at the Hadagarh Check gate told that there have been frequent sightings of Leopard pug marks in the northern part of the sanctuary. That means these are good signs for future of Big Cats, provided proper focus is given to these less heard and less focussed sanctuaries like Hadagarh. Though there was no direct sighting of animals during my day long search, we were told by local villagers the forest has good number of animals like wild boars which again means that this forest has enough prey base to support at least 10-15 leopards if not more. Boula mountain range forms the lower edge of the sanctuary and is absolutely a solid demarcation line between the sanctuary and the revenue villages.

(Source: Google Earth)

Thin line of corridors between between Hadagarh, Kuldiha and South Similipal

Machan to protect crops from Wild Boars

But concerning part is that Chromite mines have been leased out to some mining companies just outside the Sanctuary area. It is absolutely fine that we operate mines as at the end of the day industrialisation is absolutely necessary. But the mine operators and industrialists need to be sensitive towards the environment where there next generations are going to survive in. There have been cases where local environmentalists have complained that even blasting takes place in the night hours which is so disturbing for the wildlife. Highly luminous lights used in the area and constant movement of Dumpers will also have effect in the area in longer run. It is not the case only with Hadagarh but rather so many sanctuaries across India. One of the major Tiger population has got confided to Tadoba Andhari Tiger reserve in Maharashtra and there is huge pressure of Open Cast Coal Mines present adjoining to the Buffer Area. Same is the case with Kanha where Mallajkhand mines are present. Whereas Tadoba and Kanha have lot of Activists fighting for their cause, sanctuaries like Hadagarh have none.

Salandi River- Life Line of the Sanctuary

A Paddyfield Pipit

A Rat Snake

Timber Mafias operating in the area are involved in occasional felling of trees. When it happens and in which area it happens that I am not sure of. During our visit, we could see cycle loads of fire wood being collected from the sanctuary area. Often one can come across this Wood cutters carrying valuable log pieces on their cycles and crossing the Baitarani river at Makundpur and Dulakhpatna of Jajpur district on boats which is then sold in places like Jajpur Town at a premium price. What Hadgarh perhaps needs is frequent patrolling by forest staff along with awareness programmes in the nearby villages. Until and unless we carry out development work in the villages situated in and around the sanctuary, there dependency on the Timber and Mining mafias would always be there causing long term harm to the area. Primary healthcare, self-help groups & Co-operative societies to process various NTFPs(Non Timber Based Forest Products) and primary education is what the area needs. This is what local NGOs and individual activists can do but at the same time State Government has a bigger role to play in terms of regulating Mining Companies that operate in and around areas like Hadagarh. Or else all the efforts go for a toss.I have always believed in the wisdom of those wildlife activists who have said that wildlife and human beings cannot co exist. But for a moment just imagine of a situation where villagers had to reloacate from forests because of construction of a dam. And then years after they settle down somewhere nearby they are said that they cannot enter the forests to even collect firewood. If on a longer run this can save forests and wildlife and hence our environment then fine , go for this sort of legislations and executions. But one has to show same treatment for the Mining companies also. There is no point in notifying areas as sanctuaries and at the same time inviting devastation through clandestine tie-ups and vested interests of individual Hakim Babus and Mining Mafias.

Chandaka Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary

2011-05-21T23:17:00.011+05:30

Satellite picture below taken from Google Earth shows Chandaka Sanctuary. Growing population and city limits is inevitable. At least in the case of other smaller sanctuaries present in the state , the pressure of growing city limit is not there. But Chandaka Sanctuary is not lucky that way. Concrete jungle of Bhubaneswar on Eastern fringe, NH5 on southern side, roads along the northern edge separating the sanctuary from Mahanadi River is what is more prominent than the green Forest coverage of Chandaka Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary.

Satelite Image of Chandaka Damapara Wildlife Sanctuary ( Source: Google Earth)

There are two entry points. One at Godibari near Chandaka village and other at Kantabada. Today we have some 50 odd Elephants strangled in a patch of forests covering 193sq km. More often than not you would come across news articles of Pachyderms straying into Patia or near by places of Khandagiri. A century ago Chandaka was well connected with the Forests of Daspalla (present day Baisipalli and Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary) through corridors of fine wooded forests. These corridors have vanished over a period of time leaving wild animals stranded in these last thick cover of forests in Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary. Scientifically it has been proven that there needs to have proper gene flow between different source populations for sustainance over a longer period of time. In case of Chandaka’s elephants I am not sure how much intermingling happens between Athagarh & Dhenkanal side elephants and with those of Chandaka’s. During my first and only visit to the sanctuary in November 2010, I didn’t come across any animals except for a Cheetal . But later on I came to know from others that I should not be that much disappointed, as I was lucky enough to see a Cheetal in Chandaka. Its not that Cheetals are not present in Chandaka Sanctuary but actual sighting is difficult.

Lucky enough to see this

Quite Common in Chandaka

I am sure that number of Herbivores would increase over next decade or so. Reason being no or very few predators present on the top of Food Cycle. As far as I know there are no Leopards present in the sanctuary as per the last census. But couple of months backs a sad story of Leopard (suspected to have moved out of Chandaka) being pelted to death on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar was heart breaking. First of all we never come to know whether there are Leopards in Chandaka or not and when we get to know that there is some Leopard sighting, its when these sad news articles get printed. To add to the woo was unconfirmed reports which said some local News Channel guy actually incited the pelting so that he could get a good shot to show in the “Breaking News”. Investigations happening, arrests being made and some news clippings getting published. This is what maximum that would be done. But in what way we stop human beings from being demons and this society from becoming a group of creatures who at every point of time would see an eye for eye, get drenched in the ocean of egoism and sleep under the false assumption of being powerful & almighty. Nature has its own way of answering back and that time is not far away when all the false assumptions of human beings being ultra powerful and being intelligent would come crashing down in front of the invincible phenomenon called as “Nature”. The site where the poor leopard was killed is so near to the Capital and how come forest officials could not reach in time is just what someone can’t think off.

Chandaka Sanctuary boasts of a boundary line of approximately 170 km and is spread over districts of Cuttack and Khurda. Divided over two ranges of Chandaka and Dampara, the Sanctuary also shares a common boundary with the Nandankanan Zoo in the North Eastern part. There are 5 hamlets inside the sanctuary and almost 6000 odd tribal from Sabara community reside here. There has been some efforts going on for relocation of these settlements to outside of the sanctuary but it has not been totally successful. Some 80 odd families from Behentasahi were relocated to Krushnanagar outside the sanctuary. But the process has not been that encouraging for the other families to relocate. The old story of failed promises is to be heard from everyone who has been affected by the process. Area allocated in the new settlement is not that fertile. Water sources are scarce. News of scuffles between the relocated villagers and the people of neighboring villages was also reported over scarcity of resources. One thing is very clear that Wildlife and Human Population cannot coexist over a longer run. Resources would have to be shared between animals and human beings eg grasslands& water for Cattle stock and deers. There would be incidents of Wild Boars causing havocs in the agricultural fields which is inevitable. Elephants in search of easy food would feast on paddy fields. This cant be simply stopped. Over a longer run relocation of the villages has to be done. But not at the cost of poor tribal who have been living since ages. If they have to be relocated it has to be a voluntary process. Proper land allocation, compensation and facilities like primary Health care, schooling and more importantly alternative sources of income has to be provided. If a person has been doing honey collection in Forests and you ask him to do Cattle breeding, it may be difficult for him. Both from skill point of view and the mental attachment that he would be having with the work itself. But if you train him on scientific methods of Bee Culture it may be more or less same job that he would be doing in his new home outside the sanctuary.

Good to see the forest roads devoid of any traffic

Rampant Collection of Firewood from the Sanctuay Area

During my trip I could see local tribal ladies collecting firewood from the sanctuary area. But park being devoid of any traffic, there is no fear of deforestation activities. And the place where above picture has been taken is hardly five minutes drive from the nearest beat house. I also informed the guard at the entrance gate about the incident, but what I could make out from the conversation is that it’s a common phenomenon. Despite regular warnings and patrolling the villagers were persisting with the illegal activity. This is the reason we need to relocate the villages but as earlier said, “ We need to keep our promises and give enough on the pallet for the villagers to relocate”. Or else it would be very hard to save the last dense patches of Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary.

Not everything is grim. Some efforts have been made to promote Eco tourism. Back waters of Deras dam has always been a place of attraction for Picnic goers of Bhubaneswar. Winters would see hoards of unregulated number of tourists entering the sanctuary without having basic sense of respect for the forests and its denizens. It’s not their mistake. For that matter we have never been taught this at school. For us Picnic in any forest means “ Bana Bhoji” or simply Feast in Wild. With due respect to our Zoology Teachers who have taught us in our schools, I would say that school children are getting deprived of the basic education on nature and its resources. Study tours would largely involve taking students to places of historical importance and rarely to places like sanctuaries. At best sometimes to Zoos. Even if you get to see some one interested in Wildlife, it would be only Tiger or Elephant that they would be attracted to. This does not help the cause of forests in a longer run. For some one interested in seeing tigers or leopards, Chandaka would be a place of boredom. But if Chandaka can be propagated amongst school children as a place of seeing Birds in their natural surroundings, it may create at least some future naturalists who would fight for the cause. If one gets to see some wild animals then it’s a bonus. Some of the educated and unemployed youth from the surrounding villages can be trained to be forest guides.

Ambilo Watchtower cum Accomodation Facility

Backwaters of Deras Reservoir

A watch tower at Ambilo has been constructed where wildlife lovers can stay overnight. All basic amenities are there. Forest Guards stay near by and will help you out in your Dinner and Luch. But I hope people don’t come over here only to have a round of drink and vanish the next day and tell others “ kichi nahin dekhibaku Chandaka re”. One can get the permission from DFO’s office and make reservation in Ambilo. If you have time then I suggest you also visit Kumarkhunti where domesticated elephants Nandan and Rajkumar are undergoing Kumki training. This is basically to make them disciplined and to train them for future operations where wild herds of Elephants have to kept away from human settlements. One thing to remember is that two wheelers are not allowed inside the sanctuary and only 4 wheelers can be taken inside.

Indian Roller

Wire tailed Swifts

Trip to Chandaka Damapara wildlife sanctuary was not a disappointing affair for me and I came across birds like Indian Roller, Wire Tailed Swifts , Painted Storks and not to forget the sole Cheetal. I wish I would have spend some more time in Chandka when I was staying in Bhubaneswar during Graduation days. But never mind, there would be enough opportunities in future to visit this nestled Sanctuary reeling under human pressure. But I am closing this article with a lot of hope and optimism . Would like to see more and more people , especially kids going to Chandaka like they go to Nandankanan. Just can dream of this small but beautiful sanctuary getting devoid of any human habitation inside but Wildlife habitats.

Kotgarh(Kotagarh/Kotgad) Wildlife Sanctuary in Kandhamal,Orissa

2011-04-10T22:39:00.020+05:30

Splendid Kotgad Sanctuary

Orissa has tremendous potential in terms of providing good, sustainable habitat for wildlife. Three years back when I was falling in for this field of wildlife conservation, I got astonished when I heard about so many sanctuaries both major and minor ones present in the state. And why people have not ventured in to these sanctuaries when times were good and conducive is hard to figure out. When I say time being good , I am talking about pre 2000 era when Naxalism had not peaked in the state. Today most of the sanctuaries present in Western Orissa and Southern Orissa are inaccessible. Be it Sunabeda, Usakothi, Lakhari valley sanctuary or for that matter Kotagarh( Kotgarh/Kotgad) , the place about which this write up is based on. Kotagarh spreads over a area of 400 sq kms and falls under the jurisdiction of Baliguda Forest Division. Kotgarh and Tumudibandha are the two Range offices under it.
Along with Dasa, I went to DFO , Baliguda’s office to collect permits for entering into the sanctuary’s core area. After waiting for two agonizing long hours, we got an opportunity to meet him. Fortunately all the rangers of Baliguda division had come down for meeting and I had an opportunity of meeting most of them. Every one had a view that I should consult Ranger of Kotagarh before venturing into the core area as it might not be a safe proposition because of presence of Naxals in the area. Also road conditions in some area is bad because of torrential rains that the area had received. Infact according to them, in some places jungle nullahs have been flowing over the road making it impossible to cross even with four wheel drives. After a lot of persuasion , I was given permit to visit the sanctuary the next day. Feeling happy after having received the permission , we returned to our Lodge in Baliguda.
Next day early morning our driver Pankaj was there along with Bolero which had been arranged by a local restaurant owner. Driving through NH 217, we reached Tumudibandha. There I came across the exact facts about the Sanctuary. Kotgarh Sanctuary doesnot have any concrete boundary in terms of Core area and buffer area .There are various entry points to the sanctuary . Tumudibandha from north, Belghar from west, Subarnapur from East and Kotagarh from south. At Tumudibandha, we stopped at a small roadside eatery for our breakfast. There we met some local tribes who had come from a nearby hamlet situated inside the sanctuary. Sipping a cup of tea and sitting on a roadside bench with our Tribal friends on a November morning was an absolute bliss. They were on the way to Medical College hospital at Berhampur. That is the nearest big hospital situated at a distance of 250 kms from the place. That itself talks a lot about the poor state of Health Infrastructure in the state. I remember when interviews of “ Best Tenth” students would come up in news channels and on being asked about their future aspirations, every body would come up with answers like “ I want to become a good Doctor and serve the poor or I want to become a Scientist and do some things people of my state”. Medicine students rarely come to serve in the remote hospitals after finishing their studies. Posts would be lying vacant for ages. That’s a sin and may be I am also a part of this sin where I can only write but do nothing concrete.

Entry point of Kotgarh Sanctuary

We took the turn towards Bhawanipatna and drove for 7-8 kms. From their another left turn and you hit the road to Belghar situated at twenty odd kilometers from the main road, one of the splendid places of the state amidst woods. What a superb drive it was !! The road to Belghar forms the western border of the Kotgarh sanctuary. On either side of the road one comes across beds of yellow flowers of Mustard. Kutia and Desia Kondhs , the inhabitants of this place have been used to shifting cultivation and terrace farming since ages. These are some of the most remote places in Orissa cutoff from outer world. There would be hardly 2-3 passenger vehicles that would ply on these roads in a day. Thick forests of Sal and Mahogany were visible on hill tops and then occasional patch of cleared forests used for farming. There is a catch 22 situation here. Wildlife activist would boast off that being a sanctuary , local denizens have to move out of the forest land and Forest Rights Act have to implemented with strict rigor whereas Social Activists would be of the view that relocating them from the land where they have been living since ages would be cruel and leaves a Psychological as well Economical impact that is hard to overcome. We need to take a middle path between Forest Protection and social well being of the tribal population. But there is absolute no doubt that animals and people cannot co exist. Animals have to be left on their own in protected habitats and they would multiply. Forest patches that have been cleared would get regenerated if they are left as it is. But we need to be very careful when it comes to relocation and rehabilitation of tribes. Proper care in terms of allocating agricultural land, training them in other means of livelihood like animal husbandry or poultry, providing school and hospitals and disbursements of compensation packages has to be done. But at the end of the day it has to be a voluntary activity or else the whole activity is going to be a failure. Driving on the road, we reached a small village inside the sanctuary. Kutia Kondhs have been known for hospitality and inviting guests with open arms. We were no exceptions. Village headman offered us a cot to sit. Freshly fermented Mohua was offered which brewed our friendship with the Tribes of the village. As per them very few animals are now left in the forest and they themselves are no more involved in hunting activities. Earlier in his childhood he had seen Tigers but they are not to be seen any more except for occasional sightings of Leopards in the region. Once the region was also famous for Four horned antelopes ( Chourasinghas) but now there population was limited to some odd pockets of the sanctuary area. Other fauna include Sambar, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Civets, Jackal & Sloth Bears. After spending some more time in the village, we left for Belghar.

A typical Kondh Village

There is a Forest Rest House at Belghar and is situated amidst dense canopy of shady trees. No more reservations are being given for the rest house due to threat of Maoists in the region. I am not sure why this place has not been promoted earlier the way it should have been. Belghar has so many things to offer for the nature lovers starting from wonderful drive to the thick dense forests to seeing tribal population, so on an so forth. I wish normalcy prevails in this area soon and people can go and roam about freely without any fear in Belghar region.

Cut off from Civilisation

Colourful Kotia Kondh Tribal Lady

Common Sight in this part of Orissa

By afternoon we were back in Tumudibandha and had lunch. It was simple lunch and not that exotic but got to eat nai chingudi ( river prawns). We left for the Kotgarh range soon after that. From Tumudibandha you need to take State Highway that connects to Muniguda. Munigurha is also well connected with Sambalpur, Rourkela and Vishakapatnam. Its some what 90 kms from Kotagarh. Driving down the road, we crossed the Tumudibandha Police station which had turned into a fortress of Security Forces, courtesy the vast numbers of Naxals present in the area. Actually one does not need to have any permit for entering Kotgarh, but it’s always a safe option to inform the local Forest Office or Police Station. We reached Kotagarh and took a left turn towards Subarnapur. Our driver had planned to show us Ludu Waterfall situated inside the deep forests of Kotgad Sanctuary. I was feeling little bit skeptical as the road was absolutely devoid of any traffic. We were confirming the road to Ludu Waterfall by asking about its whereabouts to every person whom we came across and answer was same “ you have to go straight to Subarnapur and from there you have to take the kuttcha road to Ludu Waterfall”. The forests in this part of Kotagarh Sanctuary are different to those present in Belghar area. Forests are more thick and you would see very less terrace farming on either side of the road. Driving over a small ghat section , I could see the thickly wooded valley of Kotagarh. Absolutely wonderful patch of forests which can be developed further if we are looking at wildlife conservation point of view. Kotagarh is in fact the core area of the proposed South Orissa Elephant Reserve. It acts as a corridor for Elephant movement from Nayagarh side to the forests of South Orissa.

Thick forests of Kotgarh Sanctuary

A Jungle Myna

We reached Subarnapur and I had some positives to see over there. There is a dispensary over there and we could see “Pulse Polio” & “AIDS Awareness” posters all over. Pretty heartening to see some developmental work being done in these remote areas. Perhaps this is the only way of fighting out Naxals. Eyebrows were being raised as we passed through the streets of Subarnapur lined up with huts on either sides. A Vehicle can’t come to these parts without any purpose. And if someone says that people have come to photograph Ludu Waterfall, that would be really hard to believe. From Subarnapur one needs to take the left turn on the forest road which leads to Ludu Waterfall. Straight road would connect to the Simanbadi and Daringbadi. Ludu is a wonderful waterfall situated amidst thick woods of the Kotagarh Valley surrounded by hills from all sides. The drive to the place was fruitful after seeing the beauty of the falls.

Magnificent Ludu Waterfalls inside the Kotgad Sanctuary

Valley near the Ludu Waterfalls

As sun was setting in, I sat on one of the rocks admiring the beauty of Kotagarh. Vast patch of undulated Sal forests ahead devoid of any civilization. Why I didnt get an opportunity to be educated on sanctuaries like Kotgarh or Karlapat when I was growing up in Rourkela ? Why none of the Orissa Tourism promotional advertisements carry any pics of waterfalls like Ludu? Why people of my state have not been into these places? Very hard to find any answer to these questions. There are so many other shades of Kotagarh that remains unexplored which I am sure somebody else would cover in coming days. Hopefully next time I move around Kotgad Sanctuary, it would have been notified as part of South Orissa Elephant Reserve.

Fresh Flavour of Wilderness in Boudh District: Mahanadi Wildlife Division

2011-03-28T22:51:00.014+05:30

Mahanadi Wildlife Division spreads over an area of 440 sq kms and comprises of Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary & Baisipalli Sanctuary. While Kusanga and Chamundia ranges are part of Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, Banigocha (East) and Banigochha (West) are part of Baisipalli Sanctuary. Spread over two Districts of Nayagarh and Boudh, Mahanadi Wildlife Division is headquartered at Nayagarh. Kusanga is one of the entry points from the North Side of the Sanctuary and is barely 10kms from the starting point of great gorge of Satkosia. Binikia (in name of the deity “Maa Binikei”) is situated right opposite on the other side of the river in Angul District.

Having spend 2 days at Kuanria in Nayagarh, it was time for us to move to Kusanga Forest Range office in Boudh District. Previous evening already Trinatha Bhaina (caretaker of Kuanria FRH) had informed Panda Babu, the Forester at Kusanga about our visit to Kusanga. Panda babu was generous enough and had assured us that he will be there when we arrive at Kusanga. Behera babu , the Forester from Kuanria range was to accompany us for the trip. At 4 in the morning, someone knocked the Doors. Half asleep, I opened the door to find Behera Babu covered in shawl and a fluorescent Orange monkey cap adorning his bald head. Had that big trademark forester torch and stick not been in his hand, I would have fainted in doubt of seeing a ghost. It was freezing outside and I was amazed by his commitment of awaking us early in the December morning. Trinath Bhaina was ready with hot piping black tea. By 5 we were out in our Jeep for Kusanga. It is around two and half hours from Kuanria. Early breeze and haze had reduced the visibility to almost 10 meters. This road actually connects Nayagarh with Boudh and Northern Orissa and travels through the Baisipalli Forests. Behera babu had a great demand for another cup of warm tea. We stopped at Madhapura Chaka where few roadside tea stalls were already doing brisk business because of busses coming from Phulbani which is situated hardly 30kms away. Left diversion takes you to Phulbani and if you drive straight, you can reach Boudh. We were joined by two persons at the stall who humbly asked us if they can take a lift till Charichak ( Charichhaka) about half an hour drive from the place. This was another opportunity provided on our pallet for knowing the local issues and ask if they have ever seen Tiger in the region. Both of them were Carpenters by profession and they travel daily from Khajuripada , a small hamlet in Phulbani to Charichaka in Boudh. Life is hard. Every day in the morning around 4 o clock they would leave their homes in Khajuripada, get down at Madhapura Chaka, take another bus to Charichak .Day would end when they reach back home for the supper. By that time everybody else in family would be dozing off. When asked if they have ever seen Tigers in the region, they frankly admitted that Tigers were only to be heard in stories. They have never seen one but also were very firm that its not because of poaching that Tiger have been wiped out of Phulbani and surrounding areas. It is because of reduction in Forest area that has brought in this fate for Tigers. Tree felling still goes on illegally though not rampant. Poachers are active in some areas but it is more towards killing of Wild Boars and Cheetals. Agriculture has been the other reason for the reduction in the forest area.
Sun rays striking their way through the engulfed mist was creating a superb sight on the road and the drive had become pleasant. Road was devoid of any traffic. Warm cup of tea in the morning had made its mark and effects were already showing after barely 15 minutes of drive. Behera babu smilingly ordered driver Jagu to look out for a roadside ravine. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, Behera Babu vanished from the spot with an empty can. Idea of this short irresistible trip to heaven motivated Jagu to join Behera Babu behind the bushes. A tree nearby was sounding a busy place and was bustling with the sound of chirping birds. Starting from Small Minivet, Scarlet Minivet, Rose Ringed Parakeets we could spot various flycatchers. What a great way Boudh (Boudh) had welcomed us. After the ride to heaven both our fellow companions came out of the bush with big smiles on their face.

On a Cool Winter Morning of November....Blissful

We reached Charichak around 7:30 and stopped for our breakfast. Our carpenter friends from Khajuripada bid us good bye and left for their workplace. After getting wonderful snaps of birds, I was least interested in the breakfast out of excitement. But this small one room thatched eatery had other things in store that was going to add to the excitement. Sight of hot pooris being lifted from the hot oil pan with dripping drips of hot oil from the edges and being thrown on the big aluminum plate by the cook with lot of pride of having made crispy, brownie pooris is a sight that can evoke hunger in a dead man.The colour of the pallet would be made more vibrant with stewed potato curry ( aloo dum) served alongside the brown pooris. That’s the way breakfast has always been served in traditional Indian homes, hot and fresh. I wonder our next generation is missing so much by living in cities with parents who are busy in making their respective careers in corporate world. Those few minutes that I did spend in that small eatery brought back memories of the days when I would accompany my grandfather to the nearest sweet stall beside the railway station in the winter mornings to grab a bite of Singhara (Samosa) and Chenapoda (steamed, sweetened cottage cheese). Standing under the tree with the group of adults and sipping tea from Grandpa’s cup, I would behave like a grown up one. Topics ranging from politics to local crime to illegal mining would be discussed and debated. More reinforcements of Samosa, Wada and Aloo Chops would come in frequently benefiting Sahoo Mausa , the hotel owner. Those winter mornings are to be missed these days. But I was happy that Charichak had made me feel nostalgic. After relishing the food and eating till brim, we left for Kusanga about half an hour’s drive from Charichaka.
The day being chada khai, an Oriya festival on which Kartika month’s fasting of non vegetarian food is broken with grand feast of mutton, chicken and fish dishes; small market of Kusanga was buzzing with people. At Kusanga Range Office, Laksmi Narayan Panda, the Forest official was waiting for us. Panda babu and Sethi babu ( another forest official) had planned our visit to the sanctuary. Being chada khai, our courteous friends arranged for Mutton to be prepared and ready for us by the time we return in the afternoon from the sanctuary. While passing through the Kusanga market, Panda babu pointed out that situation was tense some days back after a fight broke out between the forest officials and the locals over a petty issue. But reason was something else. Poaching and tree felling has reduced after forest officials have tightened the screw on the activity. Some people with proven track record of being poachers are being closely watched. Satkosia has been declared a Tiger Sanctuary under Project Tiger. Already relocation work has started though not in full throttle but at least some initial ground work is being done. It has not been digested easily by some people who are mostly dependent on Forest, both legally and illegally. There are many revenue villages inside the sanctuary and relocating them is going to create more tension in the area. Situation is even worse in the other part of the sanctuary in Angul. There are more number of revenue villages and also quite sizeable. But it is not all gloomy. Just the day before a Sambar deer had died under suspicious circumstances. There was no exact reason that was getting apparent. Hence a forensic expert had also come to collect sample blood and do the post mortem. This sort of news gives hope and reinforces our belief in the department. They are doing there best in protecting our animals. People like Panda Babu and Sethi Babu have left their family in towns like Daspalla ( Dasapala) and Nayagarh and are doing their duty in these remote forests. On weekends they would go back for a day or two and see their kids play football or help them solve trigonometry. But the enthusiasm with which each of them told about the various conservation efforts being rendered was so delighting to hear. When asked about presence of tigers in the combined area of Baisipalli and Satkosia (Nayagarh Side), they had very clear number in mind, which was around 7-8 and not more than that. I mean their logic was also simple. Area itself cannot support more than that as prey base is limited and also there are no grasslands and meadows present as in Kanha or Bandhavgarh.Same logic I had heard earlier also from one of the forest guards of Banigocha. But these numbers have not reduced over the years. He promised us to show the plaster of paris imprints of Tiger Pugmarks on our return to the range office in the afternoon. We reached the Kusanga Check gate where I could recognize a familiar looking face. Mallick, the forest guard whom I had met last year at Chamundia range office came out with a register for taking our signatures. When I reminded him about our meeting last year, he could immediately recall that. He has been transferred to Kusanga range from Chamundia Range.
In few minutes of drive, great gorge became visible. We stopped at a point to look at the Binikei Temple on the other side of the gorge. On the western flanks of Binikei Temple lies the Athamallick ( Athamalik) Subdivision. There were a couple of Brahminy Shellducks also on the banks. Moving ahead along the gorge on the forest road, we crossed the anti poaching camp at Sitalapani where an Inspection Bunglow of Irrigation department is also there. No one stays in it after people complained that it had turned into a haunted house. People say that years back Chowkidar of the bunglow had died because of suffocation and his spirit still moves inside the Bunglow. I just pitied our friendly forest guard who came to open the check gate. We were inside the core part of Satkosia gorge Sanctuary. Plan was to move inside the sanctuary, take snaps of Indian Grey Hornbills( which we were told by Sethi babu are in abundance in Satkosia) and cross the gorge at Tikarpada, meet the forest officials of Tikarpada Range office and if possible get a Launch from them for the boat ride in the gorge.

Binikei Temple on Athmallik Side

Crossing the great Mahanadi at Tikarpada on small rickety boat was an experience. Boatman Naria was in his late 50s. Looking at our frightened eyes, he assured us of a safe journey after all he has been ferrying people since ages.

Great Gorge of Satkosia at Tikarpada

Defying the strong currents of Mahanadi

After reaching Tikarpada we went to the Range office and had a chat with the officials over there. Seeing one of the dead leopard skin, I asked one of the officials about the incident. We were told that a poacher had been caught with the skin some months back. But all the efforts of department went in vain as the poacher got the bail the subsequent day. Laws of the land are not strict enough to put the poachers behind bars. In 2009 I had been in Satkosia and had stayed at Tikarpada. But there has been many changes in between. Fear of Naxals has increased , population and number of Houses inside the sanctuary has gone up, tourist Inflow has shooted up but not a single news of Tiger Numbers inflating in the region is to be heard off. Eco Tourism Camp at Tikarpada might be doing well but not necessarily the Project Tiger efforts in the region. Forests have been shrinking rapidly so are the tiger habitats. More than that prey base had reduced drastically. To make the things worse , we heard from the localities that a local brewery has started inside the sanctuary area at Purunakot. I mean how can that sort of permit be given inside a sanctuary area? Last year I had an opportunity to visit Kandhaida. This year same may not be possible because of presence of Naxals in the area. We cannot have a Tiger Conservation project being tagged as successful until and unless relocation of these villages takes place quickly. But at the same time utmost care should be taken for providing proper compensation packages combined with other social support for the villagers who had been staying in this place since ages. We could sense that moral of the forest guards and officials is not that high and encouraging. A lot of bureaucracy in the hierarchy itself is killing the system slowly. There are so many associations in the department and for every small issue there is always ego clash between the associations. Being understaffed its always not possible to control poaching or any untoward incident regarding man animal conflict. But its always the people in lower rungs that suffer the wrath of politicians or IFS officers. They were unhappy with one of their colleagues being suspended over an issue of Elephant being electrocuted in Kendujhar division. It was just to satisfy the ministers and to show off to protesting people that the forest guards were suspended. “Being so much understaffed how can the department look into each and every issue involving the protection of wild animals?, said one of the staffs”. On an urgent basis these posts need to be filled in if at all state government is serious about the wildlife protection. It may go on denying that tiger numbers are reducing in the state, but matter of fact is that the big cat’s number are very few and unsustainable on a longer run. If special Tiger Protection forces are not created for Similipal, Satkosia and Sunabeda then the game would get over very soon. Launch could not be arranged as driver was not there and had gone on a duty inside the core area of Kandhaida .

Malabar Giant Squirrel in these forests are more in number compared to Malabar Coast

Feeling quite hungry we decided to return to Kusanga. Again our good friend Naria ferried us back to the Nayagarh side. Sethi Babu on the way back told us to stop at a particular place. Getting down there proved lucky for us as I clicked some wonderful picks of Grey Hornbills that we present in quite a number. We reached back Kusanga by 3 in the afternoon where our friends at the Range office were waiting for us with the awesome Mutton curry. What a way to celebrate Chadakhai !! The lunch was so filling.

Grey Hornbills on the banks of Mahanadi in Satkosia

Hopeful of seeing them in Camera Traps one day

Around six o clock in the evening we decided to leave Kusanga. Sethi babu was to accompany us till DFOs office in Nayagarh where he was supposed to submit some data and reports regarding the construction work going on inside the sanctuary. It was good to see the forest department people have been now trained on GPS tools. Modern technology is being used to track down exactly the position of Forest properties and the topography. We reached back Kusanga around 7 in the evening where Behera Babu got down and bid us good bye. Then it was turn of Sethi Babu to leave us at Nayagarh. With a warm hug we parted our ways and assuring that we would be back again in Baisipalli. I could not go to my ancestral house in Lenkudipada this time. On the way back to Bhubaneswar, tired Siddhu was dozing off and there was complete silence except for occasional honking sound by the passing by trucks. Was some what sad and at the same time hopeful about these forests that I have been wandering around to get a glimpse of the Big Cat. Baisipalli and Satkosia had left a tremendous impression on me. These are wonderful patch of forests where very less focus has been given. It can work wonders for Tiger population if proper care is taken in terms of rehabilitation, optimum staffing of forest department, conducting scientific study of the flora and fauna in the area, creating anti poaching task forces and last but not the least an overall congruent and synchronized efforts of NGOs, Local Villagers & Forest Department. Tiger conservation efforts are doing well in most of the states but Orissa. In fact latest census of 2011 that has come shows tiger number at 33, down from 45. Sunabeda is gone. Similpal is on the way and fate of Baisipalli-Satkosia is unknown. On an urgent basis if people don’t accept that Tigers are on their way of getting vanished, they will really vanish. I wish that I never get a chance to utter “Once upon a time in the state of Odisha (Orissa ) there used to be tigers......”.

In Search of Last Tigers of Baisipalli Sanctuary

2011-03-28T22:46:00.014+05:30

Thick Forests in the Core Area of Baisipalli

Very few Sanctuaries in Orissa are as complete from every aspect as Baisipalli. I had travelled to Chamundia last year along with Bubun thinking that Chamundia is present in Baisipalli. But actually Chamundia is in Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary but part of Mahanadi Wildlife Division. There I had come to know that Baisipalli is different from Satkosia gorge Sanctuary. Forest officials of Mahanadi Wildlife Division have been always kind with me in granting permissions in visiting their Sanctuary and arranging for accommodation in the Guest Houses. This time we planned to stay at Kuanria FRH. But companion has changed this time. My good friend Siddhu as always instantly agreed to come on this trip to Orissa. We planned for 2 days at Baisipalli ,2 days at Kuldiha and final day was for Mangaljodi, a birding Pardise. Till this trip I didn’t have much idea on birds and had studied a lot on Tigers. At the end of this trip, when I am travelling back to Pune, The Book of Indian Birds by Dr Salim Ali is lying beside me. In search of Tigers we have found a wide variety of innocent and colourful birds. For Siddhu it was a surprise as he never expected to see so many variety of birds within just 5 days in Orissa. For me this new developed passion is keeping me busy. I had booked the Kuanria Guest House by sending a letter to the DFO, Mahanadi Wildlife Division. They were gracious enough to allot us a room.
Siddhu joined me at the Pune Station and we left for exploring the wilder shade of Orissa. On the winter mornings of November, we landed at Bhubaneswar. A Bolero was ready at the station courtesy Dasa. Kuanria is about 140 kms from Bhubaneswar and one has to take take the road to Phulbani passing through Nayagarh and Daspalla. Just after crossing Daspalla for about 10 minutes, one reaches Kuanria. It was again happy moment for me to see the FRH in a secluded place amidst the shady canopy of Sal and Tamarind Trees. For Siddhu it was first time experience in a Govt run Forest Guest house and I already had build up a lot of expectation regarding the aura and hospitality of these Guest Houses, some of which are almost century old and have been existing since British rule in India. Was little anxious to see the locked Guest House. But soon saw Trinatha, the 50 year old care taker coming in a cycle. Some one had informed him that Sahebs are waiting at the Gate. He was feeling extremely sorry for being late. Trinatha, a pot bellied man with a round face and big bulging eyes would have been a hit character amongst his grandchildren I am sure.We calmed him down and told that we are no Sahebs and also not from any NGO. For these poor care takers people from Forest Dept and NGOs are Sahebs. There is no one except these Sahebs who visit these remote and unheard places. Trinath was more than humble to bring in Vegetables and Rice for afternoon lunch. We in the mean time took a walk around the Kuanria FRH and clicked some amazing pics of birds, some being very rare like Chloropsis. There is also a deer park near the Guest House. More than these things I was engrossed in the setting of the Guest House. This is not Ranthambore or Bandhavgarh where hoards of Tourists come in. You get the loneliness of the Forests, the chirping of birds which create sweet vibrations in your ear drums like a strings of Sitar, the fresh air filled with scent of Mahua flowers, the silence in which one can even hear the sound of Sal leaves falling from trees and hitting the ground, the desi chicken curries and fresh catch from rivers and of course the tiger stories of forest guards like Trinatha mausa who have spent their whole life guarding the forests and taking care of these guest houses.

A Sambar Deer -Near Kuanria Forest Rest House

As Dalma was getting prepared, we went to the nearby Kuanria Dam for doing some more photography and try to find out some more birds. In the evening it was planned that we would go to Buguda and enter the Baisipalli Sanctuary from that entry point. Ranger Patnaik Sir was kind enough to ask Behera Babu , one of the forest guards to accompany us to Buguda. Kuanria Dam is just 2 kms from the Kuanria FRH and is funded by World Bank. We didn’t find much birds as it was afternoon and the sweeties were taking a nap. A cowherd, Madha who was busy taking the goats for grazing told that there are huge pythons that roam about in the area and often prey on the small goats. Apart from this little excitement on hearing about the presence of Pythons in the area, we didn’t do much and came back to the Bunglow where Trinatha mausa was waiting for us with Dalma and some boiled rice.

Holding on to the Ground

Backwaters of Kuanria Dam- Can be developed for Angling Purpose

Meanwhile Behera babu, the forest guard had arrived and advised us that we leave early for Buguda as being winters sun sets in quickly. Buguda is around 10kms from Kuanria on the SH 1. After reaching the Buguda forest Beat house, we were joined by Laxmidhar a forest watcher. Time for us to venture in to the core area of Baisipalli Sanctuary. Laxmidhar sounded quite interesting and looking at our excitement played a well judged plot ( which infact is a fact about Baiaipalli Sanctuary). “ This summer , I saw a couple of RBTs moving and roaring with pride near a waterhole. The roar was so furious that we ran towards the nearest watch tower and remained hidden for almost an hour”. Signs that Baisipalli can truly become a heaven for conservation programme if properly funded and managed under Project Tiger. It is also geographically located in such a way that managing it from Anti Poaching point of view is little bit easier. Satkosia Gorge spanning almost 25 kms lies on the northern part of the Sanctuary and down below the road to Phulbani and Boudh acts as a boundary clearly demarcating the core area from buffer area. Why we are crying so much regarding the dwindling numbers of the Royal animal is just because we are focussing so much on few number of Sanctuaries which anyways are drawing in so much fund out of Tourism and other agencies. Sanctuaries like Baisipalli and Sunabeda is what one needs to focus on if our coming generations want to see the Big Cats roaring in forests. Both these sanctuaries face different kind of challenges. While Baisipalli is lagging behind because of lack of focus and funding, situation in Sunabeda is already bleak and saddening because of presence of red brigade. A lot has already been written so many times about the fate of Similipal. Unheard sanctuaries like Baisipalli still survive and will remain to do so because of the will power of people like Laxmidhara, Behera Babu and Trinath Mausa who honestly love the animals and forests as such. Walking for miles in the forest canopies with a stick in hand , highly underpaid and unrecognised , these is sheer will power that motivates those mentioned in the article to keep our forest conserved for our future generations. None of the NGO Sahebs ( barring very few whom I have come across) or Travellers like me will march ahead without any penny in pocket to the remotest of the places, highly infested with Malaria and more importantly with ever growing threat of the Naxals. Laxmidhar may be illiterate and might not have read research articles on Tigers , but has some logics to tell why Tiger numbers are not increasing in Baisipalli and have hovered over 4-5 over last 10 years. According to him Tigers have a tremendous power to regulate and control their numbers based on the population of prey and area over which they can move in freely. Since Baisipallis area is somewhat around 166 sq kms, Tiger numbers are getting confined to very less number.

Make your Own Way-- Inside the Sanctuary

One of the Major Forest Product- Sal Resin (Jhuna)

While Tiger stories were being discussed we reached a place that was basically a huge surface of rock. The place is called Bichar Pathar or the “Judgement Rock”. There is a particular anecdote that is attached to the naming of this rock. During the mid 19th Century, local tribes of Daspalla region gathered at this rock and decided to revolt against the then king of Dashpalla after his atrocities against the poor increased day by day. We moved ahead and reached the end of the forest Trail at Sapapathar, a small waterfall. Again a story is behind the naming of this place. Its amazing how illiterates who have never read Panchatantra or never seen Television in their lifetime have been good story tellers over the years. Today we find it hard to tell a story to our kids which actually should be the base for building moral values and culture, or else our kids would end up Twitting the same language in social networking sites. Sapapathar gets its name from Sapa or Snake. The rock over which the small stream flows is just like the Body and Tail of a Snake. Long time back a local Kondh was grazing his cattle inside the forest. His wife was preparing food over chullah and small kid of theirs was sleeping nearby under the shed of the Tamarind tree. Suddenly the Kondh heard his wife shouting. When he ran to the place where his son was sleeping, he saw a Huge King Cobra with fully expanded Hood spreading the shadow of death over the sleeping kid. With one wave of his axe, Kondh separated the Hood of the Snake from the tail. Tail remained over there in the form of Sapapathar where as Head moved downstream along with the flowing stream. The tail infact leads to a place over the top of hill where a local deity, Mani Naga gets worshipped. Before going on any anti poaching round or census project the watchers and forest guards worship Mani Naga and then move ahead. We also did the same.

Near Sapapathar

The forests in Baiaipalli are full of various species of Birds like Coppersmith Barbets, Golden fronted Leaf birds, Nuthatchs etc. Parakettes kept on moving around us and never left the forest silent. We took a stroll towards the salt lick present near the Bicharpathar. Some one had once said to me that never completely trust a forest and always expect some unexpected. I recalled the sentence when a fully grown adult Bison at its prime jumped in front of us from nowhere and vanished in a fraction of second. The whole gang remained stand still and could not believe that Bison was sleeping just some meters away from us. Siddhu and me kept pondering that we could not take the snap. But as its said that always thank the forest for whatever they provide. At least we didn’t come back to Kuanria without sighting any wild animal.

Chestnut Headed Bee Eaters near Bicharpathar

Golden Fronted Leaf Bird- Chloropsis

An Infant Golden Oriole

That night we were told by Laxmidhar that a night patrolling would take place from Buguda till Banigochha about 20 kms away from Buguda. This was planned keeping in view the Chadakhai festival that was coming up next day. Chadakhai is celebrated to mark the ending of Kartika month where in Meat Dishes are simply “No No” in the pallet. There are some Oriyas like me who don’t follow Chadakhai when Desi Chicken is part of your dinner. We returned to Kuanria Guest house and picked up some dinner stuff including a desi chicken. As usual amazing preparation of Chicken was done by Trinatha mausa and non stop gulping of the curry and rice made us feel tired.
Night in forests is the most beautiful thing that one comes across. Sitting down on the perch of the Guest House we looked at the hundreds of fireflies that had lit the garden. Behera Babu, Siddhu and me had surrounded the story teller of the night, Trinatha Mausa. Trinatha still remembers those days when people would confide to their huts by evening in fear of the Tigers. He remembers how a huge RBT was shot by a local gunman and how the animal was carried on a bullock cart to the panchayat house. Trinath had run as kid that time behind the Bullock cart , smiling and grinning at the sight of the dead animal. Today he runs in the forest to protect the animal upon which he had laughed once. His legs might have become weak, his energy level might have come low but spirits are more stronger. This is the reason I always keep on telling to others that for people like Trinatha, forests of Orissa are safe.

Sharing some lighter moments with Trinatha

By the time his stories came to an end it was almost 11 in the night. There was crackling sound of the night insects. How different is night when there is no honking by vehicles, when there is no ringing of mobiles, when there is no excel sheet to be prepared for calculation of never ending EMIs. I just love this and afraid that all these soon may vanish with growing city limits and population and pollution. One day who knows that we all may be there back at Baisipalli, sitting at Bicharpathar , plotting the revolt to pull down the kingdom of poachers and timber mafias and bring back the lost pride of the real king, the Tiger.

Go Wild at Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Balasore

2011-03-27T17:17:00.013+05:30

This write up is dedicated to my friend Prabal who keeps pushing me to update the blog and for all the encouragements.

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There was a special reason for being in Kuldiha and I had waited for the day when I would write on it. Nilagiri Range is where my Grandpa had been posted as Asst Conservator of Forests during late 60s. My dad had studied here for couple of years and still has some good old friends. Sitting in has lap as a kid and listening to the stories of Nilagiri was one of my favourite pastimes and after 25 odd years , here I was standing in front of the office of Nilagiri Range office collecting the entry permit for Kuldiha.
After taking a 4 hour train journey on Howrah bound Jan Shatabdi from Bhubaneswar, me and Siddhu reached Balasore. I had arranged a Tavera over in Balasore. We quickly made a move towards Kuldiha present near Nilagiri and Sajanagarh. But Driver Tuna was looking little bit tense. When asked about exact reason for his look, he answered “ we may not get a permit to get in Kuldiha. Because of 90 odd elephants creating menace in the region, Sujanpur villagers had stopped some vehicles from going to Kuldiha as a mark of protest.”.Soon we reached Nilagiri. The scene was actually looking tense with police platoons present everywhere. I became sceptical about getting our permission for entering Kuldiha, though our bookings in the Guest House of Kuldiha had already been done. Kuldiha because of its closeness to Kolkata draws a huge chunk of Bengali tourists and one needs to book the Guest House well in advance to get confirmed accommodation in the sanctuary. Luckily I had done that. There are infact 2 guest houses inside the Sanctuary, Kuldiha and Jodachua. Kuldiha FRH is better of Jodachua because of its location. There is an artificial salt lick near the Kuldiha FRH and also facilities are better in Kuldiha. But if you are in need of some solitude and really want to enjoy the silence of nature, go for Jodachua FRH. At Kuldiha you will find so many tourists who only come for making noise and have fun. We had bad luck in having such a kind of group as our companion for the day. Coming back to Nilagiri, we reached the office and same story of elephant menace and people protesting against it was the buzz. This man animal conflict really is a sad story. In the first place we have spreaded tentacles into their homes and now when they get into our fields we complain. But yes some of the policies regarding the compensation packages of the Govt and Dept of Forests is dubious and sometimes laughable. Per acre of crop damage, Government pays a paltry sum to the farmers and that too after a lot of investigation, report filings , persuasion by the local politicians and running from pillar to post by the poor farmers. More importantly these particular herd of Elephants had actually wandered across from neighbouring Jharkhand. Until and unless huge Elephant Reserves are not notified by State Governments , this sort of man animal conflict is going to persist. Poor Elephants have been moving across these specified forest corridors over the years and suddenly these have been broken because of agriculture and of course timber mafia. The continuous forest patch starting from Palamu , passing through Saranda patch( once famed as Largest Sal Forest patch in Asia) , Similpal, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Central Orissa Districts of Nayagarh,Kandhamal,Kalahandi, Southern Orissa District of Undivided Koraput and ending at Southern part of Chattisgarh is now present in patches and is discontinuos. Dams, Canals, Highways, Mines and Agriculture is to be blamed.One cannot stop civilisation from shaping up but what can be done is saving those few patches of good forests that is already present. Of 32 Elephant Reserves in India, only five await notification. All five lie in mining areas: two (Mahanadi ER and South Orissa ER) reserves in Orissa , Two in Chattisgarh and one in Meghalaya. While Central govt has already declared and approved these Five undeclared Elephant reserves, state govt are reluctant because of strong Mining Lobby prevalent in these states (barring Meghalaya). Now who is to be blamed for Pachyderms spreading havoc in these areas, Human Beings with higher ratio of Grey Matter or Elephants?
At Kuldiha Range Office in Nilagiri while we waited to collect the necessary papers, I looked at the bunch of old files and dust laden leaflets. May be these have been lying over in those rickety shelves since ages. May be there would be some files and papers where signature of my grandfather would be there. Soon we bid bye to the lady officer and landed in the Nilagiri Haat to collect basic grocery, some eggs and spices for our two day stay at Kuldiha. Passing through Sajnapur we soon entered Kuldiha through the main gate. Soon the vegetation became denser and green canopy welcomed us with open arms. Serpentine road made twists and turns through the forest. Kuldiha is famous for its good density of Bisons and Elephants and at times RBTs have been sighted. Similipal is connected by a very thin green corridor with Kuldiha. Hadagarh (Hadgarh / Hadagad)Sanctuary in Kendujhar District serves as this corridor. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Tigers may be using this strip as their path to move into Kuldiha from Southern range of Similipal. If proper conservation plans are drawn for Hadagarh Sanctuary , this can work wonders for Kuldiha. Already Hadagarh is shrinking because of rampant mining going around the limits of the sanctuary and if necessary actions are not taken the whole sanctuary would become a barren patch of deforested land. Hadagarh offers a complete Biosphora from Elephant and Big Cat Conservation point of view. You have Hadagarh Dam on Salandi which can serve as major source of water for pachyderms and other animals during the peak summers. It’s very difficult to relocate villages from the vicinity, but if tried and if the plan succeeds then Hadagarh Sanctuary along with Sukhuapada and Nato Hills can act as that missing link between Similipal National Park and Kuldiha Sanctuary.

Kuldiha Forest Rest House

After driving through a small ghat road for 20 minutes we sighted Kuldiha FRH from a distance. Smiling Manoranjan, strong broad chested Forest Guard in his late twenties greeted us along with the cook and a Forest watcher. As I went in to take a quick shower, Siddhu the shutterbug was infectiously impatient to get in to groove and take snaps of birds. By the time I was back, Siddhu had already struck a chord with Manoranjan and I could see Manoranjan learning tricks of bird watching from the veteran Siddhu. Big green on Siddhu’s face was reminiscent of the fact that some birds have been found in the radar and Kuldiha has already shown trailer of what was lying ahead. As hot steaming egg curry was getting prepared in kitchen, I and my good companions went in for a walk enjoying the mysterious silence of Kuldiha. Suddenly the silence was broken by a feeble sound of moving vehicle. In few minutes, the feeble sound turned into a sound enough to disturb the serenity of the place. A group of tourists from Kolkata in a Jeep had arrived and their presence was reinforced by the rise in the decibel level in the whole sanctuary. Later on we came to know from Manoranjan that they would be our companions for next 2 days. Siddhu looked at me despairingly and I could not stop smiling.

A Tusker at the saltlick near FRH

A Malabar Giant Squirrel

Omnipresent Cheetals

After having a sumptuous lunch of Egg Curry and Rice we sat down with Manoranjan on the nearby watchtower and stared at the saltlick. Nothing came across our sight. But Manoranjan had developed a liking for Birds by that time and infact he was a very quick learner. Some crackling sound of dry leaves was coming from the nearby Sal trees. And our good friendly Chitals were more than happy to pose for us. Took some snaps and moved ahead. As evening was setting in we were getting more impatient sitting ideally at the Watch tower. Suddenly and in most of the cases as it happens a huge fully grown tusker appeared from nowhere near the saltlick. Oh god what a wonderful sight I exclaimed! Thats our Elephant told a satisfied Manoranjan with an expanded chest. That’s not one of the Elephants that have migrated from Jharkhand and caused havoc in the nearby areas, but our Kuldiha’s Tusker. They rarely move out of the sanctuary. Our good friend from kitchen, Hari Bhaina brought in warm cups of tea and some Pakodas. Sitting before a setting sun, looking at the swivelling dried and glistening leaves of nearby Sal trees and munching Pakodas was worth an experience. The forest staff at Kuldiha were so friendly and didn’t miss a single opportunity to serve us in the fullest possible way. We all sat on the Watch Tower and went on chitchatting for almost three hours. The full moon lit night had spread its milky wings on the forest. Added to beauty was the twinkling phosphorous cells of millions of fireflies which were busy spreading the divinity to the Poornima night. I just wanted to get engrossed in the feeling and I suppose so was Siddhu. As night was setting in stories of denizens got on to the table. Let me not solve the mysteries of Forest that have remained sacrosanct over the years but rather boast them with pride. Manoranjan got one of the mysteries to the discussion table. When asked if they get scared of animals while patrolling on foot inside the sanctuary, Manoranjan answered that animals recognise the green uniform and the broad steel plated belt. They recognise us as their friends and as saviours. The flow of story was broken by a unusual sound of moving leaves from one of nearby trees. Manu brught in his powerful torch and focussed on the tree from below. Wow!! WoW!! It was a White Rumped Shama perched on one of the branches. “You little beauty” was what Tony Greig inside me wanted to scream. But didn’t want to disturb the sleeping beauty.

White Rumped Shama perched near the Forest Guest House

Hari bhaina was ready with Pabda( one type of Fish) Curry and Rice. Food has been a unifying reason all across the world for centuries and same was the case at Kuldiha. All of us sat on the same dinner table and Pabda became the metaphor for cease fire between the Bengali Group and ourselves. While the former were busy enjoying their evening in their tents in warm company of each other , later were busy trying to prove that they truly respect the silence of forests. But yes one mystery that Siddhu, Me and Manoranjan never could solve despite full efforts was the relationship status of the Men in the other group and the women accompanying them. We did let the mystery remain as it is and planned about our Night Safari for which I had arranged for a special permission. After gulping down the rice and fish curry till brim, we did start for our Night Venture.

Fish Eyed Owl

A Mouse Deer crossing the Road

I have been on so many Night Safaris in many sanctuaries in Orissa and everytime the Jeep starts focusing on the road, expectations that at every turn we would meet a Big Cat rises.
After driving for half an hour Siddhu suddenly screamed to stop and take the Tavera back by 10-15 meters. When we focussed our Torch towards one of the ravines , I could not stop admiring the Fish Eyed Owl that could not guess what exactly was happening. It exactly gave us some 5 seconds and without wasting any bit of these precious moments , I clicked one of the most beautiful snaps of this bird. Still keep admiring it every time I look at my laptop. Then another half kilometre drive, it was the turn of a beautiful Mouse Deer that was crossing the road. Was this the night that would give me an opportunity to take my first snap of the RBT in the wilderness of Orissa or was it going to be another of night safaris was the question that I was asking myself continuously. After driving for almost hour and half and with futile efforts of filming my first tiger in Orissa, we came back to the Rest House. Sighting Tigers or not is immaterial but what is of utmost importance is the experience itself and taking one more step towards being closer to the Mother Nature.
Next morning Haria our cook knocked the doors with hot cup of coffee in hand. What a superb way to start the day? Basking in the glory of winter morning sun with a cup of tea; sitting amidst thick Sal Forests all round; cut off from the agonising world of Reports and Pie Charts & with no network of cell phones to piss you off ,there were lot of questions to be asked to oneself and a lot of self deliberation needed. Some wise man once had told, “Sun is yours, Moon is yours, this whole world and Universe is yours, then why to worry and what else to deposit in your Bank Accounts?”. Sitting for almost an hour absorbing the morning beauty and listening to the chirping of Sun Birds rejuvenated us for the day to come.
We left for the Risia Dam situated on the North West fringe of the sanctuary and excitement had grown because we were told that its a superb place for birding. There is a Guest House of Irrigation department at Risia but its hardly used. There is also a small village over there. Walking along the dyke there were some superb birds that came our way. It was my first sighting of Verditer Fly Catcher which normally migrate from Lower ranges of Himalayas in winters to the Subcontinent. Towards the end of the Dyke there was a whole gang of Common Ioras and Chloropsis’ that were creeping on branches of a Creeper. Our good friend Manoranjan had remembered some of names which he was repeating with lot of fluency.

Risia Dam inside the Sanctuary

By 11 we were back quite tired at Kuldiha rest house. Haria informed us that he is going to offer his daily rituals in front of Budhi Thakurani , the local deity present near the Guest House. We also joined him in seeking blessings from the Goddess. There is a anecdote attached to the place. There used to live a old couple in this particular place. The old lady after her death got reincarnation and people started worshipping her in form of Budhi Thakurani. People say that King of Nilagiri during earlier days would come on Shikar and first seek blessings from Budhi Thakurani before going on hunting spree. Wild Tuskers would be captured and later on would be domesticated for King’s use. There was so much silence and divinity in the place.

Common Iora

Black Naped Monarch Flycatcher

After 2 days of Hectic but wonderful trip to Kuldiha Sanctuary , it was time to leave that wonderful place. I promised Manoranjan that I would send him a copy of “The book of Indian Birds” By Late Salim Ali once I reach Pune. I did keep my promise. The copy has been send to him and I am sure our Good Friend would have become an Ornithologist by this time now. Surely would visit Kuldiha and learn some more chapters from Manoranjan in future.

Kashmir of Orissa(Odisha)- Daringbadi

2011-01-31T22:05:00.008+05:30

There are very few places on which I have written and have found absolutely no problem in finding a Title. Daringbadi is one of those few places which is synonymous with the word Kashmir. Way back in schooling days , my mom would read out an article from Sunday edition of Sambad that would feature a tourist place in the Travel Section. Daringbadi was covered once under this section. My mom started “ Kashmir of Orissa- Daringbadi” and by the end of the article I asked when are we going to enjoy snowfall at Daringbadi. Being a kid, I imagined a place full of tall, snow peaked mountains lined with Pine Trees and spotted with ultramarine blue lakes. I was a kid then and twenty years later I got an opportunity to visit the Kashmir of Orissa.

On the Ghat towards Daringbadi

I hate and hesitate to state myself as a Tourist and actually I was not there as a Tourist. Baliguda had been made our base for exploring the Kotagarh Sanctuary. Waiting to get a permit at DFO’s office in Baliguda for visiting Kotagarh Sanctuary in Phulbani, me and my good friend Dasa decided to venture into the Hills of Daringbadi. Couple of years back when I was working in Kansbahal, I had tried to book a room at Daringbadi, but with vain. Virtually I have read each and every page on net related to Daringbadi. As per various sources and infact as per Govt of Orissa’s official website there is Yatri Nivas of OTDC at Daringbadi. I would have almost tried thousand of times at the mentioned phone number but I guess all attendants must have been busy attending Guests. Later on sipping a cup of Tea at Sabat Tea Stall in Baliguda during the current trip, I was told by one of the localites that same response everyone who call on that number gets. Many times even complaint has been registered with the Collector. So if you are planning to go to Daringbadi then better do your bookings at Baliguda. It’s some 40 odd kms from Daringbadi and is convenient from every point of view.

On the Top...Picturesque

Pine forests of Daringbadi

We hurriedly left for Daringbadi from Baliguda but reassurances by our Driver Deba that road is good and we would take maximum one and half hour to reach the place brought some soothing effect to me and Dasa. The road to Daringbadi is picturesque and passes through some of the densest forests of Orissa. The forests are dotted with small hamlets of local tribes. These places were virtually burning couple of years back during the infamous Kandhamal Riots. But situation has changed a lot in the subsequent years. Though I would not say that everything is absolutely normal now but at least its far far better than those days when India’s Secularism status was being challenged by the world.

Life is so simple..

Common Livelihood

A typical tribal hut in this part of the world would be normally surrounded by patch of Mustard, Ginger or Pulses Fields making it a complete filmy wala setup. Pumpkins are grown on the roof. Scenes have been the same all across Phulbani wherever we have gone. Normally tribals over here are dependent on the forest produce . Collection of Mahua Flowers, Fire Wood & Bamboos is one of their sources of Income along with Agriculture. Talking of Mahua Flowers ,I can happily recall those wonderful days spent at Kansbahal. Sipping Mahuli (Mahua) , the intoxicating and divine liqueur in front of River Sankha near Mandira Dam has been one of the most unforgettable days of short but sweet stint at Kansbahal.

Nazar saaki par hain aur lab paimane par....
Dil hamara hai aaj fir kisi kay naishane par.....
Woh khaali pyla liye letein hein kabr mein apni...
Kehte hein sharab milegi jannat ke aane par...
By Unknown

Coming back to the present, we reached Simonbadi enroute Daringbadi. This road that branches out from Baliguda towards Simanbarhi again bifurcates to Daringbadi and Raikia. By the way Simonbadi ( Simanbarhi) is no way related to the swashbuckling opener of West Indies Phil Simons. There are churches all around and Christians are in majority in these areas. Also recently these areas are being frequented by Naxals. After Simanbarhi, the vegetation changed drastically as we soon climbed a ghat. My expectations soon would be crashed. We had reached the Final Ghat before Daringbadi. There were no snow peaked peaks or frozen lakes. I was expecting a drastic drop in temeperature but it was not to be. There was a pine forest but these are actually plantation done by the Horticulture Department. My childhood dreams of Daringbadi had crashed. Daringbadi is no doubt beautiful but kindly don’t expect too much. It’s a wonderful small hamlet surrounded by mustard fields and turmeric plantations. Situated on a height of 3200 ft above sea level, Daringbadi has been famous once upon a time for receiving snowfall. Hence “Kashmir” was tagged to it. These days minimum temperature dips to almost freezing point in Decembers but there is hardly any snowfall. So please come with some less expectations and you would see a better place than Mahabaleswar or Panchagani which are no doubt beautiful but too much crowd from Mumbai and Pune has ruined their beauty. Clouds had literally formed a thin cover over the fields and the whole town of Daringbadi looked like a beautiful small sleepy town in the script of Ruskin Bond. As we parked our vehicle and moved in the streets of the town there was nip and bite in the air because of a slight drizzle that had taken place some time back. It has a small bus stand from where one can also get direct bus to places like Bhubaneswar and Berhampur. I didn’t want to miss this wonderful opportunity of looking at the small town setup. People would come with their produce from small villages to the top of plateau where some local selling would happen and the rest would be bought by crooked agents who would brand it and sell in cities. Thats the reason you would very often hear things like “ Asali Kandhamal Haladi” meaning real Kandhamal Turmeric. Turmeric has been one of the primary flag bearers of products of Kandhamal over the years. You want to see the real essence of Orissa ( Odisha) leave Bhubaneswar & Cuttack and travel through the tribal hinterlands of Kandhamal in Belghar and Daringbadi. There is so much to see and experience. Experience of seeing colourful & tattooed faces of Kotia Kandhas. There is so much simplicity attached to them. Their life starts and ends here, in this land of Kandhas. Now also the Dasari or the black magician in the village predicts when rain god will endow his blessings on the village and sowing would begin. Very few patients have seen the door of the hospital. Here village baida(vet) cures every illness present in the world starting from Cancer to Erectile Dysfunction. They have not seen the outside world. For them life begins with collection of Mahuli Flowers and ends with thumping beats of Madal and rhythmic steps of Ghumura.

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher..Daringbadi turned to be an excellent birding place

A Red Throated Flycatcher

After a very short visit to the Coffee Garden in the town, my hunger pangs had become turbulent. We tried to find out an Eatery but there are very few over in Daringbadi. Luckily we found out the best one. Being the only decent place , it seemed whole of the town had turned up in the small place. But wait was fruitful. We got the Lunch packed and started towards Baliguda and didn’t want to miss any opportunity of having the food amidst the greenery of forests, chirping of birds and the beauty of Phulbani. We stopped after Simanbarhi . The road was devoid of any traffic and smoothness of the tar of the road served as our dining table. What an experience?? Flavour of Desi chicken had been well preserved in the packet made out of Water Lily leaves. Dasa bhaina and the Driver volunteered to unpack everything and distribute amongst the three hungry stake holders. Shrewd Dasa didn’t miss the opportunity and selected all the good pieces for himself. For next 15 minutes we turned strangers and everyone was competing with each other in gulping down the amazing gourmet.

A typical House of local tribe...self sustainance

Hungry Jackals..Dasa(in background) and Driver

By evening we were back in Baliguda. Another superb and satisfying day spend in the Tribal Heartlands of Kandhamal. If you are planning to visit Daringbadi then be there in and around January to see the real beauty and experience the freezing points. Make Baliguda your base and try to come back before evening. Roads may not be that safe these days.

Exploring Tribal Hinterland-Chapter 2- Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary in Kalahandi

2011-01-09T13:11:00.020+05:30

Very few sanctuaries in India have name that is so striking at the first go if you listen to the word itself. Karlapat gets its name from “Kalra Patria Bagha” meaning Tiger with stripes resembling Bitter Gourd leaves. As expected not much information available on the sanctuary and that makes it even more interesting as it is as if you are completely exploring the unexplored. Some one once asked me “ Satyesh..why don’t you go and explore so many other beautiful places outside Orissa”. “ This life is too short to even explore the divine and pristine beauty of Orissa” was my answer.
Sarath was waiting downstairs and first look at him gives an impression of a guy who is too simple, too scared to talk. But we were wrong. Had a quick bath and after travelling for fourteen hours in the bus, I was feeling sleepy. And more than me , I was feeling sorry for a laggard Dasa. Our journey for Karlapat was still not a surety for that day as I had not collected the permit at the DFO’s office. Anyways looking at the overcast condition, it was even looking more bleak. Already we were late. Without wasting any more time, we rushed to the DFO’s office. DFO was not there and he could not be reached on phone. Oh Gosh. This was the last thing that one would have wanted. But I pleaded in front of the Asst Conservator of Forest, Mr Mohanta. Everyone around were surprised that why someone is pleading so much for visiting a sanctuary that no one normally visits. And that too someone has come from as far as Pune to visit Karlapat. It was out of world imagination for them. Finally my pleading worked out. ACF asked me to give an application. He called the Ranger of Karlapat and informed him about the case. I was asked to meet him. His office was on the other side of the road. Natha babu was eagerly waiting to meet this weird character who had come to visit Karlapat. I was to write an undertaking stating that I will be solely responsible if any untoward incident happens inside the sanctuary. Felt little bit sceptical that why I am being asked to write so. Are there any Maoists inside? Are there overflowing rivers inside because of torrential rains or what might be the case? Finally we were given permission. Sarath , our driver drove us to a stall for Breakfast. There begun our saga for the praise of Breakfast available at various places in Kalahandi and Phulbani. I mean the breakfast comprising Alu Chop ( deep fried Mashed potatoe inside a coating of flour), Bara (deep fried balls of lentils),Singhada ( Samosa) with watery but spicy Ghughuni ( spicy Lentil curry) is just amazing and mouth watering. The essence of this breakfast increases even more when they are served in plates made out of leaves and with fried chillies.We just went on gulping down as much as Baras as possible. With no hope of lunch in near future,we got an excuse to have a heavy breakfast. Bought some mineral water bottles as our good friend Sarath told that by even drinking water at Karlapat you will be surely greeting Malaria. Anyways forests in Orissa are known to be heavens for female Anopheles. Karlapat is situated around 30kms from Bhawanipatna on the Thuamul Rampur road. It was still cloudy and there was spine in air. Our good well mannered driver Sarath suddenly changed his tone and opened up. He was married and had two daughters .When asked about their education, he accepted that there was no point in sending them to school. Ultimately getting married is what they should be aiming at. Within no time we reached the gates of Karlapat Sanctuary. Wow…finally I was there. Stopped for a moment and took pics.

Entry to Karlapat Sanctuary

This was the place about which I had only heard and had some vague information. We enquired about Bagha Majhi at the first forest check gate and were told that he would be at the Phurli Jharan waterfalls which was just 5kms ahead and a stones throw away from the road. This gate closes down during the night because of animal crossings. But I am not sure about this thing as I didn’t see any board which said so. We proceeded towards Phurali Jaharan Waterfalls. Gushing sounds of the waterfall greeted us. But soon I was disappointed to see so many Beer cans thrown near the falls. Luckily no one was there at the falls. Or else this has been a favourite spot for all the Picnic goers of this region. Groups come over here to booze and go back , hardly aware that there lies a treasure nearnby in form of Karlapat Sanctuary famous once for Tigers. No more Tigers are there. I mean we have heard that there are tigers but I have never come across any report or writeup which says that there are still tigers present in the Sanctuary. As usually our faiku ( reminds me of Salim Faiku of local Hyderabadi Comedy Movie Angrez) Sarath roped in with his unwanted ideas. Let me tell you we were actually believing him for whatever he was telling until the next day when we realised that he was a great faiku. As per Sarath he had read in the local news papers that somedays back a Female Tiger has been sighted in the sanctuary along with its cubs. Our excitement grew and I was just roaring to venture into the core area of the sanctuary. Suddenly a forest guard came running from no where and gave us a Salaam. He mistook us for some forest babu. Then later told us that Bagha waould be there at jacom Forest Guest House at Jacom.After staying for another 10 minutes or so at the waterfalls, we left for Jacom.

Phurali Jharan Waterfalls

On the way , I felt little depressed to find out that rampant poaching is still going on. Some of the poachers were captured last year for killing a huge tusker. They were captured after that and were released with absolute ease. Many times Tigers have crossed roads as per Sarath. As the tlks were going on suddenly Sarath took a left turn from the main road on a Dirt road and soon I could see the guest house of Jacom. It is a typical forest dept type guest house but striking difference is that it is made out of wooden logs giving is a posh English look. Soon Bagha came out and greetings were exchanged. He looked like a typical Adivasi with curly hair and big twinkling eyes. Bhagha must have been in his mid fifties. Another guard Sitaram Munda also joined us. These two have been manning the Jacom Post since last so many years. They already had finished their lunch by that time. We decided to take a stroll near by to do some birding. Came across Scarlet Minivets & Sunbirds of different types.

Jacom Guest House

Near Jacom Guest House

Map of Karlapat Sanctuary

A stream flows nearby Jacom FRH. A perfect place for doing birding. I was wondering that why I didn’t try little bit more to do the booking at Jacom. For all who are planning to visit Karlapat after reading this write up, please do your best to do the bookings at Jacom. It’s worth staying here for one night. Your senses would get revitalised once you sip down a cup of coffee with background music of flowing stream nearby. Don’t forget to bring in your own ration. These guards add up as cooks also. And let me tell you the food that they prepare is worth trying out. They have never disappointed me , be it Chamundia, Kuldiha, Debrigarh or Ushakothi to name a few. We decided to go to Karlapat Village which is deep inside the forest and about 18km fom Jacom. Bagha would accompany us for the trip and would guide us. Forests in Karlapat are absolutely a nature lover’s paradise.

Patal Garuda Plant- Ayurbedic Treatment for Snake Bites

Sunbird Inside the sanctuary

It was absolutely fog and mist all around and weather was little bit dampening ,so were our spirits. Still just wanted to get drenched in absolute beauty of Karlapat. There are some villages inside which again is a bad sign for Wildlife conservation. No wonder once a heaven for Tigers does not boast any number today. Bagha has a lot of stories to tell and his one of the major complains is that these villagers are only to be blamed for this state of Karlapat. “They are the killers”,yells Bagha. Soon we reached the other end of the Sanctuary where anti poaching check post is there. We again took a left turn towards Karlapat village. Saw paddy fields all around . Every paddy field has a machan in the middle of the field. This is mainly to protect the fields against Elephants. During reaping season, Elephants come down from the deep forests in search of easy food and no doubt they face the wrath of villagers.

Saving Paddy Fields from Elephants

I don’t blame villagers for the same. Obviously they have been living in the forests for so long and it is just unwise on the part of the conservationists to demand there relocation and rehabilitation in matter of days. But yes if at all they are being relocated, it is also the duty of the conservationists to see that they are properly rehabilitated. It does not end with villages getting rehabilitated. For example take the case of Jenabil village of Similiplal. Jenabil was relocated to outside Similipal from the core area. How many people go and see the plight of people who have been relocated? Until and unless that support is extended over a period of time, not in form of money but rather in form of proper guidance regarding spending of that money, they would again revert to illegal wood cutting and poaching after some time. Agricultural land that is allocated for the relocated people if not good is going to create that uproar and unrest. Rehabilitation would also include schooling of kids and may be something like animal husbandry or honey bee cultivation. Then only the process of relocation is going to be successful over a period of time.
We took a walk along the Karlapat village . Had some time to gossip with one of the local farmers, Pradhan babu. He had never seen a tiger alive in the forest and he must have been of around 50 years age. That means all the tiger stories are lie and there are no tigers in the sanctuary. According to him there are leopards present and not the RBTs. He had once seen in his childhood a dead RBT. The kill was made as a part of the game trip of Raja of Dhenkanal. He would come on the invitation of raja of Karlapat and would be accompanied by Gora Sahebs. Tigers would be killed and the dead King of Jungles would lie down on the ground under the foots of the physically alive but morally dead Kings and Goras. That was only time when Pradhan babu had seen a tiger. I looked at Sarath. He turned away his face and started walking.

We came back to Jacom and on the way picked up some mudhi ( puffed rice), tea powder, some milk powder and sugar. “What if there is no Desi Chickjen today, we will have good cup of warm tea at Jacom made by Bagha. What do you say Bagha?”,I asked. Bagha had a big grin on his face.
As tea was getting prepared, I along with Dasa took a stroll along the banks of Karlapat River. Looking for birds on tree tops, suddenly my eye fell on something that brought tears instantly. Those tears were tears of joy and not sadness. And that something was actually pugmarks of Leopard.Oh gosh...Finally I saw signs of Big Cat in Karlapat. I could not stop staring at the Pugmarks. Perhaps the Leopard had been there in the wee hours for a round. I tried to find signs of scats but there were none. This sighting rejuvenated us and with all the energy back in our Mitochondrias , we did climb back to the Jacom Guest House where our good frinds were waiting for us with hot kettle of Tea.

Signs that Karlapat can still get revived as a Tiger Heaven

Picturesque Karlapat River Bed

Sipping down a cup of tea, I sat with my good friend Bagha. The old man had so many stories to tell me. And it has been always a pleasure to hear the unedited stories from the horses mouths. These are people who have spend their whole life protecting the forests of India with a stick in hand and with a payment that some of the wild life conservationists spend on Pedigree of their Dogs. Some years back, he was cooking his supper in the evening, Bagha smelt something unusual coming from the window of his cottage. He got goose bumps and started praying to almighty. Tiger was just 10 feet away from Bagha separated by a wall which was not that strong. As per Bagha, he felt that he won’t be able to see his grand children any more. For whole one night Bagha stayed inside the room hoping some one would turn up and save him from the Tiger. Wireless was not working (that’s what is the case in most of the sanctuaries).Bagha survived. How can King of Jungle kill his poor saviour? At the break of the dawn Tiger vanished into the forests.
I needed another cup of tea .Munda joined the conversation. They both were on the verge of retirement. They both had protected the forests and its Tigers. Now in some years, they would be back in home along with their grand children and doing some farming. But these forests of Karlapat would always remember them for their relentless service and vigil. Life would be better in home back in Ampani, but sweet music of flowing water of Karlapat and the calls of Langurs won’t be there to wake them up. 40 years back they were strong and bones had strength. Aspirations of a better life led them to temporary watcher role in the forest department. Training on Forests and Wildlife were imparted at Angul. Salary at the end of the month provided the economic security. But in the process they have sacrificed their whole life spending in the Forests , away from home and family.

Saviour of our Tigers

My good Friends

As day came to a close, we hugged them and said good bye. Bagha with display of all his intact set of thirty two shining white teeth said “ Next time you come back, we will prepare mutton for you”. I could just wish for them that they stay happily and get adjusted to new life.

Exploring Tribal Hinterlands-Chapter 1- Bus Journey to Bhawanipatna

2011-01-09T13:07:00.005+05:30

Saw excitement in eyes of fellow passengers going out on Diwali vacations to Orissa from Mumbai. I was little sad also as I had lied down to my Mom that I will be there in Orissa only for couple of Days during Diwali. But I was going to be there in Orissa for a complete week out of which 5 days I was going to roam about in those forests about which I had only heard from people, had never seen any photographs, never read anywhere.First sight of low flying clouds and a turbulent flight near skies of Bhubaneswar was enough to lower down one’s excitement of long awaited trip to Tribal hinterland of Kandhamal and Kalahandi. Had persuaded Dasa to accompany me on this trip and to my surprise this time he agreed looking at his taste of travelling and living a laid down life in Bhubaneswar. This trip was looking even more interesting with none of the bookings done for any of the Forest Rest Houses. Though I had tried my best from Pune by calling infinite number of times to various govt offices regarding the trip I was not able to do any of the Hotel Bookings. Add to that the varied information on the movement of Red Brigade in the Sanctuaries & virtually no information on whereabouts of Kotgarh and Karlapat Sanctuary. Things that we had for sure were two bus tickets for Bhawanipatna in Hi Tech Govt Bus from Bhubaneswar, a TTK Road Map, some contact numbers of Hotels, Forest Officials and that of one of Dasa’s Friends,Dileep Babu. As I got out of the Airport,it was already drizzling because of commonly heard “low pressure” created in the Bay of Bengal. Because of month ending ( first word in the Dictionary of Sales people) workload, Dasa had not turned up at the Airport and I went on swearing slangs on the Airport authorities for not having a Auto Stand at the Airport.Taxis charge exorbitant rates and one in need has to go by their terms. Finally Dasa joined me at the Bus stand with 2 tickets of the Bus. It was rush time because of festive season and for me it was even more exciting as I was travelling in a night bus after a long time , popularly called as line bus.I was also not sure about the route to Bhawanipatna, so went on to talk with the conductor about the Route. Like any other occasion, the Conductor didn’t disappoint me and was more than happy to explain me the route. We were joined by the Drivers. What I came to know that we were supposed to pass through Nayagarh, Sarankul, Bhanjanagar, Kalinga, G Udayagari, Raikia, Baliguda, M Rampur and finally terminating at Bhawanipatna, the head quarters of Kalahandi district. I had never travelled beyond Nayagarh earlier. Suddenly out of nowhere the Conductor asked us about our tickets. When Dasa showed the online ticket that we had booked, conductor was little bit shocked as no body does online booking for busses in Orissa. Finally the bus left on time by 8.By 9:30 we stopped at Bolagarh just before Nayagarh for Dinner at a Road side dhaba. Hmmm...another place to taste the superb dhaba food on which I have already done a posting earlier. Dhaba was quite clean. We had some bland tadka but chicken curry was good. After having food and taking a stroll on the road, finally we boarded the bus and left for Bhawanipatna passing through Nayagarh. A sudden jolt and I woke up. Wiping my eyes, I looked at the watch. It was 2:30 in the night. Night was pitch dark, road was absolutely devoid of any traffic,only sound that made vibrations in your ear drums was the cracking sounds of nightflies and insects. Bus had stopped because of a flat tyre. Oh no...i could not belive what I heard from the driver. Infact it had 2 flat tyres. I tried my best to sleep for some more time but curiosity of getting my foot down on the soil of Phulbani compelled me to get down. Drivers down were already on work and were busy in finding a solution of getting a second spare. There weren’t any town nearby and we were somewhere between G Udayagiri and Raikia. For almost 20minutes not a single vehicle crossed us. One of the senior drivers then came up with the idea that OSRTC bus towards Berhampur would be passing in next 15 mins and we can get a tyre from them. Already my adventure with the unknown had started. Group of passengers had made a group by this time and were busy in finding out some more solutions to which all sort of vague ideas came....who says Ideating happens in IBM. Cigarrettes and Beetles got exchanged. Meanwhile some enthusiaistic guys were busy helping out the Driver in putting the spare tyre. Glimmer of hope came in form of the Berhampur Bus that came from Bhawanipatna. The camaraderie of the Drivers and Consuctors of the OSRTC can be easily seen in this kind of situations. Soon a spare tyre was given to us. Greetings exchanged and time to move on. And these greetings even become more cheerful when both the sides are from Ganjam side. Starts with Mother’s swear and ends with Sister’s.
Woke up at a small hamlet named Tumudibandha in Phulbani District around 6 in the morning where the bus stopped for puncture repairing. It was complete overcast and fog every where. Some tea shops had opened by that time and I was happy that temperature was soothingly cool. But my mercury went up when i heard that we were still four and half hours from Bhawanipatna. We were supposed to reach Bhawanipatna early in the morning and were supposed to get the permit from Bhawanipatna DFO for visiting Karlapat Sanctuary. By the way, my good friend Dasa was lying in deep sleep inside the bus , unperturbed about the situation. I took a round of Tumudibandha. Another shock came to me when I saw a Board where in it was written “ Welcome to land of Elephants- Kotgarh Sanctuary”.I was supposed to come back to this place after 2 days for visiting Kotgarh sanctuary. Tumudibandha is one of the entry points to Kotgarh Sanctuary and is also one of the range headquarters. That means we would also have crossed Baliguda some time back. I could have planned first these places and then ended my Central Orissa trip with Bhawanipatna. Because of lack of information it went the other way round. Never mind at least now I have the information. Finally the punctured tyre got repaired and we started moving towards M Rampur enroute Bhawanipatna. As the day brightened, got a glimpse of wonderful Phulbani. Everywhere greenery, tall hills , Sal trees and in between small huts with pumpkins grown on top of roofs. This was just the trailor and Kandhamal was going to show me the complete movie in coming days. I felt blessed that I had planned the trip. After having a small chai stop at M Rampur, we reached Bhawanipatna at 10 in the morning, way behind schedule. Were greeted at the gates of Hotel Bhagirathi Inn by our Driver for Kalahandi leg of tour, a character by the name of Sarath.

Chapter 2

Bhitarkanika National Park--Part 1

2010-09-05T14:21:00.007+05:30

Our Boatmen

After 3 days of hectic schedule at Satkosia, it was time for us to explore the Amazon of Orissa- Bhitarkanika National Park. I had booked one Room in the Forest Guest House at Dangamal. Actually wanted the Log Cabin at Habalikathi because of the name sounded adventurous itself. But was told by the Travel agent ( all the bookings for Bhitarkanika is done by a Private Travel agent of Bhubaneswar) that they don’t do bookings for the same. So went ahead with Cottage at Dangmal. Entry point for Bhitarkanika is through either Khola Check Gate near Rajnagar or through Gupti by boat. After having a wonderful breakfast at Bubun’s place, we did hit the NH 5 and drove non stop till Chandikhol. On the way had nostalgic discussions on the life that we all used to have in School( Deepika in Rourkela). The way our batchmates have become AVPs and VPs in organizations based out from London and Singapore in matter of 5-6 years. The way they shuttle between Sydney and Shanghai. On the contrary one of us was struggling with CAT exams for last 4 years ( Finally the Old Monk has cracked XIMB this time) and the other was confused about his career; flip flopping between the role of a HR guy and life of a wanderer in the remote forests of Orissa. But let me tell readers, keeping aside one’s preferences; life of a wanderer is far far more interesting than that of a HR Manager or a Venture Capitalist.

By the time we reached Chandikhol, my good friend Old Monk had become restless. His basic necessity-spirit was not in the “items to be carried” list. So his spirit was down. We reached Rajnagar and the first sight of a Bar- Old Monk with a ton (absolutely not toned) of fat became an Olympic Sprinter. Soon the smile came back on Bubun’s face as his ration for day had been met. We reached Khola by noon and collected the Entry Pass. Forest Officials at the office were more than happy to help us with a Boat and deal was settled for Rs 4500 ( that’s the official rate). Boat men, his assistant, Bubun and me left for Dangmal. It was going to be one and half hour boat journey to the heartland of Bhitarkanika-Dangamal. After the tiger stories of Satkosia and Baisipali, it was now the turn of the Crocs. Our Boatman and his assistant were Uncle –Nephew duo and were encyclopedia of the region and the folklores attached with it. I was surprised to find the way Forest departments in Orissa have become professional in their approach. They have infact interviewed the boat men and the assistants and trained them on the skill of handling tourists.Normaly the assistants add up to the role of Guide. Bubun and me felt like a Hollywood Superstar as if we had bought a yacht in the Mediterranean. Sun was shining at its full glory and water was crystal clear. Forest of Mangroves was all around. Hardly 15 minutes we would have sailed when we came across the first sight of the monster. A 12 feet Croc basking in the muddy banks , least perturbed about the sound of moving boat. For us it was so exciting. But for the Uncle-Nephew duo it was as if a sight of a house lizard eating a cockroach. Later on we realized why there interest was not expressed. It was just a trailer. Huge Crocs , some of them measuring upto may be 16 feet , black in colour ( They have been named Ravana kumbhira by the locals) were to be seen every where.Stories of Crocs pulling ladies and cattles into the water was overflowing from the Boatmen. We all were excited abou this venture. I have realized that even if you know that some of these stories are faked, still you love them. That’s what sets up the tone for adventure.

First Sight of the Monster

Another Close up

Along with the Crocodiles along the river bank, one thing that actually made me fall in love with Bhitarkanika was the spirited show of livelihood of localites in the villages along the bank. For everything they are dependent on the river; river full of crocs. We saw kids coming from school, small thatched huts with barns of paddy in the front courtyards, boats laden with paddy sacks ready to be transported to the local markets in Kendrapada, Rajnagar and Chandbali. The essence of villages come from the reflection of sunlight on the cow dung layered courtyards, the smell of burning woods and cow dung cakes coming from the thatched roof of small kitchen, the slow walk of old village temple pandit with a bunch of flowers in hand, distant chanting of hare rama…hare krushna (pala in Oriya) oozing out from the mikes with a typical accent. I miss this so much. Having seen the village life so close, I always get nostalgic when I write this. Honestly I can go on writing this experience as an epic.

Coming back to Bhitarkanika, we reached Dangamal around 3 in the afternoon. One has to walk almost a km to reach the reception of the Forest Guest House. Infact there are so many types of rooms available over there. We checked in to one of the rooms. Typical Forest Guest House type with high roofs, neat white bed sheets, Teak Wood beds and Mosquito nets. Quickly went to the restaurant over there and as expected gulped down wonderful prawn curry and rice.

There are so many things to be explored in Bhitarkanika Sanctuary and one needs to plan meticulously and have time in hand if you need to experience it to the fullest. Things that were part of our plan was:

Day 1: Check in at Dangamal by afternoon. By afternoon we were supposed to take the boat to Bhitarkanika Forest Block. Things to be explored were the Ancient Siva Temple; white lotus pond and the Shooting tower of King of Kanika. If you are lucky then Chital and water monitor lizard sightings will be there. And then we were supposed to come back to Dangmal. At the jetty, as were leaving around 4, the local forest chap warned us that if we don’t return to Dangmal by 5 then there will be a fine imposed on us. Kind of guys we both were, we were ready to venture into the Bhitarkanika forest in the evening and ready to take the risk. Still he pursued us to change the decision, but we were hail bent and ready to pay the fine. Then came the Brahmastra, the statement that made us feel that we were behaving like two kindergarten kids. He said “ if you want to venture out at this point of time by paying fine, you are free to do so. By your fine amount we are not going to be rich. Its only for your safety that I told you so”. That was it. He became a good friend of us. Time for us was to listen to some more croc stories from him. We all sat in jetty as sun was setting. He told us the reason why one should not stand still near the water for longer duration as one may fall in the range of submerged crocodile. One needs to constantly keep on moving. Also the story of Crocodiles coming back again and again to the same place over the years for laying eggs is an amazing fact that we never knew. It was getting dark. We walked back towards our cottage. While we walked back, took snaps of the grazing chitals near the Guest House. And let me tell you they were all around. I had actually never seen so many chitals at one time. There is in-fact a grassland in-front of the cottage where you can see so many Chitals grazing. There is also a captive breeding center of Estuarine Crocodiles at Dangmal. During the breeding season, eggs are collected by the forest officials and then brought to Dangmal where hatching takes place in conducive environment.

Accomodation at Dangamal

Cheetals were more than happy to pose for us

A Paradise for bird watchers

Sunset at Bhitarkanika National Park
We didn’t have much to do in the evening except for gazing at each other and remembering the days spent at Baisipali and Satkosia. At Baisipali we were treated as royal kings and here we were one of the other tourists. Come on some body give us that attention.After all we are here to spread the essence of Orissa to the outer world.Just Kiding.. Our Cottage was really cozy and with outer temperature becoming really cool, warm temperature inside was a welcome experience. Suddenly we heard some body shouting outside our room. When we came out , saw little kids of nearby room really getting excited by seeing wild boars infront of the room.I mean I had never seen so many easy sightings in any sanctuary until I visited Bandipore National Park in Karnataka..
Where ever you look around, you will see twinkling floursescent eyes of grazing animals. We sat over there and looked mesmerized by the scene. After an hour we went in for an early dinner as we were supposed to leave early for Ekakula, a virgin untouched beach on the eastern coast of India. If you miss the high tide time, it would be difficult to take the boat to Ekakula and we didn’t want to miss that opportunity.
Had a superb dinner of fish curry and rice. Kind of foodie we are, half of the money gets goofed up in food itself. After all one does not get fresh catch always and that too when you stay in metros. We ordered the Canteen guy to pack some pooris and allo bhaji for next morning so that we could have left early and have lunch in the boat itself.
But wait its not over for the day. The best part was yet to come.
I have always been amazed by masai grasslands of Africa whenever I have seen any of the television series in Discovery or National Geographic. That’s because you see so many animals grazing on the grass lands , unperturbed by human presence and cameras. Can you believe that same thing I was seeing at Bhitarakanika. As we were finishing our Dinner, we were informed by the Restaurant chap that if we wait for another hour, we would see the wild animals in plenty.It happened the same way. There were hoards of Wild Boars and Chitals all around. It was an amazing sight. I was barely 10 meters from the wild boars and they were looking at me. What a sight.
Came back to the cottage with an experience to remember for life time.

During Night....felt complete..so many sightings of wildlife

There was no stopping

One of the success stories called Bhitarkanika

Coming Up:
Bhitarkanika Saga Continues with Bagagahana, Habalikathi & Ekakula

Satkosia at Tikarpada-Day 2

2010-08-14T18:09:00.004+05:30

After getting drenched in rains for last 6 weekends in and around Pune, finally did get some time to write back on the memoirs of Satkosia; the Tiger land of Orissa. This is to complete the Satkosia Series. Some of my friends have already planned for the year end trip to Similipal and Sunabeda Tiger Sanctuary though fully aware that chances of getting permit is bleak because of Red brigade Threat. Insha Allah, we will make to this two sanctuaries this year end.

Coming back to Satkosia, after spending 2 wonderful days at Chamundia (Baisipalli Side of Satkosia) and Tikarpada it was time for us to leave the serene Mahanadi at Tikarpada. As per our plans,we were supposed to go to Kandhaida and Labangi( Lobang as pronounced by Rahul Bose in Mr and Mrs Aiyer). We left the Eco Camp around 10 am. Had a last look at the blue waters of Mahanadi and the hills of Baisipalli. Anyways I had already promised myself that I would be back in Baisipalli next year for another short trip. Had I not burnt my pocket, I would have gone on exploring the state where I am going to go back one day and settle down permanently along with a bunch of kids.

Saying good bye to Amazing Satkosia

As we left Tikarpada, after 15 minutes drive we reached Purunakot (Purunakote). Stopped for a minute to take the pics of the age old Forest guest House.Woooow….superb. Just imagine if you stay on a small hillock in the British type Arch structured Guest House on a full moon light and sip neat scotch amongst tall Sal trees and flickering Fire flies. Warmth of shawl and bonfire to add to the renzedvous with the Tiger Land. Man, let me tell u that I am feeling restless now.If I am not able to make it to Similipal & Sunabeda, then Kanha and Tadoba-Andhari will be must. Can this monsoon get over little bit fast so that I can go back and enjoy the winters ion one of those fast depleting forests of Sal and Teak?I can smell that freshness of air. With Tiger lands depleting fast, I wish I can go back to that era when Forests were in abundance and people would go back to houses and lock in by the evening in fear of Big Cat.

Purunakote Forest Guest House

We enquired about the road to kandhaida and then left for the Game tank. Bubun and me were little bit skeptical about the venture as we didn’t have any guide. Road was good enough to speed at 30kph. Vegetation in and around the road was a good indicator of the various Fauna species that existed in that region. Absolute superb place for RBTs to hide in the tall grasses and pachyderms to roam about safely. We were informed by a group of people on the way to Kandhaida that group of elephants were in and around. That created some thrill but to no avail we could see the elephants. We reached the game tank in about 20 mins. Being all alone over there, we tried our luck to see the black stripped prince. But again our bad luck continued. Only it had left the pug marks on the banks of the water hole.

Signs of Elephant

Fresh Pug Marks

Kandhaida Game Tank

Somebody would have surely experienced that...nahin to Idea kahan se aaya

Forest Road

We returned back to the main road to go towards Bhimdhara, a small waterfall inside the sanctuary. It was again deep inside the forests. Being late winters, already water was trickling down from the top. Folklore is that Bhima . younger brother of Arjun and Yudhistir did put his knees with lot of force on the top of waterfall , as a result a small tank has got formed. Bhimdhara has been named after him.

Bhimdhara

We again drove back to the main road inside the sanctuary and enquired about Labangi.After hearing that road is absolutely in worst of the conditions the inevitable could not be avoided. We did drop the plans of going to Labangi. May be some other day we would sure come back. Still that place beckons me. Drove back to Bhubaneswar and reached around 9 in the night. Barely a sleep of 6 hours and I had back packed myself again. After Tigers; it was now turn of another of dreaded species on earth…Welcome to the land of Crocodiles - Bhitarkanika National Park.

COMING UP....BHITARKANIKA NATIONAL PARK AS NEVER BEFORE

Dudhsagar Trek in Monsoons

2010-07-12T18:05:00.009+05:30

First of all, my apologies to regular followers of this blog that I didn’t update it in last 3-4 months. Finally realised who I am and here goes my first updation in months.
As I flipped through the pages of “ Its not about the bike..My journey back to life-The Autobiography of Lance Armstrong”, I got the feeling that may be I have over exaggerated my sufferings a lot in recent past. Yes, I have been down and out in last couple of months; have been a weak & in-secured guy; bamboozled about my future; uncertain about my career and personal life and to make the matter worse, people came in and directly & indirectly told me that I am not worth and what not. But wait...I have not suffered Cancer, not undergone Chemo for weeks , my skull has not been opened by the neurologists and my testicles have not been removed by oncologists.All these had happened with Lance but Armstrong came back to his life with record breaking seven consecutive Tour De France titles. Why can’t I just enjoy the present when I have nothing to loose. I had changed myself a lot in past couple of months and found that people gathered courage to poke in a finger and say that I am wrong, when I knew that I was not. And when I did hit the rock bottom, I realised I am only responsible for my sufferings and no one else. People would always be there to harm you and hit you in the hardest possible way. Have almost by hearted the following piece of gem from Rocky Balboa where Stallone utters these gems of wisdom to his demoralised and in-secured son---“Son…Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that..”. While Rocky’s was a fiction, Armstrong’s is a true story of a fighter. Nevertheless both are stories of getting hit and moving on and I feel I have moved on by doing things that I am best at. Me, Siddhu and Manya( rechristened Mansingh) had planned to go trekking to Dudhsagar Falls on Goa-Karnataka Border. Subbu and Ashish were supposed to travel from Bangalore and join us at Kolhapur. Unfortunately Subbu could not make it because of some other commitments. Me and Manya took the Sahyadri Express to Kolhapur. Ashis joined us at Kolhapur and we started towards Belgaum in Siddhu’s car by 9:30 instead of planned 7’o clock departure.
The Gang

Plan was to go to Castle Rock Railway Station at a distance of 2 hours from Belgaum and park the car over there. Then walk along the Railway Track( that goes to Vasco) to Dudhsagar Falls situated at a distance of 14 kms from Castle Rock. We were prepared to camp over there near the fifth tallest waterfall of India. After driving for an hour on the road to Goa, we took the left turn to Castle Rock. Another 15 minutes and we reached Castle Rock. It was already 12:15. Let me tell, there are very few things in world that impress you at first go. Castle Rock is one of those small Railway towns, which gives you a picture of a old laid back Portuguese railroad hamlet of 18th century where steam engine drivers , station masters and points man would stay with families and their kids would play football in small grounds. Castle rock has a small station, few railway quarters , some offices and trekking training center for railway employees. It has its own importance as here the Braganza Ghats descends on the Belgaum-Vasco route. Engines used for overhauling the Wagons from rear side while climbing the ghat from Goa side would be detached here and will be attached with trains going downhill.

Castle Rock Railway Station....Time has stopped ticking

Briganza Ghat Section

Indian Railways...A Colourful Story

We started walking towards Dudhsagar. By the time we crossed the first tunnel, rain had started pouring. Western Ghats are at their best in monsoons. It brought in some respite from the soaring humidity in the area. We paced in at some 4kms per hour which itself is slow. But all of us could not help out taking snaps at almost every 10 meters. Western Ghats has been recently declared by as one of the richest Bio diversity hotspots of the world. A walk of some feet and one or the other waterfall would come in your way along the track.

Scenes like this are common

Trekking along the track has its own difficulties. You have to take thousands of baby steps on the sleepers and to add to your agony the free fallen golden treasures here and there from passengers in the passing by trains. We crossed on tunnel one after the other and crossed into Goa Border. Torches that me and Manya had taken were worth comparable with the flickering candle lights and the great rascal Siddhu would not miss a single chance of making mockery of us. It was fun chit chatting and shitting the worthless talks around while we were crossing the tunnels.
Marching Ahead

Inside one of the Tunnels

One of the abandoned stations

Castle Style Tunnel

Karnataka Goa Border

We crossed Picturesque Caranzole Station

By the time we were about to reach Caranzole, another small station enroute, time was 3:00pm. We asked some of the other trekkers who were coming from the other end about the distance left. It was little scary to know that still 2 hours of walk was left. Though we had come prepared to stay overnight there at the falls, one of the major worries that was bothering inside was food. What I could assess was that there won’t be anything available over there. I asked one of the railway gangmen about distance left as I wanted to reconfirm. To my surprise and liking, he told that a goods train is coming from Castle rock and will be stopping at the Dudhsagar Station also. We can try our luck. A split second decision was to be made. We went in for the advise given by the Gangman. The Great Indian Railways came in to our rescue. The Goods Train driver stopped and was more than humble enough to give us a ride of our life time. Rain god was more than generous in pouring blessings from top. Drenched in incessant rains, we were moving towards the falls. Let me tell you when you are standing on the engine foot plate, the sight of the viaducts and the streams below look ferocious. Piercing through the evergreen and semi evergreen deciduous forests and tunnels, the 3500 hp monsters ( three to four engines are used to overhaul the 100 wagons) made us reach Dudhsagar Falls by 3:30.

Journey of Life time....

We had complete one and half hour before the scheduled arrival of Goa Express which stops at Dudhsagar. Plan was to catch the train back to Castle Rock. 15 minutes walk will land you up near the falls. Its such a magnanimous falls and with monsoons at peak, the falls were showing their full strength. What a sight , falls on one side and railways track and the cliff on the other. One could see the valley down under. Some plantations done by localites. Scene was as if we were in rain forests of Borneo full of Banana Vegetation and smoke coming from the Dayak Tribe’s huts. Took as many pics as possible in that half an hour.

Near the Dudhsagar Station

The Majestic Dudhsagar Falls

Mist and Clouds everywhere...

Near The Falls

Saying Good Bye

Thanked God for creating western ghats and the falls. Thanked our fate. I was completely sinked in the glory of falls with my arms spread out and was thinking about last couple of months. It was the end...end of all the agony. We took the Goa Express back to Castle Rock. A Lance Armstrong spirit had erupted inside me by this time. Life is too short to be cribbed upon. I had come out of the dark Tunnel and with flying colours. All the darkness had vanished and light, light of hope and joy had come back to my life. Not to be messed again....

End of Darkness

Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary (Angul Side)

2010-01-10T09:20:00.008+05:30

Mrs Iyer asks Raja Chauhary, an aspiring wildlife photographer about his next venture towards the end of the movie ,Mr and Mrs Iyer. Raja answers “Lobang , a forest in Orissa on the banks of a gorge full of Crocodiles on river Mahanadi ” .“My my where is this place” I asked myself.I never knew that this line would create a curiosity in me that will keep on flickering for last seven years. This incident happened way back in 2002 and in 2009 end I got a chance to see the beauty of Satkosia.

Entrypoint at Pampasar

We had booked one of the tents in the eco tourism complex in Tikarpada and after having wonderful experience at the Nayagarh side of Satkosia it was time for capturing the gorgeous Satkosia from Angul side. Let me honestly accept that me and Bubun were not that much excited to come to this side after experiencing Nayagarh side. Reason was that its much crowded this side and so chances of sinking completely in the beauty of Mahanadi was less. I collected the forms from the Ecotourism office in Angul and reached Badkera on the Sambalpur Highway. After having an Okay type lunch in the Dhaba, we moved quickly towards the Entrypoint of Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary. It was already getting dark and we were late by 4 hours. Time for reporting at the eco tourism complex at Tikarpada is 12 in the afternoon(I was not informed about the same). We collected our entry permits at Pampasar Check gate and proceeded towards Tikarpada. Road inside the sanctuary was superb.We reached the complex around 6 in the evening. The whole place was setup on the banks of river and is surrounded by the tall hills of Satkosia. On the front side we could see the forests where we had been the previous night. I tried to sink in the environment but the small Raja Chaudhary inside me didn’t allow that to happen as i went on imagining and imagining the dawn at that place. How it would look like in the morning...which shots will be the best...whether there will be mist in the morning....these are some of the questions that i was asking my self. I and Bubun sat over there in the banks till 8 in the evening and were discussing the tiger stories. We decided to take a stroll on the banks and then come back for dinner. sometimes you need to take a call on whether to be an admirer of nature or lover of hot steamy fish curry. We choose the former and hence suffered. We were told that dining hall had been invaded by a group of fish loving Bengalis and hence we had been left with some chilled, half broken Meerkalis. Never trust Bengalis when hot steamy fish curry is prepared in kitchens(on a lighter side).
Our tent was a small cozy one with 2 beds and to our surprise there was a toilet behind the tent with a commode. With outside temperature dipping to somewhere around 10deg, the blankets were like gifts of heaven. Time for us to retire to bed after another hectic day. The silence inside the forests are sometimes quite frightening but at the same time if you listen carefully, sound of dew drops falling from the woody trees of Sal and Mahogany on the dry leaves will revitalize your senses. The fragrance of wild flowers mixed with the chill of the winter air will make you ask questions like “Is it worth staying in Cities and running after the “A” ratings in the PMS exercises of organizations which hardly care about you. There may not be Tigers roaring always, but you can sense its presence around. Now that’s what I call a Leader. The leadership competency can’t be taught in the most expensive Programmes that Corporates are blindly spending on and making the Trainers their “Apple of the Eyes”. I am sorry to state this being in the HR function. The black striped, yellow furred beauty may be kilometers away but the King of the Jungle will have it’s rules clearly written on every nook and corner of the Forest. The rules set by the King of the jungle are imprinted in your mind even though there are no so called “Vision, Mission and Values” printed on glossy cardboard cuttings and fixed on false walls of security. The corporates are the most insecure and so are the employees. And here is a king who actually lives like a king with a pride unlike the CEOs of organizations who are busy calculating the pay perks, attending High Teas and travelling in Business Classes. “What am I doing?” was the question I kept on asking before falling asleep amidst the beauty of Satkosia in a setting flanked by gorgeous bottle green waters of Mahanadi, surrounded by the wooded hills engulfed by the setting mist and lighted by the twinkling fireflies. It was one of the wonderful nights that I have experienced in recent years. I thanked the “Raja Chaudhary” in me.

Inside our Cozy Tent

As the alarm bell rang at 5 in the morning, we were on the banks in a flash. The setting was perfect and I was unable to control my excitement. The mist rising from the frozen waters of Mahanadi was unbelievable. This setting was what I had exactly expected last evening and had told Bubun. I was able to sense what the place was going to turn in to coming few minutes. We both waited and my long term enemy, impatience had completely overpowered me. I was unable to wait for the Sun to rise and so was my friend who in decades had got out of the bed so early to see the beautiful sunrise at Satkosia Gorge. Camera was ready, shutter was rearing to open up, cells were heating up to pump in energy and more importantly fingers were readily placed on the button sensing the smoothness of the alloy. From behind the Garhjat range of hills, came out the sun lightening the mists. The way candle flickers, sun had set the water flickering. One of the most amazing sites that one can come across. In matter of 10 minutes i captured something like 100 photographs and from every possible angle and point. In the morning winter, mist on the river was rising as if somebody had put the whole area on fire. I felt so overwhelmed and rich. It was my state...my Orissa. So beautiful and so much treasure hidden from the rest of the world and perhaps from Oriyas living in Orissa itself.

Amazing Satkosia at the dawn

For your desktop

Gorgeous Gorge

Colours of Satkosia

Enjoying the Sunrise and Cofee in one splendind Winter Morning....
a dream come true

Fireworks on water...unbelievable

Baisipali Side standing tall

Sellable

I am blessed to be here

After having breakfast , it was time for us to leave the eco tourism complex at Tikarpada and move towards exploring the rest of Satkosia. Some of the places on the itinerary were Kandhaida Game tank,Bhimdhara,Purunakot and of course who can forget Labangi Forest Rest House.Reason....Rahul Bose had described its beauty in the movie Mr and Mrs Iyer.

Coming Up....
Day 2 at Satkosia in detail with photographs.

Satkosia Baisipali Gorge Sanctuary (Nayagarh Side)

2010-01-03T20:44:00.018+05:30

“Its in genes”, they say and slowly I have started to believe Crick and Watson’s DNA Stranded model. My grandfather, Late Shree Banchanidhi Naik had walked through the forests of Orissa protecting Wild Animals during British Raj as Asst Conservator of Forests and would have felt proud had he seen me making forests and sanctuaries of Orissa my second love. Perhaps one of the codes if you decode in my genes would be WILDLIFE.I have never seen him and I am sure he would have felt even more proud to see his grandson exploring the virgin and serene forests of Nayagarh, town being my ancestral place. Back in August this year, idea of coming to Baisipalli Sanctuary and leading a laidback life amongst wilderness of forests at least for 2 days came. Planning...re-planning...phone calls....letters and continuous enquiry from different quarters led to the final plan. 18th of Dec me and Siddhu were supposed to leave for Bhubaneswar from Pune. Bubun was to join us at Bhubaneswar. On the target were Baisipalli, Satkosia and Bhitarkanika. 16th evening I came to know that I will be travelling alone to Bhubaneswar. Siddhu because of some unavoidable circumstances had to part away from the plans. On 20th evening,me and Bubun left for Nayagarh. Plan was to leave for Nayagarh around in the evening and reach there at 6. After meeting my relatives over there for half an hour, we were supposed to leave for Chammundia,a place inside Baisipalli Sanctuary.Route to be followed as per Road Map was to Daspalla and then to Chammundia. But I was told at Nayagarh that the route is not that good and in the evening it may not be that wise to travel to Chamundia, the entry point of Baisipalli Sanctuary. I took the advise and we stayed at my Aunt’s place. This gave me a chance to visit our ancestral property at Lenkudipara, a small village about 5 kms from Nayagarh Town towards Orhgan(Odgaon).Early in the morning next day ,around 5:30 we left for Baisipalli along the other route ie Khandapda(Khandapara),Gania and then to Chamundia FRH,the entry point of Baisipalli Sanctuary.Every thing was fine until we reached a place called Diyakanpari. To our shock, the Bridge over Brutanga River was broken.From that point Chamundia is some 4 kms. “Oh God so near yet so far”; I said to myself and enquired with the local Chaiwala about any other route. One old man said that he will make us cross the river at another place and will charge fifty rupees for the same.With all the excitement of crossing the river, we did began our journey in Bolero.

Broken Bridge on Brutanga River

As we reached the river at one place, Driver Pravash and the old man crossed the river walking which gave me and Bubun a lot of confidence that our Bolero will be able to cross the river which was half knee in depth.

The point on Brutanga River where we crossed to other side

There came the second shocker....our vehicle was in the middle of the river , stuck in the sand and flowing water.Brutanga had a lot of surprise in store for us. After trying for half an hour with no result,driver gave up and was cursing us for this fate of his vehicle. To our delight and hope, we saw some forest guards coming from the other side of the Bank. They were from the Kimbharkani Beat House in the sanctuary.Our Mesihas had brought some wooden planks with them. Perhaps they knew the technique. But this happiness was short lived. Even their attempt was futile. I crossed the river and reached Kimbharkani village to find some help and hopefully the sole tractor present. We had planned of bringing the Tractor to pull the vehicle out of the river. Tractor owner Rabi Narayan Sahu was quite hesitant to put his tractor at risk. But it was so nice of him to assure me that he will help me out and will put all his efforts to bring out the vehicle. He called some 7-8 guys from the village and we reached the point where the vehicle had got stuck. With all the efforts and enthu; Bolero pulled out of the river with full throttle. We thanked the villagers and the forest guards and drove down another 4 kms to reach Chamundia entry point of Baisipalli Sanctuary.

Villagers pumping in full energy

After showing our permit to the Ranger, we occupied the room at Forest Rest House which had typical British type archaeology.This Forest Guest Houses are reminiscent of Raj where in Gora Sahebs would come in frequently along with the princely kings for Shikar.Though Chamundia does not belong to that era as it was established sometime in late 60s.

Chamundia(Chammundia) Forest Rest House

As Bubun was getting ready I was eager to gather in forest guards and have a chat. Mr Satpathy, the Ranger came and told us about the plans.I was trying to impress them by saying that I have a lot of idea about Forests of Orissa and was so happy to have come to Baisipalli Sanctuary and photograph it for the first time. He said “ But this is not Baisipali Sanctuary! This is Satkosia Sanctuary.” I had gathered all the confusing information from Net and wrongly interpreted everything. First of all buggers don’t visit places and put all the copied material and secondly, they should have little sense of writing contents or else people who would follow them would be in mess. Luckily for me it was not a mess as i wanted to take some pics of this side(Nayagarh) of Mahanadi. Whole crowd visits the Angul Side of Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary and I was told by one of the Forest Guards that we were the first visitor since March’09. This was a sense of pride for us. Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary is divided in to two parts, one Angul Side belonging to Angul Forest Division and Nayagarh Side belonging to Mahanadi Wildlife Division.

Without wasting any time, at 10:30 am we left for Boat Ride on Satkosia Gorge from Badmul. Its the place on downstream of River Mahanadi where the Gorge ends and slowly becomes wide. So we had to travel upstream. Plan was to go ahead till Binika(Binika) , 22 kms up where the gorge starts.Satkoisa means Sata Kosa or 14 Miles i.e roughly 22 kms and is supposedly one of the deepest and longest Gorges in Asia. As we drove down the road towards Badmul Beat House, one of the forest guards ,Raut babu accompanied us. At Badmul Beat house we were again joined by one Boat man and his assistant. That was the first time I had the spectacular view of the Gorge. Journey on the boat started towards upstream. Great river Mahanadi flanked by hills on both sides was so calm and serene; perhaps at its beauty best at this place during its whole course from Chattisgarh to Bay of Bengal. We were told that it was almost 150 ft deep at some places. That did send a chill down the spine. This chill slowly graduated to freezing point at the first sight of a 15 ft Crocodile basking on the right bank.

As we gradually moved up the stream and approached Kuturi (Kutri) on the left bank, sun was setting creating a sparkle on the river. We had skipped our lunch and moreover who cares about lunch when Satkosia is beckons you. But the boat ride became more enjoyful when pakoda was taken out from the bag. Bubun had hurriedly packed some pakodas from Bethia Sahi near Badmul. Boat ride on the majestic Mahanadi, deep bottle green waters of the Satkosia gorge, basking crocodiles on both the flanks and gulping down pakodas sitting on the boat listening to Crocodile and Tiger Stories from the Boat men.....I felt like a king.

We had to return back from Kuturi as it was getting dark. I could see tents hooked up at a far distance on white sands. That was Eco tourism Complex of Tikarpada in Angul Side of Satkosia. We were supposed to go that side next day and bookings had already been done.As we moved down stream river became more wider and wider.It is narrower at Tikarpada and wider at Badmul.By this time Crocodiles had become our friends and sightings had become quite usual.We anchored our boat near Badmul IB. This IB as parched on a height and sight of the gorge down below is awesome. One can just sit and sit through out and there is no doubt that Shakespeares would emerge out everyone’s soul just by viewing the awesome sight down below. Bookings of this IB is done at Khurda PWD office. This is actually situated in the core area of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

Badmul IB...spectacular view of the gorge

We thanked our boatman and promised him to come back in the night for a Safari for some animal spotting. Raut Babu had already passed on the information to someone in Kuturi FRH that we were coming for a night safari to Kuturi around 10 pm. We returned back to our Rest House at Chammundia. Had our lunch comprising of awesome fish curry and rice. Food was awesome prepared by the Chowkidar of Chamundia FRH. After the lunch as Bubun took rest, I went out to see the local Chamundia Bazar, around 10-12 shops and a small post office that’s it. That was perhaps the smallest post office that I have seen till date but good thing is that at least there was one.

Our Night Safari started

It was 8 in the evening and as usual my curiosity to hear Tiger Stories had led to some 3-4 people sitting on the verhandah and anecdotes flowing like a free flowing stream. There are not many Tigers in the reserve, may be some 6-7 and they are finding it hard to survive. Good thing is that there is very less almost nil poaching that is happening currently thanks to the awareness amongst villagers in the core area due to various programmes and campaigns run by Forest Department.Wood Mafias have become dormant because of widespread opposition from the villagers.So hopefully after 4-5 years one may get to see more tigers here.

By 9, we did leave for Kuturi in our Jeep and were accompanied by 2 forest officials. As we entered the core area around 10 in the night, there was thick fog that had settled on the road and visibility was somewhere around 10m. A new salt lick has been constructed at Kutri. We all entered the forest on foot and walked for almost 600 m to see the salt lick. Some porcupines had crossed the path just sometimes back leaving behind some half eaten harida fruits. There was complete darkness except for flickering torch lights. It was complete adventure as you don’t have any idea about what lies ahead on the path and inside the bushes nearby. There is a small waterfall inside the forest and gushing sound of water was indicator of that. After sighting some wild boars near the saltlick we bid adieu to the Kutri Forest officials and returned back to Chamundia FRH. On the way back we could see the broken Forest Guest House at Kutri which had got damaged during the last monsoons.Tired of the whole days activities, it was time for me to snore in peace (horrid for others).

Next Morning it was time for us to leave Chamundia and move to Tikarpada on the Angul side. Route to be followed was Chamundia-Ghuguripada-Daspalla-Gania-Rajakia Chaka-Narsinghpur-Budhabudhi Ghat-Hindola-Angul-Birkera-Pampasar-Tikarpada.Travel back till Ghuguripada was one of the worst experience for our poor driver. We took a village road to Ghuguripada about 10kms from Chammundia .Again another bridge at Ghuguripada over Burtanga(Brutanga) river was broken but atleast there was a cement platform over which we could cross over the river. As we crossed the river, I could see the Hiils of Satkosia in the backdrop standing tall and with pride hiding one of the unexplored spectacular gorges of the world-Satkosia.

On the top of Buddha Buddhi ghat

Future of India

COMING UP----AMAZING SATKOSIA AT TIKARPADA

Ready to Travel in Orissa after Awesome food in Dhabas

2009-09-19T10:05:00.008+05:30

Grey smoke coming from Thatched roofs, Chullas glowing with red hot Charcoal, sound of Chillies and Onions crackling in hot pans, dialogues of latest Jatra ( Theatre)oozing out from localy made Sound Systems, Tata and Leyland Trucks lined up for repairing and refuelling..welcome to a phenomena called as “ Dhaba”. This write-up is dedicated to those infamous cooks who over the years have fed millions of hungry drivers responsible for taking trucks from North to South and East to West of India. As i sit in my cosy drawing room in Pune and enjoy the much awaited showers of Monsoon, one thing that surely I am missing is that all time favourite dish of mine- Anda Tadka, found in almost all the roadside dhabas of Orissa. Mixture of Boiled lentils of various types and fried eggs with handful of Raw ,lightly battered Garlic ,a splash of Chicken Gravy ,sprinkle of dried Methi and green Coriander leaves gives birth to this tongue arousing dish called Anda Tadka. Dhabas in Orissa are almost synonymous with Tadka and has to be the one of the essential dishes during a full lunch or dinner. How many times, i would have biked on lonely highways along with my friends to gulp down Tadka, Chicken fry, Mutton curry in one of those numerous roadside dhabas on state and national Highways. Amidst lush green forests with Cuckooing sounds of Cuckoo , sitting on a roped cot with wooden plank in between for eating purpose, and with all khati friends, one can only say that Life was so beautiful and easy. Though I would say, it’s still is.

I have had experience of having food in Dhabas in different parts of Orissa and can tell you that kind of Mutton Curry that you get in eateries in and around Western Orissa and Northern Orissa is better than that you get in Costal Orissa. I am not sure of the logic but one of my friends tells me that quality of meat from Goats that graze in Hilly areas is of better quality as compared to that of Goats that graze in plains. One of the best mutton curries I had was in a small Dhaba near Rourkela. About 20 kms from Rourkela and on the way to Rajamunda, you have this small dhaba at Lathikata. For mere 60 Rupees you get awesome Curry over there and quantity is simply unmatchable. And there is some aura about this place. Green Sal trees all around,NH 215 in front and the Railway Track (line to Barsuan) on the Rear, one gets a feeling of a complete picture on canvas. Another place that I had good experience was at Sukha Dhaba on the way to Bargarh.

But score settles when it comes to Fish ,Prawn and Crab Items. First of all you will not get Crabs and Prawns in Dhabas of Western Orissa. Secondly preparation is not of that standard as you find in Dhabas of Costal Orissa.For example ,kind of fish items that you get at Chilika Dhaba on the way to Balugaon is out of the world.Okay some foodies may argue that Chilika Lake being near to the place you get fresh products but still then I have my opinions reserved.

But disappointing places as against my expectations and kind of food fame that they hold in foodies circle has been dhabas like “ Yuvraj” and all those places near Khuntuni on the Dhenkanal stretch. Same way it has been always a bad experience on the Deogarh-Kendujhar Stretch of NH6. Virtually you get nothing except for Usuna Bhata(Boiled Rice) ,Dal and Mixture(mixed vegetables curry) on this stretch. And how can I forget the Rajamunda Circle. There are so many of these dhabas but they will not meet your expectations; be it quality of food or santitation. May be one of the hypothesis that I can draw is that roads on these stretches are mainly used by Dumpers which are used for transporting of Iron Ores. And kind of payment Dumper drivers get is quite less. So Dhaba owners strategise by selling only Rice, Dal and Mixture. At best you will get Fish curry and Chicken Curry. But they taste as if some body has dipped Bolied fish in Red Chilly water.

And then the stretch of Sathipur- Balasore, where you not only get food but also great milk products. Have a good lunch and then go for a Glass of hot milk or Rabri. Try out Rabri of Balia Dhaba near Sathipur.
In good old days when there were no Inns or Roadside good quality restaurants like you see the Reliance A1s, there would be huge dhabas with all the facilities. A small tank with water for bathing and cleaning purpose of the Drivers, cots lined up for them to sleep. You would see Sardarjis taking out cans of Desi Ghees brought from Punjab and coating the Rotis till it starts over flowing like their never ending jokes on Prostitutes of GT Road .It would be the only time when they would get some time to discuss about their farmlands back in Punjab, their children, dacoity near the Jamshola Ghat and the bravery with which they would have fought the Dacoits, Makei ki roti and Sarso ka saag, Army Canteen’s Bagpiper and Buxom Punjabi female folk singers. Some of the Dhabas have also been raided many times by Police for running parallel business of Prostitution. This is not that common in Orissa as compared to some of the other states. Many of Sardarjis who run Dhabas on Angul section of NH6 were some time or the other Drivers. Perhaps they were destined to be part of Orissa and make it new homeland. You will find n number of them in Kendujhar running garages and dhabas.

There has been many stories of good Cooks who would show Entrepreneurial Skills and would start their own ventures. In most of the cases it would be the Dhaba in front of the old employer’s joint making mockery of the old employer. Drivers who would be regular on the route end up making friendship with the good cooks and eventually stop at only those dhabas where these people worked ensuring that they get good food and original whiskies.

I would end the article with some peculiar things about the Dhabas. Don’t get astonished if an Oriya calls a 16 wheeler something like “Line Truck” or “ Andhra Truck” that’s because they have seen trucks moving in line and most of being from Andhra Pradesh. If you ask me to design an universally applicable logo to symbolise Dhabas, then I would go for a logo of some chiilies placed on salt laden plate. These plates can be seen on the Tables and the wooden planks kept on the cots in almost dhabas. In almost all the plates you would find some of the chillies standing apart after having turned reddish. If there is a Ghat road, be sure that it would start with a line of Dhabas and end with three four. This is because the gigantic 16 wheelers (peculiarly called in Oriya as Solah Chakia) and Trailers would require to gather some breath and then proceed. I have watched these scenes numerous times at Suakathi, beginning of Kanjipani Ghat from Pallalahara side on NH 6. Drivers and helpers would sip cups of Tea and locally baked biscuits, popularly known as Nadua. Helpers would tap the tyres with a spanner to check the resonating sound. A good vibration means tyres are perfect and there are no flat ones in making. It’s time to move on with full throttle. Trucks will go on roaring while climbing the Ghat leaving behind a trail of Black smoke and one would be able to see from behind those famous lines “ Buri Nazar Waale......Tera Moonh Kala”.

Matheran...Monsoons and Railways

2009-08-30T01:33:00.006+05:30

Morning Express

Along the wind-swept platform, pinched and white,
The travellers stand in pools of wintry light,
Offering themselves to morn’s long slanting arrows.
The train’s due; porters trundle laden barrows.
The train steams in, volleying resplendent clouds
Of sun-blown vapour. Hither and about,
Scared people hurry, storming the doors in crowds.
The officials seem to waken with a shout,
Resolved to hoist and plunder; some to the vans
Leap; others rumble the milk in gleaming cans.
Boys, indolent-eyed, from baskets leaning back,
Question each face; a man with a hammer steals
Stooping from coach to coach; with clang and clack,
Touches and tests, and listens to the wheels.
Guard sounds a warning whistle, points to the clock
With brandished flag, and on his folded flock
Claps the last door: the monster grunts; ‘Enough!’
Tightening his load of links with pant and puff.
Under the arch, then forth into blue day;
Glide the processional windows on their way,
And glimpse the stately folk who sit at ease
To view the world like kings taking the seas
In prosperous weather: drifting banners tell
Their progress to the counties; with them goes
The clamour of their journeying; while those
Who sped them stand to wave a last farewell.

A poem written by:
SIEGFRIED SASSOON

Taken from http://www.railwaybritain.co.uk/railway%20poems.html

Tamhini Ghat in Monsoons

2009-08-30T00:19:00.004+05:30

Route Followed:
Pune-Pirangut-Paud-Mulshi-Tamhini Ghat
Back to Pune on the same route.
Total Kms-Around 200 kms(both ways)
Please note that Petrol Pump is only avaialable at Pirangut. There are no ATMs on this route.

Trek to Lohgad Fort

2009-07-16T10:07:00.007+05:30

Stay at MTDC Karla....Moved to Bhaje Village...Trekked up to Lohgad passing through the foothills of Visapur fort..Return to Karla and then Pune

Hiking in Malvan & Sinhdurg Fort- Day 3

2009-06-07T19:20:00.005+05:30

Snorkling in Sinhdurg

Kokam Fruits

Trip Comes to an end----Enjoying the sunset at Amboli Ghat on the way back to Kolhapur

Route Followed:
Tarkarli----Sawantwadi---Amboli Ghat---Kolhapur