It is 4am in the morning and the eyes are still getting used
to the darkness around . An icy breeze tugs at you, awakening the silent waters
of the River Kosi flowing through our Club Mahindra resort. Standing on the banks of the
river, I watch the moonlit ridges of the mountains, towering above, almost
touching the jeweled sky. While some of my fellow travelers are star gazing, a
few are attempting night photography. I , for one am just lost in the silence.
The summons arrive on the mobile and we are hurriedly on our
way to keep up our date with the tiger in the forests of Corbett . It is our
second attempt out there to meet the most coveted denizen of the jungle, having
spent an entire day in the wilds . But the tiger probably was aware that almost
20 vehicles would be entering through the Jhirna zone for a rendezvous. So it
left us high and dry, leaving behind its pugmarks as we saw several jeeps
bringing in all types of tourists including international students who would
break into a jig at the very sight of even a deer. We did see several birds,
butterflies and smaller mammals, but for the “tiger tourists”, the sightings
were just not enough.
Today , however as we board our jeeps, there is a feeling of
hope. It is an auspicious moment, as the Bijrani Gate of the Jim Corbett
National Park is to be
opened today ,months after the monsoons.
The other gates, am told are still closed.
As we drive away in the darkness, hoping for an
encounter, we have no idea what is in store for us .The experience
begins at the government office in Ramnagar.. A couple of members from our
group are already waiting there for the last hour to get the requisite permits
and documents for the safari. I am told it’s a bit of luck and some push here
and there. Then we see the never ending queue for the permits. And that is when
I learn a bit about the trappings of tiger tourism . We wait there for what
seems like hours.
Finally there are smiles all around as we make our way to
the gate. And then the never ending wait begins as another 20 odd jeeps queue
up around. Dawn breaks and the sunlight filters as restlessness sets in. The
drivers exchange notes and the topic of discussion veers around the recent strike
by the forest guides who are demanding more rights. “In fact “says my driver “the
opening of the gates was postponed by a few days because of the strike. “ I ask him why we are still waiting and he says
some officials have to come. We laugh
wondering if there is some form of an opening ceremony and to my surprise, a
television crew lands . The interviews with the officials are on ; the
cameraman takes some footage of us , sleepy eyed and hungry waiting to enter
the national park . And finally after more teas and pakodas, the green signal
is given and after almost a couple of hours wait, we enter the national park
The sunlight filters through the tall sal trees as we drive
along the safari route of this deciduous forests, squinting through the dense
foliage . The naturalist in our group Karthikeyan Srinivasan keeps us engaged ,
spotting birds , spiders and small mammals. . Corbett he says has about 600 species of
birds, of the 1200 recorded in India.
We spot a mongoose , while our friends see the rare yellow throated marten
,besides langurs and deer . But then the tiger, probably having spotted the
jeep load of tourists, has again moved on , leaving its footprints on the sands
of time. As we head back, the birders in our group are happy , but the tiger
tourists are a tad disappointed .
As for me, Corbett is more to do with the man, Jim Corbett himself than about the tigers he
hunted .Corbett National
Park, the oldest in India
was earlier known as Hailey
National Park before it
took the name of the famous naturalist, author of several books. And having
grown up on his “Man eaters of Kumaon,” I saw the villages and the forests
vividly in front of my eyes, as I had imagined while reading the book.
My favourite memory of Corbett is visiting his house, now a
museum in Kaladhungi, walking around it,
looking at the paintings and imagining him being on call from villagers when a
man-eater struck in their hamlets. And as I walk away , his words remain in my
mind .. “A tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with
boundless courage and that when he is exterminated - as exterminated he will be
unless public opinion rallies to his support - India will be the poorer by
having lost the finest of her fauna. “
However, I am sure, I will get a glimpse of this “large hearted gentleman “someday in the
forests .
