After an hour of careful packing by my sister, we set out to Baroda’s Bus stand at 6:30 in the morning. Our cousin Teju would accompany us in our trip to India’s Gir National Park and Lion reserve. Though there was no direct bus to SasanGir, the entry point into the National Park, there was one that would take us to the halfway point, Rajkot. The bus was taxiing on first gear when we caught up and flagged it down.
The bus, as is often the case with state transport Buses, was a dilapidated collection of metal. I found it quite extraordinary that this old lady still managed to carry about seventy five passengers (while the capacity was just forty five) to and from its destination about three
hundred kilometers away everyday. What is more, I had heard that she had been doing this for the last forty two years! What was most amusing about the ride though, was the way the roof of the bus leaked when it rained. You would be mistaken if you thought that we were seated at an unlucky seat. Almost every local inhabitant was well equipped and many of them hid under their raincoat! We took the cue and pulled out our jackets.
After a sumptuous lunch at a restaurant close to the bus stand and a small walk to help digest the rich Gujrathi food, our journey resumed. We reached Junagarh by around five, and, as we wanted to settle down in a Gir hotel before dark, we caught another state transport bus immediately. This bus was a tad cleaner, and was not over crowded. Teju dint take much time to co
mment, “Now, is this not a nice bus!”. Sure it was after the afternoon journey, but had we seen the same bus any other time, our reaction, I assure you, would have been quite different.
We reached SasanGir at 7 PM, and went straight to the forest Guest House. I had cajoled my sister into calling up one of Project Tiger’s pioneers, Fa teh Singh Rathore, whom she had interviewed a month earlier for a column in a Daily local. She was a great wildlife enthusiast, and had visited quite a few wildlife sanctuaries earlier. Her last trip to Ranthambore Tiger reserve was where she met Mr Rathore. Rathore was an elderly man, and is given the lions’ share of the credit for bringing back Tigers from the brink of extinction. He had taken kindly to my sister, and when she requested that he try and get us reservation at Gir’s Forest Guest House, he did not disappoint. The manager allocated a spacious room, but gave us some damaging news. He said that the onset of the monsoons had forced the forest administration to shut the jungle down for visitors. They feared that even 4x4’s would get stuck in the slush, and pose a great risk for those inside it. My heart fell, and I even considered the option of turning on our heels and heading back to the cosy comfort of my uncle’s home in Baroda.
My sister and I are outdoor enthusiasts, and cannot resist a visit to the nearby forest, swamp or hill every fortnight. It was very possible that I would have a very busy work schedule the next six months, and a little egging from my sister was all the excuse I needed to plan this big trip to Gir. We would leave Pune, take a stop over at my uncle’s place in Baroda, visit Gir, the entire trip taking us about a week.
Mridula was a bubbly kid of thirteen, and every moment around her was filled with some mischief. We are a great pair and absolutely enjoy each other’s company. I have great love for her, and she is the apple of my eye in no uncertain terms.
Teju on the other hand, was a partner in crime when he used to stay in Pune. Long ago, when we were kids, we crept into my home from a window, stole some goodies, and were gorging ourselves on them when we heard my mother unlocking the door. It took a burglars stealthy movements to maneuver from room to room and finally find our way out of the house from the same window, unnoticed! Each time we meet even now, we narrate this tale again and roll on the floor laughing at our antics!
Hiding my disappointment with the developments from my sister, I scouted around the village of Sasan, looking for someone who would help us out in our predicament. We would have to thank our lucky stars that the owner of the restaurant at which we had dinner introduced us to a guide. This guide was a puny dark looking man of medium height, and called himself Manoj. He had clean and good skin, as do most Gujrathis. What was exceptional about him though, were his big brown eyes. They were so big that even when he opened his eyes wide, his iris would not be completely visible.
“Vehicles are not allowed inside the jungle” he said. “But we can walk into it”. I had a fair idea that walking inside the jungle was not risk free, and I asked him about it. “Oh Sir, don’t worry about that. The jungle does not hurt those who stay within their limits. If you don’t do anything atrocious like touching the lions cub, or its kill, they are never interested in harming you”. The deal was settled and we were to meet at six in the morning. As we parted, I told him, “You have such big eyes, I think that is what helps you spot animals in the wild, making you a good guide. We had a hearty laugh, and parted with a good feeling about each other.”
It was pouring down heavily at 6 in the morning. The guide brought an umbrella, and absolutely nothing else. After much cajoling, he brought me a pipe which I wanted to use in self defence, but he did not forget to make a little mockery about what he perceived to be my arrogance, “So you think you can defend yourself from a lion with this pipe!” I told him that in the eventuality, he should take care of my little sister, and that my brother and myself would fend for ourselves.
After a half hours trudge, we entered the forest. It was a bit frightening in the beginning, but as we went along, things got better. The rain stopped, and the three of us were having a light hearted banter. My sister was an avid birdwatcher, and pointed out quite a few interesting birds. The cormorant topped them all. She said that Chinese fishermen used that bird to catch fish. The presence of the bird also meant that we were close to a river or lake. Then it was that close to a puddle about 30 metres away, I spotted a jackal. He was drinking water, but at our approach, he quickly withdrew and started in a different direction. It was a decently big animal, but one that is timid, and does not want to get in our way. What was noticeable though, was the look of cunning in its eyes. It was instantly clear that this chap would never attack from the front. He would attack its prey from behind, and would do so with help from his comrades. The jackal hardly took his eyes off us. He would have a look at the road ahead for about 10 metres, and then trot in that direction while keeping his eyes steadily on us, watching our every move. His jaw was open and his tongue was sagging out. All in all, he did not seem the most comfortable chap to share land with.
Another half hour’s trekking brought us to a small river. It was divided into two parts and each part was not more than 15 feet wide. The water though, was cold and not very inviting. “Are there crocodiles around here?” I asked Manoj. “Sometimes. Unlikely though”. The three of us scanned the surface of the stream for the two dots that form the eyes of the crocodile. That is the only portion of the crocodile that is visible when they are out to hunt. Nothing was visible, and we stepped into the water. We crossed the first part of the river without much trouble. But in the second stream, every step that we took brought us a little deeper. At the deepest point, I was chest deep in this jungle stream.
We crossed over, and found that there was a star jungle resort on
the other side. They offered tents to accommodate us, and the off-season rates lured us into them. I would have to admit that the tent offered us some great luxury, with air coolers, a changing room, bath tub, and fantastic comfortable beds. After a little debate about who would get to use the bath tub first, we each spent a good half hour in there. Nothing like lazing around in a bath tub after a tough trek in the jungle. I found myself splashing around in the water like a baby elephant in a pond. It was great.
Before we could have an hours rest, it was 4, and Manoj was already waiting to take us for the second trek of the day. We had a night safari planned in a jeep, and could not afford more than a couple of hours for this walk.
Manoj told us that he had heard of a kill in the jungle nearby. A lioness had killed a spotted deer. We hurried after Manoj. The sky was overcast, and there was intermittent downpour for a couple of minutes followed by the dull overcast conditions. This trek was more of a tense affair. After a half hour walk, we reached a valley of sorts. To the North West and North East, were small hills. To the South was a range of hills. Beyond the Northern hills were farms owned by villagers. This valley was quite a vantage point and we could see clearly for a kilometer or so in all directions. But, Manoj had another point of view. “This is also a place where we can be spotted easily. The lion is no threat. It is an animal that has learned to co-exist with us. It is the leopard that poses a threat to us. If you see a leopard in front of you, you can almost always be sure that within a few minutes, it will be behind you. The leopard never attacks from the front. Also, if you see any predator in an aggressive mood, don’t run or yell. Stay there and look it in the eyes.”
We dint spend much time in the open. Instead, we started walking into the jungle. Ten minutes into the walk, Manoj suddenly told us to stay where we were. He seemed to have spotted something. He walked in the direction of the sound. The rain had started pouring again, and it was very unnerving for us standing there then. The three of us then formed a triangle and stood with our backs to each other. We were looking in different directions for signs of danger.
Manoj came back after about five minutes. “Not even a damned rabbit” he exclaimed. We continued the tense walk. Every few seconds, I looked back to see if I could spot any signs of a leopard. Walking into the jungle was illegal, simply for the reason that it was too dangerous, but the jungle being shut down had left us with little option. Given another chance, I would probably not take this risk.
It started getting darker, and the jungle continued to get thicker. The trees in Gir are short and bore few leaves when we were there. It was ideal territory for the lion. We walked on. Shortly, we came to an opening. There was a stony hill the left and some odd shaped stones lying around with a rare spattering of animal bones. My sister told me that she had had enough. I let Manoj know. He said that we going to hit a road very soon. And sure enough, we hit one in another ten minutes. And remarkably, it was the road right next to our resort. As far as I could tell, we were heading North from the resort, and never once did we take a turn. How it was that we reached the resort again was a complete mystery. We were probably taking small five degree turns, I reasoned. But, in any case, I got an inkling as to why people say that the jungle is the easiest place to lose yourself.
Another short rest later, our jeep arrived, and took us to a cosy village house. That was where we were going to have our dinner. In Gujarat, infact in all of North India, potatoes are staple food. It is very rare to find food that does not have potatoes swimming amidst a generous dose of oil. I requested the kind village lady for some curry that does not have potatoes. “In that case, is Cabbage Potato curry fine with you?” she asked.
At ten in the Night, we left for the Safari. A cow had been killed by a male lion, and we were to head straight for the carcass. I did tell Manoj that the entire point of the exercise was not to sight a lion, but to get a feel of the jungle. If we do spot a lion, it’s an added bonus.
Midway, we stopped. “If you want to empty your bladder, this is the last spot. For the next few hours, you will not be able to get down from the jeep” the driver said. A half hour later, we reached the kill. It was a small cow which was killed, but not yet torn open or eaten. The villagers who owned the cow had not allowed the lion to eat it, and this had agitated the lion greatly, I learned. The villager who owned the cow would be re-imbursed five thousand rupees by the forest department, but I was seeing here, first hand, the conflict that man had taken up with nature.
We had another car with us, and three guides in all. Two of them were villagers, and one, a forest department employee. They got down from the vehicle and congregated in the mud off the road. They stood close to each other and shone their powerful torches in the same direction. After surveying the area, they returned with news that the lion was not in that area just then. We headed for another area. Enroute, we saw some Nilgai, the largest deer in India. It was very big, nearly the size of a buffalo. We also saw some spotted deer and black buck. As we headed deeper into the jungle, the number of spotted deer just multiplied. They could be seen in herds of hundreds. There was one spotted deer though that took the cake. It was a fawn, which had buried a small pit for itself and was lying down there with its front paw below its face. It was right next to the jeep, and its big eyes were really endearing.
We halted next at a crossroad. There, sitting on a small mound was a wild cat. Much larger than its domestic counterpart, it had large triangular ears, and when it yawned, the size of its mouth quite took me back. We also spotted a wild ass, one of the rare and endangered species, which can be found only in Gujarat.
All of a sudden, our guide came running back to the car. He had heard the roar of the lion and he directed the driver in its direction. A couple of turns later, we entered a slushy road. The rear end of the jeep veered left and right, and we were praying that it does not get stuck. And then, just that happened. The rear wheels were rotating exactly at the same spot in the land. It was only then that the driver engaged the four wheel drive, and with a little jerk, we got out of the rut. It was a harrowing, but exciting experience.
The clock, meanwhile, had already struck two in the morning, and we had a train to catch at 7. I directed the driver to get back home, and we got back by three. We got to see some spotted deer, nilgai and tortoises on our way back.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I will definitely make another trip to this destination. And this time, I will make it a long, one week trip!
