The Hindu Business Line : Bengal's own rhino land

The call of the wild has, for me, always been irresistible. So when friends suggested a short break to the jungles of North Bengal, I jumped at the idea.

We left Kolkata on a rather cold night and reached New Jalpaiguri, about 500 km north, 10 hours later. The snowline of the Kanchenjunga greeted us from behind a veil of mist as if in a welcome. But we were in a hurry to head for the jungles of Jaldapara — our first stop. Situated at the foothills of the Himalayas on the banks of the Torsa river, it is famously home to a sizeable number of one-horned Indian rhinos. It also has the largest number of pachyderms, after Kaziranga in Assam.

Our date with the rhino began early in our trip and bang in front of our lodge, where a salt-lick attracts the animals. Close behind was a huge bison, also known as gaur in these parts. However nothing prepared us for the thrill of the elephant-ride taken in the wee hours the next day.

The one-hour ride through grasslands and dense patches of forest was nothing short of an adventure as the huge animal trundled along what seemed to be near-impossible tracks. One swerves, ducks to escape being scratched by a tricky creeper, shivers in the cold but, in the end, is left spellbound by the beauty and serenity of the forest as the first rays of the sun seep in at daybreak.

We saw hog deer jumping for cover amid the shallow grass, and peacocks and numerous birds. A rhino snuggles up to the elephant but retreats on seeing the mounted onlookers. Along with a variety of fauna (including a small number of tigers and leopards), the 213 sq km forest abounds in avian delights especially during winter.

The Hollong Tourist Lodge itself is a piece of history, in existence for over 40 years. It takes its name from the rivulet flowing past, marking a thin segregation from the vast deciduous forest beyond.It is easy to see why this was a preferred destination for a former West Bengal chief minister who visited often, to spend quiet days here in the wild, during his long tenure.

A rescue centre for leopards that strayed into human habitats and tea gardens is also located an hour's drive away. There are paddleboats and a coffee-shop close by. A solar-powered car allows one to get close to the cats, for whom a jungle environment has been simulated to give a feeling of home. A short distance away is the state government's project for housing circus animals.

Picturesque Phuntsholling

Tucked away in the Himalayas from the prying eyes of the tourist is the Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan and we decided to make a short trip to Phuntsholling — a quaint town on the Bengal-Bhutan border. The highlight of the half-day sojourn was the Kharbandi monastery on a hilltop. We were told that this picturesque monastery, as also most others in Bhutan, are built without the use of a single nail. We did not have time to check this out and were anyway too captivated by the beauty of the place festooned with prayer flags fluttering in the wind.

Our next stop is another reserve forest in North Bengal called Gorumara. The lodge there, run by the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation, is situated on the banks of the Murthy river, a tributary of the Torsa. The forest is just a walk away, as we discovered, although the hotel staff had marked it as forbidden area sans a proper guide. We decided to spend our evening with the local people. The tribal dance programme at a nearby villageprovided a glimpse into their lives, besides adding a different flavour to our jungle safari.

The Oraon tribals entertained us for over an hour with the dance programme conducted in the angan (open courtyard) of a house, the bamboo plantation providing the backdrop. These tribal men and women work either as farmhands or as teagarden workers and gave a fine performance of dances that they normally perform during marriages, Christmas (many are Christians) and Durga Puja. This project was the brainchild of a former district magistrate to generate additional revenue for the locals.

We were in an indolent mood the next morning. But soon we left the cosy comforts of the lodge and entered the dark and deep forest, only to be rewarded with the view of a rhino, and a peacock in plume. We watched as the peacock strutted his magnificent feathers, with the soft rays of the sun bouncing off a spectrum of colours.

Our heavy-hearted journey back to the plains was buffered somewhat by a view of the emerald-green Teesta river, another of the mighty rivers of North Bengal, which flowed alongside during a major part of our winding two-hour drive. A family of langurs lined the narrow pathway, with a little one raising an arm — as if to bid adieu.

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