The Hindu Business Line : Pages from jungle book

The forest glows in the light of the setting sun. It’s past spring, the grasses have turned golden, and while most trees have shed their leaves those of the teak still hang on, though somewhat tenuously. It’s only the mahua that stands canopied in deep burgundy and the tall tendu that retains its green cover. But it’s the kullu gum tree with its shiny white bark that dazzles.

We are at Pench National Park, in the southern Satpura hills of Madhya Pradesh. These are the enchanting woods of Kipling’s Jungle Book where Mowgli, Baghera and Sher Khan roamed. And even today, they are home to an amazing variety of wildlife as we discover soon enough…

As darkness begins to set in, we are treated to a unique display of skills. Right behind our camp, among a cluster of trees, the flying squirrels get active. Making our way to their hideout we sit on a low stonewall, watching their antics before they finally settle down to the silence of the night. After dinner we sit on the verandah, serenaded by the hooting of an owl, watching a million fireflies pirouette around.

At dawn the next day we are off on our first foray into the park. The chorus of birdsong that greets us crescendos as the sky begins to lighten. To the hoopoe’s persistent tapping the woodpecker adds its own rhythmic beat, and from somewhere in the foliage the warbler joins in with its trill notes. Wagtails, munias and mynahs abound while camouflaged in leaf-fall the tiny brahminy mynahs furtively pick for juicy morsels. Jungle fowl and crow pheasants flit in the undergrowth and a peacock dances in abandon, its bright feathers shimmering in the early morning glow. As we trace a couple of racket-tailed drongos in flight we chance upon a golden oriole perched on a dhak tree adorned with a single crimson flower. And there are a host of magpie robins, red-vented bulbuls and bright green bee-eaters…

We are soon at Sitaghat where the winding track reaches a dead-end by the Pench river. It’s an elongated stretch of meadow that inclines towards the water’s edge. Stopping the vehicle we sit awhile, watching kingfishers dart into the water and waders saunter in the sand. Soon there is a movement on the far side and, within minutes, a pack of wild dogs scurry past us.

Herbivores abound in Pench. While deer can be spotted all over the park, it is to see them in hordes that late in the afternoon we wind our way towards Alikatta, an expanse of open grassland. Hundreds of chital (spotted deer) graze here, their white spots shimmering in the evening rays. Deeper inside, among the tall grasses are the huge sambar deer, the stags regal with their immense antlers. As we take in the spectacle, a barking deer darts out from the scrub. These tiny, shy creatures are seldom visible, and we’ve been incredibly lucky.

A bit further on, where the vegetation gets thicker, we spot a family of nilgai. Busy foraging, they suddenly pause and stare right at us. It’s time for the gaurs to be out too. Imposing in their ‘white stockings’, they browse by the path’s edge with nary a care. Moving towards higher ground we get into an area dense with foliage. The shrubs crackle at the least sound and, as we round a bend, a swishing in the undergrowth leads us to a family of wild boar that dart into the wilderness in single file.

Deeper in the forest we stop by a waterhole where a red mongoose with its furry tail scuttles around. Gazing at the opposite end of the pond we sense some movement. Eyes glued, we wait. There’s a slight stir again and suddenly the creature rises, stretching itself, and languorously moves away. We have chanced upon a leopard!

Dawn again and we are back on the track, this time towards Kalapahad. It is hilly, boulder-ridden terrain. Every now and then jungle fowl peek out from the shrubbery and families of partridges scuffle in the undergrowth. Further ahead on the road something is attempting to get across. A look through the binoculars reveals a pangolin. Giving it time to traverse, we stop a bit, scouring the vegetation, and our guide’s practised eye soon falls on a leopard cat. It’s sitting on a branch quite hidden among the leaves. It’s a rare sighting, he tells us.

As the day gets on and it becomes warmer the langurs that have been active on the trees disappear. A while later we find them in repose in the shade of a huge rock. It’s just when we are about to turn around that we get news of a tiger. It’s been located, but at a fair distance from where we are. As we must catch a glimpse of the mighty creature, we dash off. Up and down over rough paths and dry streams, the frenetic call of the animals reverberating in our ears, we reach the tall grasses where the park guards are waiting.

The forest floor crunches under our feet, the slightest sound magnified in the silence as we walk across to the waiting elephants that ferry us across the hillock. Clutching on to the howdah, we sway over the mound and down to the rocky patch where the tiger reclines in stately splendour. It’s made our day…

Fact file

Getting there: Pench National Park is accessible from Nagpur and Jabalpur, both connected by air and rail from Delhi and Mumbai.

Local transport can be hired to get to Khwasa on the Nagpur-Jabalpur NH-7; the main entrance at Turia is 12 km away.

Accommodation: A variety of accommodation, both government and private, is available. Links: www.mptourism.com/accomm/index.html www.nivalink.com/jungle/mp.html

Best time: The Park remains open from November to June. The best months are March-April when the weather is tolerable and the sightings good.