PenchJourneys

Family Time

A litter of tiger cubs usually comprises two to four offspring. A tigress may have several litters, build-

ing a large family with siblings of different ages. She nurtures them all up to three years until they come

of age and forge their own paths.

In the forests of Pench natIonal Park, three generatIons of a famIly fInd joy

lIvIng In the momentBy MaMTa Dalal MangalDas

Junglefever

TH

EO A

LLO

FS/M

IND

EN

PIC

TU

RE

S/G

ET

TY

IMA

GE

S

112 national GeoGraphic traveller inDia | aUGUSt 2012 aUGUSt 2012 | national GeoGraphic traveller inDia 113

AN

ISH

AN

DH

ER

IA/S

AN

CT

UA

RY

(G

AR

DE

N L

IZA

RD

), A

MA

YA M

AN

GA

LDA

S (

CO

BW

EB

)

RA

GH

UN

AN

DA

N K

ULK

AR

NI/

EP

HO

TOC

OR

P/A

LAM

Y/IN

DIA

PIC

TU

RE

The forest looks different on every drive. the sun is high in the sky and the trees are bright green. after a quiet start, the forest seems to be coming alive again. Suddenly, the air is filled with langur cries. We sit up in our jeep and listen

hard. then, just as suddenly as they’d started, the yelps fade away. that means, unfortunately, that there aren’t any tigers in the vicinity. Sajith ponnappa, our guide and naturalist, isn’t unduly perturbed. “every day that i see or hear something new—whether it’s a leaf or a bird or an insect, i am happy,” he says. But i’m not. our desire to set eyes on the king of the jungle had dragged us out of bed at the crack of dawn, and back again after lunch.

as we’re still dealing with the disappointment of the tiger that wasn’t, the naturalist in the jeep in front of us beckons. there’s a leopard lying between two boulders. the foliage is dense, the camouflage almost perfect. the leopard’s spots blend with sunlight-dappled leaves. We stare at the leopard and it looks back at us. after a while, it stretches and yawns. it’s our second day in pench na-tional park in Madhya pradesh and we’ve been privileged to partake of the first leopard sighting of the season. We later learn that leopards are more elusive than tigers.

there are ten of us on this trip: my husband and kids, parents, and my brother’s family. as chief vacation plan-ner for this gang, my task is always herculean. pleasing so many people across three generations is tough. this time, though, i have seized unilateral power, ignoring requests for soft beaches, exotic food, snow peaks, and, most definitely, shopping malls. it’s going to be a wild-

life holiday in india and pench national park in Madhya pradesh wins for its easy access from Mumbai. all of us, from my seven-year-old niece to my 70-year-old father, are booked into taj’s luxury lodge, which should provide some comfort, in case the jungle fails to impress them.

it doesn’t start out well. on the journey to the park from nagpur airport, horns blare, brakes screech and everyone is tossed around as the packed car muddles along the bumpy road to pench. three rattled hours lat-er, we arrive at our destination in the southern reaches of the Satpura hills.

here, we have to sync our body clocks with nature. We need to be in bed early enough to wake up at 4.30 each morning, before the sun, to make the most of our day in the jungle. it’s cold and dark when i wake up on the first morning. i resign myself to the futility of try-ing to wake up the teenagers before sunrise. Maybe they can just do the afternoon safaris, i think. half an hour later, i watch amazed as ayesha and amaya, my teen-aged girls, leap out of the warmth of their beds with neither moan nor whine. Within two days, all of us have slipped into a rhythm that feels natural. Bundled up in warm clothes, fortified with home-baked cookies, hot chocolate and strong coffee, we head to our open-air sa-fari jeeps. our naturalist reminds us to leave behind all electronic equipment at the lodge. the rules of the jungle safari are clear: cell phones and ipods are strictly not al-lowed in the national park. the girls roll their eyes, irked at the thought of being wrenched from their beloved cell phones but i’m thrilled at the idea of having the undi-vided attention of my children for several hours.

My trepidation melts into relief when i look back and see the girls excitedly pointing at a cobweb backlit by the sun, dewdrops strung on it like diamonds on a necklace. amaya takes a photo and delighted by her new found skill, starts taking photographs of everything she can: monkeys mid-air between trees, birds in flight, a deer looking at us soulfully. in a short while, both the girls devise their own game of photographing each other and the forest. Giggles interrupt the clicking camera. emboldened by their enthusiasm, i ask a dangerous question: “not missing your cell phones?” i am thrilled by ayesha’s reply: “actually, it’s a relief. We have a really good excuse for not being constantly in touch.”

By the second day in the park, my ears tune in to the different frequencies of jungle sounds, all beginning to feel like an extraordinary symphony: langurs inform-ing their troop that they are well, the distinctive sounds of a thousand different birds and insects, the warning calls of a deer letting its herd know a predator is on the move. our naturalist points out all of this while driving with one hand, and looking backwards and talking. as the kids ask eager questions, he explains that it was the invention of the flintlock rifle that rang the death knell for tigers in india as indian princes, British army officers and civil servants took to the jungle with their new toys. the disastrous result was the reduction in the popula-tion of Bengal tigers in india which has plummeted from 40,000 before independence to about 1,700 today.

We move along the jungle and i smell the dampness of the earth at daybreak. occasionally an evanescent fra-grance of an unseen flower wafts under my nose. Before

i can say anything, the jeep moves and the smell disap-pears forever. i want to bottle that fragrance but the only way to capture it is by experiencing it deeply right then.

in the silence scattered among all the information we are receiving, i hear the morning dew dropping from the trees onto the lush undergrowth. the girls seem unusu-ally quiet. they are busy craning their necks and look-ing at a jungle owlet that is meditating in the hollow of a tree. i discover that silence too has a sound.

the chilly wind blows in our hair, bites our cheeks and makes our eyes water. i struggle with the rough wool blanket on my knees. i look behind, expecting a whine, but the girls are absolutely fine. For the first time in years, i begin to understand what it means to feel fully alive.

i can taste the jungle in my mouth as the morning wears on and the dew dries up, no longer keeping the dust on the ground. at 9 a.m. we start our return drive, towards breakfast in an open grassland called alikatta. the rest of the family also arrives in their jeep. a feast is conjured up on the bonnet of the jeep: fig and date bars, orange muffins, sandwiches, freshly-brewed tea and coffee. the kids excitedly discuss the animal sight-ings of the morning with their cousins; we saw a female nilgai, they did not. they saw a jackal, we did not. We all saw birds: the Malabar pied hornbill with its mas-sive beak, the indian roller with its turquoise flashing wings and the majestic crested serpent eagle. We all saw herds of spotted deer and troops of grey langurs and rhesus macaques. But, the tiger remains mysteri-ous. “it’s only the first game drive,” we console ourselves. For the rest of the morning drive, we see more of the

JourneysFamily Time Pench

I think I can hear the synaptic connections in their brains and see the flow of information from their short-term memories to their now fertile long-term memories

Left to right: Visitors experience the ups

and downs of a jungle safari as they marvel

at the most recent predator sighting;

Male garden lizards become conspicuous

with their brilliant colouration; Intricate

spider webs look like bejewelled necklaces when they catch the

morning dew.

PenchFamily TimeJourneys

MO

HA

MM

ED

Ab

IDA

LLY/

ALA

MY/

IND

IAP

ICT

UR

E

Peacocks let out loud, high-pitched shrieks whenever they sense danger from a predator in the forest. They also prey on other creatures and are known to attack, kill, and eat snakes, including cobras.

116 national GeoGraphic traveller inDia | aUGUSt 2012 aUGUSt 2012 | national GeoGraphic traveller inDia 117

SA

HIR

ISM

AIL

(jA

Ck

AL)

, CH

AN

DR

Ab

HA

L S

ING

H/N

AT

ION

AL

GEO

GR

AP

HIC

STO

CK

(O

WL)

MIC

HA

EL

NIC

HO

LS

same animals. as they fade into the background, we no-tice the dense jungles, open grasslands, watering holes and seasonal nullahs fed by rainwater. Because the monsoons ended late, the jungles continue to be luxu-riant in october, says ponnappa.this isn’t the best time to view wildlife. “the warm months of april and May when the jungles are dry and tigers come to watering holes to quench their thirst, is when tiger viewing is at its peak,” he explains. We hear snippets of information about animal behaviour, feeding and mating patterns of the predators, symbiotic relationships between deer and monkey. We try to identify the warning calls of the langur, the spotted deer, and the sambar. We see tiger tracks and smell the cloying odour of a decaying kill. it is an experiential lesson in botany and zoology. ayesha and amaya make the magical correlation between their textbooks and the jungle. i think i can hear the synaptic connections in their brains and see the flow of informa-tion from their short-term memories to their now-fertile long-term memories. they make eye contact with us. they ask questions, want to hear the answers, and are living in the moment. So are we.

evenings at the lodge are filled with bonhomie. ayesha calls the long hours we spend with the rest of the family a “hugely extended, but peaceful version of our Sunday lunch.” Guests meet in the lounge before dinner, have a drink and discuss their day. naturalists mingle and an-swer questions and share their tales. they are passionate about their work, which makes our wildlife experience magical. the staff organise dinner each night with great fanfare in different parts of the 13-acre property: under a

massive Mahua tree, by the poolside, on a machan by the stream. Most of the staff come from nearby villages and have been the beneficiaries of sustainable and responsi-ble tourism policies.

each new day at pench blends into the previous one. We are in the forest, drive after drive, for five hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon, seeing more of the animals we’ve already seen. eventually, our eyes glaze over the ubiquitous spotted deer and monkeys, but slowly, the forest begins to speak to us. i begin to no-tice the small stuff. there are iconic boulders that dot the landscape and i analyse how i might sketch them. the girls are chatting with our naturalist about different kinds of rocks and how they are formed. “i had no idea that my environmental Management class on geologic formations would ever have any use!” marvels amaya. My parents are amazed that an indian forest can be so immaculate. “the jungle paths are smoother than the national highway we arrived on!” says my Dad.

We settle into a nice pace—and my impossibly high expectations and anxieties about spotting a tiger are re-placed by simple enjoyment of the jungle. on our game drives, we meet other travellers who have seen tigers. We seem to miss the sighting by a few metres or a few min-utes. after several tense moments, the girls sit back. our naturalist senses our disappointment and says, “the ti-ger shows himself when he is ready.” Strangely, my mind is not on the tiger any more. the forest has the power to make me feel small, but not in a bad way—i feel like i am part of the whole. i am awestruck and feel like i have new eyes for the perfection of nature. i come to the reali-

sation that the earth is flawless and an interconnected and interdependent system—that i am part of. i feel like i have arrived at a moment in my life where i am not sure if i am in the jungle or the jungle is in me.

My head is in a spin as we return to the lodge. We are leaving the next day for Mumbai, but there is time for one last game drive in the morning. i say we should take a break and sleep in, but the girls are adamant that they are going back to the park, even without the adults. i cannot believe they really want that one more drive—our sixth one—at the crack of dawn. i decide to go with them while my husband sleeps in.

We feel like old hands now and drive along in com-plete silence. We hear the distressed calls of a sambar. We already know that the sambar is the biggest mem-ber of the deer family and that its repetitive calling is a sure sign that a predator is near. our naturalist reverses the jeep and takes a small detour down another route. he drives a few metres and turns off the engine. “What, what?” the girls want to know. he points and puts his finger to his lips. We see her. a great, big tigress ambling towards us. She is bigger than any of us ever imagined. But that’s not all. We see a cub following her. no, four! We can hardly contain ourselves. there are five cubs of different ages. it’s a streak of tigers. We are not sure how to be excited quietly. the tigress and her cubs walk off the path into the undergrowth. We drive around to the other side of the road and are brilliantly lucky to see them again. We watch till they decide to move back into the forest. it is the day of Diwali, and i cannot remember a brighter and better-lit celebration.

We drive back to the lodge in silence. We have to fig-ure out how to break the news of sighting six tigers to the rest of the family, who have seen none on their route. ayesha and amaya show great restraint and sensitivity, deciding to tell their young cousins we spotted only the tail of one tiger. the other kids are upset anyway; we promise to come back on safari and find more tigers on the next holiday.

Soon it’s time for our hellish trip back to nagpur. i’m not looking forward to it. the ten of us have spent many happy hours together in the past four days and the bond is hard to break. “We have to do this more often–it really was great fun!” says ayesha. the jungles of pench have mesmerized me and i just do not want to leave. neither does the rest of the family. it must be the first time every-one feels the same way about a vacation.

Back home, i come across Yossi Ghinsberg’s book Laws of the Jungle. it relates many big truths that i en-countered in pench. Ghinsberg’s First law of the Jungle is, “if you want to be human, be a beast first.” i think he means that humans need to connect with their authentic selves so that they can live fully. i feel compelled to go back. i want to learn more from the jungle. i plan a trip on my own, exactly a month after we return. For a wom-an travelling alone, the Baghvan lodge is perfect. this time i write, i draw, i paint and dream. not only am i in the jungle, the jungle is and has become a part of me. n

Mamta Dalal Mangaldas lives in Mumbai. She is the author of a children’s book the Kidnapping of amir hazma (Harper Collins India) that came out in 2007.

PenchJourneys

Family Time

I can taste the jungle in my mouth as the morning wears on and the dew dries up no longer keeping the dust on the ground

Left to right: Grey langurs, one of the two

species of primates found in Pench, have

a very harsh three note warning call;

The golden jackal can survive on plants and

fruits. It is the only species of jackal found

outside Africa; The mottled wood owl is native to India and

expertly camouflages itself against the bark

of trees.

JourneysFamily Time

118 national GeoGraphic traveller inDia | aUGUSt 2012

The GUIDeOrIenTaTIOnPench National Park, recently renamed Indira

Priyadarshini National Park lies at the base of

the Satpura Hills in southern Madhya Pradesh.

Some parts of the reserve are in Maharashtra.

Nagpur city is 90 km to the south.

GeTTInG ThereAir Nagpur airport is 100 km away from Pench.

Direct flights are available from Mumbai, ben-

galuru, New Delhi and Kolkata.

Rail Nagpur Junction is the nearest railhead,

around 92 km away. Hotel pickups can be ar-

ranged for upwards of `2,000.

Road Pench is approximately 1,150 km from

Delhi and 950 km from Mumbai. Road quality

varies widely through the year. Road trip rec-

ommended only to enthusiastic drivers.

STAY

BASIC

Baaz Jungle Resort of-fers air conditioned rooms with basic necessities (0712-2544335; www.baazjungleresort.com; doubles from `2,700; includes breakfast; safari `3,000 per vehicle).

Kipling’s Court is an MPTDC resort with a great location and simple rooms (07695-232830/50; www.mptourism.com; doubles from `4,500; includes all meals and one safari).

COMFORT

Pench Jungle Camp has rooms with modern amenities and a spa (07695-232817; www.wildlife-camp-india.com; doubles from `11,000; includes meals and one daily safari; children under six free).

Mahua Vann provides guests with cottages that have large gazebos and open-air showers to bathe in the rain (07695-290451; www.mahua-resorts.com; doubles `14,600, includes meals and two daily safaris; chil-dren under five free).

LuxuRy

Baghvan, the luxury jun-gle lodge has bungalows with five star amenities (07695-232829; www.tajsafaris.com; doubles from `24,000; includes breakfast; safaris cost `2,250 per head; elephant safaris sometimes avail-able).

Tuli Tiger Corridor - Pench, offers luxurious tents. A flowing river on the property draws wild animals into plain sight (0712-6653666; www.tuli-hotels.com; doubles from `22,500; includes meals and two daily safaris).

BeyOnD The safarIs Pench Jungle Camp organises hot air balloon

rides to spot tigers from the sky (`15,000 per

head; only in Jan and Feb; enquire and book in

advance). They also rent bicycles and quad

bikes and organise horse rides. Explore the

periphery of the park by renting a car or fol-

lowing trails on foot. Visit the nearby Pachdhar

pottery village, or spend a quiet evening at

Kohka Lake. Pench Jungle Camp and Mahua

Vann offer spa facilities. Many resorts have li-

braries and swimming pools and/or indoor rec-

reation centres with badminton, carrom, table

tennis and billiards. Note that most activities

organised by hotels are exclusive to guests.

InsIDe vIewThe beloved character of the jungle boy Mow-

gli, originated in Pench National Park, although

his creator Rudyard Kipling never actually

visited the park himself. It is believed that a

19th century british official wrote in a journal

sent to the Queen, about a “wolf-boy” he found

in the jungle. Kipling read this journal, which

inspired him to write The Jungle Book.

BrInG The kIDsbesides the safaris, most hotels have play areas

and activities to keep kids busy. Most lodges

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP

33 / 20°C 30 / 15°C 28 / 13°C 29 / 13°C 31 / 15°C 36 / 19°C 41 / 24°C 42 / 28°C 36 / 26°C 32 / 24°C 31 / 24°C 32 / 23°C

Winter offers the best experience at Pench in terms of weather. Days are pleasant, although evenings and early mornings are cold.

Summers are swelteringly hot, but the probability of spotting tigers is higher than the rest of the year. This is also the chital rutting season, when stags shed their antlers to grow new ones.

Pench National Park is closed during the monsoon. Also closed on Wednesdays, Republic Day and Holi.

have no extra charge for children below six.

However, baghvan Lodge does not allow chil-

dren under three at the lodge and kids under six

are not allowed on safaris, though babysitting

services are offered. Enquire in advance before

planning a trip.

OM

NA

WIN

STO

N (

MA

P)

* Safaris are anywhere between three to five hours long.

Turia Gate

Forest Rest House

To Nagpur

NH7

To Seoni

Delhi

Pench

Mumbai

Pench Reservoir

PEnCH naTIOnal PaRK

Map

s ar

e fo

r ill

ustr

ativ

e p

urp

oses

onl

y.

get goingHIGHLIGHTS | ADVENTURE Ride the crests at Karnataka’s beaches | P. 120

LEARNING HOLIDAY An artist studies thangka painting in Kangra | P. 124

SPORT Active asides to the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka | P. 128

124

b H

OLL

AN

D/T

HE

IMA

GE

bA

NK

/GE

TT

Y IM

AG

ES

(PA

INT

ING

), L

AK

RU

WA

N W

AN

NIA

RA

CH

CH

I/A

FP/G

ET

TY

IMA

GE

S (

HO

T A

IR B

ALL

OO

NS

)