Wanderlust is that bug when it bites it poisons your blood lifelong. I was under the assumption that I have done away with it. After visiting more than 20 countries, precisely 27, some more than once, roaming all over India practically covering all the states [ except J&K, which I never intend to, for reasons of my own] I had the feeling, not of boredom but of satiety. Enough I had said, I have seen all, done all and don't have the desire to set the foot out for yet another sojourn. It was not going to be so. Through a childhood chum, I came across two unimaginable, unthinkable remarkable young enthus who run the show of 'Footloose Journeys', Paresh Deshmukh and Ameya Gole, who made me rethink about my decision and there I was with my young dynamic daughter Saana, registering for the camp to be held in the thick jungles of Tadoba.
Apart from the tigers, those have eluded me previously in Pench and Sundarbans, there was also this dormant longing, 'To be in the land of my forefathers'. The Benurwars hail from the district of Chandrapur, previously known as Chanda in their times, and had owned acres and acres of land in a small village called Dhidshi from Rajura tehsil. If time permitted it was a plan to set foot on the soil which my grandfather, his father and his father tilled! I very well knew the constraints of the busy camping schedule but even then... maybe for another time!
People from Mumbai and Pune, me inclusive, have wrong notions about the parts they are not conversant with. The roads from Nagpur taking us to Tadoba were absolutely fabulous, wide and potholes free. Chandrapur too is a well-developed city, far away from the picture my mother had painted years ago that was vivid on my mind. I had never visited Chandrapur before leave aside Dhidshi, but when our Innova took a left turn for Tadoba, leaving the road to Rajura behind, there was a lump in the throat and an uneasy feeling in the chest, as if I was about to miss out on something. At one level it was overwhelming because barring first few early years of life, spent in Pachmarhi, I have spent my entire life in metropolises like Pune and Mumbai and thus never had the glimpse of my 'Native Place'.So the pull was unbelievable. Only for a few genetic strands those came from my father I had no physical or any emotional bonding with the place but the attraction was genuine and I myself was perplexed at my own emotion! But I believe the future is always quirky and must be holding something good in his chest for me! Hope so!
Footloose fellows are extremely venturesome and are always on the lookout for off the beaten tracks. So rather than 'Doing' the Tadoba in every cliched manner, they had selected 'Kolsa' off Zhari buffer as the entry gate. There are in all six gates and these stalwarts had chosen all except the most frequented ones! By the time we reached Kolsa, a very small hamlet actually situated in the core zone, it was around 2 P.M. and it was sheer hell. The outside temperature had reached 47-degree Celsius! From frying pan to fire, directly! To leave cool Innova and step in the scorching sun was viva voce by the toughest 'Khadoos' examiners! And we passed it by almost running to the cool environs of our camping building that was air-conditioned! The pleasure of cool was not going to last long. Our first safari was to start at 3 PM just within 45 minutes after lunch.
As you travel in open 'Gypsies' your first concern is harsh sun followed by bothering dust. Thus the way one has to dress for extreme colds here too is a dress code that one must follow strictly. The colours must be matching with jungles, so green, ash, grey and dark sienna are the preferred ones. Bright colours, like reds, pinks, snow-white or shinners, are strict 'No"! Due to extreme sun, the head must be fully covered especially nape part of your neck. Bright sun makes it compulsory to wear shades, goggles. Sun protecting creams should be used liberally as 47 degrees is not less than hot air oven in the open! And most must! you have to keep on sipping the water every few minutes. You won't realise the loss of water from the skin, and as it hardly reaches kidneys, there is no urge to urinate! Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate, that's the mantra to survive in Tadoba!
Every gate is allowed a prerequisite number of open jeeps. Zhari gate has permission for few, so there is never overcrowding. Contrary to Zhari, Moharli has permission for so many, that in the end, it turned out to be funfair of the 'Tiger Touristers'.
Tadoba is thick jungle falling under the category of dry deciduous class. Though the trees are not very tall like in the rainforest, the density of trees is so much that it makes viewing of the other side totally difficult. Bahavas[ Amaltas in Hindi], teak trees, tendu, croc bark and bamboos dominate. The outer cover of Crocodile bark resembles back of the croc so much that one may get confused.
The tall yellow grass and drying bamboos are extremely good camouflage for striped tigers, so much so that at times even if you know that there is a tiger resting in the shadows, your eyes won't catch him. And it happened with us too, when I sighted the tiger for the first time! Apart from me, nobody could see him and they did not believe. He was so much one with the background that he hardly stood out! In the excitement I totally forgot that one must only whisper in the jungles, I exclaimed bit loudly " Look there he is, behind the bamboo bunch!"
and I got the reprimand of my life for "shouting" but, 'there' he was lying languidly, not bothered about the world passing by. Read chillar jungle enthus like us! Once he was sighted by everybody, there was just the stampede of camera clicks. Zooms came out, telescopic lenses struggled to capture him in a frame which at that juncture appeared bigger than the 'IMAX' screen!
And thereafter, it was as if Pandora's box was opened. Before we could realise, just a few kilometres away we heard a rustle behind a thick bush and there was some faint trace of a big black cotton ball rolling towards the road. The immediate reaction was "Shooo!" Our guide without directly pointing at him, that's not a done thing in the jungle, told us in a whisper, 'That's Sloth Bear, wait till he gets out on the open road, you'll get the full vision!.' And it happened exactly as he had predicted.
The animal was in need of water so was rushing to the waterhole. In minutes he came out, covered in thick black fur, pointed snout differently coloured than the fur, shining beady eyes, he was so much in a hurry as if was trying to catch 8.43 Dombivali fast! In a jiffy, he reached the waterhole, drank water to his heart's contents, and disappeared in the jungle behind equally fast! Even though it's very heavy it climbs up the tall trees, maybe more than 30 to 40 feet to savour the honey from the hive. And it leaves the nail marks on the bark of the tree
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIgF-HwG07Gc6gJwN040QzXdXyJ-A71dUKmjIa2VO8lCUveJ5WTAg9sCEWY5Wc2kzl08d69n_Rh2AxeF90Q_GcrB5gqLO0K7vv2VyUNikz9W88Djwa2PYGEOQwJQxnh-3mCQ0QWnKS3Q/s200/BEAR+MARKS.jpg)
Beehives have 3 distinct parts. The white one, where the larvae live and finish off the honey for growth, the central dark part is full of bees where the queen bee resides while the fluorescent one has actual honey!
The jungle is full of Indian bison, locally known as 'Gaur', Wild Boars, Spotted deer,
Civet, Rusty-spotted jungle cats and an innumerable number of exotic birds.
The wild dogs in the area at times are more ferocious than the tigers who may not attack the passers-by but the 'Dhole' as they are known are most likely to do so!
I lost the count of the birds we sighted. But those who etched vivid impression on the mind were regal, royal, dignified in every which way, all in all 'Serpent Eagle took the crown away.
Indian Pitta bird has so many bright colours that rainbow may lose the competition! To see a peacock in the wilds is also a sight to cherish. it flies from one tree to other so smoothly that 'Elegance' cannot be spelt differently.
Well about the Tigers, for what Tadoba is known for... Do you think it could be covered in one blog? So let's meet again to meet 'The Royal Family of Tadoba'.
Apart from the tigers, those have eluded me previously in Pench and Sundarbans, there was also this dormant longing, 'To be in the land of my forefathers'. The Benurwars hail from the district of Chandrapur, previously known as Chanda in their times, and had owned acres and acres of land in a small village called Dhidshi from Rajura tehsil. If time permitted it was a plan to set foot on the soil which my grandfather, his father and his father tilled! I very well knew the constraints of the busy camping schedule but even then... maybe for another time!
People from Mumbai and Pune, me inclusive, have wrong notions about the parts they are not conversant with. The roads from Nagpur taking us to Tadoba were absolutely fabulous, wide and potholes free. Chandrapur too is a well-developed city, far away from the picture my mother had painted years ago that was vivid on my mind. I had never visited Chandrapur before leave aside Dhidshi, but when our Innova took a left turn for Tadoba, leaving the road to Rajura behind, there was a lump in the throat and an uneasy feeling in the chest, as if I was about to miss out on something. At one level it was overwhelming because barring first few early years of life, spent in Pachmarhi, I have spent my entire life in metropolises like Pune and Mumbai and thus never had the glimpse of my 'Native Place'.So the pull was unbelievable. Only for a few genetic strands those came from my father I had no physical or any emotional bonding with the place but the attraction was genuine and I myself was perplexed at my own emotion! But I believe the future is always quirky and must be holding something good in his chest for me! Hope so!
Footloose fellows are extremely venturesome and are always on the lookout for off the beaten tracks. So rather than 'Doing' the Tadoba in every cliched manner, they had selected 'Kolsa' off Zhari buffer as the entry gate. There are in all six gates and these stalwarts had chosen all except the most frequented ones! By the time we reached Kolsa, a very small hamlet actually situated in the core zone, it was around 2 P.M. and it was sheer hell. The outside temperature had reached 47-degree Celsius! From frying pan to fire, directly! To leave cool Innova and step in the scorching sun was viva voce by the toughest 'Khadoos' examiners! And we passed it by almost running to the cool environs of our camping building that was air-conditioned! The pleasure of cool was not going to last long. Our first safari was to start at 3 PM just within 45 minutes after lunch.
As you travel in open 'Gypsies' your first concern is harsh sun followed by bothering dust. Thus the way one has to dress for extreme colds here too is a dress code that one must follow strictly. The colours must be matching with jungles, so green, ash, grey and dark sienna are the preferred ones. Bright colours, like reds, pinks, snow-white or shinners, are strict 'No"! Due to extreme sun, the head must be fully covered especially nape part of your neck. Bright sun makes it compulsory to wear shades, goggles. Sun protecting creams should be used liberally as 47 degrees is not less than hot air oven in the open! And most must! you have to keep on sipping the water every few minutes. You won't realise the loss of water from the skin, and as it hardly reaches kidneys, there is no urge to urinate! Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate, that's the mantra to survive in Tadoba!
Every gate is allowed a prerequisite number of open jeeps. Zhari gate has permission for few, so there is never overcrowding. Contrary to Zhari, Moharli has permission for so many, that in the end, it turned out to be funfair of the 'Tiger Touristers'.
Tadoba is thick jungle falling under the category of dry deciduous class. Though the trees are not very tall like in the rainforest, the density of trees is so much that it makes viewing of the other side totally difficult. Bahavas[ Amaltas in Hindi], teak trees, tendu, croc bark and bamboos dominate. The outer cover of Crocodile bark resembles back of the croc so much that one may get confused.
The tall yellow grass and drying bamboos are extremely good camouflage for striped tigers, so much so that at times even if you know that there is a tiger resting in the shadows, your eyes won't catch him. And it happened with us too, when I sighted the tiger for the first time! Apart from me, nobody could see him and they did not believe. He was so much one with the background that he hardly stood out! In the excitement I totally forgot that one must only whisper in the jungles, I exclaimed bit loudly " Look there he is, behind the bamboo bunch!"
and I got the reprimand of my life for "shouting" but, 'there' he was lying languidly, not bothered about the world passing by. Read chillar jungle enthus like us! Once he was sighted by everybody, there was just the stampede of camera clicks. Zooms came out, telescopic lenses struggled to capture him in a frame which at that juncture appeared bigger than the 'IMAX' screen!
And thereafter, it was as if Pandora's box was opened. Before we could realise, just a few kilometres away we heard a rustle behind a thick bush and there was some faint trace of a big black cotton ball rolling towards the road. The immediate reaction was "Shooo!" Our guide without directly pointing at him, that's not a done thing in the jungle, told us in a whisper, 'That's Sloth Bear, wait till he gets out on the open road, you'll get the full vision!.' And it happened exactly as he had predicted.
The animal was in need of water so was rushing to the waterhole. In minutes he came out, covered in thick black fur, pointed snout differently coloured than the fur, shining beady eyes, he was so much in a hurry as if was trying to catch 8.43 Dombivali fast! In a jiffy, he reached the waterhole, drank water to his heart's contents, and disappeared in the jungle behind equally fast! Even though it's very heavy it climbs up the tall trees, maybe more than 30 to 40 feet to savour the honey from the hive. And it leaves the nail marks on the bark of the tree
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIgF-HwG07Gc6gJwN040QzXdXyJ-A71dUKmjIa2VO8lCUveJ5WTAg9sCEWY5Wc2kzl08d69n_Rh2AxeF90Q_GcrB5gqLO0K7vv2VyUNikz9W88Djwa2PYGEOQwJQxnh-3mCQ0QWnKS3Q/s200/BEAR+MARKS.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZo7QPvRIirmw40OErZZsQzb46GcxIldVpYp6kTOeBgjNCWuGZJ6ySnHOihtJrysgI8EDvUbxCQiqDZK29-fb2WYF1BMU1uu9lg6t3Wp-sN0kh6Ds_iHxIZuZ-TtCUD7ciglMpQdgays/s320/BEE+HIVE.jpg)
The jungle is full of Indian bison, locally known as 'Gaur', Wild Boars, Spotted deer,
Civet, Rusty-spotted jungle cats and an innumerable number of exotic birds.
The wild dogs in the area at times are more ferocious than the tigers who may not attack the passers-by but the 'Dhole' as they are known are most likely to do so!
I lost the count of the birds we sighted. But those who etched vivid impression on the mind were regal, royal, dignified in every which way, all in all 'Serpent Eagle took the crown away.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJyMWdw56-dIg1JsiJPKc37JR9Cw3GVnQ0pCVyRMk0odLMeZ1EB9OJfbsJp4K5XGdWqoJZ-f-CK-v-tkFiZRaO0-72BINbkMmxChUF4m9-61mRaTaVYLwYE1Yoy3MqPU24V4DWezz8f8/s200/PITTA+1.jpg)
Well about the Tigers, for what Tadoba is known for... Do you think it could be covered in one blog? So let's meet again to meet 'The Royal Family of Tadoba'.
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