Page 11 - Feb 2018 PDF_Neat

The Blue Moon

Adventurous drive through the forest at Corbett

continued from page 10
which I had seen from the forest
path. I was led to a double storey
structure. My room was on the first
floor .
Inside the room, it was an assurance
that I was back home. A ready bed and a
television on one wall giving out the
days news. The waiter left the room
after telling me that I could order my
food in the room. As soon as he left, I
inspected the room. A large window
gave a glimpse of the view outside.
There were hills at a distance and a
large green patch of land. I saw a tea
maker in one corner of the room, which
I filled with packaged drinking water
kept alongside. A cup of tea was
welcome after the adventure drive
through the forest. I also looked up the
menu to order some food.
Shortly, a waiter appeared carrying
a tray of food. He spread the dishes
on to a table. A vegetable soup
followed by some 'matar paneer'
and 'tandoori roti'.
The meal satiated my hunger and
made me sleepy.
The next morning I got up to see the
outside view peeping through a creek in
the curtain. I could see green hills
beyond and blue sky where clouds ALL set for afternoon cup of tea on the lawns
floated by. I jumped out of my bed and gardener working in the area. I
pulled the curtains to get a bigger view. wanted to chat with the locals. The
Outside was a marvellous view, a large gardener was old with a bent back and
area covered with green grass and wrinkled face. He worked feebly in the
plants which disappeared into the lawn tendering new plants. I asked him
horizon where the hills stood. The hills if he had ever seen a tiger in the forest.
were at the foot of Himalayas. A small He lazily replied,”there is no need to go
village was at a distance. But all was in the forest, the brutal animal comes to
quiet, no noise of people or vehicles. I his hut's doorstep at night and groans
opened the window and inhaled a deep at times as in pain.” He asked me if I
breath to take in the unpolluted air. had come to see a tiger as all tourists do
Outside the window was a balcony. I come with this aim. I shook my head in
decided to sit there with my first cup of the negative. He was surprised . What
tea. do you come to the Corbett Tiger
This was my dream. To have my cup of Reserve for then? he queried. My reply
tea in silence looking at the hills and was,” To see a tusker.”My voice choked
green forest cover. After the tea was with fear of a tusker. I knew the tusker
done, I walked down the stairs into the is more dangerous than a tiger. This
lawn where I met a senior executive of time the old man combed his grey hair
the resort. He informed me that the backwards with his weak hands and
breakfast was ready in the restaurant. I said,”Sir, the tusker is a dangerous Sunrise on the hills
nodded and moved to speak to a animal. It destroys our harvest and at
times our huts, you want to see a
tusker?” This time the old man combed
his grey hair backwards with his weak
hands and said,”Sir, the tusker is a
dangerous animal. It destroys our
harvest and at times our huts, you want
to see a tusker?”
And then I narrated my adventure in
Rajaj ji reserve for elephants where a
nasty tusker was so infuriated that he
held a forest ranger to ransom for over
an hour and did not let him cross over
to the forest lodge. Poor chap stood at
one end of the road and finally returned
back when the tusker did not move
from behind trees.
It was then that one of the forest guards
told me the story of a tusker which was
in a bad temper and destroyed some
farms and broke a fencing set up to
prevent entry of elephants into a
private area.
I noticed that the villagers had fenced
their huts with barbed wire to prevent
attacks by elephants, but the mammoth
animal cannot be prevented from
entering any area he wants to. After all
the forest belongs to him and he cannot
tolerate humans trespassing his
domain. The best lesson I learnt was
“keep out of forest'. Forest belongs to
the animals. Do not trespass the
Grill in the lawn
domain of the animal kingdom.”

16 Feb - 15 Mar 2018 The Blue Moon 11