Land of Roar Trumpet and song
By Subhasish Chakraborty

It was the first week of May. The temperature was soaring in the vicinity of 40 degrees Celsius. We sat spell-bound for around 3 hours at Bicchubhog Watch Tower located deep inside the world famous Corbett National Park. We kept our cameras on stand. The atmosphere was serene and calm. We were waiting for that magical glimpse of the big cat. Across the Bicchubhog Watch Tower there was a small water body. Suddenly we heard the alarm call from a group of monkeys beside the trees nearby. Soon enough, we saw the king of the jungle striding authoritatively past the dense forest towards the water body, probably toquench his thirst from the sweltering heat.

                We readied our cameras. The tiger at first made an assessment of the surrounding environment and slowly ambled towards the water body and submerging half his body under water, sat down in a relaxed position for sometime. Every time the camera clicked, the big cat appeared to be slightly perturbed and stared ferociously at the Watch Tower where we were sitting. This continued for a good 20 minutes and at last, after cooling himself off in the water, slowly began to walk away towards the jungle. My photographer friend Prabir was still in thrall, marveling at what he saw only a few moments back.

                Our primary goal of coming to Corbett National Park all the way from Kolkata via New Delhi was to take a few good pictures of wildlife in the Corbett.

                Three days back at the Field Director's office we had met Tony and Leslie who had come all the way from UK to appreciate Corbett's wildlife. The Field Director informed us that Tony and Leslie became interested to visit Corbett National Park after reading a few books written by the legendary Jim Corbett himself. They wanted to know more about the Indian tiger and were hell-bent to have a glimpse of the big cat even it involved roughing it out in the wild. We were indeed taken aback by their concern for Indian wildlife and at the personal request of the Field Director we decided to add them to our party.

                We showed our entry documents, completed all other paperwork and started moving towards Khinanawli Rest House. We were granted permission to stay at Khinanawli Rest House for the first three days and at Dhikala Rest House for the next four days.

Khinanawli  -Day 2
                As per our itinerary we departed for Kandha at the break of dawn. Kandha happens to be the highest point of Corbett National Park situated at a height of 1210 meters from the sea level. The natural beauty of Kandha is mesmerizing. Our Gypsy crossed the Ramganga river and stopped at a place called Parh. Our driver  Mhammed Nabi was a knowledgeable man and he knew Corbett by the tip of his fingers. Having parked the Gypsy by the banks of the Ramganga, he directed us to look into the waters where a giant crocodile was lazing off in the sun.

                Our Gypsy started moving again towards Kandha. Each moment we traversed, the topography changed dramatically as we gained in altitude. All of a sudden, our driver stopped the vehicle. He appeared to be listening to the sounds emanating from the jungle through his window.

                Relying on past experiences of the jungle, we could sense that a herd of wild elephants was grazing in the grasslands to the left of the road. Every now and then, we heard the sound of tree branches being broken. Our driver Nabi thought it would be wise to take the vehicle to the left of the road and accordingly he took a left turn and parked the vehicle in a vantage position from where we could see the entire herd of elephants grazing.

                The jungle here was less dense. So there was no obstruction. I began counting the number of elephants and they were 38 in all. There were six young ones and two infants. The infants would play around and from time to time hurriedly come and take shelter under the mother's belly seeking protection.

                It was late in the afternoon by the time we reached Kandha Rest House. Since Kandha is the highest point of Corbett National Park, it provides spectacular panoramic views of the park. We climbed up the hillock and as the red molten ball dipped into the far horizon, we wondered about the marvellous thing called creation
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                We started our journey back to Khinanawli Rest House. Suddenly, a huge tusker came out on the road from the left jungle. There was no way we could go forward. I and Nabi, our driver instantly recognized that it was this very tusker which the Forest Department staff had warned us to be careful about. For the past one month this tusker has been creating havoc by way of obstructing vehicles and attacking tourists. But Nabi was an expert driver and with a few deft turns, he brought the vehicle to a safe place. From a distance we could see the tusker throwing huge amounts of dust with his trunk and as we once again embarked on our vehicle, we could hear the tusker trumpeting ferociously at us. He was angry. Wasn't he! We reached Khinanawli Rest House and by then it was completely dark.

Dhikala -Last Day
                In the months of April and May, elephant rides are very popular which originate from Dhikala. Accordingly, we embarked on an elephant safari that would take us to “Potter Pani” and the “Jamuna Gower” jungle blocks. As our elephant moved rhythmically over the grassland, we saw a herd of Spotted Deer and the occasional Sambhar. Once we hit the road to Jamuna Gower, I noticed that we were entering the Sal Forest.

                The advantage of traversing through Sal Forest is that there is very little undergrowth and one can view large tracts of the jungle without any obstruction. The only sound that could be heard was of the elephant walking over the dried Sal leaves that lay on the ground beneath.

                We spotted a huge cluster of bamboo trees. Our “Mahut” (Master Rider) told us that there was a water body just behind the bamboo trees and that a tigress and her three cubs were regularly spotted here. There was excitement in the air and I checked my camera for one last time.

It would be apt to state that preserving the tiger is a big task. It is very straining and nerve wracking. One has to be constantly alert, hoping for a glimpse of the amber shadow. In Asian cultures, the tiger is a magic symbol, epitomizing power, splendour and ability.

                Within minutes, the tigress suddenly appeared before us, roaring rather furiously. Our elephant too made a weird sound by lifting its trunk in the direction of the tigress. The roar of the tigress and the elephant's trumpet reverberated the entire jungle. Our “Mahut” shouted instructions to us that we should hold on to the iron bars of the “Howdah”(Seating Chamber) with full strength. I noticed my British friends Tony and Leslie were frightened. They were trembling with fear and their white skin became pale.

                All the while, a spectacular wildlife drama was being enacted by the elephant and the tigress. It was war of nerves. Neither of them would budge even an inch. I fondly remembered those famous words of Kenneth Anderson, “While you are in the jungle, you have first got to win the war of nerves with the animals. Only then will you be safe”. And Kenneth was dead right for the ferocious tigress did retreat a few steps backward, unable to bear the elephant's wild forays into its territory. Our “Mahut” told us that it would be dangerous to disturb the tigress any longer since she was actually protecting her three cubs just behind the bamboo trees.

                We started our return journey to Dhikala and all the while the image of the angry tigress flashed back on me and I thought to myself that, in this world of ours, there is no alternative to the tender loving bond that exists between a mother and her child.

                At the end, it would be apt to state that preserving the tiger is a big task. It is very straining and nerve wracking. One has to be constantly alert, hoping for a glimpse of the amber shadow. In Asian cultures, the tiger is a magic symbol, epitomizing power, splendour and ability. It is also a valuable icon for modern mega corporations selling profitable products in the global market place. Above all, the tiger symbolizes, perhaps more than any other animal the need to protect at least a part of the natural world we share with other creatures of the wild.

                A visit to Corbett will open your eyes to the conservation realities of our times.

Fast Facts
Getting There: Ramnagar, the headquarter of Project Tiger, is an obligatory point for going to the park. Here, besides a regular bus service to Dhikala, taxis are also available. One can approach Corbett National Park by road from New Delhi via Ghaziabad, Hapur, Moradabad and then turn left at the 7th KM. for Kashipur, Ramnagar and Dhikala. The distance in this route is 290 kms. New Delhi is a hub for many airlines and there are regular flights connecting New Delhi both within India and abroad.
One can also reach Corbett National Park via Lucknow by road by taking the Lucknow-Sitapur-Shahjahanpur-Bareilly and then to Kichha-Haldwani-Ramnagar route. The distance in this route is 160 kms. Indian Airlines along with a host of private airlines operate regular flights to and fro Lucknow.

Accommodation
A wide range of accommodation is available at Corbett National Park. Rest Houses are located at Dhikala, Khinanawli, Sarapduli, Gyral, Bijrani, Kanda and Sultan.

For reservations, please contact:
Field Director, Project Tiger, Corbett National Park, Ramnagar (Nainital), Pin - 244715, Uttarakhand, (India).