Jet Set Weekend

“Wake up! Quick!” A frantic whisper from my wife - gazing ahead, her eyes almost popping out - stirred me back to life. I had dozed off waiting, waiting and waiting… A quick turn of the head in the direction of her eyes revealed a bright fiery orange something with black stripes some distance away, hidden partially by slender deep brown barks of deciduous trees. It was a tiger! A huge male (the guide put it down to about 200 pounds) tiger - sauntering through the bush land and scarce vegetation so characteristic of the dry climate of Ranthambhor National Park. Gorgeous, hypnotic, mystique were the words that came to mind in a snap! Bulky, yet regal in every move it made.
Ranthambhor, lying in a cradle formed by the Aravalli and the Vindhya ranges - two very old mountain ranges – in Rajasthan is home to around 30 odd tigers and along with Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Corbett ranks pretty high in the Project Tiger success list. So much so that tiger cubs from the park fitted with radio collars, (for the first time in India) are being moved to nearby Sariska for a fresh lease of life – rampant poaching by hunter gatherers from the Mogiya tribe unfortunately being the reason for its extinction there. In fact in one sting operation in the early nineties TRAFFIC (an organization that monitors the wildlife trade for the World Wildlife Fund) had discovered dozens of families in Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar engaged in the trade of animal body parts. After all a tiger skin can fetch more than $1500! As the availability decreases with tiger numbers, the prices soar. And with a buoyant Asian economy, affordability is only increasing. Wildlife protection forces are usually understaffed and the budget laid out for conservation by the Government is meager at best. The situation worsens when there are religious sites present within the premises of the reserve – as is the case with both Sariska and Ranthambhor. This allows unrestricted human entry within the park and makes poaching control trickier.
His highness paused for a second to cast a fleeting glance at his subjects – the event being noted and marked by a zillion clicks from all possible photography equipment on show from the zillion gypsys that had gathered there – word of the monarch spreads like lightning in these parts; and that too, if I may add, by word of mouth! The langoors, sambhars, cheetals, peacocks all play their own part in this evolved mode of communication which can be described in simple terms as an “alarm call” traceable even at large distances. The tiger turned its head and walked away apparently irritated by the high decibel levels being maintained in its realm; for few park visitors in India are aware of the etiquette to be followed in the jungle. For most, it’s just another outing on a weekend where they cut loose and yell at close to top of their voices and sometimes even go to the extent of littering the parklands!
Education and awareness of the importance of the jungle, not only from an aesthetic view, but also from an ecological perspective which has the potential for impacting the economy of the country, is imperative for its survival in the long run. This is something where the wild life department needs to dig deep and come up with plausible solutions. Without a nation wide awareness about the need and ways of the jungle, saving it would require a Herculean effort, not to say it doesn’t already does so!
The terrain of Ranthambhor is unique. At the far end there are the two mountain ranges forming a V like pattern. The near end is fenced by the huge Ranthambhor fort – built by a Rajput ruler and now largely in ruins. Nested in between is the major portion of the forest with tracts of undulated grass lands and three beautiful lakes. The grasslands here are different from the ones in Kanha where it stretches till the end of ones imagination; here, because of the hilly nature of the terrain the land climbs up now only to take a plunge the next to form a sort of valley – and all the while brooks, seeming to come from the magical places which are “the haunts of coot and hern” immortalized so well by Tennyson, spurt by in a hurry, sweeping away almost anything that dared hinder their march. What with early rains (mid-June) this year Ranthambhor was exploding with life. The usual dry dusty sparsely vegetated land was transformed into a bright green bushy garden with even the lakes taking on a greenish hue. Crocodiles or magar as it is known in India swarm the lakes which are also the hunting ground for a large number of wading birds including herons, a variety of storks, mallards, stirlings etc. The birds patiently look out for a catch – remaining stationary for minutes at an end sometimes - while the crocs appear to be prepared to wait as long as it takes to lay an ambush. Often one can notice a stork take a furtive step or two towards a potential prey only to squinch back on detecting a croc taking a sun bath in its way. Now and again we would come across a small brown hare nibbling on a light snack in the afternoon or a woodpecker making heavy weather of a thick dark bark of a tree as ancient as the earth itself. The hilly parts on the other hand provide a better opportunity to spot predatory birds and provide a breathtaking view of the plains below.
Unfortunately, Ranthambhor doesn’t have any forest rest house within the park. Hence, one has to put up at the various hotels outside the periphery of the park. The state tourism hotels are reasonably priced and have decent facilities, though the efficiency of service is poor. One good place to stay could be the Ranthambhor Bagh, owned and run by Aditya Singh, a dedicated conservationist and photographer. Herds of photographers, wildlife enthusiasts, naturalists etc usually drop anchor there during their visits to the park, hence one could be in for some very interesting and intellectually stimulating evenings with loads of tips and suggestions coming ones way. There one can also run into Salim Ali, a very competent naturalist and “tiger driver” who has worked with BBC on various projects. If one can enlist him for ones services as a guide during ones stay there one is assured of a trip worth remembering! At least the chances of spotting a tiger will surely move up by several notches.
Ranthambhor National Park, which is a part of the much larger Ranthambhor Tiger Reserve, lies in the Sawai Madhopur district of eastern Rajasthan. The Sawai Madhopur Sanctuary, followed by the Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary and the Qualji Closed Area lies further South-West of the park. Sawai Madhopur, the nearest rail head, is 5 hrs by train from New Delhi. Mewar express and Shatabdi both link the two towns with daily runs. The town is accessible by road as well, however what with roads being is poor shape, the journey might take about 9-10 hrs!