Back to the wild....yet again!

Divali was the ideal time to escape to the peace and beauty of the jungles--K.Gudi and Bandipur of course, as my friends know! So I will not repeat the details, but just give you brief account of the memorable 4 days! A comfortable Volvo bus to Mysore, then by cab to K.Gudi, to be given a warm welcome by our old friend, naturalist Lokesh. The time before lunch was spent enjoying the sight of a tusker Sriram being bathed in the adjacent pond! Soon, we met the manager Ashish, who had taken a group of visitors to see a local tribal village. It was interesting to hear that he is an engineer by profession, but shifted careers to pursue his passion--wildlife. He has a site, www.livingintothewild.com, dedicated to the wild denizens of K.Gudi! The safaris with Lokesh and Ashish were enjoyable as usual, though most of the animals stayed away, due to the steady and intermittent drizzle. Ashish and the veteran driver, Thapa (who I mentioned in the last post) showed us a number of bird species on the big gulmohur tree in the resort. On the second day, Lokesh took us to the Ranganathaswamy temple atop the hill, the Soliga tribal village and the medicinal plants nursery adjacent to the forest department office. It was an immensely enriching day--and very encouraging to see the progress in the village. The 2 nights at K.Gudi passed all too soon, and we set off for Bandipur, where the rain dogged our footsteps! This time we stayed at the Bison cottage, the last one on the edge, and enjoyed the solitude. Once again, we met Sunita Dhairam, who I've written about earlier, (and who had painted the bison, apart from the other cottages!) and were once again awestruck by the incredible service she does for humans and animals alike. The safaris with Basavanna were enjoyable, though here too the animals chose to remain invisible, except the most gorgeous peacock, who remained motionless as our jeep stopped next to him! The other interesting episode Basavanna releasing a cobra near the dam; he had caught it earlier near his home! The 2 days again passed too soon, and we were back at Mysore, boarding a bus back to the chaotic and drab city. Till the next trip!

It's Bandipur (safari) once more!

I have described previous safaris at Bandipur in detail, so my regular readers know that we always go with Basavanna—not just the best naturalist but the finest human being, and our good friend.

However, the last trip was special! As the dawn broke through and the fresh mountain air accompanied us for the morning safari, we spotted a mother-calf elephant pair near the highway, and that was joy enough!

Little did we know what a magnificent sight awaited us soon after-- Basavanna’s favorite tigress Gowri! Who allowed us to feast our eyes on her for a leisurely 15 minutes.





There was the usual meeting with elephants (and a mock charge), deer, gaur, sambar, langur and beautiful birds, including a rare nocturnal Eurasian Eagle owl.









In between, we stopped at the anti-poaching camp in the jungle (where Basavanna has friends to whom he regularly takes extra provisions, such is his kindness) and enjoyed the most delicious “black” tulsi tea!









































The night before I had asked about the Moyar Gorge, and next morning, Basavanna, in his quiet and thoughtful way, just took us to the very picturesque site.
































A stark reminder of the plight of animals was seeing a chital eating some plastic littered on the highway.







On this trip, the other enriching experience was meeting Sunita Dhairyam. (please scroll down to read about her :Where angels fear to tread.....)which also led me to the interesting souvenir shop near the forest reception center.

Waiting for the next trip!

For more pictures of Gowri, see
http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/59058/the_undisputed_beauty_of_bandipur_tiger.html?cat=16
And for excellent photos, Basavanna’s page at
http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view_cat.php?tag=Basavanna+H+S

Where angels fear to tread........

I had ended one of my earlier posts, http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/04/snippets-from-bandipur_19.html
with a wish “I hope to meet her someday”! My wish came true last week, when thanks to Basavanna (my regular readers know him as our good friend and finest naturalist in Bandipur) I finally met Sunita Dhairyam, popularly known as Sunni. We drove through some rough village roads and non-existent ones over fields to reach her artistically designed house, (amidst scenic surroundings) in Mangala village, Bandipur. We were welcomed by the concerted barks of eight dogs of all sizes and breeds—and later heard that they were all abandoned and found a loving home with her. The petite and attractive lady who greeted us warmly seemed so unassuming that though I had heard of her achievements from Basavanna, hearing the details from her strengthened my belief that our country is full of unsung heroes/heroines who make a difference, quietly, simply because of their passion and commitment to a cause/causes. A lone woman fighting all odds single handedly, Sunita has truly reached “where angels fear to tread”--I honestly cannot think of another person that I know who has done what she has. A humanitarian, wildlife lover, conservationist and immensely talented artist are just some of the terms that describe her, but what is even greater are her courage, determination and passion to fulfill her dreams. Many of us may have the passion or urge to do something, but not the courage or grit to follow through

This is her story in brief.

She had a passion for the wild from childhood, and her immense artistic talent is God gifted, without any formal training. Her aunt is a wildlife photographer, while her grandmother was a wildlife artist in Bangalore. Sunita lived in Zambia as a child, returned to school in hometown Bangalore, then Shimla and college at Delhi. Back to Bangalore and a short stint at Kabini River Lodge (also a Jungle Lodges resort) before leaving for US. Ten interesting years there, as a freelance artist working on murals in diverse locations like the Stillwater theater in Minnesota, and the Bilibong sports bar in Bloomington, near Minneapolis. The latter being a center for the Hmong community (from S.E. Asia), there was a popular weekend farmers’ market, which allowed Sunita to display her creativity with items like hand painted wine glass sets!

In 1995, she returned to India, and in September, bought land in Mangala village, Bandipur, then one of the haunts of the infamous brigand Veerapan. Then began a long and ardous struggle to build on it and establish herself in a man’s world (and the journey continues!) due to her own determination and her mother’s encouragement. Thanks to the support of officials of the forest department, she took up odd painting assignments while overseeing the building of a room to live in. For a whole year, there was no electricity or running water, but she did not give up, despite the hostility of some (even prominent) people around. She also took up the paintings in the Bandipur Safari Lodges cottages (under Jungle Lodges & Resorts)—actually, this was my first introduction to her! Since we stayed in the elephant cottage (see photo) painted by her, (with matching motifs on the linen and curtains) I asked Basavanna about the artist and was astounded by what he told me, and requested him to fix a meeting with her on my next visit.
The tiger, leopard and gaur cottages are equally impressive. Incidentally, the elephant took 3 months to be completed, difficult as it was to work intermittently, only when there were no guests. It was also an ardous task, considering the height and size of the wall---the outline of the elephant was done earlier, and the details filled in later, while the background was done free hand. A close up of the painting leaves one incredulous and speechless! Sunita spent two years completing the paintings for Jungle Lodges. (see http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/08/amazing-creations-by-sunita-dhairyam.html

In 2006, she set up the Mariamma Charitable Trust, with Shree Devi and (Late) Dr. A.R.Pai (who had earlier set up a free clinic with Sunita's help under their organization Ammembal Medical Charities).

Her work now encompasses a number of areas, the main thrust being the improvement of the lives of the villagers around (from 15 “dung” villages, including 7 tribal hamlets), conservation and minimizing man-animal conflict, so common in areas close to forests like the Bandipur National park. The trust compensates villagers for any loss suffered from wild animals, to discourage them from harming the animals. She hopes to provide facilities and build a community that will live in harmony with and respect the rights of animals. Apart from providing medical aid to the villagers, Sunita seeks to empower and uplift youngsters by helping poor students to get an education. She tries to raise awareness of sustainable living for farmers, and hopes that more solar fences will prevent the human-elephant conflict that results in fatalities for both.

Twice a year, she undertakes immunization (at a huge cost) of rural dogs for birth control and to prevent the spread of diseases like rabies. This serves a twofold purpose: prevent the growth of numbers of village dogs, and lessen the impact of their diseases on wildlife. The number of dogs attended to during the last drive was 93! She is helped in this venture by IPAN (Indian project for animals and nature), who have trained personnel like dog catchers.

Sunita has employed a local boy to help her in the administration, and has the unstinting support and admiration of the people around, which allows her to carry on successfully despite the lack of support and even hostility of vested parties in the area. A sad comment on our society!

Sunita decided to use her innate skills to design and sell products to finance her projects, and so Temple Tree Designs was born in 2006. She conceives a product from start to finish, with the first sketches to the final product manufactured in Tirupur, near Coimbatore. (This indomitable lady has even spent 3 months in a factory learning the ropes!) Today she has a vast range of artistic products (with wildlife motifs)—t shirts, jackets, key chains, jackets, mugs, durees, table mat sets etc, and is now launching towels. These are available (along with items like photos and paintings by local artists) at the Souvenir shop near the Bandipur Forest Reception center. (see photos and http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/08/amazing-creations-by-sunita-dhairyam.html

Sunita works out of a pretty little “office” which bears the unmistakable stamp of her creativity and passion. As we sat sipping coffee in her artistically decorated little veranda with a scenic view, and listened to Sunita’s experiences (with one of her dogs happily nuzzling up to her!) I realized that whatever I say will fall far short of what she has achieved, single handedly, with incredible passion, grit and perseverance, choosing the path less taken in favor of a comfortable life anywhere else in the world. We can do our bit by not just admiring her, but giving support in whatever little way we can., for it is only people like her who champion the cause of the marginalized population and voiceless animals, both of which are integral to the fabric of our lives.

Look for details of Sunita’s work and other background information on the site
www.templetreedesigns.com

This post is also under
http://makeadifference-nita.blogspot.com/
http://makeadifference-nita.blogspot.com/2010/08/lone-womans-campaign-for-man-and.html

Amazing creations by Sunita Dhairyam!

One can only marvel at the skill, talent and effort of this immensely talented artist and conservationist, who has dedicated her life for the welfare of the villagers and wildlife of Bandipur. These are glimpses of the paintings on the cottage walls of the Jungle Lodges resort cottages and products on sale (to finance her projects) at the Souvenir shop .

The call of the wild!

As I mentioned in the last post about the Jungle Lodges resort, http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/05/bandipur-beckons-yet-again.html this was my third (and my son’s fourth) trip to Bandipur in the last few months, and the highlights of the trip are the jungle safaris. We always opt for Basavanna H.S-- the most knowledgeable, experienced and interested naturalist it has been our privilege to know. http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/04/another-unsung-heroa-naturalist-par.html

Before the evening safari on the day we reached, there was a hint of rain, but it passed quickly. It’s always a magical time as one heads out towards the jungle, surrounded by the distant hills, the forests on either side, and the boards saying “…be a silent passer” (though few maintain that!)

After registering the vehicle in the reception center, Basavanna drove in (he painstakingly takes a different path each time) to a jungle freshly awash with rain, redolent with the intoxicating smells of nature and a tang in the air that is alien to city dwellers. We were greeted by a solitary langur looking at us nonchalantly as he made himself comfortable against the branches! Next were herds of chital, gaur (the Indian bison) and elephants, some sambar, and of course, birds like the peacock and whopoe. On our last visit in April, we had come across just one herd of elephants (and the dramatic experience of a mock charge!) (see http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/04/bandipur-beckons-again.html) but this time there was a large number, and a couple of mothers hurrying their babies to safety. Apparently, the elephants which had migrated to Kabini earlier had come back, after a few showers promised more water and food! My aunt, being a thorough city bred, was extremely apprehensive and scared of the safari, but after seeing Basavanna’s expertise and skill, relaxed enough to enjoy it! After a while, we came out on to the highway and crossed over to the other side—back again and to the opposite side—Basavanna does not spare the slightest effort to cover as much as he can, and all the while, with the utmost patience and cheer.

Apart from the wildlife, I am always fascinated by the different shades of green in the jungle, the lovely, rough winding paths and the play of light and color when the sun’s rays stream through the leaves, and the light of the setting sun casting a surreal glow over the vegetation and water holes.

The next morning safari was equally rewarding---herds of chital, gaur, sambar, birds and of course, elephants, some at the salt licks provided by the forest department. One of the herds, accompanied by 2 babies, wanted to cross the road, and when Basavanna reversed the jeep to give us a better view, protested (twice!) with a mock charge! It was indeed a bit scary, but after having seen his adroit handling of a similar situation last time, we were quite confident! Credit must also be given to him for my aunt succumbing to the magic of the forest, even after this incident! My photography skills and small digital camera are both very limited! but after handing it over to Basavanna (a very accomplished photographer) at the most picturesque moments, got some wonderful images, which you can see here—including the little turtle, still as a stone by the path. For graphic images of the inhabitants of the jungle, see this : http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view_cat.php?tag=Basavanna+H+S As I have said in earlier posts, seeing a predator would be a bonus, but it is really not important in the context of the vast treasures of the jungle.

There was just one sad note in the day—the sight of a solitary elephant in pain, a result of the firecrackers planted underground by villagers to stop elephants raiding their crops. At first sight, we did not notice anything amiss, but Basavanna’s keen eyes detected the swollen mouth and dribble. It slowly made its way to a salt lick, watched by a gorgeous peacock perched overhead. It was a poignant sight, and one that for me at least, cast a shadow over the beauty and enjoyment of the wild. If only human beings practised some compassion and tolerance and thought of alternative means to deter animals, instead of inflicting pain and injury and threatening their very existence.

I’ve always enjoyed reading and teaching John Masefield’s poem “Sea Fever”, but only now do I truly understand what he meant by---“It’s a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied”! This time I will not end by saying that chances of going back are dim, for we are already planning the next visit—the lure of the jungle grows stronger! I still hope that some of my "online friends" will visit one day--once you experience the beauty and magic of the Indian jungle and see the magnificent wild creatures in their natural habitat, life is never the same again!
See more of my travel reviews at http://www.trazzler.com/users/nitam and http://www.tripadvisor.in/members-reviews/nita55