People Around Us "Safari Guides"

"KK"

The scorching heat of Central India was quite unbearable in May and sitting in an open gypsy (Jeep) we were quite anxious to quickly get into the Kanha Tiger Reserve safari ride. The previous two rides being unsuccessful in terms of sighting a tiger were weighing down on us and the kids were very eager to have a view of this majestic creature during this safari.

“Uncle who is going to be your guide asked one of them? Hope it is someone who is lucky”. That reminded me of a trip back in 2007 and a similar situation. With two safaris down and last one pending the family was eager to see a tiger in the wild. There came a guide  “KK” (popularly known in Kanha) who guaranteed us a sighting and before the ride was over he fulfilled his promise. Since then we had high regards for KK…but over the next few years we never got a chance to meet KK. This time around, I said to the kids may be it will be “KK” and soon after our driver comes back and mentions “we have the Chottu(small) guide with us”. I knew it was KK and when he appeared there was excitement around in the Gypsy. Rest is history…we had a wonderful sighting of Bhima at the BabaThenga lake in Mukki zone and to everyone’s heart content. Thank you KK.

Guides at Kanha Tiger Reserve,

Well the intent is not to describe my ability to prophesize or our excitement in finally seeing the majestic creature. It’s all about the Ecosystem around Safari parks and how the People around us make the experience good for us. Typically, most of the wildlife/Tiger Reserves are located in remote locations and adjoining a small village or hamlet. There would be a small road leading up-to the gate of the park and one can see a few Dhabas (restaurants), general stores, Handicrafts shops, Memorabilia shops and the Forest department offices. Off course there are the houses of the villagers and then comes the milieu of Resorts and Hotels.

There are many people who work in this eco-system who contribute to your experience. The hotel/resort staff, the shop keepers, the gypsy drivers, the forest staff (rangers, guards etc.) and finally the Safari Guides.  Most of us travel to such places, enjoy things around and come back to the urban jungle. Back there, the life still goes on and it is quite interesting to know & appreciate that there is a certain rhythm to this whole thing. The Tiger reserves operate only for 8 months during the year and between June and October these are closed to tourists. This is a period of emptiness and most of the things probably go back to a dormant mode, only to wake up in late Sept or mid October.

The question that comes to mind “What happens to the people?, “How do they earn their livelihood? “How does the ecosystem survive, that is so dependent on us (tourists)”.  “Why they chose this profession”? Also, what do they think about tourists, the forest, the government etc.

In this series, we would like to introduce you to two such key people i.e. “Safari Guide”, and “Gypsy driver”. The first in the series is an interview with “Neeraj  Pareste”, Safari Guide in Kanha Tiger Reserve.

Finally, we reckon that safari guides like KK, Neeraj, Tomar (all from Kanha), Bhupinder (at Ater), Baney Singh (at Bharatpur National Park), Neelkanth, Shravan, Dashrath (from Tadoba Tiger Reserve) and numerous other are an important part of our lives during such journeys and we owe then a  big thank you...

(Contributed by Enigmatic India team)

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Lost in Transit

Crowds, traffic, pollution and noise are synonymous with travel in India. Tourists are usually overwhelmed when they encounter these. So, it was, even to us city dwellers, a pleasant surprise when we came across these signposts and traveled through these villages. Can there really be a place that has only 22 or, for that matter, 80 people?
 
Kurith and Shichling are tucked away in the Himachal mountains. Both these places are very far from any airport, train station, bus stand or a cross road - you really cannot ask for directions as there are no people on the road to these remote places. On our journey, we did not encounter a single person for more than 70 kilometers. It was broad daylight but it was eerie to be on a nice, flat, newly laid metal road and not find people for such a long distance in India.

True to the sign post, 22 people live here. There is a school, a post office, a BSNL outpost and a few houses. 6 months of the year, they are blocked and cut away from the rest of the country due to extreme weather and the blocking of roads. People are hardworking, donkeys are a great asset (often defining the worthiness of a groom) and Potato (Pahadi Aalu) is grown here.

The most prized possessions that are hoarded here are matchboxes and portions of salt. Both are key assets to prepare for the harsh winter when the region is cut off. There is not really any trade here so the existence of the nice flat road surprised us. People were very friendly but could not speak our language. In broken Hindi, we figured that many foreigners often wander into these mountains and camp here. The numbers have been slowly increasing in the past years. The place is not very far from the border and there has been increasing army movement in the area (that explains the road) and the importance of a telephone booth.

The people of Shichling are a little larger population (comparatively :-)). Surprisingly, the women are engaged to clear the roads of small stones that keep rolling down the mountains during landslides. For centuries and for generations, these women have picked stones from the main pathway and set them aside along the road making a nice-looking wall formation. When it snows, these become picturesque and these spots are often used for shooting movies. During summer, the landscape is barren. The weather conditions are unforgiving and the difference of temperature between the shade and the sun can be up to 30 degrees. If you were standing in the sun at 20 degrees centigrade, you could feel the harsh sun burning your eyes, if you went to the shade, the minus ten degrees will urge you to move to the sun. Its an interesting disparity often confusing us, ignorant tourists, on how to dress for the occasion.

The mountains are serene, the air is crisp and still. The sight in the morning is overwhelming.
During winter, the landscape is covered in a sheet of white. The people in these mountains deserve praise to live here, to greatly enjoy the community and survive through the unforgiving weather, often huddling for warmth during the extreme winter and coming together to clear roads for wanderers during summer. Our experience was enigmatic, we were blessed to be here and it was with a mixed sigh of sadness and relief that we left Kurith.


#latebloomer for Enigmatic India.

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