A Myriad of Memories...

Life is not a fairy tale. . . . . . but you can make it one!
Sitting against my window. . . . . thinking of all the happenings through out my teenage….few brought tears of joy in my eyes. . . and few brought silly laughs. . . . . . . .. . . . . .
I still remember the date 24.09.08. . . . .
It was a different feeling. . . .excitement, tension, happiness. . . .the feeling of being GROWN UP!!!I reached my stop, and after a short impatient wait, I could see our bus from the corner of my eye. . . . my heart thumped faster. . .All through the EAMCET holidays, I had been listening to lots of fascinating things about an engineering college but the real outlook was different.
The reason I chose a women’s college was that I could be myself. But this had its own snags.
Suddenly , I felt very meek and weird when I got into the bus. After a long one and a half hour journey, we reached the college. I instantly fell in love with the campus. It was far more beautiful compared to the one in the website.Imagine, the very first day having a seminar on “WHAT IS ENGINEERING?”!!!!
This put me in even more confusion as to what was I supposed to do in this place. After a day long boring seminar, heading back home, first few minutes there was the same bus journey. . . . .As I was told, rather frightened, about “BIG” girls called “SENIORS”, called me to the back. I could see few more juniors there. . . . with the same shy look. I was asked to tuck my shirt and do funny things. . . and had a nice laugh. . . .
This was what I thought was ragging. . . But they called this interaction!!!
This continued for a long period of time, with different activities each day like pole dance, singing, dance, parady singing, poems, lyrics and many more crazy things. . . .
Later the same “BIG” girls, became very good friends of mine and were very much helping and friendly.
Slowly my circle grew. . .I became a known face. . . At first it was quite exciting. . . but slowly. . . the hitches came into picture. .jealousy, insecurity and GANGS, gang wars, word wars , cold wars etc etc.
Our class was very much united. . . when the question was about the “CLASS”, despite their personal ruckuses. We were always there for each other. . . We got even closer when the “MASS BUNK” happened, which was the first ever in history by the FIRST years!!
First year ended pretty much exuberantly, with a lot of remarkable and cheerful moments. . .
The gossips, the group lunch ,long hours of sleep in the library, bunks, movies, outings, pranks in the lab, bus journeys, brain racking viva, proxy, Dancing in the audience, stupid question papers, cell phones ringing in class with utterly droll ringtones, Combined studies, petty fights, all these were ever lasting memories. . . . .
The start of second year made me proud to be a “SENIOR”!!
The next semester started with much more interesting subjects. Second year was much of studying and there was nothing I did other than that. It evidently paid off. Second year ended very soon.
Third year, was the most memorable one ,filled with kick and exhilaration. It was amazing, and far more near to reality. It marked the start of lots of incredible changes in my life.
First,-The advent of “FACEBOOK” into my life, long lost relations became everlasting ones.
Back in touch with my childhood friends, school friends, hostel friends, things became easier and charming.This year brought many realizations which were very much necessary at that point.
Bonds became stronger. I had to choose between people. . . and I’m glad I made the right choice.
I learnt lot of things in this period, to face the world as it is. . . and to make it the way you want to see it.
Compromising to hold on a relationship and make them concrete.
Giving people a chance to show what they want to show, rather than what I saw. . . or I wanted to see. .
Understood real friends, ”VIRTUAL” relations, and pure love.
Nothing in the world would match your parent’s love which is unconditional. . and they are your greatest support. . .
Memories that give happiness should be treasured and the ones which don’t should just be taken as lessons.
Be a good friend, and you will definitely have one.Don’t be egoistic to compromise . . . don’t compromise for everything. .
People around you are all not necessarily your well wishers. . . practically they wait for a chance to have fun at other’s woes.
This happened to me. . . and I was almost going to lose a friend. But then god had other plans, and we eventually became inseparable parts of each other’s lives. She (Sharanya) became one of my bosom friends.
Being together was our favourite hobby. . .cried and laughed together. . . sharing sshhsshhh secrets,
love ,and lots of memories, lending a hand to help and a shoulder to cry. Hanging out together.
Finding solace in each others company. Forgetting the world while texting. Feeling special and crazy.
Combined studies via TEXTING and FACEBOOK!!!!!. . . . . walking each other up, calling names,
Always being a blink away. . . Committing the same mistakes in the paper!!! . . . .Loving similar things. . . and hating similar ones. . . Hating each other like hell. . . and loving back like heaven. .!!!
Talking about A to Z things on phone. . . except for the one needed.!!!
Stupid pranks, Meaningless FACEBOOK status , comments and wall posts .!!!
Always each other’s supporting hands in gloom and despair.
Seeing each others faces the moment the question paper was given. . and winking. . !!
Suddenly it was like both of us found each other in a crowd of unknowingly known people. . . just like an oasis in mid Sahara desert. Finally I found where I actually fitted in. . and rediscovered LIFE!!
Our deadly combination was irresistible, cute, sweet and dynamic . . . We shared our lunch. . and our problems. . and solved them together.
We teased each other like kiddos and placated each other like just born babies!
We had common interests. . . and wanted to try uncommon ones!. . . Our crazzyyiness , cute over action, devilish naughtiness ,idiocy and unconditional love brought us closer.
Getting hyperexcited about small things. . . screaming like THE SKY WAS FALLING!!!. . . Always saying “I’m der 4 u baby” and “txt me or gv me a cal aftr rchng hm. Dnt frgt. Tc”. . . Just like soul sisters.Behaving like fools. . and loving life for its randomness!!!. . . Meaningless sudden uncontrollable laughs .
Teasing each other when we got hiccups, Life was full of excitement and “KICK”!!!!!!!
We decided that we would keep writing to each other every weekend, when we part ways. . .
Third year came to an end, with some of the best memories ever with the best people in it. . . !!!!!
If this was one of my unusual friends, this was another. . she was from my inter college. . She was just as Sharanya. . . but (Mahati) was more reserved types and very much timid, cute and silent kind a girl. .
She was my roommate in inter. Both of our beds were side-by-side. . . and our hearts too. . .
Thanks to FACEBOOK, for reuniting me, with mahati. We always took each other for granted.
All the same things happened as of sharanya. . .Always feeling butterflies in my tummy.. <3.
Long hours on phone. . . sudden outburst into laughter. . . Loving FACEBOOK for bringing us back together. . . Flattering compliments and naughty comments. . !!! Hanging out together. . shopping together. . Sharing secrets. . . teasing each other. . and lots more . .
Few other school friends, back in touch through facebook. . . who were there for me when I needed a friend. . .
These memories made my roller coaster ride even more exciting!!.
Life became more colourful with lovable and loving friends, who left indelible imprints on my heart. . .
These are the last days of my teenage. . and it has taught me lot of things. . . which I would forever cherish. . .
Teenage ends but not its essence. . . . . Don’t lose these golden years for anyone. . . . . this is when you make mistakes and correct them. Mistakes are sometimes the best memories!!!
Good decisions come from bad experiences, and a lot of that comes from bad decisions. . . Life goes on and every new day is a chance to change your life. . .
I’ve had my share, and have loved it. . with a very loving MOM, and my beloved friends by me always, life is liveable and lovable. . .

The Parting.........:(

One thing I have learnt, from the mountains, is that the bonds we share there are very strong and pure.
The next glacier we were supposed to trek to, was,Kafni. But we couldn’t go for it due to blocking of the path due to landslides.So we started back.The three Delhi people had different plans and we had to split.
So the three of us spent the night chatting about endless topics and playing silly games.The next day we were together till our first destination Khati.We did not talk anything ,just kept moving through the beautiful path.
The last 3km of the trek were very humdrum. Totally steep uphill.Anchal and I were the first to reach the place. We just sat silent, avoiding the thought of parting with each other.We waited for her dad and brother to come, still with
a hope that the answer would be ‘yes’.But that didn’t happen.Both of us tried hard not to cry and bade farewell with false smiles.But that didn’t work long.She held my hand and tears welled up in her eyes,I felt my eyes wet too.I
couldn’t stop my tears. So I briskly trekked with all my energy and left the team far behind and cried out all at once.I didn’t quite notice that our ‘fastest’ trekker Gowtham bhaiyya was nigh .He started a tête-à-tête, but i was in
no mood to talk so i cut it with one word replys.Gradually I composed myself and walked slowly observing the nature,the clouds,the birds.The last part of the trek was very tiring and painful.The day ended up with my limbs and
heart aching like hell.


‘THE LAST STRAW’


‘Phew!Phew!’,I was panting after an early morning’s, gruelling,70 degrees, precipitous climb.This was the last climb of the whole trek.This time I enjoyed the nature to the fullest and moved very slowly, humming pleasant tunes.
The trek was finally over and we started back to Bageshwar in a gypsy.
We visited the ‘Sangam’,once again, and this time we could make out the striking difference of colour at the sangam point.
This was one of the remarkable wonders of nature.One more was the ‘yesterday-today-tomorrow’ flower.It is yellow in the budding stage,then white and then pink.
In the mountains,bonds become stronger and sometimes inseperable.Thoughts buried somewhere inside you suddenly come out, maybe because of the silence and aloofness.Breezing,gushing and chirping amid the silence, all the
more mesmerized me.

These were the best two weeks of my life.All alone,away from the civilization and very much nearer to the nature and the wilderness enthralled me.

Keep Going!!!

It was a perfect day with the nature .The breezy ,cool and sunny atmosphere made it even more idyllic. Our current destination was Dwali,11 km from our current stay.This time the trek was very smooth and not at all nerve-racking. The hinterlands were very calm in the early morning chill. The most striking path I have ever seen in life till date , was the path from Khati to Dwali. Beautiful streams running all through the conduit, with trickling pure waterfalls ,the chirping birds... amidst all this, Anchal and me walked slowly together,humming pleasant songs all through the way.There was a waterfall which fell upon a rock shaped like the teddy bear head with water just touching its open mouth and overflowing which was something quite interesting and purely natural.
We started off to Furkiya our night halt, about 5km, after lunch.It was a very dreary and dicey climb, with serious landslides on the way.We had to cross the landslide by crawling over the terrain with the roots being our bare grip.It was quite adventurous. One side of the sky was clear and the other was flocked by nimbus clouds forming a very beautiful ether making me forget the tiring trek. There was another mountain adjacent to the one which we were climbing ,separated by the Pindari River ,with beautiful waterfalls .All this sceneries looked like the ones I had read about in my childhood fairy tales . We stopped at the end of a cliff and I spread out my arms and felt the affable zephyr touch me like a smooth feather.Our destination Furkiya was extremely glacial about 2 or 3 degrees!!!

‘FINALLYYY!!!!!! THE PINDARI GLACIER’

‘Ouch!’ Someone was waking me up ‘too’ tenderly and my dream shattered.It was 3.30AM and it was freezing outside.It was pitch dark and we started our trekking amidst few dim torchlights!!!
It was more of a night trek than a morning or dawn trek.But the path was very risky.
I could see my breath in the air.It was still chilled after wearing five layers of thick and warm clothing and gloves. To top it all my shoes got wet while crossing a waterfall and my feet froze and started paining. Slowly dawn broke and the first ray of the sun touched the peak and it was shimmering gold which kept me going!!!
We created a record to be the first team to touch the zero point in three hours (7km).We clicked beautiful photographs near the glacier and slowly made our way back.We stopped at Babaji’s ashram and took his blessings and ‘Tea’!!! Anchal and I trekked back together, sharing a lot of girly things with each other and humming songs together ,forgetting the pain .We were the first ones to reach the point.
Our halt for the day was back at Dwali.Again both of us were together.We had to cross the same landslide again but this time it was even more risky and exciting. We thought we'll be together till we reach back to Delhi.But destiny had different plans...........

I'll reveal it in my next post!!!

IT STARTS........

I thought this trek to be something like my previous ones.But I was utterly mistaken.This was something
very serious, adventurous, and painful. First started off in a car to ‘Song’,but could not reach the place
due to landslides.So our trek started about 2kms before itself. Two of the Delhi people Archit and his
mamaji and I were together at first and our current destination was Loharkhet.I used to call uncle
Sheikhji due to his appearance.He was quite knowledgeable of different things and his nephew was
cool enough to be with.
We had several rest points in the middle,near beautiful waterfalls which refreshed me from the
scorching sun.It was about 7km uphill tedious trek from Song to Loharkhet.Now,there were a lot of
adventures the three of us encountered. First Archit and me missed the route and guessed up and took
a riskier one and thankfully it was a shortcut to the main one.Then we caught up with Sheikhji and
came to know about interesting facts about the place.The trail which we were following and our current
destination were rich in iron ore in its core form thats why the name ‘Lohar-Khet’.Now the next riskier
thing was that there was no route at one point and we had to climb a steeper terrain with no sand only
rocks slipping over one another.
We managed half of it and found a place for exactly us three to sit.We made ourselves comfortable
amidst the wild thorns.We had pep talks and Sheikhji videographed it amazingly . Finally we started off
and found that the terrain was even more riskier. The terrain was very very smooth and not a single grip
to cling on.I was scared to death which was definitely one of the possibilities.But then I found the one
and only root there for a scarce hold.My palm began burning in a few moments and I could feel my
skin being scraped and was very painful and finally the three of us cried out for help and were just
in time rescued by our Guide Heera jee and our leader Shrivats.This was the most riskiest thing till date.
But this definitely was true adventure and exciting as well. A shiver goes through my spine when I think
of it even now.
DAR KE AAGE JEET HAIN!!!!!
Sitting in the lawn, facing the valley, feeling the cool breeze and bliss of silence ,and writing all this
ohh!!! my heart touched heaven.
We had covered about 2100mts of height.Then in the evening, we started off on a very light trek
towards a place called the ‘Kali Top’ .It was more like a ‘Rishi-muni Kuteer’ in the devotional soaps.
We had a brief introduction which was creatively videographed by Shrivats. Then we warmed up with a
few breathing exercises by Sheikhji and paved way back to the TRH(Tourist Rest House).
NEXT DAY.......
“Breakfast ready!!!” came the call from Shrivats at around 7.15,too late for the schedule.We had a brisk
breakfast and started off to the next destination.This time our destination,Dhakuri was about 11km
steep uphill. Our co-trekker Karthik jee had an upset stomach.So Archit and me slowed down and
helped him with glucose and likes.We rested time to time.
I took a short nap of about 3min on a plain with my cap over my face avoiding the sun.It was very silent
such that I could hear my watch ‘ticking’.Thanks to our ‘Wildlife-Only ‘photographer, Srinivas we squinted
few beautifully shone peaks. Finally we reached Dhakuri and had hot lunch.
The next destination for the day was ‘Khati’ about 7km of mind-numbing trekking.Suddenly I
noticed something was missing.I beset my brain and finally... shit!!! It was my video camera. I got tensed
as there were many precious videos and was praying that my mom should have kept it, and thankfully it
was as I expected.On the way a lady had hurt her arm and our young doctor couple, Lincy and Jason,
treated her arm and gave her a few basic medicines.This was definitely a good sign.After a hectic hike we reached nearer to the place.Amidst all this a herd of sheep came opposite to us frightening me and Anchal, The Delhi ‘School Goer’. We gripped Karthik jee and one of the sheep just landed right away on his foot causing great pain. Finally we reached and halted.The night sky was astounding.It looked like as if there was a blanket cover over the sky with no gap.I gazed the sky and smiled at the stars wishing people up there and they all smiled back to me !!!.I also saw a toothta taara(shooting star).
I drank tea for the first time in life....
The coming episodes you can catch up on my next post!!!

Fable Fairyland Of INDIA -The Kumaon

“Come on ! get up” my heart was calling out ,and i woke up with a start.My phone showed 4.30 AM
It was ‘THE’ day I was longing for over a month, and my journey started.
I never find train journeys interesting except the ones with friends. And this one, even worse 26hrs!!!
It was exactly the time of the Ayodhya verdict and the compartment was totally empty.
Hmmm wait there was one guy, but I guess he was already confused and lost somewhere. My mom was
fast asleep and I was darn bored and was partially occupied with pep talks with my friends just to kill
time. But this time, time was let alone flying,not even crawling. Slowly moving out of the pollution and
traffic noise of the city,the country side was beautiful and all the more blissful. We reached the
Warangal lake, and managed to do a bit of bird watching through the window!
After a long period of boredom we touched the grounds of Maharashtra. Suddenly all the
greenery vanished and an unbroken chain of buildings appeared. Depicting the commercialization or
industrialization whatever you call it. Slowly the view switched into the woods I had been desperately
waiting for.
The train moved faster,but I could feel my heart beat even faster!!!
The view was indeed picturesque,with the setting slight sun raysjust touching the tips of the leaves,
making them shine exquisitely. I could forget the world, glancing out of the window.The pleasant
ambience and the pure green cover added to the charm.
As we moved further the jungle grew even more denser with alim streams here and there
through small polished rocks. I always find the woods wildly beautiful and inviting. Gradually there was
switching of the surroundings again now into a village scene with kids fighting over kites. I adored the
view with some of the most pleasant oldies on my playlist,clear in my ear. We ran across plains and
valleys and found few trodden paths,showing that man had set his foot here too. The farthest things my
eyes could see were trees and only trees. After sometime i had a good view of the sun set,burning red
in colour. While the jungle grew denser i lost track of the sun and it was covered with even taller trees
and sometimes the tunnels blocked it. I could catch a foretaste of the perfect reflections of the trees in
the crystal clear streams. Slowly, it seemed that the grey clouds were forcing a cover over the red
setting sun until I could see it no more.
Finally we reached Delhi and met our co trekkers and bonded well. But we came to
know that there was a problem in the accommodation due to some reasons and our trek should be
postponed by a day.
So,we had to visit Nainital from where we were supposed to go to Bageshwar ,the place
where our trek started.
Nainital-The Nine Lakes
After a night journey to Kathgodam, we started off in a vehicle to Nainital. The drive was quite smooth
and lovable in the company of the extremely pleasant weather. I caught a few best shots of the first rays
of the sun. It stirred my spirits about the trek.Then we paved our way to Bheemtal , one of the ‘tals’.
We clicked quite a lot of ‘Kodak’ moments. I saw a pair of ducks in merry,a very cute site .
I was the youngest in the team and our team called me ‘Baby’. They also had many more names like
‘Dead Weight’ and such synonyms for me.Our next destination was ‘Naukuchyatal’,where we visited a
museum totally dedicated to the kumaon region and was interesting andinformative to a large extent.
The next was the ‘Golu Baba’ mandir, which was one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever come
across.It was believed in the Kumaon that if you wish for something there and it comes true you go and
tie an auspicious bell there as a token of gratitude. Golu jee was the king of the region and was believed
to be very powerful.
Then we started off to the Mall Road in Nainital and I did something that i had never done.It was
called the Flying Fox and it scared the hell out of me.Then it was evening and we went for boating and I
tried rowing it with great difficulty in lifting the oar!!!
I could feel the silence in the ambience and on the banks of the lake there lay the beautifully lit
Nainital making the feeling even more pure.
Then we strolled in the Tibetan street and did some window shopping and then had the special
‘Momos’ for dinner with ‘Frozen Pepsi’!!!Then walked back alone around 9PM in the lonely silence in faint light in the beautiful city.
Now the journey to Bageshwar began. The path had beautiful streams flowing through,with crystal clear water and I could see the river bed from a significant distance.We had lunch
at a place called Kausani.We could have a glimpse of the peaks camoflouged with the clouds making it
all the more breathtaking.
Our next stop was ‘Baijyanath’ one of our national heritages.It was on the banks of the
‘Sarayu’,the holy river on whose banks the Ramayana took place.It was perfect for people to find
themselves in silence, and I was one amongst them. I closed my eyes and felt the cool breeze stroke me
gently and touch me with its faint fragrance .We captured gorgeous smiles in the ruins and started
ahead.
We reached Bageshwar around 5.30.We crossed the ‘sangam’ of the river ‘Sarayu’ and’Gomthi’.
The next day started with a warm ‘mother-daughter’ morning talk and we talked about different things by the riverside.
We were about to start the trek the next morning. I surprisedly came to know that I was no longer
the ‘Baby’ of the team,as we were being joined by three Delhi people, of which one was school going.
But our team still stuck to me being their ‘Dear Baby’.
Watch out for my forthcoming posts for my trek savvies.

A Trip To Pench Tiger Reserve-19th,20th June

This is a ‘must’ trip,for people who have a flair for nature and all the more ‘Wildlife’.

It is a trip not a trek.
There was a heavy downpour in Hyderabad,on the night of departure.We had an unforgettable journey with some poultry over the bus.Although we were pure vegans,we were in a ‘chicken soup’ all through the journey to Nagpur,which made it all the more memorable,to the whole team.
There are two ways to reach Pench,one from Maharashtra and the other from Madhya Pradesh.We chose Madhya Pradesh.
It is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh,bordering Maharashtra,in the districts of Seoni and Chhindwara.

We reached Nagpur in the morning somewhere around nine. We took a gypsy to Pench.

It is 92 km from Nagpur.

All through the journey I felt the cool breeze stroke me gently,making the journey even more memorable.Shortly we could see, literally ”India’s centre point”. It had a small structure with horses mould,which formed a great sight.
We were accommodated in the famous ‘Mowgli’s Den’. Pench is the original setting of one of Rudyard Kipling’s famous works, ‘The Jungle Book’, greatly influenced by its serene and scenic beauty. Finally we met Dr.Abheek Ghosh,an expert wildlife photographer.He was the one who arranged the safari for us.
We had our breakfast at Lallan’s place,and were all set for the safari.We were divided into groups and I and my mom were parted.
This was also a chance to know new people and to socialise well.We were five in a group.All my group members were cool enough and each unique in their own way.I never knew that silence could be so blissful in a jungle.There began our bizarre pursuit of the jungle and of course its 'wild inhabitants'!!!
Pench,comprise of 758 sq.km. of which 464 sq.km. is the buffer area and 299 sq.km.is the core area.Pench unlike Tadoba remains closed from July to October,for the breeding of the wildlife.
The first day we had an evening safari. We started off in a nice and refreshing weather.The first call we heard was of the ‘Brain Fever’bird,the name sounds different isn’t it? Thanks to Dr.Abheek ,that he could share immense knowledge with us.It was he,who told that ‘Brain Fever’ was called so due to its call! which sounded so.
Next, was the Chintal Herds,and the Langoors,which were the most common sight.The fact is that there are a lot of prey,but there are not more ’predators’. (only 1411 tigers!!!)

We could find owls which were quite different from those we sometimes find in the busy city.

We also found squirrels. I never knew that squirrels were of two types!!! The ones with three stripes and the ones with five!!! The former ones in the jungle and the latter ones in the city.Funny that I never noticed!!!Then we saw the Sambhars and the Nilgais.We cannot actually make out the difference I felt unless we watch them closely.Then came the turn of the Peacocks.They cried out restlessly for us,and finally we succeeded in spotting some of them.Later they became a common sight too.
Then we saw an Indian Roller,otherwise commonly called Palapitta .I found it more beautiful than our National Bird.Especially when it opened up its wings fully for a flight ,it had all grotesque shades of blue,which ,I felt,made it look all the more royal!It is really a striking sight to see.
The Kashmir Roller is even more beautiful,with a blue breast which adds to its beauty.
Another interesting sight were the dead ‘antlers’!!!We also could catch a glimpse of the deer shoving them off.It was a brilliant sight.
Then we caught a very interesting and rather philosophical sight.Mr.Abheek had already intoned about this and we were lucky enough to find it ; When the Langoors were plucking leaves from a tree and chucking them towards the deer below the tree who couldn’t climb,it definitely spectacles their relationships and that the animals are far better than us.This is an undeniable fact.
This was one of the most phenomenal sights I had ever seen throughout my life.
We saw egrets and pond herons in a new form,with yellow shades and colourful beaks respectively,that was because it was their breeding season.The usually not-so-attractive-ones looked quite attractive.
The next one we saw was the Wooly-Necked Stork which was fairly different from the others. We spotted a Lap Wing too with its usual ‘DID-YOU-DO-IT,WHY-DID-YOU-DO-IT’ call!!!
We could also spot jackals with the deer,but they weren’t bothered enough to attack them!!!
We could click a photograph where we can see an unusual friendship between a jackal and a deer!!!
Interesting na!!!
We could spot the Malabar Pied Hornbills,and two different kinds of vultures on the same tree!!!
In the Pench jungle,Elephants are brought in and tamed for domestic works.They are paid for se works too.
The payment is a 10kg roti!!! made at a special place,which we were fortunate enough to see.Finally we had to return for the day.But our jeep broke down!!! Finally what I’d prayed for,happened…We were just in luck that it broke down very near to the elephant,so we could have a better view.
But then it had to happen,so the jeep started and this time it was moving very wild, our open hair was brushing over and it was the best ride in my life!!!

Then we had a modest dinner and retired to our dormitories.
But none of us could sleep that night. Almost the whole of the night,we were engrossed in talks and jokes,mostly by Moin Sir ,Ranjan Sir and Vikram.It’s good to have people like them around ,with enough knowledge and experience.Finally we had some sleep late that night…
Next day’s quest starts…………
We started off about 5:30 or 6:00 .This time Varun was going to come with us.We thoroughly enjoyed his company. We found almost the same that we did the previous evening.This time they were in a larger number than before. We also found Pea-Hens,Mynahs,Brahmani Mynahs,and Drongos.
Also,we, rather Varun, almost spotted a tiger in its habitat.But,at first he thought it might be an illusion,which are totally common.But,it was when we heard the alarm calls of the deer, that we confirmed it to be the ‘King of the Jungle’ himself.We were forced to move from there,as the alarm calls had stopped.
We were lucky enough to find about two to three peacocks,dancing.Also it seemed that they had special moods and places for dancing. We saw a very beautiful Peacock flight which still lingers in my mind.
All this was the Natural part of Pench,there is also a Commercial side.

The tamed elephants we had talked about, were made to corner a single tiger and it was shown to the tourists at a fare of Rs.100 also the good part was that the money was spent on these tigers,too.
But it didn’t go in vain, we could see a 3 months old male tiger from approximately two metre distance.This was a spectacular view.It was all the more stupendous when Varun,Manish and I 'troubled' the tiger and were able to get some fantastic shots.
It would have been even better if we had spotted it naturally though.
After we returned,we had lunch,Poha and Dr.Abheek gave us detailed description about cameras,which was totally informative ,especially for those who are interested in wildlife photography.
The last safari,was one of the most memorable,of course after the tiger sighting.!!! We were lucky enough,to have Varun with us again.
We could spot a large herd of the BISON-look alike INDIAN GAUR.They were least bothered with our presence.We also could spot a wild boar luckily.Also we had a glimpse of a pair of Roller birds feeding their children,taking turns,aware of us,Intruders!!!
We could see a crested eagle too ,in a very convenient distance,enough to spot its crest clearly through the camera!!!
Finally whole of the safaris were done and were a true treat for our eyes.
Dr.Abheek and his 'Wild Cats', presented their 'save our tigers';and we had group photos.
We drove back to Nagpur ,caught a bus back to Hyderabad and reached early next morning.
The whole of the nineteen member team made the trip all the more memorable,enough to last a lifetime.
Our Organizer,Nandu was patient enough to handle everything well.
So looking forward for more of such trips,mostly involving things like trekking and hiking.
I returned with refreshing energy and beaming knowledge about all the new things I learnt .
Even though I returned to Hyderabad,my thoughts still linger in the jungles of Pench.I think all the others too are in the same state!!!
Cheers!!!
Kavya Bhavana
We could enjoy all this stuff only at Rs.4750.

Mallelatheertham Trek

I couldn't sleep the whole night ,partly with excitement and partly with fever.But nothing could stop the excitement of the forthcoming trek.
All set to go!!!Arun Raj, our host ,picked us up and the exotic quest of adventure started.Shortly we were accompanied by our team members near Habsiguda.
Mallellatheertham,in the heart of Nallamalla forest,our destination,is a shelter for a large species of aves.We drove to Sarlapalli,were we trekked to the waterfall.
It was a very refreshing trek with pure adventure. We saw a large swarm of butterflies,which was a true treat to our eyes.
Moving further,we saw traces of the waterfall,which grew bigger,while we trekked further.Finally,we had a wonderful time in the crystal clear water.This was when we had something interesting to see,one of us saw a very big beehive,lately it started moving.Our companion,spotted it through the binoculars and declared it to be a bear!!!
Then we had a grueling trek back, which was even more tiresome,thanks to the scorching sun. This was followed by a fine lunch.Th noodles,was delectably cooked,by Arun Raj ,for us.We rested for a while.
The next task ,was to put up tents and then cook dinner.All of us contributed for the dinner and when finally done,put up a bonfire.This is when,we came to know about the Chenchu Tribe.Pothayya ,who was from the tribe and Srikanth,an immigrant were with us.We all formed a circle, and Pothayya sang for us,written and composed himself.He was an active member of the Relapuvu Sangham.They together with GHAC had banned illicit liquor consumption.After he song,we had our dinner and retired to our camps.
We were on the go for bird watching the next morning.We were lucky enough to spot a herd of chintals which galloped away when we went nearer.We tasted new fruits, Nekkirapandu and Janapandu,which however weren’t new to our parents!
We also could see a wide variety of aves like Parakeets,Drongos,Ioras,Bee eaters,Tree Pies and Green Pigeons.
Finally MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!
We started back home with all these exotic and everlasting memories.