Holiday Diaries: BANDHAVGARH! #4 A Memorable Stay At The County!

The visit to Bandhavgarh was an amazing experience, but was made even more memorable due to our stay at 'The Roaring SalVan County'.
My father had told us of its being located in the jungle itself, but I had expected a huge clearing with trees dotting the space here and there. I learned how very wrong I was when I saw the beautiful structures rising above the undergrowth. A signboard with the resort's name and the logo of the forest's very pride; the tiger, welcomed us into its grounds,
Lakhan Ji, whom we got to know very well over the course of our stay guided us in parking the car. I stepped out and looked around in wonder. There was a deafening silence, a picturesque scene spread out before me, where trees punctuated the open land and cottages painted in colours of clay and white rose in between them. Few trees had been cut, the ground cleared only where the cottages and the dining pavilion were to be built. Various birds perched and nestled in the crooks of these trees, letting out an occasional chirp; cutting through the silence.

We checked in at the reception which was located in an open pavilion and headed towards Cottage No. #1. It certainly was a beautiful spacious room with old-fashioned switchboards and wooden chests and tables placed around the room.

A rustic woody smell hovered in the room. It opened out onto a side porch with a couple of reclining chairs which looked out into the forest beyond. A perfect place for reading a book or two; or unwinding the tensions of city life away, into the purity of forest air!

The washroom was less a bathroom than a room in itself!  A beautiful ornate mirror was placed beside the marble basins and there was a massive wardrobe on a raised platform. Apart from the traditional shower, I was a witness to something completely unique and new. There was an attached outdoor shower right beneath the shady canopy of a tree; separated by a glass door! Even the doors to the washroom and our cottage were held in place by the good-old wooden sliding bars. It was as if a lot of efforts had been put in to make as little alterations as possible; keeping the forest beauty intact.

Lunch was a lively affair. The food was made with fresh, local ingredients and with the utmost love and care. Its result could clearly be seen in the taste; which was excellent! I was looking forward to eating such good delicacies for a few more days!

The dining pavilion had an attached common lounge with a comfortable sofa set, a pack of cards and a carrom board. Since the entire forest area had no network connectivity, our phones were down and there wasn't a television in our rooms.

However, a common television set was placed in the lounge. Without any digital forms of entertainment, I felt I was bound to get bored and fidgety after a day or two. But I was elated to find 2 huge bookcases placed on either side of a fireplace in the dining hall! I don't know about others but I am one happy person if I find that a good book has turned up where I certainly don't expect it to be! The shelves were lined with bestsellers, some by Indian authors while some by award-winning foreign authors like Khaled Hosseini. Others included books shedding light onto Indian as well as local wildlife, flora and fauna.

The glass doors gave way to a swimming pool, with trees guarding its back. We were told that recently, a tiger named Bhima had captured this territory and was one of the most powerful tigers around. It often passed from behind the trees surrounding the pool. I was certainly unnerved but excited, and desperately wanted to see it crossing by during our stay. Comfy chairs stretched away on both sides of the glass doors.

Post-safari, when we returned to the county, the owner, Mr Varun Sharma had arrived from Delhi with his family and gave us a warm welcome. We were also briefed by him about the spirit and essence of the building of the county. He was an avid photographer and a trained naturalist. Thus, we were given very useful insight into the world of wildlife photography. He shared various humorous incidents with us; which made me laugh out loud!

During our stay, we spotted a variety of exotic species of birds, who mostly tended to perch on bare trees. We'd never laid eyes on most of them! Seeing them and capturing their beauty through a camera lens was an amazing learning experience and a lot of fun! I am active on social networking sites, but though there was no network connectivity, never even for a moment was I reminded of checking my emails and other notifications. Being in the grasps of the forest made me forget all the materialistic objects of life.

On the day of Diwali, Varun Uncle specially organised a jungle trek for the tourists who had booked a stay at his County. We were going along with another family and he told us that we were going to be straying a few hundred meters into unprotected, forest area, the non-tourist zone. He also said that our trail was going to be along Bhima's path, the route it always used when it patrolled this region of the jungle. The rule was that if he felt that we were in danger, then we had to run back as fast as our legs could carry us, without even glancing at each other, till we reached safety. The most worrisome thing was that it had been found out that Bhima was roaming the vicinity! I think all of us were scared in varying degrees. After all, who won't be scared of a TIGER?!

The jungle area was a scenic place with trees looming above, densely packed together. Although the safari had been similar, we had never been allowed to step foot out of our gypsies. He showed us how the villagers had gouged the tree trunks, in desperate attempts to cut through the xylem and phloem. When the tree would fall, the Forest Department would assume that its death had been due to natural circumstances and would go away without further inspection. Thus, the villagers would get their job done without fear of punishment! I thought of how ironic it was, humans living inside a forest, reaping all its benefits; and in return, the trees were guaranteed their gradual deaths. He also told us that having a langoor around when in the jungle is a good sign, as it is fond of climbing high up in the tree. It can spot a tiger when it is very far away, from its height and thus gives out a shrill, warning call, alerting the surrounding animals as well as people.

We saw a deep burrow in which a snake had once resided. I also saw a kingfisher flitting in and out of the trees. We spotted a tiny colourful butterfly sitting atop a branchy shrub. Varun Uncle showed us a small water body in the distance before which stretched the chasing ground. We learned that the chasing ground is where the tiger can chase after animals if it is starving, and slay them. Suddenly, we heard the sharp call of a jackal. It then came into our line of sight and hurried away in the opposite direction. Sensing that the tiger may be on the prowl, and was possibly heading South; we started back for the County, not wanting to put our lives on the line! While coming back, we could see the setting sun peeking out from behind the foliage of a few trees. Its orange glow bathed the forest in heavenly light, causing the surroundings to look even more gorgeous!

That night, a group of villagers had been invited for performing an exotic tribal dance for us. Their attire was splashed with colour; sunset orange, deep magenta, forest green and rosy shades of pink.

It seemed that a lot of people had come to perform for us! They ranged from young boys to women, to middle-aged men and elderly people well over their eighties! I was astounded at their enthusiasm! The performance commenced, the men playing their local instruments in synchronicity and perfect rhythm, all of them singing in chorus. Although the instruments were very loud and the number of women few, their strong voices did not let the instruments dominate the show. They twirled , their costumes swirling along with them, their feet tapping on the ground along with the beats. They laughed, skipped and danced without pausing, performing elaborate formations, so complex that it was difficult to understand how they worked! Two men with peacock feathers woven through their turbans danced in the very centre of the circle, while the others surrounded them forming a ring. The men banged away on their dhols, their lazims clinking away. The younger boys' climbed onto their elders' shoulders, swaying; and suddenly dropped down onto the hard stone below. Linking the soles of their feet together, and grasping their elders' hands, they swung round and round at a dizzyingly fast speed. The women were all beautiful in their own, quiet way, their ghungrus chiming in the night. It was all a fast blur of colour and vigour, keeping the audience enthralled. I was pumped with energy just by assuming the role of a spectator of this enthusiastic dance. I thought of how ironic it was, these villagers had nothing but their routine, tough lives to look forward to, and yet they were so full of life, while we, having all possible comforts did not lead as full a life as we should be!
During dinner, we met another group of wildlife enthusiasts who were also visiting the Bandhavgarh forest for the first time and were in awe of its beauty. As we were finishing our collective dinner, Varun Uncle rushed out onto the porch. He seemed to have heard a faint warning call and suspected that Bhima( the tiger) might pass from behind the resort. We too caught the contagious whiff of excitement and  ran outside. He requested everybody to maintain absolute silence, telling us to keep our ears sharp, in hopes of catching the faint thumping sounds of the tiger's paws. We tried to keep our eagerness levels down, when the high-pitched call of a barking deer shrilled through the night, a sure sign that the tiger was in the vicinity. We moved closer to the pool, shortening our hearing range. And then, I heard it!! Just a few quick steps, the faintest of thuds of a tiger's paws pressing down onto the ground. I don't think I'll ever forget that feeling of triumph and exuberance; especially because I was one of the very few who had actually been able to catch that sound! I was elated! We made our way back to the cottage after the festivities, the path guided by small lamps which cast a yellow light onto the pebbles.

We woke up the next morning to the beautiful sighting of an ibis perched high atop the bare branches of a tree. unmoving, and was still roosting there after a few hours! Sitting by the pool, we also glimpsed a most beautiful dragonfly, its wings curled and folded, its eyes crimson while its netted wings outlined and tinted with pink and magenta.

The only sounds of movement were the rustle of the leaves and the small chirrups of lively little birds.

Playing badminton in the evening on an open court was a very relaxing experience! Even though we were playing in the very heart of the forest, not even a trace of a light breeze interrupted our play. As the sun went down, the surrounding trees were outlined in orange, their silhouettes visible in black.

A part of me was transformed into a naturalist due to the huge amounts of information I received during the stay. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful, catering to our every need. It was the first time we experienced what relaxing and stress-busting truly felt like. Although Diwali is fun with friends and family, where sweets and gifts are exchanged and crackers burned; this Diwali was the best one I've ever had, amidst trees and the gentle arms of Nature. Kudos to the entire team for maintaining the resort so well!

I highly recommend a stay at 'The Roaring SalVan County' if one wants to experience hair-raising adventures, learn more about the intricacies of the forest and have an amazing time in general. Our vacation was enhanced due to us holidaying at this resort--- truly one of its kind!