The Rambler

Ranthambhore in Hot May

2010-05-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

When I’ve not travelled for more than two months I start feeling the itch; the urge to pack my bags and leave on a fresh trip. Of course, my preferred destinations are exotic and far away, the preferred transportation a caravan a la SRK. My favored companion would be someone like Nigella and the duration a month or so. Alas! If wishes were horses… I have learned to settle for more modest goals.

So when I found a free weekend and two like-minded friends also in a mood to travel, we planned our trip to Ranthambhore National Park. Many were shocked by the choice of destination at the time of the year by the three senior citizens, Anand, Wingco Sethi and yours truly, to spend their hard earned money and well deserved weekend break. But birders and wildlife enthusiasts derive masochistic pleasure by putting themselves through unimaginable physical hardships to satisfy their urge to observe / photograph their preferred subjects.

Moreover, Peak summer, by conventional wisdom, is the right time to spot tigers in the arid Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Most of the smaller, seasonal sources of water dry up, forcing prey and predator to visit the few remaining watering holes. Another consideration was that only the valiant diehards would brave the heat of Rajasthan desert in a year arguably the hottest in a long, long time, resulting in lesser crowding.

We boarded the August Kranti Rajadhani from Nizamuddin at 4:55 and had a comfortable journey till Sawai Madhopur. By eleven at night, we had had our spirits lifted by some matured malt and tummies filled with home cooked parathas and subzi Sharada (Mrs. Anand Arya) had so thoughtfully packed for the journey. These and the need to get up at 4:30 to be ready by 5:15 AM next morning helped us hit the sack early and get some restful sleep.

As promised, 5:15 sharp, Salim Ali our guide for the two days and the open gypsy landed up at our place and we went off for the first safari. Salim is certainly the most famous and arguably the most knowledgeable guide in Ranthambhore (On Facebook too!). He has been closely associated with several BBC productions and other projects. Our four safaris in his company showed that his reputation was well earned.

Anand, a very seasoned and experienced birder and bird photographer of repute had photographed almost everything, except a tiger! He was, justifiably obsessed with his first sighting. Tigers and lady luck, have their own logic and time schedule. They decide when to oblige you. There is nothing you can do about it. That simple.

So despite the desperate requests and prodding by Anand supported by Wingco and some desperate running around the Park at break back speed over treacherous terrains, the first Safari yielded no tigers. However, as we were all interested in birds and other mammals also, good sightings of Hanuman Langurs, Spotted Deer, Sambhar, Black-tailed Mongoose, Monitor lizards, Wild Boars and Nilgais delighted us and we clicked away like crazy. Luckily, Anand had carried two self designed beanbags and I too had a smaller one. These came handy for shooting from the open Gypsy. Of course, Anand and Wingco had the advantage of Image Stabilized lenses, which poor man like me could not afford.

At no time is breakfast more welcome than after a tiring safari. But before you partook of the much needed meal, the code of conduct of photographers demands that you clean up your equipment, changed cards, download the images and have a bath. I certainly lost count of the number of parathas I ate. There is nothing else to do but to catch up some lost sleep.

I have a vague impression that we had lunch in half sleep. The only thing I clearly remember is the lovely Rajasthani Karhi! So thin and flavoured with fried fenugreek.

3:15 and Salim is waiting with the Jeep for Safari #2. By this time, the pressure to show us our first tiger was mounting on Salim and the driver. In a desperate bid, they took us almost on a non-stop breakneck drive over what passes for jungle tracks all over the Park.

We were all keen to achieve what Wingco termed as our “Lakshya # 1”, sighting of tiger. Bets of beer and cash were wagered. Prayers and bribes to Gods were offered. Heaven helps those who help themselves. We finally had a view of the male tiger of the Rajbagh Lake sleeping besides the lake across from us behind the Jharokha Chhatri, a mile or so way, in fading light of 6:45 PM. But sighting is sighting! Beers were won and lost!

Safari #3. We decided to give up the wild goose chase and to head for the Rajbagh lake where the male tiger we saw yesterday and the famous Lady of the Lake, T17, the young and beautiful daughter of Machhali were reported to be last seen.

Seeing fresh pug marks of T17 leading away from Jodi Mahal we decided to check the cement bowl waterhole at Mandook, where as per Salim’s prediction she would have gone. Short of the water source, we were distracted by very good sighting of painted sandgrouse and we started photographing it. That was when Salim noticed fresh pugmarks coming from the watering hole. The marks also were accompanied by dripping water indicating that T17 had just before we reached, sat in the water and was on her territorial round, leading to Malik Talab.

We quickly started following the pugmakrs. Took one turn about a Kilometer from where we started and lo and behold! The Lady of the lake, walking ahead of us along the track. Once or twice she stopped watching something to the left and suddenly a sambar from the left gave alarm call and the graceful princess decided to turn right and go down into the Nallah, away from sight! We were crestfallen and disappointed. Not Salim. He seemed to be sure about the route she is going to take judging by the alarm calls of animals and we went along his hunch and proceeded to Malik Talab.

Many other gypseys were also waiting expecting T17 or her uncollared brother T19 who was reportedly sighted fleetingly nearby to turn up. We used the time to photograph bird near the talab. A surprise was a yellow Bittern who gave us clear views from a dried tree stump. After a while one by one the vehicles started leaving but we decided to sit and wait till the end of the safari time. Patience pays! Just as we were nearing the end of the time, we spotted T17 lying under the shadow of a clump of cactus just behind the bund. We had some good, but distant pictures before we left for breakfast.

The last safari again we decided to do Zone 3 as we expected T 17 or the male to show up near Rajbagh. And how right we were. Just as we entered the park, we found her sleeping under a chhatri near the gate. While other crowded the scene, we decide to do a round of the lake and wait on the route she is certain to take after her siesta. She did not disappoint us. What a sight to watch the majestic beast stride down the road from the Chhatri towards the lake. At least 8 vehicles full of tourists and photographers clicking away and she passing between the jeeps with not a care in the world. It is like a

Bollywood heroine or celebrity, knowing fully well that thousands are looking at her and photographing her, walking as if she has not noticed the crowds! For a good 15 minutes she kept walking , observing a group of sambhar deers and stopping occasionally allowing us to photograph her.

Finally she decided to charge at the sambhars but a cheetal gave her presence away by an alarm call and the queen vanished into the grass. And the tamasha ended. One by one all Gypsies left. We decided to check up the Jharikha from the other side. We were rewarded by the sight of the Princess walking back along the rocky outcrop towards the grass in which she will lie for a while. We bid her good bye and drove to the lodge.

My Chettinad Trip

2010-04-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

My primary interest in the region of Tamil Nadu around Karaikudi, known as Chettinad has always been the fabulous food, which I found shared much with my own native Syrian Christian food of Kerala. Chicken Chettinad and Chicken 65 were all that came to mind when someone mentioned the word. I thought the Nattukkottai Chettiars were a group of rich gluttons who, like the Malayalee counterpart could not imagine even one single meal without Non Veg!

How wrong I was!

Chettinad has indeed a very interesting history. Claiming their origins from Kaveri Poompattinam or the legendary Poompuhar, they had always excelled in banking, money lending, trade and accountancy. The entire banking system in Ceylon was developed by them. Also the accounting system of double entry, making entries of income and expenditure on facing pages was invented by them. During the late 19^th and early 20^th Century, these enterprising merchant-traders migrated to Asian countries with a presence of the British. Thus Burma, Ceylon, Malaya, Singapore, etc, became their arena of trade. Apart from earning untold wealth from these faraway locations, the Chettiars also took good care of their womenfolk and children they left behind. From all the exotic places they worked, they meticulously sent the finest of material for constructing mansions befitting a king in the small towns back home. We have thus a large number of dream mansions and palaces that rival anything in Europe or even in the durbars of the Mughals in very remote villages and small towns. Many Chettiars had to beat a hasty retreat from their places of business in the wake of the Japanese invasion of far-east in the Nineteen forties. After the end of WW II, the Chettiars have concentrated more on business in India and as a result, these fabulous mansions that they built using costly imported materials are lying vacant, slowly deteriorating in view of the prohibitive cost of maintenance.

When, therefore I got a chance to make a quick trip to Chettinad, I jumped at the opportunity. I caught the 4^th March 2010 evening Rameshwaram Express from Egmore Railway Station equipped with packed biriyani and a coke bottle filled with fortified Coke. Arriving at Karaikudi at the ungodly hour of 4 AM, on the Fifth March, I was glad to be received by Arumugham from the police department, a courtesy from the Superintendent of Police Shivaganga. (Small perks for spending 36 years patrolling the streets!)

Hotel Subhalakshmi Palace where I had booked accommodation is centrally located and very convenient. The location somewhat makes up for the poor upkeep and shoddy service. The most intriguing thing about the place is the location of the bar. This can be reached by the house guest through the backside, via the cookhouse beyond the washing place, past the gurkha at the back. Very dicey, but most convenient for the local guy who wants to have a drink on the quite without advertising it in the city! How clever!

My friend, Subramaniam, a Chettiar from Rangiam arrived in the morning to escort me through Chettinad. Though Subbu’s ancestors belonged to village Rangiam, under the Nemamkoil, his parents shifted to Thanjavur in connection with family business.

Pillayarpatti Temple

We started the day, auspiciously by visiting Pillayar (Ganesha) temple at Pillayarpatti. Though Subbu arrived later than he promised, we just managed to join the early morning Arathi. The temple has been built around the idol, carved out of one big rock. Pillayar or Ganapathi is certainly the favourite God of the Chettiars. Pillayarpatti temple is certainly one of the oldest and the most revered in the region. Though the early morning sunlight was bathing the temple gopuram in its golden hues, the inner temple was still shrouded in darkness. The stone-carved hall leading to the sanctum was full of devotees silently mouthing their prayers and anxiously awaiting the Darshan. The lilting music of the Nagaswarm and thavil echoed in the hall with carved stone walls adding characteristic twist to the divine music. The golden glow of burning Arathi lamps, the smell of camphor, hush murmur of devotees and the sing-song cadence of the chant of manthras, all conjured to create a divine atmosphere where one felt very close God.

Before we proceeded further to see the splendors of the famous Chettiar palaces, we decided to pay homage to the other thing Chettinad is rightly famous for, the food. At the suggestion of Arumugham, the local know-all, we zeroed in on a nondescript eating place near Subhalakshmi Palace, Royal Hotel (In the best traditions of South India, restaurants and even humbler eateries with no lodging facilities or rooms on rent are called hotels rather than café or restaurants!). The quality of the food more than made up for the poor ambience. The solicitous waiters ensured that we lacked nothing. Dry Mutton fry, meat ball Cutlet, Biriyani, Nadan Kozhi and Chicken 65 are highly recommended! And for the cheap price we paid for the three meals, one cannot get even one single dish in a decent restaurant in Delhi!

We rushed from the meals to see our first Palace at Kanadukathan, 12 KM away. Kanadukathan is, by any standards a small village with a population of less than 5000 souls. What, however makes this different is the per square KM density of mansions in this small village. The so called Chettinad Palace is a hundred and ten year old magnificent mansion built in the typical Nattukkottai Chettiar Style. It was designed and constructed by Dr. Annamali Chettiar, prominent businessman and philanthropist, founder of the Indian Bank and Annamali University, to mention just two institutions.

Chettinad Palace

In recognition of his contributions, most notably in the areas of banking and education, the British Government had bestowed upon him the title Rajah though on his own right too he deserved to be a Raja as his family reportedly ‘owned’ 90 villages. His brother, and other relatives have also built places, though not as grand as his, nearby. Unfortunately for us, the Chettinad Palace was closed to public due to extensive repairs and restoration in anticipation of the forthcoming 80 year birthday celebration of the present Rajah, Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy.

We had to content with a visit to his brother’s house next door, which too is a fine place built in the best traditions of the Nagarathers and now housing a museum of household articles of the Chettinad region.

Inside Chettnad Museum

The Palaces which dot the countryside of the Chettinad region falling within Shivaganga and Ramanathapuram Districts of Tamil Nadu are true gems worth seeing and savouring.

The general plan of the Chettinad places is simple. It comprise of a series of quadrangles one behind the other, with entry and exit doors aligned to the main gate, thus making it possible to have unobstructed view from the front to the rear. At the entrance is a raised thinnai or verandah bisected by an elaborate carved door leading the great hall. The carvings on the doors are mostly of Gods and Goddesses who rule over wealth, the primary concern of the community. Male visitors, supplicants, business associate, etc. are entertained and dealt with at this place. For most visitors to the palace, this is as far as they go into the palace.

The great hall beyond the thinnai is for formal entertainment and reception of honoured guests, marriage parties, etc. Mostly, this is two stories high and the best embellishment and decorations can be seen here. Swiss chandeliers, Italian marble, Belgian tiles, European furniture and Persian carpets are commonplace. The banquet hall, usually running the whole length of the palace is on one side.

The central door from the hall opens into a quadrangle with an open space in the middle, surrounded by verandahs and suits of rooms allotted the married male children of the family. These days, these rooms are seldom opened and are kept locked by the respective member, who most likely are living and working far away from home. These rooms would still have traditional utensils, implements and the like belonging to the family who owns the suit of rooms.

The next quadrangle, similar to this one in plan is less elaborate and decorated rather starkly. This is the quarters of the womenfolk. Many day today utensils, milling implements, grinding stones, etc. may be found here. The last quadrangle is the kitchen.

When one finishes taking in the beauty of the exquisite decoration and the cool air-conditioned-like atmosphere within, one cannot stop wondering at the zest for life of this community. The exigencies of the modern world have scattered the members of this communities to cities far and wide. Those who are left behind, except for the really rich like Dr. M.A.M Ramaswami are not in a position to maintain these jewels as well as they need to be. Nor can they see these pieces of art deteriorating and dilapidating. Some have converted a few of the smaller mansions into heritage hotels and resorts, but the major ones are still retained by their owners, torn by the loyalty to tradition and the realities of the present day world. How long more many can survive, is difficult to say. The so-called Chettinad Mansion, a thriving heritage resort behind the Palace is one success story of renovation.

Kanadukathan Temple

Right in front of the Palace is a small run down building, which we were told was the school built for the education of the children of the family. The temple beyond the school is well preserved. The quality of water in the pond and the efforts to effectively harvest water are really impressive.

The place once boasted of its own airstrip, now disused and the royal family’s own waiting room in ht elocal railway Station!

Mallus and Sardars are supposed to be present everywhere, but I could not locate even one Sikh with the characteristic beard and turban. Not so the Malayalees! The Choice Hotel group of Kochi has quietly acquired a smallish mansion and restored it with Tender Loving Care and is running the same as a Heritage Resort called Visalam. The obliging staff showed us around the exquisite property. A pity we could not stay there for a day and enjoy their hospitality! May be next time!

As we bid farewell to Kanadukathan and the fairy palaces, we had one more destination that day. We decided to visit a famous landmark building in Karakudi. Aayiram Jannal or the ‘House of Thousand Windows’ is the ancestral home of the mother-in-law of Subbu. Mr. Alagappan Chettiar and his family were most hospitable. Mr. Alagappan, himself was frankly unsure if there are actually 1000 windows in the house,, but I presume if you count the number of glass panes, we might get very close to the thousand mark. It was a pleasure to see a typical functioning Chettiyar Mansion in the middle of the city of Karaikudi.

Aayiram Jannal Mansion and Mr. And Mrs. Alagappan Chettiyar

Worth visiting is also the Muneeswaran Koil Street, where antique dealers ply their goods ranging from genuine kitchen utensils and artifacts to pseudo-antique furniture. If you can actually make out which is real and which fake, you are a genius!

Subbu had arranged for dinner at the ‘Bangala’, a well maintained small boutique hotel with just 13 rooms. Located almost at the outskirts of Karaikudi, the hotel is actually a restored men’s club. The restoration and maintenance under the eagle eye of Mrs. Meenakshi Meyyappan, the redoubtable Aachi (The dominant Matriarch in a Chettiar Household). One is struck by the cleanliness of the place and the attention to details. Meticulous care and hard work is a recipe for success in the hospitality industry.

Dinner was memorable with typical Chettinad food items like varuval, poriyal, kulambu, and of course Chettinad Pepper Chicken. The taste of Pal Paniaram, somewhat like boondi soaked in sweetened coconut milk, still lingers in my mind.

Kovilur Temple Pond

Day II was kept aside for visit to Kovilur Temple, Athangudi Palace, Devakottai and the Kunnakudi Temple. We started off well enough with A relative of Subbu as guide. Early morning visit to Kovilur Temple and breakfast at the once-popular Annapoorna Restaurant were rewarding.

Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple, Karaikudi

We quickly visited the Shivan Temple in Karaikudi (Shri Meenakshi Sundereswarar Koil) before setting off to Athsangudi famous for its Athangudi Palace and the typical tiles bearing the same name.

Inside Athangudi Palace

The Athangudi place is another majestic mansion conforming to the general Chettiar design. The main reception hall is decorated with such exclusive and fine decoration that the French King Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette would have loved to own it!

An unfortunate family emergency forced me to abandon my tour of Chettinad midway through my visit of the Athangudi Palace and I had to rush to Madurai to catch an afternoon flight to Kerala. But not before briefly stopping over at the foothills of the Kunnakudi temple to propitiate Murugan for the speedy recovery of my ailing relative back in Kerala.

Like many things in my life, Chettinad visit is an unfinished task, which I propose to complete if not in my next trip in my next few trips. There is so much see and an so much to eat out there, and so little time!

Pilgrimage to Velankanni

2010-01-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

Even a non-pilgrimage-type like yours truly occasionally gets caught in the circuit. My trip to Velankanni in Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu was one such trip. I had gone with Susan to Chennai on a family matter, but since I had asked a ‘mannat’ to visit and pay obeisance at the shrine of Our Lady of Health at Velankanni, we decided to borrow our daughter Shalini’s Swift and drive down. Family friend and classmate, Varghese and Sheila who also had come for the function in Chennai offered to accompany us. A most welcome gesture, affording an opportunity to travel together and to catch up with all the gossips and juicy stories about friends and relatives.
Though I have driven a swift off and on, I had never done any long distance travel or driving on one. Also, I had never had an occasion to do any serious driving in Tamil Nadu in the last 30 odd years except for driving through Tamil Nadu from Bengaluru to Kochi. So for me the vehicle and terrain both were new. Almost.
We had planned to start early at 6 AM,on 25th January, 2010 but the evening revelry the day before dragged on to 4 AM and forcing oneself to get up after even 7 AM with much difficulty. To cut a long story short, we picked up a much-grumbling, hungry Varghese couple, who were not binging with us the previous night, from the Madras Boat Club at 8 AM and headed towards ECR, which we never reached. By some mess up, which I blame Varghese for and he in turn blames me for, we missed the turning for ECR at Thiruvanmiyur and ended up on OMR, the Old Mamallpuram Road, officially renamed the Rajiv Gandhi Salai, lovingly and rightly called the IT Corridor. And what a happy mistake! We had a nice drive, past so many IT buildings, with so many cuts on the road being used to the full by buses and vans transporting the IT labour of India toiling in the warrens of the IT Hubs. Beyond Karappakkam the road became less congested and we had a fairly comfortable drive. One thing that struck us is the total absence of eateries on the road. Due to getting up late, we never had a chance to eat breakfast and in the Haryana style, thought we can grab a bite en-route. We found no place on the left side till near Poonjeri, where Flora Restaurant gave us fabulous breakfast of idli, dosa, poorie potato at amazingly cheap rates. We enjoyed the much-wanted meal and proceeded to the destination.
Up to Chidambaram via Puducherri was a smooth drive, but we had a tough time navigating through Chidambarm. Varghese wisecracked that finding the right road is the modern-day Chidambara Rahasyam! From my previous experience of studentship at Annamali University, I had learnt the hard way that there are no good eateries in the temple town and we decided to carry on.

We just stopped at Karaikal to click a few images of boats in the quay. Karaikal to Sirkazhi is about 12 Km and the road is just OK.
Sirkazhi, made famous by the Tamil singer Sirkazhi Givindarajan, who sung many famous songs for MGR is a sleepy little temple town with narrow roads and heavy traffic. As it was getting close to 2 PM and as we were keen to have lunch in time, we explored the town for a decent restaurant to have lunch. By sheer coincidence, we chanced upon a restaurant of sorts being run from a converted garage of a hotel. The ‘meals’ was basic, but tasty and clean.
The next stop was at the Muslim Pilgrimage destination, Nagore , the road to which is tolerably good. Nagore town itself boasts of the worst patch in the whole route, with slow traffic on congested routes. We had some ‘reliable sources’ which told us about the availability of bargain ‘foreign’ stuff at Nagore. So we went ahead and asked the roadside shop keeper who directed us to the shos near the ‘Dargah’.
The Dargah itself turned out to be a very historic site. Meeran Sahib Abdul Qadir Shahul Hamid was 23rd in the line of descendants of Prophet Muhamad and on his own right a great Sufi saint and preacher. This is probably one of the oldest shrines in Tamil Nadu. The golden dome and five minarets are impressive, but the promised ‘foreign goods’ were disappointing, to say the least. Unless of course, you are looking for cheap melmoware and glass crockery and cheap food items.
Having wasted half an hour we hurried to reach our destination but got stuck in a traffic muddle in Nagapattinam and ended up taking a small road to Velankanni. Though narrow and winding, this road was less travelled and easy to drive.
We reached Hotel Sea Gate at 5 PM and dumped our luggage in the rooms.

Sea Gate is part of a larger chain, comprising of Hotel Picnic, claimed to be the first ‘luxury’ hotel in the town, the more recent and better appointed Hotel Sea Gate and the neighbouring Sea Gate Resorts, which has cottages with three bed rooms each. The hotel surpassed my expectations as far as cleanliness, service and facilities are concerned. We dumped our luggage and headed straight for the shrine which is within easy walking distance from the hotel.
Velankanni, meaning the Virgin of village Velan was once a rather busy sea port in the 16th Century. The Danes, Dutch and the Portuguese traders purchased spices from here for export to Europe. Three miracles are said to have led to the establishment of this shrine. The first relates to a boy carrying milk to a customer in the village. He is supposed to have rested besides a pond on the way, where Virgin Mary appeared before him along with infant Jesus and asked for milk. The boy obliged Mother Mary and hurried on to the customer apologizing for the delay and shortage of milk. The milk container, however was found full to the brim. The customer asked the boy to show him the place and he too had the vision of the Holy Mother and child. The pond beside with the vision occurred was named ‘Matha Kulam’, meaning the pond of Mother. In the second instance, Mother appeared before a handicapped boy selling buttermilk and cured him and sent message to a wealthy Catholic living in the village asking him to build a chapel. A thatched chapel was promptly built.

It is, however the third and more spectacular miracle that won the place world attention. A few years after the chapel was built, some Portuguese merchant sailors were miraculously rescued from a storm by the Mother and the survivers were brought to the thatched chapel. As a mark of gratitude to the Holy Mother they built the first permanent shrine here. Such is the fame of the shrine that today the original church is replaced by a magnificent Basalica and plans are on for further development and beautification. The pristine white Gothic structure with contrasting red tiles against the background of the Bay of Bengal is indeed a sight worth seeing even if you are not a believer. Beleivers swear by the powers of Our Lady to restore health to the afflicted. More than 2 million believers throng to the shrine during the Feast in September every year. It is customery to offer before the deity metal, silver and gold replicas of parts of the body which is sought to be cured.
The route from the Church to the beach is lined on both sides with shops selling curios, religious knick-knacks and all sorts of stuff. In the 2004 Tsunami, which occurred immediately after the conclusion of the morning Tamil Mass, thousands of people who were purchasing stuff and almost the entire shop keepers were washed away by the sea, leaving all inside the church unharmed.
We were just in time to attend the evening Novena prayers, Rosary and Mass in Tamil.

On return to the hotel we were happily surprised to find that the restaurant at the hotel offered one of the best prawn preparations I have ever had. Rather costly for a small town on the Coromandel Coast, the food was excellent. The hotel which was booked in advance by our friend Varghese turned out to be value for money.
After a morning visit to the Shrine and the obligatory purchase of souvenirs, we set off back to Chennai at 9 AM. We had breakfast of idli and dosa at an eatery near the Bus Stand for surprisingly cheap rates. While we were in a hurry to reach the destination in time for the evening prayers on our way to Velankanni, on the return trip there were no such pressures on our minds. Vargheses were leaving by a late night train to Kochi and we were leaving only the next day. We decided to take in some sights on our way back. Picjavarm, the second largest mangrove on earth was on my list. However, I was out voted and we decided to give is a skip, a mistake according to me.

The road from Karaikal to Nagore is croweded and busy and crossing Nagore townsip with its narrow and crowd3ed streets was a pain again. Our first stop was at Tranqubar the little known former Danish colony. The Danes established this busy port in the costal town on ‘Tharangambadi’ meaning the singing waves for trading in pepper. It survived as a busy port and centre of Protestant Missionary work for several decades. The port and township were set up by one Danish Captain on behalf of the Danish East India Company Ove Gjedde. The fort which survives well to this day was named Fort Dansborg. The town was also the place from where the redoubtable Bartholomus Zeigenbalg, the first Lutheran Missionary operated. Rev. Zeigenbalg is also credited with as many as 24 ‘firsts’ including the first European Protestant Missinonary in India, the first to translate the Bible to Tamil, the first to set up a Tamil printing press and much more. A memorial to him stands by the beach. What attracted us to the small relic of colonial history was what is now known as the “Bungalow on the Beach”. Originally an imposing mansion owned by the Danes, the building had remained neglected and dilapidated till the innovative Neemran Hotels took over and lovingly restored it to its original glory. Now this is among the finest examples of restoration of old heritage buildings and the famous hospitality of the group that runs many heritage resorts all over the country.

Beside the Bungalow, there are the remains of a granite temple with very fine carvings. The remaining parts were destroyed in the Tsunami. A Danish arch made of brick and lime mortar stands intact mocking the poor craftsmanship of modern PWD contractors of today. We were not lucky to visi the fort which is now being run as a museum by the Tamil Nadu Government. The imposing King’s Street has several impressive mansions and smaller houses dating back to the Danish days. A charming quiet retreat for those in search of peaceful retreat.

We decided to stop and have quick lunch at Puthucherry, nee Pondicherry, also called Pondy. Unlike Tranquebar, Pondy was a French Colony and remained so till Independence. The long occupation by the Frence has left its visible and palpable impressions on Pondi and its people. Suddenly you are transported to what might as well be a small town in interior France. There is even today a sizeable population of foreigners, thanks to Auroville and the reputation as an artists’ paradise. The French Quarters and the local are easily distinguished.
Food at the Segull Restaurant by the beach was good. The drive along the beach and the lovely weather was worth the detour. Helped Susan refresh her French from the College days in Kochi!

On return we stuck to the ECR. The East Coast Road or National Highway 45A is among the best roads in the south. However, having been used to the eight lane National Highways in and around Delhi,I was not impressed. For one thing, most of the distance is only a two lane road. Also, it is very difficult to find a stretch of more than 15 metres without a curve, making overtaking very difficult if not outright impossible. A big slow truck, lorry in the South, in front of you ruins your trip. At times the turns and curves appear to be unwarranted and the result of the desire on the part of the planners to keep land owners along the road happy, at least the rich among them. There is certainly a case for straightening most curves.
Traffic was rather heavy, but orderly as always in Chennai. From Thiruvanmiyur it became pretty slow and we had to crawl at speeds best measured by inches per minute rather than miles per hour. With all the breaks and stoppages including at one place near Karaikal to collect water lily plant which was dutifully transported all the way back to Delhi by the lady, we made the 325 KM trip in just about 9 hours.
Some casual observations and impressions. Motor cycle drivers are very aggressive in Tamil Nadu. They dominate the roads and your speed is dictated by them and not by you. I have driven in Tamil Nadu after a gap of over three decades and this aggressive driving by two-wheeler drives came as a revelation to me.
Tamil Nadu might earn the distinction as the State with the rudest pedestrian behavior. People refuse to leave the centre of the road even if it is Highway. All sorts of loads including long ladders are carried on head while walking through the middle of the road. Any attempt to make them leave the passage like honking of horn, may make them turn and look at you, with the object on their head likely to hit bystanders if nor passing vehicles. In small towns even to this day, it is common to see children and men sitting by the roadside and defecating oblivious of passing vehicles and people.
Somehow, the sight of lovely jasmine flowers on the tresses of women which was once the trademark of Tamil women seem to be slowly vanishing. Similarly, the ubiquitous salwar kameez seems to have replaced the traditional sari and pavada/davani of Tamil Nadu, the last bastion of Dravidian culture.
There are surprisingly few decent eating places along the way, even in small towns like Chidambaram or Karaikal. Along the highway too Flora and Midway appear to be the only wayside eating points. A disappointment for the ones like me for whom culinary adventure is a part of the pleasure of travelling.

Unforgettable Trip to Tal Chhappar

2009-08-03T04:21:00.000-07:00

Tal Chhapar, the Birder's Dream Destination.

Some things happen only once in a lifetime. And these are event you cherish long after they occur. My birding trip to Tal Chhapar is just one of this type, ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’.

When three of us fretired folks from Delhi decided to make a weekend(31^st July – 2^nd Aug, 2009) trip to Tal Chhapar to pursue the lead given by Mr. SS Punia, Range Officer, Rajasthan Forest Department, Tal Chhapar we (Anand Arya, Wingco Sethi and yours truly) did not have the faintest idea that we are just about to create history and to be part of it!

We left Delhi around 1.30 pm Friday afternoon in Anand Arya’s Tata Safar 2.2 VTT Dicor 4X4 from Siri Fort and headed for Tal Chhapar via Gurgaon, Dharuhera, Behror, Kotputli, Neem-ka-Thana, Sikar, Lakshmangarh, and reached Salasar, 20 KM short of Tal Chhapar by 9.30 pm. The stay at Balaji Dham Vikas Sadan was very comfortable with clean rooms, cheap rates, wholesome veg thali meals at unbelievably affordable rates and the general atmosphere of the whole complex. Salasar is a very important pilgrimage town in Rajasthan. The Hanuman Mandir in the town attracts hordes of pilgrims. The Dharamshalas have been built by generous Marwari businessmen and the Samiti which looks after the development of the mandir and township.

Like every birder habitually does, woke up early and left for the sanctuary hoping to see a dozen or so buzzards in one day, setting a personal record of sorts. To say we were totally unprepared for what was in store for us would be an understatement. From the approach road, which skirts the periphery, we were watching some rosy starlings when Wingo pointed to some large bird sitting on the ground and making occasional sorties with stretched necks held low and straight forward. A close inspection through the binoculars revealed the bird to be pale necked buzzard, which for want of any trace of white in the eyes we thought was long legged buzzard. Then we noticed another on its left, then another left of even that one, and another to the right, and another in the front, and another behind and another and another... By now we were dumbfounded. ‘This is not true!’, said Wingco. Anand was squealing with thrill. I was too overwhelmed to do or say anything. The whole field ahead of us was literally peppered with scores and cores of buzzards.

We rushed to the office of the Ranger, where Shri Punia gracefully offered tea and joined us in a round of the sanctuary. Everywhere and anywhere you looked, the whole flat grassland was full of black bucks. From a capacity of 800, the population has now grown to well over 2000, forcing the Forest Department to acquire another 200 hectares to accommodate the explosion in population. Chinkaras and Blue bulls were also in plenty. But today was buzzard day and we had no time for the larger species. Any direction we looked, there were within 50 yards at least a dozen white eyed buzzards, most in the pale headed juvenile plumage. Like the Charge of the Light Brigade we progressed,

Cannon to the right of them,

Cannon to the left of them,

Cannon in front of them

…boldly they rode and well..

As per Arya, it was Nikon to the left of them, Nikon to the right of them and Canon in front.

We saw a Steppe Eagle majestically perched on a pole and approached for a close shot. That is when our attention was drawn to a darker coloured Buzzard which Anand and Punia thought was a Laggar falcon. While looking at that, we noticed behind it, in the fresh tall grass something with a grey thin long neck and a longish head and beak with a black clump of feathers on the crown. Even though the stance and the peculiar shape left no doubt about its identity, especially after one noticed the peculiar brownish body and its shape, at first we could never believe what we see in front of us is really an INDIAN BUZZARD! I shouted “#@!%$#, An Indian Bustard! Holy Jesus! is this really an Indian Bustard”. Anand confirmed and Wingoc strongly agreed. Poor Punia was struck speechless. He kept mumbling incoherently. After all, he has been in charge of the sanctuary for over three years and he knew every inch of the area. His personal attention and care of the zoo has resulted in visible improvement. And now there three old fogies land up from Delhi and show me a bird that every director of any sanctuary would be proud to claim! Long lenses and cameras came out and clicked away furiously to get a decent record shot. Out then came the books. Yes! This is indeed an Indian Bustard, female adult in very good form. After seeing this, we did not even mind the braking of the rear glass of Anand’s Safari, while trying to photograph a pair of Steppes on a tree, or the dozens of Laggar Falcons and other birds.

The afternoon session was rather tame with only about 600 or more buzzards, a pair of what we thought were peregrine falcons and a good sighting of Indian foxes.(Vulpes bengalensis)

The morning of 2^nd August, we had only one mission, to see if there are more or only the female we spotted. A binocular scan of the grassland revealed a possible Bustard standing cleverly among Wooly necked Storks, but close examination showed it to be another specimen, possibly a male Indian Bustard. W called it a day happily after polishing of a dozen or so freshly fried Kachoris, which Anand has a penchant for locating from miles away. It is another matter that Wingco spotted and photographed a magnificent specimen of Red-necked Falcon at fairly close quarters sitting on a fence wire (the Falcon not Wingco). Arya’s attempt to retrieve his bazooka from the boot, were in vain as the falcon promptly flew away the moment Dr. Arya took his big lens out.

A very rewarding, exhilarating and historic birding trip indeed. A few observations might not be out of order here.

The tender loving care (TLC) with which Mr. Punia, the Range Officer in charge of Tal Chhapar Sanctuary tends to his park has rejuvenated the National Park. The appearance of the new inhabitants is a tribute to his selfless and sincere efforts.

Those who propose to visit the sanctuary may please note that there is severe restrictions on vehicular movement within the park. Please contact Mr. Punia in advance and find out the rules.

The best route from Delhi is Gurgaon-Kotputli-Neem ka thana-Sikar-Lakshmangarh-Salasar-Chhapar.

The long awaited rest house is coming up in the sanctuary and should be ready by next season if not late this season itself. The building is grand and rooms and facilities should be good.

Till then, the best bet is the dharamshala in Salasar. There are two very good ones with clean rooms and air conditioning. At least one more is coming up.

Eat and collect all the food and water you need en route well before Kotputli as there is nothing between Kotputli and Sikar. At sikar as you enter the town, at right on the first roundabout before the flyover, there is a decent multi-cuisine restaurant, strangely named “ICE”. Good, clean cheap food!

The canteen at the dharamshala sells genuine packaged water and cold drinks. Carry only what you need on the road journey. It is advisible to stick to bottled water. The tea at the Guest House (Dharamshala is good, but nothing to beat the sweet thick masala cha of Chhapar bus stand. By the way, the Dharamshala does not provide towles, except for a small face towel. Remember to carry your own towel and chappals.

The list of important birds sighted are given below:

Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps)pair

White eyed Buzzard (Between 600 and 1000)

Saker Falcon single specimen

Laggar Falcon, over a dozen

Kestrel a pair

Steppe Eagle two

Egyptian Vultures two

Twany Eagle two

Oriental Honey Buzzard at least one, two sightings

Red Necked Falcon one

Rosy Starling over 5000

Wheatear, Isabelline and Variable

Shrikes, Long-tailed and Southern Grey

Wooly-necked Storks over 30

Black Ibis over 50,

Spoonbill, just one, though Punia says there are a dozen of them

Larks, Crested, Rufus-tailed and Ashy-crowned Sparrow

Bee eaters, green, blue cheeked and one possible blue tailed

Black bucks over 2000

Chinkara 100 – 200

Bluebulls 50 -60

These Buzzards would feed on crickets, grasshoppers and locusts the whole of August, but would soon move out to the Southwest. Their place would be taken over in September by Harriers.

Go out and enjoy, the unspoilt, goldmine!

The Bandhavgarh Trip

2009-05-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Journey Begins

I've always wanted to visit Bandhavgarh. I dreamed of Bandhavgarh, its famed tigers, its meadows, its teeming wildlife, its birds. Planned several times, only to be abandoned at the last moment. So finally till I and my friend Captain Suresh Sharma actually boarded the Hirakund Exress from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, I had secretly feared that this trip too will meet the fate of earlier planned ones. But that was not to be. Here we are finally in A1 coach occupying between two of us just one berth, #7. It's a day journey and we have accommodating co passengers and a kind TT. We settle down with introductions and the usual question, "What do you do with all the photos you take?" It is a difficult question at the best of times to explain to the uninitiated. I just tell the eager Sardarji on Berth #8 that it is a 'nasha' (intoxication or addition) for me. He knowingly nods his head. The delicious Chhole and paranthas that Susan so lovingly packed for us saved us from the culinary torture of Railway food. For dinner, there was curd rice (Thair Saadam). Bliss!!

Umaria - Taala

We were met at the Station by a friend and sent to Bandhavgarh by the Innova from the resort. Arriving late at night at 2 AM did not diminish our determination to join an early morning jeep safari.

Nature Heritage Resort, Village Tala, very near the gate of the Tiger Reserve is a great place to say. Built around a central courtyard with places for an open air bar, a cafeteria and a few odd places to sit around, the resort exudes a very 'jungly' atmosphere.
Our cottage had two rooms with a shared verandah facing the central coutryard. Food is great and the staff are friendly and helpful. For some reason, the Nature Heritage Resort, locally referred to as the 'Agra Lodge' referring to the place of origin of its owner, has, over the years evolved as the favourite place of stay of photographers. Most of the important ones stay here and the chance to meet some famous lensmen is an added attraction for staying there. We were lucky to meet a few celebrities, also staying there. Jonathan and Angie Scott probably needs no introductions to those interested in wildlife. Born and brought up in the UK, Jonathan finally ended up in Masai Mara, Kenya and fell in love, first with the forest, then with the Big Cats and finally with Angela. He is an outstanding photographer, an artist whose pen and ink sketches of cats are much sought after. He is best known as the host of a number of BBC TV shows about the Big Cats of Africa. He has also written two books, one of Masai Mara and another on leopards. Angie is a famous photographer on her own rights. Another pleasant surprise was meeting Nanak Dhingra, the famous Indian wildlife photographer. A lively person known for his generosity and concern for the under privileged, Dhingra has his photographs published in every single wildlife magazine worth its salt. The owner of the Resort, Mr. Rajvardhan Sharma is a celebrity of sorts. His exploits in saving a hapless French tourist by risking his own life are so legendary that every guide in Bandhavgarh claims to be eye witness to the incident.

Safari

Though summers are intolerably hot in Central India, it is worth braving the torture of the Sun if one is keen on spotting tigers. For one thing
Water sources dry up leaving a few well known and approachable water holes. All animals, prey and the hunters and scavengers congregate at these places. This is probably the reason why one can surely see at least one tiger on each safari, unlike in other reserves and national Parks. Another reason why summers are better is that in summers Bandhavgarh forest looks dry and bereft of the green foliage of the post rains winter season, making tigers more visible. Finally, the crowds of tourists in Winter are so large that all resources get strained beyond comfort. As many as 50 safari vehicles enter the Park every day and the news of spotting of tiger attracts a large number of vehicles. Too many for the comfort of the tigers and the serious photographer and wildlife enthusiast. even in late April the number of vehicles were as high as 20 daily. The system of entry has been reorganized recently.

In the morning each vehicle is allotted a particular zone out of the five for safari. In the first one hour the vehicles are supposed to remain within the allotted zone. This is done to prevent overcrowding and to give each group a chance to spot tiger in the open before there is crowding. Once the tiger is spotted in a zone at a place away from the track but approachable by elephant back, the tourists are allowed to ride the elephants and approach the tiger for a closer view.
It is indeed nice to give a closer view. Somehow, in their eagerness to get better view, the mahouts often get to close to the tigers and cross the personal threshold of comfort. Sometimes they even interfere with tigers' movement to let all see the tiger. At times the 'tiger shows', as these are called become a big circus and counter productive.

We too got our chance on the howdah, but trust my luck to let me down. When my turm came to photograph the magnificent male dominant tiger, son of the legendary B2, the damn fellow decided to sleep and not even lift his head. When the elephant turned to let those on the other side of the howdah a dekho, he obliged them by looking up and yawning royally. And can you believe, there were no one with a camera on that side of the elephant!

The bird life in Bandhavgarh, unlike in Ranthambhore is rich. Not only that, easy to approach and photograph.
Even though I am an avid birder, I normally do not photograph birds. Two reasons. Firstly, taking photos take away, at least partly the pleasure of watching birds. The moment you want to photograph, your first priority is to click. For that you plan approach, select the vantage point, worry about light, equipment, tripod and a hundred other things. Secondly, I do not have the lenses required for bird photography. The longest lens I have is a Sigma 300 mm and a Sigma 1.4X tele-convertor. This is insufficient for small birds. Often when asked what is the ideal focal length for bird photography, I tell that you need 100 mm more than the longest lens you have. Till i am rich or one of my rich uncles - very few are left, rich or poor - die bequeathing huge bank balance to me of till Nikhil Devesar donates his 600mm, I do not even want to day dream of bird photography. That having been said, I managed to click a number of acceptable quality images of large birds like the Brown Fish Own here. In all I managed to spot over 45 species including Malabar Pied Hornbill, Racket-tailed and White-bellied Drongos. The lesser adjutant was so tame and gave me good shots.

The most productive area for us was the central dam and pool known as Raj Behra. Currently a mother and three sub adult cubs are the inhabitants of this scenic spot.
An artificial dam constructed across a seasonal stream has created a fairly large reservoir surrounded by vast meadows. The whole area is teeming with wildlife. Hundreds of spotted deer (Chital) feed on the grass, animals like sambhar, wild boar and jackal also frequently visit this spot. There are also plenty of peafowl. The presence of water also attracts a large variety of birds. Once can easily spot birds like three variety of Drongos, two of Orioles, two of Bee-eaters, three of Doves, two of Hornbills and two of mynas. Wildlife department has also built a concrete hide near the dam to permit photography. I must try this facility. Some day!

An unexpected treasure was the splash of colours of leaves. The forest was full of newly sprouted young leaves of various shades and colours.

Though my desire to meet the legendary mahout and photographer Kuttappan (A Mallu, like me) remained unfulfilled I met Raghu, arguably the best guide and budding photographer. We struck friendship and he acted as guide for me on more than one occasion. Normally guides are allocated at the gate on the basis of a roster and the visitor has no choice. There are two ways of overcoming this. First, and what I used, is to request the guide allotted to you to let Raghu take his place. Second, what I plan to do next time, is to hire Raghu's jeep and get an additional guide from the gate. (It is mandatory to have a guide, even with Raghu or Kuttappan on board)

Afte three days at Bandhavgarh, enjoying tiger safari during day and the food and drinks of Nature Heritage Resort, one can't be blamed if one felt reluctant to leave. But leave, we had to. We caught the late night Utkal Express on 29th April. Recalling, despite not getting very good images of tigers, one had 15 sightings of 7 different tigers in three days and six safaris. The food in the train made us dream of Susan's cooking. The Air Conditioning also conked off, making the return trip uncomfortable. But we kept going over the fantastic experience of the last three days.