On a murderously cold March morning, we were standing on a narrow river bridge across the Dehar Khud. Traffic was thin, and people in the occasional passing car were perhaps laughing at the idiots shivering in the rain for no apparent reason. The forty minute wait seemed like hours, before a distant toot brought us into action. We all took our positions for the money…
A Life in the Desert
The Thar Desert has long been the subject of my fascination. While I have had the good fortune of visiting these desert on numerous occasions, never had I been able to explore the myriad wildlife that inhabits the desert. Most people imagine deserts to be barren lifeless places, but that is often far from the truth. If one knows where to look, the desert is…
The Winged Guests
It is a story often told. Almost every newspaper or TV station worth its salt has covered it. Even the BBC has been here. So to make it short, the local community in the village of Khichan started providing feed to a small flock of migrating demoiselle cranes. The small flock brought in a bigger one, the year later. And they in turn brought in…
The Lost Jewel of Vidarbha
The Satpura Railway was among the world’s greatest Narrow Gauge (2’6″) railway systems. Commissioned under the aegis of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway (BNR), the system comprised more than a 1000 km of line stretching from Nagpur in the west, to Jabalpur (Jubbulpore) toward the North and Chandrapur (Chanda) in the south, covering large parts of present day Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In the late 1990s, the…
In the footsteps of Carpet saheb
“The book of nature has no beginning, as it has no end. Open this book where you will, and at any period of your life, and if you have the desire to acquire knowledge you will find it of intense interest, and no matter how long or how intently you study the pages, your interest will not flag, for in nature there is no finality.”…
Close Encounters
I have been chasing the big cats of India for more than a decade. Over the years – chance, experience and patience have allowed me to spend some intimate moments with perhaps the most enigmatic big cats of them all – the Tiger. The famous hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett called the tiger a ‘large-hearted gentleman’. Gender neutrality was perhaps not in vogue then –…
Flying Beauties of Uttarakhand
The hill state of Uttarakhand is home to some of the most diverse flora and fauna in India. Birdwatchers in particular flock here to capture some of the most beautiful birds that call the state home, or visit during the seasons. We spent some time in its grasslands, foothills and valleys tracking down these birds, and boy what a wonderful experience it was. Sharing a…
The Terai Trains – Revisited
“Abhi teen din pehle hi yahan tiger baitha tha! Pul ke uss paar. Yahan aksar aata jaata hai.” The gateman on duty near the Saryu Link Canal bridge was showing a grainy image on his mobile phone – a tigress sitting just beside the railway line, deep inside the heart of the Terai. We were back again on the meter gauge railway line that connects…
One Horn Nation
Tucked in the heart of Assam, lies a milestone in the annals of Indian natural history – Kaziranga National Park. This UNESCO designated World Heritage site is not only home to the greatest population of the Indian Rhinoceros, but a dazzling array of flora and fauna that few other places in the world can match. Our plan was quite simple – spend more than a…