18th October 2006
Dandeli – in Nature’s Lap
Dandeli – in Nature’s Lap
Link to all the snaps..
Prologue
October month has always been eventful for me with Diwali celebrations at its peak and festive time all around. I am excited to go for my 10 days Diwali vacation from 19th of this month. And this time again I would have lots to share with my brother and mom.
I am back from my 3days and 2 night’s camp to Dandeli forest. I thought I would be missing my office Diwali celebrations for this camp but I was so very wrong!! I enjoyed the camp thoroughly.
Not even a week has passed and now sitting in this air-conditioned cubicle of my office my thoughts are wandering back to the Dandeli’s beauty. I think of the fresh air, the green river, the dense forest, the wonderful tree houses. How my ears were aware of every sound around, of every color that surrounded the place! Such was the charm of the place! I was mesmerized by the place so much. It was an abode, which was very much needed as a break from this mundane routine. This was arranged by TCS through the Ecomantra team. The same team had organized the Kolad camp too and I had enjoyed that as well. This though was different! It was longer, more adventurous and more beautiful.
I am back from my 3days and 2 night’s camp to Dandeli forest. I thought I would be missing my office Diwali celebrations for this camp but I was so very wrong!! I enjoyed the camp thoroughly.
Not even a week has passed and now sitting in this air-conditioned cubicle of my office my thoughts are wandering back to the Dandeli’s beauty. I think of the fresh air, the green river, the dense forest, the wonderful tree houses. How my ears were aware of every sound around, of every color that surrounded the place! Such was the charm of the place! I was mesmerized by the place so much. It was an abode, which was very much needed as a break from this mundane routine. This was arranged by TCS through the Ecomantra team. The same team had organized the Kolad camp too and I had enjoyed that as well. This though was different! It was longer, more adventurous and more beautiful.
First Night
Wednesday went shopping and Thursday morning in packing while the evening went in anticipating so much fun ahead. Abhi and I left the office well before time as I had no work and Abhi completed his before the deadlines. We collected my baggage and left for his place. Bought some eatables (Bananas and fruits) and then left for Borivali station. We reached the Dadar station just in time. But to our surprise could not locate even a single Ecomantra or TCS person. Later we located Fayaz, Lata and Tapas. We together coordinated with Hemant and finally met the entire group. There was some confusion regarding the meeting spot. Mumbai was burning hot that evening and I hoped that the coming days would be a welcomed break from this heat. We all boarded the train. Abhi and I got 20 and 21 berths of S6 bogie. We sat for a while chit-chatting with other TCSers in our compartment. I was happy to see Ruchika and Jeyata join us in the same compartment. We had the fruits, which we had bought and then went to the adjacent bogie to join in the antakshari. We sat on the upper berth and enjoyed the play for a while. Madhuri and Karan stole the show as they had impressive voice and knew the complete songs. After a while we were back on our seats and listened to some music on the mp3 player. We knew that a tiring day lay ahead of us and so went off to sleep by 12.30A.M.
Onward journey..
Onward journey..
Friday morning
A beautiful Friday morning outside Maharashtra woke me up at 6.30 or so. It felt different. The people around on the platforms, the languages in which everything was written, the verbal language and the weather! It wasn’t very cold there but wasn’t humid either and the air was much cleaner. We reached Londa Junction at around 11.15 AM and loaded our luggage in a jeep. We then divided ourselves into groups, wherein all girls boarded in two separate jeeps while the guys in the other two. Londa junction was more like a village and we had to travel for about 45 minutes to reach the Dandeli campsite. In between we took our first halt to view the catchment area for Supa dam that was built on Kali River. This river has a total of 6 dams already on it and it seems the government is in the process of adding one more. Talk about resource utilization!
It was a beautiful site with all green surrounding. The river stood still bearing the green reflection of the surrounding. It was getting hotter and we left after a while towards the Supa dam itself.
We could see the dam at a distance. It was like a 1 meter wide white stream of water flowing with rapid flow. After capturing this first glimpse of nature in our cameras we continued the jeep ride.
The camp area was huge and after we kept our luggage in the dining hall we wandered around the entire area.
Kali River..
Tree house wonder!
There were two big tree houses, which fascinated all of us the most. We all rushed towards them to see what they actually look like. The person incharge of the entire place Mr. Umesh had designed them and it seems that there are only three places in India which have the actual tree houses, rest of them are mostly stilts and machans. We climbed into the tree house through wooden stairs and what we saw from there was breathtaking! The tree house itself was huge with a double bed in centre made of bamboo stalks. It had two wooden chairs, a table, wooden floor, cream-colored curtains, a king size bathroom including a bathtub. It was amazing to see such a beautiful structure made above a tree. A real wonder! It was a 200+-year-old mango tree on which the bigger tree house was built. It had wooden windows beside the bed and spectacular view from the huge balcony kind of opening at the opposite end. From there we could see the Kali River in its most diverse form. At one end was the gushing flow of rapids while on the other calm water flew at a slow pace. At the latter end we could see lot of fishes near the thick clutter of weeds. At the opposite end of river we had the view of an island which itself was a dense collection of green plantations. From the windows of the bed, one could see the other cottages. The two tree houses were at some distance from each other but both facing the Kali River.
Tree house..
Groupism!
It was a beautiful site with all green surrounding. The river stood still bearing the green reflection of the surrounding. It was getting hotter and we left after a while towards the Supa dam itself.
We could see the dam at a distance. It was like a 1 meter wide white stream of water flowing with rapid flow. After capturing this first glimpse of nature in our cameras we continued the jeep ride.
The camp area was huge and after we kept our luggage in the dining hall we wandered around the entire area.
Kali River..
Tree house wonder!
There were two big tree houses, which fascinated all of us the most. We all rushed towards them to see what they actually look like. The person incharge of the entire place Mr. Umesh had designed them and it seems that there are only three places in India which have the actual tree houses, rest of them are mostly stilts and machans. We climbed into the tree house through wooden stairs and what we saw from there was breathtaking! The tree house itself was huge with a double bed in centre made of bamboo stalks. It had two wooden chairs, a table, wooden floor, cream-colored curtains, a king size bathroom including a bathtub. It was amazing to see such a beautiful structure made above a tree. A real wonder! It was a 200+-year-old mango tree on which the bigger tree house was built. It had wooden windows beside the bed and spectacular view from the huge balcony kind of opening at the opposite end. From there we could see the Kali River in its most diverse form. At one end was the gushing flow of rapids while on the other calm water flew at a slow pace. At the latter end we could see lot of fishes near the thick clutter of weeds. At the opposite end of river we had the view of an island which itself was a dense collection of green plantations. From the windows of the bed, one could see the other cottages. The two tree houses were at some distance from each other but both facing the Kali River.
Tree house..
Groupism!
We came back to the dining area (this was the common assembling point for all activities) after having admired the beauty of the tree houses. All of us were allotted rooms. Girls were divided such that everyone would get to stay in the tree house whereas amongst guys only 10 would be lucky to get that experience. It seemed unfair then, but later realized that no one wanted to leave the cottages. Cottages were more spacious and were closed which prevented insect bites a great deal. Infact, later Marookh, the coordinator from Ecomantra had tough time convincing us, the cottage girls to move to the tree house the next day.
By this time our stomachs were hungry in anticipation of sumptuous lunch and it indeed was delicious. Everyday we had three varieties of vegetables, 2 types of daals, a sweet dish, rice, chapattis. I must admit that the food has always been good, be it in Kolad or this time.
Once we filled our stomachs with all the varieties we again assembled outside dining area and the entire batch of 40 was divided into two groups, A and B. There were some couples and of course we did not want to separate for all the activities that awaited us ahead. Mr.- Mrs. Iyer, Shivani-Varun, Megha-Gaurav, Seema-Gopi, Madhvi-Prasad and Abhi-I, we all hoped that we got same groups and eventually we did manage to be in same groups. There was a major issue when Gopi shifted his group from A to B and the count in group B came out to be 22 as against group A count which was now 18. This was discovered the next day though. I got to stay in cottage the first day and share it with Madhuri, Kirti (aka Mrs. Iyer), Madhvi and Seema.
Knowing Each Other!
By this time our stomachs were hungry in anticipation of sumptuous lunch and it indeed was delicious. Everyday we had three varieties of vegetables, 2 types of daals, a sweet dish, rice, chapattis. I must admit that the food has always been good, be it in Kolad or this time.
Once we filled our stomachs with all the varieties we again assembled outside dining area and the entire batch of 40 was divided into two groups, A and B. There were some couples and of course we did not want to separate for all the activities that awaited us ahead. Mr.- Mrs. Iyer, Shivani-Varun, Megha-Gaurav, Seema-Gopi, Madhvi-Prasad and Abhi-I, we all hoped that we got same groups and eventually we did manage to be in same groups. There was a major issue when Gopi shifted his group from A to B and the count in group B came out to be 22 as against group A count which was now 18. This was discovered the next day though. I got to stay in cottage the first day and share it with Madhuri, Kirti (aka Mrs. Iyer), Madhvi and Seema.
Knowing Each Other!
We were all ready for a group game called “Knowing each other”. Each one of us was given a sheet that contained 42 questions related to nature hobbies. Here are the few, which I can remember,
- Loves to go on treks?
- What 3 things would you take on a deserted island?
- Do you own a pair of binoculars?
- Have you planted tree/plant?
- Do you know a nature song?
- Have you got lost outdoors?
.. And a lot others which I do remember but too many to list them all. Each one had to act as a journalist and collect answers for each of the questions from the remaining people taking care that we have only one name against a question. Later the one who had got maximum answers was given a chance to tell his most interesting pick and reason why he chose that person. The chosen person in turn would then pick the most interesting one from his/her list. In the end, the remaining ones introduced themselves or each other so that we now knew one special hobby/quality of each one of us. Girindhar seem to have collected answers for 36 questions and was jumping to be the one to choose. He finally managed to get his pick and chose Abhi. He calls Abhi ‘The Himalayan trekker’. Karan chose me as he did not have many people in his list. I was lucky to have been called upon :D. I chose Saurabh as my pick as he owns an 18-year-old German binocular. This activity was interesting indeed and it broke the ice between all of us!
Journey to the heart of nature!
After knowing each other little better than before we moved for the different activities lined for us based on the group we belonged to. I was in Group B and we had this activity called ‘Journey to the heart of nature’. A real apt name for the activity! We were given a paper, which again had some nature related questions. This was our best time of solitude. We were given an hour to explore the beauty of the surrounding area. We were supposed to be quiet and go on our own to find a place which we found the best in the vicinity and had to then name the place which we think was the best. We also had to explain the reason why we felt so and answer some questions on the sheet like the coolest and warmest place around there, the smallest thing with 2 or more colors, a thing which made us smile, the oldest tree, and a poetry to describe the very special place. I initially had trouble finding one such place. I saw that most of us were keen on choosing the oddest of place so that it is unique. I later settled down on the stairs of the big tree house. I saw the gushing river at one side and the calm Kali at other. A huge tree lay in front of me bearing the creative tree house. On the other side I could see the tree plantations and cottages. I don’t vouch that my place was the best but I enjoyed my solitude there :). I heard a lot of birds chirping and also observed various butterflies.
I named my special place as ‘My spot which covers a lot’ but later was told to change it into more describing one and kept it as ‘In Nature’s Lap’. It was such a different experience to be so close to nature and be aware of its beauty. This was a place where I had forgotten about Mumbai. It seemed that I had been staying here for ages. It felt so much at home out there. Nature sure does wonders for mental peace!
After having finished with our write-ups we assembled in the dining area and were told to explore a different place through the eyes of another person. We all were grouped into two each and went to experience the beauty of a different area as described by some other guide. We also explained ours to that person.
I was the guide for Vishal. He had discovered a place quite far and I repented for not going that far. He made me cross the wooden gate and beyond the forest path we came to a stream that led to the river Kali. He had kept the name of his special place as ‘The Bamboo Kid’ as he saw a red shoot that grew beside the bamboo plant and found it most fascinating!
Group B did a similar activity the next day and in that group most of the people chose the bedside of the river, which was also the starting point of rafting. Abhi had chosen a place where he sat on the path between the tree house and dining area and named it ‘Nature’s Abundance’ while Shatrugan and Srini went for more adventurous places. Madhuri chose a place surrounded by lots of flowers and named it ‘Madhuban’. Mr. Iyer named his place as ‘Serene Surrounding’ while Madhvi chose ‘Jharna’ as the name. People did come up with beautiful poems and very nice descriptions. After we had explored the places that our guides showed us, we had to explain the same to our groups. It was a very interactive exercise and we saw how different can the observations and perceptions be towards the same thing or place. Some even gave the touch of philosophy in their description.
This exercise left me with a feeling of being all the more close with Dandeli and its surrounding. By now I had observed the small natural beauties and was falling in love with the place more with each passing moment. Each one seemed more at peace and had now got the feel of the camp in true sense. We then dispersed for tea/coffee. We had some time for ourselves till the other group finished their activity.
Role play!
The weather was now beginning to get more pleasant and the campfire was lit outside the dining area. People had started assembling and it was clear that they were more at ease in each other’s company now that they had done various activities together. It’s nice to see a bunch of strangers turning into friends and sharing their experiences. Another interesting activity awaited us where all of us were involved. Here the groups were reformed. We were made to form 5 groups of 8 people each. We were given a set of papers having information on the theme to be enacted by us. The topics chosen were very pertinent and the information provided on each of them was in abundance. The paper also listed the possible minimal number of roles that should be present in our role-play. We were given 45 minutes to prepare and were told to make it entertaining.
Our group got one of the most debatable topics, ‘Pesticides in Pepsi/Coke should be banned or not?’. All of us wore our innovative thinking caps on instantly and there was a rush of ideas from everyone. Karan was the dialogue writer while I mainly acted as the scriptwriter. We decided to portray it on lines of the Big Fight serial on NDTV. To give it a more entertaining touch I became Sarkha Dutt from MTV. Other roles played by individuals were Zameer Khan – the film actor (Gaurav Jain), Mr. Rajiv Bakshi – Pepsi Chief (Tapas), Mrs. Sunita – CSE Official (Saloni Shah), Mr. Ravi Kumar – the Health Nutritionist (Vithaldas), 3 yr old Kid – Audience (Hemant Goyal), Common Man (Varun Sud), IT Professional (Karan). The play started with Zameer’s advertisement and advanced with me questioning the guests at the Big Fight show and the audience. Everyone talked about the pros and cons of the theme and eventually we left the decision on the audience. It wasn’t an easy topic to come to a conclusion but we managed to present it well, thanks to the acting skills of each one!
The other topics given were like ‘The custom of drowning the Ganesh idols in Rivers- right/wrong’, ‘Steve Irwin - conservationist or Channel TRP booster’, another on
Poaching and yet another on Pollution. All the groups were pretty innovative and creative in their own ways. We were judged on other criteria as well like clarity and objectivity of the theme and participation. Our group won with 1 point. Overall we got a loud applause but the only negative aspect was that I had the maximum role to play. Abhishek Jain was the judge of the competition. No words seem enough to talk about him!
After the role-play we all had dinner that was again very good and simultaneously a movie on wild dogs was played on the television in the dining hall. By this time it was already 12A.M. and we all dispersed into our respective rooms and went off to sleep only to get up at 2.40A.M. It was hardly any sleep. But we were all eager to experience the jungle safari lined up for us next morning.
Winners!!
- Loves to go on treks?
- What 3 things would you take on a deserted island?
- Do you own a pair of binoculars?
- Have you planted tree/plant?
- Do you know a nature song?
- Have you got lost outdoors?
.. And a lot others which I do remember but too many to list them all. Each one had to act as a journalist and collect answers for each of the questions from the remaining people taking care that we have only one name against a question. Later the one who had got maximum answers was given a chance to tell his most interesting pick and reason why he chose that person. The chosen person in turn would then pick the most interesting one from his/her list. In the end, the remaining ones introduced themselves or each other so that we now knew one special hobby/quality of each one of us. Girindhar seem to have collected answers for 36 questions and was jumping to be the one to choose. He finally managed to get his pick and chose Abhi. He calls Abhi ‘The Himalayan trekker’. Karan chose me as he did not have many people in his list. I was lucky to have been called upon :D. I chose Saurabh as my pick as he owns an 18-year-old German binocular. This activity was interesting indeed and it broke the ice between all of us!
Journey to the heart of nature!
After knowing each other little better than before we moved for the different activities lined for us based on the group we belonged to. I was in Group B and we had this activity called ‘Journey to the heart of nature’. A real apt name for the activity! We were given a paper, which again had some nature related questions. This was our best time of solitude. We were given an hour to explore the beauty of the surrounding area. We were supposed to be quiet and go on our own to find a place which we found the best in the vicinity and had to then name the place which we think was the best. We also had to explain the reason why we felt so and answer some questions on the sheet like the coolest and warmest place around there, the smallest thing with 2 or more colors, a thing which made us smile, the oldest tree, and a poetry to describe the very special place. I initially had trouble finding one such place. I saw that most of us were keen on choosing the oddest of place so that it is unique. I later settled down on the stairs of the big tree house. I saw the gushing river at one side and the calm Kali at other. A huge tree lay in front of me bearing the creative tree house. On the other side I could see the tree plantations and cottages. I don’t vouch that my place was the best but I enjoyed my solitude there :). I heard a lot of birds chirping and also observed various butterflies.
I named my special place as ‘My spot which covers a lot’ but later was told to change it into more describing one and kept it as ‘In Nature’s Lap’. It was such a different experience to be so close to nature and be aware of its beauty. This was a place where I had forgotten about Mumbai. It seemed that I had been staying here for ages. It felt so much at home out there. Nature sure does wonders for mental peace!
After having finished with our write-ups we assembled in the dining area and were told to explore a different place through the eyes of another person. We all were grouped into two each and went to experience the beauty of a different area as described by some other guide. We also explained ours to that person.
I was the guide for Vishal. He had discovered a place quite far and I repented for not going that far. He made me cross the wooden gate and beyond the forest path we came to a stream that led to the river Kali. He had kept the name of his special place as ‘The Bamboo Kid’ as he saw a red shoot that grew beside the bamboo plant and found it most fascinating!
Group B did a similar activity the next day and in that group most of the people chose the bedside of the river, which was also the starting point of rafting. Abhi had chosen a place where he sat on the path between the tree house and dining area and named it ‘Nature’s Abundance’ while Shatrugan and Srini went for more adventurous places. Madhuri chose a place surrounded by lots of flowers and named it ‘Madhuban’. Mr. Iyer named his place as ‘Serene Surrounding’ while Madhvi chose ‘Jharna’ as the name. People did come up with beautiful poems and very nice descriptions. After we had explored the places that our guides showed us, we had to explain the same to our groups. It was a very interactive exercise and we saw how different can the observations and perceptions be towards the same thing or place. Some even gave the touch of philosophy in their description.
This exercise left me with a feeling of being all the more close with Dandeli and its surrounding. By now I had observed the small natural beauties and was falling in love with the place more with each passing moment. Each one seemed more at peace and had now got the feel of the camp in true sense. We then dispersed for tea/coffee. We had some time for ourselves till the other group finished their activity.
Role play!
The weather was now beginning to get more pleasant and the campfire was lit outside the dining area. People had started assembling and it was clear that they were more at ease in each other’s company now that they had done various activities together. It’s nice to see a bunch of strangers turning into friends and sharing their experiences. Another interesting activity awaited us where all of us were involved. Here the groups were reformed. We were made to form 5 groups of 8 people each. We were given a set of papers having information on the theme to be enacted by us. The topics chosen were very pertinent and the information provided on each of them was in abundance. The paper also listed the possible minimal number of roles that should be present in our role-play. We were given 45 minutes to prepare and were told to make it entertaining.
Our group got one of the most debatable topics, ‘Pesticides in Pepsi/Coke should be banned or not?’. All of us wore our innovative thinking caps on instantly and there was a rush of ideas from everyone. Karan was the dialogue writer while I mainly acted as the scriptwriter. We decided to portray it on lines of the Big Fight serial on NDTV. To give it a more entertaining touch I became Sarkha Dutt from MTV. Other roles played by individuals were Zameer Khan – the film actor (Gaurav Jain), Mr. Rajiv Bakshi – Pepsi Chief (Tapas), Mrs. Sunita – CSE Official (Saloni Shah), Mr. Ravi Kumar – the Health Nutritionist (Vithaldas), 3 yr old Kid – Audience (Hemant Goyal), Common Man (Varun Sud), IT Professional (Karan). The play started with Zameer’s advertisement and advanced with me questioning the guests at the Big Fight show and the audience. Everyone talked about the pros and cons of the theme and eventually we left the decision on the audience. It wasn’t an easy topic to come to a conclusion but we managed to present it well, thanks to the acting skills of each one!
The other topics given were like ‘The custom of drowning the Ganesh idols in Rivers- right/wrong’, ‘Steve Irwin - conservationist or Channel TRP booster’, another on
Poaching and yet another on Pollution. All the groups were pretty innovative and creative in their own ways. We were judged on other criteria as well like clarity and objectivity of the theme and participation. Our group won with 1 point. Overall we got a loud applause but the only negative aspect was that I had the maximum role to play. Abhishek Jain was the judge of the competition. No words seem enough to talk about him!
After the role-play we all had dinner that was again very good and simultaneously a movie on wild dogs was played on the television in the dining hall. By this time it was already 12A.M. and we all dispersed into our respective rooms and went off to sleep only to get up at 2.40A.M. It was hardly any sleep. But we were all eager to experience the jungle safari lined up for us next morning.
Winners!!
Saturday Morning
After having a nap of 2 hours I woke by my alarm at 2.40A.M. It was a dark and cold morning. I applied loads of odomos on my legs and hands and even on face. I did not want to take any risk of leeches crawling all over my body from within my clothes. What a dirty site! I was ready by 3A.M, as did not take a bath. We were in jungle after all!! (Just another excuse to escape it;) ). I reached the dining area by 3.10A.M and called Abhi. He still had time to complete his daily chores and so I kept clicking snaps of the jungle around. My camera did not capture anything, that’s a different story ;). But I did manage to get a snap with two bright eyespots of a cat that was a silent member of our camp on all three days. I was getting a bit scared now alone in that place. But people started assembling in few minutes. We played 4 games of carom with Vishal as my partner. Hurrah! We won all four of them. I mention this out here as I took the queen in all the four games, which is something I feel proud of, as queen has never been my forte ever!
It was now 4.15A.M and everyone around was getting annoyed as Ravi or Marookh were to be seen nowhere. Ravi finally came and we all went towards the area where the jeeps stood. As if the delay was not already enough, the tire of one of jeeps punctured and we had to wait for another 20 min or so. I have to admit that Ravi imitates girls so well ;). He gave us a number of instructions and admonished us to be quiet in the safari if we wish to see even a single wild animal. He almost scared us about a lot of things like the having to walk a lot, animals that might be dangerous and leeches and other insect that might attack our feet. We were told to occupy the seats in the jeep as per our heights, with shortest people inside so that every seat has a chance of being a vantage point. Abhi sadly was put in the other jeep while I sat beside the driver seat with Tejashree. But we were 22 of us while the jeeps had seating capacity of 9 and 11 each. Plus there was one guide per jeep. Eventually we had to do the re-shuffling and Abhi and I managed to sit in the close jeep in the front seat. Abhi had to do the spotting, as we had to do away with the guide. It was tiring but we were ok with it. He was sincerely placing the spot light in the jungle hoping that we would spot a black panther or the like ;). We were both very sleepy and in between dozed off to sleep. Only later did Umesh Sir tell us that the actual sanctuary was 20 Km from the place of start.
In between we halted at a so-called Nagzira museum. It had shifted to some other place and was nothing much to see there. We took a bio break there and continued on our journey. By now the sky had taken its blue shade back and there were little chances to now spot any wildlife. We did see spotted dears in between and few species of bird. What we saw in abundance were langoors and macaque monkeys. But the journey in the forest itself was a nice experience especially listening to the experiences that Umesh Sir had to share with us. Dandeli forest is deep and was a bit scary before dawn. We were to take the core jungle area where there are maximum chances of spotting a tiger or a panther, but alas! The road was blocked by a bunch of bamboo trees and so we had to revert back to some other path. We stopped in between to a place where some years back it was a manganese ore. It was misty out there and the entire group seemed interested in clicking snaps. We could hear lot of noises from below of people enjoying the safari ride as if it were a picnic. Many of them were first timers and did not have the seriousness. Umesh Sir decided to distribute the breakfast there itself so that we do not waste any time further. After having the sandwiches we continued ahead. By now we knew that no more wildlife would be seen as the sun was shining bright and as the core jungle area path was blocked.
Dandeli Santuary Entrance..
Crawling in the caves!
Now the next spot, which we looked forward to, was the caves where we were told by Ravi that we would have to crawl on our stomachs. He was right to an extent. We had to take a trek to the caves, which was around 1 hour walk. By now the sun stroke were hitting badly and we knew that the backward journey would be all the more tiring as it would be an upward climb. We somehow managed to reach the caves all drenched in sweat! There we saw a Shiv temple and after everyone assembled outside the area we removed our shoes and socks to make our move towards the caves. The entire floor was covered with shit of bats and the place had a foul smell. Curious to see what lay inside the caves, each one of us picked the candles lying near an idol of cow and made a queue to start the adventure. The cave wasn’t very huge but the path was indeed narrow and I had a tough time managing my trek bag behind my back and my goggles on my head. It definitely was a different than other activities till then and had a little adventure and so we enjoyed. We came out from another passage and then few guys went in another cave to see some bats. The heat was troubling me and I was keen to get down back in the comfort of my jeep. The backward journey was tiring as sun was high above our heads and it was upward climb as I had mentioned before. I almost crawled taking Abhi’s support and reached the jeep half dead. I sometimes wonder how do I manage the long treks I go to. Visapur for instance! I think situation where you have not much choice left you automatically learn to adapt. The return journey in the jeep was quiet and all of us had given up on hopes to see any more wild animals. Half of us were sleeping covering up the previous days sleep. We stopped near the entrance of the sanctuary and had tea. We all were pretty hungry by now and waited to be back in the resort. Umesh Sir is a jovial person with a knack of humor in his bones. He gave us a lot of information about Dandeli and it was nice to hear about the place.
Set to crawl in the caves..
------------------------------------------------Island and Jacuzzi bath!
Set to crawl in the caves..
------------------------------------------------Island and Jacuzzi bath!
The heat of the jungle safari had left of us drained and tired! And what each one needed was a refreshing massage. What we got was much better than that. A natural waterfall refreshing massage! We did not waste much time in having our lunch. Our stomachs were already full with anticipation of this concept of ‘Jacuzzi bath’! Most of us did not even change into water-clothes as the ones that we were wearing, had become quite dirty and needed a wash anyway. We went with Abdulla, a local guide, towards the shore of the river and wore the life jackets, ready for The Jacuzzi Bath. We removed our footwear and took our seats in the raft. We reached the other end in a short while as the river isn’t very broad. But even that short ride in the raft was quite an experience. The sun shone bright on the river giving the green water a very beautiful sparkling look. The wind blew silently on our face and when we crossed from near the rapids we could feel the coldness in the surrounding. The island was a small-secluded place, which Abdulla told was a perfect place for couples to stay for their short outings. They arranged tents for the couples with buffet and moonlit sky made the aura very romantic. He took us through the island and from the rocky area to the open vastness of the Kali River. Standing on a rock, I could see the vast river and the water flowing on the rocks with lush green surroundings. The sunrays fell on the rocks and the water making the entire scene splendid! At a distance we could see a distinct water flow from above a rock. Abdulla explained that it was the Jacuzzi point underneath which where we were supposed to sit and experience the magic! We had to place ourselves; one person at a time, inside the hollow position made under the flow and spread our legs straight so that we are in a position that allows the water to flow from above our face. For an outsider you would not exist at all and from underneath what you would experience would be a fantastic massage with water falling at all the nerve points of your body relaxing you completely. There would be a gap between your face and the water such that you can breath from within the flow and experience the complete cut-off from the outer world. I did not feel like coming out ever. I could hear only water flowing with rapid speed all around me. It was as if the world existed only of water and nothing else. I was aware of every drop that fell on my body as the force was tremendous and it indeed acts as a very good massaging system. This was quite an experience! We all took turns to be in that main spot and then had to reluctantly retreat as the other groups had reached this place. We came back and changed into dry clothes. Sadly, we did not have time to do the rafting and swimming then and decided on continuing it the next day. The other groups did enjoy the pleasure of both.Sharing time!
Our group had enough time for ourselves yet again before everyone assembled in the dining area. Abhi and I spent most of it near the hammock and near the riverside on the two benches. Every evening there brought more serenity and peace to my mind. It was as if the realization of being in nature’s lap became stronger during the evening time and filled my heart with sense of calm and satisfaction. I used to be thankful to God (in form of nature) before going to bed for being there and giving me a chance to be so close to reality. Yes! This is what I call real ‘Life’. After having enjoyed every moment of free time we again assembled in the dining area and people started making themselves comfortable around the campfire. Once almost all were there we all started with the experience sharing session. Ravi, AJ, Girindar and Abhi were the ones in limelight who had lots of experiences to share. Gir told about his 14-day expedition to Himalayas while Abhi described his experience closest to death while he was rafting in Rishkesh. AJ as always had some spine-chilling stories to share, which left each one of us short of breath and in awe of his achievements! Ravi also had some interesting facts to share. Some others also pooled in their experiences. It was a pleasant evening near the campfire, everyone feeling his or her presence close to nature and experiencing the togetherness of the last evening in Dandeli.
We could hear some sounds that felt like it was raining but we were surprised that the forest was so dense that we could hardly feel any droplets. The noise though revealed that it was indeed raining good deal.
We later dispersed for dinners. Somehow I felt a change in myself as well as others as if each one had become quieter and more aware of his or her surroundings. Everyone seemed captivated by nature or at least that’s the way I felt! Abhi, Hemant and I were so much in awe with AJ and his stories that even while dinner we did want to miss the opportunity of hearing his tales of success, failures, and school time memories. His school was also one of its kinds called Center for Learning. It was in a small place called Waderhali (Hope I spelled it right) and was a private school, which followed a teacher-student ratio of 1:3 and was more like a Gurukul, only that this sounded more kool!
Campfire time..
---------------------------------------------
Time to shift places!
I was just gone to keep my dishes only hoping to be back longing to hear more of the forests and his childhood tales direct in AJs words. But I was stuck in the dining area hall as wherever more than a bunch of girls are involved it does get a bit challenging not to have a debate or to put it straight a commotion or fight ;) Here it was to do with the exchanging places between cottages and tree houses. There were dispute between two groups. Surprisingly we, the cottage girls were not keen to move to tree-houses but reluctantly had to finally give-in to Marookh’s instructions. I had to give up AJs stories and rush to collect all my baggage and head towards the tree house before it got very late and I did not get a decent place to sleep. I kept my dinner plates and collected my bags from the cottage and headed towards the tree house. Abhi helped me with the same. All the cottage girls were upset on this change at the last moment. I would not blame the tree house girls for wanting to shift in the cottages but what annoyed me was Marookh’s stand to leave the decision on us. Finally she was the one who forced us, she could have very well taken a stand before hand rather than giving us the liberty and creating all the commotion! So much people do for their image building! Ah! Anyway, this is blog is not about disputes between girls, I sure would take up as another topic :D.
The tree house had to accommodate 9 girls and truly speaking it was large enough for all of us. But the beds lying below were covered with insects and I heard everyone mumbling their grudges. It amused me to an extent and I realized all the more and supported the reason why the earlier group who stayed here wanted to shift :). We all went to bed by 12A.M., aware that tomorrow is yet another interesting but our last day in Dandeli awaiting us.Sunday Morning – Nature trail
We could hear some sounds that felt like it was raining but we were surprised that the forest was so dense that we could hardly feel any droplets. The noise though revealed that it was indeed raining good deal.
We later dispersed for dinners. Somehow I felt a change in myself as well as others as if each one had become quieter and more aware of his or her surroundings. Everyone seemed captivated by nature or at least that’s the way I felt! Abhi, Hemant and I were so much in awe with AJ and his stories that even while dinner we did want to miss the opportunity of hearing his tales of success, failures, and school time memories. His school was also one of its kinds called Center for Learning. It was in a small place called Waderhali (Hope I spelled it right) and was a private school, which followed a teacher-student ratio of 1:3 and was more like a Gurukul, only that this sounded more kool!
Campfire time..
---------------------------------------------Time to shift places!
I was just gone to keep my dishes only hoping to be back longing to hear more of the forests and his childhood tales direct in AJs words. But I was stuck in the dining area hall as wherever more than a bunch of girls are involved it does get a bit challenging not to have a debate or to put it straight a commotion or fight ;) Here it was to do with the exchanging places between cottages and tree houses. There were dispute between two groups. Surprisingly we, the cottage girls were not keen to move to tree-houses but reluctantly had to finally give-in to Marookh’s instructions. I had to give up AJs stories and rush to collect all my baggage and head towards the tree house before it got very late and I did not get a decent place to sleep. I kept my dinner plates and collected my bags from the cottage and headed towards the tree house. Abhi helped me with the same. All the cottage girls were upset on this change at the last moment. I would not blame the tree house girls for wanting to shift in the cottages but what annoyed me was Marookh’s stand to leave the decision on us. Finally she was the one who forced us, she could have very well taken a stand before hand rather than giving us the liberty and creating all the commotion! So much people do for their image building! Ah! Anyway, this is blog is not about disputes between girls, I sure would take up as another topic :D.
The tree house had to accommodate 9 girls and truly speaking it was large enough for all of us. But the beds lying below were covered with insects and I heard everyone mumbling their grudges. It amused me to an extent and I realized all the more and supported the reason why the earlier group who stayed here wanted to shift :). We all went to bed by 12A.M., aware that tomorrow is yet another interesting but our last day in Dandeli awaiting us.Sunday Morning – Nature trail
I was all too eager to wake up on time, infact well before everyone gathered as I was anticipating a lot of information and thought it would be an interesting time going to the nature trail with AJ. We all once again almost emptied the odomos tube and the good night spray on our legs and hands. The weather was misty and we were scared of the leeches, as by now we knew that wet shoes and wet ground acted as good conductors for them. Some girls were so scared that for once they decided not to go for the trail at all. Good that we all went as none of us experience any leech bite. We took the route opposite to that taken by Group A the previous day.
Nature trail..
We started at 6.30A.M. from the way, which headed opposite to the Kali River from beside the cottage where guys were staying. Knowledge gathering session began immediately and I was happy to be in vicinity if AJ all the time. Did not want to miss the golden opportunity of hearing him for the last few moments. He explained about various butterflies like common-line and others. He imparted the fact that butterflies have the simplest defense mechanism and that being that they simply taste bad! He also explained about various forms of shrubs and trees found in forest area. Main focus of the entire trail though was the different species of birds. I do not remember any of the names though but some recollections where he said about a bird that can imitate 200 calls, a volcano mushroom, an insect that can chops off the heads of bigger insects, the mint ball millipede, the fact that mushrooms are most dangerous of all plant forms. He use to be so happy stating the facts and recollecting all his memories. It was good to see someone with so much conviction and passion. We went to the manganese ore place where almost everyone climbed the rocks and went at a height to click snaps. Abhi and I preferred staying down and listening to AJ. He beautifully explained how he had once been there and seen more than 30 Hornbills taking sunbath on the space where we were standing. He explained things with such details and had such good command on words. While listening to him, I could see him experiencing all of it again and how happy his face lit after he had finished describing any instance. His love for wildlife was contagious.
Nature trail..
We started at 6.30A.M. from the way, which headed opposite to the Kali River from beside the cottage where guys were staying. Knowledge gathering session began immediately and I was happy to be in vicinity if AJ all the time. Did not want to miss the golden opportunity of hearing him for the last few moments. He explained about various butterflies like common-line and others. He imparted the fact that butterflies have the simplest defense mechanism and that being that they simply taste bad! He also explained about various forms of shrubs and trees found in forest area. Main focus of the entire trail though was the different species of birds. I do not remember any of the names though but some recollections where he said about a bird that can imitate 200 calls, a volcano mushroom, an insect that can chops off the heads of bigger insects, the mint ball millipede, the fact that mushrooms are most dangerous of all plant forms. He use to be so happy stating the facts and recollecting all his memories. It was good to see someone with so much conviction and passion. We went to the manganese ore place where almost everyone climbed the rocks and went at a height to click snaps. Abhi and I preferred staying down and listening to AJ. He beautifully explained how he had once been there and seen more than 30 Hornbills taking sunbath on the space where we were standing. He explained things with such details and had such good command on words. While listening to him, I could see him experiencing all of it again and how happy his face lit after he had finished describing any instance. His love for wildlife was contagious.
----------------------------------------------Finally we saw the hornbills!
Once we were back everyone rushed for breakfast and we had idli-sambhar, medu-wada, and bread-butter. It was just 9.45A.M by then and we had enough time before we left for the station. We sat near the benches of the river and roamed around in the entire place to feel the last few moments at this beautiful place. Inspired by AJs experiences and wanting so much to atleast have a glimpse of some of the rare species of the birds of the forest, Abhi and I chose the empty place near the cottage where the guys were staying. It was a sunny day and the shade provided by the dense trees was very soothing and relaxing. We sat on the two wooden chairs while the wooden swing behind us swayed empty by the wind. Total quiet and calm! We could hear a lot of birds chirp. And tracing our feet silently to the direction from where we heard the sound, we finally caught a glimpse of THE Hornbill sitting high on a branch of one of the trees. I had to struggle to be quiet with my excitement growing to capture the bird. Abhi somehow managed to silently go s close as he could to get a clear view and we zoomed my Canon, not-very-hi-tech camera to its maximum capacity of 11x(including the digital zoom) to see the bird. I was already hopping with excitement; when to my surprise saw two more similar birds. Wow, we finally were seeing so many of them flapping from one branch to the other. It was fun to trace their voices and locate them in between the dense cloud of leaves. It was very satisfying to capture most of them from different angles. I was not able to get enough of them! We also took pictures of some beautiful butterflies and a spider weaving its web. Satisfied with our own accomplishments we headed back eager to find AJ and share with him our experience. He seemed more excited than we were as he had seen the flock of hornbills on the tree just outside the dining hall and was searching for all of us so that he could show it to us. He was so genuinely happy when we told him that we were lucky to see the same flock that later flew to the area where we were relaxing.
THE Sight - Horbills
----------------------------------------------Last activities!
Once we were back everyone rushed for breakfast and we had idli-sambhar, medu-wada, and bread-butter. It was just 9.45A.M by then and we had enough time before we left for the station. We sat near the benches of the river and roamed around in the entire place to feel the last few moments at this beautiful place. Inspired by AJs experiences and wanting so much to atleast have a glimpse of some of the rare species of the birds of the forest, Abhi and I chose the empty place near the cottage where the guys were staying. It was a sunny day and the shade provided by the dense trees was very soothing and relaxing. We sat on the two wooden chairs while the wooden swing behind us swayed empty by the wind. Total quiet and calm! We could hear a lot of birds chirp. And tracing our feet silently to the direction from where we heard the sound, we finally caught a glimpse of THE Hornbill sitting high on a branch of one of the trees. I had to struggle to be quiet with my excitement growing to capture the bird. Abhi somehow managed to silently go s close as he could to get a clear view and we zoomed my Canon, not-very-hi-tech camera to its maximum capacity of 11x(including the digital zoom) to see the bird. I was already hopping with excitement; when to my surprise saw two more similar birds. Wow, we finally were seeing so many of them flapping from one branch to the other. It was fun to trace their voices and locate them in between the dense cloud of leaves. It was very satisfying to capture most of them from different angles. I was not able to get enough of them! We also took pictures of some beautiful butterflies and a spider weaving its web. Satisfied with our own accomplishments we headed back eager to find AJ and share with him our experience. He seemed more excited than we were as he had seen the flock of hornbills on the tree just outside the dining hall and was searching for all of us so that he could show it to us. He was so genuinely happy when we told him that we were lucky to see the same flock that later flew to the area where we were relaxing.
THE Sight - Horbills
----------------------------------------------Last activities!
After having our lunch and having packed our luggage and bring them to the common hall some of us sat with AJ and conveyed how thankful we all were to know him in this camp. Even just having paths crossed with such people in life makes so much different. They teach you so much with their own passion, conviction and truth in their words. For me personally, knowing AJ and having the pleasure to hear his experiences was most fascinating part of this entire camp! And mind you, this is no exaggeration. Why would I exaggerate in my own blog after all :D.
Folding poem!
We were seated in the dining hall for yet another, but last activity of this camp. I had done this in the Kolad camp too. It sure rekindles the creativity in you, that is, if you have it or atleast forces you to try to be creative at that point! We were divided into groups of 5-8 and were given a sheet of paper and a pen. Each group had to choose a theme and then write one sentence on it in poetic form. The person currently writing his or her line could see only the line above him or her. That ways you do not know how the poem would eventually turn out like! We also had to think of a title and an author. Ruchika did the honor of titling the poem while all of us agreed on a common innovative name.
We chose the theme as the riverside, which also by now had become the most famous and loved spot by all. I read out our poem, which turned out something like this, Silence In the Roaring!
We call it the ‘Silence in the Roaring’
It’s an experience I find difficulty describing.
Serenity and calm in the midst of rumbling,
With joy, makes my mind go tumbling.
Experiencing the beauty close and live,
Experiencing the fullfillness in Life
Pretty good eh! Self pat!! We kept the name as Smmaruline = smart + maru(my) + lines, which also was formed by taking two letters of each ones name in the opposite order in which we wrote (Sm – Smita; Ma – Manju; Ru – Ruchika; Li – Lizba; Ne – Neha).Parting time
Folding poem!
We were seated in the dining hall for yet another, but last activity of this camp. I had done this in the Kolad camp too. It sure rekindles the creativity in you, that is, if you have it or atleast forces you to try to be creative at that point! We were divided into groups of 5-8 and were given a sheet of paper and a pen. Each group had to choose a theme and then write one sentence on it in poetic form. The person currently writing his or her line could see only the line above him or her. That ways you do not know how the poem would eventually turn out like! We also had to think of a title and an author. Ruchika did the honor of titling the poem while all of us agreed on a common innovative name.
We chose the theme as the riverside, which also by now had become the most famous and loved spot by all. I read out our poem, which turned out something like this, Silence In the Roaring!
We call it the ‘Silence in the Roaring’
It’s an experience I find difficulty describing.
Serenity and calm in the midst of rumbling,
With joy, makes my mind go tumbling.
Experiencing the beauty close and live,
Experiencing the fullfillness in Life
Pretty good eh! Self pat!! We kept the name as Smmaruline = smart + maru(my) + lines, which also was formed by taking two letters of each ones name in the opposite order in which we wrote (Sm – Smita; Ma – Manju; Ru – Ruchika; Li – Lizba; Ne – Neha).Parting time
We took some group snaps and bid goodbyes to Ravi, Marookh and AJ as they were leaving Dandeli to explore for yet another interesting place where tailless bats were discovered.
We ensured with Umesh Sir that we were not leaving before 4.P.M and so went and sat near the Riverside one last time. Some stroke of sense hit Abhi and he forced me to go back to the hall area. While I kept shouting at him for making me leave that place so soon, I saw Hemant searching for us alone and everyone had taken their bags and left for their respective jeeps. I bit my tongue for not realizing and we hurried towards a jeep that still had two vacant seats. We sat across Mr. And Mrs. Iyer and headed for the Londa Jn. I could see that people had mixed up well in these three days. Some were hyper excited by this experience while some on the other hand had become understandably quiet as if they wanted to let the experience sink-in in the last few glimpses through the jeep ride of this beautiful place.
Londa Junction
We reached the station an hour before and it was nice sight to see a quiet station with some Baggies around. Two tea stalls at the left corner had a bunch of people each hovering around having biscuits, wafers and tea. We boarded the train at 6:40 P.M and saw that it was pretty crowded as warned already by some amongst us. The crowd was of locals who travel everyday till Belgham, a one-hour journey from Londa. There was a Maharashtrian family in our compartment of which I enjoyed playing with a little girl named Nayantara. She was a darling and easily hopped to everyone’s lap.
We could feel the difference in the air as we reached the city. The camp was finally over and we were back in Mumbai.
Parting time..
Londa Junction..
----------------------------------------------
Epilogue
Still sitting in front of this computer writing all the memories of that memorable visit in the nature’s lap of Dandeli, I wish to go back. Back to the God made world where everything is live!! This now seems like a man made world where everything is dead! The vehicles, the technology, the transportation! I know it sounds philosophical but my mind goes back, time and again to the nature’s beauty that captured me in ways like never before! Hope I don’t get engrossed in this world to forget the reality of Dandeli.
We ensured with Umesh Sir that we were not leaving before 4.P.M and so went and sat near the Riverside one last time. Some stroke of sense hit Abhi and he forced me to go back to the hall area. While I kept shouting at him for making me leave that place so soon, I saw Hemant searching for us alone and everyone had taken their bags and left for their respective jeeps. I bit my tongue for not realizing and we hurried towards a jeep that still had two vacant seats. We sat across Mr. And Mrs. Iyer and headed for the Londa Jn. I could see that people had mixed up well in these three days. Some were hyper excited by this experience while some on the other hand had become understandably quiet as if they wanted to let the experience sink-in in the last few glimpses through the jeep ride of this beautiful place.
Londa Junction
We reached the station an hour before and it was nice sight to see a quiet station with some Baggies around. Two tea stalls at the left corner had a bunch of people each hovering around having biscuits, wafers and tea. We boarded the train at 6:40 P.M and saw that it was pretty crowded as warned already by some amongst us. The crowd was of locals who travel everyday till Belgham, a one-hour journey from Londa. There was a Maharashtrian family in our compartment of which I enjoyed playing with a little girl named Nayantara. She was a darling and easily hopped to everyone’s lap.
We could feel the difference in the air as we reached the city. The camp was finally over and we were back in Mumbai.
Parting time..
Londa Junction..
----------------------------------------------Epilogue
Still sitting in front of this computer writing all the memories of that memorable visit in the nature’s lap of Dandeli, I wish to go back. Back to the God made world where everything is live!! This now seems like a man made world where everything is dead! The vehicles, the technology, the transportation! I know it sounds philosophical but my mind goes back, time and again to the nature’s beauty that captured me in ways like never before! Hope I don’t get engrossed in this world to forget the reality of Dandeli.
