That Invisible God

Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and slaughters a visible nature…. without realizing that this nature that he slaughters, is this invisible God that he worships. 

Hubert Reeves’ words ring so true.

I had just returned from a short but satisfying trip to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) with Nature India, in the last week of April when I read the absolutely distressing news about a tiger cub being run over and killed by a speeding vehicle on the outskirts of the Reserve near Chandrapur. It was just a couple of days ago that we had waited so anxiously for that ever so precious moment for the tigress and her cubs to give us a glimpse of her majestic self. But although the wait was in vain, there hadn’t been an iota of disappointment. The solace was in the very existence of the tigress and her cubs.

Often referred to as the “Jewel of Vidarbha”, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) derives its name from the local deity “Taru”. It is home to the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) and is a veritable treasure trove of many other wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects and flora.

It was a sweltering afternoon when we reached Moharli. We were a group of 13 including Adesh and Mandar under whose direction we would be for the next 2 days.  The sun was scorching down upon us at what must have been atleast 41-42° C as we stepped out of the comfort of our air-conditioned vehicles to unload our bags and check into the hotel, the Hornbill Resort. Far from what comes to one’s mind when we hear the word “resort”, this was a modest single storey building with 6 AC rooms and basic but clean facilities. It was definitely not a place where one would expect the luxury of a cold towel!

But yes!! there it was!! To our very pleasant surprise, we were offered cold towels and a warm welcome!! Such a wonderful gesture, especially in a place like Tadoba where most “resorts” have only basic boarding facilities, was truly admirable.
After a simple but sumptuous lunch fondly prepared by a local village gent and a quick afternoon nap, we were off on our first safari into the jungle. The open hood-less jeeps would provide obstruction-less views of the pristine forest and its inhabitants. The 13 of us were accommodated in 3 jeeps which would take their individual routes once inside the forest. We were 4 – Mr.Bhatia, Sweedle, Mandar and myself. This grouping would remain for next two days. The very knowledgeable Dashrath, was to be our guide.

As my jeep entered the forest through the Moharli Gate, we encountered ancient stone pillars on either side of the road. During the days of the Maharajas, these pillars were used to light up the path everytime a Maharaja would pass that way. “Mashals” or torches would be lit on each pillar as the gentry would pass, leading them along the path. It seems there were pillars right through the forest upto the city. But today most of them have been lost to development and the handful of ones that were within the forest have survived as testimony of a regal past.

The breath of fresh air as we drove through the dense dry deciduous forest came as a dose of a rejuvenating magic potion! Thick bamboo groves that provide ideal camouflage for the tiger surrounded us. The desire to see the tiger was apparent in everyone’s gaze as we scanned the forest in anticipation. After all, who wouldn’t want to experience the sight of a wild tiger in his natural habitat? But the tiger was to elude us for now.

As we drove further into the forest there was a subtle movement in the thickets. All of us were alert at the prospect of spotting a wild animal. I stood up in the open jeep excitedly. Our guide had spotted a sloth bear!

Oblivious of our presence, the beautiful beast was wandering around in search of food. We waited with baited breath, our anxious eyes following his movement in the thickets until he made an appearance in the open. Oh what a sight! The bear continued sniffing around on the floor of the forest for a few minutes. Soon, our excitement had alerted the animal. He gently lifted his head up and gave us cool glance, before walking past our jeep, across the road and then making a dash for the jungle!

The forest was alive with the calls of birds, langurs and deer. It was music to my ears. Wild Jamun trees, the Ain tree with its ‘crocodile’ bark, the Mahua tree in all its splendour, the majestic Arjuna, Palash, Amaltas, Red Silk cotton, all in full bloom were a sight to behold. Yellow throated sparrows flitted about as we drove beneath the canopy of these magnificent trees.

The Indian Roller showed his ‘true colours’ as he flew off his perch on seeing us. (Indian Rollers at first seem to be dull brown coloured birds when they are perched. But the moment they take flight, they display their glistening blue, white and green shades). The langurs and herds of spotted deer looked quizzingly at us as they hung around with their families and friends.

The Crested Serpent eagle perched atop the ‘Ain’ tree made an interesting picture. Its piercing yellow eyes standing out in stark contrast against its brown body, the crocodile-skin-like bark of the Ain adding to the mystique.

A little further a Spotted owlet was calling. Not so easy to spot though! So great was its camouflage that although we knew which direction the call was coming from, and it wasn’t too far either, it took us a while to see it. As we drove into the dusk, grey jungle fowl crossed our path, making for beautiful back-lit pictures.

It was an end to a very satisfying day in the jungle. Some refreshing luxury awaited us at the resort. Yes, the cold towels! They were such a respite from the scorching heat! A pat on the back to the ever so considerate Manish Verma for this luxury. Dinner was followed by a re-cap of the day’s sightings by various participants and we were off to bed early as the next day would begin before dawn.

As my alarm rang out at 4.15 the next morning, I sprang out of bed to take a quick shower and get ready to make way for my room-mate Rasika, a beautiful young girl, all of 17. We were set for another exciting day in the jungle. Being served tea at 5 in the morning was another luxury we were lucky to have. Usually resorts around wildlife sanctuaries, especially in a place like Tadoba, do not offer any services at that hour in the morning. The entry to the park begins at 6 in the morning and guests are expected to have their breakfast only after 11 when they return from the safari. We were lucky to have packed breakfast too…. a sumptuous omlette sandwich coupled with the joy of eating it in the middle of the forest!

The rays of light from the rising sun filtered through the canopy of the jungle.  As we drove leisurely into the park, we encountered to two men on foot. They were the local tribal people who earned their livelihood working in the reserve forest, creating fire lines, digging water holes, etc. We had a casual chat with them, enquiring anxiously about their safety, after which they left. A few minutes later, we noticed them stop in their path about fifty meters away, standing there motionless. It was only on looking closely that we realized that they had spotted a leopard and were giving him his right of way. Our hearts pounding with excitement, we sped in the direction of the men. The cool cat had just walked elegantly past. We were lucky to have a fleeting glimpse of the leopard as it disappeared into the thickets as mysteriously as it had appeared. But it was only minutes later that we realized that in our excitement to catch a glimpse of one big cat, we had missed out on the second leopard! It was in the exact opposite direction in which we were looking and had probably got a good sighting of our backsides! The men on foot had seen both and were trying their best to alert us, but in vain!

The excitement was at its peak! As we drove along we came across a stream alongside a shady grove. The driver of our safari brought the jeep to a sudden halt. A big cat again? No, this time it wasn’t an animal but an elegant bird! Perched low on a bark just above the stream was a huge owl! The Brown Fish Owl! Completely unperturbed by our excitement, the mystical creature just sat there, his piercing gaze holding us captive. As much as I wanted to pick up my camera and take the prized picture, I also wanted to see this beauty with my bare eyes. The choice has always been my dilemma. But this time luck favoured me. With a bit of help from Adesh, I took my pictures AND got to see this regal bird to my heart’s content.

The flowers of Ukshi (calicopterus floribunda) were in full bloom. As we were admiring the beautiful white flowers, Adesh pointed out to an Arjuna tree which had several scratches on its bark. They were the territorial markings made by the sloth bear. A pair of barking deer was at a water hole nearby. On seeing our jeep, the incredibly timid deer made a dash for the woods. A sambar pair stood alert as we clicked away with our cameras. The sun was now becoming stronger. As we reached the junction of Jamunzora and Pandharpaoni, Sweedle suggested we stop for breakfast. No time was wasted in accepting her suggestion! We were soon savouring the most delicious omlette sandwich ever, right there in the middle of the forest! What a life!

Our stomachs full, we continued our drive towards Pandharpaoni. A little Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, regardless of our presence, was busy clambering up and down a slim bark hunting for food. There was hole in the bark which could have been his nest. Not far from here, we noticed a huge bee hive high on a tree. It was no surprise then when we saw an Oriental Honey Buzzard sitting right across. Honey buzzards feed on bees and wasps and it is interesting how nature has evolved scale-like feathers around the eyes and forehead which give it protection from the stings of the wasps and bees it preys upon.

The sun was now getting stronger. It was a little past10. The jeeps must leave the forest by 11 sharp. The drivers are penalized if they are late and so we began our return drive. There were thick bamboo groves on either side.

The vehicle in front of us had kicked up a cloud of dust. And through the dust I saw an ST bus approaching us. I was surprised to know that the bus regularly plies right through the reserve forest to ferry folk from a village inside the forest. The inhabitants of the village will soon be relocated outside the forest after which the ST bus would stop plying. As we made our way down the dusty path, we noticed a jeep waiting in the middle, its occupants in pin drop silence.

The guide of the jeep informed us that they had just seen a tiger disappear into the bamboo groves. They were waiting in the hope of it coming out. The excitement had suddenly returned! We too stopped our jeep and began scouring the bamboo thickets for any sign of the predator. In a situation like this, most of us begin hallucinating about the tiger. Every branch, every stone, everything seems to look like a tiger!! Many anxious moments later, Adesh, scanning the jungle with my binoculars, gave out a soft shriek. His razor sharp eyes had spotted the big cat. As I peered through the binoculars, I saw the majestic animal sitting there. It was truly a huge cat, sitting behind a clump of bamboo, face towards us. His face slowly became visible to me. Soon I could see his feet and noticed that he was about to get up. The excitement continued as we hoped he would come out in the open and oblige us with a glimpse of his majestic self. But he wished otherwise. I followed him with my binocs as he stood up and began walking deeper into the forest. The sight was a feast to my eyes! Even with such bright colours, it is fascinating how they blend in with their surroundings! The majestic animal soon disappeared into the forest. It was indeed a wonderful end to our morning safari. We managed to leave the gate at the stroke of 11, but not before getting a wonderful glimpse of a sharp-eyed Shikra on our way out.

Back at the resort, the cold towels offered great respite from the sweltering summer heat.

A wonderful thing about going on nature trips with Nature India is that all participants are treated as family. We eat together, have conversations, poke fun at each other…. There is a lot of camaraderie amongst participants. Also the post lunch and dinner discussions are very informative as Adesh and Mandar share amazing facts, stories and their experiences.

Our afternoon safari began with the sighting of the Red Spurfowl. As the fowl scampered into the glades, an excited Adesh was trying hard to draw our attention to something he had sighted on the other side of the road. From his gestures, we guessed it was something rarely seen. Sure enough, the little creature made a dash across the road offering us a wonderful view of himself. It was the Tree Shrew! Despite its name, the tree shrew is not particularly arboreal but spends much of its time on the ground or clambering about on rocky terrain in search of insects and seeds. It was this characteristic that was on display right before our eyes.

Onwards towards the Telia dam a Pied Kingfisher hovered over the water as we approached. A solitary Black Ibis, many whistling ducks, egrets, herons, jacanas and cormorants were taking in the evening sun in the dam waters. A huge marsh crocodile was basking at the edge of the water. We spent a good amount of time soaking in the incredible view of deer with their reflection in the dam waters against the setting sun and the birds readying to roost.

As dusk fell it was time for us to return to the gate. The forest was like an open air orchestra, playing out a symphony of the most incredible sounds. The cantankerous call of the golden oriole, jungle babblers raising a hue and cry, parakeets zipping noisily above the canopy, the distant call of the jungle owlet and laughing dove, magpie robins singing out sweet melodies, an iora’s low decibel rhythm, flame-backed woodpeckers darting noisily back to their roosts…… as I sat there in the back seat of the jeep mesmerized by the music that was being played out, a subtle movement in the dry leaves at the edge of the road snapped me out of my stupor. It was a Black Naped Hare who was foraging through the dry leaves oblivious of our presence. So camouflaged was he that it took us a while to first see and later identify him.

And as if this camouflage was not enough, we soon stumbled upon a Savannah Nightjar a little further down. Not very easy to sight, Nightjars are crepuscular birds whose cryptic coloured plumage resembles dry leaves or the bark of a tree. They often sit along a bark rather than across it, or on the ground which helps conceal them during the day. Our driver had brought the jeep to almost a hand-shake away when we realized that there was indeed a bird sitting on the floor of the jungle amongst the dry leaves.

The Sirkeer Malkoha gave us a parting shot just before we left the gate at the designated time of 6 pm.

Dinner was followed by the usual round of discussion and it was early to bed as usual. My dreams were of the glorious wilderness :)

After a stimulating cup of warm tea at 5 in the morning, everyone was raring to go for that last safari of the trip. A long queue of gypsies was ahead of us as we awaited our turn itching to enter the jungle quickly.

A pair of Indian Gaur were foraging in the dry leaves as we entered. One of them looked sheepishly up at us before returning to his activity. An Orange Headed Ground Thrush scurried inside the bamboo glades.

As we peered inside straining our eyes to catch a glimpse, we were alerted by the call of the Indian Pitta. Lo and behold! Perched up on a distant tree was this charming little gem also called Navrang! The Indian Pitta is a migratory bird which breeds in north and central India and migrates down south through peninsular India upto Sri Lanka. It is a breeding migrant in Tadoba where there are confirmed records of breeding Pittas. It also passes through SGNP in Mumbai where we often see him at the onset of the monsoon before he leaves for his return journey back north.  This was my first sighting of this season.

As the day advanced dappled sunlight filtered through the vegetation painting a beautiful picture. A lone Grey Jungle Fowl, unmindful of our presence, was roaming around in the shrubs. His vibrant plumage stood out against the sunlight. It was a magical moment.

As we passed through Waghdoh, the sound of the cicadas, which was till now coming from a distance, slowly seemed to come closer and soon grew to a crescendo. It was almost deafening. Suddenly we were surrounded by thousands of noisy cicadas. And then the cicada rain! When many cicadas congregate on warm days, they feed on the tree fluids and often ‘urinate’ while doing so. However, this ‘pee’ does not stink or stain. In fact, it feels like rain drops! What mystique the forest holds! No sooner we were out of the cicada rain than we saw the floor of the forest carpeted with the beautiful off-white flowers of the Mahua. We reached for some of them to savour their sweet taste. The Mahua tree is one of India’s most versatile trees. While the flowers and fruits are sweet to taste and are used to make syrups and jams, the fermented flowers produce an intoxicating drink which is a favourite of locals and animals alike. Langurs and bears have often been seen walking with a slight swagger after ingesting rotting flowers! The bark produces oil which has medicinal value and is also used as biodiesel.

The Mahua flowers seemed have aroused our hunger! The warm packets of ‘poha’ neatly packed away in the seat pockets could no longer be ignored. So there we were enjoying the delicious ‘poha’ under the canopy of the Mahua, Teak, Arjun, Palash and so many more trees. Our appetite whetted, we continued with the safari. A Ruddy Mongoose walked hurriedly across the road. Our jeep rolled slowly along. A Golden Oriole called out from a distance and soon showed up.

As we gazed with delight at the vibrant bird, a movement in the grass beneath caught our attention. And even before we could say the word ‘rat’ a huge Rat Snake slithered nimbly past us and disappeared into his hole at the edge of the road. It was another heart-stopping moment for us! As we waited at a toilet facility nearby several Fruit Bats hung upside down on a Ficus tree. After observing the bats for a few minutes, we were soon on our way. As we scanned the forest, we came across a huge bare tree. High up on one of the branches, was perched a majestic Crested Hawk Eagle. We soon noticed that there was a nest and on closer scrutiny with our binocs, we saw the chicks too! There were two of them safely nestled away from any possible danger of predators. Even as the eagle was perched high up on the tree, a little distance away a Greater Racket Tailed Drongo had perched himself on a very low branch. His crest standing out crisply on his glistening black body, he was a sight to behold!



A quick look at the watch indicated that we should be now making our way back in order to get to the gate before the deadline of 11. We were still quite deep inside the jungle when another gypsy carrying some excited tourists crossed us. Their beaming smiles spoke more than the words which followed! They had just seen a tigress with her cubs! Pointing out the direction in which the tigress had gone they wished us luck and drove away. Our driver tried his best to reach the spot in time before the tigress disappeared. Our hearts pounding with excitement, we reached the spot only to find 10-11 other gypsies waiting there with anxious occupants. But the tigress was not in sight. They were all waiting with the hope that she would come out sooner or later. But alas. Our thirty minute wait was in vain. I would admit that there was some amount of disappointment at not seeing the tiger. After all, the sight of a tiger in the wild is priceless. But there was also the solace of the very existence of the tigress and her cubs in that forest. Alas! My excitement was to turn into anguish a few days later when the news of the death of one of the cubs was published. Our trip had been so fruitful in terms of all the sightings we had, thanks to Adesh’s and Mandar’s alertness. This news was so distressing. Not in my wildest dream had I thought that such a wonderful trip would end on such a sad note.

Ecologically speaking, the loss of tigers from their natural habitat would result in irreversible changes in natural ecosystems. Being at the top of the food pyramid, the decline of large predators leads to abundance of herbivores such as deer, which in turn has repercussions on tree regeneration and seed dispersal. Such effects reverberate through the food-web, causing long-term changes in natural flora and fauna, eventually leading to destruction of the entire natural ecosystem. An ecosystem that we humans too are part of.

Revisiting Hubert Reeves’ words, ‘Man worships an invisible God and slaughters a visible nature, without realizing that this nature that he slaughters, is this invisible God that he worships’, we must understand that it is this invisible God, this nature, that is in reality the very reason for our existence. It is because of Her that we exist. And if we continue to slaughter this invisible God, we are threatening are very own existence.

Nivedita Kotharé

April 2015