Kahna- First Day First Show

While travelling back to Bhopal and thought of peeping inside the national park of Kanha. It was the occasion for the national park to open to the public with some pomp and festivity. I chose to turn my gaze to Mandla, the villages Kanha and Kisli are towards Mandla that gives it the much popular name. The stay near the forest was itself so enchanting, engaging and engrossing that I fell in love with the place immediately. My stay was a kind of meditation that itself provided a rejuvenating spiritual experience. Yet the visit isn’t complete unless one takes a ritualistic dip in the dark and deep woods sufficient to take one out of the burden of city life. The excitement grew, it was raining heavily. a day before but the continued spell made me doubted of the opportunity to finally go inside. As luck would have it, rain stopped. The next morning was thick with fog and I entered the park. It was a tar road that became dark black with humidity. As we moved ahead after being welcomed by the park staff we saw a few vehicles standing and gazing deep in the jungle. Our guide told us after some deliberation and sharing of some encrypted messages with other guides that a leopard had just crossed the road and had vanished inside the woods. A bit disappointed in being late to spot the leopard we moved ahead with a lot of hope beating in our hearts. Fog and mist reduced the visibility but added to the excitement. The trees were healthy, rivers were smiling with muddy water rushing crazily towards its destination and roads were good despite heavy downpour. In general the park appeared well maintained. As we moved further ahead, the guide told us about the trees and birds and the process of relocation that resulted in development of huge grasslands, which support the herbivore. He gave us a detailed overview of the national park as we sat tightly in the vehicle on the curvaceous road with ups and downs of the forest topography. We started spotting wild. Deer, black buck, sambhar, langur and many birds kept us engaged though getting up early had forced everyone to be lethargic in the absence of the unmet expectation of seeing big wild cats. As the time progressed and the guide told more about the forest we listened without deep appreciation. Suddenly one jeep passed us and the guide in that vehicle informed our guide that they saw a tiger passing. The call by a male deer and repeated calls by languor confirmed their information arousing our curiosity to the peak of those high saal trees. The guide and driver were intelligent and witty. They discussed and took the vehicle to a place about 1 km away and parked the vehicle there. We wondered why he brought the vehicle that far. On being asked he responded, ‘This is the path of the tiger and if he is walking he would pass from that place.’ There were thick bushes amidst long trees filling everything before us with the shades of green. We watched eagerly but nothing came out. Our patience was running out yet our good sense prevailed and we stayed on. After a long silence the dead appearing bushes started scratching each other and wind filled our souls with excitement yet again and within a minute our zing was rewarded with a sight worth waiting for… 

A big male tiger coming out of the bush with his gaze full of anger growled at us. Our excitement grew by leaps and bounds and our eyes fixed to the moving magic for the next few moments. Tiger crossed the road and continued the journey away from our sight. Happy as we were, but it was not enough for our driver. He drove forward and waited at another place and once again the tiger came out near a stream and took a long dip inside the water giving us a rare glimpse seen only on TV so far. 

The happiness drove away the lethargy and we were up with further expectations. We moved forward to see more dark magic of the forest and we reached a place to have the breakfast we brought with us. A giant beautiful arch made by the antelopes of deers collected over the years from all over the forest distinguishes the park from others that I have seen so far.

After the break we were taken to a very well organised museum located nearby. We fell in love with it at first sight. The first room displayed a model of a dark rainy night in the forest drenching all the animals sending goosebumps on our body about the struggle of animals in the forest and the extreme conditions they face. Then there was another room with details of the tiger and its struggle and another room displaying the topographic details. The museum is rich in its informative demonstration about the flora and fauna that characterize Kanha and it presents a very creative picture of the topography of the national park. At last a dark room with a small dramatic yet real appearing scene of a kill by a tiger, when it jumps on the prey stealthily instilled fear in our minds and added further value to our experience of the park. 

The educative tour followed by a feast of a sort ended when we disembarked and started back for the park gates as the time to finish approached near. We returned back to our rooms to pack and start once again towards our home. 

The long ride completed in only a few days was full of memories and pictures in our mobile as was the river adjoining the place we stayed for the night after a spate of heavy rain. Kanha, invites all with its charm and enchanting environment. A well maintained park added sweetness to the unforgettable unwinding short trip enriching our life experiences.