2013 ~ The Wandering Soul's Wander Tales..

Wild Things of Kanha & Bandhavgarh National Park - A Photo Essay

The low lying mist almost kissed the ground, the water and the grass. Through the mist, an orange glow slowly made its way coloring everything in its path into a shade of bright burning seinna. The jungle no longer looked eerie, it glowed along with the sun. The lazy mist would now slowly start drifting away. The animals, they would come and bask in the sunshine, just like me. Except I wasn't suited at all to be there, unlike the animals who were well-equipped to deal with the cold. It was freezing in the jungle, but with views like this I don't mind freezing some more and then some more.

When the good folks at Pugdundee Safaris invited me to spend a week in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, at first, I was very apprehensive. One, because I wasn't all that much into wildlife tourism at all. Two, because I am not a wildlife photographer. But then I realized I didn't have to be interested in wildlife tourism as long as I enjoy being in the forests and that I also didn't need to be a wildlife photographer to capture the beauty of wildlife. I loved shooting animals in their natural environment. They were part an equal part of the landscape I so dearly loved! When I put this thought together everything changed. Suddenly I was in love with shooting wildlife too, not the characterless close-ups but the grace with which they moved around in their home, our beloved forests.

At the end of a week, I felt a week was too short. With a heavy heart I left Kanha and Bandhavgarh but I brought back some splendid memories - for both you and me! :)

The much awaited breaking dawn, it would warm the cockles of my heart! No seriously, to be in an open jeep like this through the single digit temperatures was a chilling experience, quite literally! :)
But look how pretty the sun colored the forest!

As a kid, I always thought deer looked pretty. But they didn't look so pretty when I saw in the Zoo or by the road side but here in the jungle, I finally understood. They are indeed one of the most beautiful and graceful animals. Not to mention, they play a very critical role in keeping the predators alive.

Even as we were just approaching Kanha, we saw a Jackal disappear into the forest. The next morning, the first thing we saw were this group of Jackals in Kanha. And after a week, on the last night their shiny eyes glowed in the dark as the vehicle headlight flashed. They came back to say goodbye to me, in Bandhavgarh. ❤

The different ways you could explore the forest. I only went in the jeep though. I felt too bad for the elephants.

Cute bird whose name I do not know came and sat next to us balancing ever so lightly on this twig. Everything around me was bathed in orange, beautifully. Notice the dew drops on the twig, the bird and blurred everywhere in the background? Love.

What do you do when such a cute fellow blocks your way? :)
You just wait and watch in awe!

Look who's watching you, from behind the green grass, in a not so inconspicuous way - The Indian Gaur!

Who doesn't love to bask in sunshine? This Langur sure is enjoying the warmth and look how it glows! :)

A duck finds a moment of peace away from its herd. The mist, oh my god, I have never been more awed by anything in the recent past. What a magical sight it was - watch the mist glide over water, watch it slowly rise and disappear.

The rainbow colors of the Indian Roller, it is quite a sight to watch it fly away because that's when it is at its colorful best but this is no less either.

Loved stalking this bee-eater through the trees, loved this angle too. Loved being there that morning sipping hot tea and photographing this bird.

Rose ringed Parakeet, I think, but look how pretty! :D

It would've been awesome if a Tiger would've come walking on this path while we were there, except that it didn't. It did so before we were there.

Never done that before, but birdwatching was quite fun too! Here's a kingfisher looking pretty. I know I am saying pretty way too many times, but words fall short to describe the awesomeness of these wild things. :)

Here's our National Bird, exploring the tree branches. Never seen a peacock earlier high up in a tree! Have you?

Kanha was full of these pink grasslands! There used to be 40 odd villages inside Kanha National Park. Many of them are now relocated to outside the park but the once where villages were, the jungles can't grow anymore. All those villages are now vast meadows making the park extremely beautiful and making it wonderfully simpler to watch wildlife without the obstruction of the dense jungle!

The fairytale landscape of Kanha!

Lake hunting in Kanha, this was just next to the Kanha Earth Lodge where I stayed. Watching the sunset turn everything pink, as always, was a surreal experience.

Here's a Sambar looking at us intruders.

And now I am looking at you eagerly, to hear your comments. How did you like this virtual Jungle Safari? :)

Previous Posts:
The Forests of Kanha - Instagrammed!
Living with the Tiger

Note - I was on this trip last month with Pugdundee Safaris, on-invitation.
Pugdundee Safaris have properties in Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Pench and Satpura. They have been recognized as one of India's leading responsible safari companies and have been awarded for their excellence in eco-tourism, commitment to green architecture, their experienced naturalists. I had a wonderful time exploring Kanha and Bandhavgarh with them. Do check them out.

58 comments

, by Neelima Vallangi

Bandhavgarh

Living with the Tiger

"It is easy to think the forest is beautiful and harmless sitting inside the safety of the vehicle but take 10 steps inside the forest, off the trail and you will see how scary it really is."

Imagine walking on a cold winter morning in the dense jungle where the mist is so low and thick that you can’t see beyond few feet. Imagine this is a national park where wild things are, including the tigers and leopards. Imagine doing this alone with nothing but a baton in your hand. Sounds like a perfect set up for a gory movie? Only this is reality, for many of the forest dwellers living in the jungles of India.

One afternoon in Kanha National Park, we were in search of that elusive king of the jungle, not the lion but the tiger. But it was an afternoon of no luck and wild goose chases. Sitting bored in the safari vehicle I sparked a conversation with the forest guard in our vehicle, Omkar Singh. He was a 40-year-old pleasant man with eyes that seemed to have known much action. After all he hails from one of the 18 villages that are still inside the National Park.

Since the formation of the Kanha National Park in 1955, of the 45 villages inside the protected area, many have been relocated to outside the park boundaries but some villages are still deep inside the core zone, co-existing in the wild along with the other inhabitants of the jungle. For them, dangerous walks like these are part and parcel of everyday life. And for those who take up a job with the forest dept. as patrolling guards, these dangerous walks are required to eke out a living.

It was one such forest guard who had a fateful encounter with a tigress circa 2006. The tigress was with cubs and the man was looking for the camp elephants that are left loose every morning. The morning mist was thick and he came too close without noticing the tigress’ presence, she charged at him. He shooed her away with his useless baton, she left but she came back again. He shooed her away once more. The third time she didn’t back down and he didn’t survive. All the while, the poor man was relaying the information on his radio transceiver to the office but before help could arrive, the tigress tore his head apart.

A chill ran down my spine as Omkar Singh narrated this story. His eyes were apathetic and he wore an expression that seemed to have accepted this fate as normal. He went on to tell me, when tourists visit they joke around, saying where’s the tiger? They don’t seem to appreciate or acknowledge its power, not of the tiger and not of the jungle. He said, it is easy to think the forest is beautiful and harmless sitting inside the safety of the vehicle but take 10 steps inside the forest, off the trail and you will see how scary it really is. I could easily relate to this thinking of my several hiking excursions into the jungle on foot. But of course, there were no predators and I wasn’t alone and yet it was scary. Walking in the same jungle where a Tiger walks is no mean feat, yet these people do that every single day.

The villages in the core, buffer zones and the immediate surroundings of the park often report cases of Tiger hunting their cattle. With little means to support their livelihood, the villagers are in favor of killing the tiger when it attacks. When one’s livelihood is at stake, how will they bother about conservation? Although the government provides compensation for such cattle kills, we all know how well the good schemes on paper are implemented in reality.

When I went to Bandhavgarh from Kanha, I was in for an even bigger shock. I had heard of these villages inside the core zone in Kanha but hadn’t seen any. In Bandhavgarh, during my safari in the Taala Zone, we passed by a village! The village was enclosed in a rickety fence not more than 6 feet high. And I saw fresh tiger pug marks just outside the fencing and apparently a tiger can jump over 12 feet high! I can only imagine the sleepless nights in a village like this. To make matters worse, there’s a highway between the two core zones and the tigers keep crossing this road it seems. True enough, the same day we spotted fresh pugmarks again on the road signaling a tiger had crossed over. Just few years ago, guests didn’t even have to enter the park it seems. Sightings were so regular just on the road. It left me in a melancholic mood, thinking how we have destroyed all our precious forests and now we are inching towards a dangerous situation of shrinking habitats and an impossible coexistence between the man and the animal.

On my last night in Madhya Pradesh in Bandhavgarh, I was discussing tigers around the campfire with the naturalists at the wild Treehouse hideaway that shares its boundary with the core Taala Zone. Ajit, a senior naturalist there asked us to calm down to listen, the alarm calls of deer were ringing in the forest suggesting the presence of a Tiger in the vicinity. He then tells me he’s encountered Tigers many times even within the property. Treehouse Hideaway intends to give the traveller a wild experience and it sure does! They often listen to the roars of the tiger. Ajit saw his first tiger when he was 16, in the jungles of Terai on a hunting expedition and he isn’t baffled by tiger encounters, even when he’s on foot. Shivraj, the very young naturalist recollects his fond memories of running into the jungle with torches in the night whenever they hear the alarm calls!

What a strange world I had stumbled into! There were people who were living with the tigers because they didn’t have a choice and few made the choice to live with them. On our way back to Kings Lodge, the headlight of our vehicle shined into the eyes of a pack of jackals raiding a village. We stopped while they quickly disappeared. I could hear the faint alarm calls of the deer again, the moon was shining bright and high and I was sad to leave the jungles of Madhya Pradesh. But somewhere deep inside, I was happy that I didn’t have to live with the tigers.

Note - I travelled to Kanha and Bandhavgarh last month on invitation, with Pugdundee Safaris

Also Read:
The Forests of Kanha - Instagrammed

26 comments

, by Neelima Vallangi

central India

The Forests of Kanha - Instagrammed!

Kanha is a National Park and Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Stretching over an area of more than 2000 Sq. Kms including both Core and Buffer Zones, this is the largest national park in Central India. Because of its' size, the safaris are also allowed for much longer than the usual, from 6 to 12 which gives us a lot more time to wander in the forests of Kanha. Characterized by tall and evergreen Sal trees with beautiful meadows everywhere, these forests are as magical as they can get. And in winters, the magic is at its peak with misty mornings and shining dew drops. Since I had the telephoto lens on the camera, mobile captures were used to get the landscapes. But images from the "Professional" camera coming very soon too. Until then, here's an attempt to show you the beauty captured through my mobile.

Also while you are it, do follow me on instagram :) - http://instagram.com/neelimav
And for email subscribers, if you are seeing white boxes instead of the pictures, please come visit the blog in browser. :)

Lovely winter morning, cold as hell but the frozen beauty of the forest is well worth the effort!

Magical mornings in the forests of #Kanha. See the mist rising over the water? Magical! :)

There's never a dull moment in Kanha, there's activity always, to remind you of the wonders of the forest!

The roads are lovely dark and deep! Miles to go before I see "him" though! The Tiger, I mean. ;)

Country roads take me home! O Forest, for few days, let me be a guest in your home.

Sunshine, how much I missed you!

Forest of Kanha, in biting cold we set out on a Safari!

When the first rays enter the forest, magic happens! A new world opens up and the warmth spreads like fire.

Mist rising over waters in winters during sunrise, one of the most magical things I've seen!

Note - I was on this trip was last week with Pugdundee Safaris, on-invitation.
Pugdundee Safaris have properties in Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Pench and Satpura. They have been recognized as one of India's leading responsible safari companies and have been awarded for their excellence in eco-tourism, commitment to green architecture, their experienced naturalists. I had a wonderful time exploring Kanha and Bandhavgarh with them. Do check them out.

Have you been to Kanha? Don't you think it's the most beautiful National Park? I think so! :)

26 comments

, by Neelima Vallangi

adventure

Konyaks - The tattooed Headhunters of Nagaland

On a bright Sunday afternoon, I was standing on a hilltop - one foot in India and the other in Myanmar. With neither a passport nor a visa in hand, there I was straddling across an international border [another thing off the 30 before 30 list]. In front of me, were the mountains of Myanmar covered in a dense blanket of lush greenery. To my left, located on a ridge below was the traditional Naga village of Longwa in India. The mountain air was fresh and knew no borders, but at that moment, I did.

Children of the Chief and the villagers, hanging out by the bonfire in the church grounds of Longwa, a remote Konyak Naga village situated on Indo-Myanmar border

Two days ago, there was nothing remarkable about the jam-packed, rickety and dirty bus journey along the broken mountain roads from a little border town in Assam called Sonari to Mon town in north Nagaland. But it was only until an old man climbed into the bus and sat next to the driver facing the crowd. Instantly I knew he had killed at least one man. How did I know that? Because of the dark tattoo on his face and the necklace with brass faces adorning his chest. He wore colorful beaded ornaments around his neck. His ears were pierced with long animal horns jutting out. He wore a headgear that was decorated with wild boar’s teeth! Never in my life had I seen so many vestiges of slaughter on one person. He was a Konyak Naga Headhunter.

Konyaks are the largest of the 16 tribes inhabiting Nagaland. Located in the mountainous regions of northeast, they are spread across Nagaland and Arunachal in India and Myanmar. They come with a history of brutal headhunting and animistic culture. Severing heads was a common practice amongst Konyaks until as recently as 1940s with the last reported head hunting in 1970s. Capturing an enemy’s head was the rite of passage for boys to turn into men, capturing the head symbolically represented capturing the enemy’s spirit. Only a person who had successfully hunted a head was given the prestigious facial tattoo.

Longwa village, as seen from a vantage point. To the left is India, to the right is Myanmar

A day after I reached Mon town, I headed to Longwa, one of the bigger and traditional Konyak villages. The first glimpse of the village made quite an impression. Sitting atop a ridge of a far ahead mountain, Longwa commands a grand view of the valleys and mountains around. Naga villages were strategically built upon hilltops and ridges so that they could monitor enemy activity and impending raids. Konyaks were known to be the fiercest of headhunters and raids between villages were quite common. Neighboring villages were raided to command authority and acquire land.

Konyaks are still ruled by hereditary chieftains known as Anghs. When we arrive at Longwa, as per the tradition we first visited the Angh as soon as we reached. I could recognize the Angh by the turquoise blue beads he wore below the knees. A necklace with brass faces was hanging around his neck, however he wasn’t a headhunter. He had inherited the position and the necklace from his father, who was a headhunter. The practice of polygamy is prevalent among the Anghs and chief here had several children from many wives.

Proud hunters. Earlier, human skulls were also part of this elaborate display, but since being "civilized", the human skulls are gone but the animal skeletons still remain

Hanging out with the children as they warmed themselves around a bonfire in the vast church ground was a surreal experience! The fire quickly died down as the darkness descended upon us bringing a deep chill along with it, the stars came out and filled the sky. I walked down the road that goes through the village. In the darkness, one of the Chief’s son pointed towards the mountains in front of me and said that is Burma and hidden inside those forests is the Burmese check post. I chuckled, wondering if I had to take his words with a pinch of salt. Earlier that evening, I was told the house of the Angh is longitudinally split between the two countries and that the international border actually cuts across the house and the village! The joke around here is that the Angh dines in India and sleeps in Myanmar. I wasn't very convinced of the border story.

House of the Village Chief "Angh", it lies half in India and half in Myanmar. The international borders cuts across the house longitudinally!

Later that night, we huddled ourselves around the kitchen fire inside Wanlem’s traditional bamboo house, accompanied by her family. Wanlem was my host in Longwa, a young Konyak lady who is the caretaker of the rest house. Accompanying me was Aching, a young college boy from Mon acting as my translator. Very few people speak English and even fewer speak Hindi in the remote parts of Nagaland. Nagamese is the script-less language spoken predominantly in Nagaland, which is a mix of Hindi and Assamese. While Wanlem and Aching conversed and I couldn’t follow their conversation, I took to admiring the bamboo structure. I couldn’t get over the fact that these houses were so vast. Every house was decorated with hordes of skeletons of hunted animals and birds. Skulls of Mithun, a bovine species found only in certain parts of North East adorning the walls and was a prized possession along with hornbill beaks and feathers.

The next morning I woke up with a huge spider next to me in the rundown rest house but I couldn’t care less when I was waking up to views of cloud filled valleys, green mountain ridges and witnessing one of the most fascinating indigenous cultures! It was a Sunday morning and many of the villagers were heading to the church. Every Naga village today has a church. The Naga people were animists to begin with but after the arrival of Christian missionaries, almost all of them have adopted the new religion save for very few, like Wanlem. When I asked her if she would go too, she nodded vehemently saying she doesn’t like the church.

The slow process of converting the animist tribe to Christianity started somewhere in the early 1900s. Today most of the Nagas have converted, left their headhunting ways and are staunch followers of Christianity. Every village has a church, like this.

The Border Pillar! Written in Burmese. I was technically in Myanmar while taking this photo! ;)

Wanlem had something planned for us for the afternoon, she wouldn’t tell us what. Aching, one of the Angh’s son and myself, three of us followed Wanlem diligently as she navigated through the mountain trails around the village. We left behind the village houses and kept going higher. Apprehensive, I asked Aching if he knew where we were headed. He didn't. Finally, we arrived at a small patch of land with brilliant views of the mountains of Myanmar and India. At the center of the open patch was a small concrete structure, the border pillar! Carved into the structure, was written “BP 154, 1970-71”, one side in Hindi and the other side in Burmese language. It was true, the international border did cut across the village and the Angh’s house! Fascinating as it was to me, it didn’t matter much to the Konyaks though. They woke up one day in 1970 to the news of the demarcation but how do you split an age-old community suddenly between two countries? They are free to move within the two countries to visit other Konyaks villages.

A Konyak woman inside a typical Konyak house, they are vast airy and the kitchens have a hearth in the center which keeps the house warm during cold nights. We spent all our time around the hearth while I was there.

On our way back from the border pillar to the village, we came across Pangshong, a 76 year old former headhunter waiting by the roadside. His face was covered in a beautiful dark tattoo that seemed to be fading with every passing day. Later I find out he had claimed seven lives, today the older generation has resorted to smoking opium, chewing betel nut and reveling in the glory of the former days. These people are the last generation of headhunters who had severed heads before the barbaric practice was banned. These old men will take to grave with them, the traditions, stories and the famed tattoos! To put it in simple terms, it would be the end of an era - of brave warriors, rich culture and violent times.

Pangshong, a former headhunter - took seven heads! Only those who have successfully hunted a head would receive the prestigious facial tattoo. His was the last generation of headhunters before the practice was banned. He is 76 years old. These men are old, vanishing fast and will take to grave stories of headhunting.

But the Konyaks have made a rather long and remarkable journey - from living in times of inter village feuds to a more peaceful time of friendship across borders. After flying back home, just out of curiosity I tried searching Longwa on Google Maps, what I saw brought a smile to my face – a border line cutting across the village!

A different version of this story appeared in last month's National Geographic Traveller India.

Read that story and the logistics here - Between the Lines

50 comments

, by Neelima Vallangi

Jaisalmer

Suryagarh - Stay like Royalty, Explore like a Local

A huge bird flew in front of us across the barren desert landscape. The wingspan was at least 2 meters and the height was a meter or so. It took us a while but our gracious host had soon identified the bird for us and it was a spectacular sighting, one that was very rare! It was the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard that we had just seen; only 200 of them remain today. We drove closer to the edge from where the bird had just taken off, we spotted it gracefully gliding across the desert plains, where it allowed privileged few a peek into its world.

For me, authentic travel experiences like these come before anything else. I care little for where I stay as long as I am getting to see something new and exploring like a local. So, while Suryagarh’s invitation to experience Desert Monsoon sounded very appealing, I was a bit worried about the luxury part of it. I would never associate luxury with authentic local experiences. Is it even possible to be immersed in luxury but still explore a destination like a local?

Suryagarh - A Luxury Boutique Hotel in the middle of a desert

The vast courtyard of the property

And that’s where Suryagarh scores big and rises above than being just another luxurious stay. Situated in the outskirts of the Golden City, Jaisalmer, Suryagarh looks like a structure straight out of the bygone era. It’s sandstone walls, the bastions and the regal elegance might fool you into thinking that this could be a renovated structure. But the truth is it’s a newly constructed property using yellow sandstone and designed so that it effortlessly blends into the desert landscape, just like Sonar Qila(The Golden Fort).

Monsoon clouds as seen from Suryagarh

The folks at Suryagarh will leave no stone unturned in making you feel like royalty – from escorting in a jeep with two tall traditionally dressed men holding up fluttering orange flags to raining down rose petals as we entered the property. The rooms were super comfortable and grand but the highlight again was the many different ways in which the local traditions and styles were incorporated in the interiors of the rooms and the property as such.

I personally loved the vast and open courtyard that would reflect the shiny lights when it rained. And it did rain while we were there. There are a lot of accessible open spaces within the property and around it so it never felt I was confined. The day we arrived we were taken on a drive in the desert for a sundowner, the sun was down already but the thunders and lightning matched the high-spirited melodies of a Manganiar singer while we enjoyed wine and cheese!

Local folk singers at Suryagarh

Dinners can be quite the experience at Suryagarh, one night we dined under the starry skies on a hilltop and the next amidst pristine dunes with no one else around. The little attention to detail goes a long way in providing truly unique experiences for the guests, for instance as we arrived at the dunes, the local folk singers’ melodious and timely rendition of “Padharo Maro Des” [Meaning welcome to our land] lent a magical touch to the evening.

The fabulous "Dune Dinner" setting

I'm not a Spa person but looking at this, I had to try. The Spa is named "Rait", meaning sand.

The very young MD of Suryagarh, Manavendra Singh Shekhawat, has explored the deserts around Jaisalmer and has found brilliant little spots with no name. At the end of a crazy but super-fun desert offroading, it was such a pleasure and a surprise to arrive at an oasis. It was him who took us on a ride in the barren hinterlands where we spotted the Great Indian Bustard.

That's the MD of Suryagarh

Oasis in the middle of the desert, one of many secret locations that Suryagarh can help you discover!

Along with the MD, the entire team at Suryagarh is focused upon offering authentic experiences, like the haunted trail fondly known as “Chudail trail” where we went exploring the haunted places in the dead of the night. Or visiting the abandoned villages of Khaba and Kuldhara where legend has it that 84 such villages were abandoned overnight and were cursed that they never be inhabited again. No one lives there today. In another place, we were shown several tombstones with stone structures and inscriptions in Devanagari script; it could be the burial ground of the Paliwal community villages but there was no way to tell, another visit with a historian might clear that up.

Unknown old constructions in the desert

A Burial ground in the middle of the desert, not information available on their history, fascinating place though.

A young camel herder, seen during our desert drive.

But like I said earlier, it wasn’t just the luxury that made the experience special, instead it was the pride everyone took in upholding the culture and tradition of their land. The local stories and legends were valued, passed on and displayed with much gusto. Suryagarh very well understands that a traveler is interested in discovering the secrets of a place and not just luxury, by combining these two they have the perfect offering for the discerning traveler.

Rainsoaked beauty of Suryagarh.

Suryagarh is a luxury boutique hotel just in the outskirts of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. Far away from the crowd of the bustling desert town, the grand property is set amidst the stark barrenness of a desert. The rooms are luxuriously appointed and the property offers facilities such as Spa, Swimming Pool, Gym, Bar and such for your comfortable stay. The room prices start from Rs. 12000/per night and upwards. Find the tariff here - http://www.suryagarh.com/tariffs-offers/introductory-rates/

Note - I traveled to Jaisalmer as a guest of Suryagarh.

8 comments

, by Neelima Vallangi

india

Going Offbeat in Meghalaya & Learning Interesting Things

The famous Nohkalikai Falls at sunset

Following my quest of “Chasing Monsoons”, this July I visited the state famous for its clouds and rains. For years, Meghalaya captured my imagination and when I finally got to visit, I was blown away by its beauty and how! If you thought Meghalaya itself is offbeat, wait until you read my post. ☺

Here are 10 things about Meghalaya that I found to be very interesting.

1.Have you met “Be Careful”?

No? How about “Impossible” or “Be Patient”? I was surprised to know as well, that these are the names of people here. While I didn’t get to meet any of these guys, Yarana, from Samrakshan Tours, our host in Garo Hills, told me about these weird names. Apparently words have been picked up from the Bible and children were named after those words without even knowing what they meant.

2. Cherrapunji is like living in the grasslands of Western Ghats, forever!

Grasslands surrounding the town of Sohra, known as Cherrapunji to the outside world.

We all know Cherrapunji as the world’s wettest place, a claim lost long time ago but the fame still remains. Locally known as Sohra, Cherrapunji is exactly like grasslands of Western Ghats. But the little patches of forests between the folds of the grasslands are few and far in between. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that the wettest place on earth suffers from water shortage during the dry months. The rains wash away all the soil and there aren’t trees to hold and let the water seep into the ground. All the water floods into Bangladesh and Sohra suffers.

3. Bangladesh is just a stone throw away

Flood plains of Bangladesh as seen from Meghalaya

Meghalaya is bounded by Assam on the north and Bangladesh on the south. But what’s a bit surprising is the proximity of the flood plains of Bangladesh to everywhere else in Meghalaya. You can see Bangaldesh from almost everywhere, Meghalaya being on a higher ground. Many times, we were so close that an hour’s trek would take you across the border. We would walk till the edge of the hilltop and the slopes would gradually even out to form the flood plains below. Later in the trip, we actually crossed the border but more on that later.

4. The man moves to the woman’s house after marriage

A Khasi woman in her traditional attire

Yes, they do. Women inherit the property and the children take on the mother’s name. Matrilineal system is prevalent in Meghalaya, across the three tribes of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo. However, talking to the women there, I figured this system doesn’t empower them much. Matrilineal societies are different from Matriarchal societies. Even though property rights stay with the women here, it is still the brother or the maternal uncle of the lady who takes all the decisions. But the girl child is favored here and women keep giving birth to children until they have at least 2 girls because the son won’t take care of the parents, as he will move away to a different house after marriage. Read this article on Tehelka to know more about how women aren’t that empowered here - http://www.tehelka.com/raped-in-a-safe-state/?singlepage=1

5. Meghalaya has a million different kinds of butterflies

Walking amidst fluttering butterflies in the forest

Surprised again, I had no idea Meghalaya was famous for butterflies. I would’ve seen so many different kinds of butterflies in those 10 days than all the other days of my life put together. It was like a different world, as we walked through the forest, we would pass by groups of fluttering butterflies of all shapes and colors! Garo Hills of Meghalaya has recorded 300+ different species of butterflies.

6. The first view of a living root bridge will make your heart skip a beat

Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya, in the valleys several of these bridges are still in use

One of the finest examples of Bioengineering, no amount of reading is going to prepare you for your first encounter with this exquisite creation. It takes 10 years of the Ficus Elastica(Rubber) trees to grow roots and a hundred odd years for them to grow into a strong bridge. Hiking in Meghalaya, it was easy for me to see the need for such strong structures. We had to cross several streams several times between villages. Earlier bamboo bridges were constructed which would either rot or get destroyed in the monsoons, but these living root bridges only get stronger every year!

7. There are about 1800+ elephants in Meghalaya

Elephants in Garo Hills, Siju Rewak Corridor, Meghalaya

Traveling in the remote Garo Hills, we came across many elephant corridors. I had no idea again, that Meghalaya had elephant population at all. When we were cutting across the very important Siju-Rewak Corridor, we encountered a herd of 7 elephants. Seeing wild elephants at close quarters in an unexpected place like Meghalaya was precious! However, loss of habitat and man-animal conflict is rising by the day in Garo Hills. I hope both the people and the elephants get to live peacefully.

8. Fishing is big here

Monsoon time is fishing time!

During monsoons, one gets to see a very interesting sport here in Meghalaya, fishing! Well, with so many streams flowing through these pristine mountains, it makes sense that locals do fish a lot for food. But it was surprising to see the scale in which fishing was taken up as a hobby. By late afternoon people would settle by the banks of the many ponds and fish. There are fishing tournaments conducted with prize money to be won up to 7 lakhs! Not just in the towns but also in the remote villages, monsoons are synonymous with fishing.

9. So are the caves!

That's me exploring Siju Cave in Garo Hills, Meghalaya

This didn’t come as a surprise as I knew already that Meghalaya was famous for caves. There are several explored and even more unexplored cave systems in this state. Caving is getting popular by the day and the caves here are some of the longest in Asia. We went to the spectacular Siju cave in Garo Hills, thought to be more than 3kms long. The entrance was flooded with water and we waded through the knee-deep stream in pitch darkness towards the end of the long chamber. The sound of water flowing in the darkness was freaky but also cool in a weird way. I’m not that into caving but if that’s your thing, Meghalaya is where you should be.

10. The wild beauty of Garo Hills

Wild Garo Hills, Meghalaya

The biggest revelation of this trip has to be Garo Hills for me. Very rich in bio-diversity and wildly beautiful is how I remember Garo Hills. The muddy waters of the raging Simsang River flow through the heart of Garo and enter into Bangladesh where it is takes a new name, Someswari. Along the sides of the river are pristine forests and undisturbed ranges of hills. Clouds move in and out of the valleys and when it rains, it pours. Due to rampant insurgency and its remoteness, Garo Hills is a very difficult place to visit but totally worth it.

So how did you like this glimpse of Meghalaya that I experienced?

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, by Neelima Vallangi

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