It was the 2nd joint venture of Himalayan Explorers with the Auto giant Mahindra & Mahindra to promote Wild Life Tourism in the Jungle of Central India. The forest’s selected for the event, were, Pench Tiger Reserve Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and Kanha National Park.
The event was from 10th February 2014 to 14th February 2014. The team assembled at Tuli Imperial Ramdashpeth, Central Bazar Road, Nagpur. After Lunch, introduction of the participants, distribution of the merchandize, the participants were addressed by Avril Khambatta Thakur, President Himalayan Explorers, and were flagged off by Sh.Banwarilal Purohit (Managing Director, ‘The Hitavada’).
Here I would like to mention, that we were informed by Mr. Anjan Aswath from team Mahindra Adventure, to be aware of two families i.e Shetty’s ( family of five, hoteliers from Mumbai) and Arya’s ( Mrs. Anita & Mr. Jagminder) from Delhi, but for our surprise these were the best participants we had in this team along with Late Mr. Darshan Contractor. After the event we became family friends and now Jagminder Arya (nick named as Fattu Bhai) by Darshan, is like an elder brother to me.
This team Himalayan Explorers hired Tuli’s properties at all the places i.e. Nagpur, Pench Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh and Kanha National Park. The stay arrangements were fabulous, but this time the mother’s nature was unfavourable, resulting into unseasonal thunder, lightning and rainfall, resulting into the animals remaining into their hideout, and not venturing out to be sighted. Sightings were poor in all the tiger reserve. We all returned back to Nagpur driving through the winding roads and thick jungle of Balaghat range. The participants drove through the jungle of pench tiger reserve, to Tuli Imperial Ramdashpeth Nagpur. After the gala flag-in ceremony the participants enjoyed gala dinner night.
Next day post breakfast the team returned back to their respective destination. But late Mr. Darshan Contractor, one of the participant from Mumbai refused to go back home without tiger sighting. He joined the event with his son and daughter. He sent them back as per the schedule, but cancelled his flight ticket for Mumbai. We both (Dr. Vinod Thakur and Darshan Contractor) drove in my personnel SUV to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and did four Jungle safaris, we were lucky to sight one male tiger in the Devada zone of the TATR. The tiger walked along side of our Gypsy for more than 10kms. We were taken by surprise to encounter Mrs & Mr Arya (participants of wild escape from Delhi) along with his nephew at Moharli gate of TATR during the afternoon safari.
We all moved into one gypsy and again sighted a huge male tiger sitting along the Jungle path in a puddle. Since Mrs. Anita Arya was too loud, sharing her experience of the wild escape, the tiger got disturbed and eloped into the thick bamboo Jungle. But I could capture his rear with huge testicles in my camera. We came across many antelopes locking horns in the Kolara zone of TATR. The next morning Darshan and myself went for morning safari to the kolara zone, wherein we watched a tigress for more than two hours, with her three cubs at the kill and then at the stream, quenching her thirst.
While we were returning back to the resort, the guide and the driver proposed to go back via a particular grass land where a sub adult tigress was sighted the earlier day, but we were happy with the regular quality tiger sighting in each and every safari and were not too much inclined for any more tiger sighting. But once again the lady luck favoured us and we encountered a beautiful tigress walking towards us in the fire line. This was a real catwalk and the beautiful pictures i captured in my camera are worth seeing.
