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India's "Jungle Book" is larger than life

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Indian safaris are anything but tame. Teeming with wildlife, leopard, bear, jackal and chital roam freely in the lush forest reserves. DEBORAH CHAN explores Madhya Pradesh in Central India in search for animals and a chance to see the elusive Bengal tiger. Here she finds amazing stories of hoteliers who show by example just how tourism, conservation and community development can form a perfect blend.
Written by Deborah Chan on 15 Jun 2011 with 0 comments. Be the first!

In search for the tiger The heat of summer penetrated our light clothing and although the air w as dry and arid, the scent of the forest laced through the air, hinting evidence that w e are indeed in the heart of Central India, the Madhya Pradesh region w here Kanha National Park sits. Famed for its lush sal and bamboo forests, tall grassy meadow s and deep ravines, Kanha w as the hub of inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's famous novel, "The Jungle Book". There are only a handful of lodges on the quiet south side of Kanha, near the Mukki gate, one of three gates into the national park. Our choice proved to be a great advantage as few er jeeps are allow ed into the park via this gate providing guests a more secluded w ildlife experience. Kanha is one of the best managed and monitored parks in India w ith dedicated park rangers guarding the forests and guiding guests through this magical natural labyrinth. Morning safaris start at 5am just before the break of daw n. Open deck jeeps form a neat queue in front of the Mukki gate as vehicles register. There is a sw ell of excitement despite the groggy daze of a premature morning. I w as armed w ith a pair of binoculars and a notebook to pen my sightings w hile my husband meddled w ith his digital DSLR camera ready to capture a 'National Geographic' moment, in case nature decided to surprise us. A park ranger leapt into our jeep , introduced himself, muttered a few w ords to our naturalist from the lodge w here w e stayed at, and our engines sputtered to life. The light mist parted as w e caught the first glimpse of the magnificent sal trees stretching for miles w ith banyans dotted around providing shade and cover for the endemic sw amp deer or better know n as barasingha, spotted deer also know n as chital, w ild boars and gaurs. A symphony of morning chirps w eaved through the air as w e caught birds in flight and land birds crossing our path. The day had just begun as the first few rays of light broke from the horizon. The mahout w as already at w ork. A great big silhouette teased my eyes as I saw huge ears flapping and four giant feet taking gentle strides tow ards our jeep. Could it be? Yes it w as! An elephant w ith a man riding him atop. The mahout smiled and exchanged a few w ords w ith our park ranger. He told our park ranger that the search w as still on; the elusive tiger w as yet to be found. He w aved goodbye and disappeared behind our jeep, eyes peeled for the animal most tourists have come here to see. Meantime, w e savoured in the rich diversity Kanha had to offer w ith fantastic sightings of jackal, leopard, jungle cat, barking deer, peacock, langur and gaur. W ith over 350 species of birds, introduction upon introduction w ere made w ith every sighting and bird call. From green beeeaters to Indian rollers to grey hornbills, this w as a treat for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. As mid morning approached, a picnic w as laid out for us w ith the forest as a backdrop. Tea, coffee, sandw iches and fruit w ere passed around and w hile w e savoured our breakfast, our park ranger scrambled to the office to check if the mahout had recorded sightings of tigers. He rushed back w ith great excitement and urged us to hurry along. A tigress had been spotted and in order to see her, w e w ent off the beaten track atop an

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elephant w ith a mahout. The ride w as bumpy and quite an adventure trying to avoid spindly dry bamboo branches from stabbing us. And then w e caught sight of her, majestically seated on a bed of earthy-amber leaves, she stared into the open, in her element completely unperturbed by our noisy rustle. Her orange and black coat camouflaged perfectly into the surroundings. She w as not only sharing her space w ith us but also w ith a large meandering python. She eyed occasionally at the reptile w ith no intent of making a kill, just like Shere Khan and Kaa from the Jungle Book. Most of us w hen asked to conjure up an image of a tiger imagine a man-eating predator skulking through the steamy jungles of southern Asia, particularly in the subcontinent of India. Here in Kanha, tigers are friendly, w elcoming and accustom to the scene of jeeps and clicking cameras. There is a strong unspoken bond betw een tiger and human. As a result of tourism, conservation efforts such as 'Tour Operators for Tigers' (TOFT) have emerged forming alliances among Indian operators in order to promote best practices in w ildlife view ing. Over the years, the Indian government have also realized the need for stricter monitoring and census in order to keep the tiger population at a healthy state. SINGINAW A JUNGLE LODGE Protector of the Sacred Forest My visit to Singinaw a Jungle Lodge fuelled my passion to discover this unique relationship betw een tourism and conservation. I met w ith Dr. Latika Nath Rana, a petite lady w ith captivating big brow n eyes and her husband, Nanda SJB Rana, a friendly man w ith an imposing build. Both w ildlife enthusiasts heeded their passion for the w ild and eventually led them to cross paths. Latika is a w ildlife biologist and the first w oman to be aw arded a doctorate on tiger conservation and management from the University of Oxford. She is also fondly dubbed as the "Tiger Princess" being married to Nanda w ho hails from the Royal Rana family of Nepal. Nanda is a tiger photography expert and film producer having w orked for notable organizations such as National Geographic, BBC and Discovery Channel. Both knew that they had a strong role in the fight to save tigers. W ith their w ealth of know ledge on tigers and Nanda's love for hospitality, they bought an initial piece of land just outside of the buffer zone bordering a local tow n named Bayar. It w as evident that the main reason tourists visited Kanha is for the w ildlife, more specifically for the tiger. The pair knew all too w ell that the fight to save tigers is not a single minded quest; instead it required tourists to be educated, locals to sense pride, government to buck up and private enterprises to take on the role as catalysts. Hence the inception of 'Singinaw a', w hich takes its meaning from a Sherpa term, the "Protector of the Sacred Forest". Nanda understands the need and importance of embracing the local community, "if w e start something, it needs to make a difference to the people around it". They hired over 350 local people for the construction of Singinaw a. For 10 months, a small community w as formed as local men shared craftsmen skills, exchange stories of w ildlife encounters, and shared life together. Many of them stayed on to be part of the Singinaw a family. The construction of Singinaw a Lodge w as no easy feat w ith many minute considerations to take into account in order to lessen the impact on the environment. Details such as land use, building material, w aste management, energy source and w ater management and w ildlife management w ere part of the equation. A sustainable property w as the only kind of property that Latika w as w illing to build, stating, "If I as a conservationist and w ildlife biologist set a place and don't think about conserving it, w ho w ill? It is a responsibility I ow e". The Lodge Today, Singinaw a provides affordable and comfortable living w ith a grand main house and 12 individual cottages dotted around the 55 acre land. The once degraded land choked by lantana has now been restored and it is home to tw o resident leopards, chital, w ild dog and w ild boar. Every structure is designed and built around existing trees and a great evidence of that is upon entering the main house w ith a lofty tree at our w elcome. The interiors of the main house are decorated w ith heavy w ooden furniture and leather bound chairs giving the impression of castle, perhaps influenced by Nanda's upbringing of living in palaces most of this childhood. The grandeur of this building is further enhanced by the magnificent photos of tigers set in bold frames, all taken by Nanda w ho is notably the only photographer w ho has documented six generations of tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park just six hours aw ay. On w intry nights, the cosy fireplace in the library makes for a perfect seating for stories. The double w alls provide adequate insulation in the w inter and perfect cooling in the summer. A natural air cooling system channels hot air out and cool air in eliminating the need for air conditioning in the main hall. And w here possible, w ithout the disturbance of langurs and macaques, solar panels have been fitted to provide energy for external lighting. Creative conservation As conservationists at heart, it w asn't enough just to set up a lodge for w ildlife enthusiasts or holiday makers. Latika and Nanda thought up innovative w ays to raise money for conservation and community development projects. Last year, Latika rallied a group of w ell-know n artists from all over the w orld for a 10-day retreat the lodge. Surrounded by incredible w ildlife, great food and organic inspiration, the artists produced passion-laden paintings that w ere later auctioned to raise funds for tiger conservation projects such as the building of w atering holes for tigers in Kanha. In 2008, the Singinaw a Foundation w as established w ith a steady flow of funds coming from the Spa at Singinaw a. Guests w ho pay to be pampered at the Spa are contributing to the w ellbeing of the villagers around the lodge. Through monies raised, medical camps are organized and critically ill villagers are being sent to hospitals that they could never afford to pay. The need never stops and as long as operators like Singinaw a continues to thrive, protected areas are a little safer, w ildlife can continue to flourish and local communities w ill grow in their sense of pride and belonging that they too are "Protectors of the Sacred Forest". SHERGARH TENTED CAMP Not far from Singinaw a is another remarkable story of change makers w ho have steered aw ay

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from mass tourism to create a unique kind of travel w ith a focus on nature and people. The making of Shergarh Tented Camp is a story that tugs at heartstrings. It is a story of love and passion resulting in a concoction of w ildlife hospitality. Jehan Bhujw ala grew up in the metropolitan city of Bombay having only the concrete jungle as his playground. He furthered his studies in geology and mastered in it but soon realized an insatiable longing to live life in the w ild. He purchased a 21-acre land on the fringe of the buffer zone adjacent to Kanha National Park in 2001 w hilst w orking at Kipling Camp, the first camp built near Mukki gate. In 2002Katie, a British girl from a village close to Bath in the United Kingdom w as so draw n to India after an extended backpacking trip that she decided to find a job at the same camp, and love struck. At that time, Jehan w as living in a tiny mud house on his property and had already started conceptualizing the idea of a tented camp. W ith extra hands and a like-minded partner, ideas soon evolved into reality and Jehan and Katie began building the camp. "This w as not going to be any ordinary camp. W ith Jehan's experience as a naturalist and my insight on travels after much destination hopping during my backpacking years, w e both decide that this camp w ill honour and respect the environment and people living around," explained Katie. They adopted villages around the vicinity, hired local communities to help build the camp and fostered impeccable relationships w ith the villagers. "For many villagers, tourism w as a foreign and new concept to them, especially w hen Shergarh Tented Camp w as one first few properties established near Mukki gate. Today, they are like family." said Katie. "We have incorporated local skills and techniques into the lodge as much as possible, such as their dry-stone masonry and mudplasterw ork, and have used local carpenters, masons, plumbers and electricians." Due to poor know ledge of sustainable agriculture practices, the 21 acre land w as completely degraded and overused. Katie explained that the entire land space w as filled w ith invasive and chocking eucalyptus trees, biodiversity w as close to barrenness and the land w as starved. The pair spent many months and years regenerating the land, chopping dow n eucalyptus for construction and firew ood in the w inters. Indigenous trees w ere reintroduced to the land and the beautiful w aterbed that sits in the middle of the land continued to feed the trees. We w alked past the w aterbed to reach our tents, and much to our delight, w e saw egrets, commorants, kingfishers and bee- eaters basking in the w ater. Katie tells us that jackals and w ild boars frequently roam the area and just at the entrance amongst the patch of tall green meadow s, a jungle cat has made that his home. Katie recollects an incident w hen the name Shergarh meaning "Home of the Tiger" resonated. "In November 2008, a 5-year old male tiger strayed from the core forest and took refuge from (in?) the surrounding paddy fields". Camp in Comfort As w e ambled into the vicinity of Shergarh Tented camp in Kanha, w e w ere expecting high Aframed tents, foldable camp beds, make shift toilets and simple skinny mattresses, but w hat w e found at Shergargh w as a haven of comfort and simplicity. The rugged looking canvas tent is tied securely on concrete A-frame structure w ith a sturdy roof made of handmade clay roof tiles. The tents are incredibly roomy inside w ith a large king sized bed, bedside tables and a spacious permanent toilet, show er and open closet area. Just outside the tent, a few plush cushion mattresses and deck chairs are cleverly positioned to great view s of the lake and the open skies as w e w atch the stars emerge at night. The tents take on names of indigenous trees in India such as Tulsi (Indian basil), Aam (mango), Jamun (blackberry), Imli (tamarind), Mahua and Neem. Many of these trees w ere re-planted around the property in their effort to revive the degraded land. Moving away from a tiger-centric approach W hile it's easy to take on a tiger-centric approach as tiger sightings are almost a daily affair, the couple knew that that w ould not do justice to the rich diversity in Kanha. Instead they have expanded their list of activities to include village visits, w alking hikes and bike tours. In October 2011, Shergarh w ill be offering bespoke bike tours from half day tours to 3-day tours. These cycle 'tolla' tours (tolla meaning village) w ill take guests off the beaten track from Kanha through villages and obscure tow ns to Pench National Park (approximately 200km) or Bandhavgargh National Park (approximately 250km). Exploring the Madhya Pradesh region on tw o w heels opens a new spectrum of experience for guests giving them a chance to interact w ith locals, savour chai at roadside stalls, w eave through tall paddy fields and stay w ith local communities. For a more rustic camping experience, guests have the option of camping out in the open and cooking meals over fire and charcoal. W hether it is a lodge or a tented camp, conscious travellers are now looking for more than just a comfortable place to stay. I found myself searching for operators w ho are committed to preserving the destination and operators that can offer authentic experiences crafted through their commitment and understanding of the destination and the surrounding people. At Kanha, I found tw o champion operators w ho are investing time and resources to preserve the very thing that tourists come to Kanha for, a genuine 'Jungle Book' experience.

How to get to Kanha National Park: By Air: Nagpur is the nearest airport to Kanha National Park. Other airports include Raipur and Jabalpur. These airports are all connected to major cities in India. By Train: Jabalpur is a convenient rail route to head tow ards Kanha National Park. By Road: Kanha National Park is w ell connected w ith major roads from Jabalpur (175kms), Nagpur (266kms) and Raipur (219kms). Kanha also has a good netw ork of roads connecting to surrounding national parks such as Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, Achanakmar and Phen National Park. Best time to visit: The peak season for Kanha National Park visits is the w inter season, from October to February.

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During the summer months from March to June, tiger sightings are at its best as the grasslands dries up making it easier to spot w ild animals. The park is closed from mid-June to October during the monsoon season.

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About the Author Deborah Chan As W ild Asia's associate programme manager, Deborah oversees several initiatives such as the Responsible Tourism Initiative and Corporate Responsibility projects. W ith her extensive experience in strategic communications and branding, she also m... more inside Deborah Chan also contributed 2 other articles in this section:
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Treetop Jungle Retreat Home w ith the W ild at Ngala Private Game Reserve all articles by Deborah Chan

Wild A sia Building Partnerships for Conservation: for People, Nature and our Environment. All content, including text and images, unless otherwise stated are 1998-2009 Wild A sia. All rights reserved. All works by Wild Asia are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License Page created on 9 A pr 13 at 3:07:08 PM GMT+08:00 .

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