No one wants to remember a bad dream. And likewise it’s prudent to forget the unpleasant events soonest, if not instantly. Though at times, such untoward happenings turn into a blessing in disguise and the end result becomes heavenly.
That’s what happened on June 5. After having a horrific night stay at one of the rank bad resorts of Mukteshwar, my daughter, Shaguna called Shailendra Singh, the manager of Neemrana’s property at Ramgarh, which is around 25 kms from Mukteshwar. The large smile on her face suggested that there were rooms available at Ramgarh Bungalows and we were on road to Ramgarh at around 11.00 in the morning.
It was a party night at MBD Radisson, Noida as we were celebrating the Golden Jubilee Marriage Anniversary of the parents of of our Managing Director on 19th Septemebr’2008. I had come from Chail (Himachal Pradesh) to join the celebration. We had enjoyed a lot and next day morning my M.D. called me and asked that the Resort at Corbett is at the edge of completion. So if you wish you can take charge of the resort. I was very happy to take the new challenge & promotion. The date of my transfer has finalized and i reached Corbett national park on 17th January’2009. That was my first visit and i reached Ramnagar at 8 : 30 P.M and while coming to the site i saw many deers roaming on the roadside. It was really exciting.
I’ve heard the call of the wild since a very tender age, but never really answered it the way I wanted to (when I say ‘wild’, I mean it in all perceivable senses). When Jim Corbett came calling, it was no different. So, this travel account is not going to be the ideal guide on how to plan a visit to the Corbett national park. Rather, my endeavor is to list a few things you should not do when planning a trip to the legendary abode of the Royal Bengal Tiger. To those who are acquainted with me, this travel account doesn’t involve royal enfields. As part of my office excursion party, I took my wife and eight-month-old son on a trip to the Corbett national park. As it turned out, it was like looking for Kashmir in Kashmere pulao. Bad joke? Can’t help it. There was very little of Corbett national park in the entire trip. The majestic resorts in Dhikuli, the Garjia temple, the Koshi River, the waterfall in Kaladhungi, and a day trip to Nainital, constituted a nice and comfortable 3-day trip, but overshadowed the real thing. Bear with me as I try and stitch all those elements together to produce a moderately readable travel story.
When you are in Corbett country, wherever, in a private resort or a FRH or in Ranikhet, get out of your bed and walk under the night sky. Look at the stars, at their bright light and look at the dark brooding hills looming in the moonlight and scores of little lights dotting the hillside, where people live and have lived for years, among tigers, leopards, cheetals, man eaters and otherwise. These people form a living tradition. Do you feel one with them? Can you see yourself among them? Will your grandchild see a part of himself in you when you have grown old and he, young? Are we organically connected or muted souls floating in disconnected space and time? You are not a tourist here. This is your land, your country, your tradition that lies before you, waiting to be embraced.
It is morning now and I have had my breakfast at Tigerstreet and have slept an hour. I leave for the reception centre at Ramnagar and get my passes done. I am told I should be at Dhangarhi gate (the one that leads to Dhikala) latest by four in the evening. I plan for a real heavy lunch at Dhikuli with my friend Manoj and that done I am at the gate by 3:30 pm. Having my papers done at the gate is also a pleasure, the man there always tells me the do’s and don’ts inside the park and I listen to him intently nodding my head gravely. I don’t want to tell him I know it all. He is doing his job and doing it rather well. He gives me a jute litter bag and wishes me good sighting. I smile at Jim and he smiles back.
