Prof.Mr.Lokhande H.R.
S.M.E.S.&Jr.College Navedar Adiware
Tal-Rajapur Dist-Ratnagiri.
Into the Wild
(From page no.56). (Part-I) Lost in the Jungle
The eight-and-a-half-hour-long day inside the hide लपलेला was as fruitful as the Jambha tree standing tall on the edge of Umbarzara. Before wrapping up पूर्ण करणे my day at this natural waterhole, I took entries of the avifauna एखाद्या प्रदेशातील पक्षी in my field notes. खूण/चिन्ह Since I was alone, I rushed to Pitezari village where I was stationed. नियुक्त I camouflaged वेश परिधान करून राहणे the hide, took my essentials, came out of the hide and stretched out पसरणे to my heart's content. I lifted my camera bag and took the familiar trail ओळखीचा माग to Pitezari. Negotiating वाटाघाटी करणे बोलणे करून ठरवणे webbed leaves of Teakwood एक वनस्पती and Moha trees, एक वनस्पती trying to make minimal अत्यंत कमी sound, I was treading चालणे cautiously सावधपणे the woods. Walking alone in a jungle needs more alertness सावधानता than walking with a companion. सोबती/सहकारी I was alone here like a fox. Following the trail silently, watching with wide-open eyes, my ears were grasping आकलन करत a variety of sounds just when a familiar sound stunned स्तब्ध केले me...
'Khyak! Khyak! KhyakoSS Khyak!'
It was a Langur वानर alarm call. The leader of the gang of Langurs वानर was sitting on the tall tree making alarm calls out of fear भीतीशिवाय for life. ( From page no.57) Rest of the Langur brigade वानरांची तुकडी continued raising वाढवणे the alarm calls. The network of alarm calls was expanding its range as the petrified खूप घाबरलेले Langurs speeded वेगात जाणे to the trees near and far खूप दूरवरून and secured their places on treetops. All this upheaval अचानक झालेला बदल was created by only one animal's presence उपस्थितीत -a Leopard. बिबट्या/चित्ता Many animals make alarm calls when they see a predator रक्षक/इतर प्राण्यांची शिकार करणारा- Tiger or Leopard बिबट्या/चित्ता nearby. The Langur वानर is most reliable विश्वासनीय when it comes to finding clues संकेत about the presence उपस्थितीत of the apex predators अन्नसाखळीतील वरचा भक्षक in the jungle. The mighty elusive युक्तीने निसटून जाणारा Leopard बिबट्या of Umbarzara was out of its lair. गुहा/विश्रांतीची जागा He was on the prowl. भटकणे/भ्रमण करणे The stealthily लपवाछपवी करत/चोरटेपणाने moving figure in spotted gold -black cloak एखादी गोष्ट लपवण्याचे साधन /बुरखा/झगा was spied by च्याकडून पाहिले these Langurs. वानर Even the small ones from the legion मोठी संख्या of Langurs were giving alarm calls.
'Chyak! Chyak!'
I stayed put. एकाच ठिकाणी राहिलो Gauged सापडले the leader Langur's target sight and scanned the area visually. Took some steps. Stopped again. A fresh scat घाईघाईने निघून जाणे was lying before me on the trail. माग/ठसे The bluish-purple निळसर जांभळा flies माशा were hovering घीरट्या घालने over it. I was sure that the Leopard बिबट्या was somewhere near. The distant alarm call of four-horned शिंगाचे antelope हरीण was adding to the chaos. गोंधळ/संभ्रमित I barely उघड्या पायांनी walked around 15 metres and stopped. I had apparently वरवर पाहता entered in the sanctum sanctorum अभयारण्य/अकल्पनीय प्रायव्हसीचे ठिकाण of a miracle called Leopard. बिबट्या But the big cat was not visible. It is an elusive न सापडणारा animal. The surroundings were reminding me that I was all alone time and again. As I moved forward on the trail ठसे/माग to Pitezari, the fading alarm calls were still heard in the background. I could tell instinctively that the Leopard had moved away.
Meanwhile, दरम्यानच्या काळात I saw a man standing at a distance with a stick काठी in his hand. As I approached, he appeared spooked घाबरणे/वेडापिसा होणे due to alarm calls of the Leopard. बिबट्या We greeted अभिवादन केले/स्वागत केले each other. He was Raju Iskape from Pitezari. He had come to collect logs रोजची लेखी नोंद but retreated मागे फिरलो due to the Leopard's बिबट्या movement. Raju was amazed at my regular solitary एकाकी visits to Umbarzara, the haven आश्रयस्थान/निवारा for Tigers, Leopards and Sloth आळशीपणा/सुस्तपणा Bears. We stopped under a Kusum tree to take a break. We both felt a bit थोडावेळ relaxed. Now we were four eyes, four hands with a stick. Then we both resumed विश्रांतीनंतर चालू केले our walking tour.
There was one tiny खूप लहान track that broke out वेगळा झाला of the main trail. ठसे/माग "I will take this route, you go straight," said Raju and turned right. I kept walking straight until I climbed a familiar hillock. ओळखीची लहान टेकडी I crossed the cement pillar and stones Stacked ढीग केला by Forest Development Corporation to mark the boundary of the forest compartment. (From page no.58) Took another trail माग/ठसे after climbing down. चुकीची कबुली Walked across a beautiful Mahua tree loaded लगडलेले with reddish -brown लाल तपकिरी leaves.The ground under the tree was cleaned very well. The thought instantly flashed आला in my mind- 'l'd lost my way". Next moment, I found another dusky trail. काही प्रमाणात अंधारी मार्ग Hastily घाईने I took that trail which took me from a narrow gorge अरुंद दरी to an open field. The area was surrounded by hillocks लहान टेकड्या of dry deciduous पानझडी वृक्ष tropical उष्णकटिबंधातील forest. I turned back to spot the sun. Now, the geographical west पश्चिम was set. The dusky trail काही प्रमाणात अंधारी मार्ग had vanished. Good Heavens! I was lost. Completely lost in this jungle, That too at a very dreadful time! The sun was melting down वितळणे like a fleeting runner. क्षणभंगुर धावपटू
Soaked in भिजलेला my own sweat, I felt like shouting to my heart's content. मनाला समाधान होईपर्यंत But there was no other soul to listen to my sound in this wilderness. घनदाट अरण्य I had two bags with me. The Shabnam bag बॅगचा प्रकार having the camera and the other was a small colourful hand-made bag used in villages to carry tiffin. The tiffin still had some stulf, सामग्री/तुच्छ पदार्थ but I didn't feel like having it. The blossoming फुलणारे Boxwood trees, the Bhoop Bhoop sound of Coucal bird, the song of Robin bird, all appeared alien परके दिसू लागले to me.
It was more than an hour and I was still there searching for a suitable tree to climb and get secured. "Turn back to the trail माग/ठसे you left," my mind was telling me. But there were no signs of the trail. I had no other way to climb the hillock before me. There were more hillocks, लहान टेकड्या and some more around the one I was standing. Near my feet were the dried up कोरडी पुणे droppings विस्टा of Sloth Bear. "The Sloth Bear of Umbarzara must be out in open sniffing नाकातून वास घेऊन शोधणे for food," I cautioned सावध केले myself. Thinking of averting प्रतिबंध करणे/संकट टाळणे all sorts of eventuality, संभाव्य घटना I made a move. I ran down खाली आलो the hillock लहान टेकडी that I had climbed up at a frantic वेडेपिसे होऊन/वेगाने speed. The west was to my right-hand side now. The evening breeze वाऱ्याची झुळूक flew through my wet curled कुरळे hair. My stomach was aching. दुखणे I kept walking in hope.
After around 50 steps I found a bright red soil trail. I found my silver lining on this trail. माग/ठसे There were marks of bicycle wheel on this trail. That was a big consolation समाधानाची बाब/सांत्वन for me. "There must be a village nearby," I reassured दिलासा देणे/विश्वास देणे myself. More questions resurfaced, पुनरुत्थान "How far is the village? And where? in which direction?"
I climbed one more hillock लहान टेकडी and tried to locate signs of human civilisation. नागरीकरण My legs were trembling. थरथरणे As I reached the top of the hill, I jumped with joy. I heard the sounds of people talking in the loudspeaker. In a jiffy, क्षणात/कमी वेळेत I ran down the hill, (From page no.59) towards the sound with full vigour. उत्साह I stumbled ठेच लागून पडणे/अडखळून पडणे and fell down. Saw droppings विष्ठा of Blue Bulls nearby. Struggled, stood up and decided which direction to move on. The signs of civilisation अतिप्रगत संस्कृती/जीवनपद्धती were visible. The tiny खूप लहान sleepy village of Pitezari was visible through the green woods. The lantern कंदील of Rajiram Bhalavi's farm, the loudspeaker installed बसवला for Keshav Bhalavi's marriage, all were in clear sight. Turned left to spot the village lake and familiar hillock लहान टेकडी 'Suihudaki'. The dog barked to welcome me to the village.
The first thing I did was to take a bath. The shaking थरथरणे/कंप सुटणे of limbs पाय had lessened कमी झाले a bit. थोडे The stomach ache दुखणे started again. Ate to the full and then slumped कोसळणे/पडणे onto the cot. Lying awake जागेच looking at the star-studded लगडणे sky, I spoke to myself, "There still exists a jungle where we can get lost, isn't this our good luck?"
Taken from Sakha Nagzira' - by Kiran Purandare
(Part-II) Tracking एखाद्याच्या हालचालीवर लक्ष ठेवणे/माग काढणे the Panther of Nagarhole
Shaaz Jung is a wildlife वन्यजीवन photographer, cinematographer, छायाचित्रकार big cat वाघ/बिबट्या tracker, वन्य पशूंचा माग काढणारा man-animal conflict संघर्ष resolution निराकरण seeker and lodge owner -- all rolled into अनेक गुणांचा समुच्चय one. When he's away from the jungles of Nagarhole, officially called The Rajiv Gandhi National Park, he's leading photography safaris in Africa or showcasing प्रदर्शन his work at Art Galleries in capital cities and speaking to those interested in conserving संवर्धन करणे the planet's riches. संपत्ती
Shaaz recalls with great clarity स्पष्टता the incident that ultimately शेवटी leads to ठरतो his answering the call of the felines मांजर किंवा मांजराच्या कुटुंबातील इतर over a career dedicated to finance. आर्थिक बाब "It was somewhere around sunset. We were at a junction. The deer were calling," he says, "we went around a blind turn," न दिसणारा कोपरा he continues, "and up ahead on the path was this old leopard. बिबट्या You could tell he was past his prime. सर्वोच्च काळ The jungle had taken a toll on him. एखाद्याला इजा करणे He only had three canines. कुत्र्यासारखा दात असलेला प्राणी His eyes were sagging. मध्यभागी वाकणे Close to this leopard बिबट्या was another very young, good looking male who was soon to come into his prime. सर्वोच्च काळ It was like looking at the past and the present. It was clear that there was going to be a fight. Unfortunately, दुर्दैवाने the sun was setting, मावळणे and we had to leave. But the next morning, I went back to the spot. Sitting on a high rock was that young leopard. बिबट्या Blood was dripping ठिबकने from a gash लांब व खोल जखम across his face. He sat there like he was 'king of the jungle'. I knew right then that he had taken over, that it was the beginning of a new journey for him. And for me."
Photographs of that leopard, बिबट्या the victor, विजेता Scarface, घाबरलेल्या चेहऱ्याचा as Shaaz named him, not only made Shaaz famous among India's wildlife वन्यजीवन community, but also led to नेतृत्व Shaaz's enviable हेवा करण्याजोगा reputation कीर्ती as a chronicler इतिहासकार of the wild. "Through my journey of photographing Scarface, घाबरलेल्या चेहऱ्याचा I have discovered other leopards, his mates and discovered his nemises-योग्य शिक्षा/कर्मफळ tigers. I also discovered the current protagonist प्रमुख पात्र of my work -Saya while tracking माग काढत Scarface. घाबरलेल्या चेहऱ्याचा This is the world's first black panther, the behaviour of which is being documented सहभागी होईल so intimately जवळून on camera, by tracking its movements. So for all the research on the animal has been done through camera traps."सापळे Through many months of toil, परिश्रम/मेहनत Shaaz has managed to collect precious footage, including that of the animal mating, to piece together सर्व एकत्र करून/जोडून the incredible अविश्वसनीय/आश्चर्यकारक landscape of a black panther's life.
Saya, Scarface घाबरलेल्या चेहऱ्याचा and Pardus, the leopard that lost to Scarface, have also led Shaaz down a different path of discovery. Learning about them and the loss to their habitat निवास्थान has led Shaaz to create the Buffer आघातप्रतिबंधक Conflict संघर्ष Resolution निराकरण Trust of India (BCRTI). It's an agency that educates villagers who live on the fringe सुशोभित झालर of the forest on the importance of conservation. संवर्धन "We are in the heart of the man-animal conflict zone," explains Shaaz. "There is no specifc buffer zone आघातप्रतिबंधकप्रदेश here around Nagarhole. The core मुख्य/प्रमुख area of the forest ends where the fields begin. In dry season elephant and wild boar incursions आक्रमण into fields are very common. Older leopards, like Pardus, who have lost territory प्रदेश/प्रांतin the forest often carry away livestock पशुधन/गुरे from villages." This creates resentment चीड/संताप among locals towards the animals on occasions प्रसंग leading to unpleasant अशांत situations.
Putting tourist currency चलन to good use, under the BCRTI umbrella, छत्र Shaaz provides locals with vocational व्यवसायिक training, with the aim of educating locals on the merits गुणवत्तेनुसार of conservation संवर्धन and to help them benefit from tourist currency. चलन The visitors at the resort आश्रयस्थान are welcome to volunteer स्वयंसेवक to teach a skills training class of their choice. The acquired skills enable सक्षम करणे/शक्ती देणे locals to find employment with any of the numerous असंख्य wildlife वन्यजीवन resorts in the region, if not in a faraway दूर city.
Madegowda is one such local agriculturist शेतकरी who is trained at BCRTI and it is now a certified प्रमाणित naturalist निसर्गवादी employed by 'The Bison'."In the past, I've lost almost 80 percent of a season's yield पिक of sugarcane ऊस to such animal attacks. I used to hate them. (From page no.61) But now I've learnt how important these animals are and the value of protecting them," he says. "I have known these jungles for 35 years. I know where the animals are and I realise I can guide visitors and get paid for it. In a way, the animals are paying me back."
"The forests have taught me many things. For instance, listening is a sense far more important than sight. देखावा/दृश्य You have to switch off your vehicle, sit and listen, for the forest is constantly सातत्याने communicating--through the voices of birds and animals," he explains. "Tracking माग काढणे an animal also teaches you life lessons. The black panther चित्ता/वाघ has taught me patience. संयम But, above all, it has taught me to never stop discovering. शोध There are just so many amazing experiences to learn and share with the world."
- CN Traveller Magazine published by Land Rover India