Chilling in Jilling

Chestnut leaves covering the forest floor

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the hills of Kumaon, there lies a pristine forest, zealously guarded for over half a century by a family of nature lovers who are a fast vanishing species in modern world.

Jilling Estate spread over 100 acres is owned by Lall family. It is not on the regular tourist circuit, and that's the saving grace. We had a week long stay booked in what is referred to as New Cottage on the estate. There are 4 such cottages which they run as homestay. 

We started from Delhi, around 7 in the morning and only stopped enroute for mandatory Chai, Breakfast and Lunch. As time was plenty on our hands, we decided to stop at Kaladhungi before hitting Matial village, the base for Jilling.

At Kaladhungi, we visited the less frequented Jim Corbett Museum at Choti Haldwani. It's the former home of Jim Corbett. Various pictures of shikar and letters in Jim's own hand are preserved, as also few of the porcelain dishes the great man used. It's a humbling experience to stand face to face with larger than life bust of Jim Corbett, the man this nation owes a lot to. There's a souvenir shop selling charming little curios and local food products.

Stuffed with Gahat dal, White Rajma, Apricot jam, fand few books by Jim Corbett that we didn't already have, lapel pins, Tiger printed on T-shirts, we decided to round off our little detour and headed straight for Jilling.

Once on the hills, numerous hair pin bends and sights of deep gorges running alongside had our hair stand on end. Finally, we reached the small roadside shop in the hamlet of Matial. This was the address where we were met by Ramlal, the workhorse of Jilling. When Nandini told us Ramlal will meet us and help us with our luggage uphill to the cottage, I had pictured a young pahadi lad. But here was a 4 ft few inches tall, 200 yr old Santa-esque man, politely greeting us and introducing himself as Ramlal. Over the next hour, Ramlal (ji) was incharge and guide and our hamdard, as our urban smog tainted lungs gasped for air on our uphill climb while the dainty Ramlal moved brisk and lithe. We were in awe. Till the end of trip, Ramlal's actual age remained a mystery as each conversation pegged him either above 60 or 70. 

At the cottage, we were greeted by the care taker Deepak who promptly arranged for lemon tea and lit the fireplace. Cottage was charmingly decorated and well provisioned. Like Hema Malini's room with a view in Johny Mera Naam, this new cottage had windows on all sides, including from the loo. Perfect for birdwatching while sitting on the pot. Night falls easily in the hills, so before we knew, it was dark all around and we decided wisely to crash early.

Next morning and the mornings hereafter, were spent marvelling at the peaks of Nanda Devi, Chaukhamba, Nanda Kot and few others that can be seen clearly behind the rolling hills in front. Every morning before dawn and at dusk, Blue Whistling Thrush sang it's song on the Oak tree next to the cottage. Two daring Khaleej Pheasants showed up at the door the very next day, as if to check if we were guests alright to be hosted on their property. They seemed to approve and departed soon.           

We went to meet Steve and Parvati Lall, owners of the estate and were charmed by their life stories. Steve flew fighters in the Indian Air Force and then left it to nurture the estate. He has biked all around the country and has many stories to tell. Any mention of even a remote corner of the country and Steve knew it like the back of his hand. His life partner, Parvati is the true lady of the soil. Up early every day, she is a compulsively busy soul. She had delightful tales to tell Alisha about her mischievous childhood. When not serving Sri Lankan tea out of an old English tea pot, she was found tending lovingly to her cattle and her 5 dogs.

Steve and Parvati's cottage is an eclectic mix of odds and ends, including a telescope and astrophotography equipment of his equally worthy son-in-law Kartik. But what I loved the most was a little bird table which hosted a whole contingent of hill birds every morning, noon and evening. White-throated Laughingthrush, Streaked Laughingthrush, Black-headed Jay, Rufous Sibia, Green-backed Tit, Black-lored Tit, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Black-winged Blackbird delighted us everyday as we sat soaking in sunshine at their charming cottage.

In the surrounding hills, forests are preserved all around and it's clear Steve and Parvati and their next generation Nandini and Kartik have doggedly fought against all odds to fend off the so called modern development. They have fought and continue to fight politicians, arsonists, poachers as the demand on our forests continues to spike.

I get asked many times, what activities did we do on our vacation and I struggle to piece it all in a modern way. We walked in forest, we trekked uphill to the ridge, we admired the many colours of forest bed, filled with dried chestnut, Oak and Pine leaves, we walked on morning frost, we ate hearty home cooked meals, drank cups after cups of tea, sat hours and hours in sunshine, chatted, dozed off as we heard birds all around. At nights, we watched the stars stitched on the navy blue velvet sheet above and heard calls of Himalayan Owl and barking deer in the distance and we sat hours in front of the fireplace.

We didn't spot Leopard but we were told there are 4 that roam the property currently. Within a week, we were different people. Nourished by the cold clean crisp mountain air and the simple old styled living, we felt completely detoxed.

But all was not over yet. Christmas was Bonfire time at Steve's cottage. Nandini and Kartik arranged for a wood fired Pizza party for all guests.

It's important to mention they take only few guests and are selective about who they allow on their fragile estate. That keeps any reckless and damaging behavior in check. Soups and snacks flowed freely with the yummy hand made pizza as more tales of biking, trekking poured in near the bonfire. Kids were having a time of their lives with dogs.

No trip to Jilling can be complete without mentioning their staff. Their staff is like an extended family, so much so that they have grown up together and lived their whole life together. Steve refers to them as son. Staff is equally empowered to take decisions. No wonder we saw each one of them have a sense of ownership that's hard to find in today's material world. 

Ultimately the day of our departure was upon us. Scanning the weather forecasts that predicted rain in the day, we got our breakfast packed and started early in the morning and after a day's road trip of nearly 10 hours, reached Gurgaon late evening.

Jilling Estate will remain etched in our memory and hopefully for Alisha too. As a 9 yr old, she experienced the joys or boredom of "do nothing" on Indian hills and invented ingenious games with stones and wood. She trekked everywhere with great ease and grace, which earned her a nickname of mountain goat from everyone, much to our delight and surprise.

And she pestered auntie (Parvati) to open goats and cows for her to play with all day. There's something very soothing to see kids play in natural surroundings without modern gadgets. It's like rehashing the eternal bond between humans and the very nature we came from.

With a wish to be back in the hills soon, Happy New Year 2022.

ebird checklists of birds seen easily through our stay

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99795043

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99494745

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99436980

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99497794

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99394360

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99390260

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99355240

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99346717

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99355051

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99343880

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99307878

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99307117

https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S99494745

An aspiring city and it's forest

Few years back, in 2013 to be exact, our daughter came into our lives. And before we knew it, the sleepless nights and endless cleaning and feeding cycles gave way to our little toddler, ready to run around whole day. Now the city we live in - Gurgaon - is an aspiring city and like any other aspiring city, natural resources are considered by town planners to be exploited for endless human needs and hardly given a thought to be conserved. As a result, Gurgaon is rapidly losing it's forest cover and wetlands all over. And more kids are losing touch with nature here everyday, as concrete and glitz takes over every inch of this city.

It was in this backdrop, that we started taking interest in Aravalli Biodiversity Park which was being developed as an urban forest by IAmGurgaon. An erstwhile mining site, this 150 hectares of mineral rich forest was dutifully exploited ...oops quarried for minerals and then abandoned as courts realized the value of protecting precious Aravallis, the oldest fold mountain range in the world.

Good sense prevailed and McG (Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon) decided to do what they can do best, keep away from maintaining it themselves. Only this time they chose wisely and handed over the development of park to IAmGurgaon, an NGO committed to make a difference in lives of Gurgaonites. Initial planning done, the key to restoring the site was in selection of right species of plants. In general, we Indians have developed a fetish for all things exotic, even if it's at the peril of losing our own superior and more adaptive native species. But we like foreign things and that's not just with Gurgaon, it's a national fetish. Only Gurgaon takes it several notches up. You just need to look at the names of societies here, and it becomes clear how much we love everything foreign. So in this backdrop, the botanist who was entrusted with selection of right species to be planted, had an arduous task at hand. Vijay Dhasmana, man in charge of plants, took up the challenge and led the movement to bring back native Aravalli flora back.

This isn't easy, considering many many species have been lost now to the more exotic species but Vijay works like a man possessed. He led the team that scoured Aravallis, all the way till   Rajasthan, to source the right seeds. And then through public-private partnership, many many plantation drives were done in the park. Schools, corporates NGOs, individuals got involved and a solid foundation of wild native Aravalli was made.

This is where we brought in our little toddler to the newly restored site, with it's jogging trackways freshly laid out. grasses all around taking roots and a whole manner of hardy trees and shrubs covering the forest bed. Coming from the choking city that is Gurgaon, first thing that hits you is the bout of fresh air. After spending few hours here with the fresh litter of pups and watching birds and butterflies, we finally left but all of us has fallen in love and we knew we'll come back.

And come back we did. Not one, but again and again, year on year. This urban forest took shape day by day, and we saw it growing literally in front of our eyes. From a wasteland, to a few cms tall saplings, to sparse vegetation, it's now a lush forest that's a botanist's dream, a birdwatcher's paradise, a painter's workshop, a star gazer's pedestal, a philosopher's garden. It's hard to define relationship Gurgaonites have with this one of it's kind forest that's grown literally out of the hands of a few committed possessed people.

We have seen birds here that were once thought rare for this region, we have watched silver moon filtered through canopy of leaves sitting under a Babool, we have seen clusters of butterflies mud puddling together, we have seen jewel beetles shining with blues and purples and greens on Ber (Ziziphus nummularia) bushes that I have never seen anywhere else, I have enjoyed the playfully howling pack of jackals at dusk, hares have darted away at our approaching steps, Neelgai (Blue Bull) loves this place. Anyone who has come here, has fallen in love with it. It's a magical place. Because it's here, where you experience how the land on which we now live, was thousands of years back. It's like a time-lapse on nature's timeline.

After a decade of restoration, the forest has now taken a momentum of it's own. Our hope is that in future, whoever takes care of this, takes time to fall in love first and then tends to it, only as much as is needed. Let the forest take care of it's own and let it be. Let the Dhau flourish, let the leaf litter continue to spread, let the butterflies enjoy their little patch of muddy swamps, let the thorns remain prickly enough, for this is what Aravallis stand for.

Kutch - The Wild West of India

Come vacation season (peak winters and peak summers in India) and there's a frantic scampering in most Indian households for potential off beat destinations to visit. And those with school going kids have only one factor to consider - match up family vacation with school holidays. Since Indian subcontinent is an extremely diverse region, both culturally and geographically, its difficult to make decisions. And the plethora of facebook and Instagram posts don't help much either. They are mostly better at exaggerating than educating on facts. So, here we were - scanning potential destinations from North to South, East to West, with a 7 year old in tow, serving as a primary consideration. Finally, we landed on exploring Kutch - The largest district of India.

 

With it's unique landscapes that have been shaped over millions of years of geological activity, Kutch is a poster child to watch geology, archaeology, paleontology, effect of human migrations, flora and fauna - all in one. This travelogue is dedicated to the brilliant Indian authors who have managed to bring the various facets of Kutch through their writings, to common folks like us.

Their works stoked our interest in the history of Indian Subcontinent and spurred our imagination so we settled on a slightly unusual tour of Kutch. Our trip was meant to be touristy but not focused on many popular tourist hubs, leaving us plenty of spaces free of touristy hordes and that allowed us a tranquil trip.

It was a 8 day trip with Ahmadabad as our base station. What followed was a text book dream.
The trip was planned and arranged by Asian Adventures who had immense patience with our quirky demands.

Day 1 : Ahmadabad - Dholavira

Day 2 : Dholavira, Kutch Wood Fossil Park

Day 3 : Dholavira - Nakhtarana

Day 4 : Banni Grasslands, Mandavi coast

Day 5 : Chhari Dhandh

Day 6 : Thorn Forest, Nirona Village, Rock formations

Day 7 : Bhuj Tour, Ajrakpur Village

Day 8 : Bhuj - Ahmadabad

Day 1 : Ahmadabad - Dholavira (~360 kms)

Gulf of Kutch - On the way to Dholavira

We started in the morning from Ahmadabad, heading towards the island of Khadir (Locally called Khadir Bet where Bet means island). Here, on a corner of this tiny isolated island that is surrounded by Rann on all sides, lies the most prominent archaeological site in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization - Dholavira. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and the largest metropolis of Harappan period. First discovered by archaeologist JP Joshi in 1956, excavations at Dholavira started only 35 years later in 1990 under RS Bisht of the Archaeological Survey of India. Since 2005, due to paucity of funds, excavations have halted, and about 70%-80% of the site is yet to be excavated. Yet, what is excavated is simply a marvelous window into an ancient civilization. But much on that later. First, the journey.

Later stage civilization had Bhungas (round huts) like these - At Excavation Site 

This route passed along some quaint villages and towns of Gujarat, where roadside eateries had simple fair of Gujarati sambhar with Batata Vada, Gujarati Thali, Kathiawadi thali etc. Culturally very different from singularly most opulent dhabas of Delhi or Punjab. The most conspicuous installations along the entire stretch were wind mills. With a quixotic set of questions that we had for our chatty driver, it was a unique experience to watch hundreds of these gentle man made giants rotating themselves on whims of nature. The whole stretch was full of them. As per wikipedia, India has the fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world and we were witnessing them with glee through the 6+ hrs of our road journey.

Rapar is the last town where you can pack provisions for your stay in the island of Khadir Bet ahead. So, to be safe with our little one, we packed fruits, sev and few other sweet meats before undertaking the last leg of our journey. To get to the island, there's a 6 km run over the Rann.

We were lucky to spot many waders along the way but the most handsome birds seen on this stretch were gorgeous white and pink Lesser Flamingos with their brown juveniles making most of the grand play field they are born in. An imposing looking Tawny Eagle sat on the ground, looking every bit majestic against the vast sea of encapsulating white salt. It's a sight to behold.

We passed by signboard for a homestay and a resort, signs of tourism picking up, we thought. Finally, by evening, we reached our destination - Dholavira Tourism resort.

Dholavira Tourism Resort

Round huts made in the traditional kutch style, with mirror work adorning the doors and hand painting on inside walls depicting wild ass, goats and village life in general are beautiful for stay. Food particularly is a highlight of this ultra remote place. While we imagined, we would barely get dal chawal here in the remotest of remote places, it was a pleasant surprise when the dinner was served. Full course meal with a dessert and unlimited buttermilk that tasted like heaven. And the tryst with great food continued though the next day as well. Right when we would settle for dinner around 8pm, Jupiter shone brightly in the backyard of our dining hall, reminding us of what we miss in our cities. And finally on our departure, we learnt that the food is all home grown in surrounding fields and buttermilk extracted each day with hands. No wonder it all tasted like heaven.

Night falls at Dholavira

Night was spent surveying the stars and constellations that shone brilliantly all around and walking around the quiet star lit village tracks, occasionally disturbed by the fast moving vehicles that seemed to be going from nowhere to nowhere to us.

Day 2 : Dholavira, Kutch Wood Fossil Park

Morning Birds

Next morning, I took a walk down the village fields to catch the morning birds. Many large and small flocks of Common Cranes flew in from north, moving towards south. I quickly consulted maps, to realize that there was a little patch of water where these morning sorties were being carried out. A Kestrel flushed from the fields while a Montague's Harrier flew low, hunting in golden morning light. Several other semi-scrub species and 2 River Terns were the highlights. Overall, I counted over 120 cranes and in all 29 species before heading back to the hotel for breakfast.

Dholavira

After a quick breakfast of Poha, Sandwiches and Parathas washed down with tea, we headed to the site of Dholavira, an important archaeological site of Indus Valley Civilization. Setting foot here felt like stepping right into the pages of our history books. The much famed Harappa and Mohenjo-daro is taught to practically every Indian student but that there are other 3 equally if not more fascinating sites discovered in Dholavira, Rakhigarhi and Ganeriwala which are well known for their significance in understanding the IVC among scholars and historians is seldom made popular with public.

Northern edge Reservoir - Behind is the Citadel 

Dholavira settlement spans over an area of about 100 hectares, nearly half of which is appropriated by the fortified settlement of the Harappans. The site is surrounded by two seasonal nallahs, Mansar in north and Manhar in south. A museum at the entrance of excavation site houses awe inspiring artefacts, including pottery, stone blades, jewellery, stamp seals and weights of Harappan period.

The whole city has a rectangular shape and organization, and is spread over 54 acres. Unlike Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the city was constructed to a pre-existing geometrical plan consisting of three divisions – the citadel, the middle town, and the lower town. The acropolis and the middle town had been furnished with their own defence-work, gateways, built-up areas, street system, wells, and large open spaces. The acropolis is the most thoroughly fortified and complex area in the city. The towering "castle" stands is defended by double ramparts. Next to this stands a place called the 'bailey' where important officials lived.

The most striking feature of the city is that all of its buildings, at least in their present state of preservation, are built of stone, whereas most other Harappan sites, including Harappa itself and Mohenjo-daro, are almost exclusively built of brick.

The entire civilisation has been divided into 7 stages of settlement, urbanization, interim desertion followed by post harappans and then reduction of settlements and the final desertion. Initial settlers came around 2650 BC.

Pottery

Stone grinder used in Dholavira

Armed with advanced ceramic techniques, copper working, lithic industry, bead making, stone dressing and with certain principles of planning and architecture, they constructed formidable fortification (11m thick at the base) around.

Describing the whole site in detail is impossible in a travelogue, but you can look up links at the end of this blog to read more if you wish.

I will summarise by saying that it's a site worth visiting, for the intrigue and a window into the past. Past which holds a mirror to future.

Stone blades

Intricately carved Seals - Unicorn like figure is omnipresent in various artefacts

Ten mysterious symbols replicated in the museum - These are yet to be deciphered

Dholavira symbols in situ - Now not open to public (Credit : harappa.com)

Evening - Kutch Wood Fossil Park

Sandstone, Shale, Limestone formations

This is a very low key area, not high on tourist agendas but a delight for curious souls. There is a massive fossilised tree from Jurassic Age and few other wood fossils from at least 187-176  million years back preserved by department of science and technology. The discovery of these wood fossils brought a massive excitement in the scientific community since similar fossils were already found in Jaisalmer earlier. To imagine that pre historic creatures, including dinosaurs roamed around these areas fills you with excitement and runs your imagination wild. The whole region is part of Kutch basin with immensely interesting rocks formed through volcanic eruptions and lava movements thereafter.

Petrified Wood - From Jurassic age

Watching unique rocks shaped over millions of years, fills you with awe. There's a little waterbody inland where several River Terns flocked together. This is a site very few tourists frequent, saving the valuable history intact but there are signs that authorities have identified for developing this as a tourist park. For now though, I was glad that textbook history/geography comes alive here.

Rann 

As Sun started it's descend, we moved to the most famous part of Kutch - The great Rann. Miles and miles of salt pans on the western borders of India and Pakistan are breathtakingly beautiful and brutally harsh.

Salt pans of Rann

One of the hottest regions of the country, Rann is visited by thousands every year. Acting as a natural barrier, these are natural wonders that Kutch is blessed with. Rann has a great geological history of it's formation which can be found on internet. The sun set is obviously most spectacular here, with shining salt crystals in the foreground and glazing water in the back. We had several families with us, all of us vying for the best shot of the setting Sun. Finally, after a zillion different clicks, the great ball of fire was gone out of sight, leaving it's golden pink trail behind. It was time to return.  

Day 3 : Dholavira - Nakhtarana

Beautiful courtyard at CEDO

Early morning, we started for Nakhtarana, a small village in the middle of Kutch. Our destination was Center for Desert and Ocean (CEDO), a homestay run by Jugal Tiwari. It's a very popular place amongst birdwatchers from all over the world who want to come to see unique flora, fauna and fossils of Kutch. Jugal is himself a veteran research scholar, ecologist and ornithologist with many papers to his credit and many records of birds from this region to his singular credit. It's credit to Jugal that Kutch became popular with birdwatchers. He's also a keen fossil enthusiast, a fact he seldom advertises. But to see his collection of fossils was like peeping into a treasure chest.

Fossil collection

Enroute, there was another unique place on our itinerary - Kutch Fossil Park. Don't get fooled by it's name. It's hardly a park. It's a modest looking museum with 2 small rooms and an open area surrounded by greenery. But what sets this place apart is the collection of fossils you see here.

This place was founded by one man - Mohan Sinh Sodha, who got interested in fossils in 1970s by spotting an Ammonite and since then his passion has known no bounds and he has single-handedly added thousands of fossils of plants, fruits, gems, reptiles to the collection.

Dinosaur egg fossil

One of the most astounding fossil exhibited here is of the Dinosaur and its egg that has been collected over the time in bits and pieces and then restructured to give a good shape. Recently he found a Sea cow fossil, which was reconstructed with the help of Roorkee Institute of Technology. The species is now called Dommingia sodhae in his honour!

This modest museum is located amidst the desert area, far from the city. Fee for seeing the fossils is 50 per person. A lot could be done to save this place for future generations.

Demoiselle Cranes at Rav Moti village

We passed by several small villages but one that caught our eye was Rav Moti. It had a small village pond with hundreds of Demoiselle Cranes feeding on it's sides.

Blooming Bauhinia variegata at CEDO complex

By evening, we were in CEDO. Fading sunlight meant that there was no time left for birding. We just relaxed in the quiet surroundings and prepared for the next day's itinerary. Sunbirds flitted through blooming Bauhinia variegata (kachnar) while cotton fields silently absorbed the setting ball of fire in it's belly. 

Day 4 : Thorn forest, Mandavi coast

Morning

Early morning, before the break of dawn, piping hot tea was ready with quick bites. Breakfast was packed in picnic baskets to be had in the field. Tea and cookies were had quickly and off we set with Veer Vaibhav as our guide for the area. Vaibhav's been birding in this region for over 20 years under the mentorship of Jugal and knows almost every patch of this vast hinterland like the back of his hand. His knowledge of birds, plants, rocks, local communities was very valuable and we cherished it throughout the trip.

White-bellied Minivet (Pic : Veer Vaibhav Mishra)

White-naped Tit (Pic : Veer Vaibhav Mishra)

First up we headed to a nearby Acacia forest where a spotted owlet dozed off in strong morning breeze. Few hrs in the forest area yielded specialist species like Marshall's Iora, White-naped Tit, White-bellied Minivets, Painted Sandgrouse etc. Since the entire Kutch region was once under sea, seashells are an interesting items to collect. They are spread throughout the region and it was fun to find various colored stones glistening like gems. As the day got warmer, we rested for a while on the roadside, opening our picnic baskets and gorging on yummy breakfast spread. Afternoons are too hot to bear here and sensibly so, we retired to our CEDO homestay for a brief siesta.

Evening

On Vaibhav's suggestion, we headed to Mandvi beach post lunch. Mandvi was always an important sea port since centuries and is still known for the wooden ship making industry. Dhows made in Mandvi have been world famous. But our destination was to visit the side of beach where shore birds could be spotted. Through long winding and well laid out roads, we finally landed at Modhava beach that is ideal for birding and photography. Rows of pink dotted the calm beach. Flamingos. Hundreds of them are resident here and it's a delight to watch these graceful beauties. Western Reef Herons seemed to have had a perfect distribution of territories, with each Heron occupying a post on the beach where no other ventured. Hundreds of Gulls, Plovers, a solitary Oystercatcher, Stints dotted the beach.

Greater Flamingoes

It was a delight to watch Bar-tailed Godwits, lifer for me. Eurasian Curlews walked determinedly picking morsels from the beach. And then came icing on the cake - Crab Plovers. They required lot of scanning before they revealed themselves in a flock of 5, in a far isolated corner. Standing upright, with a little round head and that distinguished plier shaped beak to catch the crabs, these pretty black and white birds were a delight to watch and photograph. Overall, we counted 21 species in 2 hours, amidst a lot of running and yelling to keep a watch on kids.

Crab Plovers

Alisha and Ram at Modhova beach (Pic : Veer Vaibhav Mishra)

Alisha had an ally in Ram, Vaibhav's son and both were matched in their energy levels, that were higher than what 3 of us adults could manage. Finally, after watching the beautiful Sun set in Arabian sea, we headed back. By now, we were grubby again. Vaibhav had a nice little spot full of wildflowers where children took their bio break while we had tea and snacks in the middle of beautiful flowers.   

Nights at CEDO are beautiful and food is awesome. Home cooked food awaits all it's guests and we counted our blessings as we dug into the umpteen boxes full of good food. Their pickles and chutneys are to die for.

Day 5 : Chhari Dhandh, Banni Grasslands

Morning

This morning, Jugal himself accompanied us and we were thankful to him as he took time from his busy schedule to show us around Chhari Dhandh reserve. Chhari means salt affected and Dhandh means shallow wetlands. This place is a paradise for bird watchers, having around 370 bird species. Spread over 80 sq kms, this is a seasonal desert wetland, on the edge of arid Banni grasslands.

With Jugal at Chhari Dhand

As soon as we left the town area and moved towards the reserve, morning birds announced their presence loud and clear from afar. Large and small flocks of Common Cranes flew in practically from all directions. We started counting but soon realized we were looking at a phenomenon that needs to be felt more than counted as figures. There must have been at least 2000 cranes if not more.

We drove towards a peculiar looking red rock structure where Red-tailed wheatear has generally been seen by lucky few.

Long-legged Buzzard

We scanned for almost 30 mins, before calling off the search and heading towards the Hypocolius area. But as soon as the engine started, Jugal called out, pointing towards the Red-tailed Wheatear standing on the ledge of a rock face. Satisfied, we headed further, cranes circling continously. A Long-legged Buzzard was basking in the Sun while Desert Jirds moved furtively into their burrows at the mere sight of vehicle. A Stoliczka's Bushchat was spotted feeding on the ground and after a little patience, we witnessed it's unique Puff and Roll. We finally reached a grove of Salvadora persica trees where lot of Hypocolius were seen in the previous month. But as luck would have it, this flagship species was completely missing now from this grove. But Bee-eaters, Steppe Eagles, White-cheeked Bulbuls and many other birds kept us decent company and as Sun started to ascend higher, we decided to have a quick breakfast in the field and then pack up.

Camel congregation at Chaari Dhand.

On the way back, Jugal spotted a herd of camels headed towards a waterhole. It was a beautiful sight, with the giant beasts lowering and raising their graceful necks in tandem. While we were busy admiring the beautiful sight, Jugal almost squealed with excitement. Looking around, we had to pinch ourselves and blink a few times to see what we were seeing. Camel herds were all around us, coming from far and wide, in hundreds and thousands. Overall, they must have numbered approx 2000. Per Jugal, he had never seen such a large congregation in Dhand ever.

It was a feast for eyes and a delight for cameras in every direction you turned your head in. Occasion was a camel vaccination camp that was organised by local health workers for which herder communities learnt from each other and brought their animals to immunize. It's probably an annual affair and we felt extremely lucky to have witnessed it. Jugal introduced us to one of the herders who was from Mutwa community. More on communities in Kutch later. Finally we lef the camels to their vaccination woes in the wild, while we headed to get our dose of domesticity at CEDO.

Evening

Salvadora persica berries

Afternoons are unbearably hot and not advised for birding especially with small kids here. After a hearty lunch and a brief nap at CEDO, we headed out with Vaibhav. This time to the Banni grasslands. We were now torn between trying for MacQueen's Bustard or Grey Hypocolius. Since both have different habitats, and we had only this evening for exploring the birds, we decide to try our luck with iconic Hypocolius. Vaibhav took us straight to the Salvadora grove with swamp all around. While we started to scan every bush for birds, Alisha decided to pick Salvadora berries which were ripening at the time. Her little hands filled with translucent mulberry pink berries looked gorgeous and we hoped our target birds found them equally endearing. White-cheeked Bulbuls flitted from one to another tree, Rosy Starlings flew in many small flocks, voraciously feeding on berries and throwing us off each time, as we confused many of them with Hypocolious.

Grey Hypocolius

In all the madness, Alisha experienced swamp at first hand, by getting herself stuck at the edge of a swamp and then fearing she lost her legs and then screaming on top of her lungs, only to get us all rushing to her. Eventually the little legs came out but minus the shoe. Shoe was rescued later once hysteria and shock settled in and was full of muck obviously. For next 48 hrs, the shoe remained an icon of our exploratory spirit and was photographed with pride from all angles. Needless to say, since there were no shops nearby, countless hours were spent saving the iconic shoe from ignominy. Anyway, this little deterrence couldn't dampen our spirits and we continued to scan, with Alisha having sobered up and standing one feet bare next to us in wilderness.

Being children to liberated parents must be tough, I thought for once but didn't dwell much. Eventually, the shadows started getting taller as Sun started gently moved towards it daily siesta zone. And then we heard the call we were waiting for - From Vaibhav. He gestured to walk gently towards the tree he was standing near to. And almost dragging ourselves like a slithering snake we skirted around the tree and looked up. In the center of the dense tree, sat a gorgeous Grey Hypocolius, feeding hungrily but gracefully, unmindful of the effect it was having on us and the next set of tourists who were rushing from some distance to get a glimpse of it. Having seen it, we moved away, to avoid crowding and let the others get the Darshan as well.

That evening we waited in grasslands till Sun went deep down. To savour the beauty of Banni, one needs a lifetime. And we wanted to make this one evening our lifetime. In front of us, dormant volcanoes in the distance stood telling so many tales of yore, against a now orange and now pink skyline, that was slowly fading into a velvety navy blue. Behind us, pack of jackals started it's daily ritual of howling and stars started to appear in the sky above us, one shiny one after another, till the navy blue sky was full of shining jewels and it was time to head back.

Sunset at Banni

Day 6 : Thorn Forest, Nirona Village, Rock formations

Great White Pelicans

This morning, our key destination on agenda was to meet some local artisans in their native village, but before that we decided to scan the thorn forest one more time. And all the beauties came out to greet us this time in full glory. Painted Sandgrouse, Marshall's Ioras, White-naped Tits, White-bellied Minivet pair courting, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouses and all the regulars. Highlight was a Savanna Nightjar today. A large flock of Great White Pelicans was a delight to watch on the way.

Our guide today was a local farmer turned naturalist, Jairam bhai. Extremely humble but very knowledgeable about local birds, mammals, rocks, fossils, artists - basically he's an all rounder self trained man with a curious mind.

Artists displaying their wares at Nirona

Jairam took us to the famous yet humble artisan village of Nirona. Famous for it's Rogan Art, Copper Bell and Lacquer work, the village counts Big B, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Narendra Modi as some of their clientele. There's very little from the outside to differentiate this village from others, no big signboards, no adverts. Lanes are narrow with small shops littered along the way. But inside the houses, many fingers and eyes, young and old, focus on their beautiful craft all day.

Lacquer work

Beautiful lacquer coated articles awaited us at our first stop. We were obviously spoilt for choice as bags after bags of finely crafted articles were laid out on a charpai. We bought some and hoped silently these artists continue to flourish for generations to come. 

Copper Bell work

Next we went to a Copper bell maker. This is a process devoid of fire altogether. Scrap metal is cut in thin sheets and moulded with a hammer into bells and various other shapes and forms. 

Started primarily for the camel herders who tie these bells around camel necks, over time, many contemporary designs are now made for urban buyers.

Rogan Art

Last pit stop for the day was the house of Rogan art. This unique Persian art form practiced by one family over seven generations, entered public consciousness when few years back PM Modi chose a Rogan painting to be gifted to Barack Obama. Rogan art adorns walls of white house but back home, family still struggles to keep the art sustainable. Gafoorbhai, the patriarch, sat pensive in the verandah while his grandson showed us the technique and even let us paint a little, which of course we did very poorly. An affable family, with loevly art pieces littered all over the house, it's a treasure hunt, we never wanted to move away from. Finally, we bought one piece, that now adorns our humble home back in Gurgaon and reminds us of this very cherished dream. It was heartening to see younger generation in all of these homes in Nirona, now engaged in taking their family art works forward.

Rock Artwork

After watching a glimpse of the vivid artists of Kutch, we headed to an area that is full of unique rock formations, dating back to Jurassic age. Hot molten lava while flowing takes various shapes, including lava bubbles that solidify and form unique rocks over ages. These volcanic rocks here are primarily pink, white and red, with visible layers in them, forming beautiful structures. 

A photographer's delight and a geologist's dream, this area is not so famous, like many other regions of Kutch, and for once, we felt happier that these amazing natural formations remain stress free. Who knows when someone in power might think of developing this as a tourist hotspot and spoil this millennia old art of geology forever.   

Extremely delighted at having seen these beautiful landscapes, we headed back at Sunset. This time we checked in to Infinity Resorts for night. A resort built by someone powerful, in the middle of Kutch wilderness, it has nice huts modeled after Kutchi styled bhungas. But the similarity ends there. Resort had cold staff and I thought they lacked hospitality. Since we were the only guests in entire resort, it felt like we had it to ourselves completely and perhaps services were therefore bare. Whatever be the case, the only highlight here was the call of Indian Eagle Owl that we heard from behind our hut and saw it in the adjacent coconut grove eventually. Sensing our interest, the resident chowkidar took us to a patch in the back where he enthusiastically showed us a pair of spotted owlets. No other employee on premise showed any signs of love for nature or knowledge of local birds or animals. I also noted surprisingly, despite the wilderness around, no jackals howled here. Sign of ensuing human disturbance ? 

Day 7 : Bhuj Tour, Ajrakpur Village

Bhuj museum

This was to be our last day in Bhuj and we wanted to see the city attractions. Bhuj museum was the first on itinerary. Bang on the main road, it's a beautiful building and attempt to showcase history of kutch, various vibrant communities of Kutch and their art work, including different styles of clothes worn by each community are showcased well. Some historical stone inscriptions from BC are interesting to read.

Kutch is a melting pot of various communities that have migrated from various parts of the world, bringing with them, their tradition, folklores, clothing and cooking styles, architectural tenets and artworks. Some of the prominent communities are Ahir, Meghwaad, Gurjar, Rabaari, Mochi, Sodha, Jadeja, Maaru, Jat, Mutva, Haalepotra, Maarwaada, and Raau Node. Embroidery style of each is unique and the best place to see them is LLDC center in Bhujodi. But no pooja without pet pooja, so on our way to Bhujodi, we stopped at a second generation kathiawadi dhaba on Jairam's insistence. Their unlimited thali was gourmet on streets, completely out of this world, or perhaps we were starved. We'll never know. But whatever the reason, they serve Aam ras as dessert, which was manna from heaven for us.

LLDC center started in 2016 as a natural offshoot for Shrujan, a unique craft revival story started by Chanda Shroff in 1969. One of it's kind, this is THE place to visit to learn about 12 different communities, their embroideries, their cooking styles, their ornaments, the ornamentation of their cattle and a lot more. A fascinating place showcasing the pride of Kutch.

From here, we headed to the most unique village of Ajrakhpur to meet the founding family of village. Founded after the devastating earthquake in 2001, due to drying up and eventual rust seeping into the waters of original Ajrakh village of Dhamadka, the art of Ajrakh is carried on from this new home by a Khatri family whose forefathers migrated to Kutch from Sindh, on invitation of Rao of Kutch. Dr. Ismail Khatri is the current patriarch and a man devoted to his art. He has made Ajrakh world renowned and has also been recognised by many organisation, including the national merit certificate and a UNESCO seal of excellence. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate degree from De Montfort University, Leicester.

Ajrakh revivalist Dr. Ismail Khatri

A humble man, Dr. Khatri took time to share his story with us and also the pain of sustaining the complex and labour intensive art form in today's times. Silently we prayed for a robust future for Ajrakh, as also other artists in this rich region and sincerely hope folks visiting Kutch visit here and do not bargain. It's an unpardonable insult to bargain with local artists. We are incredibly gifted in this country to have our artists and I just hope festivals like Rann Utsav don't belittle their efforts in the name of showcasing them. For those curious, festival was on in nearby village but we had no interest in artificially put up song and dance that does little to help the locals.   

Palacio - de- Lagaan

Prag Mahal

Our final leg of the trip was a quick stopover at Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal. Prag Mahal is a 19th century palace made in Italian Gothic style with an imposing clock tower. Though the palace has fallen into disuse and general decay, the place has sparked curiosity and made famous by movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Lagaan, which had lot of scenes shot here. Heard that Big B has taken personal interest to restore it. So parts of palace were well restored and open for tourists.

But the adjoining Aina mahal was in much worse condition. Visit to palaces evokes a certain sense of awe at past glory that has passed on but also makes me wonder at the extent of disparity beteen the rulers and the ruled. In the middle of a vast desert scrub land of Bhuj, this palace looks completely out of place, both culturally and structurally, with it's roman figures and Italian marbles and English portraits. But that's what rules of the yore had. The palace was commissioned in 1865 and took 14 years to build, at a cost of 3.1 million rupees, all paid in gold coins. Like every other palace in India, it too reeks of opulence but it was also interesting how lots of locals still believe in these legacies of their rulers and have lot more respect for them. For us, we were happy checking out the furniture and those portions where Lagaan was shot.

A small local flea market outside the palace was tempting us and we decided to pick up a colourful pair of Kutchi jootis and a pair of jhumkis as a final parting gift of this rich land and returned back to our resort.        

Day 8 : Bhuj - Ahmadabad

Night was cold yet tranquil, only broken by an occassional call of the Eagle Owl. Morning breakfast was quick and we finally packed and left for Ahmedabad. Enroute we stopped over at couple of dhabas, but being used to dhabas of Delhi and Punjab/Haryana, I wasn't much impressed. The giant windmills continued to bid us good bye though throughout the journey back. 

Trip inspiration 

Books/Authors whose works sparked our interest

Ocean of churn / Land of Seven Rivers by Sanjeev Sanyal

Indica - A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent by Pranay Lal

https://desistonesandbones.org/ - A podcast about ancient humans and fossils in India

Yakada Yaka and Jam Fruit Tree by Carl Muller

Videos on natural, human history in Indian Subcontinent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeKmoplrD9g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY9nbYkTwng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FrHmaHwz-M