A tryst with the Tiger - 2

Nagerhole has about 40 tigers, we were told. It is a relatively small park to hold that many tigers and so the probability to see one is relatively higher. However, tigers roam across a large area and so there is a good chance that they are elsewhere from the safari route.

A 3 hour safari may seem like a lot of time - but is actually not enough time to see even a smaller part of the park. One, is due to the fact that there are no paved roads and we have to drive on dirt tracks which slows us down and that you have to ride slow if you have to have a decent chance of spotting any wildlife.

The evening safari tickets are given out at 10am. So, as soon as we finished the morning one, we have to stand in the queue again. Almost everyone from morning safaris take the evening one as well. Of course, there was a lively fight in Kannada when one of the resort guy (broker?) cut the line and try to book - and he did with the support of the security guys and rangers there anyway. This time, we got tickets for everyone - but in two buses. 

The evening safari starts around 3.30pm. The day was hot and humid. It rained the night before and while the days tend to get hot for 3-4 hours, the weather was mild and rained almost every evening. So, though I was tired, it was also with the expectation that the weather will turn for good and will start rain.

 There were bush fires sometime back and the effect of them can be seen in the forest. Compared to the morning safari, the evening safari started off with an absolutely empty forest. It was difficult to spot even the deer or the peacocks which were roaming all around in the morning. It was, as if, the wild life has disappeared.

Quickly after we started the weather changed and given that the wild life sighting was close to nil, it was difficult to stop oneself from nodding off. The situation was so bad that the bus stopped when a wood pecker is sighted.

However, we drove deep into the forest compared to the morning safari as the waterholes seem to be completely empty. After a while we crossed the highway onto the other side of the park towards the Kabini reservoir. This part of the forest was lush and we can spot the deers and elephants again. The reservoir itself is a huge piece of art with some boats and a lot of elephants on the banks. It was a saving grace.

It was about 6pm and the bus turned back in the way we came and apparently there were no tigers to see. Just when we crossed the paved road back into the jungle, the call came and the bus rushed to the next waterhole.

The drivers of the buses and jeeps keep calling each other on the sightings and it is a good way to ensure that everyone gets to see the animals. The only complaint I've is that they should be using battery powered vehicles as the diesel ones are noisy and pretty bad for the environment.

We reached the waterhole and there he was. Half way into the water, he was cooling off after a hot day and was nonchalant about the bunch of vehicles on the other side of the water hole. I am pretty sure he was disturbed by the noisy approach of our vehicle. As soon as we stopped, he got up, turned and walked back into the forest and lay down a little further into the bush. We could see his tail waggling but nothing much.

The excitement of seeing him in the water was palpable. I almost forgot to pull my poor phone camera to take the picture. Only when he started walking back that I realized that and took a picture. But a tiger is not about a picture. Watching him in his natural habitat, you realize that a tiger much more than just an animal in that place.

He owns the place. He was not perturbed by the noise or the gaze of so many people. He was sure of himself and if he chooses, he knows that he can send everyone there helter skelter. He is magnanimous and elects to walk away. The mysticism of his appearance and the way people react to his presence is something to be seen and felt. A tiger is nothing but a demi-god.

The gushing adoration of  that animal is not unreasonable as the feelings he evokes cannot be said but can only be felt. However, it is to be said that the loss of the tiger population in the forests is real and at this rate, the entire tiger population of the world will go extinct in the next 5-10 years. It is that close. It is a sad thing but unless poaching is contained and the reserves extended, this problem is real.

The exciting safari done, it was back to the hammock at our stay and more musings on that exciting day.

A tryst with the Tiger - 1

"Tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage and that when he is exterminated—as exterminated he will be unless public opinion rallies to his support—India will be the poorer, having lost the finest of her fauna."
- Jim Corbett

I am not a avid wildlife lover. I like going to the forests and farms because I like the quietude of these places. The disconnect that these places bring in is incomparable to any other regular place. And though I've been to multiple tiger parks, have never sighted one and was not much perturbed by that thought as well.

So the big family get together at Kabini was kind of a something to look forward to and the fact that there is going to be so much of hullabaloo in the entire area by the kids and everyone that there was a good chance that we may not even see a dog - let alone a tiger.

The entire safari process in Nagerhole - which was about 18 Kms from where we were staying - is designed in a way to completely discourage visitors to the park - which is a good thing for the animals.

Let me try to explain a bit. You can book through the resort you are staying in (for a price though!) - which probably is the easiest thing to do. However, we were a big party and the resort couldn't accommodate the entire group. So we decided to get the tickets ourselves.

The morning safari tickets are given the day before by 4 PM. There are only 70 tickets available and the queue starts by 2 PM or so. So you have to be early to get bulk tickets. And all individuals who need tickets should be in the queue as there is only one ticket given per person. We were late and by the time we reached the lady officer doing the booking, there were only 12 tickets left (as against the 22+ we were looking to book) and have to take it or leave it. So we took it.

The problem with the wildlife safaris is that you have to get up early in the morning. Managed it somehow and was in the park entrance by 6AM to get into the bus. The safari buses are fixed when you book the tickets - so there is no need to run fast - but to get the best seats, again we've to be there early.

Tigers have a mystic appeal to spot. I've been to multiple reserves to spot tigers and the only success was to spot a lot of tiger shit. And it needs to be understood that they are very difficult to spot and there are people who have been on safaris non-stop without having to spot one.

So it was with a lot of skepticism the morning safari started (at least for me). There was a small group in camouflage - each with about a feet length lens - looking to get a snap of the tigers in the bus as well. They strangely reminded me of Shikari Shambhu. 

We staked out near the water hole in Nangengutta for a long while and while the bus that came behind us has seen the tiger crossing the road into the dry bushes, though we waited for a whole while, all we could see was an yellow outline far away that I was not sure whether it was a tiger or the reflection of the morning sun.

However, the place was absolutely beautiful to behold, with a bunch of birds flying across and an occasional monkey coming down to get some water. We waited for a reasonable amount of time and then started getting into the forest. There were tons of deer and peacocks/peahens to look at but the highlight of the morning safari was the sighting of the endangered Red Fox which with its shiny tail was roaming in packs - obviously looking for breakfast.

The morning safari ended without much of animals or excitement with which the day started out. We were all tired but there was an evening safari to go to.

musings on a hammock

Kabini farm stay - 19 apr 6.45pm

lying in a hammock and looking up at the Areca nut tree - listening to the multitude of birds and insects chirping and returning to nests as the evening falls in, I kept thinking why can’t life be but one long evening of lying in hammocks?

The sway of the hammock in the mild wind , whishing through the grove of Areca nut trees and watching the odd coconut tree standing bewildered, the idea of being idle is but a reality.

The wind picks up as the sky above changes colour - from a light blue to an orange onto a bright red - reminds me of that poet who compared the late evening red sky to the first menstrual blood and wonder why am I thinking of that now?

The silence of the evening is broken by the hesitant start of a bike somewhere in the farm and I imagine the black smoke every time the murmur of that old engine struggles to start and finally it does and the sound fades away.

The sounds carried by the wind are a jumble of human , machines and birds and what not in that early night - as the evening has faded into a light black accentuated by the lights a little distance away.

Someone passes by and stands and watches the silhouette of the man lying in the hammock - furiously typing away his thoughts in a mobile in the dark and probably wonder who that be - I ignore their looks..

Then he notices a streak of cloud in that darkness of the sky , dissolving slowly into the black of the night and watches it fascinated.. the moon - that seems to be missing - is it a new moon day - a sudden panic ensues and he starts scanning the sky between the long leaves of Areca trees and decides the moon must be on the other side - too lazy to get up and look for it, he decides to let it be.. what harm is to fall if the moon is to go missing for a day? Who cares anyway?

He sees a streak of lightning flashing across the sky and the murmur of a distant thunder- the wind suddenly thinks whether it will rain.. the thought tickles him.. he is not going to get up and the thought of getting wet in the hammock excites..

He watches a bunch of kids in uniformed clothes walking by and asks them to give him a pose and take a picture.. one of the kid is his own daughter but the hammock somehow seem to have disconnected him..the kids move on and he is back to his own thoughts..

The increase in the wind chill suddenly reminds him of his often blocked sinuses.. he wonders whether lying here will block the sinuses further..he is not sure.. and decides he couldn’t care less about the damned sinuses anyway..

As he watches the seemingly frequent lightnings and the thunders , he slowly going into a slumber.. he awakens when a voice calls him out to congratulate on his hammock idleness..

He gets down and walk away telling the hammock that he will be back the next day..

Ashoka The Great - Wytze Keuning

The most surprising thing about this book is its author. I couldn't get over the fact that , a school teacher from Netherlands, during the Nazi occupation of the country - managed to write a magnum opus about Ashoka - may be using the limited resources he had at that time.

That was the easy part - writing about Ashoka and Buddhism. There may have been resources available nearby - but some of the details about the landscapes of India and the customs are written with such detail that it is next to impossible for him to get those details without visiting the country. Like the place he describes the ladies wearing Jasmine and the effect it has on the men - that is a detail he cannot have imagined or read in some book on Buddhism.

That aside, the book 'Ashoka' is actually a collection of three volumes of a detailed history of Ashoka and his transformation from a wild prince to a great teacher. There are mostly elements of known history mixed with a healthy dose of fiction is what makes the book an interesting read.

My interest in Ashoka aka Devanam piyadassi (as he referred himself) - comes from the fascinating detective story of how his name was recovered from the bins of lost memory and made into a household name again. That is interesting enough. The real Ashoka, by his deeds and inscriptions, speaks a language which has not been spoken by any ruler in any country in the past 2000+ years since he died. That is awesomeness (and a little sad commentary on out history itself!).

The book takes the main stories of Ashoka's rise to power, his conversion to Buddhism and finally the last days of his life tormented by the loss of his chosen successor. The three incidents form the core of the three volumes of the book.

The book puts Ashoka as the rock against the Brahminical religion of his days and the brahmin priests who controlled and used it to extract money and power from the ordinary folks and the Kshatriyas as well. His antagonism starts with the support of the brahmin court for Sumana, his elder and contender to the throne. Bimbisara is trying his best not to plunge the country into a civil war, which is what happens the moment he dies.

Ashoka has the people's support - mainly due to his opposition to the brahmins of the court and the fact that he employs the shudras in multitudes to check this power. The struggle lasts long till his death and he loses many a friends and family to this struggle. Wytze is scathing in his critique of the customs of this old world - many of which survived (sati, child marriages etc) till the British put an end to it and some still survive in different parts of the country.

Ashoka's love for women comes forth in the first two volumes as he falls in love wherever he travels and add many a queens into his palace. Though he marries multiple times, his relations with Ashanthimitta, Devi and Karuvagi are special. His fall , when it happens in his old age, comes through another queen - Tisharakshita, who plots with the brahmins and makes the crown prince blind.

Wytze makes Ashoka a Buddhist before the Kalinga war takes place. The war is only the tipping point for Ashoka to renounce all violence - he does revert back to it when handling the Tisharakshita's treachery and burns her alive for her act.

There are episodes explaining the story and philosophy of the buddhist teachings in full. The edicts of Ashoka - along with his construction projects all across the landscape of India makes for interesting reading.

While a lot of fictional elements are added in terms of the people or the acts that are taking place, the story remains in essence the story of Ashoka and never deviates from it.

The fact that the first translation appeared after 60+ years of the original book and that it was published only now, makes for interesting read itself. Think anything Ashoka has that element of mystery associated with it - even this book.

சுந்தர ராமசாமியுடன் இரண்டு நாட்கள்

1993 இல்  நான் திருநெல்வேலியில் இருக்கும் அரசு பொறியியல் கல்லூரியில் என்னுடைய இளங்கலை பொறியியல் படிப்பிற்காக சேர்ந்தேன். பொறியியல் பற்றியோ இல்லை அதை ஏன் படிக்கிறேன் என்றோ பெரிய புரிதல் இருந்ததில்லை. அரசு கல்லூரியில் கிடைத்தது - படித்தேன் - அவ்வளவே.

1994-95 இல் இரண்டாம் ஆண்டில் மின்னணுவியல் துறையில் சேர்ந்தேன். அதை பற்றியும் ஒன்றும் தெரியாது. என் அண்ணா ஒருவர் அதை படித்திருந்தார் எனவே நாமும் படிப்போம் என்ற ஒரு காரணமே.

அப்போது எங்கள் super senior - நான்காமாண்டு மாணவர்கள் சிலருடன் பழக்கம் ஏற்பட்டது. மெய்யப்பன், PLK, RSB மற்றும் பாஞ்சை பாலன் (எ) கற்பகவிநாயகம்.

அதுவரை என்னுடைய வாசிப்புகள் எல்லாம் பெரும்பாலும் ஆங்கிலத்தில் மட்டுமே இருந்தது. ஆங்கில இலக்கியம் தாண்டி ருஷ்ய இலக்கியம் வாசித்திருந்தேன். தமிழ் இலக்கியத்தில் சுஜாதா , கல்கி, பாரதி தாண்டி வாசித்ததில்லை. சுஜாதா மூலம் மணிக்கொடி எழுத்தாளர்கள் மற்றும் சிலரை பற்றி கேட்டிருந்தாலும், வாசிப்பதில் பெரிய ஈடுபாடு இருந்ததில்லை.

இந்த கல்லூரி சீனியர்கள் கொஞ்சம் வித்தியாசமானவர்கள். அப்போது அவர்களை எவ்வளவு பிரமிப்புடன் பார்த்தேன் என்பதை என்னால் விவரிக்க முடியாது.

திருநெல்வேலியில் அப்போது 'காஞ்சனை'  என்று ஒரு பிலிம் சொசைட்டி இயங்கி வந்தது. அவர்கள் சில நாட்களில் திருநெல்வேலியில் ஏதேனும் ஒரு சினிமா அரங்கில் திரைப்படங்களை நிகழ்த்துவார்கள். ரத்னாவில் பெரும்பாலும் இந்த படங்கள் திரையிடப்படும். அதற்கு எதுவும் பணம் கட்டியதாக நினைவில்லை. சில நண்பர்களுடன் அங்கே அடூர் மற்றும் பல இந்திய இயக்குனர்களின் முக்கியமான சில படங்கள் பார்த்திருக்கிறேன்.

நிற்க, இது அதை பற்றியதல்ல. மேற்சொன்ன நால்வருடன், இன்னும் சில நண்பர்களுடன் நாங்கள் நாகர்கோயிலில் சுந்தர ராமசாமியை பார்த்தது பற்றியது.

எனக்கு அதன் பல விஷயங்கள் இப்போது நினைவில்லை. நினைவில் இருப்பதை பகிர்கிறேன்.

நாகர்கோயிலில் இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு தமிழ் பல்கலைக்கழக முதல் துணை வேந்தர் வ.ஐ.சுப்பிரமணியம் அவர்களின் வீட்டில் தங்கி அப்போதைய தமிழ் இலக்கிய ஆளுமைகள் சிலரை 

சந்திப்பதாக ஏற்பாடு.   அவரின் ( வ.ஐ.சுப்பிரமணியம் ) இளைய மகன் அருண் என்னுடைய super சீனியர்களில் ஒருவர்.  அவர்களது ஏற்பாடு.  மெய்யப்பனும் மற்ற நண்பர்களும் என்னிடம் கேட்ட போது , எனக்கு சுந்தர ராமசாமி யாரென்றே தெரியாது. இருந்தாலும் வருகிறேன் என்று சொல்லிவிட்டேன்.

சுந்தர ராமசாமி அவர்களுடன் 

எழுத்தாளர் நீல. பத்மநாபன் மற்றும் பேராசிரியர் அ.மங்கை அவர்களுடன்.

நாகர்கோயிலில் ஒரு குறுகிய தெருவில் சுந்தர ராமசாமி அவர்களின் வீட்டிற்கு அருகில் ஒரு கட்டப்பட்டு கொண்டிருந்த வீட்டில் தான் இந்த நிகழ்வு. அங்கேயே தங்கி விட்டு காலை, மாலை என்று வந்த ஒவ்வொரு எழுத்தாளர்கள் , சமூக செயல்பாட்டாளர்கள் என்று பலருடனும் உரையாடல்கள். இது எல்லாம் எனக்கு மிகவும் வித்தியாசமான அனுபவம்.

தோப்பில் முகமது மீரான் வந்திருந்தார். அப்போது வாசித்ததில்லை எனினும் அவரின் எளிமையான தோற்றமும் , அணுகக்கூடிய பேச்சும் நினைவில் இருக்கிறது. மலையாளமும் தமிழும் கலந்த அந்த நாகர்கோயில் பேச்சு எளிதில் மறக்க முடியாதது.

நினைவில் இருக்கும் இன்னும் ஒரு நபர் - அ. மங்கை. நாடகாசிரியர். அவர் நினைவில் இருப்பதற்கு முக்கிய காரணம் - அவர் பேசிய எதுவுமே அன்றைக்குப் புரியவில்லை. அவர் எடுத்து காட்டிய விஷயங்கள் பற்றி எனக்கு எந்த புரிதலும் இல்லை.

சுந்தர ராமசாமி அவர்களை அந்த இரண்டு நாட்களில் 2-3 முறை சந்தித்ததாய் நினைவு. அப்போதும் அவரை பற்றி ஒன்றுமே தெரியாததால் எல்லோரும் பேசுவதை கேட்டுக் கொண்டிருந்தது மட்டும் நினைவிலிருக்கிறது. பேசிக் கொண்டிருந்த போது இடையே சொன்னார் - "எழுத்தாளரை சந்திக்க வரும் போது அவரின் படைப்புகள் ஒன்றிரண்டையாவது வாசித்து வாருங்கள் " என்று. அதை ஒரு வருத்தமாகவோ , கோபத்துடனோ சொன்ன மாதிரி நினைவில்லை. கொஞ்சம் சிரித்துக் கொண்டே சொன்னார்.

அந்த நிகழ்வுக்கு சில நாட்கள் பின் "ஜே.ஜே. சில குறிப்புகள்" வாசித்து விட்டேன். அதை வாசித்து விட்டு பல நாட்கள் அந்த ஜே.ஜே  சந்தித்த அந்த பிச்சைக்காரனை மறக்க முடியாமல் தவித்திருக்கிறேன். சு.ராவை சந்திப்பதற்கு முன் வாசித்திருந்தால் பல கேள்விகள் கேட்டிருக்கலாமே என்று சிலமுறை யோசித்திருக்கிறேன்.

அந்த இரண்டு நாட்கள் என் வாழ்வில் ஒரு திருப்புமுனையாக இருந்தது என்று எழுத ஆசைதான். ஆனால் அப்படி எதுவும் நிகழவில்லை. நான் அதே அறியாமையுடன் இன்னமும் சில வருடங்கள் இருந்து பிறகு யதேச்சையாக இலக்கியம் வாசிக்க ஆரம்பித்தேன் என்பதே உண்மை.