Out and About with kamalini. Jungle Love

Hi ,am kamalini nd this journal is part of my “Travel Diaries”

This Diwali ,while the city sparked and fumed with fireworks, we headed in a different direction,into tranquility and oblivion.

We drove down from Bhopal to Madai , a three hour drive covering 130 km into the Satpura Tiger Reserve.Satpura named after the Satpura hills (part of the Himalayan range) In Sanskrit “sat” means ,seven.The seven ranges.Also called the Satpura National Park, this huge ecosystem , in Hoshangabad district (Narmadapuram )spans a prolific area of around 2,200 sq km. It is divided into three biosphere reserves,Madai,Pachmarhi and Bori.

When we reached it was nearing dusk, and the forest had started casting their heavy shadows all around. Breathing became lighter,the clean , unpolluted cool air,what a treat for the lungs!Our accomodation was at Denwa Backwaters,Denwa is a tributary of the Tawa River which ultimately joins the River Narmada.It was paradise on earth with the comfy rooms and delicious food ,hospitality and view

The Denwa river and the forest on the other side

There are three jungle safaris, morning, evening and night.Motorboats take you across the Denwa river and then the gypsy drive inside the forest , accompanied by a naturalist.

And each safari is different ,the forest seems different, the feel is different.

Rich in biodiversity,the forest is a home to innumerable fauna and flora.Mixed Deciduous Forest of sal, teak , mahua, tendua and a variety of medicinal herbs.

The wildlife too is spectacular,the cheetal, samber, sloth bear ,bison,flying squirrel and varieties of monkeys.We did not get a tiger sighting, but the pure smell and feel of the forest was enough to cleanse our system.

The Satpura National forest has one of the healthiest ecosystems, I think..right from the microbes in the marshes near moss covered stones to the huge varieties of insects and butterflies ,the beautiful grasslands grazed by herbivores and then the predators in the thick jungles, man tops it, does he?

But are we responsible enough towards our ecosystem? Do we realise that all lives on Earth will perish including us , if we do not take care of our ecosystem?