“You will have to be in Guwahati for this month and you have to complete the project on Environmental Hazards” my boss told me peering through his silver rimmed spectacles. My heart leapt with joy at the thought of staying away from the air conditioned cubicle that I sit in for more than 10 hours a day.

So Guwahati it was and in the midst of dense forests. Wow! I had always wanted to visit North Eastern India for most of my batch mates in the Engineering College were from this region. I booked my flight tickets to Guwahati and landed at the gateway to the Northeastern portion of India. I met Aditya Rao, my project partner at the airport and we landed at the hotel booked for us by Penny, our travel secretary in the office. My friend had plans of visiting his wife’s parents the next two days and so I had to make my own plans of looking around the place.

There was only one place I immediately wanted to go and that was the Kaziranga National Park. where the world famous one horned rhino lived and spread its popularity all over. After hiring a car, I set out for the six hour drive early next morning. I passed through vast expanses of grasslands and saw some rhinos grazing in the far away distance. I reached Kohora village which is just on the park outskirts.  Since it was a last minute plan, a hotel booking wasn’t there. My choices dropped from the best hotel, to a decent hotel, to a hotel and then to any accommodation available. After a good one hour’s search I found a government hotel. It was the last room and I in fact had to rush ahead of the family walking in so that I could get the reservation. I did feel guilty but I had to get back to Guwahati within two days, so I had to drop my rules and do something that is not me.

So my advice to anyone visiting Kaziranga, do book your hotels in advance. I had a shower, tea in a local tea shop then munched on some bread and jam and wished I had brought someone along. I went up to the official at the reception and they said that an elephant ride is possible the next morning. I booked that. After registering my name in the office, I had to go in the evening at a particular place where a person would announce the names of the registered people. Then we had to pay a fee and then get ready to go for the elephant ride.

By the time I finished with the formalities for the elephant ride it was afternoon. I had lunch at a local hotel dishing out something which could keep my stomach quiet for some time. The hotel fellow told me that his brother could take me in a jeep around the park. Maybe I seemed like a lost tourist to him, maybe he felt I needed help!. He said it would be a two hour ride and I could see a large variety of birds. I thought that since I had to anyway wait for the evening for my name to be called out, I might as well do this.. Thdangi Tham, the jeep fellow was a cheerful, talkative fellow who had the energy of ten athletes and the driving ability of the best Formula I driver.! Anyway the ride with him was more enjoyable because of his incessant information ramble. We saw some jungle fowls, storks with white necks, pelicans, emerals doves and many such species of birds. I missed my friend Abhinav who would have gone berserk seeing so much of fauna. The jeep ride was fruitful, and so nostalgic that even after getting down I went around walking in the place and saw some village people and an expanse of tea estates. I spoke to some of the villagers and they didn’t quite understand my language. I saw silk worm rearing in the village and was feeling sad so many worms were killed for all this.  All in all, I got a lot for my collection.

In the evening, I went through the long process of the elephant ride calling out. I got my seat and was happy and felt luck as otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to go the next morning, which meant I would have had to give it a miss. The next morning, I reminisced how I had a bad dinner which upset my tummy and thanked my mother for having reminded me to take an antacid along. In the morning, after a quick shower with the tap threatening me to give me only spurts of water, I set out for the 3km ride to the elephant ride spot. I got fed up of asking around for transport so decided to walk it out. I saw many more like me walking and we got talking. Vandana, a school teacher and an avid nature lover was the most bubbly of the lot and she looked every inch a teenager in spite of her age.

I was happy my trip was getting fruitful , as I got good company and luck seemed to hold more when a forest official returning back, saw us and gave us a lift till the spot. We thanked him profusely and he said this was routine for him so never mind.

Finally after a quarter of an hour wait, the elephants came in from an earlier ride. As they came in swishing their tiny tails with full grandeur, I just longed the moment to last forever.

We were finally on the elephants and thankfully enough Vandana was in the elephant next to mine. The elephant ride was for an hour and we saw rhinos, and rhinos and more rhinos. This is one National Park where you are sure to see what you have come for. If you have come to Kaziranga you have come to see rhinos. And this you will find in plenty here. Vandana shrieked in delight and excitement  when the forest official with us said that we could touch its horn. But I told her “Don’t try such stunts, the rhino might not be as friendly.” I laughed at Vandana’s drooping face.

Then we saw herds of elephants, some wild buffaloes grazing and the beautiful deer which set our minds at peace. Since it was summer, we could see all these animals. Vandana said, “ Did you know that the barasingha deer here is very famous and there that is the Barasingha. “ I looked at where she pointed and saw the lovely deer with its beauty so glowing. There were chitals, and some barking deer too. The best past was when we saw the baby rhinos and the baby wild buffaloes.

“Oooh ! look! Screamed Vandana, with every tourist around clucking away in disgust. Covering my embarrassment that I was with her, I turned around too. And even I let out an “ Oh! “ much to my surprise for there right behind the elephants we were sitting on, were some small baby elephants following us. ! Even the crowd of tourists let out a sigh of disbelief and affection. Consoled that the “ooh!” let out by Vandana wasn’t without reason, I continued chatting with her.

“Wow! Look at those elephants, “ I told her . “ Heh hehh! “ she giggled and said that they were actually wild buffaloes. Another person shouted from a distance and told us that this is the specialty of the wild buffaloes here. One could mistake them for elephants.

As we were coming back, we saw some pelicans, adjutant storks and other such birds. We reached back and came to back to our starting point. I was almost beginning to like Vandana and was asking to have lunch with me, when I saw a man walking up to her and she said, “ Shantanu, this is my husband, Abhishek Kelkar.” !!!

Kaziranga National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous for its One Horned Rhino. It is…. I read all this furiously trying to block the fact that girls could never happen in my life. In fact I suddenly burst laughing and called my sister to tell her about Vandana and my trip.

“ Did you see the Bengal Florican, Shonu?” Dipannita my sister asked me. An avid zoologist, she seemed to know everything of everything. I said I didn’t. She said it was an endangered species found in Kaziranga National Park. Dipannita told me how some years back, the rhinos had started depleting due to poachers and how the forest management took a “shoot to kill” plan and ended poaching here. The River Brahmaputra ensured that the rhinos could thrive in the grasslands.

“Phew!, Dipu, how do you know so much?” so saying, I said the usual goodbyes and the take care emotions and hung up and wondered what to do next.

Jeep safari over, walking around the place over, elephant ride over, I thought I should have some good food in a good hotel and figure out what I could do. The best hotel in Kohora village could be like the roadside café in our city. Nevertheless after the disappointment with Vandana, anything was welcome. The hotel fellow gave me a pamphlet which gave invitations for seeing the tribal dance in the evening.

I looked up the tour guide around in the hotel and asked him the way to the nearest tea garden and tea factory. He directed me and I went there and had an informative tour.

With bright clothes, and a log fire beneath a bamboo tree, I saw many seated to watch the Bihu Dance. The village folk were also brightly dressed. With their deft movements and fast feet the dance was worth a watch and I really enjoyed myself as they served us dinner too.

Thus armed with a lot of memories of the best biological diversity region with the best kind of natural habitat, I took the car back to Guwahati in time for my friend who entered the room just 5 minutes after I reached.

With the best laddoos ever made, by my friends’ wife’s parents, I regaled him with my eventful tour.

Parting Say: Kaziranga is living life wild size.

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