Kanha National Park – The Quintessential Jungle Book Experience

Our 4×4 safari vehicle heaves and jolts through the deep recesses of the primeval forest. This is early March, and the dry deciduous jungle is laced with post-winter earthy shades of green. But the towering cotton and palash trees have splashed fiery red hues onto the canvas. The afternoon sun filters through the overhead canopy to illuminate the moss-ridden tract peppered with fragrant flowers and withered leaves.

Nestled in the Maikal range of Satpuras in Madhya Pradesh, Kanha National Park is India’s pre-eminent tiger reserve. It is globally acclaimed as one of the finest wildlife zones in the world. Straddling the districts of Mandala and Kalaghat, Kanha was first declared a Reserve Forest way back in 1879. It became a wildlife sanctuary in 1933, and finally listed as a national park in 1955.

Wildlife in Kanha National Park Photo: Sugato Mukherjee

Exploring the Ancient Forest

“Our forest is known for its tigers, but ever since I have made Bagh Villas as my base, the sheer biodiversity of this ancient forest has fascinated me to no end,” says Shrikant. One of the five naturalists at the sustainability-focused Bagh Villas, Shrikant is leading us through our foray into Kanha’s ancient depths on this spring afternoon.

A Maruti gypsy overtakes us and takes a sharp right turn. Shrikant instructs our driver to follow suit.  He answers our collective queries with a cryptic word under his breath: “Tiger.” We fall silent as our 4WD vehicle revs up the gear and steers ahead amid a swirl of red-brown dust. A few hundred meters ahead, we spot three vehicles parked near a small clearing with patches of undergrowth hemmed by thick bamboo groves.

Shrikant hands me his binoculars and silently points to a bush, half-concealed by a bamboo thicket. And they immediately come into view. Two sub-adult males playfully pouncing and climbing on each other, practicing the skills they will need to survive as adult hunters. The mock wrestling match of the siblings poses ample opportunities to the shutterbugs among the motley group of fascinated onlookers before the duo decides to leave the scene, trotting their way in a majestic gait, paying scant regard to the vehicles and the incessant sound of shutters.

Bagh Villas at Kanha National Park Photo: Sugato Mukherjee

Focus on Sustainability

“At Bagh Villas, our primary focus has always been a minimal carbon footprint with our sustainability-focused initiatives, homegrown produce and solar power panels. The jungle safaris and in-house amenities are designed so as not to leave any traces on this ancient, forested land,” Akhilesh Nair tells me over the elaborate spread of dinner later that evening. His wife Lia is from Indonesia and has a background in the hospitality industry.  She curates the culinary experiences at Bagh Villas, blending regional delicacies with contemporary international cuisine. “We source almost all of our vegetables and leafy greens from our kitchen garden and the meat and dairy comes from the villages around us,” she tells me.

Sustainable Dining at Bagh Villas Photo: Sugato Mukherjee

Support for Women Naturalists

After a restful night at one of the capricious tented suites, I gear myself up for another foray into the somnolent setting of Kanha National Park. Thin wisps of mist hover over the grassy flatland that rolls out in front of us as we set out to explore another zone of Kanha. It is a windy, cloudy morning and Laxmi, a forest guard, is accompanying us on this safari. She hails from the local Gond tribe. Kanha is the first National Park in India to launch an initiative to encourage women to work as naturalists and set up a dedicated training program for women to work in wildlife tourism in India.

This morning, the jungle sports a somber look under a dark grey sky. The woods turn gloomy and mysterious yet seem to hold promises of an unforeseen adventure. Usual sightings of sambar, swamp deer and gaur zoom by, but Shrikant does not seem too keen to make the customary photo-stops for them. After about half an hour, Laxmi signals our driver to stop the vehicle. Her weather-beaten face is taut with suppressed excitement. As the engine purrs to a dead stop an eerie silence engulfs us, barring the occasional, sharp tweets of a parakeet.

Rare Leopard Spotting Photo: Sugato Mukherjee

A Rare Sighting

Shrikant gives me a nudge.  I follow his gaze to the upper branches of a large Arjun tree on the left of the forest tract. I keep my eyes peeled through the field glasses. But for several seconds I see nothing but the dark green contours of foliage. Then a pair of yellow-green eyes pops into focus. I can trace the sleek, spotted, muscly stature of a leopard, stretched luxuriously across a thick branch. “It’s a female, and she wants a good vantage view of a possible prey from up there,” Laxmi enlightens me. The feline beauty seems very relaxed, but her eyes remain alert.

Another vehicle sidles up behind us. Excited whispers and camera clicks follow. The leopardess seems a bit ruffled with all this sudden attention. She staggers up to a sitting position and stretches languidly. Then in a flash she is gone, leaping down from the high branch, at least 25 feet above the ground.

“Now that’s a rare sighting,” Laxmi slowly breathes out her words. She adds that in her four years of experience as a forest guard in Kanha, this is only the third time she has spotted a leopard, one of the most elusive predators of the world.

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