Story on the Great Indian Bustard

Link to a story for children on the Great Indian Bustard.

http://www.thehindu.com/children/when-lakshman-met-godavan/article19102614.ece

Far Away in Far Pak: Blue Mountain National Park, Mizoram

My first trip to Mizoram, the last of the North-east states to visit. Am excited as always because this region is incredible in terms of biodiversity, varied cultures and of course delicious cuisine! We land at the Lengpui airport. The drive to Aizawl is 32 kilometres from here. It’s a green drive with varied vegetation.  Aizawl came to me as quite a surprise. More organised than any of the other Northeast state capitals and extremely disciplined, traffic-wise; I am yet to understand why this is so, but the traffic is so orderly and its rare to hear the horns blaring. I was there at the beginning of December and indeed Aizawl felt magical with Christmas preparations in full swing. But because of its close proximity to Myanmar, Mizoram also has quite a mix of cultures.

For me, the best was yet to come as I was visiting the Blue Mountain national park. Blue Mountain or Phawngpui as it is called in the local language is the highest peak in the state of Mizoram. A fascinating six-hour drive brought us to Sangao where we would spend the night at the Department of Tourism guesthouse and proceed to the park the next morning. The guesthouse could not be better located and accorded us a fantastic view of Sangao town and valley. We started our journey to Blue Mountain the next day. We were initially told that one needed to walk the last five kilometers to the park because of the bad condition of the road. We decided to take it as it comes and arrived at the village of Thaltlang that is at the base of the park. Snacks and several cups of tea later, we are told that it is possible to travel the last five kilometers in a four-wheel drive. And what a ride it was! The vehicle struggled up the mud track and there were a few places where we did end up walking. 

 

Local Market at Sangao

We enter the park at Far Pak. Mizoram is a land of legends. It is believed that there was a ruler of ghosts called Sangau who lived near Blue Mountain and had a son of marriageable age. Across the peaks lived another ruler with an eligible daughter. A marriage was arranged between the two. Sangau gifted a pair of Hoolock Gibbons, while the girl’s side gifted a pine tree. Far Pak means single pine and that’s how the place got its name.  There are still a few pines there and I wondered which one was the original!

Forest Guest House at Far Pak

 

After a quick cup of tea, we were taken around the park. The first stop was the edge of a deep gorge with a breathtaking view. 

Hoping to see the Gorals

View from Far Pak

There was light mist making the scenario even more exciting. We were told that there was a good chance of seeing gorals (small goat like creatures, found in the Himalayan region) and although we didn’t see them, it was easy to imagine them on that precipitous ledge. We did see falcons swooping down into the valley. The state bird of Mizoram, Mrs. Hume's pheasant as well as the elusive clouded leopard are also found here, but I guess we just needed more time in the park if we were to spot any of the two celebrities. As we stood looking down the valley, a mist came over a blanket of white covered the valley. My trip to Phawngpui was short, and I turned away with a promise to be back someday.

  

An Unexpected Bonus: Desert National Park

Rajasthan is sold globally as the land of palaces and local culture. Jaisalmer, in particular is marketed for its sand dunes. Majority of tourists (both international and domestic) go to Jaisalmer to experience the unique city located within the fort and take a camel safari on the sand dunes. The more adventurous, camp on the dunes at night. There is yet another attraction in Jaisalmer that very few people are aware of. This is the truly spectacular Desert National Park, about half an hour’s drive from the city. This area showcases one of the most beautiful and distinctive ecosystems comprising of rolling sand dunes and grasslands of sewan grass considered to be one of the finest fodder grasses in the country. The flora and fauna are both unique as they are adapted to live in extremely harsh conditions. The park is perhaps the last safe haven for the state bird of Rajasthan, the celebrated Great Indian Bustard, popularly known as GIB. Once hunted, this bird is now under strict protection here. There is also a large population of the spiny-tailed lizard here. Other fauna include the Indian and Desert fox and the Desert cat. There are also a large number of raptors that congregate here.

The Desert Ecosystem

A variety of raptors may be seen 

It is ironic that despite Jaisalmer being a very popular tourist destination few even know of the existence of the park. There is huge potential to develop the park for ecotourism, if combined with homestays and /or community lodges in the surrounding villages. An added attraction is the Akal Wood Fossil Park at Akal village. Communities from villages around the park are ambiguous about the park. This could change if there is a link up through tourism. Much will need to be done to develop first the park for tourism and then with local communities to help developing appropriate accommodation etc. Interpretation and capacity building will be crucial if this is taken forward.

 

Working with local communities to develop ecotourism is crucial

A Homestay in Powalgarh: Eco Harryman’s

An annual meeting was planned at Powalgarh and the great incentive was the location! Powalgarh, (Uttarakhand) was made famous by Jim Corbett for having hunted the largest ever tiger in these forests. Titled, “The Bachelor of Powalgarh”, Corbett recounted his tale of tracking and killing this tiger that took him over a decade in his famous book, “The Maneaters of Kumaon”. There were two more things that attracted me to this place. The first was the homestay where we were booked called ‘Eco Harryman’s and the second being that this was close to the Powalgarh Conservation Reserve.

We drove from Delhi and about six hours later, finally arrive at Eco Harryman’s, an old house tucked away, hidden from the main road. We are greeted by Manralji who runs this homestay and I was looking forward to chatting with him. Manralji belongs to a family where several members were part of the Indian Army. He too wanted to join the Army, but his family wanted him to look at other options. He got a diploma in electronics from Delhi and was exploring employment opportunities when a chain of events brought him back to Uttarakhand. This was the time when Uttarkhand was struggling for independent statehood. He wanted to be part of the movement and also in some ways promote the natural beauty of the state. He decided to then start a tourism initiative from his family house in Powalgarh. In the year 2000, the state Forest Department started looking at ecotourism in earnestness and Manralji’s place was best suited for this. In 2012, the nearby forest was declared a Conservation Reserve, thanks to the efforts of a group of dedicated young locals   who called themselves the Pawalgarh Prakriti Prahari (PPP). Manralji supported this group and it is his place that has now become the hub for all the PPP activities. PPP is focussed on promoting ecotourism and conservation in the Conservation Reserve. I was curious about the name of the resort and Manralji explained Eco Harryman’s is actually an acronym based on all the people who were part of the formation of the first coordinating committee.

Manralji and his colleage

Eco Harryman's Homestay

The Rooms

This resort has three rooms on the ground floor and three on the first floor with varying number of beds. The rooms themselves are comfortable and clean. There is a common set of toilets and bathrooms at the back. Across from this is another building that has on the first floor an outdoor venue for meetings. The room has also lots of books and other interesting reading material on the natural history of the region. A look at the vast collection books and the wildlife related artwork on the walls indicates that we are in the company of a true naturalist. One walks across a beautiful fruit orchard to get to the dining hall that can also accommodate quite a few people to sleep in, if required. An ideal venue for school/college camps. Manralji’s wife looks after the kitchen and serves delicious organic local cuisine.

Activities offered at the Homestay

This resort is now run in collaboration with the PPP, members of which also facilitate birding trips and nature walks for the guests. Manralji has dedicated his life to conservation of this area and it is indeed a pleasure to stay in this delightful place and be exposed to some of the natural wonders of Powalgarh. Eco Harryman’s is indeed a homestay with personal care and attention given by the hosts. The main gate of Corbett Tiger Reserve is 18 kms from here, in case one wants to venture beyond the conservation reserve.    

More Power to Women in Manipur

A recent news item that caught my eye was about the women's market in Manipur. It talked about the women demanding repair of this market after an earthquake last year that destroyed some of the shops. Ima Kheitei or Mother's Market is the largest women-run market in Asia. It was a truly inspiring sight to see this market when I visited Manipur a few years ago. To me, it was not just a market but a sign of women's empowerment. Over 5000 women here sell vegetables, fish, traditional handicrafts, sarongs and stoles. There are women of all ages and the clothes market is a kaleidoscope of colour. Besides ready-made clothes, there are also women tailors who will make the required alterations on the spot. Manorama is a grandmother who has her own stall in the market. She spends the day here while her daughter-in-law looks after the household. This market is special because it is a hub for women who also use this time to spend with their friends and get away from household chores. This market provides both economic and social security to the women. I do hope that demands of the women traders are met and this symbol of women's empowerment continues to stand strong. This market is a 'must visit' while in Manipur. 

Innovation at its best: instant Alteration

A kaleidoscope of colour

Women of all ages