The trip to BR Hills was delayed by almost five years. For some or rather multiple reasons, the place I used to visit with enviable frequency seemed to stay so close yet so far all this while. So this year when the plan finally formed to visit my favorite haunt, I was cautiously optimistic. I am glad that despite a few hurdles during the planning, the minute I was in the embrace of the beautiful hills, I felt I was never away.
This was the first time I was traveling with Meera to BR Hills and staying
in Giridarshini Homestay. After having hyped up so much about the homestay
over the last year, I kept my fingers and toes crossed that she would
equally feel at home here as much as I had felt during all my previous
visits.
|
| Gold and green mix in the hills |
Despite being deep into winter, the hills were still green, with the wintering golden yellow just making their presence felt. The prolonged monsoon had ensured that the hills were still adorned with green and gold.
We pulled down our masks to gulp in the unadulterated oxygen, so much that I
can still smell the forest by just the thought of it.
|
| The hills were still green |
Familiar faces and beautiful smiles greeted us as soon as we reached
Giridarshini. The huge time gap since my last visit did not deter the heartwarming and fond welcome. You can read more about the homestay here.
Our main agenda in this trip was to understand a little bit more about the Soligas, the oldest tribes who call the forest their home in this region. Though they have been rehabilitated for a while now, they continue to have a fascinating bond with the forest. There was so much to
see and do and we had to cramp it up in just a 24-hour visit.
|
| Giant wood spider at Giridarshini |
That morning we decided to do birding inside the Giridarshini compound itself. It has been a while since I did some active birding and wow... did the birds make us dance. Especially the paradise flycatcher, that teased us mercilessly by just flashing glimpses of its perfect long white tail. It was a miracle I did not twist my neck by trying to follow all the calls,
whistles, and evading flights of these feathered guys and gals.
|
| Flameback woodpecker at the homestay |
But it did compensate well for my morning workout and help me work-up a
fantastic appetite. Meera and I were starving, right in time for a hot and amazing breakfast.
The staff at Giridarshini are used to seeing people running around with cameras with neck craned up to scan the canopies of every single tree. The
amusement must have worn off a long time ago.
|
| Mahdevagowda |
Soon after breakfast, our naturalist and guide Krishnakumar took us to visit
Mahadevagowda of Hosapodu village. A frail man, with silver hair cascading to his shoulders, joined us from one of the houses in the cluster. He was
one of the older Soligas who was residing nearby and the perfect person for
the whole question paper we had with us.
But he was more than cooperative in answering all our queries patiently.
|
| The temple |
We went and sat in front of a small open temple full of Lingas and Trishuls.
The Lingas were like rounded stones, each with Viboothi (sacred ash) and vermillion mark on them. You will find these small temples all over BR
hills. Mahadevagowda told us about that too. We will get there in a
bit.
Happy-go-lucky kids ran around playing with wheels, while some practiced archery with bows and arrows made from tree branches while we talked. The kids and the roosters competed with each other to see whose volume was louder while we tried to listen to Mahadevagowda above all of that. Well....
transcribing a recording has never been more fun.
75-year-old Mahadevagowda was one of the forest dwellers who had experienced life both inside and outside the forests while the rehabilitation took place around 45 years ago. So he could tell us about life in the forest too. The dialect and his accent were kind of tricky to understand. Since the base was
Kannada, we did manage to get some story after a careful hearing. Of course,
Krishnakumar helped us out in places that went beyond our understanding.
Join me in the
next part
for more incredible stories from Mahadevagowda.
Location map:
No comments:
Post a Comment