(…8 years ago)

05:30

Our assemblage reached the outskirts of Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, near Alibaug, Maharashtra. We were forewarned about a power cut. And so, were not surprised to face complete darkness when we arrived. The sun was not yet out. It was still those cool days of December when the relaxed sun was too lazy to raise its glowing self at the stipulated six. So our earth was flooded with darkness and we waited for electrons to connect and allow current to infuse the bulbs with artificial light. Partial electricity was restored and a yellow bulb started spreading light. Everyone had to gather within its radius to absorb the warmth. Hot tea was served by the locals. Our accommodations were in the form of spacious tents. We were to camp in the jungle with gadgets and food just enough to survive. We unpacked; took out our main weapon – the camera and marched into an early morning trail.

Activity had just started. Birds were chirping, flying, singing and talking and doing what not! We could hear all of them but they still were elusive to the eyes. Dense green trees provided them with the much needed cover-up. Having walked six kilometres in all, we squatted at a clearing and waited for some birds to settle nearby. Meanwhile, the troop was taking in as much as jungleness they could into themselves. We trekked back to our tents. Traditional simple maharashtrian food was served. We spent the evening at a nearby Khashid beach.

22:30

It was the much awaited moment of our excursion – the night trail. I had been to two tiger safaris before, but had never trailed inside a forest in the night with predators prowling. There was only one main predator here though, the Leopard. It was a secretive mammal that avoided human presence, but it was a formidable predator all the same and a defensive one always ready to attack. Each one had a torch to light a certain portion of the path; a jacket to brace the cool; a camera to capture moments; an overall team of confident and knowledgeable naturalists; other equally frightened friends and a will to face the unknown in the darkness that lay ahead.

The naturalists who accompanied us were specialists in their field. They were budding ornithologists, herpetologists and some were all-rounders. The sanctuary was their zone of research and they were well-versed with every nook and corner. As all of us walked together, they showered minuscule segments of their diverse information on us. We tried to grasp most of it. But our small, and at that moment fear gripped, brain was difficult to infiltrate into. Minutes passed and we walked into a grand clearing. It was a round opening like a battle arena. At one point, on the circumference, was a watch tower. The entire group was asked to make themselves comfortable and wait for a briefing, before a practical session on star gazing. We chose the watch tower to scrutinizing the twinkling objects too far away from us.

Five of us slowly walked up the squeaky stairs. A cold blast of wind greeted us on top. The cool breeze sent shivers down the spines. We sat there crouched for some time. Minutes later, having got accustomed to the breeze, we stretched a bit. We gradually began grasping our surroundings. The view from the tower was that of, almost, the entire shelter of Phansad. The boundaries of the sanctuary disappeared into the sky due to the engulfing darkness of the night. We looked directly at the sparkling sky; there was nothing between us. It felt like being suspended in mid-air. The world had been stunned into starry silence. Time had checked its constant pace. It was a magical feeling to be on top of the world. Enthralled by the sensuous beauty of the forest at night, we sat there quietly, just soaking in the feeling. Then, as if somebody broke a lovely trance, came the call of volunteers asking us to come down. It seemed that when we were immersed in our realm of dreams, people below had worked their way through and out of the constellations and the Milky Way and were finally back on the earth. Sadly, our reverie ended and we had to climb down.

The group gathered around the volunteers who had assembled in the middle. Two of them carried two huge bags whose content were not known to us. Imagine our horror when the owners let the content slither into the moonlit night; two full grown Pythons! The contents immediately coiled themselves into a defensive position and luckily stayed put. We would have died of shock if it had not been for the large group that instilled confidence into the ones lacking it terribly. Some daring ones clicked pictures and the snakes were freed into the nearby trees. Once free from the nervously eyeing crowd, the pythons instantly reached for the highest branch and coiled around it. At last both the parties were relieved; happy to be as far as possible from each other. These pythons had been rescued from the cities nearby.

We trekked on, away from the clearing inside the forests. With dense cover of trees over the trail, even the moon light was feeble and could not penetrate. Torch was our only guide. Though our hearts were slightly troubled by the fear of the unknown, the prospect of conquering the dark and emerging out of it like warriors was tempting the attempt. We marched forward. We saw one of the most beautiful creations of nature, an Asian Paradise Flycatcher. Luckily for us, it was asleep on a branch near the trail path. A long white coloured splendour, adorning the tree, like the moon ornaments the skies. Our next visitor in the night was a Green Vine Snake curled on a low-lying waist-height plant. But for the keen eyesight of the naturalists, we would not have noticed it. We had a quick look at it and hastily carried on. We had had enough of the slimy reptiles.

As we rambled on, our ultimate target, we were informed, was a water hole. Unmindful of any other fact, we walked on till the target was reached. The water hole was divided into two parts by a small dam like wall. Tired to the core, we all immediately seated ourselves in a line on the wall. The ones who could not be accommodated on it, settled on the rocks nearby. There was another nightmare in store for us. The volunteer informed us that we would actually wait there till the thirsty leopard decides to come by and quench its thirst. Eyes wide in horror, we looked in every possible direction for the gleaming yellow spots of light. We also looked at one another judging the soldier in each one us – whether they were capable enough, if an opportunity arose. Time passed nothing happened. The initial fear and enthusiasm waned slightly. Alas, realization dawned on us. Leopard was the most elusive of the felines. With such a horde, it would hardly make an appearance, let alone drink water. Minutes ticked. Some tired souls dozed off. Imagine dozing off in the middle of the night, in the interiors of the forest and that too while waiting for the arrival of a leopard. One hell of an achievement it must be. I checked my watch. It was an hour past twelve.

And it was on this eve of Christmas that we had sat waiting for the leopard in the middle of a beautiful jungle, unmindful of the swamping darkness around or the world that we had left behind. I wished my neighbour a Merry Christmas and he wished me back! It had been a most unusual place and way of wishing! After nearly thirty to forty minutes, we left the place assuming that the predator was not thirsty this night. Of all we know, it might have been watching us all that while. We retraced our path and did not stop till we reached our tents. What an exhilarating experience it had been! What a start to Christmas it was!

Night trail has its own pleasures and beauty. Yes, it does seem a bit scary but the night is as pure as the day and only our fears account for the creepiness. Our faces wore a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It was four in the morning when we reached our tents. We slept for four hours. Encouraged by the trail at night, we decided on a quick morning trail before leaving Phansad. We left the place post lunch and were back to embrace our routine self by ten that night!

It was an experience that could hardly escape the memory space; embedded there forever! A midnight date with the Leopard on Christmas Eve – only the leopard decided to give it a skip 🙂