JOURNEYER

ESCAPE TO THE JUNGLE

“Guys, guys look here”; my friend occupying the extreme left seat in the jeep, said pointing out of the window. I quickly leaned in towards my left to see what she was talking about. What I saw left me mesmerized. I found 2 eyes, the bluest I had ever seen looking back at me, or perhaps at all of us. The panache, with which the creature sat, the fine yellow coat with black spots, sat a mighty leopard that stared back at us with curious eyes. When it saw all of us staring back at it, he decided to get up and run back into the bushes. The few seconds of its spectacular gaze had left all of us hypnotized.

Although spottings like these can be credited to almost all national parks, but The Satpura National Park situated in Madhya Pradesh, India has a very different feel to it. The vast dense forest is surrounded by the majestic hills of the Satpura ranges. Driving through the leafy carpeted path, searching for any animal big or small, and often stopping at trickling streams and gargling brooks, just to hear the sound of the water hit the rocks, this escape in the jungle fulfilled all our purposes. For some it was adventure, for some it was peace and for most of us it was soul searching. The jungles of Satpura are lesser known to the world, hence most of the parts of the forest remain untouched by the tourists which is one of its best attributes. It remains the way nature wants it to be, wild and non-commercialized. We ventured deeper into the tangled heart of this primeval forest hoping it would reveal its dark secrets to us.

The mornings in the forests were soul-soothing. The early morning dew, the chilly weather, the music of the birds, left us spellbound while every night was a starry night where the sky was bestowed upon by stars that peeped down at us like silver asters, glittering and shimmering.

We spent four days in that forest and while leaving I risked a glimpse behind my shoulder, a world in its own which in just few days had taught me so much. The joy of putting life on hold and exploring a whole new place is just beautiful. Isn’t it strange that how, both the man and the animals have evolved from the wilderness, yet today their worlds are so different. Satpura changed my perspective towards life; it was an unforgettable adventure, a blissful experience.
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