On my experience to a trip to Bandhavgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and when I saw the tiger. I must mention here that I am thankful to my father, Late Shri. Sanjeev Kashalkar who took all of us and Gulwadi family and Bhattacharya family on this trip. The adventure we had and the priceless memory I have of each moment is invaluable. I dedicate this poem to my father, who taught me to plan trips and brought confidence in me that travelling can do a lot more what a school can't do!
The poem below is the unedited, original version and typed the way I wrote in 2003. I could have edited, I know there are mistakes, but I wanted to keep it the way it is because it is pure and straight from the heart.
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BANDHAVGARH
It was a desire; and
It got fulfilled !
A desire to at least experience,
What a jungle is ?
A resort called Bandhavgarh,
A wildlife sanctuary,
Which was quite heard of,
Its importance being,
The most no. of tigers present,
For us which was the biggest present !
Our family and our comrades,
All together began our journey,
Towards the most exclusive trip ever,
Everyone excited with having faith,
In each one's fate,
Whether we could see the tiger,
Never mind even if its late.
Ultimately the day approached,
People living there were having,
A total safari approach,
With T-shirts having a tiger's picture,
A summer-ish hat; Khakhi pants,
To catch the real life experience,
They had cameras in hands !
A panoramic view it gave!
Oh! I wonder for those,
Who are with them always !
They help travelers to cope with them,
Awaiting to start the real life journey,
To experience the wildlife there.
A deep observation being done by me,
With trees and trees all around,
Birds chirping of all types,
And deers of all kinds walking around,
Guides with a walky-talky in hand,
Tracking, if any tiger on land,
"Its New! Its New " ! Yelled the guide,
"The paws are new on the sand",
Felt as if, the stomach sinking,
Like, as if got the magical wand !
Suddenly he got the message,
The guide guided the driver to drive through the edges,
It was as if entering a story's climax,
We were now heading towards to see the tigers,
There on the rocky hill !
Our eyes caught hold of it,
Oh the view, the drastic image; mesmerized we were,
The queen with the royal walk,
Oh ! what to talk.
A dream come true it was,
The black stripes on the golden background,
With large rocks and oak trees around,
An instant curiosity came in my heart,
If I can see it as close as I can,
As God had heard what was there in my heart,
The elephants had come employed for that part.
We sat on it,
It crushed the trees; thinking itself as a king,
We reached up the hill; saw the tigers,
With her cubs in an open den,
Oh ! what to say, if that is life!
It washed our friendly minds.
Poem by: Sanyukta Kashalkar
Poem written on: Started on 12th August 2003 and finished on 14th August 2003
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Wednesday, May 13, 2020
BANDHAVGARH
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10 comments:
Enjoyed reading this poem, Sanyukta. Captured all the thrills of a national park visit. Especially liked the lines:
"An instant curiosity came in my heart,
If I can see it as close as I can,
As God had heard what was there in my heart,
The elephants had come employed for that part."
I had written a poem on a similar theme after visiting Corbett National Park in 1998, but the poem (along with the whole book) was lost in the flood of 2015. Now after reading this, I am trying to retrieve it from my memory...
Hey Manu ! Thank you so much for your comment. I am so happy that my old poem from childhood could bring back your memory. Wildlife has been my favorite as it keeps me near to the reality of life and survival.
Miss Sanjeev Uncle so much! He was a great Man indeed !
Yes he was... No doubt! Thank you....
waah ! Sanjeev ji ki photo lagai.... saare din yaad aagaye :) Khush raho
Bandhavgarh is a amazing place.... your poem expresses it rightly
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Lovely experience!
Thanks... Yes it was
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