Feb 13 :
Flora and Fauna
Ian watkinson offers a taste of real Assam, a taste that lingers on much after you have finished your morning cup of tea.
This
was a part of India that was rarely visited by Indians and foreigners
due to social and political instability. A legacy of the British for the
manner in which they insensitively carved up the Northeast India before
partition, and created East Pakistan, Assam is experiencing stability
and progression unheard of until recently. It is justifiably keen on
capitalising on its abundant charms to attract visitors, from the rest
of India as well as overseas. The state is quickly reasserting itself by
opening up areas formerly closed to visitors and rapidly developing
better communication and roads into its more remote areas.
The
true beauty of the state is most certainly its welcoming people and
verdant nature. With one of the heaviest rainfalls during the monsoon
season, Assam boasts of a fertile and productive landscape, both
cultivated and wild. It has been called the ‘Kerala of the Northeast’
and not without good reason. Great forests of
Himalayan sal,
teakwood and other hardwoods grow in profusion, along with a scattering
of bamboo. Giant plantain and abundant crops are to be seen growing
everywhere amongst extensive paddy fields.
The houses in the
spotlessly clean rural villages are constructed from bamboo frames with
woven reed panels pinned in between, skimmed with a mixture of cow dung
and mud. They are raised on hard mud platforms, two feet above the
ground, to survive the rainy season. Nearly every house has a fish pond,
either in front of its vegetable plot or shared with others in the
villages, for, freshwater fish form an integral part of the Assamese
diet.
There are over 180 species of freshwater fish here, from
the massive Roi that can be caught wild in the mighty Brahmaputra river,
to small fish no bigger than a beedi. Birds are everywhere, from the
ubiquitous white egrets to huge, solitary and broody adjutant storks,
which stand motionless on their taut, stick-like legs in paddy water,
eyes open for the next meal. With 120-plus rivers feeding the mighty
Brahmaputra, 700 km of which flows through the state, water is Assam’s
lifeline.
There are many fascinating places to explore within
easy reach of the capital, Guwahati. There is the hilltop Kali Temple of
Kamakya with a beehive-shaped sanctum, where unseen tantric rituals are
still practised along with ritual animal sacrifice. Or, the Sufi shrine
at Hajo, again atop a hill. You could even visit the Turbeh of an Iraqi
sheikh who settled here in the 13th century — Muslims, Hindus,
Buddhists and Christians all revere this unique spot and come here to
pay their respects.
Courting Kaziranga
The
jewels of Assam are its wildlife parks, which are gradually making
their way back onto the visitors’ maps. They are all far from Guwahati —
the park at Kaziranga, above the Brahmaputra valley, easily takes six
hours or more of wild driving through countless tea plantations and
small villages to reach. The tiring journey reaps rich rewards upon
arrival, for, this is a beautiful place. In contrast to the lack of
accommodation en route, here in Kaziranga, there are many eco-friendly
style lodges with comfortable rooms.
Exploring the park can take
a few days as it is split into three large zones. Taking a jeep safari
in any zone either in the morning or evening is the best time to see
animals, as there is no doubt that they will be there. Another
delightful and peaceful way to get close to the animals is to take an
elephant safari at dawn.
From the rickety wooden seat perched on
the back of the lumbering pachyderm, you can get quite close to the
peacefully grazing animals; it almost feels like they are within arm’s
reach. The bird song at dawn provides the soundtrack — an orchestra in
the forest. Through long elephant grass, the safari passes a herd of
wild elephants, 40 or more, grazing in the thick grass. One can even
find the last bastions of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, rhinoceros
unicornis. Although these are still sought after by poachers for the
supposed aphrodisiac effects of its single horn, there are now over
2,000 rhinos in Kaziranga, mainly due to careful management in the park.
They can be found everywhere, grazing, taking mud baths or
attending to their young calves. There are wild buffaloes wallowing in
mud pools — the warden informed us that the buffalo is more dangerous
than the rhino. Sambar deer, hog deer and spotted deer can be seen in
profusion. There are tigers here as well, having steadily increased to
being 106 in number from the 86 that were around previously. This seems
to be one of the few parks in India where the numbers of its species are
on the rise. There are more than 35 species of mammals living in these
parklands and forest, including four species of monkeys. India’s only
true ape, gibbon, can be found only here.
Over 480 species of
birds find their way here. Entering the deeply forested jungle of tall
hardwoods, they provide a symphony of sound — again, the best time to
see and hear them is early in the morning or late in the evening just as
the sun is going down. Blue rollers flash like blue sparks between the
trees, grey fish eagles sit unmoving, sullenly surveying the rivers and
water holes, golden orioles split one’s vision momentarily with a yellow
flash, and jungle fowls peck the ground with their chicks.
Kailash peacocks scuttle in the undergrowth, red-chested parakeets
screech playfully in and out of holes in the trees, the competing
saxophonist sounds of coucals and koels filling the air with natural
jazz. Mynahs and bright green linnets sing soprano solos high above. A
rare great hornbill flies across the pastel evening sky as we turn to
head out of the forest, a fitting farewell to a place near paradise.
