EXPLORE WILD INDIA । Storyteller More atwww.explorewildindia.app । Storyteller
Thingsthrough. So there I was, at the gate of Dachigam National Park on a fairly pleasant Srinagar
afternoon when the words of my guide Nazir Malikrang in my ears, "I will not be responsible for
your life if you do not do exactly as I tell you." Not worrisome at all..
As it happened I was in Srinagar to explore a relatively lesser known valley, and recalled that the
forest of Dachigam had always been on my bucket list for Kashmir. The idea really was to watch the
onset of autumn, but when I heard that the wilderness is home to the endangered Hanguls and
Black Bears, I thought I could try my luck at spotting some of them. After paying the requisite fees,
Nazir drove me in a golf cart to the head of the trail. It must have been around 4pm when we
ventured in. I had no idea what to expect and quietly followed Nazir on the winding trail. After
about ten minutes we reached a small clearing and stood with our backs to a tall oak. It is a magical
feeling to be in the middle of a towering forest, soaking in the stillness and silence. For the moment
the forest looked empty, like all its residents were enjoying a siesta or, for all we knew, quietly
watching us from behind the bushes.
Nazir whispered to me to stay put, while he stalked to the edge of the clearing. He scanned the area
with his binoculars looking for any sign of the beast. After some time he signaled to me to watch
closely in the direction he was pointing. My heartbeat rose in anticipation and my eyes remained
fixed on the horizon. From out in the distance,barely 50 meters from where I stood, emerged two
black figures -a mother bear with her little cub trailing right behind. They ambled across totally
unfazed by our presence. Then as magically as they had appeared, they melted away among the
trees. All this happened so fast I couldn't get a clear shot. But boy! Was I delighted on just seeing
one so close!
Nazir in the meanwhile had moved on, and was bidding me to follow him. The canopy on the trail
ahead was dense and allowed only a few shafts of light to filter through. He found another suitable
spot to look around and we waited in silence. Back in the golf cart Nazir had told me that all wild
creatures are wary of sudden movements, so while on the trail, if we were to have a chance of
watching the bears from up close, we should be as still as possible. So there I was, trying to contain
my excitement and keep still. Our patience was soon rewarded. Out in the distance Nazir pointed
out to another of Dachigam's notorious residents. I think he'd spotted us way before we did him,
though; when I focused on him through the lens, he was looking right at us from theundergrowth.
Unlike with the mother and cub, I was able to get a clear shot of this one. But it didn't look like he
took to our presence well and he darted soon enough.
Things thus far had been running like a dream, but then the wild always has a way ofsurprising
you. All this while I had assumed that we would be trying to spot bears on the ground, but then
something happened that I was completely unprepared for. Around twenty meters to my left I saw