The E-Day.......
I left my Jungle Resort in a complete mess, hurrying my steps to way
out exit of hotel while some wild thoughts acted as fillers for my empty
mind, which was about to be flooded with ferocious faces of a tiger or
some melodious rhythm of a sweet cuckoo. Owing my concentration to these
elephant I could not have allowed other images to engross my
psychoactive plane. Soon after, my haywire thoughts matured to a row of
machinated images for my adventure laying forth.
My steps walked faster than my thoughts for the eagerness in me was
taking an outward turn. I was designated, due to the benignity of the
mammoth giants, to hold the incomparable post of a spectator for a
entertaining romp of wild elephants. Little was my knowledge edified
about the degree of entertainment by these large and majestic performers
of jungle. I was a humanly monarch going to be amused by the herd of
elephants, paying them a amount of 'being oblivious'.
While I tried making my way into the dense forest I caught one or two
uprooting a tuft of grass with their trunk and dusting it off against
their knees. That of course made me stop for a while, only interrupted
by the rumble of a young tuskers who romped on the bank of a
breathtaking watercourse at Kaziranga National Park. The tusker show was
to commence as it gathered the initial froth just.
Bit by bit when I started to stabilize myself becoming oblivious to the
world, just when a pat on my back pinched my submersed attention, I had
a new joinee spectator, John my vacation friend. I recollected my
gestured as John forced a hidden smile out of me. We were two now.
Strolling towards the centre of the park we exchange some expostulations
about species and park's management, but we soon evaded the topic on
encountering the sight of the wild herd that pranced their way towards
us. I immediately pulled John and placed him behind the tree bark .
.......we were the hidden spectators.
My eyes got fixed on one bull who seemed to be the Don. He pulled a
mouthful of vegetation and casually flapped his ears, played some
acrobatics and trumpeted on a regular interval. The other gang members
played mischievously, in a free reign, with their trunks and plucked a
trunk of green leaves from the tree. Interestingly, the younger most
baby elephant was not comfortable to share it's space with the birds of
Kaziranga as it often rolled hid trunk upwards on a chorus perch. On
account of viewing my hidden day time jungle matinee, I candidly take
the pleasure to announce my liking for the bull for the reason that it
was the 'Don'. And the Don exulted as he talced himself with the dust of
the forest floor. I captured one shot in my camera which is now a
desktop of my Lappy.
An elephant on job.........

Seeing
an elephant in the wild was one unforgettable experience, more of
watching an entertaining drama on TV. When a herd of elephants feed
themselves togather, it can be like a giant kitty party, with dozens of
trunks reaching out to pluck the most succulent leaves. Feast apart,
sitting on the back of the elephant made me realize that an elephant can
carry you places where 4x4 vehicles can't across rivers, through dense
grasslands and jungles- an indomitable 5x5, counting its four legs and
trunks. Despite their bulk, these animals move with a remarkable
silence. Elephants are much more interesting to watch when they go out
for bathing in groups. A flying glimpse of elephants under water turned
to be the an hours drama show, reminding me with a humanly emotion
mother- child affection. While under water the matriarchs do exercise
their limits of control with a great degree of affection by jostling and
twining their trunks. It was a scene that lend great penetration into
elephant's emotional plane; their tears, laughter, and incredible
memories they have. Just when I was dwindling for these thoughts, John
pointed towards an elephant playing between an elders' leg, rolling in
the mud and spraying themselves in water. The ele-babies are raised and
nurtured by their so called 'aunties', or just to say the elder
elephants cow.
An impish evening. ..
It was my time to interrupt John on the account of my fathom about his
getting carried away. I called him back for lunch in the jungle. I had
no intention to waste time.
After our hot n delicious lunch as well as rounds of hot discussions on
the wild show we could the only sight we could capture was of dusk that
came with her wings open. The tedious task of capturing the sight of
elephants in a mood to celebrate was really adventurous when serendipity
pronounced on me and soon. ............. we were a part of grand
celebration. We had shed our hides by now. These giants were having
greeting ceremonies for a friend that has been away for some time
returned to the group. Green leaves were plucked in large amounts and
nature let her champagne down her favourite preservers.
In the evening we spent an hour watching an elderly bull wallowing in a
backwater pool. He kept lifting a submerged tree with his tusk, then
letting it fall with a splash providing entertainment for himself and
us. Back, after jungle feast, in our resort, we re-counted many new
discoveries about the elephants. Some of them goes like this an
elephant's trunk can get very heavy and it is not uncommon to see them
resting their trunks on the tusks. Elephants are sensitive beings where
the entire family rumbles when the baby elephants complains. I forgot
the most important to share with my other friends which John came up
with, elephants do not drink with their trunks, but use them as a tool
to drink with.
I went to sleep with the idea of gifting a travelogue to my much
perturbing, yet interesting urge of seeing Elephants- A mammoth desire.
Writer's Account
Joe
Morris
Joe Morris calls himself to be a 'wishful thinker', one who loves
fantasizing about places. Catch a combo of Joe's Darjeeling fancy
and his first hand experience of visiting the enticing hill station.
Joe loves India and reveals his best kept travel secrets in an
anecdote on sort of tea available in Glenberg. Read more about Joe's
clandestine affairs with India.... in his article on
'Silent
Enticements-Darjeeling Tea Tourism'.
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