The brighter side of the Fullbright fellows: The brighter side of the Fullbright fellows

Date: 06-02-2014

The brighter side of the Fullbright fellows

“Hathu nimisha sir, baruthe!”, said Mina, our taxi (jeep) driver. From a narrow hairpin-bend along one of the coffee plantations, nearby Virajpet town was Mina, with his rickety monster. It was ten minutes to 10, on Friday the 31^st of January, 2014. Night was in, with some wearisome travel across another coffee plantation, we were close to the Virajpet bus station. The journey was to explore some rare green life across the starting point of the Southern Western Ghats.

Thomas McKeag (Tom hereafter), David Manski, Navendu Page, Imran Baig and myself(Arun Singh) were about to experience a thrill and joy of a different kind, the kind which was not a routine and complete scientific work and not a complete weekend escapade from the busy city life, but a combination of both. It was the first time for the Fullbright fellows (Tom and David), from the U.S who were here to experience the wilderness of the Western Ghats.

Earlier, we met at the Shantinagar bus station, Bangalore to board the bus. I was happy to receive a small booklet and a map on the Acadia, an interesting wildlife park in New England, USA- the place where David has been working as a wildlife officer. We boarded the bus to Virajpet and were getting introduced to David’s work. I ran through some amazing Flora and Fauna of the Acadia and with a quick glimpse I was able to kill time along the city life before our bus hit the highway. Navendu, with his usual silent sleep was hidden in his dreams and there played a movie on the bus, which was an irritant for us, especially when we were engrossed in the wildlife conversation.

After we reached the royal town of Mysore around 6 pm- our first break from Bangalore, we quickly refreshed ourselves and hit towards Virajpet, our destination.

''Oh god! Not another Indian movie now'', I said to myself. As we passed across reserved forests and villages we were introduced to another part of the journey- the 10 km long stretch of roads under repair. David vexed while I reply to Mina over phone, telling him to come in leisure.

After arriving at Virajpet bus station, I ring Mina again, and there he replies, “Hathu nimisha sir, batuthe”. ''So its ten minutes more before he receives us'', I said the others.

Mina came on his monster to receive us. We could feel the chill in the air as we pass across some ghat roads and coffee plantations. Earlier, I phoned Deepti that I would be late and she was kind enough to have her chef cook for us that night, but, rather late.

After another thirty minute ride to the Cottage, the Kings Cottage, we arrive. Vriju, Deepti’s better half was there to greet us. He was the landlord of the 400 acre Coffee Estate, our host for the weekend.

He escorted us to the Cottage rooms. A grim of relief and there you go! David, wheeling and complaining of some sea-sickness he had encountered during the long journey.

We quickly unpacked into the rooms, grabbed some scrumptious dinner and wanting to get-in the bed. David still wheeling..... was finally relieved. He could see such clear star-lit sky and over a short conversation, we crashed into our beds.

Chirping birds, misty morning and a thin line of mountain above our cottage was just perfect. Tom and David were already out hunting the Estate for some fresh life. There I stood, outside my cottage and David yells, 'SUNRISE GUYS!' Navendu and Imran quickly ran out of bed and were happy-sad to have woken up for the sunrise.

We refreshed, a sip of traditional Kodagu coffee before we set out to the morning plantation walk. We were excited for the day and I started to photograph the usual ones- Coffea, Citrus, Hibiscus and others.... loaded with a number of optics, we were happy to have seen some rare birds of the Ghats.

Without wasting much time around the Estate, we decided to head back to the rooms.

Locally made rice-roti was served with potato stew and coconut chutney, additionally we got packed lunch for the trek to the highest and the famous mountain of the district of Kodagu (Coorg)-the Thadiandamol peak (http://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g503697-d2615634-Reviews-Thadiyandamol_Hills-Kodagu_Coorg_Karnataka.html).

Mina arrives the morning with his monster to the base of the camp along a steep terrain.

It was summer-time here and the woody plants were all set with their young leaves and flowers to lure our interests. Along the way we encountered some rare treasures of the Ghats, got to climb across a small woodland patch which had some dense greener vegetation and canes climbing all over them followed by a small stream running across the water body with some luster. We got to see some good undergrowth, climbers, lower groups of the plant kingdom and ferns as well.

It was a unique niche all together and seemed to me like they have been associated and growing together for over century now. A quick climb across the groove and there comes a bunch of trekkers yelling names and shouting with joy. With a small displeasure I quickly told Navendu to follow me to a small trail keeping the main a little later till those noises subside. They decided to follow me.

We encountered some garden escapes like Hydrangea, some garden Asters and a citrus tree that were not supposed live here. There was an old degraded building and this gave us some clue that someone had taken shelter for several years in this forest.

Fern of the shola undergrowth

Without wasting much time, we continued our field explorations; back in the main path, those voices still aloud with larger groups coming in, we had to bear it. Some more walk across the steeper side and wow! A beautiful backdrop of the shola mountain (‘shola’, meaning groove or thicket). David could not resist, and he had to have a group photo session with his camera attached to an unipod holder. We continued our journey and clicked a few more before we reached the steeper part of the climb.

‘What is that bird?!’ David, with his binocular has a good look. The elevation being higher, the wind velocity was up and the bird, saving up all its energy seemed gliding over like a paper-kite with a string attached. ‘Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Falcon!’ all these names coming through, ‘Krestel it is!’ Navendu quickly with much conviction and an amazing eye for such creatures responds.
A good look and we continue our climb. The blue sky now clearly demarcates a thin line of the shola mountain on our opposite end. Steeper it is and we reach a rock, where people usually camp overnight.

Thrash all over, like a typical Indian roadside lay beside. ‘How irresponsible these guys are’, I mutter. Navendu quickly decides to leap through another side-trail which is a part of the shola, here we refresh ourselves under the groove sitting on stream boulders with an air of Geosmin-the odor of fresh soil along stream. Quick munchies, we have a long way to climb and with enough body fuel we continue the other half.

A stage of the trek, beside our mountain is a mirror-like shola forest with much greener forests and Navendu now disappears into one of the patches that is not our regular trail. ‘Ilex sp. Arun!’, Navendu again with his relentless knowledge. I quickly run across and have a look at them.

Still hard to figure out the species, I wait and click a few. We continue the shola expedition, now a good Mohawk looking patch on our opposite end; a few more click and there Navendu again disappears! I quickly follow his path and get lost into another thin patch, an undergrowth.

We come across those hidden treasures, collecting the data was interestingly challenging. Some more explorations and now we decide to follow the last forest patch before the peak. Our journey was good and we decide to have our lunch now.

''We are having rice for lunch? During our trek?!'', David, a bit amused captures our meal break. Now we decide to split the group! Oh yes, David and Tom would climb further and reach us down near the camping site by 4. We continue our botanical explorations to the lesser known patch and looks undisturbed and interestingly steep though..

The forest undergrowth and the groove we explored encompass some rare treasures, mostly the evergreen shola elements of the Western Ghats, which were uncommon for even an ardent explorer like Navendu too- yet a fair of green life to explore. I was completely lost in the steep downhill along the dried stream. This was really exciting. I had never seen so many interesting species so closely associated and well nested within this microclimate. We continued downhill till we joined David and Tom, who were resting under a small Laurel.

The next day- at one of the sacred grooves (Kadanga- formerly Navendu’s study area for his Master’s thesis) was another good patch of locally conserved forests with sacred deities being placed on stacks of animal figurines. This was called as the 'Sacred Grooves'. There was a Black Dammar tree (Canarium strictum) from which the Dammar-resin is extracted and locally used as an incense. Navendu explained the importance of the sacred groove and the associated like-wise patches in proximity.

Mina began driving us through different patches until we hit the 'Makutta Ghat'-part of the Bhramagiri Wildlife Range, Kodagu district which abuts the Kerala state border. We continued our botanical explorations and discovered another interesting evergreen habitat. Signs of Elephant markings and also some other small mammals who were feasting on a few native fruits. This place was filled with several new ones for me, and rare and endemic ones as well. The journey to this ghat also resulted us in a research paper which can be accessed on ''http://www.threatenedtaxa.in/index.php/JoTT/article/view/1896/3182''.

The overall journey was enthralling and equally distributed to everyone’s interest including. David was also entertained by the local forest guards on which his partial Fullbright work was also fulfilled, i.e. understanding the methods of conservation policies, practices and impacts here in India.

We all head back to the Virajpet town. It is 2: 30 PM and everyone is hungry now. A rather shady place to begin with for lunch and yet a scrumptious meal at a local mess which set us all satisfied at the end.

The day when the sun will rise without trees is a great fear for all, more so for those who have understood the significance. It is lest on the future of mankind to see if he wants a happier world only then will the future get to discover such rare beauties who continue to evolve on this planet.