The Sal Chandra Forest Story Part I

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Excerpts from the main article :

....................But before leaving, the villagers were discussing with us the dangers they face from Elephants and Snakes. This jungle and adjacent ranges are used by the Elephants as their path toward the farmlands of the Bankura and Midnapur districts of West Bengal. The herds of elephants visit this place every year after puja to eat the fresh harvest of Ravi Crops. Besides eating their fresh harvest the herd of elephants does not disturb the villagers. They were saying that the problem arises when a tusker or single elephant with a tusk arrives. These elephants were either thrown away from their herd or they have left their herd as there were other leaders. Either way, these elephants popularly known as Tusker due to their teeth are highly dangerous and they can attack anyone even when not provoked at all.

So we were cautioned by them about this Tuskers.

“If you see them only one thing you must do”

“What”

“Run towards the road at full speed”

Another problem is the snakes. This area is full of Kraits and Spitting Cobras. Although Kraits will not disturb you and slowly slither away Spitting Cobra is not like them. They will throw poison if they feel threatened by you. So the moment you see then try to find a higher [ace where they can not reach or the poisons thrown at you can not reach.

“Where do the snakes take shelter ?”

“Kraits will take shelter wherever they find a warm moist place and Cobras can seep anywhere. So never go out without any shoes and also please don’t go out in the forest at night.”

“no..we will stay inside the tent only. Just ensure the tent is free of Snakes.”

“Yes..you can be assured of that”

After this conversation, they left the place. But we continued our chat. Suddenly with a cracking sound from the clouds above the rain started to fall torrentially.

The rain was so heavy that the entire area, including our camp, was flooded within minutes. Thankfully, the villagers raised the bed considerably, preventing flooding from reaching our bed even in knee-deep water.

“But what about snakes? They will now try to climb our bed to save themselves from the flood.”

One junior member of our team screamed at all of us.

"Yes. That is correct." "But what can be done?" I replied. We don't have alternatives to choose from, and the villagers can't come now because.....Read the full story

The Blue Rafflesia Part XV

 

Click here to read the complete story in Part XV.

Adventure Series Audio : The Blue Rafflesia Part 14

.....Now Rusa got really agitated. This person, Rohit, is really harassing her. But how can he know so much about the incidents of that unfortunate night? And who are they? Are they from the Police or CID? Are they reporters? Accomplices of Sankar or his rival gang? Rusa was really confused. She was under immense stress and at that very moment the other member of the trio, Raj, shouted at Rohit and instructed him to stop his interrogation of Rusa as the time for the Safari they had booked was nearby.

- Yes I am coming, Rohit obliged and moved away from Rusa with a quipping smile and ran towards Raj.

His friend Raj and Mr.Gomez were waiting for him.

They had booked a Private Jeep through the Hotel for the jungle safari. Two more tourists will join them along with a guide from the Forest Dept. and the Driver of the Jeep. In total seven people will travel through the jungles of Simplipal. This safari jeep has three rows of seats. The first row is reserved for the driver and the guide. The second and third rows can accommodate six guests. As there are five guests, all of them can travel comfortably.

The other five people were waiting for them in the Jeep. Once the trio embarked on the car their suffari started.

Covering an expansive area of around 2,750 square kilometers, Simplipal Reserve Forest is one of the largest protected wildlife regions in the country. Known for its diverse flora and fauna, Simlipal is home to several endangered species, including the Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian Elephant, and Indian Bison. This forest plays a vital role in preserving the region's biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance, making it an important area for conservation efforts and research.

In Simplipal Reserve Forest, the land cover types include dense forests, grasslands, wetlands, and agricultural patches. These different land cover types support a wide range of plant and animal species, contributing to the overall biodiversity of the area. Dense and semi-dense forests make up a significant portion of the land cover in the Simplipal Reserve Forest....The Story Continues

Find the complete story at: https://open.substack.com/pub/itell/p/the-blue-rafflesia-part-14?r=c8bxy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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The Story of Dhauli Express

 

This is a very simple story. Although it is not a story but a real-life experience, It may be insignificant or innocuous to many. Some of you may ask why are you wasting our time. But to me, it is unexplained and thought-provoking that has taught me to be humble and thankful to god. So without lengthening the introduction let me begin my story.

I had boarded a train from Bhubaneswar(BBSR) to Kolkata. It was afternoon around 3 pm. The name of the train is Dhauli Express and this train journey took place nearly 20 years ago when I was doing my graduation.

With a long honking followed by two more short-duration honks the train starts its journey toward its destination: Howrah Station which is also my destination for this 7 to 8-hour long journey. My seat was at the left side window. I was traveling alone. However, the train was jampacked with passengers. But as per my experience of traveling on this train, most of them will depart once the train reaches Balasore.

Click here to read the complete story.

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The Blue Rafflesia Part 13

 

The Hubbulu Gangs, led by Chotu Miah, are arrested by the local police after attempting to extort money from a businessman in Shahidnagar. They were initially surprised by the promptness of the arrest and were unsure of their destination. Pandey Ji, the leader of the Gangs, is frightened and tries to find a CC TV recording to determine who threw the object at him. Pandey Ji is informed by the Cyber Cell that the recordings will be delivered within the next day.

Prof. Bhattacharjee is busy reminiscing about the events of the past few days and is searching for a link to establish the reason behind the holographic Tiger being released. He is concerned that the attacks on him and his children are warning him about something. The Simlipal Reserve Forest is experiencing a dark night due to rain and overcast conditions. Many staff members have been sacked due to the incident, and Rusha, the manager of the resort, is increasingly suspicious about the activities happening in the forest.

Rusha is trying to avoid questions about the incident where Ganesh and his acquaintances were killed in the presence of the Tiger. Police have said that they were killed not by the Tiger but by gunshots. Rusha is trying to avoid questions about the incident but is pertinacious. One of the guests, Rohit, asks Rusha about the food Ganesh had while staying at the resort. He is unable to reveal the details due to resort policy, leading to chaos.

The resort's manager intervenes to get the same breakfast that Ganesh ordered. The same guy approaches Rusha and apologizes for his behavior, saying she would understand why it was done.

Read the complete story (Part 13)

The Taptapani Experience

Nearly twenty years ago I and my college friend visited a place called Taptapani. It is situated among the Eastern Ghat Hills in Orissa. You have to take a bus from Bhubaneswar or Cuttack to reach Taptapani. You may also take local buses from Gopalpur that was famous for its sea beach. If you start from Bhubaneswar it will take nearly 4 to 6 hours by private cars or buses. 

We traveled from Bhubaneswar to Gopalpur. Stayed there for a night and then the next morning visited Taptapani.

Taptapani is renowned for its hot spring and is a common tourist destination in Eastern India. This place is encircled by hills and covered by lush green forest. At least that was the case when we visited. Taptapani also has a guest house controlled by the Odissa Tourism Development Corporation. I think now there are many more options to stay. But at that time it was the only option. As Taptapani was not in our original tour plan we had to stay in a tent carried by us from our home. At those time both of us were studying in Bhubaneswar.

This place is frequented by Elephants and Bears. But other than the animals, the place is serene, peaceful, and sacred. You can also find a monastery if you walk a few steps more toward the peak of the hill.

We arrive at the location in the evening and took a bath in the hot spring where the temperature of the water is tolerable. After taking a bath in the hot spring's warm water, we wandered around and found a spot to set up our tent that was only 40–50 steps away. Keeping the hills in the background and with the help of three trees we set up our camp. At the time we finish our installation, it was nearly 6:30 pm and the sun has set on the horizon. But still, there was light. We decided to finish our cooking before darkness descended on the area. As there is a chance of trespassers like the bear and elephants. They often give a visit to fulfill their desire of having easy food from the campers.

I would also like to emphasize that we are the only campers in the area. Although this place is a popular location for weekend camping. But somehow that night we are the only ones living in the jungle.

That is why, the local people warned us about the attacks from the wild animals and ask us to keep the lights on both inside and outside the camp. Some of them also suggested that we keep the fire going even after we finished cooking.

It was a peaceful night without any disturbance. 

The temperature was extremely soothable. It was Amabasya, so there is no moon in the sky. It was complete darkness. Just me and my friend chatting with each other which was also the only sound we can hear.

Around ten pm we finished our dinner and after doing the usual chores of the night we enter our camps. Now the winds are flowing at a high speed. However, no storms or rain are expected today, according to the weather forecast. But in those days we assume the opposite of whatever the IMD predicted and often these assumptions come true.

...Click here to read the Story of the Screeching sound in Hotspring.

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