Wild Escapades Around Central India- Collection of Travel Stories Through the Wooded Valleys of Madhya Pradesh

About the Book An air of fragrance as mild as incensed by wild lavenders, aroma of flowering Sal trees, a quietness overpowered by symphonies of millions of living beings, a solitude of unimaginable proportion - are just a few to name.

I have found them immensely soulful, perfect for an emotional and mental recoup - A regeneration that lingers on forever! It's a magical concoction made by nature to soothe. all our senses. Yes! Your life is "incomplete" if have not seen a jungle because it is something that cannot be simulated and experienced from writings, commentaries, photographs and videos. These must be seen, experienced, and savored; as warmth of a campfire cannot be encoded in words. Same is true for a night-out under a star studded sky with crickets singing aloud. For culinary temptations, I bet if you could find a better place to experience survival with food being cooked inside an ill-equipped kitchen; on an earthen oven imparting subtle flavors of smoke ... “

Preface The very idea of writing this book dawned upon my conscious min as I moved into idyllic district town of ursinghpore amidst salubrious Satpuras. leeman's Karmabhoomi and Forsyth's civic station had retained much of its agrarian appeal, even if the human imprints had penetrated deeper into the jungles, devouring more of forests. The place and its immediate surroundings launched us into a spree of exploration and discovery. The famous and not-so-famous, jungles were covered in a rapid succession of relentless travel. These indulgences rekindled our love for nature and wilderness and also added to its understanding. While travelling, we encountered many practical issues in respect of reaching, staying and exploring the place. noble to find anything substantial, from possible sources - that included cruising through internet, scanning drops of scant printed literature, and dinging innumerous dormant dust-laden telephones that were rarely answered, with unfading perseverance - we decided to gather and soon ended up with decent amount of reliable information. With this was born a desire for creating this humble document for purpose of guiding new generation intrepid travelers as a lasting tribute to fascinating Jungles of Central India.

In pages to follow, we have tried to capture a refreshing slice of wondrously wild India. A wilderness that had no parallels and even after centuries of neglect, has no parallels. This nostalgic amalgamation of wild experiences gathered during our wanton travels in last five years through wooden valleys of Central India presents many myriad moods of Mother nature; its many creations - big and small; loud and silent! The intent is to snowball that "little urge" into an "adrenalin rush" for first-timers to take first plunge into wildlife tourism. For ones, already bugged, this book has practical information with elaborate maps that can help through jungle rides. Designed to be interactive, the book is adorned with illustrations and engrossing photographs arranged in visually appealing layouts. To conjure an image of how all this looked, a "thorough" digging has been made through piles of colonial writings encompassing personal memoirs, hunting diaries and Working Plans ~ first attempts of documented forest conservation in India. Crafted with pure passion, this modest document aims to instigate a love for the wilds and make us more sensitive towards their survival. Dark my words, ''A jungle trip can change your life!" Experience this before humanly greed devours it all.

Introduction India - our beloved motherland - has been "fascinating" through ages and for same reasons, has caught attraction of many, both good and equally evil. Mother "nature" has showered her bounty of blessings on this varied land of diverse landscapes with lofty peaks, reverie valleys, raised plateaus, sand dunes and pristine coastline. Tips tumultuous geography is embellished with an equally impressive array of vegetation, nurtured by congeniality of climate. There is no dearth of literature in praise of natural and material beauty of India, but no one is as direct as the words of Indologist Max Muller:

"If we were to look over the uorld to find out the Country richly endowed with all the wealth, power and beauty that nature can bestow - in some parts a paradise on earth, I should poini to India ... "

Amongst the many manifestations of these natural beautifying forces, India's diversified flora and fauna has always been enchanting.

Unfortunately, human advent worked against this natural wealth. Whatever has survived? to this date exists only in scattered patches of forests that offer unhindered growth and protection. "Jungle" is another commonly used colloquial term for these vanishing vistas of wilderness. But, what is so special about forests, more so about Indian Forests? Is there any need to save them? Are they important for our existence and well-being? How does it feel to experience quietness of nature, listening to its sounds of silence? Can we learn anything by observance of jungle life? And finally, do our generations deserve to see all this?

To me, the list of "special" things is endless - An air of fragrance as mild as incensed by wild lavenders, aroma of flowering Sal trees, a quietness overpowered by symphonies of millions of living beings, solitude of unimaginable proportion - are just a few to name. I have found them immensely soulful, perfect for an emotional and mental recoup - A regeneration that lingers on forever! It's a magical concoction made by nature to soothe all our senses. Yes! Your life is "incomplete" if have not seen a jungle because it is something that cannot be simulated and experienced from writings, commentaries, photographs and videos. These must be seen, experienced, and savored as warmth of a campfire cannot be encoded in words. Same is true for a night-out under a star studded sky with crickets singing aloud. For culinary temptations, I bet if you could find a better place to experience survival more minimally with food being cooked on an earthen oven imparting subtle shades of smokiness.

If you have been longing for any such outing or toying with faintest of such an idea, now is the time to make it happen. Here a few words of caution and advice are highly called for, as there are many pitfalls. It must be understood and remembered, by fastening a knot, that "Experiencing nature and sighting animals are two entirely independent events" as many may lure you to prospects of sighting a charismatic tiger. There is no doubt about majestic aura of the king of jungle but others are no less impressive. This syndrome has severely infected tourists resulting in over-crowding at famous parks, and silence at other sanctuaries with equally rich flora and fauna.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages