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THRILLING MOMENTS Spotting a tiger or an eagle on a barren tree are some of the highlights of the trip at Baghvan Resort

“Have you heard the song ‘Sounds of Silence’” he asked us.

I nodded wondering what connection Simon and Garfunkel had with the Sal trees and grasslands that surrounded us.

“Listen to the Sounds of Silence”, Kunwar said with a magnanimous sweep of his hand, presenting to us the jungles of the Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

I listened hard and slowly like a ship coming into sight from the mists of the high seas, I heard an eagle crying and looked up to see a speck in the blue sky above.

The wind changed direction and riding on it came the call of a racket-tailed Drongo, elsewhere a red-wattled lapwing seemed to be asking “did-you-do-it”.

Listening even harder we heard the tapping of a woodpecker building a home.

A shadow flitted across our vehicle and we caught a glimpse of a Greater Adjutant Stork, its wings spread wide to give it last minute buoyancy before it gracefully touched down. Up ahead, two chittals were alternating between grazing and giving us furtive glances, their spotted coats shining in the early morning sun.

From his high rise in the jungle, a langur gave a short bark like cough, much like a teenage boy after his first clandestine drag of a cigarette. And, Kunwar Singh jumped as if he had been mildly stung by one of the huge bees hovering around the Mahua tree,

“Tiger”.

The jungle seemed to go still. The simian had spotted the striped cat on the move and all beings in the jungle ensured that their paths didn’t cross with that of the largest predator of the Indian jungles.

Kunwar Singh, a naturalist attached to the Baghvan Resort, enhanced our jungle experience. His years of experience at jungle craft and his gentle coaxing to observe and take delight in the wonderful surroundings helped us to digress from the single-minded determination of seeing a tiger.

He encouraged us to look at birds through his binoculars and as we gazed at the different hues of blue that dress the Indian roller and the wide and mesmerising eyes of a shy owlet, he would explain the function behind the form.

We did see a tiger, from the back of an elephant, and it was a magnificent sight, but it was just a small spike in the graph of our jungle experience. That’s because Kunwar Singh’s commentary and vivid sightings of birds, trees and jungle lore had raised the excitement to a higher notch.

And thanks to Taj’s Baghvan Resort, the excitement doesn’t end there. The resort is designed like a jungle safari camp with splendid luxury inside. Inspired by the game reserve resorts in Africa, at Baghvan you’ll find open air showers and high machans that can be used for a romantic sleep out at tree top level.

Sharing a boundary with the Pench National Park means that you’ll be serenaded by nightjars and will stop mid sentence when you hear the sharp alarm call of a chital stag. You’ll also be spoilt rotten by the chef’s culinary craft and the staff’s unobtrusive service.

Like Kunwar Singh, other naturalists at the resort have been trained to bring to the guest the entire jungle experience and help them take delight in the varied flora and fauna that Pench National Park is blessed with.

For more information visit www.tajsafaris.com/our_lodges/baghvan/default.php

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