I am turning away from Travelogues to another subject. I know it is getting a bit free wheeling, but one has to accept it I suppose.
As a generation we have heard the Geet Ramayan right from its original broadcast by AIR Pune, and followed it up right through several Sudheer Phadke concerts, and now by his son Shridhar Phadke.
As a student and lover of Hindustani classical music, the first thing that strikes you as you listen to the songs in Geet Ramayan, is the liberal use of classical music.
Very consciously, and in a very purist manner, Sudheer Phadke has used several Raagas as he went over the epic.
Out of the 56 songs, I found some 17 songs, based clearly on some Raag .
There must be more, and I would like to have your contributions towards addition to the list, or corrections to my interpretations.
Starting with Shuddha Kalyan for the opening song, he continues over many Raagas, before ending with the Bhairavi in the last song.
The beauty of the usage is endless. So pure is the usage at times, that it is best to introduce a student to a new Raag by using the songs here.
Following is the list at this stage.
1] Kush Lav Ramayan gati: Shuddha Kalyan
8] Jyeshtha tujha putra mala: Basant
10] Chala raghava chala: Pooriya
16] Raamavin rajyapadi kon baisato: Bahar
17] Nirop kasala majha gheta: Madhuvanti
18] Thamb Sumanta thambav re rath: Todi
21] Bolale eetuke maj ShriRam: Chandra kauns
25] Paradheen Aahe jagati putra maanavacha: Yaman
26] Maagane he ek Rama Aapulya dya paduka: Pooriya Kalyan
35] Sanmitra Raghavancha Sugreev aaj jhala: Saarang
36] Mee dharmache kele Paalan: Kedar
37] Aasa ha ekach shri Hanuman: Multani
39] Nako karoos valgana Raavana nishachara: Shankara
44] Sugreeva he dhadas kasale: Malkauns
50] Leenate charute Seete:
55] Maj sang Lakshmana jaau kuthe: Jogiya
56] Ga baalano Shri Ramayan: Bhairavi.
Note: The numbers given above are song numbers in the book.
It is difficult to name the best of these, but my personal vote would go to the marvelous Chandra kauns in'' Bolale eetuke maj Shri Ram''.
Or the Todi in '' Thamb Sumanta thambav re rath'.
I would very much like your feedback before writing more on other songs
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Masai Mara
SLEEPING IN THE WILD: A JOURNEY INTO MASAI MARA
Over the past six years, I have had opportunities to visit some of the world’s best wildlife reserves located in Kenya and Tanzania. This year, I visited a camp called Kichwa Tembo in the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya. It afforded me close encounters with many animals that are revered in our imagination. I invite readers to share my experience through this travelogue.
Masai Mara is the largest and perhaps the most well known wildlife reserve in Kenya. Kichwa Tembo, which translates into ‘elephant’s head’ in Swahili, is essentially a tent camp. Situated right in the middle of the reserve, it is fenced off from the wild animals, which roam free around it. The word ‘tent’ could be slightly misleading here, since although the structures we stay in are technically tents, they are comfortably equipped with amenities like beds and showers. The tents are built over a concrete platform to prevent reptiles from sneaking in during the night. There are only flaps to enter the tent, and obviously no locks. With the large distance between adjacent tents, each person is given a great deal of privacy. The food and drinks are excellent, although of course, there is no room service here!
I arrived on the first morning at the Masai Mara airstrip; to which there are daily scheduled flights from Nairobi. At the airstrip we were formed into groups of four to six, and each loaded on to Land Rovers. Our driver’s name was Michael and he was to be with us for the next 48 hours. The vehicles were totally open, with only canvas covers for rain protection that was normally kept rolled up. We were told that all camera angles were thus available and animals could come so close that you could touch them! We shivered in excitement at the thought. When we arrived at the camp, I found that I was assigned the last tent in the camp. From my tent’s verandah, there was a tremendous view of the sloping valley. The first thing that hit me was the deafening silence, only the birdcalls and humming of insects. That first night I could not sleep too well, thinking of all the possible animals which might be within feeding distance!
DAY 1
As we set off on our first afternoon game drive, we found the landscape changing slowly past the camp’s fence. Masai Mara (and for that matter Serengiti in Tanzania) consists of miles and miles of flat grassland dotted with small [thorn] trees and a mountain range on the western side. The river Mara flows diagonally across the reserve from Northeast to Southwest. To the south is the Tanzanian border and beyond it the Serengeti reserve. The Mara River is not very wide, but has plenty of water flowing in it, especially after the heavy rains. As a result, high steep banks frequently occur on both sides of the river.
The first animals we saw on our way out were a herd of Thompson’s gazelle. There were many females and a couple of male antelopes with their great horns. The gazelles stood stationary for a while then resumed grazing unconcerned, till the start of the Landrover engine startled them into motion-- and then what a sight it was! In full flight, with their individual leaps sometimes stretching to 20 feet across, the whole herd was poetry in motion.
We then drove towards the Mara River in the hope of seeing hippos and crocodiles. However, as we reached the bank of the river, the skies darkened ominously and Michael announced that we were in for a devil of a thunderstorm. Hurriedly he pulled the canvas covers down and gave us each a raincoat. Then the sky opened up and it started pouring, really pouring. There was only the roar of the rain and with the darkness all around, we could hardly see a thing. Michael continued driving anyway. We all wondered whether he knew where he was going. The Landrover, as its ad says, makes its own roads, and we found ourselves proceeding with a great deal of twisting, turning and sounds of hitting boulders. There was so much water entering the vehicle that we came to realize why raincoats had been handed to us inside the jeep. Suddenly we stopped, and Michael pointed out a group of wild buffaloes, fully drenched in the rain, but grazing on anyway. These were only a bachelor group, consisting of a few males, away from the main herd. We drove on, and we soon began to make out some zebras and some kudu, a species of antelope. The kudu were much larger than the Thomson’s gazelles, and not as fast and graceful, but still an impressive species. One male stood looking at us, magnificent with crooked horns, taking a belligerent view of any sign of intrusion. Chastened, we drove on.
The rain was now clearing and Michael began driving jauntily and with inspiration. Soon luck was with us, for he drove straight towards a huge herd of wild buffaloes. There were not less than 500 animals there, and certainly the largest ones I have seen. Numerous cows, calves of various ages and quite a few bulls stood together. The bulls were huge animals, which, we were told, are liable to charge without hesitation if provoked. Michael drove the vehicle right in the middle of the herd and there were buffaloes all around us, huge black masses, fortunately grazing very peacefully. And suddenly we noticed an even more stunning sight: a huge Rhino, resting just by the side of the buffalo herd! All our cameras were focussed and whirring now. The Rhino lumbered up with some difficulty and faced away, allowing us more pictures of the huge bulk and the great horns for which the gentle animal is endlessly poached all over Africa and Asia. We stayed with the Rhino for some time and then reluctantly turned back, as it was now getting dark.
There was more luck on our way back, as excited radio chatter between Michael and the other drivers resulted in a U turn and we quickly headed towards a grass bank. There, we had our first look at the African lion; we found two lionesses, relaxing after a meal! They were both young and in good shape, 4 years old, perhaps sisters. All wild animals in these reserves are accustomed to the landrovers with the people inside and sometimes appear bored with the attention they get. These two eyed us only briefly and went about with their rest, flicking their tails occasionally and giving us a lazy look.
On our way back again, we ran into another piece of luck: a big male lion, sitting very close to the Landrover’s path in the brown grass, perfectly camouflaged! This one was giving vent to his feelings, for some reason. As we watched, he gave out a first loud roar, and then roared continuously for almost 5 minutes. A lion’s roar at such close quarters has to be heard to be believed. There is such force in the roar that a large area in front of the lion’s jaws is full of bubbles and vapor. This lion had a magnificent black mane and was in the very prime of his life. He finally stood up and went away, presumably in search of whomever he was trying to call. It was a tremendous photo opportunity, especially for those with video cameras.
We sped back to the camp after that for a much-needed hot shower and a sundowner, in my case a stiff whisky. Both the bar and the large dining room were semi open, with a lovely view of the lush green lawn and large baobab and acacia trees. No travelogue of the Kenyan safari is complete without talking about the food. The food in such upmarket camps is not Kenyan by a long distance, but the flavors are distinctive. Here at the camp, apart from the usual fare, the main course was prepared in front of you to your liking. For lunch, the chef, who was tall and stocky with a deep and melodious voice, had a big wok in front of him in which he tossed the ingredients. He used marinated boneless chicken pieces, of a liberal quantity, unless you stopped him well in time. Several vegetables including onions and bell peppers were used as per choice. Once they were sautéed over high heat, some flat noodles were added and to top it all, the chef’s special sauce, which looked like green chutney. The final effect was fantastic- colorful, spicy and deeply satisfying.
DAY 2
We were to be ready at 6.30 am the next day for the first morning drive, the best time of the day to watch wildlife. Tea was served not with a customary knock, but with a rustle of tent zips. When we reached the vehicles, it was beautiful outside, just before dawn, with the chirping of birds, misty and cold. Sweaters and jackets were part of the standard equipment that day. To the uninformed, the climate in Kenya appears a huge anomaly. Every one expects burning sun, sweat and humidity. But if you visit Kenya between July and August, the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere, you are greeted with a maximum temperature of 25 C and minimum going anywhere down to 12 C, and even lower in the game reserves! There is even snow on the equator, on the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. All the same, the sun at midday is deceptively mild and one is advised never to venture out at noon without a hat. But the night is another story, and it certainly did get very cold in the tent at night.
Anyway, off we ventured on our second morning, with the sun not yet out and it being too dark to see clearly. The first animals we saw were zebras and wildebeest ,which is also called ‘gnu’ by the Kenyans, which is onomatopoeic for the occasional sound made by these animals. The zebras and the wildebeest are present in thousands at a time, in their herds. They often move together, eating the same type of grass. Interestingly, different kinds of grasses on the Masai Mara serve as habitats for different animals. There is the short green grass, where you find the smaller antelope; medium height green or brown grass, which is eaten by warthogs, bigger antelope, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, and rhino; and the tallest grass where you find the big guys: giraffes and elephants. The carnivores, lions and leopards hide in brown grass, perfectly camouflaged by its color. In the lean time of droughts, of course, the animals are everywhere-- all except the poor giraffe, which cannot bend too much and has to use the taller bushes and trees.
The wildebeest and the zebras of the Mara perform a ritual annually, what is perhaps the biggest spectacle of the wild world. Hundreds of thousands of these animals graze in the first part of the year on the plains of Serengeti down south. As the grass there gets depleted around spring, they make a crossing of the river Mara to enter Masai Mara. I have witnessed this migration in the past. Thousands in a single herd line up behind the leader, who selects a spot for crossing, sometimes not making a wise decision.
After some hesitation, the leader jumps in the river and behind him the whole multitude starts jumping and crossing the river. This is not easy and predators are waiting, first before the river in the form of ambushing lions, and then big crocodiles by the river bank. The young and the injured fall easy prey to crocodiles. At last, they cross over towards Masai Mara and to grass which is hopefully greener on the other side.
In one gruesome crossing, which I had earlier witnessed, the riverbank was so high that several animals broke their necks. Such was the magnitude of the tragedy that day, as we watched from a riverbank downstream, bodies of these animals flowed in large numbers in the river, and even the crocodiles after such a feast, ignored the animals flowing by. Such is the law of the wild I suppose; one death provides life to others.
After watching the huge herds of zebras for some time, we moved on and were delighted to meet a large herd of elephants feeding among some grass. There was a rainwater chute and all the elephants were delighting themselves by rolling in the shallow water and getting some mud on their backs. The small calves were at the forefront of this play. Occasionally, older females would push out the calves with their trunks, as if to say, “that’s enough now,” and take their place themselves. This herd had some very big animals with long tusks-- incidentally, both males and females of the African elephant species grow tusks, unlike their Asian counterpart. Here too, the elephants were at peace even with humans watching. We could not venture too close though, as we were told that some elephants might take umbrage and launch into a dummy charge.
Michael had planned a picnic breakfast this morning. So, we headed towards the Mara riverbank, a carefully chosen area not frequented by carnivores. On the bank of the river, blankets were spread out; breakfast boxes and hot tea handed out. It was a very pleasant experience, with the sound of the river flowing in the background. As we ate, a herd of giraffes emerged from behind the trees. These tall animals may look ungainly, but can run very fast when the need arises. This was a herd of some 12 animals and all very spotted and very tall. The river in front of us had several hippos, but only their nostrils and eyes were visible above the water. Every once in a while, a big hippo would raise his massive face and open his jaws to yawn, showing his huge molars. Hippos generally spend much of their time underwater, feeding at the river bottom. In the cooler hours of the dark, they come out and graze on the riverbank. A hippo on land is huge beyond imagination and ungainly too. The local people usually give the hippo a wide berth, since it has a reputation of being short-tempered and aggressive. There were crocodiles too, sunning themselves on the rocks. Huge animals, apparently lazy, but which could move like lightning when a prey approaches. We all fed ourselves happily.
Breakfast over, we moved on. Now we spotted some rare animals: first a pair of small bat-eared foxes. These timid animals live in boroughs in the small grass and prey on small mammals. We then found some silver-backed jackals, which although small, are enterprising scavengers as well as hunters in their own right, even of small deer. Next we saw a pair of waterbucks, the largest of the African antelope. The male had magnificent horns and stood as tall as horse, and the female was nearby too, slightly shorter, lighter in coloring. These antelopes are seen in the dense grass of medium height and as the name suggests, close to the water.
Michael planned a visit to a Masai village not far from the camp gates, that day. There are a number of such villages are dotted around the Mara reserve: after all, this is their land. Masai are traditionally cattle raisers, but also a fierce warrior community. In Masai Mara, they have villages scattered all over, which typically house 10 to 15 families each. Here they raise cattle, goats and chicken, and also make earnings from tourist visits. This village had two brothers who knew English, and it had a primary school nearby. They charge $10 for each visitor and use this money for education and other welfare activities. The village was circular, with all huts facing inwards. In the central open area, there was a cattle pen. In addition, the village was fenced from the outside by thorn bushes to keep the wild animals out. As we walked in through the small opening in the fence, the brothers explained their way of living. The women of the village gathered in the center of the circle and sang a welcome song, jumping and twirling feathers in their hands. They wore ceremonial finery of colorful beads and feathers. As the song was completed, we were invited to take a picture with them. Then a tour of the huts, which are of a low height, with earthen floors. The Masai’s staple food is maize in form of cakes, accompanied by vegetable or meat stew. They are a tall and lean people, but very muscular. Miles of walking over difficult terrain over the generations has produced world-class middle distance runners in Kenya. The Masai dance is truly spectacular: a major part of the dance consists of high standing jumps, which each dancer executes with all his robes and ceremonial finery. The songs that accompany sound like gentle murmurs, which grow slowly in volume as the dance progresses. Our visit ended with a look at the souvenirs of the Masai art, clothes, hats, weapons, musical instruments and so on. Though a useful insight into their way of living, this particular visit was obviously tourist-oriented. People like us do not get to witness many rituals of the Masai, such as the test of manhood which involves, I hear, the killing of a black mained lion with a spear.
DAY 3
The next morning, we were up early again, and all set at 6, for our last game drive. As we reached the park gates, the skies were just brightening. Michael drove slowly; there was still dew on the grass on the roadside. We saw a herd of buffaloes grazing placidly. Soon the color of the sky started changing rapidly. Michael stopped the vehicle, and we all watched the glorious sight of the sun coming out behind the hills. There was a single acacia tree on the horizon and it made a picture postcard scene. It took all of us a while to get over the beauty of this sunrise.
Soon we saw three ostriches in the field. As Michael drove us close, we found that the male was black, with a red neck and over 6 feet tall! And pretty ugly tempered, we were told. We did get too close, for he started running away-- but that too was a sight. These huge birds can run really fast. Two females, slightly smaller, gray in color, also started running.
Michael now took us to a very distant area of the park. This one had fresh carpet of very green grass, almost like a huge manicured lawn. With the mountain range close on the west, and gentle sunshine on the grass, the scene looked unreal, like a dream sequence in a movie.
Herds of zebras and wildebeest crossed us, as usual in huge numbers. We saw several new varieties of the antelope, and a small herd of Kudu happily gamboling in the grass: each jumping straight up as high as it can, as a happy morning activity.
They did not let us come in too close for a picture though. We also saw a lone spotted hyena, waiting for a scavenging opportunity. It reminded me of the time I saw two lionesses on a kill, surrounded by 10 or 12 hyenas, with the hyenas so persistent in nagging the lions, that the lionesses finally abandoned the kill for the hyenas, in exasperation.
Just as we headed back to the more familiar brown grass, what should we see but a lioness guarding a kill near a tree? This lioness was nervous and did not take too kindly to our presence close by. Something in her manner made Michael declare “let us go somewhere else.”
The sight of a magnificent lion sitting on a small hillock rewarded us almost immediately. Inside our vehicle, there were gushes of admiration as the king of the savanna sat unperturbed and enjoyed the sunshine. Strong, in perfect health, black mane blowing in the gentle breeze and with not a care in the world, he seemed a perfect example of someone at the top of the food chain. As we enjoyed the sight, some of us suddenly started chattering loudly, and I noticed yet another superb lion joining him! ‘His brother’, whispered Michael. The first lion came down from the mound, stretched himself, and proceeded to walk away and luckily for us, towards our vehicle! He was soon at a distance of less than 10 feet from our vehicle, and practically rubbing against the side of another vehicle by our side. The occupants were speechless with excitement, and the only sound was the whirring of the cameras. After what seemed ages, both lions disappeared in the bushes.
A little distance away, another unusual sight! We saw a lioness in high grass, carrying her kill up the hill. We decide to follow her. The kill was a half-eaten wildebeest and it was a tough job for the lioness to carry it uphill. She paused to rest every few yards. We intently watched the bushes near the top of the hill to ascertain the recipient of the feast. Finally there came a rustle in the grass and one grown-up cub sidled up to eat. A moment later another cub joined in. Why the lioness took so much trouble to carry the food to the cubs that appeared quite capable of going down to join the feast was a mystery. Even all-knowing Michael knew no answer for this.
So far in this trip, only the cheetah had eluded us. Michael now made up for the lapse. A quick ride to the open grassland led us to a cheetah sitting on a grass mound in the classic hunter’s pose: on its hind legs and tail twitching. As we get closer, she took no notice of us, but continued to look intently at a herd of impalas, about a mile away. She seemed to search for signs of a young impala or an injured one as a possible prey. From time to time she looked behind her, and then Michael whispered, ‘There is the other one’! The cheetah’s grown cub was so well hidden in the grass that we found it difficult to spot it at first. Suddenly the large cheetah tensed its body. As we watched in excitement, she took off. We now knew why this beautiful species is called the fastest land animal: we only saw a blur as she whizzed past us! The next thing we saw was the whole herd of impala taking off. A little later we saw dust going up and the cheetah hanging on to an impala as it fell down to earth. The rest of the herd stopped and watched. Now the cub started on a trot to join his mother to share the meal.
The cheetahs must eat fast; as otherwise, other predators --stronger ones like the lions, or more numerous ones like the hyena-- would hijack their kill.
Time was getting on and much as we would have like to stay on, Michael introduced a practical note by reminding us that our flight back left in two hours. Reluctantly we headed back. On the way back, we saw more antelope, buffaloes, warthog families and of course the ever present herds of zebras and the wildebeest. The sun was still gentle and the air was still cool. As the sunshine fell on grass plains, it was a wonderful picture of the savanna that bade us farewell.
We packed somberly and said fond farewells to Michael and all other staff at the Kichwa Tembo. As our small plane took off from the airstrip, we could see the Mara River winding its way across the land, sun’s rays strong over the plains, and the herds grazing without a care in the world. I resolved to come back yet again some day to feel the wind on my face, while I roam the plains of Masai Mara.
Over the past six years, I have had opportunities to visit some of the world’s best wildlife reserves located in Kenya and Tanzania. This year, I visited a camp called Kichwa Tembo in the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya. It afforded me close encounters with many animals that are revered in our imagination. I invite readers to share my experience through this travelogue.
Masai Mara is the largest and perhaps the most well known wildlife reserve in Kenya. Kichwa Tembo, which translates into ‘elephant’s head’ in Swahili, is essentially a tent camp. Situated right in the middle of the reserve, it is fenced off from the wild animals, which roam free around it. The word ‘tent’ could be slightly misleading here, since although the structures we stay in are technically tents, they are comfortably equipped with amenities like beds and showers. The tents are built over a concrete platform to prevent reptiles from sneaking in during the night. There are only flaps to enter the tent, and obviously no locks. With the large distance between adjacent tents, each person is given a great deal of privacy. The food and drinks are excellent, although of course, there is no room service here!
I arrived on the first morning at the Masai Mara airstrip; to which there are daily scheduled flights from Nairobi. At the airstrip we were formed into groups of four to six, and each loaded on to Land Rovers. Our driver’s name was Michael and he was to be with us for the next 48 hours. The vehicles were totally open, with only canvas covers for rain protection that was normally kept rolled up. We were told that all camera angles were thus available and animals could come so close that you could touch them! We shivered in excitement at the thought. When we arrived at the camp, I found that I was assigned the last tent in the camp. From my tent’s verandah, there was a tremendous view of the sloping valley. The first thing that hit me was the deafening silence, only the birdcalls and humming of insects. That first night I could not sleep too well, thinking of all the possible animals which might be within feeding distance!
DAY 1
As we set off on our first afternoon game drive, we found the landscape changing slowly past the camp’s fence. Masai Mara (and for that matter Serengiti in Tanzania) consists of miles and miles of flat grassland dotted with small [thorn] trees and a mountain range on the western side. The river Mara flows diagonally across the reserve from Northeast to Southwest. To the south is the Tanzanian border and beyond it the Serengeti reserve. The Mara River is not very wide, but has plenty of water flowing in it, especially after the heavy rains. As a result, high steep banks frequently occur on both sides of the river.
The first animals we saw on our way out were a herd of Thompson’s gazelle. There were many females and a couple of male antelopes with their great horns. The gazelles stood stationary for a while then resumed grazing unconcerned, till the start of the Landrover engine startled them into motion-- and then what a sight it was! In full flight, with their individual leaps sometimes stretching to 20 feet across, the whole herd was poetry in motion.
We then drove towards the Mara River in the hope of seeing hippos and crocodiles. However, as we reached the bank of the river, the skies darkened ominously and Michael announced that we were in for a devil of a thunderstorm. Hurriedly he pulled the canvas covers down and gave us each a raincoat. Then the sky opened up and it started pouring, really pouring. There was only the roar of the rain and with the darkness all around, we could hardly see a thing. Michael continued driving anyway. We all wondered whether he knew where he was going. The Landrover, as its ad says, makes its own roads, and we found ourselves proceeding with a great deal of twisting, turning and sounds of hitting boulders. There was so much water entering the vehicle that we came to realize why raincoats had been handed to us inside the jeep. Suddenly we stopped, and Michael pointed out a group of wild buffaloes, fully drenched in the rain, but grazing on anyway. These were only a bachelor group, consisting of a few males, away from the main herd. We drove on, and we soon began to make out some zebras and some kudu, a species of antelope. The kudu were much larger than the Thomson’s gazelles, and not as fast and graceful, but still an impressive species. One male stood looking at us, magnificent with crooked horns, taking a belligerent view of any sign of intrusion. Chastened, we drove on.
The rain was now clearing and Michael began driving jauntily and with inspiration. Soon luck was with us, for he drove straight towards a huge herd of wild buffaloes. There were not less than 500 animals there, and certainly the largest ones I have seen. Numerous cows, calves of various ages and quite a few bulls stood together. The bulls were huge animals, which, we were told, are liable to charge without hesitation if provoked. Michael drove the vehicle right in the middle of the herd and there were buffaloes all around us, huge black masses, fortunately grazing very peacefully. And suddenly we noticed an even more stunning sight: a huge Rhino, resting just by the side of the buffalo herd! All our cameras were focussed and whirring now. The Rhino lumbered up with some difficulty and faced away, allowing us more pictures of the huge bulk and the great horns for which the gentle animal is endlessly poached all over Africa and Asia. We stayed with the Rhino for some time and then reluctantly turned back, as it was now getting dark.
There was more luck on our way back, as excited radio chatter between Michael and the other drivers resulted in a U turn and we quickly headed towards a grass bank. There, we had our first look at the African lion; we found two lionesses, relaxing after a meal! They were both young and in good shape, 4 years old, perhaps sisters. All wild animals in these reserves are accustomed to the landrovers with the people inside and sometimes appear bored with the attention they get. These two eyed us only briefly and went about with their rest, flicking their tails occasionally and giving us a lazy look.
On our way back again, we ran into another piece of luck: a big male lion, sitting very close to the Landrover’s path in the brown grass, perfectly camouflaged! This one was giving vent to his feelings, for some reason. As we watched, he gave out a first loud roar, and then roared continuously for almost 5 minutes. A lion’s roar at such close quarters has to be heard to be believed. There is such force in the roar that a large area in front of the lion’s jaws is full of bubbles and vapor. This lion had a magnificent black mane and was in the very prime of his life. He finally stood up and went away, presumably in search of whomever he was trying to call. It was a tremendous photo opportunity, especially for those with video cameras.
We sped back to the camp after that for a much-needed hot shower and a sundowner, in my case a stiff whisky. Both the bar and the large dining room were semi open, with a lovely view of the lush green lawn and large baobab and acacia trees. No travelogue of the Kenyan safari is complete without talking about the food. The food in such upmarket camps is not Kenyan by a long distance, but the flavors are distinctive. Here at the camp, apart from the usual fare, the main course was prepared in front of you to your liking. For lunch, the chef, who was tall and stocky with a deep and melodious voice, had a big wok in front of him in which he tossed the ingredients. He used marinated boneless chicken pieces, of a liberal quantity, unless you stopped him well in time. Several vegetables including onions and bell peppers were used as per choice. Once they were sautéed over high heat, some flat noodles were added and to top it all, the chef’s special sauce, which looked like green chutney. The final effect was fantastic- colorful, spicy and deeply satisfying.
DAY 2
We were to be ready at 6.30 am the next day for the first morning drive, the best time of the day to watch wildlife. Tea was served not with a customary knock, but with a rustle of tent zips. When we reached the vehicles, it was beautiful outside, just before dawn, with the chirping of birds, misty and cold. Sweaters and jackets were part of the standard equipment that day. To the uninformed, the climate in Kenya appears a huge anomaly. Every one expects burning sun, sweat and humidity. But if you visit Kenya between July and August, the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere, you are greeted with a maximum temperature of 25 C and minimum going anywhere down to 12 C, and even lower in the game reserves! There is even snow on the equator, on the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. All the same, the sun at midday is deceptively mild and one is advised never to venture out at noon without a hat. But the night is another story, and it certainly did get very cold in the tent at night.
Anyway, off we ventured on our second morning, with the sun not yet out and it being too dark to see clearly. The first animals we saw were zebras and wildebeest ,which is also called ‘gnu’ by the Kenyans, which is onomatopoeic for the occasional sound made by these animals. The zebras and the wildebeest are present in thousands at a time, in their herds. They often move together, eating the same type of grass. Interestingly, different kinds of grasses on the Masai Mara serve as habitats for different animals. There is the short green grass, where you find the smaller antelope; medium height green or brown grass, which is eaten by warthogs, bigger antelope, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, and rhino; and the tallest grass where you find the big guys: giraffes and elephants. The carnivores, lions and leopards hide in brown grass, perfectly camouflaged by its color. In the lean time of droughts, of course, the animals are everywhere-- all except the poor giraffe, which cannot bend too much and has to use the taller bushes and trees.
The wildebeest and the zebras of the Mara perform a ritual annually, what is perhaps the biggest spectacle of the wild world. Hundreds of thousands of these animals graze in the first part of the year on the plains of Serengeti down south. As the grass there gets depleted around spring, they make a crossing of the river Mara to enter Masai Mara. I have witnessed this migration in the past. Thousands in a single herd line up behind the leader, who selects a spot for crossing, sometimes not making a wise decision.
After some hesitation, the leader jumps in the river and behind him the whole multitude starts jumping and crossing the river. This is not easy and predators are waiting, first before the river in the form of ambushing lions, and then big crocodiles by the river bank. The young and the injured fall easy prey to crocodiles. At last, they cross over towards Masai Mara and to grass which is hopefully greener on the other side.
In one gruesome crossing, which I had earlier witnessed, the riverbank was so high that several animals broke their necks. Such was the magnitude of the tragedy that day, as we watched from a riverbank downstream, bodies of these animals flowed in large numbers in the river, and even the crocodiles after such a feast, ignored the animals flowing by. Such is the law of the wild I suppose; one death provides life to others.
After watching the huge herds of zebras for some time, we moved on and were delighted to meet a large herd of elephants feeding among some grass. There was a rainwater chute and all the elephants were delighting themselves by rolling in the shallow water and getting some mud on their backs. The small calves were at the forefront of this play. Occasionally, older females would push out the calves with their trunks, as if to say, “that’s enough now,” and take their place themselves. This herd had some very big animals with long tusks-- incidentally, both males and females of the African elephant species grow tusks, unlike their Asian counterpart. Here too, the elephants were at peace even with humans watching. We could not venture too close though, as we were told that some elephants might take umbrage and launch into a dummy charge.
Michael had planned a picnic breakfast this morning. So, we headed towards the Mara riverbank, a carefully chosen area not frequented by carnivores. On the bank of the river, blankets were spread out; breakfast boxes and hot tea handed out. It was a very pleasant experience, with the sound of the river flowing in the background. As we ate, a herd of giraffes emerged from behind the trees. These tall animals may look ungainly, but can run very fast when the need arises. This was a herd of some 12 animals and all very spotted and very tall. The river in front of us had several hippos, but only their nostrils and eyes were visible above the water. Every once in a while, a big hippo would raise his massive face and open his jaws to yawn, showing his huge molars. Hippos generally spend much of their time underwater, feeding at the river bottom. In the cooler hours of the dark, they come out and graze on the riverbank. A hippo on land is huge beyond imagination and ungainly too. The local people usually give the hippo a wide berth, since it has a reputation of being short-tempered and aggressive. There were crocodiles too, sunning themselves on the rocks. Huge animals, apparently lazy, but which could move like lightning when a prey approaches. We all fed ourselves happily.
Breakfast over, we moved on. Now we spotted some rare animals: first a pair of small bat-eared foxes. These timid animals live in boroughs in the small grass and prey on small mammals. We then found some silver-backed jackals, which although small, are enterprising scavengers as well as hunters in their own right, even of small deer. Next we saw a pair of waterbucks, the largest of the African antelope. The male had magnificent horns and stood as tall as horse, and the female was nearby too, slightly shorter, lighter in coloring. These antelopes are seen in the dense grass of medium height and as the name suggests, close to the water.
Michael planned a visit to a Masai village not far from the camp gates, that day. There are a number of such villages are dotted around the Mara reserve: after all, this is their land. Masai are traditionally cattle raisers, but also a fierce warrior community. In Masai Mara, they have villages scattered all over, which typically house 10 to 15 families each. Here they raise cattle, goats and chicken, and also make earnings from tourist visits. This village had two brothers who knew English, and it had a primary school nearby. They charge $10 for each visitor and use this money for education and other welfare activities. The village was circular, with all huts facing inwards. In the central open area, there was a cattle pen. In addition, the village was fenced from the outside by thorn bushes to keep the wild animals out. As we walked in through the small opening in the fence, the brothers explained their way of living. The women of the village gathered in the center of the circle and sang a welcome song, jumping and twirling feathers in their hands. They wore ceremonial finery of colorful beads and feathers. As the song was completed, we were invited to take a picture with them. Then a tour of the huts, which are of a low height, with earthen floors. The Masai’s staple food is maize in form of cakes, accompanied by vegetable or meat stew. They are a tall and lean people, but very muscular. Miles of walking over difficult terrain over the generations has produced world-class middle distance runners in Kenya. The Masai dance is truly spectacular: a major part of the dance consists of high standing jumps, which each dancer executes with all his robes and ceremonial finery. The songs that accompany sound like gentle murmurs, which grow slowly in volume as the dance progresses. Our visit ended with a look at the souvenirs of the Masai art, clothes, hats, weapons, musical instruments and so on. Though a useful insight into their way of living, this particular visit was obviously tourist-oriented. People like us do not get to witness many rituals of the Masai, such as the test of manhood which involves, I hear, the killing of a black mained lion with a spear.
DAY 3
The next morning, we were up early again, and all set at 6, for our last game drive. As we reached the park gates, the skies were just brightening. Michael drove slowly; there was still dew on the grass on the roadside. We saw a herd of buffaloes grazing placidly. Soon the color of the sky started changing rapidly. Michael stopped the vehicle, and we all watched the glorious sight of the sun coming out behind the hills. There was a single acacia tree on the horizon and it made a picture postcard scene. It took all of us a while to get over the beauty of this sunrise.
Soon we saw three ostriches in the field. As Michael drove us close, we found that the male was black, with a red neck and over 6 feet tall! And pretty ugly tempered, we were told. We did get too close, for he started running away-- but that too was a sight. These huge birds can run really fast. Two females, slightly smaller, gray in color, also started running.
Michael now took us to a very distant area of the park. This one had fresh carpet of very green grass, almost like a huge manicured lawn. With the mountain range close on the west, and gentle sunshine on the grass, the scene looked unreal, like a dream sequence in a movie.
Herds of zebras and wildebeest crossed us, as usual in huge numbers. We saw several new varieties of the antelope, and a small herd of Kudu happily gamboling in the grass: each jumping straight up as high as it can, as a happy morning activity.
They did not let us come in too close for a picture though. We also saw a lone spotted hyena, waiting for a scavenging opportunity. It reminded me of the time I saw two lionesses on a kill, surrounded by 10 or 12 hyenas, with the hyenas so persistent in nagging the lions, that the lionesses finally abandoned the kill for the hyenas, in exasperation.
Just as we headed back to the more familiar brown grass, what should we see but a lioness guarding a kill near a tree? This lioness was nervous and did not take too kindly to our presence close by. Something in her manner made Michael declare “let us go somewhere else.”
The sight of a magnificent lion sitting on a small hillock rewarded us almost immediately. Inside our vehicle, there were gushes of admiration as the king of the savanna sat unperturbed and enjoyed the sunshine. Strong, in perfect health, black mane blowing in the gentle breeze and with not a care in the world, he seemed a perfect example of someone at the top of the food chain. As we enjoyed the sight, some of us suddenly started chattering loudly, and I noticed yet another superb lion joining him! ‘His brother’, whispered Michael. The first lion came down from the mound, stretched himself, and proceeded to walk away and luckily for us, towards our vehicle! He was soon at a distance of less than 10 feet from our vehicle, and practically rubbing against the side of another vehicle by our side. The occupants were speechless with excitement, and the only sound was the whirring of the cameras. After what seemed ages, both lions disappeared in the bushes.
A little distance away, another unusual sight! We saw a lioness in high grass, carrying her kill up the hill. We decide to follow her. The kill was a half-eaten wildebeest and it was a tough job for the lioness to carry it uphill. She paused to rest every few yards. We intently watched the bushes near the top of the hill to ascertain the recipient of the feast. Finally there came a rustle in the grass and one grown-up cub sidled up to eat. A moment later another cub joined in. Why the lioness took so much trouble to carry the food to the cubs that appeared quite capable of going down to join the feast was a mystery. Even all-knowing Michael knew no answer for this.
So far in this trip, only the cheetah had eluded us. Michael now made up for the lapse. A quick ride to the open grassland led us to a cheetah sitting on a grass mound in the classic hunter’s pose: on its hind legs and tail twitching. As we get closer, she took no notice of us, but continued to look intently at a herd of impalas, about a mile away. She seemed to search for signs of a young impala or an injured one as a possible prey. From time to time she looked behind her, and then Michael whispered, ‘There is the other one’! The cheetah’s grown cub was so well hidden in the grass that we found it difficult to spot it at first. Suddenly the large cheetah tensed its body. As we watched in excitement, she took off. We now knew why this beautiful species is called the fastest land animal: we only saw a blur as she whizzed past us! The next thing we saw was the whole herd of impala taking off. A little later we saw dust going up and the cheetah hanging on to an impala as it fell down to earth. The rest of the herd stopped and watched. Now the cub started on a trot to join his mother to share the meal.
The cheetahs must eat fast; as otherwise, other predators --stronger ones like the lions, or more numerous ones like the hyena-- would hijack their kill.
Time was getting on and much as we would have like to stay on, Michael introduced a practical note by reminding us that our flight back left in two hours. Reluctantly we headed back. On the way back, we saw more antelope, buffaloes, warthog families and of course the ever present herds of zebras and the wildebeest. The sun was still gentle and the air was still cool. As the sunshine fell on grass plains, it was a wonderful picture of the savanna that bade us farewell.
We packed somberly and said fond farewells to Michael and all other staff at the Kichwa Tembo. As our small plane took off from the airstrip, we could see the Mara River winding its way across the land, sun’s rays strong over the plains, and the herds grazing without a care in the world. I resolved to come back yet again some day to feel the wind on my face, while I roam the plains of Masai Mara.
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