The Wild Elephants of

India & Nepal

by Ajay Jain

TRAVEL PHOTO TALKIE

S .

THE WILD ELEPHANTS of India & Nepal

Personally, elephants are one of my favourite animals.

They always have been, but they truly won my heart when they put on an unbelievable show in the Manas National Park in the north-eastern state of Assam of India. More about it later.

Elephants have always been a part of the lives of Indians going back to the time of mythologies. They have been domesticated, and deployed in battlefields. They have entertained in circuses and fairs, used for joy rides, and served as vehicles for transporting people and goods alike. They roam in the wild, and are employed by temples for ceremonies. They are shot for their ivory tusks, and revered as manifestations of Elephant God Ganesha.

Elephants make for great friends but you need to be wary of their anger and mood swings; but it sure takes a lot to provoke an elephant. They may be big, but are vegetarians and mostly gentle. Except the male tuskers - especially when they are on heat!

Join me on this elephant ride.

- AJAY JAIN

The Kunzum Travel Photo Talkies are a series of pictorial depictions of stories and themes from our travels. More of the series at http://kunzum.com/phototalkies.

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THE GAMES ELEPHANTS PLAYThis will go down as probably the best moment of all my travels. Setting out early to spot wildlife and birds at the Manas National Park in north-eastern

state of Assam in India, I came across a herd of elephants on a dirt track about 50 metres away from me. Initially they seemed just like a couple till I realized they were a full herd – and hidden in the trees and foliage around

the track. And what do I see?

They kept coming in and out of the greenery, from babies to giant male members. And all seemed in a jovial mood. They were playing together,

pushing each other into the bushes, climbing on top of the other and engaging in friendly duels. I could have watched them for hours – you rarely

see such sights.

A bit of feel good? I showed these images to one of the best known conservationists in the world – and he admitted he has never seen such sights

himself in 30 years.

Come, join the elephants in their games.

Manas National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best wildlife reserves in India. Best v i s i te d f r o m S e p te m b e r to M a r c h .

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WHEN ELEPHANTS BATHE IN MANAS NATIONAL PARKElephants love water - their bodies can do with any amount of bathing. You can imagine the size of bathtubs

required! It is fascinating to watch them being scrubbed. Here are a few shots of a pair of elephants out for a bath in the Manas National Park. They are not wild - they belong to the forest department. And hence spoiled too - they

need someone to scrub them.

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WHEN A WILD MALE TUSKER ON HEAT CREATES HAVOC IN NEPAL

If there is one elephant you have to beware of in the forest, it is the wild male tusker. He is feared by all - including other elephants. There is no one to beat this beast - he is the true king of the jungle.

He is at his moody worst during the mating season. I saw it for myself on, believe it or not, on Valentine’s Day in the Chitwan National Park in Nepal. I was staying at the famed Tiger Tops when I noticed a lot of animated excitement amongst the staff. A wild male tusker had sauntered in through the driveway, hung around the lawns for a bit and

then proceeded to the elephant stables. The staff was worried: it was mating season, and this tusker had a reputation for bad behaviour. And he seemed lonely on this day of romantics – he was out looking for a ‘female friend’ said one

of the mahouts. Looks like the wild females did not fancy him and he had to settle for a domesticated one.

I was excitedly clicking pictures, but was repeatedly warned to be careful. All attempts to ‘shoo’ him away came to naught – the fellow was teasing everyone by walking around. And then, as if drunk and without warning, he

proceeded to smash a few staff quarters. This may have been ‘orgasmic’ enough for him – he eventually walked away without a date. For his own reasons. Had he chosen to, he could have made an even bigger mess – and a dozen tame

elephants would have been no match.

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The Wild Male Tusker saunters into Tiger Tops resort in Chitwan National Park in Nepal

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Tiger Tops’ mahouts look apprehensively, not sure what the wild tusker would do

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The wild tusker in a ‘tricky’ mood

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Tiger Tops has its own tusker – larger with even bigger tusks – but he was too gentle to be a match for the wild one had they come to blows

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The ‘tame’ tusker enjoying a drink once the danger had passed

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YOUR ELEPHANTS FOR SAFARISThere is no better way to explore the jungle than on an elephant. You will be amazed with their movements - they can walk through all kinds of growth, go up and down slopes (your heart may stop but these tanks will not topple)

and walk through shallow river beds including soft mud without sinking. As they walk, they keep uprooting tall grasses to eat - letting it rip and drop from behind. Don’t fret - you will soon acquire a taste for what you hear and

smell. Just as you will get used to bobbing up and down and being thrown sideways with the swings of the elephant.

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An elephant safari in Bardia National Park in Nepal

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JOINING ELEPHANTS IN THEIR BATHROOMS IN DUBARE ELEPHANT CAMP

This may be a pet elephant facility but a visit to the Dubare Elephant Camp in Coorg in the southern Indian state of Karnataka is a must.

The camp is home to elephants of all ages, from babies to grand-daddies. At around 9, they come out of their quarters and head for the water pool for their daily bath. Be careful when they come down: some amble, but some

run. You don’t want to be in the way.

You can watch them from the sides, or step into the water and give them a scrub yourself. A good idea is to be wearing shorts; take off the shoes too

when in the water. Mind the stones below - and tread carefully lest you slip. Once in, you will feel you are in a bathroom for elephants.

What is disappointing are the chains on the elephants - guess these are important for safety reasons. After the bath, you can go feed the elephants or

take a short ride on one. But these are not as much fun as the bath.

Travel TipsYou can go there as a day visitor or as a guest at the accommodation run

by Jungle Lodges and Resorts. To have real fun, be at the camp by 9:00 a.m. - else don’t bother going. The best part is watching and giving elephants a

bath.

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While one reads the newspaper in the morning, someone else takes care of their morning jobs

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Round and round we go

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One guy’s bathtub is another one’s toilet seat. Elephants don’t know the difference between a bathtub and a toilet seat - they allow their poop to drop where they are. You can be sure you are stepping on some.

Hehe! Wash your feet with soap later.

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And I take a nice tumble

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Aaha, so this is how one climbs up an elephant

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Stay clear, this is the fire brigade. Some elephants take a leisurely bath, some play pranks. A big one decid-ed to spray water on all onlookers - mind your cameras.

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And a little one gave a chase to some kids but ran back to momma when the shrieking of the children star-tled him (or her). Wonder if the animals are trained to perform antics?

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What momma can do, I can do too!

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Babies like to play in the water too

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Where is my momma?

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ELEPHANTS ROAM FREE IN BANDIPUR NATIONAL PARKIf you are driving around the Bandipur National Park in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, don’t be surprised

to see wild elephants walking along the highways you are driving on. You are in forest country - spread across neighbouring states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. This land belonged to animals before humans decided to

disturb their habitats. These forests are full of elephants!

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Need a good stretchhhhh!

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I had been told to watch out for elephants on the highway. And I did see some small groups. The most fascinating was one caught in my headlights. I stopped and watched as she got closer, crossed the front of my car and then pressed her forehead against the front passenger seat - curious what this thing was. I am told elephants have poor night vision. She stayed like that for a bit, and went on her way again. Awesome

meeting! Wonder if a more aggressive specimen would have behaved differently? Unlikely.

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ABOUT AJAY JAINAjay Jain is a full t ime writer, journalist and photographer based in New Delhi in India. He is not l imited in his medium of expression, equally comfortable writ ing for newspapers and magazines, as well as his own books and blogs.

Starting his writ ing career in 2001, he has been covering business, technology and youth affairs before deciding to focus

wholly on travel writ ing. He pursues his passion by being on the road as much as he can.

He has written three books, the latest being Postcards from Ladakh (http://www.k u n z u m . c o m / p o s t c a r d s f r o m l a d a k h ) , a pictorial travelogue on Ladakh. His first, Let’s Connect: Using LinkedIn to Get Ahead at Work, is a management book on professional networking using

the world’s most popular professional networking site LinkedIn.com. It was published in early 2008. His other book, and his first travel book, Peep Peep Don’t Sleep (http://www.peeppeepdontsleep.com), is a collection of funny road signs and advertisements.

He has worked fo r and wr i t ten co lumns fo r na t iona l pub l i ca t ions in Ind ia inc lud ing The H indus tan Times, Min t , F inanc ia l Express , Ind ian Management (Bus iness Standard) , Out look Bus iness , Deccan Hera ld , Mumbai Mi r ro r (Times o f Ind ia ) , D iscover Ind ia , Swagat , As ian Age and Red i f f . com. He has a lso ed i ted a youth newspaper, The Campus Paper.

Pr io r to tak ing up wr i t ing , he has worked in the In fo rmat ion Techno logy and Spor ts Management sec tors . He ho lds degrees Mechanica l Eng ineer ing (De lh i Co l lege o f Eng ineer ing , 1992) , Management (Fore Schoo l o f Management , 1994) and Journa l i sm (Card i f f Un ivers i ty, UK, 2002) . H is schoo l ing was a t S t . Co lumba’s Schoo l in New De lh i .

ContactEmail: ajay@ajayjain.comMobile: +91.99100 44476

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Postcards from LadakhA Pictorial Travelogue by Ajay Jain

Postcards from Ladakh is a collection of frames - picture postcards, if you will - frozen circa 2009, when the author drove for over 10,000 kms (6,000 miles) across the remote and fascinating region of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas. Neither guidebook nor encyclopedia, it is intended to give you a flavour of this high altitude cold desert.

You will also meet a few Ladakhis in these pages. And see the land they live in, the faith they live by, the hope they live on…Each of them will spontaneously greet you with a cheerful Julley and invite you to be part of their culture and society.

No Ladakhi is a stranger. We just haven’t had the time to meet them all...

For more on the book, sample chapters and to order visitwww.kunzum.com/postcardsfromladakh

Available as a Paperback, as a PDF and for the iPad and Kindle

PEEP PEEP DON’T SLEEPA book on funny road signs and advertisements with captions

and commentary by Ajay Jain

If you thought road signs are only meant to guide and inform, think again.

The ones on Indian highways are in a zone of their own. They shower you with words of wisdom, keep your mind sharp as you unravel their cryptic messages, tickle your imagination, amuse you and entertain you. In public interest, they lend a hand to Alcoholics Anonymous. Since journeys are meant to be a pleasure, they remind you to ‘Smile Please.’

The entertainment for the traveler does not stop at this. There are the limitless public notices, outdoor advertisements and storefront signs with their own idiosyncrasies and eccentricities. Who needs comic strips in this country?

Ajay Jain drove thousands of miles to put together this collection of signs. With a bit of witty commentary thrown in, this book will be a journey unlike any other you may have undertaken. Resulting in you letting out a ‘Peep Peep’ of delight.

For more on the book, sample chapters and to order visitwww.peeppeepdontsleep.com

Available as a Paperback, as a PDF and for the iPad and Kindle

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