Thirty3

stepping Thirty3 this Nov'21 was rather uniq. Getting wiser by yet another year, more prominent are those wrinkled lines of skin around the eyes and on the forehead, longer and grayer tufts drooping around the shirt's collar and back of my neck. Well these are adding character to my outlook.
unlike anyother year was I flooded with so many wishes. There would be a purpose for braving me with so many wishes this year, only time will reveal. Does it mean that I need to be getting busy preparing for time that is awaiting me to take me by a surprise ?? Recollecting few really good eventful incidents makes me excited and at the same time leaves me jinxed.
Yet another year has whizzed by and still 'i still haven't understood or found the purpose and meaning of life & existence'

close shaves

After many a negotiations to go or not to go. Finally 12 of us hit the road on 3 cars early morning on Nov-1st towards Bandipur-Madhumalai. I shared the rear seat on the Alto with all the camera equipments. It was around 12:40 in noon all the three cars rolled very slowly across the woods of Bandipur-Madhumalai. Everyone excited to spot wildlife & shoot it down ( on the cam ). All the cars well connected with walkie-talkies & keeping distance from each car. My hopes high on spotting wild elephants. As the car rolled across I stuck out my 300mm lens out of the car window ready to press the trigger at any small action on the wild.
There was fear down deep inside me as I was recollecting the gory sequences of elephant attacks on humans in India that was aired on NGC few days back on TV. Fear faded down after picturing the playful monkeys and spotted deer along the way. From the first car leading the way my friend with an obscured tone spoke on the walkie-talkie all I could hear was "elephants........ charge......". All I could imagine was that these guys were lucky to capture a charging elephant. Excited our Alto sped towards the first car. As we approached this car fled from scene, we never knew why they fled away from the scene. On the right side of the road just about 200 meters were 2 female wild elephants & a baby elephant. They were very much busy grazing & lost in their own world. I took few shots of it. There were people on bike stopped by and seeing the action. And all a sudden one of the female elephant charges them & chases away & all we did at that moment was fled the scene as it was vulerable to attacks.
The picture now started to become clear now when we overtook the car & stopped then to find that one of my friend in that car was bleeding on the elbow and knees and bruses on his cheek. The other had a torn shrit. Yes the unexpected had happened they were charged by this elephant when they were trying to photograph it ( watch the video below ). In the panic when they were running for life they tripped and fell. Lucky were they that the elephant backed out from the charge. Cameras that they carried were damaged but the precious life was out of danger. The lesson "Never get off your car when ur in the jungle".
On the way back around noon 1:45 we drove towards Gopalswamy Betta yet another elephant haunt. Apart from me, seena & naveen the others were apprehensive on venturing out into the open grasslands behind the temple. The sky was blue with scattered white clouds & weather was perfect. The scenery was picture perfect. With seena & naveen behind me I walked out in to the grassland towards the cliff to take a picture. I took many perfect pics there near the cliff & took the last pic. As the last pic was clicked I continued to peer into the viewfinder again to find a blank scene there. As I lowered the camera from my left hand to my horrifying nightmare I was surrounded by 1000s & 1000s & 1000s bees everywhere & the deafening humm of the bees. I immediately ducked down close to the ground and started to head towards the temple for safety and shouted to seena & naveen "Bees... run..... ". Suddenly I remembered dilip's wife who was stung by bees last year and had a painful recovery. As it was a open grassland with no shelter around and 300 meters to the temple I lost all hopes and felt this is it... there is no escape now I will be stung to death by the bees & ran towards the temple behind me. Just as I jumped across the 1 feet low compound of the temple the bees were gone... there was perfect silence and no bees.
I'm lucky to be posting this blog today. This has been the 3rd closest shave in a span of one year.

The pictures...


Masinagudi,Ooty,GSM Betta - Nov-1-3-2007


The chase video...


Chased by elephant, too close to be comfortable ( credits: Anil )