IN THE GREEN, GREEN JUNGLE...

Being terrified of encounters with wild Elephants, my fears doubled when Anand, the young care-taker of the house narrated of their frequent visits to the house. He continued saying that the previous night the Elephants had ransacked the servants quarters at the back and took us around and showed the demolished part of the wall. "Even the main door was opened, may be by a naughty little one", he laughed!
( Eventually, we found out that he was not only a good house- keeper, but an excellent cook and we thoroughly enjoyed every meal he had prepared there.)

I told myself that this was a perfect welcome for a frightened soul like mine and walked into the spacious indoors with a prayer in my heart and switched on the battery operated lights , (oh, there's n't electricity in the building, water is brought in a tanker-trailer to the house) I was aghast when my husband Venky went checking the corners of the room muttering, "  Just a precaution, as Snakes prefer the warmth of the indoors, specially during the cold season, "! 

I started to wonder whether I had made a mistake in coming over here for a holiday! We did have some excitement that night when Venky woke up our friends Indu and Ram saying there was an Elephant herd by the side of the house, and it turned out to be a hoax call,  the dark shadows of the over grown shrubs , moving in the night breeze giving those images! The forest by night with their shapes and silhouettes could play various games giving way to one's imagination and fears.

Yet, his visions were not entirely imaginery as the morning proved to show us - the entire place was a favorite feeding ground for the herds of Elephants. They were all around the place, unmindful of humans around, concentrating on their feasting. It was only when they were so close to the mud road that we had the jittery feeling as we had to cross their way many times, up and down the hill to Topslip. Frightful it was, we did have the unique opportunity of seeing them at such close quarters.


The morning rays brought in the chirps of the birds, tranfroming the place to a grand musical stage with their numerous bird calls. The Wood Peckers, Lorikeets, Drongos, Kingfishers, Tree Pies, Bee eaters, Barbets, Bulbuls, Mynas, Babblers and many more birds were flying across, welcoming a fresh new day. Baby, our efficient tribal guide directed us to the Ficus tree in fruiting season and we spotted the GPH, the Great Pied Hornbill there. A pair of them were there, moving from branch to branch, feasting on the ripe figs with their enormous casked bills and as they moved we could hear the rustling sound of their wings. These huge birds, almost 4 ft in width as their wings are spread, are a beauty to be watched - Infact, we spent a few hours there, clicking away our cameras and Ram exulted saying, his entire trip was made by this single sighting.

As dusk settled on the forest, so did the birds and as if on competition, the Crickets started their rhythm and it was a constant high pitched sound that one has to get used to. There were the night jars and owls that occasionally joined them.  We pulled the chairs to the wide 'veranda'  and sat outside as the entire place was bathed in silvery light of the full moon that night. Dinner was set with candle lights and it was the perfect romantic setting that I could think of.  Being there I realized, within 24 hours I had had a total somersault of emotions, anxieties and fears giving way to anticipation, joy and total excitement.

The Elephant ride inside the forest was another eye-opener to us; Sitting on Vijay Lakshmi, our gentle female Elephant, we were thrilled sighting the Bisons, Deer, Nilgiri Langur in their natural habitat. As the Elephant moved inside, to the core jungle area, we saw the entire forest in its Emerald glory- hoisted on a higher level, above the pale green thickets and brownish green tall reeds, against the velvety green patches of fresh leaves and bottle green foliages, the forest was alive in its pristine beauty. It was then we realized, that the joy of the visits to the forest is not in just sighting the Tiger or any other wild animal alone, but in experiencing the various moods and depth of the jungle itself -  the beauty of the forest lies in its various songs and its silences, its many colors and their combinations, in its variety and its singular beauty, we felt.  This also made us feel that we have to seriously be a part of its preservation, not just for them, but selfishly, for our own future.

Watching many birds that are unique to these Western Ghat Ranges, treks to the near by waterfalls and to Erumai Parai, early morning walks to the fig tree looking for bears around,  jeep rides to the adjustant Kerala forest, fish curry meals at Parambikulam( the fresh water fish tasted almost sweet and the memory still lingers... ), watching the numerous deer at quiet rest or the  fat wild boars digging away the wet muddy earth for juicy roots..... one could go on; But it was time for us to leave and as we were leaving the guest house, all four of us were sure of one thing - that we would come again;  to the same place , to its magical beauty, to its eerie silhouettes and electrifying adventures - crazy as we might sound, with none of the modern age, high tech gadgets around, not even the normal comfort of a tourist lodge, to be one with these birds and animals,  we were already looking forward to our next visit! 

As we climbed down to the plains, the thatched village  houses were lit outside with earthern lamps for Karthigai festival; the simplicity and authenticity of their lives warmed our hearts as we sped towards our modern hectic lives, towards our Metropolitan City, Chennai!

Written by Princess Naik, Chennai. Last visited, November 2007.

How To Reach TopSlip Forest

By Air or Train or Road- Chennai to Coimbatore, around 600 kms.

From Coimbatore only by road - two hours drive , about 90 kms, via Pollachi.

Accommodation Rs.2000- two rooms( water,food, cooking charges extra.)

The best time to visit - Sep to March. Not in summer!
Photos sent on email to this id.