Come September

I have been trekking in the mountains for more than three decades now. In all these years, I have explored new and remote places with vigour and have set foot on the same path, time and again, with same level of enthusiasm. The reason? Every outing adds a new experience to my life.

It's a September morning. Today I am again on my way to a 20 kms trek to Rajmachi Fort, the place I have visited several times in the last 32 years. This time with a completely different set of people though. After walking for half an hour from Lonavala Railway Station, we enter the rough mountainous road. It takes some time to get into rhythmic walking. The rhythm sets the tone for sharing experiences of the earlier outings.

The yellow groundsel flowers had kept their promise to date with the mighty Sahyadris in the month of September. As a rule, promises are meant to be broken; these flowers provide an exception …. And they have been doing so for past several centuries. After being completely dominated by the clouds for the past two months, the Sun has started peeping out of the clouds more often than not. It has now decided to end the dominance of the clouds. It will take another month to regain its ability to change the landscape. Till then, with the support of an occasional shower, several shades of green and yellow will carpet the Sahyadris and grab the attention of nature lovers.

The Tungarli dam with green hills by its side is almost full. It provides a spectacular panorama with mountains and cliffs in the backdrop. My friend picks up a small flat stone and throws it in the reservoir at an angle ensuring that it touches and springs on the surface of the water several times before it finally sinks. Everyone in the group tries their hand at the game and enjoys. Indeed! The tantalizing beauty of  nature inspires one to do unabashedly crazy things that one did as a child ….. Bringing out once again the child in you. 

The purple coloured Karvi flowers have made a rare appearance this year to beautify the valley. The Karvi plants bloom once in eight years. One of the many wonders of nature… isn’t it ? We walk through the narrow mountain trail that passes through the bloomed plants.  With valley on the left, we pause for a moment to enjoy the colours we are surrounded with …… green leaves and grass, yellow and purple flowers, blue sky, white clouds, black rocks, brown soil, orange insects and much more. While these colours mesmerise us, the fragrance of the wild flowers and wet grass; cool breeze; and tweeting of small birds take control of our senses.

                                         

The chirping of crickets continues to irritate throughout the woody trail even during daytime. Or possibly they are irritated by our presence in their backyard….. It could be their way to communicate about the probable threat to the other insects in the vicinity.

The growth of a variety of mushroom in the jungle on the trail; the Cobra Lily plant that resembles the cobra hood; the langoors; the leopards; the giant squirrels; the reptiles; the frogs; the spiders and much more is the sign of rich bio-diversity of the region.

The crabs and frogs, after enjoying a good monsoon, have gone into hibernation. They will become active again with the first drop of rain next season. Till then it’s time to take rest and conserve energy. The Indian Harvester Ants have completed constructing their attractive circular shaped clay-walled [reminds one of a rose flower] nests. Colourful spiders sit patiently at the centre of huge cob-webs waiting for the prey. The dew drops on the fungus spread on the grass blades shine in the early morning sunlight. Since the weather-gods have closed the taps, the bigger waterfalls have lost their strength and the smaller ones have disappeared. The once roaring streams now flow silently through the rocks. They will continue to make a small contribution to the water bodies in the plains for another couple of months before they dry up completely.

The biggest stream enroute Rajmachi converts the otherwise silent gully into a happening place. There is still abundant water over here to quench the thirst of the trekkers. The big rock formations in the gorge have created huge pools of water where the aquatic life has flourished. That makes the place a good hunting ground for the kingfishers. The bird will silently sit on the branch of a tree that stretches over the pond. After selecting the prey, it will swiftly dive into the water and come out with a fish in its beak to break the fast. Some poor lone fish will pay the price for drifting away from the shoal. Different species of this colourful hunter – Small Blue Kingfisher, Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, White Breasted Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher make the valley look more beautiful.

The trail on the other side of the stream turns left and enters another mountain range. The ascending track brings you closer to the Fort. Grazing cattle and goats on the green pastures is an indication of a village nearby. Paddy fields a short distance ahead only confirm the presence of a human life. The Great Egrets have chosen the paddy fields here for their livelihood. They will feed on the insects, fish and worms in the fields and won’t mind going knee deep in the muddy waters. They only have a few more weeks to enjoy in these fields. Once the harvesting begins, they will migrate to the other water bodies in the vicinity.

The grass and the seasonal flowering shrubs that dance with gentle wind in September will fight hard for their survival from now on.  The grass will dehydrate by mid-October. The flowers will disappear from the scene. The seeds of the flowers will lie on the ground and wait patiently for the monsoon to help them drape the mountains and valleys with varied colours of flowering plants.

Till then the Sun will ruthlessly scorch this part of the world.

    [Nishad Umranikar]

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