Nature Photographs from pre-drone days

Preamble

The nature photographs I am about to share with you all have interesting and thrilling stories behind them. These nature photographs were clicked in the pre-drone era from above an abandoned forest watch-tower located in the deep jungle of Satpura Tiger Reserve Forest in Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh has some highly picturesque locations. Pachmarhi is one of the best among them .

Geology and fieldwork resulting in great Nature photographs

It was February 2010. I used to be a PhD scholar in the field of Geology. It is a field-based work. We collect various data on rock/fossil samples and further process in the laboratory. Overall, there is considerable thrill and risk involved depending on the terrain we work on. So, we usually stay quite close to nature during our work, or better put, we study an integral part of nature itself. During that tour, we had to study the rocks and fossils located in and around Pachmarhi, MP. The rocks were of pre-Jurassic period. A few locations fell inside the Satpura Tiger Reserve Forest. Forest clearance is usually required to carry out work in such areas. We got it beforehand and started our work for the whole day since morning 10 o’ clock. We had snacks/fruits in between which we usually carry.

Work amidst risk

Tigers usually roam freely in those areas. We were thrilled as well as tensed because of that. We could have come face to face with a tiger or any wild animal. A forest guard was appointed to assist us with any unforeseen problem that might arise inside the jungle. We called it a day approximately 30 mins before sunset. We stopped for some refreshments in the forest rest house. It was a beautiful place located on the banks of the Denwa river. Now, this is my favourite part of the day. Work done and time to relax now. We got freshened up a bit and went out for stroll through the campus. The caretaker prepared Tea/snacks for us . They were very polite local people from the nearby village.

The adventure

After, finishing my food, I was clicking pictures in and around the campus and of the river. I could not get a clear shot of the Denwa river as it was covered by dense foliage along the banks. The river bank was not accessible either from the rest house. It was a cliff section.

I noticed a forest watchtower just beside the staff quarters. I enquired about it with the caretaker. He informed me that forest guards used to monitor animal movements from the top. And in recent times, hardly anyone had gone up the tower. I have this weird itch to climb things worth climbing and adventurous. Time and again, I had proved since my childhood that monkeys were our ancestors (LOL). I decided to go for it and get a clear shot of the river valley. And in a matter of minutes, I was on the top. It was atleast 100- 120 feet tall. The view was breathtaking. I was like a drone myself.

Photo a. The view of Denwa river from above.

Frightening moments

Suddenly, the tower swayed back and forth slowly in response to the light breeze blowing. It was frightening and was difficult to keep myself steady at that height in a small space. I somehow managed to take out my point-and-shoot digital camera and shot a couple of pictures, not the way I had intended to. The qualities of the pictures are not that great. I suggest just have a closer look at the frame. You will feel the thrill I am sure.

No wonder it was a thrilling experience. My senior colleagues were anxious and asked me if I was alright. But, my PhD guide although anxious, was sure of me and asked the others to keep calm. She even clicked a few snaps and recorded short videos of my descent. Presently, I can still climb up with ease, given a chance. But, I think I would choose not to, or atleast get approval from the ‘home’ ministry before doing so. 😀

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