Travel With a Couple

“This island has to be saved for its trees, it has to be saved for its animals, it is a part of a reserve forest, it belongs to a project to save tigers, which is paid for by people from all around the world.” Everyday, sitting here, with hunger gnawing at our bellies, we would listen to these words, over and over again. Who are these people, I wondered, who love animals so much that they are willing to kill us for them? Do they know what is being done in their names? Where do they leave, these people, do they have children, do they have mothers, fathers? As I thought of these things it seemed to me that this whole world has become a place of animals, and our fault, our crime, was that we were just human beings trying to live as human beings always have, from the water and the soil. No human being could think this a crime unless they have forgotten that this is how humans have always lived – by fishing, by clearing land and by planting the soil.”

– The Hungry Tide, Amitav Ghosh

This is what came to our minds when we heard about the man-animal conflict at Nannaj. At a teashop in Nannaj village, we met two locals – Salim Ansari and Sohail – who help with the research on the ‘extent of crop destruction by blackbucks.’ According to Salim and Sohail, crop destruction by blackbucks is so extensive that many small farmers have given up cultivating their land. The only solution to this problem is erecting fences around the farm, which is not affordable by small farmers. Those who have the wherewithal to do this save their crops. The state government offers Rs 800/- per acre of damaged crop as compensation. To claim this money, farmers need to submit photographs as proof of damage and a host of documents. Still, this meager amount comes to them only after many months. The cumbersome and delayed process deters the farmers from claiming the compensation. They take the easier, but painful way of giving up farming and working as labourers in bigger farms.

Though the picture is not as worse as depicted in The Hungry Tide, the small farmers at Nannaj are getting deprived of their livelihood. Blackbucks need to be protected. Human beings need to live. What can be done? Is there an organisation that can help them build fences and restart farming? Our agriculture and allied activities growth is estimated to diminish by 2% in 2009-10 due to poor monsoons. Do we need more farmers to forego farming in this dismal scenario?

Nannaj is 25 kms from Solapur on the Solapur-Barshi road. Solapur is 405 kms from Mumbai via Pune. Nannaj bird sanctuary is a protected area and is known for the endangered Great Indian Bustard. The area has also a good number of black bucks who often grazes in the farmlands causing crop damage. A few researchers from a couple of universities have been researching on this.

The Great Indian Bustard didn’t reveal itself to us. But our birding experience at Nannaj Bird Sanctuary wasn’t disappointing. We spotted many other birds (don’t ask for names, though we went there armed with A Field Guide to the Birds of India) and as a bonus, saw two wolves chasing blackbucks.

Nannaj Bird Sanctuary, officially called as Maldhok Bird Sanctuary or GIB Bird Sanctuary, is at 25-odd km from Solapur, Maharashtra. It is home to the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and is one of the few places where it is still spotted. Nannaj was declared a bird sanctuary in 1979 to protect GIB (Maldhok in Marathi).

This vast grassland also welcomes a few migratory birds, though we didn’t spot any as it was not the season. The road from Solapur to Nannaj is bordered by grasslands for a few kilometers. We got glimpses of several birds on these tracts as well. The sanctuary has a good population of black bucks and we watched a few herds going about their daily lives.

Unlike other bird sanctuaries, you are not allowed to move around freely in the core area of Nannaj. At a 100-odd meters from the gate, there is a hut (brick-work structure) with peep holes and fitted with benches and desks for observing and capturing the life outside. You are not permitted to go beyond this hut. This space provides a perfect hiding place to observe birds and animals without disturbing their peace. There is also a watch tower near the gate.

Since we went there during Diwali, the watch tower and the hut were locked. The forest guards were not around. To our luck, we met an avid bird watcher and wildlife enthusiast, Vishal Jadhav from Pune. Being a regular visitor, he had managed to get the key to the hut from the forest department the previous day. We joined him in the hut and got a lot of information about Nannaj’s wildlife and some photography tips from him. Thanks Vishal, for your friendly gestures.

We went to the sanctuary thrice. On the last day, we spotted two wolves chasing blackbucks. We waited for some time for the drama to unfold, but had to leave as it was getting late to start our journey back to Mumbai.

The only stay option near the sanctuary is the forest rest house. It’s hard to get accommodation there as you have to get permission from Pune Forest Office. Nearest teashops and restaurants are one kilometer away in Nannaj village. If you want to spend a few hours in the sanctuary, stock up enough water and snacks. We stayed in a hotel in Solapur and drove to Nannaj thrice.

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Nannaj is 25 kms from Solapur (Maharashtra)on the Solapur-Barshi road. Solapur is 404 kms from Mumbai via Pune

Among the few books (other than a whole bunch of maps and road atlas) that we use as travel guides, there is one called ‘Offbeat tracks in Maharashtra’. Written by Milind Gunaji, a Marathi actor and photographer, this is an interesting and handy book when one wants to do the ‘non-touristy’ travel. We take tips and pointers from it and mix our own ‘de-tours’ to get some interesting variants every time.

Nandur–Madhyameshwar was one such find. Being somewhere closer to Nasik, we put this in our Nasik itinerary. Nandur–Madhyameshwar is popular only among avid birders and is known was Maharashtra’s own Bharatpur. Rightly so!

The sanctuary is named after the ancient Madhyameshwar temple. There is a dam built on the confluence of the Godavari and the Kadva rivers, and the backwaters of the reservoir forms a perfect playground for migratory birds. Storks, sandpipers, egrets & brahmani ducks we could identify. And a host of other birds, which we couldn’t name but watch and appreciate.

The main road runs parallel to the river for a few kilometres. At a few places, one could take detour to the river bank at about 500 metres through paddy fields. Forest department has erected watch towers at these points, which offer breathtaking views and more birds.

Nandur is about 50 km from Nasik. The irrigation department has a guest house near the dam, where one can stay with prior permission. Own conveyance is the best option to reach Nandur since the state transport bus service is restricted to just two trips a day.