Ghumakkad in Hindi means 'the wanderer'. That is what I am. On the move any time anywhere!
This blog chronicles Ghumakkad's travels/teachings/learnings around the globe as picture stories. In addition, there are Picturesque Quotes (PQs) created using my pictures. Enjoy it.
If you have also been to the places/topics described here, please feel free to add to the content.
Your comments/ suggestions are welcome.
Ever walked in a jungle at night? In total darkness? No walking trail? And to add to the thrill, the jungle adjoining a Tiger Reserve! Would you then venture into the jungle on foot after 10.30pm? Armed only with a torchlight?
Then you must be really crazy. Yes, three crazy guys who love exploring Nature both during the day as well as night, did a short walk at night near Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana recently. Who were these mad guys?
Ansh: Youngest of the three explorers. At 21, armed with an Economics honours degree, he works as an Analyst with an MNC in Hyderabad. A keen tennis player and fitness enthusiast, he enjoys driving and being outdoors.
Akhil: Head Naturalist at the Telangana Forest Development Corporation who oversees eco-tourism. Though from an Arts background, his deep study of the natural world has given him holistic knowledge of forests and their inhabitants. He inspires the visitors to observe, cherish, and truly live the experiences of jungle safaris and walks.
Harsh-the-Ghumakkad: Former Commodore Indian Navy, he is an adjunct professor in a leading B-school in Hyderabad. A blogger, hiker, photographer, golfer, skydiver- Harsh is at peace with Nature. Author of several books on Entrepreneurship and Management, he loves to share his pictures and writings. Ansh is his grandson.
Jungle at Night
We decided to explore the jungle outside the boundary of our resort in Mannanur near Amrabad Tiger Reserve. With no walkways or markers, stepping into the jungle at night is like no other experience. Few self-imposed rules were:
Walking tip-toe to reduce noise
Avoid walking on gravel or sandy track to minimise noise
No talking. Use muted whispers instead. (You will notice this in the video clips that follow).
Use only one torchlight at low intensity not to startle any wildlife.
Listen to the forest before taking the next step.
Observe any marks or patterns in the soil below.
Sharing below the video clip recorded that night. Being close to the water body, frogs can be heard enjoying their dominance in the dead of night. Similarly, when the torch light was turned off, the faint and momentary glow of the fireflies can be barely seen in the video. The solitary Bull Frog at the edge of the pond shone in the torch light.
The Call
As we were negotiating the thicket around the pond, Akhil received a call from a forest guard on duty. A snake had been sighted in one of the road side eateries. We had to abort our thrilling night walk into the jungle and felt a bit disappointed. Little did we know that more excitement was to follow.
The Cobra
We accompanied Akhil to rescue the snake. Akhil had worked with the Friends of Snakes Society in Hyderabad and knew how to recognise and rescue the snakes. He first collected the snake handler's stick and an empty polyurethane container with a lid from his room at the resort. Three of us then drove to the spot. Catch the excitement of capturing a live cobra in the video below. Do not miss how the spectacled cobra tried to get out of the container!
Releasing the Cobra
We placed the rescued cobra in its container in the back seat of Akhil's car. Ansh remarked, 'Wow, I am going to sit next to a live cobra!' We then drove to an isolated spot in the jungle to release the cobra. Click the icon below or the YouTube link here to view the video. In the video you can see the cobra raising its hood even though inside the container.
We bade good bye to 'Cobra Ji' and returned to our resort. Ansh's remarks 'All in a day's work' continue to resonate.
Injured Owl on the Highway
While returning from Jungle Safari, our driver suddenly pulled up on one side. Our forest guide Veera Swamy and Akhil both got down. Safari vehicle was reversed for a distance. An owlet was found immobile in the middle of the road. Dazed and shocked, it was motionless. Akhil picked it up and examined closely. There were no visible injury. After comforting in the palm for a while, it was restored on a tree branch away from the highway. Hope it survived. Pictures of the rescue effort follow.
See a short video of owlet rescue shot by Ansh.
We also stopped during the safari to shift an injured Pit Viper away from the track. If you look at the cover picture, it shows the crushed viper clearly.
Other Rescues
We share below some of our other rescue efforts. A bat, a bird and a squirrel- how were they rescued? Click the picture stories below to browse.
A Squirrel Comes Home - How a nature lover rescues and adopts a baby squirrel despite a pet dog in the house. This is a guest story by Dr Rohini Tiwari.
Rescuing A Black-Winged Stilt - The story of a black-winged stilt who also got entangled in the kite string and couldn't fly. X-ray revealed a dislocated bone. Picture story of the rescue and release follows.
So next time you see an injured bird or animal, do make an effort to rescue and save it. Such a small effort will give you immense satisfaction and joy. And, during the kite flying festival, please retract the 'manjha' or the kite string completely. Any loose string hanging around a tree or a pole can cause injury to the birds and the bats as you saw in our stories above.
We are grateful to Akhil for such an exciting night walk and the rescue of a cobra and an owlet. Noble deed indeed. His deep knowledge of the flora and fauna is admirable. His zeal to share it with the visitors is noteworthy. We thanked him before our departure from the Resort and presented him with a framed picture of Pardeo, the tigress of Tadoba. It is one of my favourite shots.
May there be more selfless human beings like Akhil who genuinely care for mother earth. God bless him.
Thanks for browsing. Do leave a comment. It encourages us.
-Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Ansh Bhargava/ Secunderabad/ 5th October 2025
Postscript
9th Oct 2025: Col Jaishankar an Army Veteran wrote- 'One of the cobra rescues which could be captured on camera at my unit in Bhatinda.' (Eds: See how deftly Col Jaishankar captures the cobra which had hidden in the folds of a red carpet. Thereafter, the cobra refused to go into the small steel container. Once in the larger container, it had no choice.) See the video below.
Another video shared by Col Jaishankar shows a monocled cobra rescued at Dimapur. It has an O on its hood. That is what gives it its name monocled!
We thank Col Jaishankar for sharing both the videos and the information.
Teenagers who love to collect metal scrap, or like to live on a tree in the wilderness? Sounds weird? No, not at all! Ghumakkad shares a short story of three teenaged siblings having such varied interests. They live in California. I was with them after their school yesterday.
Who?
The three teenagers pictured above will be seen in the video interview below. Their brief intros follow in ascending order of age.
Maana- A thirteen-year-old who loves all animals. She says her neighbour's black cat awaits her return from school everyday. The cat senses Maana's arrival and scurries into the back yard. See the picture below.
Syon- The only brother among two sisters, Syon loves working with waste material and scraps and loves to create a thing or two. Be it a copper wire or discarded screws, he collects it all. See the stockpile under his bed in the video. He is also an enthusiastic 15-year-old Boy Scout.
Sachi- The eldest of the three siblings, Sachi loves to climb trees or jump into a river in the wilderness. As an 18-year-old she is very sensitive about the environment and its preservation.
No more writing or talking, let us hear them live in the video below.
Was it not admirable? Ghumakkad sure got inspired by the three siblings. Hat tip not only to all the three teenagers but also to their parents Anchita and Satyam.
You may like to read our earlier story about the trio linked below.
Even as a toddler, Maana led us all in a hiking trail. Click the link below to browse the picture story.
Toddler On A Trail - How a toddler leads a trail around a lake in California.
As we say children are our true assets. They will take the world farther. It is our duty to be with them, understand their thinking and ignite the young minds. Sachi, Syon, Maana and all the teenagers of the world- more power to you guys! Rock on.
Thanks for browsing and stay connected.
- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with inputs from Anchita Nidhindra/ Fremont, California/ 21st Aug 2025
Yosemite National Park is an icon of California. It is visited by more than 4 million visitors every year. Ghumakkad visited Yosemite on 17-18 Aug 2025 along with three other nature lovers.
The Travellers
Who were the four travellers to Yosemite?Other than Ghumakkad, all three live in the Bay Area in California. Special thanks to each one of them for making this trip happen.
Ankur- An IT pro with 12 patents to his credit. My son-in-law, a golfer, dancer who loves life and all things tech.
Akanksha (Ashi)- An interior designer, photographer, poet, my daughter and a compassionate volunteer and parent.
Satyam- An IT pro, quiet by nature, mathematics enthusiast, keen traveller and hiker.
Harsh-the-Ghumakkad- whom you all know- a Navy Veteran, golfer, blogger, teacher, hiker and Nature lover. This was my visit to USA after a gap of 11 years.
About Yosemite
Yosemite National Park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an area of 3000 sq kms. However, most visitors spend the majority of their time in the valley's 18 sq km area. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, groves of giant sequoia trees, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Yosemite was critical to the development of the concept of national parks. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant of 1864 that declared Yosemite as federally preserved land. According to Wikipedia, the word Yosemite (derived from yohhe'meti, "they are killers" in Miwok) historically referred to the name that the Miwok gave to the Ahwahneechee, the resident indigenous tribe. The term Yosemite in Miwok is easily confused with a similar term for "grizzly bear", and is still a common misconception. For detailed history of Yosemite, the readers may refer Wikipedia. It is interesting to note that tourism significantly increased after the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, while the long horseback ride to reach the area was a deterrent.
The park contains thousands of lakes and ponds, 2600 km of streams, 1,300 km of hiking trails, and 560 km of roads.
From Ankur's residence in Pleasanton, the Park is 230 miles east. It is about four hrs drive including 6 of his EV. See the map below:
Notable Spots
Tunnel View - a scenic viewpoint located on California State Route 41 in the Park. Since its opening in 1933, it has offered visitors iconic, expansive views of Yosemite Valley, making it one of the park's most renowned viewpoints.
El Capitan, a 3000 feet granite monolith on Yosemite Valley's northern escarpment
Close to El Capitan are 'Three Brothers' rocks.
Half Dome - It is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half.
North Dome - is a granite dome in the southernmost summit of Indian Ridge, one km north of Washington Column and the Royal Arches on the northeastern wall of Yosemite Valley.
Royal Arches - An inset arch on giant rock face.
Washington Column - a roughly 1800-foot high rock formation, arising from Yosemite Valley. It can be viewed from many points in Yosemite Valley including the trail to Mirror Lake.
Yosemite Falls - the highest waterfall in the Park, dropping a total of 2,425 feet from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall. When we visited on 17th August, the waterfall had completely dried up.
Even the lower falls had dried up completely.
Mirror Lake - The iconic mirror lake had shrunk to a tiny pond. It was very disappointing for Ankur, Ashi and Satyam because they had all frolicked and jumped from a rock into waist deep water last season. Pictures of our hike to the dried up Mirror Lake below.
All that the dried up Mirror Lake offered was some waves caused by strong winds. See the video below.
But the Merced river compensated with some stunning views next morning, reflecting sunlit granite peaks in the water.
You can feel the river and its ripples in the video below.
Sequoia Tree Groves - The park has three groves of ancient giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees; the Mariposa Grove (200 trees), the Tuolumne Grove (25 trees), and the Merced Grove (20 trees). This species grows larger in volume than any other and is one of the tallest and longest-lived.
We stayed overnight to enjoy the beauty of dusk, dawn and a short hike in Yosemite. There are numerous trails for hiking for all age groups. Sharing below few pictures of our hikes.
Star Gazing
Yosemite offers unique opportunity for star gazers. With clear skies and complete darkness, we could see thousands of stars and milky way. Sharing two pictures shot by Ashi.
Here is a video to give you a feel of the night experience in Yosemite.
Yosemite Tour
You can see the Park by riding a free shuttle bus. There are three routes coloured differently. Just hop on and off. In addition, there is a paid ride in an open coach with a ranger guide with excellent commentary. Mark our guide has volunteered and later worked at the Park for the last 60 years.
Bear Traps
The Park has some 500 Black Bears. They love to eat the food left in the tents. With a strong sense of smell, they forage for food and any other scented items in visitors' bags at night. Therefore, in the tented accommodation where we had stayed, we had to lock up all scented items like toothpaste, Vaseline and food in a metal safe kept outside the tent. Picture below.
In addition, there are Bear Traps placed near the camps.
Hope you enjoyed the Yosemite Park armchair tour with us. You have to visit the Park to feel its vastness and ecological diversity. Signing off with another picture with a fallen tree trunk.
Thanks for browsing and stay connected.
- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Akanksha Bhargava/ Yosemite National Park/ 19th Aug 2025
