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.
_______________________ Ranthambor The King's Den _____________________
Call of the wild and in particular the king of the jungle is always so tempting.
Tiger eluded us at Bandipur National Park despite five safaris in three days during Feb 13. Barely a month later, we are off again! This time to the famous Rantahmbor Tiger Reserve in west Rajasthan.
We had been there in late 80s. But despite two safaris then, we had no sighting. Jogi Mahal then was maintained by the Forest department. A few days after our visit, Mr Rajiv Gandhi then Prime Minister had visited Ranthambor and had stayed at Jogi Mahal overlooking the Padam Talao. We now understand it is no longer maintained as a Rest House. We will see for ourselves when we get there on 27th March. Right now, no pictures (Unlike all our earlier posts!) as we would not like to post borrowed stuff! Please bear with us till the next post.
Fact file: Access: 11 km by road from Sawai Madhopur railway station. Air: Nearest airport Jaipur which is 130 kms north west. A good 3 hour drive via Banasthali women's University. Accommodation: Plenty of lodges and resorts to suit all budgets. Best season: Nov to May. The grass dries up in Apr and May with better chances of tiger sighting. Safari: Forest department issues permits for 20 Gypsies (6 seats each) and 20 canters (18 seater open roof) every day. Book early (90-100 days in advance) to get a Gypsy. Photography: Still cameras no charges. Video cams: Rs 400 each. Dressing: Wear earthy colours so as not to disturb the animals. Light woolens in winter and cool cottons with a hat in summer.
For more background info on the forest, topography, monuments etc the reader may refer to an excellent blog by Aditya Singh 'Dicky' at: http://www.dickysingh.com/ranthambhore/
More when we get there soon! Those of you who have been there, tips are welcome!
Bye till then.
Ghumakkad Harsh/ 25th March 13
Postscript: Links to all our stories on Ranthambor are given below:
