A trip to Jim Corbet National Park

We have just spent the Holi weekend with two more families at the Corbet National Park. It promised to be a great trip with the expectation of coming face to face with a tiger... real... and really face to face.

There was an element of uncertainty in how the trip would be. We had never travelled with these families before. I was hoping it would be ok... I terribly needed a relaxed and laid back time. Tigers or not- I needed peace and quiet.

There are all kinds of people. Some who feel they are justified in holding their opinions and some who feel their opinions can be justified only when imposed on others. Sometimes those who care for us, try to accomodate our idiosyncracies and tolerate our moods. Sometimes, others simply get up and GO!

We started a little later than we should have- both my husband and I had a very busy Thursday and could not crash early enough into bed to be able to start at 7am. It probably started there. The Thursday night I had very clearly told the couple arranging the evhicle that I would appreciate 8 rather tahn 7 as we were both unlikely to be ab;le to make it that early. We still started at 7:30.

The weather had turned the day into a blazing inferno. The road to Corbet from Delhi was not one of the better roads... it all added to the moods in the bus. Volcanic anger just waiting to errupt and showing in hissing spurts the strength of teh fury. The other family was more accomodating and our children meshed well together, sharing a lot of interests. Our daughters are both singers and our sons are both budding singers. We palyed on the way. We slept on the way and ate and drank and made merry. There was a kind of holding back from Sam. He may have thought perhaps that the trip MUST be in accordance to a well laid out plan- his plan. Often in life, however, plans tend to show man his own folly in thinking he can do as he pleases! Truly! If you want to make God laugh... tell him your plans! Man proposes... God disposes was not said in vain. Everything happens to teach us a lesson.

We are a society that lives in harmony. Man is a social animal and needs company. He may choose to be part of it or try to be above it and try to make it behave in accordance with his wishes. Sometimes, in order to preserve what is of value to us, we may tolerate or ignore what may not be liked by us. At other times, we simply give up and decide we have had enough. When in a group, group dynamics can be healthy only if all members in the group respect each other and treat each other well. Group dynamics break down if any one tries to impose his will and have it accepted as the will of the group.

Well... unfortunately, we did not sight any tigers. We were disappointed. That was one way of looking at the scene. Another was- the children had a fabulous time. They bonded well. They made new friends. They enjoyed the company they were in and were not grumpy. The landscape was beautiful- the forest was dense and the river running by was picturesque. The forest gave me the opportunity to quieten my insides made noisy by everyday city life. Not a sound except the sound of tyres of our Gypsy on the dried leaves and twigs on the unmetalled road that the jungle safari took us on.

Suddenly it struck me just how much clatter and cacophony we allow in our lives in the city. Even the tubelights we switch on for spreading light spread more noise than we notice. Then the refrigerator, the clicking keys of the laptop that has become so much a part of our lives. Even the fan blades cutting the air are surprisingly noisy. All this chatter inside our heads can only make our insides restless! There was peace to be found here.

The sound of the river crashing on the rocks was amazingly soothing. There was none other.. only the water... only the water interacting with the wind and the rocks. This sound has always been special for me. The Holosynch CDs that I so love deliver similar sounds. There is something strangely surreal and powerful in the water sounds.

Then, the evening- children singing songs... some playing the keyboard. An evening of satisfied peace. Love and bliss. We slept well after the tiring safari and the relaxing music.

In the morning, when we woke we rea;lised we had been left behind and that part of the group had gone to the riverside for photography without as much as a knock on our door. WE still ignored it for the peace of teh group dynamics. We had photo sessions with the families and teh children... forgetting any slight- meant or felt.

The return journey did not turn out too well. Why do people give in to their anger and behave as if teh world owes them something? The world does not. Infact, if at all... one who loses his temper also loses his point!

We hope to make more such trips in the future... trips that show all of us a little of the follies we have and the strength we can garner to rise above them. Trips that can be enjoyed for themselves and for the company that we keep.