Murli Menon in conversation with Prittle Prattle News
One has just returned after a seven-day safari through the “Great Indian Bustard sanctuary”. One of the most tranquil spots to meditate in Kutch is at Naliya. Naliya is a two-hour drive away from Bhuj. it is home to “The Great Indian Bustard”, who live around the grasslands that surround Naliya. The ideal time to visit Naliya is between May and June. The “Great Indian Bustard” is a shy creature and it takes great effort to sight one in the wild. One needs lots of faith and patience while trying to spot the elusive bustards at Naliya. After trekking through the knee-length grass for several kilometers, one has to wait under a tree for hours, keeping a steady eye on the wide expanse of the grass, searching for any unusual movement. The clear blue skies and the dark green skies offer a clear contrast to the grey feathered bustard and after a six-hour wait, we were able to sight the fluttering of the bustard’s wings among the grass. We slowly moved towards the bustard on all fours, crouching in the grass. After about an hour we could make the faint outline of the bustard but one more step and the bustard with its keen eyesight could feel our presence and fly away. However, tracking bustards through the grasslands of Naliya, is an adventure in itself and one should not get too attached to the results.
The bustards feed on the grasslands that surround Naliya. Bustards are extremely sensitive to human presence and dart off at supersonic speed if they hear human footsteps. So all you can see is the bustard disappearing into the grass before you can click the record button of your camera. However, tracking them on foot through the grasslands is exciting. During my weeklong stay at Naliya, I could spot the bustard thrice. All I could see was the flapping of wings and the bustard making its way into the skies before ducking into the grass. Naliya is one of the coldest places in Gujarat during the peak of winter and temperatures can go down to 2 degrees Celsius in January.
The Great Indian Bustard is an endangered species and conservation efforts of the local forest officers is working out and the number of bustards in Naliya may cross three digits in the years to come. All the officers I met were highly motivated and made an extra effort to see that the bustard population is undisturbed. However, unscrupulous windmill operators including some greedy corporates have set up windmills on the periphery of the sanctuary. These windmills hardly generate any energy but the generators supplying power to the windmill is a constant source of disturbance for the bustards. Besides this, the turbines injure and maim all the migratory birds which fly through Naliya. Sparrows, pigeons, and mynahs have to pay with their lives, due to the windmills. The progress of a society can be judged by the way they treat their animals and these windmills need to be removed from Naliya with immediate effect.
Naliya, situated in the Thar Desert was established in January 1972 as a sanctuary for “The Great Indian Bustard”. This extraordinary area gets partly inundated by about 2 feet of water in the monsoon months (July-September). Once below sea level, this area was raised by earth movements which cut it off from the Gulf of Kutch and was broken up by later earth movements into the flat saline areas (where people can be seen making salt), and higher grounds with sandy, salt-free soil. The bustard depends on the soft grass and thorny scrub of the higher ground area for its feed. The other wildlife to be found inside the “Naliya Bustard Sanctuary” include blue bulls, antelopes, wolves, blackbucks, hyenas, desert foxes, jackals, desert cats, and caracals.
How to get there?
By road:
Visitors traveling by road have to drive from Ahmedabad to Bhuj which is approximately 330 kms.
Naliya is 100 km. away from Bhuj. The non-stop drive from Bhuj to Naliya should not exceed two hours.
By air:
The nearest airport to reach Naliya is at Bhuj. Bhuj is connected by direct flights from New Delhi and Mumbai.
By train:
Bhuj is connected by trains from all over India.
Where to stay?:
Naliya Forest Guest House inside the Naliya “Great Bustard Sanctuary” is a value for money proposition. The simple yet comfortable accommodation costs Rs. 500/- to Rs. 700/- per night on a twin sharing basis.
Where to eat?:
Lots of small restaurants serving Gujarati, Kutchi, and Kathiyawadi vegetarian cuisine dot Bhuj. Freshly steamed vegetables with spices, pumpkin cooked in mustard paste, boiled spinach with pulses are served with millet (bajra) Rotis cooked in an earthen oven at most roadside dhabas. The food at the high profile hotels is only for the gastronomically adventurous who like greasy food. Fresh tropical fruits including watermelons, papayas, tender coconuts, pineapples and are available at the local market.
Murli Menon, is a travel writer, stress management consultant and author based at Ahmedabad, India. He is the author of “ZeNLP-Learning through stories” published by The Written Word Publications, “ZeNLP-the power to succeed” published by Sage publications and “ZeNLP-the power to relax” by New Dawn Press. He can be reached at ceo@tips4ceos.com
