Cheetal Walk, home of jumbos in Nilgiris, waits for its owner
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Sigur reserve|Nilgiri game association|Madras Snake Park|Cheetal Walk|Bombay Natural History Society
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MAVINHALLA (NILGIRIS): Footloose tusker Rivaldo waits near the house of
Mark Davidar, owner of Cheetal Walk, the celebrated abode in the
Nilgiris forests along the Sigurhalla, in vain for food normally left
behind by him.
Rivaldo lost a sizable portion of his trunk to poachers seven years ago. Since then, Mark Davidar, son of eminent conservationist and writer ERC Davidar, has been his protector. He not only treated its wound but also provided food for the gentle giant round the clock, guaranteeing regular visits.
The house, which attracted a large number of elephants including Rivaldo over the years, now looks forlorn and deserted, ever since Mark Davidar was hospitalized a month ago for diabetes. Davidar, who was once larger than life itself, is now in a coma at a Mysore hospital, frail and diminished, with the possibility of his return to normal life looking very remote. He is under the care of his sister Priya Davidar.
It was in 1964 that ERC Davidar established his jungle home Cheetal Walk in the Sigur reserve of the Nilgiri mountains, 8km from Masinagudi on the Gudalur-Bokkapuram-Ooty road. An advocate associated with the Nilgiri game association, Davidar later became a conservationist. He lived with his family for several years at Cheetal Walk, made famous by his book published under the same name, where he recounts his experiences living in harmony with the wilderness.
Although he died a decade ago, his famous book has never been out of print.
'Turns from here'
It is spruced with anecdotes that describe Davidar's encounters with wild animals in the Nilgiri forests, especially tuskers who were regular visitors to his house.
The author talks about bonding with Bumty, Udayar and Kumariah, tuskers that regularly visited his house. The book also touches upon the darker side, forces working against nature, especially the widespread destruction caused by poachers.
Like his father, Mark also had a passion for elephants. He was equally passionate about football as well. After working for a few years with Bombay Natural History Society and Madras Snake Park, he returned to the wilderness and his jumbo companions whom he named after his favorite football stars like Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Roberto. Though it is illegal to feed elephants, he ensured there was food for them whenever they visited," said conservationist Sadiq Ali.
The house, which boasts of hosting famous people including renowned ornithologist Salim Ali and biologist George B Schaller, came to life again in the 1980s when Mark returned to the wilderness and remained the hub for human, animal interaction until the last week of March when Mark Davidar was hospitalized.
"Cheetal Walk had been attracting wildlife enthusiasts since the sixties. But now it will be permanently closed," says S Jayachandran, Tamil Nadu green Mmovement. According to him, Mark had devoted his life to conservation. However, his passion was exploited by many who wanted to make a quick buck through tourism. But his bond with many of the wild elephants was sincere, he added.
Rivaldo lost a sizable portion of his trunk to poachers seven years ago. Since then, Mark Davidar, son of eminent conservationist and writer ERC Davidar, has been his protector. He not only treated its wound but also provided food for the gentle giant round the clock, guaranteeing regular visits.
The house, which attracted a large number of elephants including Rivaldo over the years, now looks forlorn and deserted, ever since Mark Davidar was hospitalized a month ago for diabetes. Davidar, who was once larger than life itself, is now in a coma at a Mysore hospital, frail and diminished, with the possibility of his return to normal life looking very remote. He is under the care of his sister Priya Davidar.
It was in 1964 that ERC Davidar established his jungle home Cheetal Walk in the Sigur reserve of the Nilgiri mountains, 8km from Masinagudi on the Gudalur-Bokkapuram-Ooty road. An advocate associated with the Nilgiri game association, Davidar later became a conservationist. He lived with his family for several years at Cheetal Walk, made famous by his book published under the same name, where he recounts his experiences living in harmony with the wilderness.
Although he died a decade ago, his famous book has never been out of print.
'Turns from here'
It is spruced with anecdotes that describe Davidar's encounters with wild animals in the Nilgiri forests, especially tuskers who were regular visitors to his house.
The author talks about bonding with Bumty, Udayar and Kumariah, tuskers that regularly visited his house. The book also touches upon the darker side, forces working against nature, especially the widespread destruction caused by poachers.
Like his father, Mark also had a passion for elephants. He was equally passionate about football as well. After working for a few years with Bombay Natural History Society and Madras Snake Park, he returned to the wilderness and his jumbo companions whom he named after his favorite football stars like Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Roberto. Though it is illegal to feed elephants, he ensured there was food for them whenever they visited," said conservationist Sadiq Ali.
The house, which boasts of hosting famous people including renowned ornithologist Salim Ali and biologist George B Schaller, came to life again in the 1980s when Mark returned to the wilderness and remained the hub for human, animal interaction until the last week of March when Mark Davidar was hospitalized.
"Cheetal Walk had been attracting wildlife enthusiasts since the sixties. But now it will be permanently closed," says S Jayachandran, Tamil Nadu green Mmovement. According to him, Mark had devoted his life to conservation. However, his passion was exploited by many who wanted to make a quick buck through tourism. But his bond with many of the wild elephants was sincere, he added.
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Saturday, June 28, 2008
Cheetal walk - Masinagudi
Cheetal walk - Mark Davidar's
place. I had never heard of it until Pinky mentioned it one evening.
Apparently her uncle, who is now settled in Australia used to go to this
place some decades back(!) and
had a lot to say about the place. And so, as Pinky was about to leave
for the US (its been a month and she is still here :D), she says she has
got one weekend free and really wants to go to the place. Some people
who were interested backed out, some broke their legs and others had
other plans. So we had to make frantic last minute calls, somehow try to
get four people because the bloke (Davidar) says four people only.
Nothing more. Nothing less. With some last minute calls, we manage get
four people on board.The team: Pinky, Adithya the Jadoo, Arvind and
yours truly.
How to get there?
The place is about 8 kms from Masinagudi. Continue from Masinagudi towards Ooty. After crossing a village called Mavinhalla, there is a road to the left (there is a sign board saying Wild-Haven). Continue on that road and u'll reach Mark Davidar's place. Book in advance. His no. is : 0423-2526256.
The place is about 8 kms from Masinagudi. Continue from Masinagudi towards Ooty. After crossing a village called Mavinhalla, there is a road to the left (there is a sign board saying Wild-Haven). Continue on that road and u'll reach Mark Davidar's place. Book in advance. His no. is : 0423-2526256.
The
place is good for armchair naturalists. The place is right in the midst
of the corridor for wild-animals. Hence, wild animal spotting is a sure
thing here, most prominent ones being elephants. He doesnt let u go out
of the verandah, and rightly so, there are wild animals all around the
place. You cannot go out even if you want to. We spotted a wild elephant
(which kept visiting the place), wild boars, a huge sloth-bear, deers,
sambars, snakes, bysons etc. The elephant came just
outside the verandah. Davidar says he can "connect" to the elephants
there and has named them after Brazilian footballers and the elephant
who kept visiting us during the weekend was a bloke named "Roberto
Carlos".
Roberto Carlos
What a figure! :D
What a figure! :D
While
there, be prepared to listen to his rants also. The guy is perpetually
drunk and keeps saying shitty things. Also, when we were there, he used
to keep jackfruits for the elephant. Although he doesnt do it regularly,
I dont know if its a good thing to feed wild animals.
The
rate is about 1000 per head per day, but dont expect any luxury at the
place. Be informed that you'll get a good enough discount if there is a
chick in the group :-)
There
is nothing much to do there for more than a day (unless you are a very
keen naturalist) and we decided to head back the next morning. Since we
had the whole of Sunday, we took a small detour to Gopalaswamy Betta,
where the wind and the mist have always fascinated me.
Atop Gopalaswamy Betta
Stopping
for lunch at the now customary Fish Land Mysore, we realized we had
enough time to kill and went to Kokkarebellur. Unfortunately, it was
off-season and we hardly got to see any birds (season is from January to
June). And we headed back to Bangalore. End of the story.
A few photos are here.
Thus continues the quest...
Atop Gopalaswamy BettaA few photos are here.
Thus continues the quest...
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