SUNSET SAFARI

Along one’s life journey, one met strangers and some strangers became one’s friends; I personally classify my friends into two: first are whom I called sunshine; they really are bright, a source of energy and life, without them one cannot survive. Second  are whom I called rainbow; they are like an evening rainbow appears out of nowhere, cheering up life, painting our souls, imparting colours to our world and settling down in our hearts.  Yet, they don’t remain forever, they fades away in the mist like rainbow. These kind of friends are hard to find and hard to forget.

I dedicated this book to my friends, the rainbows:

Mr. Boken Pao, Arunachal Pradesh

Mr. Truong Van Ty, Vietnam and

Mr. Naresh Jamatia, Tripura

“May the road you walk be gentle

May the heat of the sun warm your heart,

May the wind blows strength to your feet,

And may the rain falls gently on your fields

Until we meet again”

       

         Kum 2014, February ni 2, zing dar 5-ah Sasan Gir-a kan riahna Sindh Sadan (Forest Department guest house) chu ka thianpa Boken Pao-a nen kan chhuahsan a. Sasan Gir-a mikhualte innghahkhawmna, Information Centre kawtah chuan gypsy hood nei lo, ramhnuaia tlan kual velna atana buatsaih (safari motor) bik eng emaw zat a lo ding tlar dul mai a. Kan chuanna tur motor khalhtu chuan min hmuh veleh min lo ngaihven nghal var a. Safari motor-ah chuan kan lawnin India rama ramsa ropui ber ang hiala chhal ngam, khawvel hmun danga awm ve hauh lo sakeibaknei (Asiatic lion) hmuh ngei inbeiseiin kan tlan chhuak ta a ni.

            Khua a la thim deuh chhelh avangin khaw hmuh a thui lo viau na a, Gir Sanctuary ram awm dan chu a hriat theih tho. Thingkung awm vete chu a ro vek v<k mai a; boruak lah chu a ro hulh a, vaivut khu inpang-aw-zial chuan min <m zui ve zel bawk. Thing hring hlep hlawp hmuh tur reng a awm lo. Chunglai ram leh a chhehvel chu dry deciduous (thing kung hnah tla kawlh chi awmna) ram a ni a. Thing hnah tlak kawlh lai chuan a ro vawng vawng a; mahse, khawvela sakeibaknei (Asiatic lion) la dam awm chhun tlem tete tan chulai ram chu an dam khawchhuahna tura ram tha, ram duhawm a ni thung.

            Kum 2015-a Gir Official census report tar lan dan chuan he hmunah hian sakeibaknei 523 awm anga chhut a ni.Chu chu Asia-a sakeibaknei dam awm chhun an ni.  Hmasang ata sakeibaknei hi Asia khawmualpui hmun tin deuh thawah an awm thin a. Mahse, zawi zawiin an ral zel a, tunah meuh chuan Asia khawmualpui hmun dangah sakeibaknei hmuh tur reng an awm ta lo. Asia sakeibaknei chu India khawthlang lam ram zim te, henglai hmun leh a chhehvelah chiah hian hmuh tur an awm tawh a ni. Chutiang taka ramsa vang leh ropui chu hmuh ngei inbeiseiin kan thawk chhuak ta a ni.

Kawng khawro zet, vaivutin a bawh ch<kah chuan kan tlan khu rum rum a. Keimahni ang ve bawka sakeibaknei hmu chak mi tam tak safari gypsy-in kan inzui a. Sihal leh sazuk bakah sakhi tial rual tam tak kan hmu a. Sava phei chu hmuh tur an tam hle. Chhimbuk, black ibis, coppersmith barbet, white naped woodpecker (thloh) leh sava chi hrang hrang a tam hle.

            Hmun pakhatah chuan gypsy thahnem tak an lo ding a. Kan chuanna motor pawh chu hmunah chuan a ding ve a. Kan hma lam khawi lai emawah chuan sakeibaknei an awm ngei a nih ringin mit kan len nghal ruai a. Kan motor dinna lai taka kawng chu lei tlahniam ang deuhin a khuar bik a, kawng sir ding leh vei lam ko pang chuan kan motor chu karchehin, ko chung zawl leh keini motor-a chuangte chu kan inchen tawk vel chiah bawk. Gypsy hood nei lova chuang kan nih avangin kawng ko chung zawla teak thingkungte chu kan ban phak titih hial.

            Tichuan, sakeibaknei an awm ngei nia a lan avangin an thla lak fuh tumin camera kan lek chhuak fur a, kil tinah kan mit kan len kual ruai a. Hma lam atanga sakeibaknei pa tuai, a tha za rual vel rawn chhuak zan zan chu kan hmu ve ta a. A thla a muangin a chi-ai lo va, motor ding thuapte chu eng he huah a ngai lem lo tih a hmel atang chuan a lang thei a. Hmuhnawm ti takin kan thlir a. A rawn kal hnai zel a, kan motor sir vei lam kawng ko zawlah chuan a bawk ta vung mai a.

            Kawng ko nena kan inhnaihzia ka sawi tawh kha. Chutia kan motor zawn ber khera a bawh takah chuan duh aiin kan inhnaih ta a ni tih sawi lang kher lo pawh ni ila i hre thiam tho awm e. Kan inhnaih hle a, hmun leh hmunah kan inmelh ta ran mai a! Keini pahnih bakah Bengali pakhat kan chuanpui a. Chu pa chuan kawr sen lar vat mai a ha a, hetianga safari-a chhuah chang hian inchei dan tur (dress code) mumal tak a awm a, rawng lar leh mit la chi hak hauh loh tur a ni tih a hre ve lo a ni chek ang. Driver chuan chuan, “I kawr kha zawi muangin hlip rawh,” a ti a. Ani hi ka ding lama thu a ni a; kei chu sakeibaknei bawhna lam sira thu ka nihavangin vanduai ni ni ta se, kei chu a lu hloh hmasa berah ka tang dawn tih pawh ka hre chiang viau.

            Sakeibaknei rim thang deuh nghur mai chuan hnar a verh zar mai a; mahse, hnar hup tura kut han tihchet chu sawi loh, camera han lek chhuah em pawh chu a zamawm tawh a; a ke rawn vai thuak sela min khawih phak avangin huaisen a har duh fu mai. Sakeibaknei chuan chik takin min melh run a, kan che vel chu a kip a kawia hriat vek duh hmel hi a pu a.

            Sakeibaknei hi mihring tana ramsa hlauhawm an ni hran lo na a,  ramsa an nih miau avangin mihring an seh thu hi record a awm ve nual tho. Mahse, ramsa zaidam, mihring laka zahngai thei tak an ni tih chu henglai vela chengho leh Official te ngaihdan a ni. Mahse, he sakeibaknei hi a la puitling lo va, sa pel zir rual, thil che zeuh apiang uma chhaih rual a nih miau avangin fimkhur chu a tul hle a. Kan che sawn ngam lo va, motor-ah chuan kan thu khawng ta reng a. Kan hma lama motor-te chu an tlan a nih ngawt loh chuan kan motor chu a che sawn thei bik lo va, kan hnung lamah lah motor dang an ding khat vek tawh si a.

           Chutia che ngam lova kan thut lai chuan kan vanneih asiamin sakeibaknei rual thahnem tak hi an rawn inzui a, min thutchilhtu sakei pawh chu a tho a, a rual zingah chuan a tla lut ve ta a. Kan thaw huai mai! Vanduaithlak takin mi seh ta se, news channel-a an puan dan tur te ka ngaihtuah kual hman a! Sakeibaknei tana hnawksak taka kan khawsak thu te, sakeibaknei hian mahni sahimna atana min seh ta mai a nih thute an puang lovang tih tu nge sawi thei!

            He lehkhabu kawm hmalama sakeibaknei hi khami tuma mi kha a ni a. Khati taka hnaia kan inmelh avang khan lehkhabu kawma han dah pawh a phu ve viauin ka hria. He lehkhabu hi India ram hmun hrang hranga National Park leh Sanctuary leh South Africa-a National parks thenkhat kan tlawh dan chanchin a ni ber. Vanneihthlak takin mahni sum seng lutuk lova zin chhuahna hun tha ka nei thin a, lawmawm ka tiin hetianghun min siamsaktu Pathian thatzia hi sawi lo thei ka ni lo.

            Thawnthu ziak thin tan chuan thawnthu ni lem lo hetiang lehkhabu han ziah hi thil buaithlak tak a nihna chen a awm a. |henkhat hi chu kan zin lai boruak khan min la chenchilh a, mitthlaah an la cham riai a; thenkhat erawh kan zin lai boruak ang kha a lo ni tawh chiah lo va, thapui thawha ka beih leh ka buaipui tak zek pawh a awm bawk.

            Hetianga mahni zin kualna chanchin a bu ema han tihchhuah hi thil huphurhawm angreng tak a nihna chen a awm a. Kei aia fang zau leh thil hre zawk tam tak an awm ang tih ka hria a, ziak dawn ta se ngaihnawm leh bengvarthlak taka ziak thiam pawh tam tak an awm ngei ka ring bawk. Heng Sanctuary leh National Park te ngei pawh hi, mi tam takin an tlawh tawh hnu, an kal tawhna hmunte a nih ngei ka ring bawk. Chutih laiin, sakhuana avanga zinvahna chanchin te, ram thianghlim fan thu, seminar leh adt. ziahna lam kan ngah viau laiin, ramngaw leh nungcha kaihhnawih lam erawh kan la ngah lo viauin ka hria a, chumi avang chuan huphurh ru tak chungin he lehkhabu hi ka buatsaih ta a ni.

            He lehkhabu chhuah theia ka awm hi vannei ka inti a, hriselna min petu Pathian chungah lawmthu ka sawi a ni. Mi pakhat chauh pawhin Pathian kutchhuak nungcha leh ramngaw hlutzia a lo hriat phah mial chuan a va lawmawm dawn em.

Truong Van Ty, Myself & Boken Pao at Daman & Diu beach