I float in the unseen river of the wind. As the morning sun warms my face I look into the reddish glow of my closed eyelids. The forest murmurs and rustles as the breeze plays in its canopy. My hammock is tied under a tree on which a lone bulbul twitters.

I have come for a few days of solitude and rest to this little place tucked into to the Suhelwa forest. Tapovan Retreat was built by Mr Anand Singh, a keen nature enthusiasts, as his retirement home. However since he has not been able to shrug off his worldly commitment (good for us!), he has given it to his daughter, to open it for a home stay vacations.

The forty acres of the retreat is thickly forested with vast variety of trees of the Terai region. A watering hole in the premise brings in deer and sambhar from the surrounding forests and I have met them, or lets startled them, more than once during my morning walks; which always slow down to a dawdle with so much to observe and absorb. Delicate little flowers peep from the sides of the track, a rosy headed parakeet flies away with a screech, large white trumpet shaped flowers trembles as sunbirds dive deep for their feast.

This place is a paradise for birdwatchers. A vast variety of  trees and fruits, and mixed terrain- sandy riverbanks, muddy rivulets, dry nullahs, attract feathered creatures of all kinds. One day, crouching behind a lantana bush, I saw a flock of birds none of my bird books feature. Luckily I had my camera and intend to take the pictures to Bombay Natural History Society for identification.

The next afternoon I had taken a book to read by the stream, when I heard the sound of a heavy animal crashing through the thick undergrowth. I lay motionless, fearfully expecting a Leopard (there are quite a few in these parts), but to my great relief, a huge shaggy coated mongoose appeared. It’s noisy arrival led to an explosion of red green brown, yellow blue birds as they took to the skies.  I was lucky to have seen one of the rare varieties of mongoose found here.

As my interest in wildlife deepened I started taking the local naturalist on my walks. He has lived here all his life and is on the most intimate terms with the jungle. He told me the names of  the trees, showed me the fine difference between their barks, my untrained eye was often confused but he patiently went on. As I learn’t, the weeds became medicinal plants, the indistinct marks on sand took shape of pug marks, the cracks and hollows were the addresses of hyenas and other beasts of the jungle. Everyday I saw nature more clearly.

I extended my vacation for another week. Fortunately the tariff is reasonable, the food good, clean and wholesome, the rooms cozy and charming. All the furniture has been tastefully designed, made from local materials by the forest tribes. The bathrooms are modern with hot and cold water. Niharika is a terrific host and has not forgotten that the weary urban traveler wants city comforts even deep in the jungle.

I suppose one can’t ask for more from a place as removed from civilization as this. It would not have been possible to be a part of this unspoiled world had I been hung up on things like internet, television, shopping malls, bars and discos. Those holidays have their place, and there are millions of places that offer that. But for those seeking a journey inward, a few days to explore their own creative energy, to bring out the writer, photographer or artist in them, to think, to rest your mind, to mend your heart, to sift between what’s important and what’s not, then this is the place that where you should be heading for.

Tapovan Retreat is in Uttar Pradesh (India). You can reach Gonda from Delhi by Shatabdi. From here a jeep will be arranged to take you to Tapovan Reatreat and also for day excursions to the nearby Buddhist pilgrimage site SHRAVASTI.
Niharika can be reached on this number-9811535359 or  09453437911. Unfortunately she cant always be reached so keep trying.