Local Naturalist in Bandhavgarh | Chaubey Ji

I love travel and who doesn’t!  the world of food has taken me on a journey of such magnitude that someday I might just write about them all. What is one’s mind about that it can be at times so fickle and ever changing. It is a yearning for something you will never find. The search for one’s soul, or a relentless beating of one’s heart to be a part of something.

Along one’s life travels you meet so many different people, and each one has a story to tell. It is those very stories that propel me on a journey of my own. The stories of my jungle travels have led me to believe in the simplicity and honesty of some. No, I cannot say all as yes; the greed and evilness is there in a few. You may not see it, but it is there. Yet, when you travel you meet a certain breed of travellers. The quiet ones who would rather be away from the madness and the bright lights of a city.

This story is about the relationships between the guides and drivers that take me into the many parks and the way they interact with one another, on our search for the tiger. Yes, I am sure the early waking up daily to take guests into the park can take its toll on one’s self. Heck! We get tired of the body aches and early morning rising after a few days. It is their job to do so daily, put on a fresh set of clothes and have their jeeps all cleaned and ready for the dusty ride ahead.

One thing I learnt while roaming the jungles is to listen. For every jungle has its story to tell. Many of the nuances are the same. The sounds of fear, the smells of love and mating in the rutting calls. The calls of hunger, to the crying shriek of a dying animal. You identify the various calls, to decipher a story of ones own. In the hours of reckoning as you hear your own heart beat against the silence of the jungle, you ask questions.

I’ve grown tired of asking the questions, and I let curiosity get the better of me. I listen to the tales of the tiger, and the other inhabitants of the jungle. Who better to hear it from than the men who work in tandem to guide you in the park. One of the many who brings joy to this profession is Choubey who has a genial heart, and soul of gold. He is the centre of attraction in Bandhavgarh and in a simple way. His stories and build up of the many characteristics of people, when one is escorted into the park, can keep one enraptured for hours.

Coming from a family in the Army, he wandered into the environment of the Maharaja of Rewa, and travelled to Bandhavgarh as a lad and has found every reason to stay here since then. His journeys include working with MP tourism, and from there he now drives for Pugdundee Safaris which is one of the leading Hospitality groups in that genre.

His level of PR is of a different kind when he is in the park. His loud banter is infectious and he praises his employers no end, to all and sundry. His hospitality has no bounds, as he talks about the doing away of the plastic mineral water bottles, and praises the metal water canisters given to each guest. His faux pas are legendary, and he always has a comeback statement to anyone that contradicts him.

His endeavour to come up in the world was to have his own jeep, which he bought last year and now aims for his own camera, I love this business sense for this gentle soul and if ever you meet him in the park, or take a drive with him be assured you will see your tiger.

Written By: Michael Swamy, Chef | Food Media Specialist| Wildlife Photographer | Traveller | Film Producer Author and 3 Times Gourmand Award Winner