The real forest gump

Nobody can buy a forest So Pramod Nargolkar did the next best thing he created one Over 20 years he bought patch after another of barren hilly tracts some 25 kms from Pune He collected saplings from various parts of India including Eastern Maharashtra the South the NorthEast and even the Andaman and Nicobar Islands He took special care to choose only those specimens that suited the unique climate and soil conditions of Pune Today in this 25acre forest there are over 22000 trees that cater to 500 species The Common Iora Man on a mission For Pramod this was only half his dream He wanted to add another 25 acres to this painstakingly created forest And then suddenly inexplicably he disappeared This writer travelled from Mumbai to meet Nayana Nargolkar Pramodrsquos wife who carries forward this unique green legacy On reaching her home in Pune one noticed that it was named Bahava which is Laburnum in Marathi mdash the tree with flowers like molten sunlight The signboard said Pramod Nargolkar But there was no Laburnum in sight and no Pramod Flowerpecker in flight Nayana recounted there were two places that were really close to Pramodrsquos heart Melghat Tiger Reserve and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands And his infatuation with Nicobar Islands turned out to be a starcrossed affair Nayana recalled that fateful day in 2004 when he had gone to the Nicobar Islands with five of his friends She reminisces ldquoPramod had taken special permission to stay on Turtle Island Though a rest house at a height of 80 feet on a rocky cliff was reserved for them they decided to stay in a tent on the beach In the dreaded tsunami that struck they all disappeared except the guard who was found after 12 daysrdquo The Palash tree in full bloom Green dream From Nayanarsquos home in Pune we drove to Sipna where Pramodrsquos homegrown sanctuary is located along the PunePanshet Road We passed by the Khadakvasla dam on the right and along the river we spotted a flock of migratory birds After negotiating our way through lovebirds from Pune who were perched strategically on the rocks along the Khadakvasla River we reached a spot from where we could get some good pictures of the birds of the feathered kind Balu the young caretaker at Sipna opened the gate to the sanctuary Near the gate was a brickred house which doubled up as Pramodrsquos home while in Sipna He would tend to the trees through its formative years Now a thriving forest it was home to numerous birds butterflies and insects In fact there are over 70 species of birds here over 200 species of insects 28 species of butterflies and 6 species of snakesu00a0The unwritten rule at Sipna is not to take anything away from here be it flowers or fruits They are all for the denizens of this sanctuary who are growing in numbers by the day Whatever remained unconsumed by the fauna would fall down and form the manure for the trees Quiet flows the Khadakvasla River near Sipna According to the caretaker Balu Nargolkar would instruct him to never harm any living being on the site In fact even snakes that were caught in the nearby villages were always released inside Seated in the verandah Nayana remembered that distant morning when she returned after a gap of one endless year after the tsunami As soon as she stepped into the sanctuary scores of birds collected near the house and created a ruckus Almost as if they were asking her ldquoHavenrsquot they found him yetrdquo Captain Conservation Pramod was a wellknown figure among the conservationists of Pune He was designated as Punersquos Chief Wildlife Warden and was conferred the prestigious Vanashree Award by the Government of Maharashtra He invested crores of rupees that he had earned over the years from his engineering firm but never borrowed a rupee from his friends or even NGOs Today in his absence funds have run dry and Nayana finds it difficult to maintain this 25acre forest The green tractsu00a0of Sipna Pics C Gangadharan Menon Pointing to the makeshift tents near the waterholes she said ldquoThese were Pramodrsquos hideouts for indulging in his favourite passion mdash wildlife photography He would hide here with his camera for hours and wait for the birds to come to the waterholes without ever disturbing themrdquo Pramod had organised several exhibitions of his wildlife photographs across Punersquos art galleries Over seven years many aerial sorties have been conducted by the Indian government to trace Pramod and his friends in the dense hostile jungles of Nicobar Nayana had accompanied search parties on a couple of occasions but every time they drew a blank She has not given up hope though Pramod was washed away by a tidal wave into the vast Indian Ocean She is still hopeful that one day he would emerge from the river that flows behind Sipna sanctuary and walk towards their farmhouse When she opens the door he would be standing there drenched but smiling How to get there gtgtu00a0Sipna is 25 kms from Pune Drive to Khadakvasla and then to Donje Phata gtgtu00a0u00a0At the fork turn right towards Panshet gtgtu00a0Sipna is on the right afteru00a03 kms Where to stay At Rutugandh Resort just 2 kms away Call 09881009500 for bookings Where to go AprilMay for butterflies If you prefer cooler climes head as soon as monsoon sets inu00a0 Call Nayana 09370670478 for a guided tour