My sojourn in Silent Valley, heaven on Earth

 

Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by..- Robert Frost

                          

Prelude

It was early summer during 1980. I was then in Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Environmental Sciences at New Delhi, pursuing my doctoral degree. Two national level events in the field of conservation and pollution were rousing public attention through wider reporting in the media. One was the contentious issue of establishing a hydro-electric power project across Kunthipuzha River in the pristine Silent Valley forests of Kerala. The other was about the proposed Mathura refinery in the Taj trapezium that was feared to cast doom for Taj Mahal, one of the medieval India’s wonders. As a researcher on environment and pollution, I naturally took inquisitive interest on these items and began collecting clippings of reports, editorials, topical essays, letter to editor on the subjects from the newspapers. The Hindu carried a series of write ups from eminent wild lifers and naturalists on the subject. In those days when internet, satellite channels, social media networks were unknown, dissemination of information depended chiefly on reports that appeared in daily newspapers and weekly magazines, besides the news items in the ubiquitous All India Radio and the still evolving Doordharsan of B&W era. The one from an eminent naturalist, M. Krishnan who wrote ‘In my lifetime I have seen many fine wildlife habitats demolished for hydel projects. Silent Valley is more important than them all – the last authentic sizeable evergreen forests left’ captured my attention.

     I attempted a survey on how four English national newspapers viz., the Hindu, The Times of India, The Hindustan Times and The Statesman are reporting about the two items by circulating a cyclostyled questionnaire running to two pages among the hostel mates of the seven hostels in the University. The intention was to get the perception of students of higher learning on how the newspapers report on these two topical issues and as to how those reports shape the respondents’ opinion on the matters of great environmental significance. The survey results, which were published in the Hindu newspaper as a full page article in June 1980, revealed that the popular public opinion favoured a ‘call-off of the Silent Valley hydel power project’ and the print media was playing its bit to support the public sentiment. Environmental activists too pressured the Governments for dropping the project, considering the ecological uniqueness of the tropical wet evergreen forests of the area. Within the next couple of years, I had joined the Indian Forest Service (IFS) and was allotted to Tamil Nadu cadre, which I thought would provide me a chance to visit the Silent Valley, which I had so long seen through the media. During the early part of my career, I had gone once up to Sairandhri for some official meeting but the visit was confined to the entrance limits of the Silent Valley. It took a little over 20 years since my JNU days to physically tread through the core interiors of the Silent Valley landscape on a trek.  

Silent Valley- A biological heritage and ecological hotspot 

The forest complex here was recorded as Silent Valley by the Scottish surgeon botanist Robert Wright who while exploring the area in 1847 noticed the relative absence of cicadas, a plant bug, males of which sing loudly. Cicadas do not thrive well in wet climate. Another theory attributes the name to the Anglicization of Sairandhri, a place close to the proposed dam site. Legend had it that the Pandavas stayed incognito at Sairandhri, after the alias assumed by Draupadi during their secret exile in this dense jungle and the river called Kuntipuzha (puzha in Malayaalm is river), after the Pandavas’ mother. 

    The Silent Valley gradually rises from the plains of Mannarkad in the south and rises abruptly after Sairandhri to meet the Nilgiri plateau at Sispara pass. Distributed in the altitudinal range of 880 m to 2,000 m above MSL (Mean Sea Level), the valley areas up to 1,000 m sport tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. Hill tracts above 1000 m comprise of the Western Ghats rain forests that gives way to montane temperate wet evergreen forests called shola interspersed with open grasslands above 1500 m. Sispara peak stands at 2,206 m on the northern side of the pass and Anginda peak, the highest in Silent valley on its southern side at 2,383 m. The River Kunthi descending from the Nilgiri hills from an altitude of 2,000 m flows about 25 km through the valley. Surrounded by steep ridges, hills and escarpments, Silent Valley’s topographical isolation permitted it to develop into an undisturbed ecological island with an unbroken biological history that evolved over millions of years. 

    The Silent Valley is a veritable treasure house and a gene pool of tropical flora and fauna. Inventory of plants and animals suggest that it is home to 960 species of flora, 315 species of animals and about 200 species of birds. The area was notified as a reserve forest in 1914. It took 13 years of protracted and sustained campaign by citizen groups and environmental organizations against the proposed construction of a hydel power house and a dam across Kuntipuzha, about 1.5 km upstream Sairandhiri to fructify, for which initial proposal was mooted in 1970. At the intervention of Government of India, the project was laid to rest in November 1983 and the area declared as Silent Valley National Park in 1984. The park extends over a total of 237.5 sq.km of the core and buffer zones.

Pioneer path breakers

The first ever written record on the use of the treacherous uphill route from Mannarkad up to the Nilgiri hills was by an expedition of the Goa Inquisition led by the Jesuit priest Jacome Ferreira, from the Syrian Christian Church of the Malabar coast at Calicut in 1603. Accompanied by a nephew of Samur Rajah and some others, he proceeded from Calicut via Mannarkad, ascended from the western side and took about 2 days and a half to reach a Badaga village called Maleuntao (melur or Melkundah, probably) through steep and rugged mountains infested with elephants and tigers. 

   Stephen Rumbold Lushington, then Governor of Madras suggested in 1831 for developing the Sispara Ghat road to Ootacamund to provide a speedy route to Ootacamund from Calicut for invalids travelling by ship from Bombay. The team searched the western side of the plateau for a practicable new road, established camps at Avalanche, Sispara, Walakkad and began forming the road with the aid of coolies and 'tank-diggers' for about five months in 1832. Capt. Murray in the team reported that the Kundah pass, as it was then called, was open with a path down the slopes connecting with the roads on the Malabar plains. Due to the difficulty of the rough terrain and incessant rains, the route so much infested with elephants and tigers and the Pioneers having been diverted for Conoor ghat, formation of the road to Sispara ended abruptly and was later on resumed in 1836. The strenuous work of the road developers led to the formation of the road with a gradient of one in nine down to Sholakal by 1838. The extraordinarily heavy rainfall necessitated large annual repairs in subsequent years. The trail was so steep that it was seldom used for laden cattle, the climate was so harsh and the shelter en route so insufficient for Europeans. As early as 1841, it was declared to be 'rarely traversed except at the height of the dry season', and it was eventually abandoned. After 1857, the bungalow at Sispara was accidentally burnt down and was never rebuilt (1857 image of Sispara pass). 

    The Sispara ghat mountain road ran west-north-west from Ootacamand to Avalanche; then up the Kundahs to Bangitappal, then to Sispara in the extreme south-western corner of the plateau and more down a steep descent to Sholakal at the bottom- all to a total length of 69 km. During the 19th century, the path via the Sispara pass provided the shortest route for tapal (postal) runners between Kozhikode on the west coast and Ootacamund in the hills. It was then one of the obscure paths used by cannabis and tobacco-smugglers. The road from Avalanche to Bangitapal, passing along the Upper Bhavani reservoir, the top dam in the Kundah chain, is maintained as an all weather black-topped road but the path beyond this point to Sispara pass is kept as only a fair weather earthen track. Until the 1960s, the Mukurti landscape was a hunting ground where, besides grey jungle fowl, hare and wild boar, a stipulated number of tiger, sambar stag, and saddleback tahr (adult males with white saddles) could be shot by license holders. 

Not a thoroughfare 

The Tamil Nadu part of the Kundah landscape is called Western catchment of the Upper Nilgiri plateau and constitutes the 78 sq. km Mukurti National Park, one of the last known homes of Nilgiri Tahr, the State animal. The cloud-capped mountains, misty valleys, sparkling streams, grasslands that change colour from season to season and evergreen sholas make the park exceptionally idyllic. The tahr cohabits in its mountain home with mouse deer, barking deer, sambhar, dhole, leopard and tiger. Forest department has provided frugal camping facilities for the officials and researchers at Bangitapal and Nadugani. On the Kerala side, the Kerala Forest department has established camping huts in Sispara, Walakkadu, Poochipara and Sairandhri. There are few tribal hamlets in the Silent Valley National Park. These facilities have doubled up as anti-poaching infrastructure over years.  In view of unique ecological significance of this ecosystem complex, admission to the tourists into the core area is restricted. The forest departments of two states conduct organized treks through this landscape for government officials, researchers, and wildlife enthusiasts.

   Tamil Nadu Forest Department (TNFD) has been pioneering such treks from Bangitapal to Sairandhri since 1987. In April that year, a miniscule group of four officials- the Conservator of Forests, Nilgiris Circle Thiru V.R. Chitrapu, IFS, Collector of Nilgiris Thriu K.S.Sripathi, IAS and District Forest Officer, Nilgiris North Thiru K.Chidambaram, IFS and trainee Assistant Conservator of Forests Thiru K.Paneerselvam, IFS, assisted by field staff covered this arduous route on foot over three days. They commenced their trek around 8 AM from Bangitapal and the plan was to reach Walakkad in Kerala before dusk. Thiru Chidambaram, my two-year senior in the service recounted several times about the unique experiences gained by the trekkers. He narrates:

    ‘Foresters knew that the plateau would be infested with elephants in this part of the year, as they move from the lower slopes of Silent Valley to the Kundah plateau to escape the torrid and humid conditions there through the V shaped pass near Sispara. So members were all attired either in khaki or dull clothing. Two hours into the trekking, a couple of adult female elephants with their calves standing up the hill close to our trail got infuriated, probably by the sense of strong human scent came down menacingly towards us, the unwelcome intruders in their territory. The mother elephants are known to zealously guard their young ones against any harm. In a swift response, all of us were called on to shout in full throttle in a chorus. That done in a span of few minutes, the elephants retreated to a safe distance. 

    After another three hours, we were walking close to a small round spur, along the freshly cut fire line above a shola patch. Conservator of Forests, heading the single file suddenly heard the cracking noise of a tree branch inside the shola within a few metres and found himself bumping at the back of an adult makhna elephant standing in the dark shade of dense vegetation. All of us scooted back to the safety behind a small mound and kept absolute silence. What followed was a sheer miracle. The elephant that took sudden notice of human beings standing in line right behind its back in a touching distance, instead of attacking us got so scared, rattled terribly and started fleeing in mad speed inside the shola downhill, breaking branches en route. We were awe struck, wondering as to whether to heave a shy of relief or to laugh at the elephant's unexpected funny behaviour in fear. The turn of events derailed our day’s plan and the team had to make an unscheduled night halt at the Sispara pass in the make-shift alpine tents in the comfort of a camp fire. That made our second day trek to Walakkad relatively easy. 

    Leaving the Kundah plateau behind, the group began to make a deep descend on the slope in a zig-zag fashion at 8 AM. After a three hour long trail through dense evergreen forest, we reached a spot near a brook under the canopy of soaring trees. It was time for lunch. The Conservator of Forests, who is an ex-army officer, had another object in his mind. At his instance, High Frequency (HF) radio wireless communication had been established by the TNFD for the first time a year ago with the base stations set up at Udhagai, Theppakadu and Mudumalai. The HF system, which was then available only with the military, is considered versatile over Very High Frequency (VHF) system, which needs signal towers in the line of sight. A fully charged mobile HF set was carried in a back pack by a staff in the team. The entire team became jubilant and was in high spirits, when on testing, the HF set was able to establish clear contact with the base stations even under the dense canopy of Silent Valley. This apparently boosted the trekkers’ morale, who covered the remaining stretch of the enervating trail down to Walakkad, our scheduled halting spot even as the sun was setting on the horizon to our west…’.

My sojourn into the trekker’s heaven

Thereafter, the TNFD was conducting the annual trek event with break during some years. The event is organized in the summer months of March-May, to avoid the risk of slippery conditions and the path becoming impassable during monsoon months. In fact Upper Bhavani in the Western catchment records an average annual precipitation of over 5000 mm. When I was heading the Coimbatore circle as its Conservator of Forests, I offered to join in the trek slated for April 2002. The foot march from the Tamil Nadu side down to Sairandhri is certainly a soft bet as against the excruciating uphill trek from the Sairandhri end in Kerala. With the fond recollection of my media research about the place two decades ago, I reached the Bangitapal Forest Rest House (FRH) for the night halt prior to our trek. I visited this area several times before and on one such brief hike along with the staff of the park in November 2000, I was blessed with the sight of a tiger on a grassy slope close to a shola patch. Bangitapal (termed as Cannabis table land by early British visitors) at 2,281 m above MSL used to be a halting place at the head of the Sispara ghat road, where a rest shed was built in 1930 for the use of the forest officials. Even while the two suites of the rest house was occupied by me, the Wildlife Warden, Nilgiris Thiru Ashok Upreti IFS and the Project Officer, Hill Area Development Programme, Udhagamandalam Thiru Pankaj Kumar Bansal, IAS, other trekkers and the staff got accommodated in the adjacent trekking shed. The night though dauntingly chill was made cozy with the embers from the fire place within the room, glowing all through the night (Image)

First Day

Even as I stepped out of the lobby in the FRH, the vast sheet of grassy downs, interrupted by the montane shola in the depressions in front of me was still enveloped in a thick and impenetrable mist. Mist couldn’t obviously pull on for long, as the sun rays began to radiate from the east. Against the backdrop of eerie silence, I could hear the call of a few Nilgiri langurs from the shola patch behind the rest house and the melodious note of a Malabar whistling thrush. As the Warden briefed about the three days’ trek the previous night, all members in the party were ready at seven in the morning for a breakfast of bread-omlette. Once done with the morning meal, each member put on his rug sack containing the essentials including the pack lunch and a water bottle and commenced their walk by 8.00 AM. 

    Trekkers enjoyed the spectacle of a shallow stream of quietly flowing water, cutting its serpentine way through the downs. Within the first few hundred metres from the camp, trekkers had to cross the stream on which a culvert has been put to permit the passage of vehicles. After half a kilometer of gentle ascend where the track took a sharp curve, the team commanded a full view of a pine plantation that occupied the swampy valley in the downs. It was the British who experimented with an array of exotic trees- the Eucalypts, the Wattle and the tropical Pines in the Nilgiri and Kodai hills of Madras Presidency in the grasslands and degraded sholas beginning from mid-1850s. This was succeeded with full-blown afforestation programmes by the Indian foresters for about 40 years since independence that altered the hill landscape detrimentally (Image) 

    As we walked along the narrow bridle path for another three kilometer, the advance party of watchers drew our attention to a herd of mountain goat, the Nilgiri Ibex (tahr) standing on a slope of fairly steep gradient, not far from us. We counted nearly 20 of them with many kids and saddle backs. The nimble-footed Nigiri tahr, considered as the closest relative to the Himalayan tahr, occupies cool precipitous slopes, which they scale at ease. The walk so far was comfortable and had been of no challenge with the gently rolling landscape offering a soothing feel to the team members in the salubrious weather of a summer noon. Nearly half way through, we broke for lunch near a stream so that we could refill our water bottles. 

    With a brief interlude of about 30 minutes, we recommenced our walk alongside a shola margin for about 200 metres. The path intermittently tunnels through some of the shola patches. The sight of abundant bright white petals of Michelia nilagrica trees on the shola edge was a feast to our eyes and the mild scent from them filled the calm air around. The stunted Rhododendron arboretum sub sp. nilagricum trees with their thick leathery foliage, springing in isolation here and there are found sending out dashing red flowers in bunches (Image). We passed through Nadugani trekking shed improved during 2001. Following a mild climb, we crossed the state border into Kerala and landed at the Sispara pass at 2,161 m above MSL. The watchers were in waiting with a steaming black coffee. Range Officer informed us that we logged a neat 13 km so far and are about 11 km to our camping site at Walakkad. 

    From the edge of a precipice in the rear of the Sispara shed, there is an almost unrivalled view of the Malabar plain and from the head of the pass, we were gifted with a panoramic view of the Silent Valley down below. As we notice, the Sispara mountain pass is enclosed between two almost perpendicular ridges with the Sispara peak and Anginda peak lying at the head of a long and deep ravine. Famously nicknamed ‘The Devils Gap’ by early visitors to the area, the Ghat trail formed in 1838 along the side of the northwest ridge commences from the pass. As the track went into disuse soon and with no attempt of redevelopment, the present status of the track is so narrow that two people could not walk abreast along it. True to its description, the descent seemed to be devilish. Each one of us was given a sturdy wooden stick to gain support from. We began to descend in single file with each step put down cautiously. We found the 'ladder hill' near the middle of the descent, which was surmounted by steep zigzags at very acute angles as a principal obstacle. 

    The slope is overshadowed with the multi-tier canopy of dense evergreen forest all through, which gave an impression that we are inching towards dusk. Each inch of forest floor here is occupied by a shrub, a tree, a climber or a fern. The epiphytes including orchids, lichens and mosses covered the trunks and branches of the lofty trees and the occasional rock mass profusely.  It was close to four in the evening. Our tribal guides urged us to make quick march for the rest of the distance. The prospect that darkness would soon engulf the ground made us to accelerate our steps in the terrain with many ups and downs and sometimes crossing the jungle streams, as we weren’t willing to face the risk of running into some wild animals in our path. Upper most in our mind was to reach the designated camp site at Walakkad before it was dark.  Paradoxically, we weren’t left with the luxury of enjoying every element of Nature around us that was aplenty. We were sapped of all our energy when we finished our long trail of 24 km in the day. After refreshing over a glass of Kerala’s household beverage pathimugam water (a decoction made from sappan wood, Biancaea sappan with a mix of cumin and cardamom), we had a briefing for the next day. Once done with the hot and spicy supper made at the camp shed, everyone in the team went to slumber in his sleeping bag before 9 PM. 

Second Day

The previous night briefing about the second day of trek gave us immense relief in that the trail to Poochipara is just around 14 km. There was some complacence about the day’s proceedings. When the Kerala counterparts from the forest department informed that we would be actually walking in the core area of Silent Valley National Park through the day and we can anticipate many unique events. The local guides cautioned us to pull up a good pair of socks to the knees after dusting them in salt or snuff powder. As is customary, we loaded the haversack with lunch pocket and other vitals and began the walk around 9 in the morning. Summer morning sunshine was very soothing as we set out of Walakkad. 

    The three feet wide bridle path permitted only a single line movement. All along our route, the sight of tall and stately trees of evergreen forests with buttress roots of amazing dimensions at the base of the trunk were mesmerizing. The botanists in some of us made us to scrutinize the species in proximity. We identified numerous individuals of Palaquim ellipticum, Mesua nagassarium, Poecilonuron indicum, Myristica dactyloides, Artocarpus heterophyllus that are typical of wet evergreen forests close to our path. Impressed by the massive proportions of these trees, we asked a forester to measure their girth. Girth of trees of Mesua nagassarium exceeded 15 feet, which could easily be over 100 feet tall from our visual assessment. A closer look revealed the distinct claw marks of a tiger on the bark of a tree. The big cats are known to mark their territory by clawing tree trunks. With a gentle climb for about 500 m and the subsequent drop over a curve, we came across a river that was carrying a lean flow- from the many springs that feed such water courses- though the last rain was recorded in the area a several weeks back. The tribal guide informed that this river flows eastwards for another 300 m before it joins the mighty Kunthi puzha descending from the Devils’ gorge. A thick maze of ferns filled the space little above the river bank. Some of these ferns were as tall as a small sized tree with leaves as large as that of a palm. Along the edge of the river stood an impenetrable thicket of reeds (Ochlandra spp) as a formidable fort and we heard the cracking noise of the reeds. A strong scent of elephant dung hung in the air in the vicinity. We noticed fresh droppings of elephants- dung piles of different sizes. A herd of elephants were seen feeding the reeds in absolute peace, little heeding our presence. We stayed put at the slushy river margin gazing at them for a few minutes. We also noticed abundant hoof marks of sambhar and gaur close to the river.

    As we marched on, some of our team mates sensed an odd feeling on their lower legs. They were the ones without the leech proofing as advised in the previous night. The leeches that firmly clung on their calf muscle had to be plucked out. We moved further along the trail that took us through Siriawalakkad, which has a fairly large opening, indicating long period of human presence. The redeeming feature of Silent Valley is that presence of such islands with human footprint in the midst of vast swathe of forest has not impacted the biodiversity uniqueness of the area thus far. As we continued walking, the tribal guide who was in the lead stopped a while signaling us to look up at the massive tree on our left. There at the branch of the tree was the silhouette of a Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) swinging up to the tree top where another one was found perched. It was a vedipala (vedichakka in Malayalam) tree (Culenia exarillata), tender leaves and fruits of which is a LTM’s delicacy. We learnt that Silent valley is home to three of the five primates found in Southern India - Nilgiri langur, LTM, and Bonnet macaque-, each occupying its own unique niche, namely montane temperate, tropical wet evergreen, dry deciduous forest, respectively. A few hundred metres further we heard the raucous sounds from a pair of Malabar Giant Squirrel in a rendezvous pursuit of one another on a tree branch. The sight of their maroon coat, glimmering in the bright rays of the forenoon sun enthralled us. 

    The trekking party continued walking under the humid canopy cover of the rain forest for another hour. We broke for a thirty minute lunch where there was a small opening. With another hour walk, we came across a large open grassland intermixed with trees. It took a few steep ascends and gradual drops to cover this linear open landscape. A watchful guide drew our attention to fresh scat of a tiger close to the bridle path. We inferred that the large carnivores prefer the open savannah type of forest for pursuing their hunting, where sambhar deer, their favourite prey, are in abundance. Very soon we landed at the Poochipara hut that is located at the top of a small mount, not far away from the track. The camp site overlooks the densely forested Kunthipuzha valley, while the Poochipara Mountain (1,310 m) rises behind the camp like a sentry. The time ticked five in the evening. By now we sauntered down to 1,200 m and the night stay was fairly pleasant with the moderate weather. 

Final Day 

It was announced that the third day trek would be rather short and mild with only about 10 km to cover on foot. The destination is Sairandhri forest station, the gateway to the core area of Silent Valley National Park from the Kerala side. So we were a bit more relaxed than the previous day. With the Kerala staff informing that the trekkers can have the luxury of bathing in Kunthipuzha en route, none of us took the ritual morning body wash at the camp shed. Our haversacks too weighed light, as we didn’t have to lug the packed meal for the afternoon. We began the day’s trail around 9.30 AM.  The path was descending all through but for few brief climbs. About two km from the camp, Kunthipuzha crossed our path once. During the entire length of our trail thereafter, we had been walking our winding way parallel to Kunthipuzha flowing on our left like a silver streak (Image).  

   Evergreen forest of the previous day has given way to the broadleaved moist deciduous and dry deciduous forests, typical of lower elevation hills. Incidentally, this is the economically valuable tract in Silent Valley, as forests here support liberal distribution of prime timber trees like Tectona grandis, Dalbergia latifolia, Pterocarpus marsupium, Terminalias etc. Magnificent-sized dead stumps of many trees were seen sprinkled in this stretch as we passed through. We learnt that the forest in this part had been worked for selection felling of timber for nearly seven decades between 1927 and 1976. What a good feel to learn that the removal of even dead trees of spontaneous growth had abated in India since 1980s to preserve the biodiversity of the last remaining natural forests for posterity! 

    A slight leftward detour from the path led us to the river with a steel suspension bridge across the river put up at the time of reconnaissance of the area for the hydropower project by the Kerala Electricity Board, now a rusty relic (Image). Above the bridge, was standing a rocky edifice of gentle gradient that transformed the water flowing in Kunthipuzha into a cascade. A perfect place to indulge in our bathing frolic. We had a heart whelming douche in the river for well over an hour after which we resumed our walk. Through its entire course within the park, the river never turns brown; it is crystal clear, perennial and wild. Kunthipuzha flows further south through the park, after which it assumes the name Thuthupuzha before joining the expansive Bharatapuzha. By around 12 noon, we reached the forest watch tower erected on a rocky substratum close to the river. The steel tower was standing 100 feet tall and mounting to its top was in itself an exhilarating exercise. But not for those suffering from acrophobia (fear of height)! From the top tier, we could command the most picturesque panorama of the Silent valley with its myriad features in the broad day light. Having feasted on the spectacular sight, we alighted from the tower to walk to the forest station at Sairandhri, about 1.5 km away, which is a gentle climb from the river bed.

    We touched Sairandhri around 1 PM, our final trek destination at 1,100 m where a forest station has been established by the Kerala Forest department (KFD). This is the point up to which usually a tourist is permitted in a vehicle after which, they can walk up to the watch tower and suspension bridge. The staff of KFD graciously arranged our sumptuous lunch. After the meal, we thanked the officers and field staff of the KFD immensely for all the courtesies extended to the trekking party from the TNFD. We began to feel the summer heat of the plains from then on and during our van ride in a rickety earthen road for 19 km that brought us to Mukkali check gate, the official headquarters of the Silent Valley Range Office. Loaded with pleasant memories to retain, the trekkers parted way from Mukkali, a sleepy village in the God’s Own Country, each one hitting his own route that will take him to his hometown or office. For me, it was a drive of another two hours to Coimbatore city, my headquarters. In the comfort of my Maruti 1000 car, I was reminiscing of the events that passed by in the three days. 

Epilogue

The public spirited social campaign and legal battle against the proposed hydro power project across Kunthipuzha had for sure silenced the vehement push by the then Kerala Government to launch the construction of the dam at the contentious site. Had it been gone through, that would have submerged some of the pristine and untouched evergreen forests of the southern Western Ghats and spelt doom for the Silent Valley? And that would have robbed us of the opportunity to traverse this landscape in its original format on foot. The controversy over the project and the face off and subsequent elevation of its conservation status catapulted the ecological fame of Silent Valley in the national and international arena. The area was rightly constituted as the centerpiece of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in 1986 as the first BR of the country and was named part of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in 2012. However, in the back of my mind, the doubt lingers as to whether the name Silent Valley is a misnomer in as much as the whole of the landscape is alive with the sounds of the forest from all around- the burble of the brook and the splash of the river, buzz of the insects, chirp and song of the birds, chatter of the monkeys, the roar of the tigers and so on. My sojourn in the heaven on earth some 20 years back too had not provided me an answer.