Jilling: Colors of autumn

This was a place I wanted to visit for a long time now. I had heard all good things about it and rightly so, that is what I discovered this Diwali. As early as we could, me and my husband left for Jilling (10th Nov 07'), ready for our 8 hours drive about 350kms from Gurgaon, Haryana. Taking the Gaziabad – Haldwani highway, when we reached Jilling it was evening and darkness was quickly seeping in, but we were prepared. We knew that we had to walk an hr to reach Dera, the cabin where we were staying; I was eager to explore Jilling.

Route Info
New Delhi - Hapur – Moradabad - Rampur (turn left off National Highway) - Rudrapur - Haldwani - Kathgodam - Ranibagh (turn right) to Bhimtal - Khutani (turn right at tri-junction) - Chanfi - Matial. (http://www.jilling.net/)

When we finally reached our cabin it was 8:00pm and we were completely out of breath, at least I was. The climb up the hill comprised of 10 pit stops and asking Ramlal (helping us with our luggage) about 20 times, “How far?” It was not easy I must confess but this is what makes Jilling all the more special. When we reached our cabin friendly people and warm fire welcomed us and the climb was quickly forgotten. After helping us settle down we bid goodnight to all and were left to ourselves to enjoy the place. The sky was beautiful with trillions of stars scattered all across, I had never seen so many stars. I fell in love with Jilling and Dera (the cabin) instantly.

The color of autumn was everywhere in the forest of Jilling. The air was cold and crisp, the sun was warm and the forest was buzzing with the sound of nature. Walks in Jilling is just one of its kind, there is just so much to see in each and every tree. The chestnut tree with its beautiful yellow leaves felt good to the eyes. The anticipation of seeing wild animals; wild boar, barking deers, sambha or even the elusive leopard not to mention the many birds that live in the forest; is exhilarating. We were fortunate enough to see a Barking deer and an Owl but could only here the Samba in the forest from the cabin. The wild bores were busy digging the forest for food; we saw proof of this at many places with freshly dug earth but unfortunately no bores. The forest animals were busy preparing for the winters and yet you saw them rarely.

The ridge is a fantastic place with a 180 ° view of the hills and the majestic Panchachuli range at a distant. All in all Jilling is a place to unwind, be a little adventurous, enjoy delicious home made food and some genuinely nice people. There is no better place to get in touch with nature and oneself. Yes, Jilling is a special place. You can feel it in the forest, the cabin and with the people. But what I loved most about this place was its simplicity; things that some have forgotten amidst the plastic city life and some don’t even know existed. For me having a cup of warm rum tea in front of the fireplace accompanied by lovely conversations with no city noise is what it is all about. Simple yet rare, like taking bath with water heated over the fire every day…. lazing around in the warm sun in solitude, accompanied just by nature… appreciation for the wild comes naturally. In Jilling I kind of rediscovered myself, thought of forgotten things and people. It was above all an experience that I will cherish for ever.

Bidding goodbye was not easy but I know I will keep going back , because of its people and its forest. I don’t know what will happen to the forests of India in the next 10 years, I don’t know what will happen to the inhabitants of the forests. With the ever shrinking forests the homes of the wild animals are fast decreasing. Jilling sets a perfect example of the coexistence of nature and human. It gives us hope that “yes, it is possible” only if we choose to be a little less selfish. All I can feel is utmost respect and gratitude for people like Steve Lall who understood the importance of this delicate balance between human & nature and chose to conserve it not only for the future generation but also because it was the right thing to do.