Time: 6.30am
" Hello, Bijay!!!"
"Yeah, Heart (thts me) tell!!"
"What r u doing today?? Want to go for a long drive??"
"Can't say, buddy..have to send the DPR, otherwise my boss will kill me!!!"
"What the hell!!!Today is holiday dear..tell me when u will be free..??"
"I should be free by 11am"
"Ok then..try to get the things done as early as possible.. and give me a call when u r free..we can drive to Sibsagar"
I recently learnt driving and was very keen to go for a long drive. Bijay is working in ONGC as a Geologist and we were batchmate in our MSc days in IIT Kharagpur. At around 11am i drove to ONGC colony and picked him up. It was Dussera, so I was expecting a chaos on the road, but to my great surprise i didn't encountered anything like that.
"Bijay, lets change our plan. Its 12.30. We are having 2 options: Kazirnaga or Sibsagar??But Kaziranga is closed now for monsoon"
"Hmmm...Kaziranga National Park!!!"
"Ok!! Lets go..."
Lying along the mighty Brahmaputra river, the Kaziranaga National Park covers an area of about 430-sq-kms. It was inscripted as UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1985. In 2006 it is also declared as the Tiger Reserve. It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned Rhinocerouses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds.
Its around 100kms drive from Jorhat to Kazirnaga. The NH-37 runs through small towns, lush green paddy field and tea gardens, beautiful landscape with hill peaks; a long drive can't ask for more.
On the way, we shared a lots of new experiences after joining job. I would be highlighting a few of those.
Very soon we crossed Dergaon. Firing Range, Police Training Centre, Dergaon, Golaghat District
Well, the most striking fact Bijay observed in Jorhat is most of the guys dating a girl.
"Heart, I cant understand how it can be that you hopeless din't have a girlfriend. Here, wherever I see, every guy is dating a hot chik!!!"
"Hard luck buddy, there is a proverb you know "love is something which comes when you least want it, and leaves when you desparately want it!!!" When luvly gals r around I never thought of it, and when I want one, all got engaged...and thats life.."
Smooth, straight road; allowed me to manoeuvre at 100kmph
I don't know why, but I really like this line "Live and Let Live". Like this more quotes are there, one of them is "Speed thrills but it kills", which I like to read as "Speed kills but it thrills!!" wuzzaattt!!
Bijay didn't had lunch. So, we had a small halt at A-1-Plaza for lunch and coffee. When we resumed it was 2.10pm.
And the conversation continued. In the last Bihu festival, Bijay saw a lots of beautiful Assamese girls and the way he described them, I won't be suprised to a see a Assamese Nabou (big bro's wife). He told how he already started getting indirect invitation to marry assamese girls. Here is example:
"Mishra, (title of Bijay), how r u planning for ur marriage? There is a girl I can show to u if u r interested."
"Mishra how do spend ur weekends. Come to our home sometimes. You can also go out with my daughter!!!"
ONGC tag ....huh...
Bijay has a passion to travel as much as possible. Unlike others he liked being posted in Assam. It gaved him ample of opportunity to go places where even being a local guy I would never go. Afterall, he is escorted by CRPF. And he started telling his exciting experience. He was suprised by the respect of the local people for ONGC.
While I was checking the air-pressure of the tyre a few buffalos passed by. Provided camera charged and enough memory space, Bijay don't miss a chance!!!
Curvy roads put charm to the my drive!!!
If you zoomed into this photo you can see the effect 'coz of speed.
The sign board says we are approching Kaziranga :)
Assam is the highest tea-producing state in India. Proud to be an Assamese.
Bingo!!!! we are at the main gate of Kazirnaga @ 3pm. Hey, this is not the gate for Kaziranga, the road is opposite to this gate. We could not able take a snap of the main gate!!! (din't thought of it actually...now missing it!!!)
Welcome to World Heritage Kaziranga
When the park is open, one can drive upto 20kms inside the park. As rainy still is still on, nobody is allowed to go inside Park.
Grazing land of Kaziranga. and that's Burha-pahar (meaning old-mountain).
Throughout my description I mentioned about a creature, here is his physical appearance: Bijay
A dead tree. Had it been Africa it could be said as Giraffe. heehee.
We saw 4 rhinos inside the park grazing in swamps. Even with 10x optical zoom on I can capture only this much. Thats why I want to buy a SLR camera at earliest.
Clouds playing with the Sun, while I was playing with my camera. Kudos to my tiny Kodak camera!!!
I was trying my talent as a wildlife photographer!!! U know what, badly screwed up. Nevertheless clicked few birds..and now I am bad in identifying birds :P
After about an hour stay inside park we started our retrieving journey. But, I was still in hunt to get a better picture of rhino. A number of time while traveling from Guwahati to Jorhat, I saw few rhinos grazing near highway.
"Bijay, I want to take a chance!!! Lets drive a few kilometers towards Guwahati. If we r lucky We might see a Rhino or two."
On the way, model of a pair traditional "Horai" made from bellmetal is displayed to show the Assamese culture. (I showing only one here) 
No matter whether we see Rhino or not to our delight we came across few Swamp Deers 
Bijay told me a story of buying a Rhino momento at a cheaper price at Nagaland:
"When I stopped by the shop, commandos equiped with Carbine came with me and the shopkeeper thought I am a army officer!!! and the commando asked:
"Yeh genda kitne me de rahe ho?" (at what price this rhino is selling for)
"Rs. 150 sir"
"100 lena" (take Rs. 100)
and I got is for 100 Rupees"
"Bijay, its bad, missuse of ur power. For another customer the shopkeeper would have got atleast Rs.200, first he told a reduced price seeing commandos and second u bargained rather forced him to give in ur price!!!"
Oh, Boy.. how much I like pulling Bijay's leg. Heehee.
It was about to sunset, and Bijay was very much insisting on getting back. I asked for a privilage of 5 more kilometers ahead. :)
After driving aroung 3-4kms I got what I anticipated. A rhino grazing in swamps. Well, this time I know those birds... thats pelican, in assamese called Bogoli :)
He had a good look at us. I guess he had been clicked so many times that he knows how give his best pose. Hahaha
And concentrated back to grazing. No no, gave his side pose!!!
and now I am Happy. Took U turn and cruise back to Jorhat with a resolution to come back when park is open.Cheers,
Hriday
the best one.......
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