Day 9: Officers & Elephants

After another greatly anticipated breakfast of curry, chai, and toast at the Welham Girls School, we headed out to meet the Uttarakhand Police. 

Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly with samosas, cookies, and yes, more chai tea. Fourteen of us, plus our two tour guides, sat down at a long conference table with none other than the Uttarakhand Police Captain - Abhinav Kumar - sitting at the head. From there, the meeting went smoothly. We asked his opinion on a wide range of topics, varying from Indian gun control laws, and his definition of “justice”, to what his favorite Indian show about police is (between him and the three other officers in the room, a consensus was reached, that the answer is “Delhi Police”. They also mentioned how it is available on Netflix). 

After this discussion, we gathered on the green in front of the police station to take a group photo. The building in which the police station is housed, according to Mr. Kumar, has a long history. The building started as a vacation home, then a police station in British colonial times, until it became the Uttarakhand Police Headquarters in the year 2000.

We then climbed back onto our faux Mercedes Benz bus and headed out to our next destination: Rajaji National Park. The bus ride was a bumpy hour and a half. The view gradually changes from colorful market stalls selling saris to plains of cracked dirt to lush trees. When we finally arrived, we had a simple and efficient lunch of roti, paneer, and rice.

In the Rajaji National Park, there is a nature reserve known for its elephants and tigers. The purpose of our being at the park became clear upon our safari orientation. The orientation was a simple matter, just a few words about how the trip generally lasts around 2-3 hours and a few other miscellaneous warnings. We split up into three safari cars, and off we went! We barreled across the fields in open-topped vehicles with no seatbelts.

The towering trees had scratch marks made by elephants, which scrape off bark to chew. That was just the beginning. We were then startled by a Bengal monitor, a lizard that looks quite like a komodo dragon, and many spotted deer. We were coming to the end of our 3-hour trip, thinking it was a pity we didn’t get to see any elephants or tigers, when one of our attentive tour guides spotted a small herd of elephants, not too far from the car. Everyone was in awe, and that is a moment I do not think any of us will ever forget: the sun setting across the grassland, the pink mountains rising in the distance, and a herd of elephants, slowly making their way to the river for an evening drink. 

With the safari over, we took our beloved bus back to Welham Girls School, ate a hearty meal with our 11th-grade student hosts, and called it a day.