The jungle’s intoxicating scents, paired with piping hot adrak chai. Safaris, treks and historical ruins. And a heartbreaking farewell to a place that will remain etched in my memory. A recent trip to Sariska, in the lap of the Aravalli, the second oldest mountain range in the world, in India’s Rajasthan, offered all this and more.
It’s a place where vibrant outfits are accentuated by nature’s varied shades; prestige is touted through a multitude of turbans, yards of tie-dye and the size of a man's moustache; and animals and trees are granted reverence.
Complementing the eclectic mood was the warmth and hospitality at Sariska Manor — a luxury jungle lodge with abundant open spaces that provided the backdrop for a weekend seeped in calm and serenity.
In keeping with its pristine surroundings, Sariska Manor is firmly rooted in sustainability. Designed as a colonial-era British-inspired hunting lodge, the resort has installed a rainwater harvesting system and modern equipment to recycle used water and replenish its soil. Orchards brim with citrus fruit and Indian gooseberries, and a pond developed around a natural spring attracts numerous bird species.
Even an amateur birdwatcher such as myself spots kingfishers, asian bee-eaters and little ringed plovers, as well as hundreds of peacocks and peafowls, from the comfort of my room. Sariska has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International and is home to more than 200 varieties.
Leopards have also been spotted resting on boulders and rocks around the resort. As a result, loud music, littering and squandering natural resources are big no-nos at Sariska Manor — a conscious decision to help support the area’s thriving wildlife, as the property sits on the fringes of a core part of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, adjoining the Tehla gate.
Although the Thar desert occupies a sizeable area of south-western and western Rajasthan, the rest of the region is verdant, and home to three tiger reserves — Ranthambore National Park, Sariska Tiger Reserve and Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary. A fourth is being carved out of the Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary.
“There are 102 tigers in the three reserves. And Ranthambore tops the list,” says Mahes Gurung, manager of Sariska Manor and a naturalist with more than a decade of experience, as we embark on a tiger safari. “Sariska now has 23 tigers in total.”
“There were none in the year 2004,” adds Sunita Panwar, the resort's owner, who goes on to tell me about a series of unfortunate events associated with a notorious poacher named Sansar Chand.
Chand went on a killing spree in Sariska in the early 2000s, turning the reserve into a graveyard. Sariska became the first reserve in India to lose all its tigers to poaching and human-animal conflict, an event that has been named the “Sariska Shock”. Chand was jailed in 2005, and the authorities accepted responsibility for their own negligence.
Today, Sariska is again home to a respectable number of the striped felines, thanks to conservation initiatives such as Project Tiger, which helped with the translocation of big cats from Ranthambore to Sariska.
As we drive along marked trails during our safari, Gurung and Panwar share anecdotes about their own sightings, encounters with Yuvraj, one of Sariska’s resident tigers, and folkloric tales about the area, all while watching out for fresh marks. While I soak in their stories and the scent of the jungle, my eyes dart continuously in all directions, but our journey yields no sightings.
As a silver lining, we watch spotted deers known as chitals, langurs, wild boars and birds having animated discussions near a waterhole. Breathtaking views of rugged cliffs and bountiful streams are an added bonus.
But Sariska isn’t just about wildlife. Steeped in history dating back to the Mahabharata period, it is also the site of historical ruins, temples and forts.
The Pandavas, the five acknowledged sons of Pandu who are central to the epic of Mahabharata, are said to have found sanctuary here during their last year of exile. Associated with this legend is Pandupol, a temple dedicated to the demi-god Hanuman, who is said to have defeated Bhima, the strongest of the Pandava brothers, on this spot. Pandupol translates from Sanskrit to mean “gateway of the Pandavas”, and on auspicious days is thronged by villagers from in and around Sariska.
To the west of the Sariska National Park lies Mangalsar dam, a paradise for birdwatchers, and the 7th-century Neelkanth Mahadev temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The ruins of about 200 Hindu and Jain temples, complete with fascinating sculptures, lie further up a hilltop.
A trip to Sariska remains incomplete without a visit to the medieval Bhangarh fort, situated in the south of the reserve. Although beautifully built out of a mountain under the rule of Maharaja Man Singh I, it is now an eerie sight with its dilapidated palace floors and marketplace ruins. This, perhaps, is why it is considered the most haunted fort in India.
With its breathtaking vistas, forts engulfed in history and mystery, and growing population of rare wildlife, Sariska turns out to be an ideal non-Himalayan Indian getaway during these turbulent times.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
RESULT
Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata win by 25 runs
Next match
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
FIGHT CARD
From 5.30pm in the following order:
Featherweight
Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Welterweight
Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
Catchweight 100kg
Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)
Featherweight
James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)
Welterweight
Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Bantamweight:
Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The First Monday in May
Director: Andrew Rossi
Starring: Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, John Paul Gaultier, Rihanna
Three stars
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
'Nope'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jordan%20Peele%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Daniel%20Kaluuya%2C%20Keke%20Palmer%2C%20Brandon%20Perea%2C%20Steven%20Yeun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Aston Martin Rapide AMR
Engine: 6.0-litre V12
Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic
Power: 595bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh999,563
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final