Of the Bright and Green Dandeli Forest and the “Blood Moon”

One afternoon, we ventured into the Dandeli Forest, about 75 km from Hubballi, and saw a lot of green. I tried to capture the brightness as well. All that we saw was a fleeting glimpse of the Malabar Squirrel. We reached the banks of the Kali river but in vain. As we turned back, disappointed, at not having sighted elephants, one of the tyres of the car got punctured. The driver carried a stepney, but a wonderful sunset went by without snaps! We asked a passerby en route if we had any chance of elephant- sighting. He told us that it would be possible only after 8 p.m. During the conversation, we realised that he was a retired employee of the Forest Department and that he was a bear- attack survivor (his face wore the marks of his bravery). On our way back, the defective tyre was got repaired in Haliyal, and that gave me an opportunity to click the “blood moon”.