Rahul Yadav’s father used to be a Vigilance Officer with the Police. Now father and son are vigilant about something else: nature. Especially how carefully her resources should be used while entertaining travellers at Pugmark Resort, the resort that they jointly run.

The resort, located in Khatia Village, has a wild and wonderful neighbour in the Kanha National Park and sits comfortably in nature’s midst. Just 500 metres from the core Kanha zone, Pugmark is an ideal choice for tourists looking to view wildlife.

Though staying here is akin to getting back to nature, the resort is not without its modern amenities that have become a necessity for urban living. It has 12 huts fitted out with all the expected facilities to assure visitors of a comfortable and relaxed stay.

What keeps the resort going, however, is its enthusiastic owners. I was in their ethnically styled, mud-walled computer room, excitedly emailing pictures of my very first tiger viewing at Kanha National Park. The Yadavs shared my enthusiasm and wonder despite their own innumerable tiger sightings on countless occasions. The ride in Rahul’s Jeep early that morning had led us to a handsome male tiger lounging in a pool; our visit to ‘Kipling Country’ was off to a great start.
 
There is a ‘made by hand’ look to the place — literally -- handcrafted as it has been by the owners themselves! Using indigenous materials, the Yadav family (4 girls and a boy) take pride in saying that they joined the village masons in shaping the cottages, plastering it with cow dung (a century old still practised in India to keep walls cool). Over it, they painted their own tribal art pictures — evidence of the artistic talent of the Yadavs.

This place is ideal for families, with play areas and ducks and drakes wandering about to keep kids amused. The senior Yadav will throw in a lesson on the stars after dinner!

Pugmark tries to ensure that its footprint on the environment is at its minimum. That the Yadavs practice responsible tourism was evident in the pride they took in sharing the forest experience with the locals; especially with rural school children. Jeep-loads of kids were taken for the first time into the park, (right in their own neighbourhood, but visited only by other tourists and foreigners). By instilling pride in them about nature’s bounty in their own backyard and educating them about tigers and the need to conserve, they may be playing a valuable role in grooming future guardians of Kanha.