In this blog, Dr. Preetika Garg, an educator and nature enthusiast recounts her experience at the Titli Utsav in Devalsari.
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A sudden phone call from a friend roused my sense of adventure, guiding me to the Titli Utsav in Devalsari, a picturesque hamlet in Uttarakhand. This festival is organised annually by The Titli Trust, a registered non-profit NGO established to conserve and protect nature. This year it was held from June 6th to 11th 2024, in lush green surroundings where I was lucky enough to witness a mesmerising spectacle of butterflies, birds, moths, cicadas, and other insects.
Devalsari is situated at an altitude of 1,722 meters, nestled amidst serene Deodar forests and the lush green meadows of the nearby Bangsil village in Tehri district's Jaunpur block. It’s a tranquil escape, just 88 kilometres from Dehradun and 55 kilometres from Mussoorie,
I reached Dehradun in the early hours of June 5th after a long night ride by bus from Delhi. Ms. Aanchal Sondhi, mentor and guide of the butterfly festival, warmly welcomed me at her home and soon we set off on our journey to the pristine Devalsari hills. The four-hour drive was a very educational and interesting one as she gave deep insights into the local flora and fauna grown there.
I learned that there are trees found at specific heights and that pine cones and dried pine needle-like leaves play a major role in spreading forest fires, something we would witness firsthand in the days ahead.
On the way, we stopped for a delicious breakfast to break up the long drive. Refreshed, we resumed our journey and soon reached Devalsari village. Nothing could have prepared me for the treacherous trek to my homestay. Balancing my luggage and my steps, with some assistance from Aanchal and after several breaks in between to catch my breath and observe the colourful butterflies fluttering all around, I finally reached the top of the uphill path. As I watched from there, the stunning view of the homestay amidst the lush green swaying Deodhar trees made me forget all my pain.
We received a warm welcome at the homestay from Mr. Arun Gaur, President of Devalsari Environment Protection and Technology Development Society (DEPTDS), and other staff members. Drinking in the scenic beauty and feeling the fresh clean air in our lungs, soon we retired to our spacious rooms to take a quick nap after a long tiresome journey. This would also give us enough time to replenish our energy for the short trail that lay ahead which meant going back to the same path which we had come.
As one of the first to arrive, I was looking forward to being joined by other like-minded nature lovers. As they arrived around lunchtime, we all got to know each other over a delightful, home-cooked meal that was remarkably simple yet extremely satisfying. This became a daily routine for the next few days, with anticipation for each meal growing with every passing hour.
The rest of the group members arrived the next day. From here onwards, our regular nature treks started under the guidance of butterfly experts Mr. Keshar Singh and Ms. Aanchal Sondhi as per the laid down itinerary. We trekked along the rocky paths of Lungsu Nala and Chiana Khud on the 6th and 7th of June along with a trek to Moldhar, situated at a higher altitude than Lungsu Nala.
On these wonderful treks, we were greeted by a kaleidoscope of butterflies like Spangles, Sorrel Sapphires, Common Jays, Common Crows, and Popinjays fluttering on wild plants and trees.
We also saw some birds like Red-billed Blue Magpies, Spotted Forktails, and Oriental Turtle Doves flit through the treetops, their melodies echoing through the valley. We did some sightseeing at Moldhar and visited the ancient Devalsari Temple, a place of great spiritual force and highly revered by Hindus.
Sridev Suman Titli Eco Park, in Chiana Khud, a part of the Devalsari landscape, is a butterfly haven created and protected by the local community and DEPTDS. There we saw an array of butterflies in pools of muddy water, mud-puddling, a behaviour where butterflies gather in damp or muddy areas to drink mineral-rich water. There was also a small spring of water in the vicinity where we cooled off from the heat and spent a good number of hours in each other’s company splashing and pushing each other playfully in the water.
On June 8th, just as we were getting tired and could move no further on the rocky paths of Moldhar, Mr. Dyan from Devalsari Homestay delivered a delicious lunch to our hungry and exhausted group, providing us with a much-needed energy boost. Thereon, we resumed our difficult trek and discovered more butterfly species like Common Maps, Tiger Browns, Rustics etc.
The evening time was spent on educational and interesting presentations. Mr Vivek Sarkar, the renowned ‘Cicada Man’, captivated us with interesting tales of his journey to discover various types of Cicadas. Aanchal shared her expertise on butterfly classification, and Vera, an international intern, enlightened us on her learnings from her two-month stay at Devalsari. A special moth screening was arranged by Aanchal at night, where our misconception was cleared up as we discovered the amazing beauty of moths. We learned that each moth species had its own unique nocturnal schedule. As darkness fell, instead of going to bed, we chose to thrill ourselves by herping, an adventure to discover the hidden world of nocturnal amphibians and reptiles.
The following day we went up to Molgad, a beautiful village situated on the hills above Devalsari. We had the best birding sightings there namely Upland Pipit, Yellow-Breasted Greenfinch, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Eurasian Nutcracker, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker apart from some beautiful butterflies like Water Hairstreak, Yellow Coster, Common Three Ring etc.
Time flew by, and before we realised, June 11th was nearly there, marking the end of our amazing trip. Some of the group members left on June 9th, shrinking the group size considerably. June 10th brought us the opportunity to visit the beautiful Magra forest located on the Dehradun-Mussoorie-Suwakholi-Thatyur state highway, 20 km from Mussoorie town and we visited Mussoorie Wildlife Sanctuary, Benog on the 11th of June. Both locations featured distinct plants, animals, birds, and butterflies due to their unique ecosystems. It was a magical experience to spot colourful butterflies like Walnut Blue, Pale Himalayan Oakblue at Magra and Common Flash, Common Lineblue etc., at Benog.
With a heavy heart, I finally departed for Dehradun for my journey back to Delhi. Bidding goodbye to my newfound friends was bittersweet, as we had shared such great camaraderie on our nature walks at the Titli Utsav. But as the saying goes’ All good things must come to an end.’
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About the Author:
Dr. Preetika Garg is an educator for the past 25 years with a creative eye and love for nature. A certified bird enthusiast, she finds great joy in exploring nature and gaining insights from its marvels. Her adventures take her to undiscovered places where she is always on the lookout for these winged charms.
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