Pench National Park is situated in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh. This lush Park, as well as the surrounding lands and villages, was celebrated in the famous novel The Jungle Book. Rudyard Kipling perfectly described the raw beauty of the region and its hypnotic appeal.
Explore this beautiful area on a village walk that provide an authentic glimpse of rural life in India. Take a stroll through the simple, yet culturally rich lifestyle of the local inhabitants, who live off the land. Admire the brightly coloured dress of the local villagers, standing out vividly against the lush backdrop. A stroll through one these villages is a humbling and grounding experience.
Meet some of the local people, who may even invite you and your guide in for a meal or a talk that may provide great insight into Indian life, folklore and tradition. These rural villages are home to generations of farmers, who have cultivated the fields for centuries. Various produce is grown throughout the year, either for personal consumption or for sale in the region’s larger cities. During the winter months, the villagers grow corn, which lines the fields with its green stalks, capped with fluffy golden tufts. The summer, or pre-monsoon period, is known as the sugar cane harvesting season. Large fields of spiky, imposing foliage are cut by machete-wielding farmers. The sugar cane is then gathered and processed into unrefined sugar, also known as jaggery. The community bands together to process the sugar cane in large cooking pots over 6m (20ft) wide.
No matter the season or the harvesting period, the local inhabitants will gladly introduce you to a day in the life of a rural Indian villager.
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