It was time for me to say goodbye to Aizawl after spending almost 18 days in the state of Mizoram. It was now time to move towards Assam, to the famous Jatinga Village, which has been a delight for bird watchers for decades. Jatinga is a small village near the town of Haflong, which itself is about the size of a small city.

But first, one has to fly from Aizawl Airport to Silchar, a city in Assam. Silchar is only about a two-hour drive from Jatinga Village.

Jatinga

From Aizawl, one can take a connecting flight via Imphal and then to Silchar — the flight’s final destination being Kolkata. The first thing I did that morning was to give away my old gym shoes to the young travel guide who had accompanied me around Mizoram. This was my gesture to thank him. Princess Diana always said in her speeches that one should perform random acts of kindness and do good for someone without expecting anything in return — because by giving, one feels happy themselves. I felt happy as I left for the airport.

The check-in process was smooth as usual. The only issue was that when we landed in Imphal, it was very hot, and the airplane’s air conditioning seemed a bit weak. Nonetheless, I reached Silchar without any trouble, quietly mumbling to myself as I usually do. Traveling alone, I’ve learned that I’m my own best companion.

As I exited Silchar Airport, I took a Maruti Zen taxi and asked the driver to take me to Jatinga Village. The boys readily agreed. On the way, we took pictures of the sky and the forested areas. It was a bumpy ride — the road was in poor condition, with long stretches of dirt track one must endure to reach Jatinga. The area is quite isolated and sparsely populated. It’s also known to be a bit risky, often described as a tribal region. Locals here are particularly cautious of the Burmese and Naga communities.

We reached late in the evening after a two-and-a-half-hour ride. I asked a few locals, who guided me to the viewpoint in Jatinga where, famously, birds are said to crash into trees and die mysteriously. It was dark by then, but I managed to climb a flight of steps trying to locate the viewpoint. After some effort, I decided to head back and look for a hotel or local lodge to spend the night.

Luckily, I found an excellent place. One has to drive a little further down to Haflong town to find good lodges with AC and fine food — but I managed that with ease. The plan is to stay in Jatinga for a week and see if I can witness the phenomenon of birds committing suicide.

However, the lodge manager slightly dashed my hopes, saying that the event occurred mostly years ago, and I’d have to be very lucky to witness it myself. Locals say the best time to watch the birds is in the early morning — and I’m going all out to try my luck.

Till then, enjoy the pictures and stay tuned!