In search of Chilika's Irrawaddy dolphins

“Will we see the Irrawaddy dolphins?” This is the first question I ask our boatman Sanjay Das. “If we are lucky,” he replies in Odia, that our guide and in-house naturalist Karan Giri from Rambha Palace, translates. Dawn has just broken over the Chilika Lake.

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The boat-ride, organised for guests at the boutique hotel, takes off from Rambha in Ganjam district.As Sanjay manoeuvres the boat into the water with a stick-like oar, a flock of black-tailed godwits searches the sludgy shores nearby for food, their long legs aiding them in the task. A pied kingfisher swoops into the water, and we also see the majestic Brahminy kite perched atop a pole. More birds make their appearance — such as the Indian spot-billed duck, grey-headed swamphen, and whiskered tern — and soon enough, I realise Chilika is not just about the dolphins. “It is a haven for birds, some of them resident, while some are visitors who stop by seasonally along their migratory route,” points out Karan. With no other boat as far as the eye can see, that morning, it is just us, the lake, and the occasional bird that flies past. Suddenly, Sanjay slows down, pointing towards movement in the water some distance away. To the untrained eye, it appears like a series of ripples on the surface. I see nothing, but the others in the boat are excited; Karan readies his camera. The trick is to take a deep breath, calm down, and observe. And when I do, I see them: a lightning flash of two grey fins that emerge, then disappear. It is a pod of Irrawaddy dolphins. The pod, that Sanjay says has around three to four animals, swims at a brisk pace