Life in the Wild...

Picture one day of your life without…

A ping on the BB screaming for action

The addictions of the world of social media

Rushing to manage the 9.30a.m compulsory swipe,

Literally living like a wound up robot (I know they are far more advanced these days a la Jarvis)

No alarms, no organizers, no endless meetings,

For a change just getting off the rat race and getting onto life… planning a date with Mother Nature…

Sounds blissful? Well this is exactly what I experienced when I planned to take a 3 day vacation and headed to the famous Nagzira Tiger Reserve, a picturesque dense jungle located 3 hours away from the city of Nagpur.  Being my first wildlife trip, the thought of encountering a feral being did send shivers down my spine, but then I chided myself that we deal with such species all the time, and by now should have mastered the art of ignoring their existence.  So I braced myself up for the adventure with no expectations from the excursion, for me it was just an escape from the mundane routine of the so called corporate lives we lead.  All I knew was we were going to be put up in tents at a resort bordering the jungle, again the thought of a stray breaking into the tent raised my alarm antennas, but I managed to hush the thought. 

Jungle trail

We checked into the resort in the searing afternoon sun, welcomed with icy cold towels by the hospitable staff, could hardly decide whether it was the warmth of the resort staff or the temperature which was close to 42 degrees, that was warmer.  Contrary to my beliefs, was relieved to see the tents well equipped with an A/C and hygienic washrooms.   My eyes wandered beyond the fence to the unknown world of the wild awaiting us.  Within an hour of freshening up, our open jeeps were ready to take us into the heart of the Nagzira jungle.  Before we knew it we were waiting at the gates of the jungle, to be ushered in by a guide. After the preliminary formalities we entered the jungle trail. 

Say Banana!!!

Once within the jungle, mercury played mischief, it dropped drastically causing a chill in the air.  Suddenly the jungle came to life with sonorous sounds, shrill calls, unheard of sounds of hidden beings, my ears become extra sensitive to every thud, every reverberation it could pick. Was unprepared for the glorious sights that lay ahead, it was the most amazing feeling, we were asked to keep our mouths on mute and experience this extravagance expanse of lush green, thus causing all our senses to feel super active.  The serenity and calm of the place evaporated my fears and made me freely embrace the beauty of the flora and fauna around. There were mountains of anthills, huge, some as tall as short trees, that dotted the trail. Captivated by the green cover, we spotted bisons, four horned antelopes, a peacock, wild dogs, white monkeys and a host of lovely birds. 

We scanned the jungle for almost 3 hours in the hope of spotting the most sought after striped mammal, but in vain.  Finally at one point, our guide asked us to strain our ears to monkey signals, which are known to carry cues to the arrival of the king of the jungle. We were close to a circular man-made pond; the breeze rustled leaves to produce strange noises, we waited with bated breath and trained our eyes to spot movement that could appear from any direction.  My heart was doing a mini marathon, could feel the vibrations of its beat, all was calm yet tense, after 10 minutes we realized it was a false alarm. 

Since we had another two days left to try our luck, we decided to make our way back to the resort.  We were nearing the end of the trail, when we heard excited cries from another jeep ushering us towards a certain direction, they had just spotted the tiger. 

Our ace driver, took a near jerking about turn, and raced liked a possessed demon in the direction shown by the tourists.  We reached the chosen spot, which was a narrow lane that already had three jeeps waiting to watch the majestic grandeur of the king. I strained to get a good view, before my eyes could hit upon the target, I caught a glimpse of the carnivore through the lens of a handycam belonging to a lady in the jeep ahead of us. That moment will be etched in my memory for years to come…as I took my eyes off the lens and stood up in my jeep, within spitting distance lay the most stunning creature I had ever seen.…I spotted my first tiger….Jai…the guide told us the tiger was barely 5 years old….its sheer strength and raw virility surely belied its age.  Just like a seasoned celebrity it lay in its mud dug out, unaffected and unperturbed by the attention around him.  At first we thought he was hurt, hence lay immobile, but later were told he had over-hunted and his gluttony was preventing his movements.

 

We got some amazing shots of Jai, as he happily posed for all of us.  As the adventure for that day drew to a close, I felt content to have seen a tiger in its full splendour and glory.  And as luck would have it we spotted him again the next day, this time relaxing in a water canal, oblivious to the stir he caused around him. 

What did strike me about this walk in the wild, is the harmony with which different species dwell, each playing a unique part on the canvas of life, just as crafted by the hand above. All we are meant to do is find our path, explore the trail, and we shall reach where we are meant to be…

(Photo Credits: Sundar Sarma)